sin that without repentance he will condemn every one that offendeth therein Saul for unadvised cursing and adjuration lost a Victory against the Philistines For consulting with a Witch was with his Sons brought to untimely end Sennacherib for blaspheming God was slain by his own Sons Ananias for lying to the Holy Ghost dyed suddenly The Fourth Commandement Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day c. IN this Commandement are two things contained 1. A Precept or Declaration of the will of God To set apart some day 1. To the publick worship of God 2. In ceasing from our labours 2. A Reason of the Commandement 1. Because God after the Creation rested on the seventh day 2. Because he also blessed and sanctified it Let not worldly cares put it out of thy mind but observe it with all Care and Religion And not without great cause was this Precept so strictly urged 1. Because by the neglect of it ariseth the neglect of all spiritual duty 2. Because in it was contained a Type or Shadow of the great and everlasting Sabbath which is our Sanctification 3. Because we have thereby some time to shew mercy to our Servants and Beasts wearied with labour In frequenting the Church and there to exercise thy self In Prayer Hearing the Word Receiving the Sacrament In pious and religious Works as Visiting the Sick Relieving the Poor Meditating on Gods Works Praising him for them In refraining from Sin In resting from servile Labour And although that part of the Iews Sabbath be abrogated which respected the Seventh day Sacrifices and other exteriour acts of Gods worship commanded and enjoyned to the Iews yet the Church hath appointed instead thereof the Lords day or Sunday called the first day of the week wherein all Christians are bound to retain and observe all the duties of the first Sabbath avoiding the Iewish strict and superstitious Ceremonies In following the Vocation appointed thee by God wherein thou art to omit nothing necessary for the sustentation of thy Family And not to spend those six dayes wholly in idleness pleasure or excess Nor in the publique duties of the Sabbath and thereby nelecting the Care over thy Family In that day neither thou nor any of thy Family or Cattel shall do any servile labour except in case of necessity and preservation of Gods Creatures from damage or loss but ye shall spend it in those religious duties formerly set down In case of necessity The Sabbath being made for Man and not Man for the Sabbath we are to conceive that it was ordained not to destroy but to preserve him and therefore all works are not forbidden that day 1. As dressing of meat By the example of the Priests who on the Sabbath killed the Beasts for Sacrifice and dressed the rest And of Christs Disciples plucking ears of Corn. And Tertullian saith That the Antient and Primitive Church never fasted on the Sabbath day 2. Ministring Physick to the Sick By the example of our Saviour healing on that day 3. Saving Corn Hay-Houses and the like from perishing By our Saviours question to the Pharisees 2. The Reason why God commanded the observation of the first Sabbath was 1. Because after God by his Word had created the Universe of nothing he rested himself from all the work that he had made 2. Because this day was by him blessed and sanctified And the reason why the Seventh day was changed by the Apostles and continued by Christian Emperours into the first day of the week upon which the Christians Sabbath is observed was in remembrance of our Saviours Resurrection which happned on this day as may be gathered by Christs selecting that day to appear twice to his Apostles after his Resurrection The Second Table The Fifth Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long on the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee AS the first Table teacheth the honour and love of God so doth the second the duty we owe to our Neighbour And the first Commandement of this Table enjoyneth us to honour and reverence our Parents as being the thing which God esteemeth next in degree to his Honour And it containeth First A Precept Secondly A Promise 1. The Precept is General and Particular 1. The General comprehendeth our Duty to all our Elders and Superiours whom God hath set over us for our government and preservation which duty is of necessity to be performed in respect of the upholding of Politique Government 2. The Particular Precept containeth our Duty to our natural Parents Father and Mother of what degree estate or condition soever they be Whether Poor or Rich Good or Bad this Commandement layeth hold on us That which we are enjoyned to do by these words is to Reverence them as from whom we received our being Love them for their care sorrow and pains in our education Obey them in all lawful things at being appointed by God to command over us Be thankful to them in requiting their charge and love in ministring to their necessities Be patient with them in their corrections and bearing with all their infirmities That which we are forbidden to do against them is Not to speak evil of them or to curse them Not to see them want Not to be ashamed of them for poverty or other cause whatsoever 2. The Promise is made to all such as shall keep this Precept which is Long dayes of life here and happy too else they would be no better than a curse Long dayes hereafter for ever in bliss which is the highest blessing that can befall to any It was Saint Pauls observation that this was the first Commandement that had a Promise annexed to it This Promise God made 1. To allure us to the Duty of reverencing and obeying our Parents and Superiours 2. To shew how highly he esteemeth of it 3. It suits with the Commandements if we honour our Parents who gave us life we shall be rewarded with long life The Sixth Commandement Thou shalt not Kill THis Commandement followeth properly and in order in the next place For mans life being the most precious thing in this World and upon which all other things depend God seemeth to take care by this Commandement for peace and quietness whereby mans life may be preserved The life of man ought to be preserved for three respects 1. Because God is the Iudge of man only 2. Nature desireth nothing more than the preservation of life 3. Murther destroyeth all society Neither thy self nor others Neither shalt thou have any desire to do any such act Under this Commandement are divers other particulars forbidden For as God forbiddeth the act so doth he command that all occasions or means to execute that act be forborn and taken away If God commands us not to kill then he prohibits the affections to Slaughter Anger Unjust War Quarrelling
chearful heart And because O Lord that this life hath not one certain hour I beseech thee to Enlighten mine eyes that I sleep not in death and grant that after I have rested quietly I may by thy grace and mercy arise to serve thee in singleness of heart Lighten O Saviour my darkness and mercifully keep me from all dangers of this night Save me waking and keep me sleeping that I may watch in thee and rest in peace There is nothing that more resembleth our Life than the Day nor the Grave than our Beds O Lord therefore when I am laid down and by sleep made unable to help my self being like unto a dead man defend me then by thy power from the crafts and assaults of the Enemy that he do me no harm so that though my Body sleep my Soul may watch unto thee and contemplate of the life to come And grant that having passed the night quietly I may arise as well from the sleep of sin as from my natural sleep and with all alacrity pass the day following in thy service and in the end of my pilgrimage by thy merits receive the Crown which thou hast promised to those that love thee in that day which no night shall follow and in that Heavenly Kingdom where thou reignest together with the Father and the blessed Spirit world without end Evening Prayer LEt my prayer O Lord be set forth in thy sight as the Incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an Evening Sacrifice In the Evening Morning and at Noon-day will I pray and that instantly and thou Lord shalt hear my prayer Blessed be thou O Lord Who hast preserved me from the Arrow that flyeth by day and from the Sickness that destroyeth in the noon-day Who hast not cut off my life like a Weaver nor made an end of me O Lord I confess that as my dayes have increased so hath my sin multiplied The just man falleth seven times a day But I miserable sinner seventy times seven times But I return to thee O Lord and repent Let not the Sun go down in thy wrath O Lord whatsoever good I have done this day I acknowledge that thou hast wrought it in me and desire thee graciously to accept of me for it as thy Instrument only O Lord whatsoever evil I have committed this day I confess it to be the work of mine own hands and heartily pray thee to pardon it O Lord which givest the sleep of health to them that love and causest those that fear thee to sleep confidently Lighten mine eyes that I sleep not in death Keep me from the terrours of the night aud from the works of darkness Lord though I sleep yet let my heart watch to thee and when I wake let me be present before thee let my thoughts ascend to thee Grant that I may alwayes remember that the night is no night with thee and that darkness and light are to thee alike Grant that I may alwayes meditate upon the long and last sleep the sleep of Death the Bed of my Grave and the Covering of Worms and Dust. Let my sleep be a cessation from sin and let me not in my sleep do or think any thing that may offend thee or defile my self And grant that after the sleep shall depart from mine eyes I may remember thee search my reines and try my heart O Lord I commend my self and all that of thy bounty is mine to thee In thee I put all my trust and confidence Thou seest in what dangers we are what snares the Devil layeth for us I humbly therefore pray thee to defend me from him And grant me so to order and end my life that I may sleep in peace and take my rest with thee for the merits of Iesus Christ c. I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Evening Prayer for a Family O Almighty and everlasting God who hast appointed all times and seasons to succeed in their due course and hast ordained the day for the works of the day and bodily labour and the night to take our quiet rest refreshing by whose providence and mercy we have been preserved this day from all dangers have been furnished with all things necessary for this life we humbly pray and beseech thee that now in this time of night and darkness wherein we poor and miserable sinners stand in most need of thy help and aid thou wouldst be pleased to keep us from all dangers spiritual and temporal O Lord we confess that we have not deserved the least of thy favours nay if thou shouldst with strict eye examine our actions how we have spent this day and the rest of our dayes past we should not be able to stand in thy sight much less beg any further blessings of thee For notwithstanding thy manifold and daily favours we have in all things been rebellious and repugnant to thy blessed Will and obedient and conformable to the command of our Enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil Insomuch as we have lost our liberties and are become servants and slaves unto them For we have wholly given ourselves to serve the pleasures of the Flesh in Concupiscences and other carnal Acts We have hearkned too much to the delights of the World in covetous desiring that which is not our own in abusing the Creatures thereof which were created for our necessary use and not for our wanton and insatiable desires And we are become the servants of Satan in not opposing and resisting his unclean and wicked Tentations Our sins are infinite and our iniquities are numberless so that we cannot nor are any way able to recount them unto thee We have fled from thee seeking us neglected thee loving us stopped our ears to thee speaking to us turned our backs to thee reaching thy hand to us forgotten thee doing good to us and despised thee correcting us Yet O Lord we humbly intreat thee to shew thy accustomed mercy to us poor and miserable sinners who in grief and anguish of soul confess these our offences and earnestly and bitterly bewail them Look upon us with the eyes of compassion not for any thing in us but for the love and respect which thou bearest to thy Son CHRIST JESUS in whom we verily believe that thou art fully reconciled unto us Take away our sins and the punishment due unto us for them Let thy wrath be turned from us and destroy us not together with our manifold transgressions Lord thou seest our wickedness and withall how and in whose name we crave thy mercy Turn thee O Lord from thine anger which thou mightest justly pour upon us and be gracious unto us according to thy wonted goodness who abhorrest nothing which thou hast made Create also we beseech thee in us new hearts hearts fit to serve thee and write
merits and cast nor those from thy favour and grace whom by Nature thou of thy goodness hast vouchsafed to make thy Brethren Who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Spirit now and for ever Amen Petitions for Spiritual Graces OH that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutes O LORD Blessed is the man whom thou teachest out of thy Law Open mine eyes that I may see the wonderous things of thy Law Teach me to do thy will for thou and my GOD let thy good Spirit lead me into the Land of Righteousness Give me Grace O LORD To know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing To abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the Soul To keep in mind alwayes Thou the World passeth away and the desire thereof And that the benefit which a Man getteth by the World is nothing but Destruction Truly to say I have remembred thy everlasting Iudgements and my Son receiveth comfort thereby O thou that givest Grace to the humble give me Grace to be humble Give me a good heart which hearing thy Word may keep it and bring forth fruit with patience O Lord Let me find Grace in this eyes Let me find a place and time of Repentance Let me not receive thy Grace in vain Let me not fail or fall from it But let me continue in it And let me grow in it To the end of my dayes Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Carefulness Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Defence or clearing my self Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Indignation Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Fear Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Vehement Desire Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Zeal Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Revenge Give me Grace to think upon and do Whatsoever things are True Give me Grace to think upon and do Venerable Give me Grace to think upon and do Honest Give me Grace to think upon and do Iust Give me Grace to think upon and do Pure Give me Grace to think upon and do Lovely Give me Grace to think upon and do Of Good Report Give unto me O LORD Humility of Heart Give unto me O LORD Charity to my neighbour Give unto me O LORD Patience of Mind Give unto me O LORD Temperance of Life Give unto me O LORD Chastity of Body Give unto me O LORD Contentedness of Mind Give unto me O LORD Alacrity of Spirit Give unto me good Lord Perfect knowledge of my Sins Give unto me good Lord Hearty sorrow for them Give unto me good Lord Perfect hatred against them Give unto me good Lord Fervent love to all Goodness Give unto me good Lord True obedience to thy Will Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Faith Vertue Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Vertue Knowledge Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Knowledge Temperance Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Temperance Patience Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Patience Godliness Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Godliness Brotherly Kindness Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Brotherly Kindness Charity Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Love Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Ioy Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Peace Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Long Suffering Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Gentleness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Goodness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Faith Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spririt Meckness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Temperance Give unto me good Lord Contempt of the World Give unto me good Lord Hatred of Sin Give unto me good Lord Loathing of the flesh Give unto me good Lord Desire of Heaven Give unto me ô Lord A right Faith to live well Give unto me ô Lord A sure Hope to persevere well Give unto me ô Lord A perfect Humility to obey well Give unto me ô Lord A true Charity never to be divided from thee Give me grace O Lord to be content with that which is necessary To despise that wich is superflous Grant O Lord That I may so live that I repent not to have lived That I may so live that no man may know I have lived amiss That I may so live that I may alwayes live That dying I may live and living I may dye and say with a chearful Spirit Lord now leitest thou thy servant depart in peace I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. Amen Prayers for Spiritual Graces O Blessed Lord Jesus Christ who art my only Tutor and Instructer and from whom I have learned whatsoever I know I beseech thee that thou wouldst further teach me those things whereof I am ignorant and which are necessary for my Salvation that thou wouldst keep me in things which I have already learned and rectifie me in those matters wherein as a man I erre Strengthen me and make me firm wherein soever I waver and am doubtful and keep me from that which is erronious and hurtful Above all things O Saviour strengthen my Faith and give me grace daily to prosit in the knowledge and understanding of thy Holy Word and so govern all my actions by thy Holy Spirit that my life may be answerable to my knowledge and that I may shew the fruits of whatsoever I have learned by my good and religious conversation Give me a firm and assured hope in thee and thy gracious promises that in all my troubles and necessities I may be evermore confident in thy mercy Be unto me a strong Tower of defence against mine Enemies that whether the World allure me the Devil assail me or the Flesh rebel I may fly unto thee for refuge And although thou presently put not forth thy hand to help me but defer thy comfort according to thy good pleasure yet keep me from doubting or despairing of thy aid because thy promises are sure Give me a fervent Love and perfect Charity to my Neighbour that I may be as kind to him and as careful of him as of one who is a Member with me of the same Body whereof thou O sweet Saviour art the Head Let my love to him be sincere and unfeigned which may charitably relieve him in his wants patiently bear with his infirmities and willingly forgive him all his trespasses against me Create in me I beseech thee a pure mild peaceable and humble heart which may think harm to no man nor recompense evil for evil but good for injuries Cleanse me from all unclean and earthly desires and lift up my heart to thee and Heavenly things and so write thy Laws in it that I may wholly bend my self to keep them and please thee persevering in the same to my
thy Law in them with the finger of thy Holy Spirit that all our desires and actions may be conformable to thy blessed Will And now again O Lord we desire thy Majesty to take our Souls and Bodies into thy protection this night following Suffer us not to sleep in sin but watch over us and defend us under the shaddow of thy wings Let not our sleep be excessive or immoderate but raise us again in due time that after a quiet and moderate sleep we may arise to serve and praise thee joyfully begin and perfect our works justly labour in our vocations truly and seek thy Kingdom earnestly that at the last by thee with thee and in thee we may come unto the same Kingdom by the merits of our Saviour JESUS CHRIST in whose Name and Prayer we are bold to call further upon thee saying Our Father c. Prayers upon the Life and Death of our Saviour Iesus Christ. O Sweet SAVIOUR Who for the love of Mankind didst vouchsafe to descend from thy Royal Throne from the bosom of thy Father into this vale of misery and to take on thee the form of a sinner even humane flesh in the sanctified womb of the most chast and pure Virgin and be born without impeachment to her Virginity Be pleased of thy great clemency to make my heart thy habitation adorn it to that end with all Spiritual Graces and be daily born in me by renewing in my Soul a fervent love to thee and Be merciful to me O Blessed Lord Who being God Almighty didst not disdain at thy Birth to be wrapped in swadling clouts and to be laid in a Manger Grant that I may be ever in thy fight a little Infant in Humility and Lowliness of Spirit take from me all ambitious Thoughts and Be merciful to me O Gracious Lord Who at thy Birth wouldst be received into this World with the joyful Hymns of blessed Angels and be found to the great delight and admiration of poor Shepheards Give thy Grace unto me thy poor unworthy servant continually to persevere in thy praises to seek thee with the Shepheards affection by seeking to find thee and finding thee alwayes to retain and enjoy thee and Be merciful to me O Sweet Jesu Who wert pleased upon the eight day to be circumcised and in that most tender age of thine didst begin to shed thy blood meerly for the love of me and mankind Cut off I intreat thee all superfluities from my Soul and take from me all evil thoughts words and works and Be merciful to me O Blessed Christ Who to the unspeakable comfort of me and all thine Elect wouldst be called by the saving Name of Iesus Grant that the memory of this Name may ever cause a reverend respect in me toward thee and that by it I may be preserved all my life and at the hour of death and Be merciful to me O Loving Lord God Who wouldst be found in the Wise men which sought thee with Faith and Devotion and who having found thee fell before thee with Oblations of Gold Frankincense and Myrrhe Be pleased I beseech thee that I may find thee in Spirit and worship thee in Spirit and Truth Offering unto thee the Gold of bright shining Charity the Incense of pure Devotion and the Myrrhe of perfect Mortification and Be merciful to me O Blessed Saviour Who to leave Mankind an example of Obedience and Humility wouldst become subject to the Law and be brought to the Temple and there have offered for thee the Oblations of the Poor and not the rich Give me the Grace of Obedience to subject my self willingly to my Governours Suffer not the least thought of pride to reign in me but quench in me all haughtiness of Spirit with inordinate love and conceit of my self and Be merciful to me O Gracious Lord Who whilst thou wert yet young and tender wert contentted to suffer persecution and flee with thy blessed Mother into AEgypt Grant me such ability by thy grace whereby I may not only suffer persecution and affliction when it shall please thee but also persecute and punish all wickedness within my self before it grow too strong for me and Be merciful to me O Blessed Jesu Who being sought for by thy blessed Mother three dayes wouldst be found of her in the Temple Suffer me never to be severed from thee give me such a devotion toward thee that I may never be weary in serving thee nor satisfied with praising thee either in Church or private Closet and Be merciful to me O Loving Lord Who wouldst enter the River Jordan and there be Baptized by thy Fore-runner John the Baptist Be pleased that I may be purified in this life by thy merits and thereby washed from all my sins and Be merciful to me O Gracious Saviour who didst continue fasting and praying forty dayes and nights together in the Desert and after divers Tentations didst overcome Satan Grant that I may chastise my flesh and exercise my self in Fasting Watching Prayer and other Spiritual Excercises and subdue all evil Affections which rebel against the Spirit and Be merciful to me O Blessed Redeemer Who for my sake didst subject thy self to many Sorrows and Necessities to Heat Cold Hunger Thirst Weariness Sweat Iourneys Persecutions and Tribulations Strengthen me with the aid of thy Holy Spirit that I may willingly bear all Adversities as coming from thy hand and Be merciful to me O Blessed Lord Who while thou wert upon Earth didst vouchsafe to comfort the Sons of Men and heal their Infirmities Replenish my heart with all pious Affection that I may account the miseries of others as mine own and supply their necessities in whatsoever I may according to my ability and Be merciful to me O Gracious Lord Who for thy love to Mankind didst eudure infinite Miseries Injuries Calumnies Blasphemies and Revilings even of those to whom thou hast done much good Create in me a heart pure and innocent which may forgive mine Enemies and love them rendring good for evil whereby I may shew my self a true follower of thy perfect Charity and Patience and Be merciful to me O Merciful Saviour Who to abrogate the Ceremonial Law didst eat the Paschal Lamb with thy Disciples and giving them an example of Humility upon thy knees didst wash their feet Grant that this example may take deep impression in me give me perfect Humility true Obedience and fervent Love whereby I may love thee sincerely and all others unseignedly and Be merciful to me O Blessed Lord Who of thy great love didst institute the blessed Sacrament of thy Body and Blood whereby thou mightest continue with us to the end of the World Stir up in me an earnest desire and longing after this holy Sacrament and grant that I may ever receive it with a chast love deep affection and a pure heart and Be merciful to me O Loving Lord Who when thou wert to leave this World didst comfort thy Disciples and with
my Soul pure and clean may make his abode in it and adorn it with his manifold graces and Be merciful to me O Blessed Saviour Who when thou shalt at the last day come to judge the quick and dead wilt render to every one according to his works either reward or punishment Give me grace so to pass this Earthly Pilgrimage according to thy Holy Will that at that Day I may be through thy merits thought worthy to be received into thy Heavenly Mansion there to praise and bless thee with the Holy Company of blessed Saints and Angels for evermore and Be merciful to me Amen Prayers for several Persons For a Married Man O Gracious Father Maker and Preserver of Heaven and Earth who in the beginning didst institute Matrimony foretelling the mystical union of the Church with our Saviour Christ Who also in the time of his being upon Earth did honour Marriage with his first Miracle And hast appointed it also for a means whereby Mankind is propagated for a remedy to avoid unlawful Lust and for the mutual Comfort and Consolation of thy Children I humbly intreat thee to give me the assistance of thy Divine Grace that I may live according to thy Commandements with my Wife whom thou hast given for my help and comfort in this World Mortifie in me all unclean dishonest and fleshly Lusts let not the heat of unlawful Concupiscence take hold of me but make me to be fully pleased and satisfied with her love and to love her as Christ loved his Church to cherish and comfort her as mine own body and to have as great a care of her health as of mine own Grant that we may live in peace without debate in unity without discord like the members of one body equally desirous to praise thy holy Name And as thou hast O Lord bestowed many Children upon us give us discreet hearts and understanding minds to bring them up in thy Faith and Fear in a religious honest and civil manner Give them obedient hearts to thee and to thy Commandements and to all that thou requirest of them to be performed in duty towards us their Parents Keep them from those which are ready to seduce them and so lead them in thy Faith Fear and Knowledge that they prove not a curse but a blessing unto us and thereby attain to that blessing which thou hast promised to those which honour and obey their Parents Grant likewise O Lord that I may guide and instruct the Family which is under me in thy fear and in honest and careful manner provide as well for their bodies as their souls And give them the like Grace O Lord to perform their duties in fear and obedience not as eye-servers but in simplicity of heart as in thy sight And give us O Lord a competency of Estate to maintain our Selves Children and Family according to that Rank or Calling wherein thou of thy goodness hast placed us without excess riot or vain-glory and in singleness and pureness of heart with all humility relying upon thy blessed will who knowest better than we our selves what is needful for us To thee be all Honour and Glory now and for ever For a Married Woman O Merciful and Loving Lord God who in the beginning for the propagation of Mankind didst take Eve out of the side of Adam and gave her to him as an helper I give thee humble thanks that thou hast vouchsafed to call me to the honourable estate of Matrimony Give me grace O Lord that I may lead a life worthy thereof that I may love my Husband with a pure and chast love acknowledge him for my Head and truly reverence and obey him in all good things that thereby I may please him and live quietly with him Grant that I be not carried away with the vain fashions of this World but may put on such habits as shall be agreeable and suitable with the estate of my Husband and may become a modest Woman to wear Help me O Lord that I may under him prudently and discreetly guide and govern his Houshold and Family and carefully look that nothing be either carelesly lost or wickedly committed in my House Fit me with those good Graces which the Wise Man described in a Good Woman and Saint Peter in Holy and Sanctified Matrons Give me such care concerning the Education of my Children as belongeth to my part that I may live to see them prosper in this life and afterwards we may all be received to thy Eternal Kingdom through Iesus Christ c. For a Child O Almighty Lord God to whom the Obedience of Children to their Parents is most acceptable and all Disobedience most displeasing who hast promised a Blessing to the Dutiful and threatned a Curse to the Disobedient Children I beseech thee to put away from me the detestable Sin of Disobedience and Rebellion against my Parents and give me grace to observe them with all kind of Duty to obey them in all their just Commands and to be ayding and helpful to them at all time of their need Give me grace to bear all their reproofs and errours patiently and not to grieve them by stubborn and evil courses Let me not be so far deprived of thy Grace that I scoff or deride them though by age or infirmity they shall fail in their Iudgement or Reason but cause me to supply their wants lest that I having plenty and they being in any need or distress I not supplying it or not succouring them their lives to whom I owe mine may be in danger to be shortned Lord forgive all the Offences which I have heretofore committed against them Increase the number of their dayes keep them safe in body and mind let them see their Childrens Children to their Comfort and thy Glory Let them govern us and the rest of their Family with wholesome Discipline and good Example that at the last they may in their due time depart this life in peace and come to thy Kingdom unspotted through Iesus Christ. For a Woman with Child O Blessed Lord God who for the Offence of the first Woman didst denounce and impose an inevitable Curse upon all her posterity namely that they should conceive in sin and be subject to many grievous pains and should bring forth their Children with great danger Asswage I beseech thee of thy goodness the sharpness of that Decree and preserve me that I may overcome and escape this great danger and be delivered of the fruit of my body without peril of death and that it may safely be brought to the Sacred Font of Baptism and be regenerated and ingrafted into the mystical Body of Christ and made partaker of his Death and Passion And as thou hast of thy bounty given bodily life to it and me so grant us both life spiritual and so sanctifie our Bodies and Souls here that hereafter we may live among thy blessed Saints for ever in the
them in glory hereafter and enjoy everlasting happiness before thee in thy blessed presence Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 130. OUt of the depth of tentations dangers and sorrow for my sins wherein my Spirit is almost overwhelmed have I by fervent prayer cryed and called unto thee O Lord who only art able to give me relief 2 Lord of thy mercy haste thee and hear my voice and petition and deliver me from my misery O my God let thine ears of pity and compassion be attentive to consider and well weigh the lamentable voice of my humble supplications and let not my prayer return unpitied or unheard of thee 3 If thou Lord contrary to thy disposition shouldest be so exact and extreme as in the rigour of thy justice to mark the iniquities which we by our natural corruption daily fall into and punish us accordingly O good Lord who none not the most upright shall be able to answer one for a thousand or stand before thee without much horrour at the Judgement Seat 4 But for the comfort of poor wretched sinners and to keep us from utter desperation we find it recorded by the holy Spirit that there is forgiveness of sins and mercy toward sinners repenting with thee by Jesus Christ who came to save them and yet this mercy of thine is tyed with such conditions that thou who also art just mayest be also feared lest thy lenity be abused 5 I for my part wait and confidently expect for the Lord to receive mercy from him My sinful but repentant Soul waits to receive consolation and in his Word whereby he promiseth mercy to repentant sinners do I hope and place my whole confidence because I know that he which hath promised is just 6 My sinful Soul in this expectation waiteth for the Lord and tarryeth his good pleasure to comfort it more earnestly than they that in a disconsolate long night watch for the morning Yea I say it again more zealously than they that are weary of the night and watch for the light of the morning 7 Let Israel and all Gods faithful people hope still and put their trust in the goodness of the Lord and not without cause for with the Lord though he justly take vengeance on us for our sins yet there is ever was and will be found mercy towards penitent sinners and with him by Jesus Christ is not only forgiveness for a few sins but plenteous redemption from the captivity of the Devil and Sinne. 8 And he even Jesus Christ by his merits and intercession shall redeem and save Israel and each of his faithful servants from all his iniquities and the punishment due for them Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 143. HEar my earnest and humble prayer O Lord which in my misery I make unto thee Give ear and be not deaf to my supplicatious in the time of my distress but in thy faithfulness and truth which endureth for ever answer me and grant my petition which I make not trusting in any merits of mine own but in thy righteousness 2 And my further petition to thee is that thou enter not into the Throne of thy Iudgement by strictly examining my mis-deeds and dealing rigorously with me thy poor servant who hath mis-spent his talent for in thy all-seeing sight shall no man living in this vale of misery be justified or found innocent 3 For the Old Enemy of mankind the Devil hath by his malice persecuted and sought to entrap my Soul to separate it from the love of thee he hath smitten and cast my life and Soul down to the ground and filled me full of earthly desires he hath made and caused me to dwell and take pleasure in the darkness of of my sins as those that are without sense and have been long dead 4 Therefore O Lord considering my desperate estate is my spirit overwhelmed with grief within me and my heart is disquieted within me and is also desolate and sore troubled 5 I yet in the midst of the sorrows that are in my heart do remember what I have read and heard what thou hast done in the dayes of old how that thou hast been gracious to the penitent and severe against the unrepentant sinner I meditate also on all thy works but especially on that of thy mercy and I muse and exercise my self in contemplating on the works of thy hands admiring thy Power and Wisdom in the Creation of all things 6 I stretch forth and lift up my hands in my prayers unto thee O Lord my Soul which is dry for want of the dew of thy grace thirsteth after thee for the water of life as a thirsty land in a time of drought 7 Hear me and answer me speedily delay not O Lord for my spirit waxeth faint and faileth me in my devotion Oh hide not thy face and loving countenance from me miserable sinner lest it come to pass that I be like in condition unto them that go down headlong after their own inventions into the pit of destruction and perdition 8 Cause me by thy Spirit to hear and feel thy loving kindness and mercy in the morning speedily lest I perish for in thee only and not in the help of Men or Angels do I place my whole trust and confidence Cause me by thy grace to know and learn the way of thy testimonies wherein I should and ought to walk without declining to the right hand or the left For I lift up my soul by prayer and repentance unto thee who only canst direct me aright 9 Desiver me O Lord by thy power from all mine Enemies visible and invisible for I flee and make haste for succour unto thee as to my Protector to hide and defend me from their violence 10 Teach and instruct me that am ignorant to do thy Will and those things which thou commandest for thou art thy God and Director Thy Spirit is good and all-sufficient for me Lead me therefore by it into the right way which bringeth into the Land of Righteousness and Truth 11 Quicken me again O Lord and revive me from the death of sin for thy Names sake which is Jesus and for thy Righteousness sake and love to goodness bring my Soul by thy grace out of the trouble and anguish whereinto my sins have brought me 12 And of thy tender mercy and compassion cut off and kill in me mine Enemies the concupiscences of the flesh and destroy and confound all them that with injuries and tentations afflict and disquiet my Soul which is wholy devoted to thee for I am thy servant and Son of thy Handmaid and desire to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of my life Glory be to the Father c. Directions before Receiving the Holy Communion AS many as desire to be partakers of the holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ as of necessity every one must be that intendeth to receive benefit by him ought before the
the better conceiving of the drift and scope of these Commandements we are to take notice of two things 1. Whereas In every Commandement the grossest sin tending to the breach of that Commandement is only forbidden by name yet we are to conceive that all sins of that nature though lesser in degree and not named together with the provocations thereunto are likewise inclusively contained in that prohibition 2. And where any Vertue is commanded to be observed there all the Vices and Sins contrary to that Vertue are forbidden And where any Vice is prohibited there all opposite Vertues to it are enjoyned Meditations of Death THat all men must dye being long since Enacted by Statute in the Parliament of Heaven unrepealed and the knowledge of the day of death being by God kept from us lest we should promise to our selves any thing for future time I shall not need to spend many words to prove either the absolute necessity of the one or the uncertainty of the other Onely give me leave to conclude this work with a few Meditations and Prayers which may serve as well for those who feel the hand of God by sickness as for those which are in perfect health to meditate and think upon that they be not taken unprovided And it is exercise of Meditation of Death and resolution to dye ought not to seem strange or hard to Christians For the Philosopher in his time accounted all dayes spent without serious consideration of our end to be but fondly consumed and affirmed That the whole life of a Wise man was nothing but a Meditation of Death And therefore it hath been observed that Abraham when he was in the Land of Canaan purchased no more Land than would serve to bury his Dead To teach us that we should not fix or fasten our minds upon the transitory things of this World but have our affections bent upon another and meditate upon the day of our Death which bringeth two benefits with it First It delivereth us out of many cares and troubles And Secondly It leadeth us to joyes unspeakable The First of these benefits the Heathen man could see by the light of Nature when he said That No man lived in so flourishing estate who if not often yet once in his life did not desire rather to dye than to live For the unavoidable calamity and grievous diseases incident to this life do so often disquiet and vex a man that notwithstanding our life is naturally short yet sometime it seemeth over-long unto him And therefore saith he Death is the most acceptable and wished-for sanctuary and place of refuge for a life full of misery and grief And for the Second take amongst many that of Saint Cyprian We pass by Death to immortality neither can we come or attain to eternal life but by leaving this life Nor is our corporal death to be accounted an end or period of life but a passage to a better for by this temporal journey we pass to Eternity For this separation of the Soul and Body commonly called Death if we consider the true scope and aim of God in it is not inflicted by him as a severe Judge to punish the Elect but as a most merciful Father who only calleth his Children from a Dungeon of Misery to a Place of all Felicity and Happiness And this is that which hath alwayes made the Godly to leave this life with such willingness and joy and to endure with so great courage and constancy all their greatest agonies Meditations for the Sick Set thy House in order for thou shalt Dye I Know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth And that I shall be again cloathed with this skin and in my flesh I shall see God whom I my self shall see and mine eyes shall behold This hope is laid up in my breast Lord let me know mine end and the number of my dayes that I may be certified how long I have to live Behold Thou hast made my dayes as it were a span long and mine age is as nothing in respect of thee and verily every man living is altogether vanity For man walketh in a vain shadow and disquieteth himself in vain he heapeth up riches and cannot tell who shall gather them And now Lord what is my hope truly my hope is even in thee Deliver me from all mine offences and make me not a rebuke to the foolish Take away thy stroke from me for I am consumed by the means of thy heavy hand When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth fretting a garment every man therefore is but vanity Hear my Prayer O Lord and with thine ears consider my calling hold not thy peace at my tears For I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner as all my Fathers were O spare me a little that I may recover my strength before I go hence and be no more seen Answer me O Lord How many are mine iniquities and sins Make me to know my transgressions and my sinnes Wherefore hidest thou thy face from me and holdest me for thine Enemy Wilt thou break a leaf driven too and fro and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble O cast me not away in my weakness forsake me not when my strength faileth me Though I be afflicted yet let me not be distressed Though in want of some of thy comforts yet not of all Though chastned yet not forsaken Blessed is the man whom thou chastnest O Lord and teachest him in thy Law that thou mayest give him rest in the dayes of evil Before I was troubled I went astray but now I shall learn thy Word O Lord Remember not the sins and offences of my youth Nor judge me according to my works For I have done nothing worthy of thy sight but of eternal death Wherefore I pray thee Blot out all my offences and wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee so that I am a burden unto my self And why dost thou not pardon my transgressions and take away mine iniquity For now I shall sleep in the dust and thou shalt seek me in the morning but I shall not be Are not my dayes few Cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little Before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darkness and shadow of death A land of darkness as darkness it self and of the shadow of death without any order and where the light is as darkness What man is he that liveth and shall not see death shall he deliver his Soul from the hand of the grave The fear of death overwhelmeth me and my heart is disquieted within me For that I have