The Elements were to serue and nourish the Plants and the Plants to serue the Beasts and the Beasts to serue Man and Man to serue God Before sinne there was no disorder or disquietnesse of any creature toward another but a generall quiet Calme through the whole world And therefore God may well bee called the God of peace and peace may be as well stiled the â—eace of God But man by sin breaking the peace with God as the Prophet speaketh Your iniquities haue separated betwixt God and you and your sinnes haâ—e hid his face from you consequently the creatures being thereby made subiect to vanity there arose stormes and tempests troubles and oppositions from all the creatures for the earth being cursed for mans sake brought forth thornes and thistles the Angels stood with a blade of a sword shaken to keepe him from the tree of life the water destroyed all the race of mankind by an vniuersall Floud except onely those eight that entred into the Arke The spirit of God was grieued And God the Father said It repenteth me that I haue made man I will destroy him from the earth Thus then these tempests being raised against man from God and his creatures by mans sinne and man hauing thereby a warre within himself in his owne conscience condemning him there was no calming of these tempests nor no peace to be made but onely by Christ who as he is truly termed the Prince of peace so likewise the Apostle calleth him our peace who hath not onely made peace beâ—wixt God and vs but hath also preached peace to all whether Iâ—wes or Gentiles This then is the great Calme that Christ brought into the world to reconcile all mans enemies That the water that before destroyed the world should in him by the Sacrament of Baptisme become Lauacrum regenerationis the Laâ—er of our new birth whereby we are entred into Gods Church That the earth instead of thornes and thistles should bring forth bread and wine which in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper doe not onely represent but exhibit spiritually to â—he faithfull receiuer the body and blood of Christ vnto saluation That a whole quire of Angels in stead of swords in their hands should haue a song of peâ—ce in their mouthes That the Spirit of God should descend in the likenesse of a mild Doue And God the Father acknowledge hiâ—selfe by a voice from heauen to bee in Christ well pleased with mankind This I say is that great Calme wrought by Christ whereby God and the Angels and the creatures are reconciled vnto man and man is at peace with his owne conscience that wee may say with the Apostle If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old â—hings are passed away Behold all things are become new And therfore our Sauior Christ when he sent forth his Apostles to preach yea and his seuenty disciples also charged them to begin at that Into what soeuer hâ—â—se ye eâ—ter first say Peace be to this house And if the Sonne of peace be there your peace shall rest vpon him if not it shall â—urne to you againe And when hee was to leaue them he left behind him this legacy My peace I leaue with you But specially after his resurrection his first salutation repeated againe and againe Peace be vnto you that we may say with Saint Bernard Miseros nos quos non penetrat pax toties repetita that it is a miserable thing for vs if we had rather continue out the storme then be in a calme sea which made Saint Paul begin his Epistles with Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Iesus Christ and conclude them with â—he peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding keepe your hearts and minds that we may say with Saint Bernard Domine pacem volo pacem desidero nil amplius Lord I wish and desire peace onely and nothing â—lse And yet all this peace and calme which we can receiue in this world is but a pledge and earnest of the perfect and compleate Calme and quiet which the Christian by faith beleeueth and by hope expecteth in the world to come when he shall rest from his lâ—bours and receiue the Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shâ—ll giue at that day to all that loue his appearing Now rest and quiet is the onely end of all labour God himsâ—lfe when hee hâ—d fâ—nished his worke of Creatioâ— in six daies he rested the seuenth day and sanctified it And Christ when he had finished the worke of our redemption by a painefull and troublesome life and death in this world was then receiued vp inâ—o heaâ—en to sit at â—he right haâ—d of God thâ— Fâ—thâ—r It hath pleased God not only to ordaine and appoint the night for man to take his rest in as well as the day to labor trauell in but also to appoint a seuenth day for a day of rest from bodily labours And Canaan the land of Promise where Gods people were to rest after their bondage in Egypt troublesome passage through the wildernesse was a type and figure of that rest and quiet which God hath prouided in heauen for his children after their deliuerance from the bondage of Satan and troublesome passage thorow the wildernesse of this world as the Apostle proueth at large For we saith he which haue beleeued doe enter inâ—o rest c. And in the next verse For he spake in a certaine place of the seuenth day in this wise And God did rest the seuenth day from all his workes And in this place againe If they shall enter into my rest And a little after he saith If Iesus â—hat â—s Ioshua had giuen them rest then would he not after this hâ—ue spoken of another day There remaineth thâ—refore a reâ—â— to â—he people of God For he that hath entred into his rest haâ—h also ceased from his ownâ— workes as God did from his let vs studie therefore to enâ—er into that rest c. By all which the Apostle doth proue that al the peace and rest which we can attaine vnto in this life should put vs in mind and prepare vs for the eternall peace and rest in the life to come that when the time of our dissolution comes wee may bee ready to say with old Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart part in peace The yere of Iubilie or reioycing which God ordained to be euery fiftieth yeere whâ—râ—in the whole land was to rest and liberty to be proclaimed to all the inhabitants and they were neither to sowe nor to reape nor gather grapes c. was a type also of this great calme and eternall rest purchased to all Gods people by the death and resurrection of Christ. And to conclude this eternall rest is that which al good Christians should long
death and resurrection in this life as also of that eternall rest in the life to come whereof the other is but a pledge and earnest when the godly shall be partakers of such ioyes as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard nor câ—n possibly enter into the heart of man to conceiue For the first the whole current of the fathers tell vs that the sea is an image of the world many waies 1. First the sea hath his name of bitternesse Proptâ—rea mare appellaâ—um quòd eius aquae sunâ— amarae The sea hath his name Mare in the Latine of the Latine word amarum which signifieth bitter because the waters thereof are bitter The sea is very bitter notwithstanding to the fishes that liue and are nourished in it it sauoureth sweetly So the world is very bitter yeâ— to worldly men delighting in the fleshly lusts thereof it seemes sweete and though at first it seeme but as a sport or play yet as Abneâ— saith to Ioab Knowest thou not that iâ— will be bitternesse in the lâ—ttâ—r eâ—d For like a subtill serpent it hath a sting in the taile and insinuates and windes it selfe into vs for to hurt vs. And though worldly men flatter themselues and say as Agag to Samuel Truly the bitternesse of death is pâ—ssed yet they are as much deceiued as Agag was as may appeare in Samuels answere in that place It is the distemperate taste of worldly men that makes the pleasures of the world seeme so sweete vnto them but if euer God effectually call them and they come to the true rellish of them they will say with Naomi the mother of Ruth Call mâ— no more Naomi or beautifull but call mee Mara that is bitter for the Almighty hath giuen me much bitternesse For the greatest pleasures of this world are like the waters of Marah wherof the Israelites Gods people could not drinke for the bitternesse thereof The waters of the sea of the world are like those waters which Saint Iohn saw by vision into which fell a great starre named wormewood and the waters became wormewood and many men died of the waters because they were bitter Let men therefore feare the curse denounced by the Prophet Woe be to them which make sowre sweet and sweet sowre which call euiâ—l good and good euill which make darknesse light and light darknesse For it were easie to shew of all the things in the world as Saint Iohn reckoneth them vp the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life that is the vnlawfull desire of worldly pleasure treasure honor that they be all the bitter waters of the sea of the world And it may bee said of them al as the Wise man saith of the first The lips of a strange woman drop as the hony combe and her mouth is more soft then oyle But the end of her is bitter as wormwood and sharpe as a two edged sword And that wee may see the bitternesse of these waters in this sweet sinne of vncleannesse as the world is not ashamed to call it and thereby to iudge of the rest First Salomon tels vs that it is a punishment in it selfe for such as God is angry withall The mouth saith he of strange women is as a deâ—pe pit He with whom the Lord is angry shall fall therein It is therefore a signe of Gods anger towards vs when he suffereth vs to fall into it Secondly it bringeth men to infamie reproch dishonour He shall finde a wound and dishonour and his reproch shall neuer be done away Thirdly it bringeth beggery with it for because of the whorish woman a man is brought to a morsell of bread Fourthly it bringeth filthy and loathsome diseases on a man euen rottennesâ—â— to his bones Fifthly it destroyeth not onely his vnderstanding but his soule also Sixthly it is as a fire that will pursue and follow not onely him but his encrease to â—heir vtter dâ—struction Seuenthly the Apostle maketh it as a punishment of Idolatry to be giuen ouer to these vncleane lusts Let men therefore take heede of these bitter waters and if either they bee afraid of the anger of God or their owne infamie or the wasting of their estates or of the rotting of their bodies or the destroying of their soules oâ— the vndoing of their posterity let them take heed of that which if they looke they may finde hath cost other men so deare and giuen them sharp and bitter sawce to their sweet meate knowing what a poysonfull hooke lyeth vnder that pleasing bait to betray them The same may bee said of the rest of the vices that ouerflow the world as pride couetousnesse intemperance in diet murmuring enuie hatred disobedience to authority they are all the bitter waters of the world The woâ—ld is a sea The sea is bitter Thâ— world is bitter Secondly the sea is inconstant it ebbeth and floweth sometime it is quiet sometimes troubled It followeth the Moone As the Moone changeth so the sea changeth The world is as inconstant altering and changing euery day both in priuate men and in whole states Some borne some die some in health some sicke some rising some falling some in fauour some in disgrace and as Saint Gregory obserued all the actions of our life are but remedia taedij when we are wearie of one thing we seeke for reliefe of the contrary when we are wearie of fasting we eate and being wearie of eating wee fast when wâ—e are wearie of waking we sleepe and being wearie of sleeping we wake In nothing we continue at one stay and as the day succeedes the night and the night the day so variety and contrariety must giue content in all our actions The vse whereof is to teach vs to obserue in the world and our selues liuing in the world the mutability and change of all things vnder the Sunne God only being vnchangeable The Angels in heauen and man in Paradise were subiect to change as they found by miserable experience In God onely is no change nor shadâ—w of change but the world passeth and the concupiscâ—nce thereâ—f As the sea therefore is inconstant so is the world inconstant Thirdly the sea is full of dangers sometime by contrary wiâ—ds sometime by Pyrats sometime by entising mermaids and syrens sometime by rockes somtime by quick-sands and many other waies The world is a sea of dangers yea hath more dangers theÌ„ the sea 1. It hath such coÌ„trary windes that Christs ship his Church is faine with Saint Pauls ship to cast ancor lest it bee driuen backe in her course to heauen 2. It is ful of pyâ—ats that watch their opportunitie to take and make prize of the rich commodities wherewith she is laden to rob and spoile her of that most precious faith which is much more precious then gold that perisheth yea to depriue her of those
mosâ— great and precious promisâ—s which they that saile in her haue to be partakers of the diuâ—ne nature yea to pillage her of the benefit of that most precious blood of Christ of much more value then gold and siluer and precious stones 3. This sea of the world hath her Mâ—rmaids and Syrens entising lusts and fleshly pleasures alluring men to forsake the ship of Christs Church with Deâ—as and wilfully to leape into this sea to their vtter destruction 4. It is full of â—ockes on both sides presumption of Gods mercy on the one side making men bold and fool-hardie to aduenture vpon any dangerous sinne bee it neuer so great and on the other side desperation of Gods mercy after sinne to make the ship split and sinke suddenly And when wee haue escaped all these dangers when wee haue euen descried land think we haue made our port yet if we take not the direction of our good pilot to steer a right course and keepe the deepe channell there are such quick-sands that we may soone runne aground if not to losse of ship and goods that it may bee verified of vs procella â—nti in portu naufragi that we rid out the storme and perish in the hauen which if euer it fall out it had been better for vs neuer to haue knowne and begun the way to heauen at least we shall recouer our port after so great danger with so great losse as we shall haue good cause to repent our carelesse negligence The sea then is full of dangers The sea of this world hath more dangers Fourthly the sea is full of monsters The Prophet Daniel in a vision saw the foure winds of the heauen striue vpon the great sea And foure great beasts came vp from the sea one diuers from another the first a Lion with Eagles wings the second a Beare that had three ribs in his mouâ—h betweene his teeth The third like a Leopard which had vpon his backe foure wings of a fowle and had also foure heads The fourth was fearfull and terrible very strong and had iron teeth and had ten hornes But the sea of the world hath more monsters beasts after the manner of â—en monstrous men that are rather to be accounted for beasts then men some as full of poyson as serpents some as full of rage as roring Lions some as blood-thirstie as wild beares and boares some as raâ—ening after their pray as wolues some as wilie and craftie to beguile as foxes some as full of lust as goats some taking as much pleasure in their filthy sinnes as swine to wallow in the miâ—e some generations of vipers that eate themselues forth of their mothers belly as if some enchanting Circe in the world had by her cup of forcerie metamorphized and transformed men so much that Diogenes might well goe at noone day into the market with a lanthorne and candle light to looke a man amongst men and lose his labour The Prophet Dauid telleth vs that Man being in honour had no vnderstanding but is like vnto the beasts that perish And certainly all beastly minded men and women are monsters in nature Some hauing as many heads as they haue noysome lusts whereby they are led and directed Some as many hornes as they haue meanes and opportunities to doe mischiefe Some hauing two tongues as all flatterers and slanderers Some hauing swords in their lips as all railers reuilers and ill-tongued persons There is a generation whose teeth are as swords and their iawes as kniues to eate vp the afflicted out of the earth and the poore froÌ„ among men Of whoÌ„ the Prophet Dauid speaketh thus Their teeth are speares and arrowes and their tongue a sharpe sword and againe Behold they brag in their talke and swords are in their lips Some carrie two faces as all liars and dissemblers Some are great giants as all proud men Some are crook-backed as all rich couetous worldlings for whom it is as impossiâ—le to come to heauen as for a cammell to goe through the eye of a needle So generally all men that giue their members seruants of vncleannesse and iniquity to commit iniquity are monsters whereof the world is so full as of Atheists Idolaters blasphemers swearers drunkards or as the Apostle reckoneth them vp Backbiters haters of God doers of wrong proud boasters inuentors of euill disobedient to parents couenant-breâ—kâ—rs without naturall affection such as cannot be appeasâ—d mercilesse that I must conclude this point As the sea is full of monsters So is this sea of the world more full Fifthly the sea hath many deuouring fishes the great fishes deuoure the little ones So in the sea of the world the great and mighty men like pikes in a pond deuoure and vndoe poore men They grind the faces of the poore they swallow vy the needy yea Thâ—y sell the righteous for siluer and the poore for shooes they take their poore fellow-seruanâ—s by the throat as our Sauiour speakes in the parable and say pay that thou owest In this sea as in the other might ouercomes right For heere wee may many times see great malefactors sitting in iudgement and giuing sentence of death as Iudah was like to haue done and coâ—fesseth it against them that are more righteous thâ—n themselues Here Anachâ—rsis may see Solons lawes like to cob-webs which hold the little flies but the great flies breake through Here Socrates may laugh to see pettie theeues trust vp at the gallowes and great theeues without punishment ride vp and downe in state and pompe Here Heraclâ—tus may weepe to see vertuous men despised and vertue trampled vnder foot if they speake the truth conscionably from their hearts and vicious men extolled for clawing and flattering great men against their conscience And if good men liue in this sea it must be as â—onas in the whales belly which he cals the belly of hell For good men haue not onely their purgatorie but their hell in this world while with iust Lot their righteous soule is vâ—xed from day to day with the vnlawfull deeds of filthy lust So that the great fishes doe not make thâ—ir pray more vpon the small ones in the sea then wicked men in their greatnesse doe vâ—on poore silly wretches in the sea of the world Lastly the sea is no place for men to dwell and abide in but those that loue it best and liue by trading in it and through it make their longest voyages in as short time as they can possibly and are full of ioy when they can descry the hauen whither they shape their course So the sea of the world is no place for Christians to dwell and abide in for they are in it and liue in it as strangâ—rs and â—ilgrims they haue here no abiding City but they looâ—e for one to come And they know when the earthly
thy goodnesse ouer all the world whereby thou chearest and comfortest all things liuing but also beholdest all things and actions of the world which are naked and conspicuous in thy sight and dispellest and scatterest all thicke clouds and darke mists of ignorance infidelity and error and shewest vnto thy children the right way to heauen preseruing them from stumbling slipping and dangerous falling in that way Grant vs therefore that in thy light wee may see light And seeing thy Sonne Iesus Christ is the true life and light of men that enlighteneth euery man that commeth into the world who when the naturall light of rectified reason which thou gauest vnto man in his creation was by sinne extinguished and put out did supply the defect thereof by a better light the light of faith whereby thy children do vnderstand the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen O Lord make vs euery day more and more partakers of this light Enlighten our vnderstandâ—ngs by thy blessed Spirit and our hearts by the light of faith and our affections by thy Word that we being naâ—urally darkenesse may be light in thee and may shine as lights in a froward and peruerse generation and may let our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie thee our Father in heauen And seeing the night of our ignorance is passed and the day is at hand and thy grace which bringeth saluation to all thy faithfull hath appeared teaching vs to denie vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and to walke soberly and iustly and godly in this present world Grant vs thy grace whereby we may cast off the workes of darkenesse and put on the armour of light and walk as children of the light that thy Son being come a light into the world we may not loue darkenes more then light because our works are euil but Lord let the light of thy countenance shine vpon vs that the light of faith which we receiue of thee in this life may make vs liue in expectation of thy light of glory in the life to come being by thee made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light And now Lord we humbly intreate thy fatherly protection of our bodies soules from all dangers both outward and inward this day giue vs grace to make spiritual vse to our soules of all the actions and occurrences therein make vs conscionably carefull not to offend thee either in thought word or deede and prosper we beseech thee whatsoeuer wee vndertake in thy feare that wee may chearefully goe on in the seuerall workes of our places and callings so as we may seale vp our election by good workes and worke out our saluation in feare and trembling that whensoeuer this miserable and sinfull life of ours shall be ended wee may rest and raigne with thee in glory through the merits of thy deare Sonne Iesus Christ in whose name wee further call vpon thee as he hath taught vs saying Our Father c. An Euening Prayer WE present ouâ—â—â—lues again before thee most merciful Father acknowledging and confessing against our selues our manifold sins which wee haue daily multiplied against thy Maiestie and against our owne consciences from the beginning of our dayes and euen this day now passed We confesse O Lord that we were at first conceiued and borne in sinne and that from that originall corruption there haue euer since proceeded so many wicked and vngodly thoughts words and works that if thou examine what we haue done amisse we were not able to abide it or to answere one of a thousand of our actions for euen our best workes our prayers are accompanied with so many imperfections of wandring imaginations that when we haue done praying we had need to pray vnto thee againe to forgiue the scapes and negligences and ignorances of them Wee confesse further O Lord God that in respect of our sinnes wee are not worthy to looke vp to heauen or to call vpon thy name for we haue iustly deserued not onely to be depriued of all thy good blessings both concerning this and a better life which hitherto by thy mercies we haue enioyed and which we more fully expect hereafter by thy gracious promise but also wee haue deserued and doe daily deserue thy wrath and indignation to bee poured downe vpon vs vpon our bodies and soules in this life and in the life to come if thou shouldest enter into iudgement with vs. But there is mercy with the O Lord that thou maist be feared And we appeale therefore from thy seuere iustice against sinne vnto thy tender mercies in thine owne Sonne in whom wee know thou art well pleased Wee humbly beseech thee for his sake to be mercifull vnto â—s to pardon and to forgiue vs all our sinnes to wash them away in his blood to bury them in his death and passion so as they may neuer be imputed to vs either in this life to the terror and affrighting of our consciences or in the world to come to our vtter condemnation Good Lord giue vs euery day more and more the true sight of our sinnes the true sense and feeling of them and of thy great iudgements hanging ouer our heads in respect of them Giue vs a true sorrow and hearty repentance for all our sinnes past and a full resolution in the residue of our liues to be more wary and circumspect ouer all our words and actions that we may not onely striue to abstaine from sin but auoid those occasions which we haue formerly found to haue drawne vs thereunto And now Lord seeing the night is come vpon vs and hath not onely depriued vs of the light of the Sun but hath also brought with it darkenesse and terrors fearefull to our weake natures yet wee still depend vpon thy holy protection for as the day is thine so the night is thine Thou hast made darkenesse thy secret place and thy pauillion round about thee euen darkenesse of waters and clowds of the aire and yet the darkenesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkenesse and the light to thee are both alike Preserue vs therefore we humbly beseech thee from the perils and dangers of this night following giue our bodies rest and sleepe and let our soules continually watch for the time when our Lord Iesus Christ shall come for our full deliuerance out of this mortall life O Lord the sleepe wee now desire is an image of death while our senses being thereby bound vp from the performance of their functions and operations wee lye still as dead men not able to see or heare or doe any thing Let our beds therefore put vs in mind of our graues and the rest which we desire for our wearied bodies put vs in minde of the true rest and quiet both of body and soule which thou hast prouided for thy children after this life eâ—ded And
endeuour to reduce so many of them as wee can possibly to the embracing of the same Christian faith which we professe and to that end may bee earnest with thee by our deuout prayers to giue a blessing to our endeuours by enlightning their vnderstandings and opening their hearts and inflaming their affections and desires that so thy name may be more and more knowne vpon earth and thy sauing health among all Nations And lastly O Lord we entreate thee that leauing Christendome wee may hold fast our Christian faith that we bee not Apostataes and back-sliders to make shipwrack of faith and of a good conscience but may hold the profession of our hope without waâ—ering from the beginning to the end of this voiage And thus commending our selues to thy holy protection we beg these things at thy hands and whatsoeuer else thou knowest to bee necessary or fit for vs in thy Son Iesus Christ his name and in that forme which he himselfe hath taught vs in his Gospell saying Our Father c. A Prayer for the conscionable warranting of Nauigators to vndertake long Voyages by Sea WE do not presume most gracious God and louing Father in thy Sonne Iesus Christ to aduenture vpon the great dangers which we make account to haue continually before our eyes in our trauels by Sea trusting either in our owne skill or in the meanes prepared and prouided for vs to saue vs from those dangers but in thy blessings which thou hast graciouslie promised vpon our lawfull labours and endeuours in our honest callings and professions For howsoeuer by our callings wee are drawne to leade a great part of our liues in another element then other men ordinarily doe yet seeing that element is nothing inferiour to the earth which was chiefely made subiect to thy curse for mans sinne so that though once thou didst by this element for the sinne of man drowne all the world except eight persons saued in the Arke yet thou then promisedst neuer to destroy it so againe and to that end didst set thy Raine-bow in the cloud to assure men thereof And seeing thou hast made this Element the matter of the Sacrament of Baptisme And thy Sonne Iesus Christ by vndertaking this Sacrament in this Element hath sanctified all waters vsed in this Sacrament to signifie the mysticall washing away of sinne seeing it hâ—th pleâ—sâ—d thee to reueale more in this latter age of the world concerning this art of Nauigation then to our forefathers and dost daily bring to light more certaine meanes to giue men further knowledge and experience therein seeing by thy blessing vpon Nauigation and Nauigators the greatest dangers and difficulties in the world are runne thorow and ouercome and our little Iland of England where thy Gospell is truly preached and thy name called vpon is made famous to the remotest partes of the world Seeing the knowledge of the Mathematicall sciences which for their certentie standing vpon demonstrations and for their excellency making obseruations of the heauens and celestiall bodies and their motions and influences haue the precedence before other humane learning is by this art daily more and more encreased Seeing thou thy selfe O Lord God wast the first author of this Art instructing thy seruant Noah to build an Arke for the sauing of himselfe his famely and the rest of the creatures from the waters of the great Flood Seeing thou dost daily in our trauels by sea affoord vs more meanes and helpes to deuout and heauenly meditations then to other ordinary men Seeing that by this Art which we professe and practise the commerce and trade betwixt Nation and Nation is preserued and maintained and the knowledge of thy sauing truth carried into those parts of the earth which formerly haue not knowne thee And seeing the sea through which we passe is an image of the world and the ship in which wee â—aile is an image of thy Church and the whole course of our life at sea may teach vs spiritually how to behaue our selues in thy â—eruice Lastly seeing thy Sonne our Sauiour while he liued vpon the earth did vouchsafe not only to approue and allow our profession but to honour it in his owne person by entring into a ship and therein working a great miracle at sea and thereby giue certaine â—estimony and assurance of his Diuinity and God-head Grant that we may no way in this our intended voyage dishonour this our profession which thou hast so many waies graced but may acknowledge thee to be the God of the sea as well as of the land and may depend and relie vpon thy protection and defence at all times and in all places that the beholding of the waters may put vs in minde of the solemne vow and promise and profession which was vndertaken for vs by our Sureties in this element at our first admission into thy visible Church when we receiued the Sacrament of baptisme that by thy blessing wee may daily increase in the knowledge of those things that belong vnto our profession and chearefully run â—hrough the difficulties and dangers of our voyage and may raise spirituall comforts to our hearts from all blessings and crosses that may befall vs and aboue al that we may be sure to take thy Sonne our Sauiour Christ along with vs in our ship and whole fleete and haue him alwaies present with vs not onely as he is generally as God present in all places but as he hath specially promised his mercifull and helping presence where two or three are gathered together in his name that we may not suffer him to sleepe in vs but by our deuout prayers so awake him that we may so begin continue and end this our now intended voyage that withall our soules may continually be sayling to our true port and hauen which is heauen Grant vs these things O mercifull Father and whatsoeuer else is necessary for vs in our whole voyage not for any merits of ours but for thy Sonne Iesus Christ his sake in whose name we call vpon thee further as hee hath taught vs in his Gospell saying Our Faâ—her c. A Morning Prayer WEE giue thee humble and hearty thankes most mercifull Father in thy Sonne Iesus Christ for thy gracious preseruation of vs this night passed from all the perils and dangers whereunto we were subiect giuing vs quiet rest and sleepe for the refreshing of our bodies before wearied and bringing vs to the comfortable ioy of the light of this day wee beseech thee that the beholding of this corporall light which was the first of thy creatures and which before rested in thy selfe and wherein thou seemedst to take such delight that thou didst adde to the light created the first day those excellent celestiall bodyes of the Sunne and Moone and Starres the fourth day may cause vs to lift vp our hearts spiritually to discearne thee that art light and in whom is no darkenesse that not onely doest as the light disperse the beames of