Songs of Miriam and Deborah with that of Hannah in the Old Testament and the Magnificat of the most blessed Virgin in the New so canonically recorded Such Patternes should stir you up to Practice my Daughters and to part with your chiefest worldly delights as the Hebrew women did with their Looking glasses to make a laver for the Sanctuary for the setting forth Gods praises and Worship Exod. 38.8 to the utmost of your abilities O clap your hands together all ye people O sing unto God with the voice of melody O sing praises sing praises unto our God O sing praises sing praises unto our King For God is the King of all the earth sing ye praises to him with understanding And if not at all times in continued Psalmes yet on all occasions in pious Ejaculations the subject of the next Chapter CHAP. V. Of occasional Ejaculations BY Ejaculations are understood such private Prayers as when upon seeing hearing or thinking on any thing of extraordinary concernment we turne our selves immediately to God and in short petitions Praises Wishes or Thanksgivings express our hearty devotions In such no set form can be prescribed but the occasion it self will so frame the suit that it will be prevalent as it is piercing and the defect of words made up with hearty affections Into such an Ejaculatory confession the Israelites brake out at the sight of fire from heaven to consume the Sacrifice of Elijah which all the Baalites raving and lancing had failed to procure from their Idol The Lord he is the God 1 Ki. 18.39 The Lord he is the God falling upon their faces at the utterance of it So David upon report that politick Achitophel was turned Traytor against him O Lord saith he I pray thee turn the counsel of Achitophel into foolishness And what foolishness could bee more palpable then in the wise ording of his family to reserve a halter to hang himself King Asa had no time when Zerah the Ethiopian fell upon him with a Million of men but to betake himself only to this Ejaculation 2 Sa. 17.23 O Lord it is nothing with thee to help 2 Chr. 14.11 12 whether with many or with them that have no power Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy name go we against this multitude Lord thou art our God let not man prevail against thee And was not the successe as speedy in its kind as the petition was pithy For the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah to their utter overthrow Upon the short addresse of the Disciples to our Saviour in a storm Master Mark 4.38 carest thou not that we perish He arose and rebuked the winds and said to the sea Peace and bee still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm Sudden dangers must have correspondent remedies And whence may they be hoped for but from him that is alwayes present every where and expects but our calling on him that he may relieve us As you provide therefore my Daughters to have Hot-waters in a readinesse or remedies appliable to sudden occasions lest in the interim before they can bee gotten the party whom you wish best unto wanting them perish much more should you have at hand and by heart such passages of sacred Scriptures whereon to ground good wishes and pious Ejaculations which in infinite unexpected occurrences you shal occasion to make use of such our Leiturgy hath so prick'd out for you that you need go no further To instance in a few of the most obvious particulars For raising up of a dejected or drooping soul what may prove more animating then that we first meet with at the threshold of our Service Ezek. 46.2 At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sinnes from the bottom of his heart I will put all his wickednesse out of my remembrance Ezek. 8.21 saith the Lord What more effectual to remove Gods judgments for our manifold transgressions then that of the lamenting Prophet Correct us O Lord Jer. 10.24 and yet in thy judgment not in thy fury lest we should be consumed brought to nothing A plainer direction cannot be thought upon for a straying sinner then that of the hunger starved Prodigal I will go to my Father and say to him Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son Your children and your rudest servants are acquainted from the Leiturgy with these piercing Petitions O Lord open thou our Lips and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise O God make speed to save us O Lord make haste to help us O Lord shew thy mercy upon us and grant us thy Salvation O Lord deale not with us after our sins neither reward us after our iniquities From our enemies defend us O Christ graciously look upon our affliction with the like These are made familiar to them by often repetition which those that term shreds and porrage little think upon the short Ejaculation of David I have sinned against the Lord 2 Sa. 12.13 that had presently this return The Lord hath put away thy sin thou shalt not dy Or that of the simple Publican God be merciful to me a sinner and the sequel of it that he went down to his house rather justified then the vaunting Pharisee for all his eloquence And this is an advantage in such short Ejaculations that they are not so liable to distractions as longer Prayers and are more easie to be remembred of all and ready to be used when space and place may not be had for longer prayers To give a touch in some few particulars At our first awaking in the morning who may not with heart and hands and eyes lifted up to heaven say Psalm 4.7 Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and welcome the appearance of the light with this or the like Ejaculation Psal 67.1 God be merciful unto us and blesse us and shew us the light of thy countenance and be merciful unto us In cloathing of our selves how becoming would that be of the Apostle which converted a holy Father to be fitted to the occasion Rom. 13.12 The night is passed and the day is at hand Grant O Lord that I may cast off the works of darkness and put on the Armor of Light that I may walk honestly as in the day not in rioting or drunkenness not in chambering or wantonnesse nor in strife or envying but that I may put on my Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus more necessary to cover my souls nakedness then apparel is for my body and not to make such provision for the flesh as is commonly used to fulfil the lusts thereof In like manner far be it from Superstition when we wash to pray Wash me throughly from my wickednesse Psal 51.2 and cleanse me from my sinne for I acknowledg my faults O Lord and my sin is ever
place and space and scope to have free accesse to the throne of grace to pray and sing Psalmes and obtaine thereby a miraculous deliverance For here the heart may be inditing of a good matter Psal 45.1 when the tongue is pluckt out and cannot be the pen of a ready writer Here the heart of King Manasses finds knees to bow when the knees of his body are so chained that they cannot move 7. Last of all it would be held a kind of blasphemous position if the Scripture had not uttered it that Jacob should wrestle with God and enforce as it were a Blessing from him by compulsion that by prayer Moses should stand in the gap and hold the hand of the omnipotent and cause him to cry let me alone that my wrath may waxe hot Exol 32.10 and consume this people And against Satan that roating Lion and spirituall Leviathan think wee that any Magick-spells can prevaile or force of arms Job 4.2 7 that esteemeth Iron as straw and brasse as rotten wood no surely our Saviour will better inform us that faith of it selfe may doe much but not wholly to cast out all such adversaries without fasting and prayer I perswade my self my daughters by that which hath beene spoken you are convinced of the necessity of prayer Now if any scruple and say God knoweth our necessities before wee aske and hath determined what to doe so that our prayers cannot alter him and therefore would prove needlesse The answer is at hand that hee that hath determined what to doe hath commanded us also to ask And not Gods secret decrees which we know not but his revealed commands or prohibitions in his word are the rule of our actions which we must follow nay the Son himselfe must ask that which the Father had ever resolved to grant Desire of me and I shall give thee the uttermost parts of the carth for thy inheritance Psalm 2.8 Now if we prove cold in our asking our hopes may freez from obtaining But may not intruding importunity rather exasperate justice then obtain a favour With men it may but with the fountain of mercyes the striving to enter into the strait gate and offering violence to the kingdome of heaven Luk. 13.24 Mat. 11 12 Luk 18.5 makes the road way for a pardon In such a case the unjust judg will do right to free himself from trouble much sooner will the Father of mercies be pleased with such holy intrusion Isa 65.24 and prevent us with an answer before we call Last of all we need not fear that our continued prayers should any way hinder the works of our several vocations The Plough-man in the field the tradesman in his shop Martha about her houswifery may be praying as they are doing and do the better for their praying Acts 9.12 Go saith the Lord to Ananias and help Saul of Tarsus to his sight for behold he prayeth Prayers bring us blessings we little think of we should think therefore on prayers the more seriously for the enjoying those blessings For those blessings must needs be of small esteem that we hold not worth the asking CHAP. II. To VVhom our Prayers ought to be directed IT were to small purpose to acknowledge the necessity of prayer if wee know not to whom we may confidently direct our prayers wherfore this is so punctually set downe by our Saviour Mat. 4.10 that we need not cast about for further assurance Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Calling upon Deut. 6.13 1 Sam. 7 3 praising and praying to are the especial kinds of Gods worship which confirmed by our Saviour against Satan in the new Testament out of the old to belong only unto God so shamed the Tempters claime of it that he left the field and dared not to attempt any further Whence we may observe that neither through the old Testament or new it can be shewen that any of Gods people ever prayed to Saints or Angels but only to God No saying here of holy Abraham or holy Peter pray for us but Thou O God that hearest prayers Psal 65.2 unto thee shall all flesh come But you when ye pray say not O Holy mother of God but Our Father which art in heaven Luke 11.2 And it may further be taken notice of that Angels and so Saints have refused with a kind of indignation such supreme worship and devotions tendered unto them Though thou detaine mee saith the Angel to Manoah I will not eat of thy bread and if thou wilt offer a burnt-offering Jud. 13.16 offer it to the Lord. St. John being about to worship an Angel in the same kind had the same lesson twice given him Rev. 19.10 22.9 Col. 2.18 See thou do it not I am thy fellow servant worship God Let not man therfore beguile you of your reward they are the words of St. Paul in a voluntary humility and worshiping of Angels intruding intothosethings which he hath not seen And doth it not stand with common reason that he to whom we direct our prayers should be omniscient that knowes the heart and Almighty to be able to help us in all our extremities and omnipresent every where to be alwayes at hand when wee call upon him Otherwise we might play the hypocrites with him say one thing and mind another or faile of our purpose in craving for that from a party who cannot relieve us For what creature may we well imagine to bee every where or able to help us at all times or that understandeth our very thoughts long before Psa 139.1 but only our Father which is in heaven This Satan perceives to be most destructive of his Designes and therefore sets all his Engines awork that where hee cannot befool men against Nature to think that there is no God hee might at least so puzzle them what that God should be that most should hold him to be no other then they and their Leaders have fancied By such meanes gods became multiplied according to the number of Cities or Nations Jer. 2 28. and thus as it were upon the turne of a hand The glory of the God of Israel was turned into the similitude of a Calf that eateth hay Ps 106.20 Out of the same forge came in Molocks and Baals with innumerable abominations and heathenish Superstitions In all which the pretence hath been ever among the sagest That the true God was only worshipped by such Intercessours or representations but the Vulgar foared no higher then that they saw and most agreed with their humour both coming under the Apostles reproof Ye men of Athens Act. 17 22 and 29. We ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto Gold or Silver or Stone graven by Art or mans device Those that make such puppets are like unto them saith the Psalmist Psa 115.8 that is senselesse and blockish as they are For God is
orderly with Gods Word which must be the ground and rule of all preaching praying and Christian conversation Now such a Reformation is directed to us that wee know not where we are or what to expect but that the longest liver shall never be acquainted by this new method in our Church Service with the whole counsel of God Acts 20.27 and if the Minister please not the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament and Lords Prayer in the New shall never bee known to the simple people But concerning the divers uses and applications of the Psalmes in private that notable Treatise of an ancient Father placed before our Psalmes in Meter may bee a profitable Directory wherein 99. Cases are set down what Psalmes wee may distinctly use for our greatest comfort For you my Daughters it may be sufficient to take into your particular Devotions those seven Psalms termed by the Ancients Penitentials which are the 6 32 38. 51 102 130 143. and were usually repeated weekly each on its set day which was a pious course But if this may bee thought to be otherwise supplyed in the Family Confessions before mentioned in your daily Morning and Evening Prayer it may bee worth your private Observation to consider the several works of the six dayes in the Creation as they are registred in Genesis with the celebration of the Sabbath chap. 1. and then to select seven Psalmes which may serve as a most sweet and pertinent explanation of each of them In this accommodation for Light the first dayes work you have the 27 Psalm The Lord is my light and my salvation whom then shall I fear c. For the second dayes work which were the Heavens the 19. Psalm The heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work For the Earth with the Sea of the third dayes framing how consonant is the 14 Psalm The earth is the Lords and all that therein is the compasse of the world and they that dwell therein for he hath founded it upon the sea and prepared it upon the flouds c. In the same order the Sun and Moon and Stars which were created and set in the Firmament the fourth day are taken into especial consideration in the 8. Psalm When I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained Behold what an excellent use hee makes of it for a patterne to direct us what we should do in contemplating all the rest of the Creatures Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou visitest him The like use is made upon the consideration of the fishes of the Sea and of the fowls of the air which were the work of the fifth day in the 104. Psalm Ver. â—5 And for the sixth day wherein Man was created with the beast and the rest of the Inhabitants of the Earth to serve him how fit is the 139 Psalme to bee thought upon O God Ver. â—5 thou hast searched me out and known me thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising thou understandest my thoughts long before c. My bones are not hid from thee though I be made secretly and fashioned beneath in the earth Thine eyes did see my substance yet being unperfect and in thy book were all thy Members written And last of all the 92 Psalm bears this Title A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath Day conformable to which we have the seventh and Lords day wherein we may observe that which an unwise man doth not well consider Ver. 6. and a fool doth not understand 1. What is to be done in celebrating of it Ver. 1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto the name of the Most Highest 2. At what set times especially Ver. 2. Morning and Evening To tell of thy loving kindnesse early in the Morning and of thy truth in the night season 3. With what solemnity Upon an Instrument of ten strings and upon the Lute upon a loud Instrument any that may consort with or quicken our praises Prayers or Thanksgivings 4. Upon what ground Because God hath made us glad through his works and therefore this day should be especially set apart for to rejoyce in giving praise for the operations of his hands which is intimated in the fourth Commaudment it self In six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is What should this mean but that especially upon this day with all Praise and Thanksgiving all these things were to be considered in pious meditations and distinct Prayers Praises and Thanksgivings to be inferred thereupon according to every mans private Devotions and capacities besides the publick Service 5. In what manner must this be done Our Psalmist also here furnisheth us with a Gloria Patri O Lord how glorious are thy works and thy thoughts are very deep And 6. Tells us that those that pass this over as a slight business are but unwise men and fools who prick up as the green grasse quickly to be mowen down and made fodder for beasts whereas the truly religious and due observers of the Lords Day according to his own holy Ordinance 1 Shal have their strength exalted as the horn of an Unicorn 2. Be annointed with the fresh oyl of Gods blessed Spirit 3. Flourish like a Palm tree that prospereth under pressures and 4. Spread abroad like a Cedar in Libanus in spite of winds and tempests 5. Shall see their enemies danted and put to confusion according to their desire Whereas 6. They themselves shall be firmly fixed and flourish in Gods house and bring forth more fruit in their age then the vigour of their former dayes hath yeilded There be that apply the 150 Psalmes in this manner That the first fifty should especially stir us up to hearty repentance The second to the consideration of Gods Mercy and Justice The third to the contemplation of Eternal happinesse to bee intertained with Hallelujahs and Thanksgivings But if you answer to this Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent Psal 139.5 we cannot attain unto it Take then in a shorter way those three Psalms which may well bee called the Sermons of David In the first of which which is the 37th you have a plaister against fretting at the prosperity of the wicked and perplexed estate of those that in all mens judgements deserve better In the second being the forty ninth a purge for swelling up-starts whose state is held no better then that of the beasts that perish this is set forth more at large in the seventy third to beat us off from all worldly vanities and to bring us to hold fast by God Psal 73.27 37.38 for that will only bring us true peace at the last These Sermons will not over-burden your memories with tediousnesse but be easily learned by you and taught your children And seeing you have the
cheerful Proclamations you may take notice of these seven especially 1. Of that wherof King David is made the Herald Psal 34.11 Come ye children hearken unto me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Your Teacher shall be a King and Prophet your Teaching shall be gratis your Learning shall be such as shall make you eternally happy 2. And because perchance to some it may come more plausibly from the deliverance of a woman Solomon the son brings in wisdom bestirring her self and sending abroad her maidens to invite all desirous to learn to a great feast in her stately house erected upon seven pillars Prov 9.1 Whoso is simple She proclaimes in the highest places of the City where it is likely of the greatest Audience whose is simple let him turn in hither and he that wanteth understanding come eat of my bread and drink of my wine which I have mingled In the third place that of the Prophet Isaiah would be diligently hearkned unto Ho every one that thirsteth Isai 55.1 come ye to the waters for spiritual refreshing which is infinitely beyond all carnal comforts come ye buy and eat come ye buy wine and milk without money and without price Wherrfore do ye spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight it self in fatnesse And to prevent all surmises that a pious life is accompanied with sadnesse and lays a tye upon us which would abridge us of all cheerful society the Proclamation of our Saviour himself doth fourthly ascertain us to the contrary Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden Mat. 11.28 and I will give you rest Take my yoak upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls for my yoak is easie and my burden is light This is taken into our Leiturgy for a chief ground of the Excitations that are set before the partaking of the Lords Supper Lift up your hearts We lift them up unto the Lord. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God It is meet and right so to do Upon this 5. The great Kings Invitation of all sorts to his wedding Supper of his Son Matt. 22.4 would bee most seriously hearkned unto Behold I have prepared my dinner my Oxen and my fatlings are killed come unto the marriage and not turn it off with excuses of absence or profane it by irreverent intruding without a wedding garment Matth. 7. for this shall never passe without an heavy censure Neither is the sixth Proclamation of lesse consequence Come out of her Rev. 18.4 my people that ye be not partaker of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Take it how you will either for clearing your selves from the Babylon or confusions of Popery or of Schismaticks or of wretched worldlings the case is of such consequence that the not abandoning of such Societies will make us uncapable of the priviledges of the Seventh and last Proclamation Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely What sense is so benummed what affection so bewitched what heart so stupified that such proffers if they win not yet at least will not retard from the desperate courses which the world the flesh and the divel continually put us upon To strengthen those graces so freely offered These Memorandums or Mementoes may do well to bee had in a readiness 1. Eccles 12.1 Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth while thou hast abilities and opportunities to do it for thou knowest not how soon thou mayest bee deprived of them 2. Luk. 17.30 Remember Lots wife fall not back from a good course wherein thou art lest thou be at a losse which thou shalt never be able to recover 3. Remember Dives Luk. 16.25 Lot and Lazarus We must not think to fare well here and never to be called to an account hereafter 4. Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy not in hearkning so much after other mens undertakings in speaking as the worshipping of God our selves in the beauty of Holinesse Heb. 10.25 Considering one another to provoke unto love and good works not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another so much the more as we see the day approaching This will draw on the Fifth Memento Remember that Jesus 2 Tim. 2.8 of the seed of David was raised from the dead having spoiled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly Gol. 2.15 tryumphing over them by himself in his Crosse thereby freeing us from Satans slavery and purchasing to us an immortal Kingdom In travelling to the possession of which we must labour to support the weak and take the Sixth Memento of our Saviour with us It is more blessed to give Act. 20.35 then receive And yet when all this is done to keep us from undoing all again that Memento of Jude in the last place will be necessary Beloved remember the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ Jude v. 17. that they told you that there should be mockers in the last times who should walk after their ungodly lusts But how shall we discern them from honest men seeing they varnish all their actions with the exquisite veile of holinesse and hold forth their zealous projects with the most taking professions of Saintship The nineteenth verse will there tell us in down right termes These be they that seperate themselves sensual having not the spirit The Separatists Libertines and Enthusiasts of this ages spawning which some suspect to have affinity with the three frogs issuing out of the mouth of the Dragon Rev. 16 1â— the beast and the false Prophets which set Kingdomes and States against the Lamb and his followers until in the battel of Armageddon they be utterly defeated Here the like number of Caveats may be put in and all from our Saviour immediately As 1 Take heed that no man deceive you by putting false Christs and false Prophets upon you Mark 13.5 2 Take heed what you hear Mat. 24.7.15 and how you hear 3. Take heed of vain-glory in your best works Mark 4.24 Luke 8.18 of Almesdeeds Fasting and Prayer 4. Take heed that the light which is in you be not darknesse Matth. 6. by aiming at wrong ends Luk. 11.35 and over-prizing your Sanctity in comparison with others 5. Heed also must bee taken of men Mat. 10.16 17 by joyning the Serpents wisdome with the Doves innocency which intimates that which the Prophet Jeremiah hath more at large Jer. 9 4 Take heed every one of his neighbor and
purpose is that excellent Deprecation that followes O God merciful Father that despisest not the sighing of a contrite heart c. This is seconded by another no lesse material We humbly beseech thee O Father mercifully to look upon our infirmities and for the glory of thy Name sake turn from us all those evils which we most righteously have deserved c. And here may be taken in those interchangeable Votes of Priest and People which are interposed O Lord arise help us and deliver us for thy Names sake O God we have heard with our ears c. and therefore now Arise O Lord help us and deliver us for thine honour that we may alwayes with united hearts and voices in the highest straine professe and say Glory be to the Father c And what are all those recountings of dangers in particular Orisons rising up from our sins as vapours that gather into a black cloud of vengeance to shun which we unanimously cry in our Letany Spare us Good Lord and Good Lord deliver us What are they but so many Deprecations for removal of just executions which would otherwise utterly confound us It was not without just cause therefore that Saint Paul so carefully exhorted Bishop Timothy whom hee had left in Ephesus to settle Church-Dectrine and Discipline that in Doctrine hee should labor to divert them from Novelties Fables 1 Ti. 1.3 4 and 6.20 and endlesse Disputes concerning Genealogies and such wrangling questions nothing tending to Edification And for Discipline he would have set in the first place in the ordring of publick Worship Deprecations 1 Tim. 2.1 Supplications Intercessions and giving of thanks for all men but especially for Kings and those that are in Authority Which lesson if it had been well pressed by those that take on them to be somewhat gifted above their brethren and observed better by their zealous followers we should have had little need then of such Leitugical Deprecations From 1. Herodian Tyranny 2. Pharisaical malicious hypocrisie 3. Saducean brutish incredulity 4 Judas his highest Treason 5. Simon Magus and Elymas his hellish oppositions 6. Ananias and Saphira's dainty deludings with a smooth lye 7. The Silver Smiths and Copper-Smiths boysterous and mechanical tumults to have Church and State forged on their Anvils as they would hammer it to repeat again and again Good Lord deliver us Let your care therefore my Daughters be in all such cryes and clamors Lo here is Christ or there is Christ Behold you shal find him by such a River re-baptizing or meet with him in such a Conventicle exercising or distributing his gifts not to forsake the old way which hath warrant to bee good from the Ancient of dayes but to hold fast by God with the Psalmist Psal 73.27 and possess your selves in patience according to our Saviours direction in the heaviest calamities Luk. 21.19 and not forget that advice of the sad Jer. 18.14 15. but serious Prophet forraign waters are not to bee preferred before our better tryed springs at home nor untrodden paths that are not cast up before the ancient wayes wherein our fathers have safely walked without stumbling For the performance of which Supplications will be found necessary and therefore fittest to be considered of in the third place CHAP. III. Of Supplications or Petitions SUpplications are Prayers directed to God for supply of our wants or prospering our pious intentions and endeavours whether spiritual or temporal Of which our Leiturgy is also a treasury that containeth all good things new and old to be desired as likewise a Magazine wherein that armour of God is to be had whereby we may be able to withstand all principalities and powers Ephe. 6.12 13 and rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places if we continue with all Prayers and Supplications and watch thereunto with perseverance as the Apostle exhorts us For herein after Confession of sins and Deprecation of punishment how orderly are wee led on both in Morning and Evening Prayer to bee humble Petitioners for Peace and Protection which yeild the greatest happinesse that in this world may be expected Now for the first we have these Prayers O God which art the Author of Peace and Lover of Concord c. And O God from whom all holy desires all good counsels and all just works do proceed give unto thy servants that peace which this world cannot give c. For the second those O Lord our heavenly Father Almighty and everlasting God who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day defend us in the same by thy mighty power c. And Lighten our darkness we beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend us c. Those that hold these and the like Supplications the less effectual because common and so fitted for the mouths of babes and sucklings of least understanding amongst the Vulgar may as well slight the Sun and Moone imparting their beames equally to the Prince and Peasant and cast off the whole Sacred Text of Scripture because it comes not out weekly in a new Translation Those also that further require variety as more grateful to their appetites whom Manna from heaven would not long satisfie if they will but take the pains to peruse with deliberation and singleness of heart the ninety two Collects which are no other but quick and pertinent petions framed and fitted to the time of the year out of the Texts of Epistles and Gospels for Sundays and Saints-daies shall find the like veyne of Devotion not to run in any Hâ—lps or Hand-maids or Practices of Piety that may fill the hungry with good things when the rich in their squeamish choiceness may be sent empty away Where by the way if we but cast an eye on the Letany what are all those necessary desires which the religious thoughts of many ages have laid together with which young and old rich and poor offer violence as it were joyntly with their out-cryes to the Throne of Grace We beseech thee to hear us Good Lord but a sum of Petitions linked together wherein all have a share which the best gifted men on the sudden will hardly think upon O what admirable variety of choice may bee here found As when we consult the Scriptures to beginne with that Collect of the second Sunday in Advent Blessed God which hast caused all Scripture to be written for our learning c. When we undertake and begin any work of our vocation to procure a blessing unto it with that so well known Supplication Prevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious favour and farther us with thy continual help c. For an entrance into our Prayers how fit is that Assist us mercifully O Lord in these our supplications and prayers c. or that which followes Almighty Lord and everlasting God vouchsafe we beseech thee to direct sanctifie govern c. And after the hearing