your knees God speak those words and said I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have none other Gods but me Lord have mercy upon me and incline my heart to keep this Law Self examination by the first Commandment If I have not absolutely denied Gods being or in a gross manner renounced him by Apostacy yet Have I not been angry with the Almighty murmuring and complaining against him in an adversity or trouble which he hath been pleased to lay upon me as though he were not both just and merciful Have I had such a confidence and trust in God as I ought to have had together with such a strength and consolation as ordinarily a lively confidence brings with it Have I not put all my confidence in the world and on the things which belong to it fearing man who can only kill the body more than God who can cast both Soul and Body into everlasting torments Have I not denyed my Maker by refusing to wait on him in his holy ordinances or if I have been there have I not been guilty of irreverence and cold devotion Lord have mercy upon me and pardon the breach of this Commandment II. Commandment Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing which is in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath or in the water under the Earth thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God and visit the sins of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and shew mercy unto thousands in them that love me and keep my Commandments Lord have mercy upon me and incline my heart to keep this Law Self examination by the II. Commandment Though I have not set up a graven Image nor fallen down to worship any yet Have I not been troubled with the Fool in my heart in laying up treasures which a 〈…〉 liable to Corruption and idolizing the vain pomps and vanities of this wicked world by covetousness which is I do latry If I have abhorred Idols have I not been guilty of Sacrilege robbing of God in his Tithes and Offerings not extending my charity to the poor as I ought to do but fixing my mind more on the Creature then on the Creator Have I not made a God of my belly by luxuriousness indulging my self with carnal delights and sensual appetites and have been hurried away by every wind of Doctrin Lord have mercy upon me and pardon the breach of this Commandment Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain Lord have mercy upon me and incline my heart to keep this Law Self examination by the III. Commandment If I have not blasphemously profaned Gods nâ—mâ— yet Have I not taken his holy name in my mouth with much irreverence and jestingly and scoffingly abused his holy ordinances Have I not taken many false Oaths and Protestations and have been guilty of too frequent and customary swearing cursing by the dreadful name of God which is only to be mentioned for blessing and adoration Have I been careful to keep those lawful Oaths I have taken as my Baptismal vow or any other Oath which was administred lawfully to me without being guilty of the breach of them Have I not neglected to call upon that name whereby alone I must receive salvation and have turned the grace of God into wantonness to the destruction of my own Soul Lord have mercy upon me and pardon the breach of this commandment IV. Commandment Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six days shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work thou and thy Son and thy Daughter thy Man servant and thy Maid-servant thy Cattle and the Stranger that is within thy Gates For in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it Lord have mercy upon me and incline my heart to keep this Law Self examination by the IV. Commandment If I have not actually ossiciated on that day my worldly calling or employment yet Did I spend my time in the House of God as I ought to do to praise him for all his mercies bestowed upon me Have not I omitted Prayers and Sermons and followed my own idle imaginations not caring at all for the Church but being weary of the Lords day like those in Amos 8. 5. who ask when will the Sabbath be gone that we may set forth Wheat Have I not invented ways to draw others from the service and worship of God by vain sports and idle discourses not remembring to praise God on this day for the Creation and joyful Resurrection Have I at home instructed my Family as I ought to do but on the contrary have neglected those duties of prayers reading and meditation Lord have mercy upon me and pardon the breach of this Commandment V. Commandment Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Lord have mercy upon me and incline my heart to keep this Law Self examination by the V. Commandment If I have not grosly abused my parents by cursing or swearing at them yet Have I not spoken meanly and lightly of my superiors and instead of obeying them have made it my study to oppose and contradict them Have I not been undutiful to them in several respects as not hearkning to their Counsel not taking their reprooss with meekness and humility but have despised and mocked them refusing to practice their exhortations not remembring the words of the wise Man Pro. 30. 17. The eye that mockeâ—h his Father and despiseth to obey his Mother the Reavens of the valleys shall pick it out and the young Eagles shall eat it Have not I wisht my Parents death out of greediness of gaining their possessions when rich and have I not when they were poor been so unnatural as to turn my back upon their necessities Lord have mercy upon me and pardon the breach of this Commandment VI. Commandment Thou shalt do no Murther Lord have mercy upon me and incline my heart to keep this Law Self examination by the VI. Commandment If I have not actually committed Murther yet Have I not drawn many to intemperance and other vices which cause diseases or bring death or have I not made strife among men by which means they have engaged themselves in quarrelling and in the encounter come off maimed or killed Have I not out of malice and revenge strove to shorten many ones life or have I not taken a delight to grind the face of the poor making them work of necessity for that which can never maintain their
Soul receiving no more of its objects what ever they be than it doth by intention and design apply himself to them XX. It must needs be that unpreparedness through ignorance or inconsideration of what I do cannot but frustrate my Soul of the good end of any action and most of all in so sacred and solemn a one as this is which concerns my Souls good in so high a nature and the negligent performance of it must needs render me guilty of a great sin of prophaneness and irreverence towards the Majesty of ingratitude towards the mercy of my God and Saviour whose ordinance this is and with whom in it I have to do besides I am conscious to my self that although for the habits of grace and general purpose of my heart I may be or strive to be at no time utterly indisposed to the service of God in holy duties as they are presented to me in private or publick occasions yet I see not without some degree of sorrow and humiliation that through the variety and distraction of secular affairs and the cares that attend them the commotions and suddenness of passions and irregular affections the common but then of humane and corporal infirmities the multitude and vanity of sensual objects and desires sin daily prevails upon me and my mind is much taken off from that constant regard and delight which I would and ought to have of God and his commands and becomes indispos'd to holy duties XXI By all which my faith and hope in God my Saviour is much weakned and undermined while my understanding grows dim and clouded in the knowledge of them my memory is blotted and defaced in its notions and impressions of them my will is declined wraped from its conformity with them and my desires are cool and indifferent to them as objects of a pure and remote nature of a sublimer speculation pleasure than these which are present and fall under the senses to which our Souls have a daily nearer and more easy access so that my Conscience tells me by the light of nature that it is necessary for me to recollect my Soul by a special and renewed preparation when ever I approach these holy and extraordinary duties to recover the lost and forgotten notions to clear that dimness which the light of knowledge hath contracted to rectify the swervings and obliquities of my will to compose the levity and extravagancies of my thoughts to reinflame the coolness and deadness of my affections to reinforce my vows and resolutions against sin in a word by unfeigned repentance and renewed sorrow by a serious meditation of God my Saviour my self and the means of Communion between us by frequent and servent prayer to settle and reestablish my faith and hope in the mercies of God and merits of Christ to wind up and raise my Soul judiciously to see seriously to intend earnestly to desire succesfully to obtain the hope and comfort of my Eternal happiness which is that great and highest end to which this as all other holy actions are by Divine ordination appointed XXII This then being the present state of my Soul in this vale of mortality both of its self by an innate burthen alwaies sinking and declining towards the Creature and besides wanting not many temptations which daily seek to quench depress and indispose it from aspiring to Heaven and a supernatural end and happiness it is necessary for me before I use these means which may advance me towards that end to take a survey of my heart by examining both the register of my Conscience for sins past and the present state and disposition of my will as also my after purpose and intentions how they stand inclined to good or evil to God or the Creature to things of this life or that to come that so I may recover what I have lost renew what I am decayed in repent what I have offended in and reform what I have failed in obtaining what grace and power I want and daily advance to what high measure and ability I can till I attain the end of all my prayers and endeavour the glory of God in the salvation of my Soul XXIII I examine my understanding what thoughts and conceptions I have of this holy Sacrament for if in this I am either grosly ignorant or damnably erroneous I must necessarily miscarry in my receiving and fail of my duty and its end nor will the goodness of my Intentions or Devoutness of my affection which cannot be lively and hearty but flashy and languishing true and sound knowledge being the fuel which feeds the flame of good and constant affections those I say countervail so gross defects in my Judgment but as in physick misapplying in the use must needs follow mistaking in the doctrine and nature of it although I do not aim or presume to attain a full and exact comprehension of this great mystery in the manner of its being and working which is most secret divine and spiritual in the cloud and dimness of mortality this knowledge then of this great mystery I conceive necessary to be had and I hope to be true and agreeable to the nature of the thing and the Will of God revealed concerning it Rules and directions to a weeks preparation I. When thou hearest the warning read in the Church by the Minister consider and contemplate with thy self that God Almighty hath sent forth his servant to bid thee to this great Supper where not his fat Oxen are killed but his only beloved Son and thy dear Saviour who was crucified on the Cross for thine and for the sins of the whole World is offered to thee to feed upon in thine heart with faith and thanksgiving therefore to fit and prepare thy self for this royal Feast thou must put on the Wedding Garment and cast off those filthy rags thy sins from thee and desire of God that he would remove them as far from thee as the East is from the West and to remember them no more II. Thus by a serious and narrow search into thy heart thou mayest become a worthy receiver and eat and drink this spiritual Food with comfort to the benefit and improvement of thy immortal Soul but if on the contrary thou receive it unworthily thou eatest and drinkest thy own damnation not discerning the Lords Body therefore examine thy heart and search and try thy ways and turn unto the Lord. How canst thou tell but this is the acceptable time of working out thy own Salvation therefore work now while it is day for the night cometh wherein no man can work use all possible means and endeavours to receive the same worthily and endeavour to purge thy Conscience from dead works to serve the living God and so will I conclude this Section in the words of St. Paul Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. Morning Devotions MOnday morning and the rest of the week
when you first awake lift up your Eyes to God and say I lift up mine Eyes to the Hills from whence cometh my help Open thou mine Eyes O Lord that I may see the wonders of thy Law My voice shalt thou hear betimes O Lord Early in the morning will I direct my Prayer unto thee and will look up At your up-Rising In the name of God the Father who Created me God the Son who Redeemed me and God the Holy Ghost who Sanctifieth me Amen I arise from my Bed of rest to praise and glorifie him the Preserver of all the World He of his infinite mercy and goodness Bless and keep me this day and for ever Amen I laid me down and slept and rose up again for the Lord hath sustained me Then kneel down and say this Prayer Prevent me O Lord in all my doings with thy most gracious favour and further me with thy continual help that in all my works begun continued and ended in thee I may glorifie thy Holy Name and finally by thy Mercy obtain Everlasting life through Jesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour Amen O Lord my heavenly Father Almighty and everlasting God who hast safely brought me to the beginning of this day defend me in the same with thy mighty power and grant that this day I fall into no sin neither run into any kind of danger but that all my doings may be ordered by thy governance to do always that which is righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen O God who art the author of peace and lover of concord in knowledge of whom standeth my eternal life whose service is perfect freedom defend me thy humble Servant in all assaults of my Enemies that I surely trusting in thy defence may not fear the power of any adversaries through the might of Jesus Christ my Lord Amen Almighty God the Fountain of all Wisdom who knowest my necessity before I ask and my ignorance in asking I beseech thee to have compassion upon my infirmities and those things which for my unworthiness I dare not and for my blindness I cannot ask vouchsafe to give me for the worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen Almighty God who hast promised to hear the Petitions of them that ask in thy Son's name I beseech thee mercifully to incline thine Ears to me that have made now my Prayers and Supplications unto thee and grant that those things which I have faithfully asked according to thy will may effectually be obtained to the relief of my necessity and to the setting forth of thy Glory through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen O Almighty God behold me a wretched Sinner here prostrate before thee do with me as seems best in thine own Eyes only give me a penitent and a patient Spirit to expect thee and make this my service acceptable to thee while I live and my Soul ready for thee when I die Amen Our Father which art in Heaven c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with me and remain with me this day and for evermore Amen Read the Psalms appointed for the Morning Service and the First and Second Lesson Devotions for the Evening for every day in the week Evening Ejaculations O Lord let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the Incence And the lifting up of my hands as an evening Sacrifice My trust and hope hath been in thee all the day long and under the Shaddow of thy Wings shall be my Refuge day and night for ever Lighten mine eyes O Lord that I sleep not in death Almighty God who hast made the day for labouâ— and the night for rest let thy Sons blood cleanse me from this days Guilt that I may sleep in thy peace and rise again refreshed and preserved by thy favour through Jesus Christ my Crucified Saviour Amen O Eternal God who hast preserved me this day from many sins and dangers for which I humbly magnifie thy Holy Name for thy Grace and goodness towards me beseeching thee to forgive me all the Errors of this day whereof my Conscience doth or may accuse me and grant that those things which by my frailty I have committed may be by the help of thy Spirit more carefully avoided that I may ever walk in thy favour and under thy Protection and now rest and lye down in thy peace and at last come to thy heavenly Kingdom through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ Amen O God from whom all holy desires all good Councels and all just works do proceed give unto me thy Servant that peace wich the world cannot give that my whole heart may be set to obey thy Commandments and also that by thee I being defended from the fear of my Enemies I may pass my time in rest and quietness through the merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour Amen Lighten my darkness I beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend me from all perills and dangers of this night for the love of thy only Son my only Lord and Saviour Our Father which art in Heaven c. The peace of God which passeth all understanding keep my heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ my Lord and the blessing of God Almighty the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost be with me this Night and all the days of my life at the hour of my death and at the day of Judgment Amen When you lye down say I will lay down my head in peace and take my rest for thou only O Lord makest me to dwell in safety Into thy hands I commit my Soul and Body keep me for thy mercy sake Amen On Monday morning and every day in the Week use these Ejaculations Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of Man that thou regardest him Thou madest him lower than the Angels to crown him with glory and worship Behold I was shapen in wickedness and in sin hath my Mother conceived me Thou shalt purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow Turn thy face from my sins and put out all my misdeeds Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me O give me the comfort of thy help again and establish me with thy free spirit Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be now and evermore acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer A preparatory Meditation upon the most Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper I. O who will give to my head Water and to my eyes a fountain of Tears that I may weep day and night for my sins and ingratitude towards God my Creator Consider O my Soul the multitude of Gods benefits bestowed upon
service begins upon thy knees use these ejaculations 1. This is the day which the Lord hath made I will be joyful and glad in it 2. He hath redeemed my soul from death my eyes from tears and my feet from falling 3. Thou shalt prepare a Table before me against them that trouble me thou hast anointed my head with Oyl my Cup shall be full 4. But surely thy loving kindness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever 5. I will wash my hands in innocency O Lord and so will I go to thine Altar 6. That I may shew the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works 7. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place were thine honour dwelleth 8. O shut not up my soul with the sinners nor my life with the Blood thirsty 9. My foot stand th right I will prase the Lord in the great congregation A Meditation to be used at the Lords Table when there are many Communicants O What a Heavenly sight is this to behold such an Assembly of Christians meeting with one accord at this great mystery how joyful a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity and to worship the Almighty in Spirit and in Truth I feel my heart is more raised and my devotion kindled by their zeal and all lukew armness is passed away my spirits are refresht and have taken new life by seeing such an appearance in the House of God II. This is the perfection of Religion to seek Gods Face while he may be found and to call upon him while he is near which none of us can do too often to have him in remembrance who so oft remembred us here we receive spiritual things and taste and see how good the Lord is which food O Lord I beseech thee let me never want but give it me as my dayly bread for Jesus Christ his sake my only Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Prayer before the Sacrament O Dear Saviour how excellent is thy goodness and loving kindness to me and to all thy Creatures thou art pleased O Lord to vouchsafe me this opportunity in the waiting upon thee in thy solemn Ordinance where thou dost communicate unto me thy precious Body and Blood and dost give me that interest in thee and peace which the World cannot give nor none can take away this is that treasure which moths cannot corrupt nor thieves break through and steal II. O then where my treasure is let my heart be there also away fond World and all the vanities thereof for the God of holiness hath touched my heart I do now purpose to return from my evil ways and as long as I live to renew those purposes daily O then dear Lord fit me I beseech thee for thy self that I may receive with that joy and spiritual comfort this thy body that was broken and thy precious Blood which was shed for me whereby I may partake of all the benefits of thy bitter Death and Passion and become one with thee in receiving all that either my soul doth need or desire for thy alone sake my only Saviour and Redeemer Amen When the Minister is saying the Offertory use this Meditation at thy offering thy Alms. O Almighty God what I offer is but what thou lentest me here for a time and what I now give to my poor Brethren thou hast promised to repay it but I have received more at thy all-merciful hands than my heart and tongue can ever express O that I could have given ten thousand Talents instead of this poor mite my charity thou hast no need of but for as much as I have done it to my poor Brethren whose souls thou hast redeemed with thy most precious Blood thou ownest it to be done to thy self O what can I give thee O Lord or render unto thee for all the EÃ rthly comforts and benefits I have received from thee I can give thee nothing but what is thy own and no Earthly thing can bear proportion with thy Majesty therefore in all humility I resign my soul up into thy hands who art my faithful Creator and who sent thy Son to save me a lost sinner to whom be all praise honor and glory now and for ever Amen Then say after the Minister the Prayer for the whole state of Christ's Church militant here on Earth and be very attentive to the exhortation which follows beginning with these words Dearly beloved in the Lord. Then hearken diligently to the invitation and when the Minister expresses these words draw near with faith and take this Holy Sacramint then use these Ejaculations 1. I am unworthy O Lord to appear before thee 2. But thou art able to save them to the uttermost that come unto thee and doth live for ever to make intercession with God the Father for us 3. No Man cometh unto thee except the Father draw him and thou wilt raise him up at the last day 4. O have compassion upon my penitent soul who draws near to thy throne of grace that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help me in time of need Then joyn with all your heart with the Minister in the general consession absolution and sentences lifting up your heart unto the Lord blessing and praising his holy name in these Ejaculations 1. The Lord is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me 2. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put any confidence in man 3. The Lord is my strength and my song and is become my salvation 4. I shall not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord. 5. This is the gate of the Lord the righteous shall enter into it 6. Thou art my God and I will thank thee thou art my God and I will praise thee 7. I will lift up my heart and my hands unto thee O thou that dwellest in the Heavens 8. My help standeth in the name of the Lord which hath made Heaven and Earth 9. The Lord hath done great things for me whereof I rejoyce 10. Therefore with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of Heaven I will laud and glorifie thy glorious name evermore praising thee saying holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high Amen Then joyn with the Minister in the address which begins thus We do not presume to come to this thy Holy Table O merciful Lord c. At the time of the Consecration fix your eye upon the Elements and at the actions of the Ministers in ordering the Bread and Wine we ought joyfully and thankfully to meditate after this manner O Who can but admire and wonder that the Son of God should become food to the Souls of Men and to humble himself so low as to be represented by bread which is the poor mans food though necessary