himselfe intâ— a Mountaine and sometime to the Desert and sometime to a ship at sea as his places of refuge 4 But principally as I take it he entred into a ship and sailed in it that by his example he might both giue warrant to those that haue a lawfull calling to aduenture thâ—mselues and their liues at sea depending vpon Gods protection as also to shew the necessitie that his Apostles should be tied vnto to take that course afterward when they receiued commission to goe preach the Gospell to all Naâ—ions which they could not doe especially to Islanders but by passing of the sea Here then we obserue the honour of the Art of Nauigation and of the professors and practisers thereof graced in this place by the presence and practice of our Sauiour Christ and this miracle wrought by him at sea for as we account it none of the least dignities of that honorable estate of Matrimonie that Christ adorned and beautified a Marriage with his presence and first miracle that hee wrought at Cana in Galile so must we think it a great honour to Nauigation and Nauigators that Christ himselfe vouchsafed to enter into a ship and therein to worke a greateâ— miracle and certainely the honours of Nauigators by sea are very great For â—irst howsoeuer they trade and spend the best part of their liues in another â—lement then the ordinary course of other men doe yet is that element of water nothing inferiour but rather more excellent then the earth the lowest and basest of all the rest and in the opinion of a great Philosopher this is the Element of Elements or the first matter whereof al bâ—dies were made whose opinion in the iudgement of one of the best Diuines of our age is most agreeable to the truth deliuered by Moses That the Spirit of God moued vpon the waters where the word mouâ—d being a metaphor taâ—en from birds sitting vpon egges to hatch their young doth shew that God out oâ— those waters as out of the first matter did produce all bodies as well celestiall as terrestiall for the word heauens in originall being a compound doth signifie nothing else but there water answerable to that which followeth in the historie of the Creation of the waters beneath and aboue the firmament vnto which if we shall adde for the dignitie of this element That the earth was specially cursed for the sinne of man That in the generall destruction of all liuing creatures in the deluge the fishes the inhabitants of this element escaped That our Sauiour Christ did chuse fishermen for his principall Apostles That he ordained this element as the matter of the Sacrament of baptisme and that by his owne vndertaking this Sacrament in â—his element Hee sanctified the Flood Iordan and all other waters to the mysticall washing away of sinne All these doe shew the dignitie of this element aboue the earth Secondly whereas the difference of excellencie in Trades doth best appeare in their dependance vpon Gods prouidence insomuch as the greatest argument of the Fathers against Vsury is that the Vsurer will not relie or depend vpon Gods blessing and prouidence but vpon such security as their wits can find out of Bonds Statutes Morgages and Pawnes This is the second honour of Nauigators and Merchants that of all other men they most rest and trust vpon Gods blessing and protection In which respect if we will call to mind the blessings that God hath bestowed especially vpon this our Nation in this last age of the world more then euer since the beginning of the world for the perfecting of the Art of Nauigation and for the discouery of new Nations which may in comparison be called neâ— worlds so that those cold parts of the world towards the Poles and hot Zone vnder and neere the Line which by ancients were thought to be inhabitable are now as familiarly gone vnto as from Douer to Calice we cannot but admire Gods mercie and goodnesse to reserue this honour to this last and worst age of the world that we may at last learne to crie out with the Prophet What shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefits which he hath giuen me Thirdly whereas amongst men the degrees of honour consist in the difficulty and hardnesse of the atchiuement so that the greatest honour is the hardest to be obtained is best esteemed by hardnesse in getting it this is the third honour of Nauigators especially in great and long voyages that they purchase their honour the hardest of any other they indure and ouercome more apparant difficulties and dangers then any other men in the world and therefore their honour so deare bought to be highly preferred Fourthly whereas in all professions they are most honourable which bring most knowledge and vnderstanding because reason and the true vse of it is held the specificall difference betwixt men and beasts And among all humane learning the Mathematicall sciences haue had the precedence both for certainty because they are grounded on demonstration and also because they acquaint vs with all the courses motions proportions of the celestiall and elementarie bodies This is the fourth honour of Nauigators that they haue the most and best vse of all Mathematicall discipline Arithmeticke Geometry Astronomie and as it is set downe as a commendation of Moses that he was learned in all the wisedome of the Egyptians and therefore powerfull in words and in deeds and this wisedome of the Egyptians was in the Mathematicall sciences especially in Astronomie whereby they obserued not only the distinction of the Planets from the fixed starres but their site or place their magnitudes their coniunctions and oppositions and their influences and forces vpon bodies beneath the Moone the ingendring of all meteors the cause of the ebbing flowing and saltnesse of the sea and such like so this cannot but adde to the honour of Nauigators that they not only examine the truth of former obseruations but doe daily encrease knowledge in the world concerning these most excellent speculations Fifthly antiquitie hath euer been held a true badge of honour especially in those artes and professions which were first found out by men famous renouned in their times And this is the fifth honour of Nauigators for howsoeuer prophane historians in their histories doe ascribe both the inuention of shipping and the art of Nauigation to one of themselues one Atlas a Moore whom for his skill in Astronomie the Poets faine to beare vp the heauens with his shoulders as if he were the first inuentor and in part a perfecter of this excellent Art yet we Christians as we reade in the Scripture do hold that the first vse of shipping and the Art of Nauigation came both immediately from God himselfe and were reuealed to Noah in forme of an Arke which hee was not only commanded to make but had particular directions both for the matter whereof
Corah Dathan and Abiran at the prayer of Moses And in the waters at his prayer not onely the makâ—ng of bitter waters sweet but deuiding of the sea in two And in the aire at the prayer of Eliah the middle region shut vp from raine for â—hree yeeres and sixe moneths and at his prayer the fire descending to consume the Captaines and their fifties but also in the Heauens the Sunne to stand still at the prayer of Ioshuah and the strongest diuels to bee cast out by this and fasting Yea seeing this duty doth worke vpon God himself to withhold him from pouring downe his iâ—dgements All those doe not onely excuse the Disciples but commend them in comming to their Master to awake him and call vpon him for helpe and doe teach all good Christians by their example neuer to forget or neglect the performance of this dutie But we consider further here the manner of the Disciples comming vnto Christ by the extremitie of danger whereby they were driuen not onely presently and suddenly to call vpon him but with exclamation and outcrie to crie and roare to him thereby to reâ—eiue present helpe lest it come too late for in the great dangers of fier and water which two elements are said to haue no mercy there must be neither dallying nor delaying but without present helpe there is no hope As therefore if a man shall see his house on fire hee comes not coldly and faintly to entreat his neighbors help to yeeld them reasons but breakes out into exclamations Fier fier water water ladders ladders helpe helpe we are all vndone c. So in this place in this extreme perill of water it may wel be presumed that the Disciples being in great feare skreeked and made a pitifull noise to awake their Master And howsoeuer the prayers of the godly are neuer vnseasonable and are therefore to be vsed at all times and vpon all occasions as was said before yet certainely they are neuer so earnest so feruent so hearty and consequently so effectuall as in extremity of trouble This therefore is a principall reason why God doth suffer afflictions in this life to seaze vpon and euen to be ready to ouerthrow his owne dearest children For though many other reasons hereof are giuen by the Fathers as first To shew his iustice against sinne of which no man is free in this life Secondly to terrifie the wicked for If iustice begin at the house of God what shall c. Thirdly to exercise their patience of which they haue neede no patience but in afflictions Fourthly to make conformable to the image of his sonne for as Christ saith of himselfe Ought not Christ to suffer these things and so to enter into glory So Saint Paul of his children All that will liue godly in Christ must suffer persecution Fifthly to weane them from the world as the nurse annoints the teate with bitter things Sixthly to make them know that their disease is not incurable As the Physitian to a desperate patient wil giue leaue to eate what he list but to him whom he hath hope to recouer he denies many things hee must keepe diet Seuenthly to assure them that they are sons not bastards being partakers of correction Eightly to stop Satans mouth that is ready to say Doth Iob serue God for naught Ninthly to purge vs from the drosse and corruption of our natures for that which the flayle is to the Corne to bring it from the straw that which the file is to the yron to take off the rust that which the fier is to the gold to purge it from drosse that is tribulation and affliction to Gods children to do them good Tenthly but aboue all other reasons the last remaineth that they may call and crie vnto the Lord renouncing themselues and resting and relying vpon his protection This is the reason that the Prophet Dauid desireth of God that his prayer may ascend as the incense For as incense can send vp no smoke or sweete perfume till it come into the fier So the prayers of the Saints do neuer ascend so forcibly as in their fiery trials Oratio sine malis est sicut auis sine alis Prayer vntill affliction stings is like a bird without wings it cannot raise it selfe to mount and flie vp to heauen for if we examine our owne harts we shall find that euen the best men that pray vnto God ordinarily euery day either publikely with others or priuately by themselues which duty is too much neglected by too too many doe while they are free from troubles call vpon God but weakely and coldly and faintly rather for fashion and custome then with any sound and sensible feeling of their owne miseries they offer the calues of their lippes And draw neere vnto God with their mouthes but their hearts are farre from him and are therefore attended and accompanied with so many wandring imaginations and vaine and idle thoughts euen in the middest of this holy and religious duty that when they haue done praying they had neede begin to pray againe for forgiuenesse of their negligent and carelesse carriage therein But in affliction when the iudgements of God are vpon vs and wee are thereby brought either to the true sense and feeling of our sinne and of the waight burden of it pressing vs downe to hel or to be deiected by any extremitie of sickenesse or any other danger that may threaten death this cannot but worke feare and terror and howsoeuer many of the wicked that neuer had care to serue God in the daies of their peace are thereby brought either to murmur and to repine against God as the Israelites in the wildernesse or to reuile the meanes and seeke reuenge as dogs that bite at the stone that is throwne at them or fall to open blasphemy against God as Iulian the Apostata crying at his death Vicisti Galilâ—e O Galilean meaning Christ Thou hast ouercome Or lastly fall into despaire and make away themselues as Achitophel and Iudas yet if they be not past all grace and hope the iudgements of God wil work remorse in them Wee reade of hard-hearted Pharaoh that at the first would not acknowledge God and therefore said to Mâ—ses and Aaron Quis est Iehoua Who is the Lord that I should heare his voice Yet afterward though he could not for the hardnesse of his heart pray himselfe yet when the plagues of God were vpon him he entreated Moses and Aaron to pray for him And againe Goe not farre away but pray for me It is admirable to consider how the feare of Gods iudgements wrought vpon the Niniuites at Ionahs preaching for the text saith of them that though they were a Heathen people that knew not God and a great people for their Citie was of three daies iourney and there was in it
endeuour to reduce so many of them as wee can possibly to the embracing of the same Christian faith which we professe and to that end may bee earnest with thee by our deuout prayers to giue a blessing to our endeuours by enlightning their vnderstandings and opening their hearts and inflaming their affections and desires that so thy name may be more and more knowne vpon earth and thy sauing health among all Nations And lastly O Lord we entreate thee that leauing Christendome wee may hold fast our Christian faith that we bee not Apostataes and back-sliders to make shipwrack of faith and of a good conscience but may hold the profession of our hope without waâ—ering from the beginning to the end of this voiage And thus commending our selues to thy holy protection we beg these things at thy hands and whatsoeuer else thou knowest to bee necessary or fit for vs in thy Son Iesus Christ his name and in that forme which he himselfe hath taught vs in his Gospell saying Our Father c. A Prayer for the conscionable warranting of Nauigators to vndertake long Voyages by Sea WE do not presume most gracious God and louing Father in thy Sonne Iesus Christ to aduenture vpon the great dangers which we make account to haue continually before our eyes in our trauels by Sea trusting either in our owne skill or in the meanes prepared and prouided for vs to saue vs from those dangers but in thy blessings which thou hast graciouslie promised vpon our lawfull labours and endeuours in our honest callings and professions For howsoeuer by our callings wee are drawne to leade a great part of our liues in another element then other men ordinarily doe yet seeing that element is nothing inferiour to the earth which was chiefely made subiect to thy curse for mans sinne so that though once thou didst by this element for the sinne of man drowne all the world except eight persons saued in the Arke yet thou then promisedst neuer to destroy it so againe and to that end didst set thy Raine-bow in the cloud to assure men thereof And seeing thou hast made this Element the matter of the Sacrament of Baptisme And thy Sonne Iesus Christ by vndertaking this Sacrament in this Element hath sanctified all waters vsed in this Sacrament to signifie the mysticall washing away of sinne seeing it hâ—th pleâ—sâ—d thee to reueale more in this latter age of the world concerning this art of Nauigation then to our forefathers and dost daily bring to light more certaine meanes to giue men further knowledge and experience therein seeing by thy blessing vpon Nauigation and Nauigators the greatest dangers and difficulties in the world are runne thorow and ouercome and our little Iland of England where thy Gospell is truly preached and thy name called vpon is made famous to the remotest partes of the world Seeing the knowledge of the Mathematicall sciences which for their certentie standing vpon demonstrations and for their excellency making obseruations of the heauens and celestiall bodies and their motions and influences haue the precedence before other humane learning is by this art daily more and more encreased Seeing thou thy selfe O Lord God wast the first author of this Art instructing thy seruant Noah to build an Arke for the sauing of himselfe his famely and the rest of the creatures from the waters of the great Flood Seeing thou dost daily in our trauels by sea affoord vs more meanes and helpes to deuout and heauenly meditations then to other ordinary men Seeing that by this Art which we professe and practise the commerce and trade betwixt Nation and Nation is preserued and maintained and the knowledge of thy sauing truth carried into those parts of the earth which formerly haue not knowne thee And seeing the sea through which we passe is an image of the world and the ship in which wee â—aile is an image of thy Church and the whole course of our life at sea may teach vs spiritually how to behaue our selues in thy â—eruice Lastly seeing thy Sonne our Sauiour while he liued vpon the earth did vouchsafe not only to approue and allow our profession but to honour it in his owne person by entring into a ship and therein working a great miracle at sea and thereby giue certaine â—estimony and assurance of his Diuinity and God-head Grant that we may no way in this our intended voyage dishonour this our profession which thou hast so many waies graced but may acknowledge thee to be the God of the sea as well as of the land and may depend and relie vpon thy protection and defence at all times and in all places that the beholding of the waters may put vs in minde of the solemne vow and promise and profession which was vndertaken for vs by our Sureties in this element at our first admission into thy visible Church when we receiued the Sacrament of baptisme that by thy blessing wee may daily increase in the knowledge of those things that belong vnto our profession and chearefully run â—hrough the difficulties and dangers of our voyage and may raise spirituall comforts to our hearts from all blessings and crosses that may befall vs and aboue al that we may be sure to take thy Sonne our Sauiour Christ along with vs in our ship and whole fleete and haue him alwaies present with vs not onely as he is generally as God present in all places but as he hath specially promised his mercifull and helping presence where two or three are gathered together in his name that we may not suffer him to sleepe in vs but by our deuout prayers so awake him that we may so begin continue and end this our now intended voyage that withall our soules may continually be sayling to our true port and hauen which is heauen Grant vs these things O mercifull Father and whatsoeuer else is necessary for vs in our whole voyage not for any merits of ours but for thy Sonne Iesus Christ his sake in whose name we call vpon thee further as hee hath taught vs in his Gospell saying Our Faâ—her c. A Morning Prayer WEE giue thee humble and hearty thankes most mercifull Father in thy Sonne Iesus Christ for thy gracious preseruation of vs this night passed from all the perils and dangers whereunto we were subiect giuing vs quiet rest and sleepe for the refreshing of our bodies before wearied and bringing vs to the comfortable ioy of the light of this day wee beseech thee that the beholding of this corporall light which was the first of thy creatures and which before rested in thy selfe and wherein thou seemedst to take such delight that thou didst adde to the light created the first day those excellent celestiall bodyes of the Sunne and Moone and Starres the fourth day may cause vs to lift vp our hearts spiritually to discearne thee that art light and in whom is no darkenesse that not onely doest as the light disperse the beames of
thou Lord hadst not been on our sides when men rose vp against vs they had swallowed vs vp quicke when their wrath was kindled against vs Then the waters had drowned vs and the streame had gone ouer our soule Then had the swelling waters gone ouer our soule Praised be the Lord which hath not giuen vs ouer as a prey vnto their teeth Our soule is escaped euen as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken we are deliuered Let vs not therfore forget to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing vnto thee the true God y◠hast deliuered vs frō the hands of our enemies let the holy examples of thy seruants Moses and Miriam and Baruch Deborah and the Prophet Dauid in their Psalms of thanksgiuing for their victories and deliuerance from their enemies incite and prouoke vs to praise thy name as long as wee liue yea as long as we haue any being Thou hast giuen vs the shield of thy saluation and thy right hand hath staid vs and thy louing kindnesse hath caused vs to encrease For thou hast girded vs with strength to battell Them that rose against vs thou hast subdued vnder vs. Let the Lord liue and blessed be our strength and the God of our saluation be exalted It is God that giueth vs power to auenge vs and subdueth the people vnto vs O our deliuerer from our enemies euen thou hast set vs vp from them that rose against vs thou hast deliuered vs from the cruell men Therefore will we praise thee O Lord among the nations and will sing vnto thy name We will alwaies giue thankes vnto thee and thy praise shall be in our mouth continually and our tongues shall vtter thy righteousnesse and thy praise euery day Thou hast put into our mouthes a new song of praise vnto thee our God Many shall see and feare and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust and regardeth not the proud and such as turne aside to lies O Lord our God thou hast made thy wonderfull works so many that none can count in order to thee thy thoughts towards vs. Wee would declare and speake of them but they are more then we are able to expresse Thou makest war to cease vnto the ends of the world thou breakest the bow and cuttest the speare and burnest the chariots in the fire Let vs therefore be still and know that thou art God and wilt be exalted among the Heathen and wilt bee exalted in the earth Thou Lord of hosts art with vs thou God of Iacob art our refuge Let vs therefore reioyce and be glad in thee and tell and sing of thy greatnesse Thy name shall bee for euer thy name shall endure as long as the Sunne All Nations shall blesse thee and bee blessed in thee Blessed be the Lord God euen the God of Israel which onely doth wondrous things And blessed be his glorious name for euer and let all the earth be filled with his glory Amen Amen A Prayer in the time of Famine and Dearth O Lord our God thou hast broken the staffe of our bread and taken away the strength therof wherby it should nourish vs we eat our bread by waight and with care and drinke our water by measure with astonishment because our bread and water faile we are astonied one with another But thou hast taught vs that Man liueth not by bread only but by euery word that proceedeth out of thy mouth We know therefore that howsoeuer thou hast appointed bread and meat and drinke as the ordinary means to maintaine life yet it is thy blessing vpon those meanes whereby we are preserued and as it is easie with thee to turne penurie and scarcity into plenty and abundance beyond the expectation of men so thou canst giue a blessing to a little meale in a bartell and a little oyle in a cruse to continue and not wast till thy seruants are relieued And though thou hast threatned the iudgement of Famine as a punishment to wicked men yet wee know that thy dearest children the holy Patriarches Abraham Isaac and Iacob haue all of them been tried thereby and yet after been relieued by thee And seeing the Scripture teacheth vs that thy eye O Lord is vpon them that feare thee and that trust in thy mercy To deliuer their soules from death and preserue them from famine And that our Sauiour Iesus Christ hath not onely charged vs not to cark and care for our selues as the Heathen What wee shall eate or drink but to depend vpon thy prouidence which feedest the fowles of the aire and knowest that wee haue need of these things but also hath promised that they that seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse shall haue all these things ministred vnto them Teach vs to relie vpon thy prouidence O Lord and to know that when all outward meanes faile vs yet thou art still the same God faithfull in thy promises and thy mercies cannot faile Thou canst suddenly by meanes vnknowne to vs supply our wants thou canst make a little stretch farre and canst proportion our appetites to our store Giue vs grace therefore to make vse of this crosse when we see the great care taken for our prouision before we vndertook the voyage cannot helpe vs that it may cause vs both to waite thy leisure and expect supply in thy good time and submit our selues vnto thee without murmuring grudging or repining at thee and without mutining or falling out among our selues And if it please thee to supply our necessities grant that we may thankfully acknowledge thy mercies therein and keepe our selues in so sober a diet that we may both auoide the sins of surfetting and drunkennesse and may specially be stirred vp to hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and the spirituall meate and drinke of our soules which shall endure vnto euerlasting life which now and euer we desire to be so carefull of that howsoeuer it please thee to dispose of our bodies the food belonging vnto them we may know that meate was made for the belly and the belly for meate but thou shalt destroy them both but this bread of life and water of life shall last and neuer faile vs but euen in death bring vs to euerlasting life purchased for vs by the death of thy Sonne Iesus Christ in whose name and words we craue the supply of all our wants in that forme which hee hath prescribed saying Our Father which art c. A Prayer being arriued at a Port among Infidels O Lord it is thy goodnesse and mercie that hath brought vs safe through the many dangers of Sea vnto this place where we are to enter yet into more dangers being to trade and conuerse with