pretence of my Calling and Office robbed and purloined from my fellow Christians yea I have received and suffered Christ where I was trusted many a time in his poor members to stand hungry cold and naked at my Door and hungry cold and naked to go away succourless as he came and when the leanness of his checks pleaded pity the hardness of my heart would shew no compassion Where I should have made conscience to speak the truth in simplicity without any falsehood prudently imaging aright and charitably conâ—â—â—ing all things in the best part and should have defended the good name and credit of my Neighbour alas vile wretch that I am I have belyed and slandered my fellow-brother and as soon as I heard an ill report I made my tongue the Instrument of the Devil to blazon that abroad unto others before I knew the truth of it my self I was so far from speaking a good word in defence of his good name that it tickled my heart in secret to hear one that I envied to be taxed with such a blemish tho' I knew that otherwise the graces of God shined in him in abundant measure I made jests of officious and advantage of pernicious lies herein shewing my self a right Certain rather than an upright Christian And lastly O Lord where I should have rested fully contented with that portion which thy Majesty thought mâ—â—râ—st to bestow upon me in this Pilgrimage and rejoyced in anothers good as in mine own alas my life hath been nothing else but a greedy lusting after this Neighbours house and that Neighbours land yea secretly wishing such a man dead that I might have his living or office covâ—â—iâ—g rather those things which thou hast bestowed on another rather than being thankful for that which thou hast given unto my self Thus I O Lord who am a carnal sinner and sold under sin have transgressed all thy holy and spiritual Commandments from the first to the last from the greatest unto the least and hear I stand guilty before thy Judgment-seat of all the breaches of all thy laws and therefore liable to thy curse and to all the miseries that Justice can pour forth upon so cursed a creature And whether shall I go for deliverance from this misery Angels blush at my Rebellion and will not help me Men are guilty of the like transgression and cannot help themselves Shall I then despair with Cain or make away my self with Judas No Lord for that were but to end the miseries of this life and to begin the endless torments of hell I will rather appeal to thy Throne of Grace where mercy reigns to pardon abounding sins and out of the depth of my miseries I will cry with David for the depth of thy mercies Though thou shouldest kill me with afflictions yet will I like Job put my trust in thee Though thou shouldest drown me in the Sea of thy displeasure with Jonas yet will I catch such hold on thy Mercy that I will be taken up dead clasping her with both my hands And though thou shouldest cast me into the bowels of Hell as Jonas into the belly of the Whale yet from thence would I cry unto thee O God the Father of heaven O Jesus Christ the Redeemer of the World O Holy Ghost my Sanctifier three Persons and one eternal God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner And seeing the goodness of thine own Nature first moved thee to send thine only begotten Son to die for my sins that by his Death I might be reconciled to thy Majesty O reject not now my penitent Soul who being displeased with her self for sin desireth to return to serve and please thee in newness of life and reach from Heaven thy helping hand to save me thy poor servant who am like Peter ready to sink in the Sea of my sins and misery Wash away the multitude of my sins with the merits of that Blood which I believe that thou hast so abundantly shed for penitent sinners And now that I am to receive this day the blessed Sacrament of thy precious Body and Blood O Lord I beseech thee let thy holy Spirit by thy Sacrament seal unto my soul that by the merits of thy Death and Passion all my sins are so freely and fully remitted and forgiven that the curses and judgments which my sins have deserved may never have power either to confound me in this life or to condemn me in the world which is to come For my stedfast faith is that thou hast died for my sins and risen again for my justification This I believe O Lord help mine unbelief Work in me likewise I beseech thee an unfeigned repentance that I may hearâ—ily bewail my former sins and loath them and serve thee henceforth in newness of life and greater measure of holy devotion And let my soul never forget the infinite love of so sweet a Saviour that hath laid down his life to redeem so vile a sinner And grant Lord that having received these seals and pledges of my Communion with thee thou maiest henceforth so dwell by the Spirit in me and I so live by faith in thee that I may carefully walk all the days of my liâ—e in godliness and piety towards thee and in Christian love and charity towards all my Neighbours that living in thy fear I may die in thy favour and after death he made partaker of eternal life through Jesus Christ my Lord and only Saviour Amen 3. Of the means whereby thou maiest become a worthy Receiver THese means are duties of Two sorts the former respecting God the latter our Neighbour Those which respect God are Three First sound Knowledge Secondly true Faith Thirdly unfeigned Repentance That which respecteth our Neighbour is but one sincere Charity 1. of sound Knowledge requisite in a worthy Communicant Sound Knowledge is a sanctified understanding of the first Principles of Religion As first Of the Trinity of Persons in the unity of the God-head Secondly Of the creation of Man and his Fall Thirdly Of the curse and misery due to sin Fourthly Of the Natures and Offices of Christ and redemption by faith in his death especially of the doctrine of the Sacraments sealing the same unto us For as an house cannot be built unless the foundation he first laid so no more can Religion stand unless it be first grounded upon the certain knowledge of God's Word Secondly If we know not God's Will we can neither believe nor do the same For as worldly businesses cannot be done but by them who have skill therein so without knowledge must men be much more ignorant in divine and spiritual matters And yet in temporal things a Man may do much by the light of nature but in religious misteries the more we rely upon natural reason the further we are from comprehending spiritual Truth Which discovers the fearful estate of those who receive without knowledge and the more
as the Son or from the Father and the Son as the holy Ghost The Son is the second Person of the glorious Trinity and the only begotten Son of his Faâ—â—â— not by Grace but by Nature having his being of the Father alone and the whole being of his Father by an eternal and incomprehensible generation and with the Father sendeth forth the holy Ghost In respect of his absolute Essence he is of himself but in respect of his Person he is by an eternal generation of his Father For the Essence doth not be get an Essence but the Person of the Fathâ— begetteth the Person of the Son and 〈◊〉 he is God of God and hath from his Fâ—â—ther the beginning of his Person and Oâ—â—der but not of Essence and Time The Holy Ghost is the third Person of 〈◊〉 blessed Trinity proceeding and sent fortâ— equally from both the Father and the Swordâ— by an eternal and incomprehensible spirâ—â—tion For as the Son receiveth the who divine Essence by generation so the hâ— Ghost receiveth it wholly by spiration This Order betwixt the three Persoâ— appears in that the Father begetting muâ— in order be before the Son begotten anâ— the Father and Son before the holy Ghâ— proceeding from both This Order serves to set forth unto two things First the manner how tâ— Trinity worketh in their external acâ—â—ons as that the Father worketh of hiâ—self by the Son and the holy Ghost tâ— Son from the Father by the holy Ghosâ— and holy Ghost from the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Son Secondly To distinguish the 〈◊〉 and immediate beginning from whiâ— those external and common actions flow Hence it is that forasmuch the Father is the fountain and original the Trinity the beginning of all extâ—â—nal working the Name of God in reâ—tion and the title of Creator in â— Creed are given in a special manner to the Father our Redemption to the Son and our Sanctification to the Person of the Holy Ghost as the immediate Agents of those actions And this also is the cause why the Son as he is Mediator referreth all things to the Father not to the Holy Ghost and that the Scripture so often saith that we are reconciled to the Father This divine Order or Oeconomy excepted there is neither first nor last neither superiority nor inferiority among the Three Persons but for nature they are co-essential for dignity co-equal for time co-eternal The whole divine Essence is in every one of the Three Persons but it was incarnaâ—ed only in the Second Person of the Word and not in the Person of the Father or of the holy Ghost for Three Reasons First That God the Father might the rather set forth the greatness of his love to Mankind in giving his first and only begotten Son to be incarnated and to suffer death or Man's salvation Secondly That he who was in his Diâ—inity the Son of God should be in his Humanity the Son of Man lest the Name â—f Son should pass unto another who by â—is Eternal Nativity was not the Son Thirdly because it was meetest that that person who is the substantial Image of his eternal Father should restore in us the spiritual Image of God which we had lost In the Incarnation the God-head was not turned into the Manhood nor the Manhood into the God-head but the God-head as it is the second Person or Word assumed unto it the Manhood that is the whole nature of man body and soul and all the natural properties and infirmities thereof sin excepted The second person took not upon him the person of man but the nature of man So that the humane nature hath no personal subsistence of its own for then there should be two Persons in Christ but it subsisteth in the Word the second Person For as the soul and body make but one person of Man so the God-head and Manhood make but one Person of Christ. The two Natures of the God-head and Manhood are so really united by a personal union that as they can never be separated asunder so are they never confounded but remain still distinguished by their several and essential properties which they had before they were united As for example the infiniteness of the divine is not communicated to the humane Nature nor the finiteness of the humane to the divine nature Yet by reason of this personal union there is such a communion of the properties of both Natures that that which is proper to the one is sometimes attributed to the other Nature As that God purchased the Church with his own blood And that he will judge the world by that Man whom he hath appointed Hence also it is that tho' the humanity of Christ be a created and therefore a finite and limited Nature and cannot be every where present by actual position or local extension according to his natural being yet because it hath communicated unto it the personal subsistence of the Son of God which is infinite and without limitation and so is united with God that it is no where severed from God the body of Christ in respect of his personal being may rightly be said to be every where 3. The Actions by which the Three Persons be distinguished THe actions are of Two sorts either External respecting the creatures and those are after a sort common to everyone of the three persons or internal respecting the persons only amongst themselves and are altogether incommunicable The External and commuâ—icable Actions of the Three Persons are these The creation of the World peculiarly belonging to God the Father The redemption of the Church to God the Son And the sanctification of the Elect to God the holy Ghost But because the Father created and still governeth the world by the Son in the holy Ghost therefore these external actions are indifferently in Scripture oftentimes ascribed to each of the Three Persons and therefore called communicable and divided Actions The internal and incommunicable Actions or Properties of the Three Persons are these 1. To beget and that belongeth only to the Father who is neither made created nor begotten of any 2. To be begotten and that belongeth only to the Son who is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten 3. To proceed from both and that belongeth only to the holy Ghost who is of the Father and the Son neither made nor created nor begotten but proceeding So that when we say that the Divine Essence is in the Father unbegotten in the Son begotten and in the holy Ghost proceeding we make not Three Essences but only shew the divers manners of subsisting by which the same most simple eternal and unbegotten Essence subsisteth in each Person namely that it is not in the Father by generation that it is in the Son communicated from the Father by generation and in the holy Ghost communicated from both the â—ather
O Tongue who wast wont to brag it out with the bravest where are now thy big and daring words now in my greatest need canst thou speak nothing in my defence Canst thou neither daunt these Enemies with threatning words nor entreat them with fair speeches Alas the Tongue two days ago lay speechless It cannot in his greatest extremity either call for a little drink or desire a Friend to take away with his finger the flegm that is ready to choak him Finding here no hope of help she speaks unto the Feet where are ye O Feet which sometime were so nimble in running can you carry me no where out of this dangerous place the Feet are stone-dead already if they be not stirred they cannot stir Then she directs her Speech unto her Hands O Hands who have been so often approved for Manhood in peace and war and wherewith I have so often defended my self and offended my Foes never had I more need than now Death looks me grim in the face and kills me Hellish Fiends wait about my Bed to devour me help now or I perish for ever Alas the Hands are so weak and do so tremble that they cannot reach to the Mouth a Spoonful of supping to relieve languishing Nature The wretched Soul seeing her self thus desolate and altogether destitute of friends help and comfort and knowing that within an Hour she must be in everlasting pains retires her self to the Heart which of all Members is primum vivens and ultimum moriens from whence she makes this doleful lamentation with her self O miserable Caitiff that I am How do the sorrows of Death compass me How do the floods of Belial make me afraid Now have indeed the snares both of the first and second death overtaken me at once O how suddenly hath Death stollen upon me with insensible degrees like the Sun which the Eye perceives not to move though it be most swift of motion How doth Death wreak on me his spite without pity The God of mercy hath utterly forsaken me and the Devil who knows no mercy waits for to take me How often have I been warned of this doleful Day by the faithful Preachers of God's Word and I made but a Jest thereat What profit have I now of all my Pride fine House and brave Apparel What 's become of the sweet Relish of all my delicious Fare all the worldly Goods which I so carefully gathered would I now give for a good Conscience which I so carelesly neglected and what Joy remains now of all my former fleshly Pleasures wherein I placed my chief delight those foolish Pleasures were but deceitful Dreams and now they are past like vanishing shadows but to think of those Eternal Pains which I must endure for those short Pleasures pains me as Hell before I enter into Hell Yet justly I confess as I have deserved I am served that being made after God's Image a reasonable Soul able to judge of mine own Estate and having Mercy so often offered and I intreated to receive it I neglected God's Grace and preferred the pleasures of sin before the religious care of pleasing God lewdly spending my short time without considering what Accounts I should make at my last end And now all the Pleasures of my Life being put together countervail not the least part of my present Pains My Joys were but moment any and gone before I could scarce enjoy them My Miseries are eternal and never shall know end O that I had spent the Hours that I consumed in carding diceing playing and other vile exercises in reading the Scriptures in hearing Sermons in receiving the Communion in weeping for my Sins in fasting watching praying and in preparing my Soul that I might have now departed in the assured hope of everlasting Salvation O that I were now to begin my Life again how would I contemn the world and the vanities thereof How religiously and purely would I lead my Life How would I frequent the Church and sanctifie the Lord's-Day If Satan should offer me all the treasures pleasures and promotions of this world he should never intice me to forget these Terrors of this last dreadful Hour But O corrupt Carkase and stinking Carrion How hath the Devil deluded us and how have we served and deceived each other and pulled swift Damnation upon us both Now is my case more miserable than the Beast that perisheth in a Ditch For I must go to answer before the Judgment-seat of the righteous Judge of Heaven and Eartâ—◠〈◊〉 I shall have none to speak for 〈◊〉 and these wicked Fiends who are privy 〈◊〉 my evil deeds will accuse me and I cannot excuse my self My own heart already condemns me I must needs therefore be dainâ—ed before his Judgment-seat and from thence be carried by these Infernal Fiends into that horrible Prison of endless torments and utter darkness where I shall never more see light that first most excellent thing that God made I who gloried heretofore in being a Libertine am now inclosed in the very Claws of Satan as the trembling Partridge is within the griping talons of the ravenous Faulcon Where shall I lodge to night and who shall be my Companions O horror to think O grief to consider O cursed be the day wherein I was born and let not the day wherein my Mother bare me be blessed Cursed be the Man that shewed my Father saying A Child is born unto thee and comforted him Cursed be that man because he slew me not O that my Mother might have been my Grave or her Womb a perpetual Conception How is it that I came forth of the Womb to endure these hellish sorrows and that my days should thus end with eternal shame Cursed be the day that I was first united to so lewd a body O that I had but so much favour as that I might never see thee more Our parting is bitter and doleful but our meeting again to receive at that dreadful Day the fulness of our deserved vengeance will be far more terrible and intolerable But what mean I thus by too late lamentation to seek to prolong time My last hour is come I hear the heart-strings break this filthy house of Clay falls on my Head here is neither hope help nor place of any longer abiding And must I needs be gone thou filthy Carcass O filthy Carcass with fare ill fare well I leave thee And so all trembling she cometh forth and forthwith is seized upon by Infernal Fiends who carry her with a violence torrenti simili to the bottomless Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone where she is kept as a Prisoner in torments till the general Judgment of the great Day The loathsome Carcass is afterwards laid in the Grave In which action for the most part the dead bury the dead that is they who are dead in sin bury them who are dead for sin And thus the godless and unregenerate worldling who made Earth his Paradise his
Belly his God his Lust his Law as in his life he sowed vanity so he is now dead and reapeth misery In his prosperity he neglected to serve God in his adversity God refuseth to save him And the Devil whom he long served now at length pays him his wages Detestable was his life damnable his death The Devil hath his Soul the Grave hath his Carcass in which Pit of Corruption Den of Death and Dungeon of Sorrow let us leave the miserable Caitiff rotting with his Mouth full of Earth his Belly full of Worms and his Carcass full of Stench expecting a fearful Resurrection when it shall be re-united with the Soul that as they sinned together so they may be eternally tormented together Thus far of the miseries of the Soul and Body in Death which is but cursedness in part Now follows the fulness of cursedness which is the misery of the Soul and Body after Death Meditations of the misery of man after death which is the fulness of Cursedness THe fulness of cursedness when it falls upon a Creature not able to bear the brunt thereof presseth him down to that bottomless deep of the endless wrath of Almighty God which is called the damnation of Hell This fulness of cursedness is either particular or general Particular is that which in a less measure of fulness lighteth upon the Soul immediately as soon as she is separated from the Body For in the very instant of dissolution she is in the sight and presence of God For when she ceaseth to see with the organ of fleshly eyes she seeth after a spiritual manner like Stephen who saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at his right hand Or as a Man who being born blind and miraculously restored to his sight should see the Sun which he never saw before And thereby the testimony of her own Conscience Christ the righteous Judge who knoweth all things makes her by his omnipresent Power to understand the doom and judgment that is due unto her sins and what must be her eternal state And in this manner standing in the sight of Heaven not fit for her uncleanness to come into Heaven she is said to stand before the Throne of God And so forthwith she is carried by the evil angels how came to fetch her with violence into Hell where she is kept as in a Prison in everlasting pains and chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day But not in that extremity of torments which she shall finally receive at the last Day The general fulness of cursedness is in a greater measure of fulness which shall be inflicted upon both thy soul and body when by the mighty power of Christ the supreme Judge of heaven and earth the one shall be brought out of Hell and the other out of the Grave as Prisoners to receive their dreadful doom according to their evil deeds How shall the reprobate by the roaring of the Sea the quaking of the earth the trembling of the Powers of heaven and terrours of heavenly signs be driven at the worlds end to their wits end Oh what a woful salutation will there be betwixt the damned Soul and Body at their re-uniting at that terrible Day O sink of Sin O lump of Filthiness will the Soul say unto her Body how am I compelled to re-enter into thee not as into an habitation to rest but as a Prison to be tormented together how dost thou appear in my sight like Jephthah's Daughter to my greater torment Would GOD thou hadst perpetually rotted in the grave that I might never have seen thee again How shall we be confounded together to hear before God Angels and Men laid open all those secret sins which we committed together Have I lost Heaven for the love of such a stinking Carrion Art thou the flesh for whose pleasures I have yielded to commit so many fornications O filthy Belly how became I such a Fool as to make thee my God! How mad was I for momentany joys to incur these torments of eternal pains Ye rocks and mountains why skip ye so like rams Psalm 144. 4. and will not fall upon me to hide me from the face of him that comes to sit on yonder throne for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Rev. 6. 16 17. Why tremblest thou thus Earth at the presence of the Lord and wilt not open thy Mouth and swallow me up as thou didst Korah that I be seen no more O damned furies I would ye might without delay tear me in pieces on condition that you would tear me into nothing But whilst thou art thus in vain bewailing thy misery the Angels hale thee violently away from the brink of the Grave to some place near the Tribunal Seat of Christ where being as a cursed Goat separated to stand beneath on Earth as on the left-hand of the Judge Christ shall rip up all the benefits he bestowed on thee and the torments he suffered for thee and all the good deeds which thou hast omitted and all the ungrateful villainies which thou didst commit against him and his holy Laws Within thee thine own Conscience more than a Thousand Witnesses shall accuse thee the Devils who tempted thee to all thy lewdness shall on the one side testifie with thy Conscience against thee and on the other side shall stand the holy Saints and Angels approving Christ's Justice and detesting so filthy a Creature behind thee an hideous noise of innumerable fellow-damned Reprobates tarrying for thy company Before thee all the World burning in flaming fire above thee an ireful Judge of deserved Vengeance ready to pronounce his Sentence upon thee beneath thee the fiery and sulphureous mouth of the bottomless pit gaping to receive thee In this woful estate to hide thy self will be impossible for on that condition thou wouldst wish that the greatest Rock might fall upon thee to appear will be intolerable and yet thou must stand forth to receive with other Reprobates this thy Sentence Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels Depart from me There is a separation from all joy and happiness Ye cursed There is a black and direful Excommunication Into fire There is the cruelty of Fain Everlasting There is the perpetuity of punishment Prepared for the Devil and his Angels Here are thy infernal tormenting and tormented Companions O terrible Sentence from which the condemned cannot escape which being pronounced cannot possibly be withstood against which a Man cannot except and from which a Man can no where appeal so that to the damned nothing remains but hellish torments which know neither ease of pain nor end of time From this Judgment-seat thou must be thrust by Angels together with all the damned Devils and Reprobates into the bottomless lake of utter darkness that perpetually burneth with fire and brimstone
every true Mordecai who mourned under the Sackeloth of this corrupt Flesh shall be arrayed with the King 's Royal Apparel and have the Crown Royal set upon his Head that all the World may see how it shall be done to him whom the King of Kings delighteth to honour If now the rising of one Sun makes the morning so glorious how glorious shall that Day be when innumerable Millions of Millions of Bodies of Saints and Angels shall appear more glorious than the brightness of the Sun the Body of Christ in glory surpassing all 4. In Agility whereby our bodies shall be able to ascend and meet the Lord at his glorious coming in the Air as Eagles flying unto their Blessed Carcass To this Agility of the Saints glorious Bodies the Prophet alludes saying They shall renew their strength They shall mount up with wings as Eagles They shall run and not be weary They shall walk and not faint And to this state may that saying of Wisdom be referred In the time of their Vision they shall shine and run to and fro as sparks amongst the stubble And in respect of these four Qualities Paul calleth the raised bodies of the Elect Spiritual for they shall be spiritual in qualities but the same still in substance And howsoever sin and corruption make a Man in this state of Mortality lower than Angels yet surely when God shall thus crown him with glory and honour I cannot see how Man shall be any thing inferiour to Angels For are they Spirits so is Man also in respect of his Soul yea more than this they shall have also a spiritual body fashioned like unto the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ in whom Man's Nature is exalted by a personal Vnion into the Glory of the Godhead and individual Society of the Blessed Trinity an Honour which he never vouchsafed Angels And in this respect Man hath a Prerogative above them Nay they are but Spirits appointed to be Ministers unto the Elect and as many of them who at the first disdained this Office and would not keep their first standing were for their pride hurried into Hell This lesseneth not the Dignity of Angels but extols the greatness of God's love to Mankind But as for all the Elect who at that second and sudden coming of Christ shall be found quick and living the fire that shall burn up the corruption of the world and the works therein shall in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye overtake them as it finds them either grinding in the Mill of Provision or walking in the Fields of pleasure or lying in the bed of ease and so burning up their dross and corruption of Mortal make them Immortal Bodies and this change shall be unto them instead of Death Then shall the Soul with joyfulness greet her Body saying O well met again my dear Sister How sweet is thy Voice How comely is thy countenance having lain hid so long in the Clefts of the Rocks and in the secret places of the grave thou art indeed an habitation fit not only for me to dwell in but such as the H. Ghost thinks meet to reside in as his Temple for ever The Winter of our affliction is now past the storm of our misery is blown over and gone The Bodies of our Elect Brethren appear more glorious than the Lily-flowers on the Earth the time of singing Hallelujahs is come and the voice of the Trumpet is heard in the Land Thou hast been my Yoke-fellow in the Lord's labours and companion in persecutions and wrongs for Christ and his Gospel sake now shall we enter together into our Master's Joy As thou hast born with me the Cross so shalt thou now wear with me the Crown As thou hast with me sowed plenteously in tears so shalt thou reap with me abundantly in joy O blessed ay blessed be that God! who when yonder Reprobates spent their whole time in Pride fleshly Lusts eating drinking and prophane Vanities gave us grace to join together in watching fasting praying reading the Scriptures keeping his Sabbaths hearing Sermons receiving the holy Communion relieving the Poor exercising in all humility the works of Piety to God and walking conscionably in the Duties of our calling towards Men. Thou shalt anon hear no mention of thy sins for they are remitted and covered but every good work which thou hast done for the Lord's sake shall be rehearsed and rewarded Chear up thy heart for thy Judge is flesh of thy flesh and bone of thy bone Lift up thy head behold these glorious Angels like so many Gabriels flying towards us to tell us That the day of our Redemption is come and to convey us in the Clouds to meet our Redeemer in the Air. Lo they are at hand Arise therefore my Dove my Love my fair One and come away And so like Roes or young Harts they run with Angels towards Christ over the trembling Mountains of Bether 6. Both quick and dead being thus revived and gloâ—â—fied shall forthwith by the ministry of God's holy Angels be gathered from all the quarters and parts of the world and caught up together in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall come with him as a part of his glorious Train to judge the Reprobates and evil Angels The twelve Apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones next Christ to judge the twelve Tribes who refused to hear the Gospel preached by their Ministry and all the Saints inâ— honour and order shall stand next unto them as Judges also to judge the evil Angels and earthly-minded Men. And as every of them received grace in this life to be more zealous of his glory and more faithful in his service than others so shall their glory and reward be greater than others in that Day The place whither they shall be gathered unto Christ and where Christ shall sit in judgment shall be in the Air over the Valley of Jehoshaphat by Mount Olivet near unto Jerusalem Eastward from the Temple as it is probable for four reasons 1. Because the holy Scripture seeâ—s to intimate so much in plain words I wiâ— gather all Nations into the valley of Jehoshaâ—phat and plead with them there Cause thy mighty one to come down O Lord let the heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge aâ— the heathen round about Jehoshaphat signifieth the Lord will judge And this Valley was so called from the great victory which the Lord gave Jehoshaphat and his people over the Ammonites Moabites and inhabitants of Mount Seir. Which victory was a type of the final victory which Christ â—he supream Judge shall give his Elect over â—ll their enemies in that place at the last â—ay as all the Jews interpret it See Zech. â— 4 5. Psalm 51. 1 2 c. all agreeing
shall know them 2. Adam in his Innocency knew Eve to be Bone of his Bone and Flesh of his Flesh as soon as he awaked much more then shall we know our Kindred when we shall awake perfected and glorified in the Resurrection 3. The Apostles knew Christ after his Resurrection and the Saints which rose with him and appeared in the holy City 4. Peter James and John knew Moses and Elias in the transfiguration how much more shall we know one another when we shall be all glorified 5. Dives knew Lâ—zarus in Abraham's Bosom much more shall the Elect know one another in Heaven 6. Christ saith that the twelve Apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones to judge at that day the twelve Tribes therefore they shall be known and consequently the rest of the Saints 7. Saint Paul saith that at that day we shall know as we are known of God and Augustin out of this place comforteth a Widow assuring her that as in this life she saw her Husband with externaâ— eyes so in the life to come she should know his heart and what were all his thoughts and imaginations Then Husbands and Wives look to your actions and thoughts for all shall be made manifest one day See 1 Cor. 4. 5. 8. The faithful in the Old Testament are said to be gathered to their Fathers Therefore the knowledge of our Friends remains 9. Love never falleth away therefore knowledge the ground thereof remains in another life 10. Because the last day shall be a declaration of the just judgment of God when he shall reward every man according to his works and if every man's work be brought to light much more the worker And if wicked men shall account for every idle word much more shall the idle speakers themselves be known And if the Persons be not known in vain are the works made manifest Therefore saith the Apostle every man shall appear to account for the work that he hath done in his body c. See Wisdom ch 5. ver 1. Though the respect of diversities of degrees and callings in Magistracy Ministry and Oeconomy shall cease yea Christ shall then cease to rule as he is Mediator and rule all in all as he is God equal with the Father and the Holy Ghost The greatest knowledge that man can attain unto in this life comes as far short of the knowledge which we shall have in Heaven as the knowledge of a child that cannot yet speak plain comes of the knowledge of the greatest Philosopher in the World They who thirst after knowledge let them long to be Students of this Vâ—iversity For all the light by which we know any thing in this World is nothing but the very shadow of God but when we shall know God in Heaven we shall in him know the manner of the work of the Creation the mysteries of the work of our Redemption yea so much knowledge as a Creature can possibly conceive and comprehend of the Creator and his work But whilst we are in this life we may say with Job How little a portion hear we of him And assure our selves with Syracides that There are hid yet greater things than these be and that we have sâ—eâ— but a few of God's works 2. They shall love God with as perfect and absolute a love as possibly a creature can do The manner of loving God is to love him for himself the measure is to love him without measure For in this life knowing God but in part we love him but in part but when the Elect in Heaven shall fully know God then they will perfectly love God And for the infinite causes of love which they shall know to be in him they shall be infinitely ravished with the love of him 3. They shall be filled with all manner of divine pleasures At thy right hand saith David there are pleasures for evermore yea They shall drink saith he out of the river of pleasures For as soon as the Soul is admitted into the actual fruition of the beatifical Essence of God she hath all the goodness beauty glory and perfection of all Creatures in all the World united together and at once presented unto her in the sight of God If any be in love there they shall enjoy that which is more amiable If any delight in fairness the fairest beauty is but a dusty shadow to that he that delights in pleasures shall there find infinite varieties without either interruption of grief or distraction of pain he that loveth Honour shall there enjoy it without the disgrace of cankered envy he that loveth treasure shall there possess it and never be beguiled of it There they shall have knowledge void of all ignorance health that no sickness shall impair and life that no death can determine In a word look how far this wide world surpasseth for light pleasures and comforts the dark and narrow womb wherein thou wast conceived a child so much doth the World to come exceed in joys solace and consolation this present World How happy then shall we be when this life is changed and we translated thither 4. They shall be replenished with an unspeakable joy In thy presâ—nce saith David is the fulness of joy and this joy shall arise chiefly from the vision of God and partly from the sight of all the holy Angels and blessed Souls of just and perfect Men who are in bliss and glory with him But especially from the blissful sight of Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament our Emanuel God made Man His sight will be the chief cause of our bliss and joy If the Israelites in Jerusalem so shouted for joy that the earth rang again to see Solomon crowned how shall the Elect rejoyce in Heaven to see Christ the true Solomon adorned with glory If John Baptist at his presence did leap in his mothers womb for joy how shall we exult for joy when he will be not only with us but in us in heaven If the wise men rejoyced so greatly to find him a Babe lying in a manger how great shall the joy of the Elect be to see him sit as a King in his celestial Throne If Simeon was glad to see him an Infant in the Temple presented by the hands of the Priests how great shall our joy be to see him a King ruling all things at the right hand of his Father If Joseph and Mary were so joyful to find him in the midst of the Doctors in the Temple how glad shall our Souls be to see him sitting as Lord amongst Angels in Heaven This is that joy of our Master which as the Apostle saith the eye hath not seen the ear hath not heard nor the heart of man can conceive which because it cannot enter into us we shall enter into it 5. Lastly They shall enjoy this blissful and glorious
and receiving of the Sacrament to the knowledge of thy saving grace and obedience of thy blessed will for that thou hast bought and redeemed me with the blood of thine only begotten Son from the torments of Hell amd thrall of Satan for that thou hast by faith in Christ freely justified me who am by nature the Child of wrath for that thou hast in good measure sanctified me by thy holy Spirit and given me so large a time to repent together with the means of repentance I thank thee likewise good Lord for my life health wealth food raiment peace prosperity and plenty and for that thou hast preserved me this night from all perils and dangers of body and soul and hast brought me lafe to the beginning of this day And as thou hast now wakned my body from sleep so I beseech thee waken my soul from sin and carnal security and as thou hast caused the light of the day to shine in my bodily eyes so good Lord cause the light of thy Word and holy Spirit to illuminate my heart and give me grace as one of thy children of light to walk in all holy obedience before thy face this day and that I may endeavour to keep faith and a clear conscience towards thee and towards all men in all my thoughts words and dealings And so good Lord bless all my studies and actions which I shall take in hand this day as that they may tend to thy glory the good of others and the comfort of mine own Soul and Conscience in that day when I shall make my final accounts unto thee for them Oh my God keep thy servant that I do no evil unto any man this day and let it be thy blessed will not to suffer the Devil nor his wicked Angels nor any of his evil Members or any malicious enemies to have any power to do me any hurt or violence But let the eye of thy holy providence watch over me for good and not for evil and command thy holy Angels to pitch their Tents round about me for my defence and safety in me going out and coming in as thou hast promised they should do about them that fear thy Name For into thy hands O Father I do here commend my soul and body my actions and all that ever I have to be guided defended and protected by thee being assured that whatsoever thou takest into thy custody cannot perish nor suffer any hurt or harm And if I at any time this day shall through frailty forget thee yet Lord I beseech thee do thou in mercy remember me And I pray not unto thee O Father for my self alone but I beseech thee also be merciful unto thy whole Church and chosen people wheresoever they live upon the face of the earth Defend them from the Rage and Tyranny of the Devil the World and Antichrist Give thy Gospel a free and a joyful passage through the world for the conversion of those who belong to thine Election and Kingdom Bless the Churches and Kingdoms wherein we live with the continuance of Peace Justice and true Religion Defend the King's Majesty from all his Enemies and grant him a long life in health and all happiness to reign over us Bless our gracious Queen Mary Prince Charles the Lady Mary the Lady Elizabeth and her Princely Issue Increase in them all heroical gifts and spiritual graces which may make them fit for those places for which thou hast ordained them Direct all the Nobility Bishops Ministers and Magistrates of this Church and Common-wealth to govern the Commons in true religion justice obedience and tranquility Be merciful unto all the Brethren which fear thee and call upon thy name and comfort as many among them as are sick and comfortless in body or mind especially be favourable to all such as suffer any trouble or persecution for the testimony of thy truth and holy Gospel And give them a gracious deliverance out of all their troubles which way it shall seem best to thy Wisdom for the glory of thy Name the further enlarging of the truth and the more ample increase of their own Comfort and Consolation Hasten thy coming O blessed Saviour and end these sinful days And give me grace that like a wife Virgin I may be prepared with oil in my Lamp to meet thee the sweet Bridegroom of my Soul at thy coming whether it be by the day of Death or of Judgment and then Lord Jesus come when thou wilt even Lord Jesus come quickly These and all other graces which thou knowest needful and necessary for me this day and evermore I humbly beg and crave at thy hands O Father giving thee thy glory in that form of Prayer which Christ himself hath taught me to say unto thee Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name c. Meditations to stir us up to Morning Prayer IF when thou art about to pray Satan shall suggest that thy Prayers are too long and that therefore it were better either to omit Prayers or else to cut them shorter meditate that Prayer is thy spiritual sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased and therefore it is so displeasing to the Devil and so irksome to thy Flesh. Bend therefore thy Affections will they nill thy to so holy an exercise assuring thy self that it doth by so much the more please God by how much the more it is unpleasing to thy flesh 2. Forget not how the Holy Ghost puts at down as a special note of reprobates they call not upon the Lord they call not upon God And when Eliphaz supposed that Job had cast off the fear of God and tha◠God had cast Job out of his favour he chargeth him that he restrained prayer 〈◊〉 God making that a sure none of the 〈◊〉 and a sufficient cause of the other On the other side that God hath promised that whosoever shall call on his name shall be saved It is certain that he who maketh no conscience of the duty of Prayer hath no grace of the holy Spirit in him For the spirit of grace and of prayer are one And therefore Grace and Prayer go together But he that can from a penitent heart morning and evening pray unto God it is sure that he hath his measure of grace in this world and he shall have his portion of glory in the life which is to come 3. Remember that as loathing of meat and painfulness of speaking are two symptoms of a sick body So irkesomness of praying when thou talkest with God and carelesness in hearing when God by his Word speaks unto thee are two sure signs of a sick Soul 4. Call to mind the zealous devotions of the Christians in the Primitive Church who spent many whole nights and vigils in watching and praying for the forgiveness of
the compass of thy calling distrust not God's Providence tho' thou see the means either wanting or weak And if means do offer themselves be sure that they be lawful and having gotten lawful means take heed that thou rely not more upon them than upon God himself Labour in a lawful calling is God's ordinary means by which he blesseth his children with outwards things Pray therefore for God's blessing upon his own means In earthly business bear an heavenly mind do thou thy best endeavour and commit the whole success to the fore-ordaining wisdom of Almighty God Never think to thrive by those means which God hath accursed That will not in the end prove gain which is gotten with the loss of thy Soul In all therefore both actions and means endeavour with Paul to have alway a clear conscience towards God and towards men Look to your selves what conscience ye have For conscience shall damn and conscience shall save 4. Love all good things for God's sake but God for his own sake Whilst thou holdest God thy friend thou needest not fear who is thine enemy for either God will make thine enemy to become thy friend or will bridle him that he cannot hurt thee No man is overthrown by his enemy unless that first his sin have prevailed over him and God hath left him to himself he that would therefore be safe from the fear of his enemies and live still in the favour of his God let him redeem the folly of the time past with serious repentance look to the time present with religious diligence and take heed to the time to come with careful providence 5. Give every man the honour due to his place but honour a man more for his goodness than for his greatness And of whomsoever thou hast received a benefit unto him as God shall enable thee remember to be thankful Acknowledge it lovingly unto Men and pray for him heartily unto God and count every blessing received from God as a pledge of his eternal love and a spur to a godly life 6. Be not proud for any external worldly goods nor for any internal spiritual gifts Not for external goods because that as they came lately so they will shortly be gone again their loss therefore is the less to be grieved at Not for any internal gifts for as God gave them so will he likewise take them away if forgetting the giver thou shalt abuse his gifts to puff up thine heart with a pride of thine own worth and contemn others for whose good Almighty God bestowed those gifts upon thee Hast thou any one vertus that moves thee to be self-conceited thou hast twenty vices that may better vilisie thee in thine own eyes Be the same in the sight of God who beholds thy heart that thou seemest to be in the eyes of Men that see thy face Content not thy self with an outward good nâ—mè when thy Conscience shall inwardly tell thee it is undeserved and therefore none of thine A deserved good name for any thing but for godliness lasts little and is less worth In all the holy Scriptures I never read of an Hypocrite's repentance and no wonder for whereas after sin conversion is left as a means to cure all other sinners what means remain to recover him who hath converted conversion it self into sin Wo therefore unto the Soul that is not and yet still seemeth religious 7. Mark the fearful ends of notorious evil Men to abhor their wicked actions mark the life of the godly that thou maist imitate it and his blessed end that it may comfort thee Obey thy betters observe the wise accompany the honest and love the religious And seeing the corrupt nature of man is prone to hypocrisie beware that thou use not the exercise of Religion as matters of course and custom without care and conscience to grow more holy and devout thereby Observe therefore how by the continual use of God's means thou feelest thy special corruptions weakened and thy sanctification more and more encreased and make no more shew of holiness outwardly to the world than thou hast in the sight of God inwardly in thine heart 8. Endeavour to rule those who live under thine authority rather by love than by fear for to rule by love is easie and safe but tyranny is ever accompanied with care and terror Oppression will force the oppressed to take any advantage to shake off the Yoke that they are not able to bear neither will God's Justice suffer the sway that is grounded on Tyranny long to continue Remember that tho' by humane ordinance they serve thee yet by a more peculiar right they are God's servants Yea now being Christians not as thy servants but above servants brethren beloved in the Lord. Rule therefore over Christians being a Christian in love and mercy like Christ thy Master 9. Remember that of all actions none makes a Magistrate more like God whose Vice-gerent he is than doing Justice justly For the due execution whereof First have ever an open ear to the just complaints of unjust dealings Secondly so lend one ear to the Accuser as that thou keep the other for the accused for he that decreeth for either part before both be heard the decree may be just but himself is unjust Thirdly in hearing both parts incline not to the right-hand of affection or to the left of hatred as to believe arguments of perswasion for a friend before arguments concluding for a foe Fourthly deny not Justice which is Regia mensura to the meanest Subject but let the Cause of the poor and needy come in equal balance with the rich and mighty If thou perceivest on the one side in a cause the high hills of cunning advantage powerful combination and violent prosecution and on the other side the low valleys of poverty simplicity and desolation prepare thy way as God doth to judgment by raising Valleys and taking down Hills equally inequality that so thou maist lay the Foundation of thy sentence upon an even ground In matters of right and wrong 'twixt party and party let thy Conscience be careful rather Jus dicere to pronounce the Law that is made secundùm allegata probata than Jus dare to make a Law of thine own upon the authority of sic volo si jubeo fearing that fearful Malediction Cursed be he that removeth his Neighbour's Land-Mark In Trials of Life and Death let Judges like Elohim in justice remember mercy and so cast the severe Eye of Justice upon the Fact as that they look with the pitiful eye of Mercy upon the Malefactor wresting the favour of Law to the favour of Life where Grace promiseth amendment but if Justice requireth that one rather than unity must perish and that a rotten member must be cut off to save the whole body from putrefying
day 5. Praying for rest and protection that night 6. Remembering the state of the Church the King and the Royal Posterity our Ministers and Magistrates and all our Brethren visited or persecuted 7. Lastly commending thy self and all thine to his gracious custody All which thou maist do in these or the like words A Prayer for the Evening O Most gracious God and loving Father who art about my bed and knowest my down-lying and mine up-rising and art near unto all that call upon thee in truth and sincerity I wretched sinner do beseech thee to look upon me with the eyes of thy mercy and not to behold me as I am in my self For then thou shalt see but an unclean and defiled creature conceived in sin and living in iniquity so that I am ashamed to lift up mine eyes to heaven knowing how grievously I have sinned against heaven and before thee For O Lord I have transgressed all thy Commandments and righteous Laws not only through negligence and infirmity but oftentimes through willful presumption contrary to my knowledge yea contrary to the motions of thy Holy spirit reclaiming me from them so that I have wounded my conscience and grieved thy Holy Spirit by whom thou hast sealed me to the day of redemption Thou hast consecrated my soul and body to be the temples of the Holy Ghost I wretched sinner have defiled both with all manner of pollution and uncleanness My eyes in taking pleasure to behold vanity mine ears in hearing impure and unchaste speeches my tongue in leasing and evil speaking my hands are so full of impurity that I am ashamed to lift them up unto thee and my feet have carried me after mine own ways my understanding and reasoning which are so quick in all earthly matters are only blind and stupid when I come to meditate or discourse of spiritual and heavenly things my memory which should be the treasury of all goodness is not so apt to remember any thing as those things which are vile and vain Yea Lord by woful experience I find that naturally all the imaginations of the thoughts of mine heart are only evil continually And these my sins are more in number than the hairs upon mine head and they have grown over me like a loathsom leprosie that from the Crown of my head to the sole of my feet there remains no part which they have not infected They make me seem vile in mine own eyes how much more abominable must I then appear in thy sight And the custom of sinning hath almost taken away the conscience of sin and pulled upon me such dullness of sense and hardness of heart that thy judgments denounced against my sins by the faithful Preachers of thy Word do not terrifie me to return unto thee by unfeigned repentance for them And if thou Lord shouldest but deal with me according to thy justice and my desert I should utterly be confounded and condemned But seeing that of thine infinite mercy thou hast spared me so long and still waitest for my repentance I humbly beseech thee for the bitter death and bloody passion sake which Jesus Christ hath suffered for me that thou wouldest pardon and forgive unto me all my sins and offences and open unto me that ever streaming fountain of the blood of Christ which thou hast promised to open under the New Testament to the penitent of the house of David that all my sins and uncleanness may be so bathed in his blood buried in his death and hid in his wounds that they may never be more seen to shame me in this life or to condemn me before thy Judgment-seat in the World which is to come And for as much O Lord as thou know'st that it is not in man to turn his own heart unless thou dost first give him grace to convert and seeing that it is as easie with thee to make me righteous and holy as to bid me to be such O my God give me grace to do what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt and thou shalt find me willing to do thy blessed will And to this end give unto me thine Holy Spirit which thou hast promised to give to the world's end unto all thine Elect people And let the same thy holy Spirit purge my heart heal my corruption sanctifie my nature and consecrate my soul and body that they may become the temples of the Holy Ghost to serve thee in righteousness and holiness all the days of my life that when by the direction and assistance of thy holy Spirit I shall finish my course in this short and transitory life I may chearfully leave this world and resign my soul into thy Fatherly hands in the assured confidence of enjoying everlasting life with thee in thine heavenly Kingdom which thou hast prepared for thine elect Saints who love the Lord Jesus and expect his appearing In the mean while O Father I beseech thee let thy holy Spirit work in me such a serious repentance as that I may with tears lament my sins past with grief of heart be humble for my sins present and with all mine endeavour resist the like filthy sins in time to come And let the same thy holy Spirit likewise keep me in the Vnity of thy Church lead me in the truth of thy Word and preserve me that I never swerve from the same to Popery nor any other errour or false worship And let thy Spirit open mine eyes more and more to see the wondrous things of thy Law and open my lips that my mouth may daily defend thy truth and set forth thy praise Increase in me those good gifts which of thy mercy thou hast already bestowed upon me and give unto me a patient spirit a chast heart a contented mind pure affections wise behaviour and all other graces which thou feest to be necessary for me to govern my heart in thy fear and to guide all my life in thy favour that whether I live or die I may live and die unto thee who art my God and my Redeemer And here O Lord according as I am bound I render unto thee from the Altar of my humblest heart all possible thanks for all those blessings and benefits which so graciously and plentuously thou hast bestowed upon my soul and body for this life and for that which is to come namely for mine Election Creation Redemption Vocation Justification Sanctification and Preservation from my child-hood until this present day and hour and for the firm hope which thou hast given me of my Glorification Likewise for my health wealth food raiment and prosperity and more especially for that thou hast defended me this day now past from all perils and dangers both of body and soul furnishing me with all necessary good things that I stand in need of And as thou hast ordained the day for
this second and sudden coming in glory Grant this good Father for Christ Jesus sake my only Saviour and Mediator in whose blessed Name and in whose own words I call upon thee as he hath taught me Our Father which art c. Afterwards say Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy comfort and consolation O holy and blessed Spirit be with me and dwell in my heart this night and evermore Amen Then rising up in a holy Reverence meditate as thou art putting off thy Clothes Things to be meditated upon as thou art putting off thy Clothes 1. THat the day is coming when thou must be as barely unstript of alâ— that thou hast in the World as thou arâ— now of thy Clothes thou hast therefore here but the use of all things as a Steward for a time and that upon accounts Whilst therefore thou art trusted with thiâ— Stewardship be wise and faithful 2. When thou seest thy Bed let it puâ— thee in mind of thy grave which is now the bed of Christ for Christ by laying hiâ— holy body to rest three days and three nights in the grave hath sanctified anâ— as it were warmed it for the bodies oâ— his Saints to rest and sleep in till thâ— morning of the Resurrection so that now unto the faithful death is but a sweet sleep and the grave is but Christ's bed where their bodies rest and sleep in peace until the joyful morning of the Resurrection-day shall dawn unto them Let therefore thy Bed-clothes represent unto thee the mould of the Earth that shall cover thee thy sheets thy winding sheet thy sleep thy death thy waking thy resurrection And being laid down in thy bed when thou perceivest sleep to approach say I will lay me down and sleep in peace for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Thus religiously opening every Morning thy heart and shutting it up again every Evening with the Word of God and Prayer as it were with a Lock and Key and so beginning the day with God's Worship continuing it in his fear and ending it in his favour thou shalt be sure to find the blessing of God upon all thy days labours and good endeavours and at night thou maist assure thy self thou shalt sleep safely and sweetly in the arms of thy heavenly Father's providence Thus far of the Piety which every Christian in private ought to practise every day Now followeth that which he being an Housholder must practise publickly with his Family Meditations for Houshold Piety 1. IF thou beest called to the government of a Family thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thine own person unless thou causest all under thy charge to do the same with thee For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham that he would not hide from him his counsel For saith God I know him that he will command his sons and his houshold after him that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that he hath spoken unto him And Abraham had 318 Men servants which were thus born and catechized in his house With whose help he rescued also his Nephew Lot from the captivity of his Enemies And religiously valiant Joshua protesteth before all the people That if they all would fall away from the true Worship of God yet that he and his house would serve the Lord. And God himself gives a special charge to all Housholders that they do instruct their Family in his Word and train them up in his fear and service These words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart and thou shalt whet them continually upon thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou tarriest in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up c. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him David according to this Law had so ordered his Family That no deceitful person should dwell in his house but such as would serve God and walk in his way and religious Esther had taught her Maids to serve God in fasting and prayer And the more to further thy family in the zeal of religion settle ever thy chiefest affection on those whom thou shalt perceive to be best addicted to true Religion This also will turn to thine own advantage in a double respect First God will the rather bless and prosper the labour and handy-work of such godly servants For Laban perceived that God blessed him for Jacob's sake And Potiphar saw that the Lord made all that Jeseph did to prosper in his hand yea when innocent Joseph was cast into prison his keeper saw that whatsoever he did the Lord made it to prosper and therefore the keeper committed all the charge of the Prisoners into Joseph's hand 2. The trulier a man doth serve God the faithfullier he will serve thee 2. If every Houshoulder were thus careful according to his duty to bring up his Children and Family in the service and fear of God in his own house then the house of God would be better filled and the Lord's Table more frequented every Sabbath day and the Pastor's publick preaching and labour would take more effect than it doth The streets of Towns and Cities would not abound with so many drunkards swearers whore-mongers and prophane scorners of true Piety and Religion Westminister-Hall would not be so full of contentions wrangling suits and unchristian debates and the prisons would not be every Sessions so full of Thieves Robbers Traitors and Murtherers But alas most Housholders make no other use of their Servants than they do of their Beasts Whilst they may have their Bodies to do their service they care not if their Souls serve the Devil Yet the common complaint is that faithful and good servants are scarce to be found True but the reason is because there are so many prophane and irreligious Masters for the example and instruction of a Godly and Religious Master will make a good and a faithful servant as may witness the examples of Abraham Joshua David Cornelius c. who had good servants because they were religious Masters such as were careful to make their servants God's servants It is the chief labour and care of most men to raise and to advance their house yet let them rise up early and lie down late and eat the bread of carefulness all will be but in vain for except the Lord build an house that is raise up a Family they labour in vain For God hath sealed this as an irrevocable decree That he will pour his wrath upon the Families that call not upon his name yea God will take the wicked and pluck him out of his tabernacle and root him out of the land c. Yea when his
iniquities are full he will make the land to spue out every Canaanite Religion then and the Service of God in a Family is the best building and surest entailing of House and Land to a Man and his Posterity for the righteous Man shall inherit the Land and dwell therein for ever As therefore thou desirest to have the blessing of God upon thy self and upon thy family either before or after thy own private devotions call every morning all thy family to some convenient room and first either read thy self unto them a Chapter in the Word of God or cause it to be read distinctly by some other If leisure serve thou maist admonish them of some remarkable notes and then kneeling down with them in reverent sort as is before described pray with them in this manner Morning Prayer for a Family O Lord our God and heavenly Father who art the only Creator and Governour of heaven and earth and all things therein contained we confess that we are unworthy to appear in thy sight and presence considering our manifold sins which we have committed against heaven and before thee and how that we have been born in sin and do daily break thy holy Laws and Commandments contrary to our knowledge and consciences albeit that we know that thou art our Creator who hast made us our Redeemer who hast bought us with the blood of thine only begotten Son and our Comforter who bestowest upon us all the good and holy graces which we enjoy in our souls and bodies And if thou should'st but deal with us as our wickedness and unthankfulness have deserved what other thing might we O Lord expect from thee but shame and confusion in this life and in the World to come wrath and everlasting condemnation Yet O Lord in the obedience of thy Commandment and in the confidence which we have in thy unspeakable and endless mercy in thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ we thy poor servants appealing from thy Throne of Justice where we are justly lost and condemned to thy Throne of grace where mercy reigneth to pardon abounding sin do from the bottom of our hearts most humbly beseech thee to remit and forgive unto us all our offences and misdeeds that by the virtue of the precious blood of Jesus Christ thine innocent Lamb which he so abundantly shed to take away the sins of the world all our sins both original and actual may be so cleansed and washed from us as that they may never be laid to our charge nor ever have power to rise up in judgment against us And we beseech thee good Fatherâ— for Christ his death and passions sake thaâ— thou wilt not suffer to fall upon us thaâ— fearful curse and vengeance which thy laâ—â— hath threatned and our sins have justly deserved And for as much O Lord as we arâ— taught by thy word that Idolaters Adulterrers covetous Men contentious Persons Drunkards Gluttons and such like inordinate livers shall not inherit the kingdom of God pour the grace of thy Holy Spirit into our hearts whereby we may be enlightned to see the filthiness of our sins to abhor them and may be more and more stirred up to live in newness of life and love of thy Majesty so that we may daily increase in the obedience of thy Word and in a conscionable care of keeping thy Commandments And now O Lord we render unto thee most hearty thanks for that thou hast elected created redeemed called justified and sanctified us in good measure in this life and given us an assured hope that thou wilt glorifie us in thy heavenly kingdom when this mortal life is ended Likewise we thank thee for our life health wealth liberty prosperity and peace especially O Lord for the continuance of thy holy Gospel among us and for sparing us so long and granting us so gracious a time of repentance Also we praise thee for all other thy mercies bestowed upon us more especially for preserving us this night past from all dangers that might have befaln our souls or bodies And seeing thou hast now brought us safe to the beginning of this day we beseech thee protect and direct us in the same Bless and defend us in our going out and coming in this day and evermore Shield us O Lord from the temptations of the Devil and grant us the custody of thy holy Angels to defend and direct us in all our ways And to this end we recommend our selves and all those that belong unto us and are abroad from us into thy hands and Almighty tuition Lord defend them from all evil prosper them in all graces and fill them with thy goodness Preserve us likewise this day from falling into any gross sin especially those whereunto our Natures are most prone Set a watch before the door of our lips that we offend not thy Majesty by any rash or false Oaths or by any lewd or lying Speeches give unto us patient Minds pure and chaste Hearts and all other graces of thy Spirit which thou knowest to be needful for us that we may the better be enabled to serve thee in holiness and righteousness And seeing that all Man's labour without thy blessing is in vain bless every one of us in our several places and callings direct thou the work of our hands upon us even prosper thou our handy-work for except thou guide us with thy grace our endeavours can have no good success And provide for us all things which thou O Father knowest to be needful for every one of us in our Souls and Bodies this day And grant that we may so pass through the pilgrimage of this short life that our hearts being not setled upon any transitory things which we meet with in the way our Souls may every day be more and more ravished with the love of our home and thine everlasting Kingdom Defend likewise O Lord thy universal Church and every particular Member thereof especially we beseech thee to continue the peace and prosperity of these Churches and Kingdoms wherein we live Preserve and defend from all evils and dangers our gracious King Charles Queen Mary the noble and hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the Royal Progeny the Lady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and her Princely Issue Multiply their days in bliss and felicity and afterwards crown them with everlasting Joy and Glory Bless all our Ministers and Magistrates with all graces needful for their places and govern thou them that they may govern us in peace and godliness and of thy mercy O Lord comfort all our brethren that are distressed sick or any way comfortless especially those who are afflicted either with an evil conscience because they have sinned against thy Word or for a good conscience because they will not sin against thy truth Make the first to know that not one drop of the blood of Christ was a drop of vengeance but all drops of grace powerful to procure pardon upon repentance for
and eyes unto the great Creator and Feeder of all Creatures and before Meat pray unto him thus Grace before Meat O Most gracious God and loving Father who feedest all creatures living which depend upon thy divine providence we beseech the sanctifie these creatures which thou hast ordained for us give them virtue to nourish our bodies in life and health and give us grace to receive them soberly and thankfully as from thy hands that so in the strength of these and other thy blessings we may walk in the uprightness of our hearts before thy face this day and all the days of our lives through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen Or thus MOst gracious God and merciful Father we beseech thee sanctifie these Creatures to our use make them healthful for our nourishment and us thankful for all thy blessings through Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen Another Grace before Meat O Eternal God in whom we live move and have our being we beseech thee bless unto thy Servants these Creatures that in the strength of them we may live to the setting forth of thy praise and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen After every meal be careful of thy self and family as Job was for himself and his Children Job 1. 4. lest that in the chearfulness of eating and drinking some speech hath slipped out which might be either offensive to God or injurious to man and therefore with the like comely gâ—sture and reverence give thanks unto God and pâ—ay in this manner BLessed be thy holy Name O Lord our God for these thy good benefits wherewith thou hast so plentifully at this time refreshed our bodies O Lord vouchsafe likewise to feed our souls with the spiritual food of thy holy Word and Spirit unto life everlasting Lord defend and save thy whole Church our gracious King Charles Queen Mary the noble and hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the royal progeny the Lady Elizabeth the Kings only Sister and her Princely issue Forgive us our sins and unthankfulness pass by our manifold infirmities make us all mindful of our last end and of the reckoning that we are to make to thee therein and in the mean while grant unto us health peace and truth in Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen Or thus BLessed be thy Holy name O Lord for these thy good benefits wherewith thou hast refreshed us at this time Lord forgive us all our sins and frailties save and defend thy whole Church our King and his Royal posterity and grant us health peace and truth in Christ our only Saviour Amen Or thus WE give thee thanks O heavenly Father for feeding our bodies so graciously with thy good creatures to this temporal life beseeching thee likewise to feed our souls with thy holy Word unto life everlasting Defend O Lord thine universal Church the King and his royal Posterity and grant us continuance of thy grace and mercy in Christ our only Saviour Amen The Practice of Piety at Evening At Evening when the due time of repairing to rest approacheth call together again all thy Family Read a Chapter in the same manner that was prescribed in the morning Then in holy imitation of our Lord and his Disciples sing a Psalm But in singing of Psalms either after Supper or at any other time observe these rules Rules to be observed in singing of Psalm 1. BEware of singing divine Psalms for an ordinary recreation as do men of impure Spirits who sing holy Psalms intermingled with prophane Ballads They are God's Word take them not in thy mouth in vain 2 Remember to sing David's Psalms with David's Spirit 3. Practise Saint Paul's rule I will sing with the spirit but I will sing with the understanding also 4. As you sing uncover your heads and behave your selves in comely reverence as in the sight of God singing to God in God's own words but be sure that the matter make more melody in your hearts than the Musick in your ear for the singing with grace in our hearts is that which the Lord is delighted withal according to that old verse Non vox sed votum non musica cordula sed cor Non clamans sed amans psallit in aure Dei 'T is not the voice but vow Sound heart not sounding string True zeal not outward show That in God's ear doth ring 5. Thou maiest if thou thinkest good sing all the Psalms over in order for all are most divine and comfortable But if thou wilt chuse some special Psalms as more fit for some times and purposes and such as by the oft usage thy people may the easilier commit to memory Then sing In the Morning Psal. 3. 5. 16. 22. 144. In the Evening Psal. 4. 127. 141. For mercy after a sin committed Psal 51. 103. In sickness or heaviness Psal. 6. 13. 89. 90. 91. 137. 146. When thou art recovered Psal. 30. 32. On the Sabbath day Psal. 19. 92. 95. In time of joy Psal. 80. 98. 107. 136. 145. Before Sermon Psal. 1. 12. 147. the 1. and 5. Part of the 119. After Sermon any Psalm which concerneth the chief argument of the Sermon At the Communion Psal. 22. 23. 103. 111. 116. For spiritual solace Psal. 15. 19. 25. 46. 67. 112. 116. After wrong and disgrace received Psal. 42. 69. 70. 140. 144. After the Psalm all kneeling down in reverent manner as is before described let the Father of the Family or the chiefest in his absence pray thus Evening Prayer for a Family O Eternal God and most gracious Father we thine unworthy Servants here assembled do cast down our selves at the footstool of thy grace acknowledging that we have inherited our Fathers corruption and actually in thought word and deed transgressed all thy holy Commandments so that in us naturally there dwelleth nothing that is good for our hearts are full of secret pride anger impatience dissembling lying lust vanity prophanâ—ness distruâ—â— too much love of our selves and the World too little love of thee and thy Kingdom but empty and void of faith love patience and every spiritual grace If thou therefore shouldst but enter into judgment with us and search out our natural corruption and observe all the cursed fruits and effects that we have derived from thence Satan might justly challenge us for his own and we could noâ— expect any thing from thy Majesty but thy wrath and our condemnation which we have long ago deserved But good Father for Jesus Christ thy dear Son's sake in whom only thou art well pleased and for the merits of that bitter death and bloody passion which we believe that he hath suffered for us have mercy upon us pardon and forgive us all our sins and free us from the shame and confusion which are due unto us for them that they may never seize upon us to our confusion in this life nor to our condemnation in the world
the Sabbath for his own profit or pleasure his heart never yet felt what either the fear of God or true 〈…〉 For of this 〈…〉 speech of S. James 〈…〉 faileth in one is guilty of all seeing therefore that God hath fenced this commandment with so many moral reasons it is evident that the Commandment it self is moral 2. Because it was commanded of God to Adam in his Innocency whilst holding his happiness not by faith in Christ's merits but by obedience to God's Law he needed no ceremony shadowing the redemption of Christ. A Sabbath therefore of a seventh day cannot be simply a ceremony but an Essential part of God's worship enjoyned unto Man when there was but one condition of all men And if it was necessary for our first Parents to have a Sabbath day to serve God in their perfection much more need their posterity to keep the Sabbath in the stare of their corruption And seeing God himself kept this day holy how can that man be holy that doth wilfully prophane it 3. Because it is one of the Commandments which God spake with his own mouth and twice wrote with his own fingers in Tables of stone to signifie their authority and perpetuity All that God wrote were moral and perpetual Commandments and those are reckoned Ten in number If this were now but an abrogated Ceremony then there were but nine Commandments the Ceremonial that were to be abrogated by Christ were written all by Moses But this of the Sabbath with the other nine written by God himself were put into the Ark where no Ceremonial Law was put to shew that they should be the perpetual Rules of the Church yet such as none could perfectly fulfil and keep but only Christ. 4. Because Christ professeth that he came not to destroy the moral Law and that the least of them should not be abrogated in his kingdom of the New Testament Insomuch that whosoever breaketh one of the least of these ten Commandments and teacheth men so he should be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven that is he should have no place in his Church Now the Moral Law commandeth one day of seven to be perpetually kept a holy Sabbath And Christ himself expresly mentioneth the keeping of a Sabbath among his Christians at the destruction of Jerusalem about 42. years after his resurrection By which time all the Mosaical ceremonies except eating of blood and things strangled were by a publick Decree of all the Apostles quite abolished and abrogated in Christian Churches And therefore Christ admonished his Disciples to pray that their flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day Not in the winter for that by reason of the foulness of the ways and weather their flight should be more painful and troublsome unto them not upon the Sabbath because it would be more grievous to their hearts to spend that day in toiling to save their lives which the Lord had commanded to be spent in holy exercises to comfort their souls Now if the sanctifying of the Sabbath on this day had been but ceremonial it had been no grief to have fled on this day any more than on any other day of the week But in that Christ doth tender so much this fear and grief of being driven to fly on the Sabbath day and therefore wisheth his to pray unto God to prevent such an occasion he plainly demonstrates that the observation of the Sabbath is no abrogated Ceremony but a Moral Commandment confirmed and established by Christ among Christians If you would know the day whereupon Christ appointed Christians to keep the Sabbath S. John will tell you that is was on the Lord's day Rev. 1. 10. If you will know on what day of the week that was S. Paul will tell you that it was on every first day of the week 1 Cor. 16. 1. As Christ admonished so Christians prayed and according to their prayers God a little before the wars began warned by an Oracle all the Christians in Jerusalem to depart thence and to go to Pella a little town beyond Jordan and so to escape the wrath of God that should fell upon that City and Nation If then a Christian should not without grief of heart fly for the safety of his life on the Lord's day with what joy or comfort can a true Christian neglect the holy exercises of God's worship in the Church to spend the greatest part of the Lord's day in prophane and carnal spâ—rts or servile labour And seeing the destruction of Jerusalem was hath a 〈◊〉 and an assurance of the destruction of the World who seeth not but that the holy Sabbath must continue till the very end of the world 5. Because that all the Ceremonial Law was enjoyned to the Jews only and not to the Gentiles but this Commandment of the holy Sabbath as Matrimoâ—y was instituted of God in the stare of innocency when there was but one state of all men and therefore enjoyned to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews So that all Magistrates and Housholders were commanded to constrain all strangers as well as their own Subjects and Family to observe the holy Sabbath as appears by the fourth Commandment and practice of Nehemiah All the Ceremonies were a partition wall to separate Jews and Gentiles But seeing the Gentiles are bound to keep this Commandment as well as the Jews it is evident that it is no Jewish ceremony And seeing the same authority is for the Sabbath that is for marriage a man may as well say that marriage is but a ceremonial Law as the Sabbath And remember that whereas marriage is termed but once the covenâ—â—â— of God because instituted by God in the beginning the Sabbath is every where called the Sabbath of the Lord thy God because ordained by God in the same beginning both of time state and perpetuity therefore not Ceremonial 6. The corruption of our nature found in the manifest opposition of wicked men and in the secret unwillingness of good men to sanctifie sincerely the Sabbath sufficiently demonstrateth that the Commandment of the Sabbath is spiritual and moral 7. Because that as God by a perpetual decree made the Sun the Moon and other lights in the Firmament of Heaven not only to divided the day from the night but also to be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years so he ordained in the Church on Earth the holy Sabbath to be not only the appointed season for his solemn Worship but also the perpetual rule and measure of time So that as seven days make a week four weeks a month 12 months a year so seven years make a Sabbath of years seven Sabbaths of years a Jubilee 80 Jubilees or 4000 years or after Ezekiel 4000 cubits the whole time of the Old Testament till Christ by his Baptism and Preaching began the
state of the New Testament Neither can I here pass over without Admiration how the Sacrament of Circumcision continued in the Church 39 Jubilees from Abraham to whom it was first given unto the Baptism of Christ in Jordan which was just so many Jubilees after Bucholcer's account as the world had continued before from Adam to the birth of Abraham Moses began his Ministry in the 80 year of his age Christ enters upon his Office in the 80 Jubilee of the World's Age Joseph was thirty years old when he began to rule over Egypt Gen. 41. 46. and the Levites began to serve in the Tabernacle at thirty Years old so Christ likewise to answer these figures began his ministry in the Thirtieth Jubilee of Moses and when he began to be thirty years of age Luke 3. 23. in the midst of Daniel's last week and so continuing his ministry on Earth Three years and a half finished our Redemption and Daniel's Period by his innocent death upon the Cross. The most of all the great alterations and strange accidents which fell out in the Church came to pass either in a Sabbatical year or in a year of Jubilee For example The seventy weeks of Daniel beginning the first year of Cyrus and the 3439. year of the world contain so many years as the world did weeks of years unto that time and so many weeks of years as the world had lasted Jubilees Daniel's seventy weeks of years contain four hundred and ninety single years the world before that time 490 weeks or sabbaths of years Daniel's Period 70 weeks the world's 70 Jubilees so that to comfort the Church for their 70 years captivity which they had now according to Jeremy's prophecy endured in Babylon Gabriel tells Daniel That at the end of 70 weeks or Sabbaths of years that is 70 times seven years or 490 years their eternal Redemption from Hell should be effected by the death of Christ as sure as they were now redeemed from the captivity of Babylon This period of Daniel containing 70 Sabbaths or 10 Jubilees of years began at the first liberty granted the Jews by Cyrus in the first year of his Reign over the Babylonians mentioned Ezra 1. 1. and ends justly at the time that Christ died upon the Cross. From the death of Christ or the last end of Daniel's weeks to the seventy and one year of Christ the world is measured by seven Seals or seven Sabbaths of years making one compleat Jubilee From the end of those seven Seals the World is measured to her end by seven Trumpets each containing 245 years as some conjecture about 440 years hence the truth will appear Enoch the seventh from Alam having lived so many years as there are days in the year 365 was translated of God in a Sabbatical year Moses the seventh from Abraham as another Enoch is buried of God but born in a Sabbatical year of the World 2373 and in the 777 year since the Flood after Broughton's Computation is saved as a new Noah in a reed Ark and lived a builder of the Church so long as Noah was building the Ark â—â—0 years The promise was made to Abraham in a Sabbatical year being the 2223 year of the World The sixth year of Joshua being 2500 years from the Creation of the World wherein the land was possessed and divided among the children of Israel was a Sabbatical year and the 50 Jubilee from the Creation of the World At this year Moses begins his Jubilee by which as with a chain of thirty links he tieth the pâ—rting of Canaan's possession to the Israelites by Joshua to the opening of the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers by Jesus And so carrieth the Church of the Jews by a joyful stream of Jubilees from the Type to the substance from Canaan to Heaven from Jeshua to Jesus for Christ at the end of Mâ—ses's thirty Jubilees and the beginning of the thirtieth year of his age at his Baptism openeth Heaven and gives the clearest Vision of the blessed Trinity that was seen since the world began And by the silver Trumpet of his Gospel proclaims according to the Prophecy of Esay eternal redâ—mption to all that repent and believe in him And the year of our Saviour Christ's birth being the 3948 of the World was at the end of a Sabbatical year and the 564 Septenary of the World Moses maketh the common age of all men to be ten times seven Psal. 90. and every seventh year commonly produceth some notable change or accident in Man's life And no wonder for as Hippocrates affirmeth a Child in his Mother's womb on the seventh day of his conception hath all his members finished and from that day groweth to the perfection of birth which is always either the ninth or seventh month At seven years old the Child casts his teeth and receives new And every seventh year after there is some alteration or change in man's life especially at nine times seven the Clymacterick year which by experience is found to have been fatal to many of those learned men who have been the chiefest Lights of the World And if they escaped that year yet most of them have departed this Life in a septenary year Lamech died in the year of his life 777. Methusalem the longest liver of the Sons of Men died when he began to enter his 900 and 70 year Abraham died when he had lived 25 times seven years Jacob when he had lived 21 times seven years David after he had lived ten times seven years So did Galen so did Petrarch who as Bodin noteth died on the same day of the year that he was born so did the Maiden Queen ELIZABETH of blessed and never-dying Memory who came into this world on the Eve of the Nativity of the blessed Virgin Mary and went out of this world on the Eve of the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary Hippocrates died in the 15th septenary Hierom and Isocrates in their 13. Pliny Bartolus and Casar in their 8 septenary And Johannes de temporibus who lived 361 years died in the 53d septenary of his life The like might be observed of innumerable others And indeed the whole life of a man is measured by the Sabbath for how many years soever man liveth here yet his life is but a life of seven days multiplied so that in the number of 7 there is a mystical perfection which our understanding cannot attain unto All which Divine Disposition of admirable things so oft by sevens calls upon us to a continual Meditation of the blessed seventh-day Sabbath in knowing and worshipping God in this life that so from Sabbath to Sabbath we may be translated to the eternal glorious Sabbath of rest and bliss in the life to come By the consideration whereof any man that looketh into the holy History may easily perceive that the whole course of the World is drawn and guided
by a certain chain of God's providence disposing all things in number measure and weight All times are therefore measured by the Sabbath so that Time and the Sabbath can never be separated And the Angel swears that this measuring of time shall continue till that time shall be no more And as the Sabbath had its first institution in the first Book of the Scriptures so hath it its confirmation in the last and as this Book doth authorize this day so this day graceth the Book in that the matter thereof was revealed upon so holy a day the Lord's revelation upon the Lord's Day As well therefore may they pull the Sun Moon and Stars out of the Heavens as abolish the Holy Sabbath times meet-rod out of the Chruch seeing the Sabbath is ordained in the Church as well as the Sun and Moon in the Firmament for the distinction of times 8. Because that the whole Church by an Universal consent ever since the Apostles time have still held the Commandment of the Sabbath to be the moral and perpetual Law of God and the keeping of the Sabbath on the first day of the week to be the institution of Christ and his Apostles The Synod called Synodus Coloniensis saith that the Lord's-day hath been famous in the Church ever since the Apostles time Ignatius Bishop of Antioch living in St. John's time saith Let every one that loveth Christ keep holy the Lord's-day renowned by his Resurrection which is the Queen of days in which death is overcome and life is sprung up in Christ. Justin Martyr who lived not long after him sheweth how the Christians kept their Sabbath on the Lord's-day as we do Origen who lived about 1â—0 years after Christ shews the reason why the Sabbath is translated to the Lord's-day Augustin saith That the Lord's-day was declared unto the Church by the Resurrection of the Lord upon that day Et ex illo eâ—â—pit habere festivitatem suam and by Christ it was first ordained to be kept holy And in another place That the Apostles appointed the Lord's-day to be kept with all religious solemnity because that upon that day our Redeemer rose from the dead which also is therefore called the Lord's-day As therefore David said of the City of God so may I say of the Lord's-day Glorious things are spoken of the day of the Lord for it was the birth-day of the World the first day wherein all Creatures began to have being In it light was drawn out of darkness In it the Law was given on Mount Sinai In it the Lord rose from death to life In it the Saints came out of their graves assuring that on it Christians should rise to newness of life In it the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles And it is very probable that on the seventh day when the seven Trumpets have blown the cursed Jerichâ— of this World shall fall and our true Jesus shall give us the promised possession of the heavenly Canaan â—e that would see the uniform consent of Antiquiry and practice of the Primitive Church in this point let him read Eusebius ' s Ecclesiastical History Lib. 4 c 23 Tertullian lib. de Idololatâ—â—a cap. 14. Chrâ—s Serm. 5. de resurrection Constitut. Apal l. cap. 37. Câ—â—il in Jâ—ham l. 12. c. â—8 Of this Juâ—gment are all the found new Writers see â—ox on Rev. 1. 10. Bucer in Mat. 12. 1â— Gualt in Malach. 3. hâ—m 23. â—ulk on the Râ—emish Testam Apoc. 1. 10. Chem. Exaâ—â— Conc. Tâ—â—d par 4. de diebus festis Wolph Chron. lib. 2. cap. 1. Armin Thes in 4 praecept and innumerable others Learned Junius shall speak for all Quaâ—â—brem câ—â—m dies â—â—minicus c. Wherefore seeing the Lord's day is both the fast of Christ viz. his resurrection and often appearing to his Disciples upon that day by the example and institution of the Apostles and by the continual practice of the ancient Church and by the testimony of the Scripture observed and substituted into the place of the Jewish Sabbath Ineptè faciunt they do foolishly who say that the observation of the Lord's day is of Tradition and not from the Scripture that by this means they might establish the Traditions of Men. And again the cause of this change is the resurrection of Christ and the benefit of the restoring of the Church by Christ the remembrance of which benefit did succeed into the place of the memory of the creation Non humanâ traditione sed Christi ipsius observatione instituto Not by the tradition of Man but by the observation and appointment of Christ who both on the day of his resurrection and on every 8th day after unto his ascension into heaven did appear unto his Disciples and came into their assemblies 9. Because that the Lord himself expoundeth the end of the Sabbath to be a sign and document for ever betwixt him and his people that he is Jehovah by whom they are sanctified and therefore must only of them be worshiped and upon the pain of death chargeth his people for ever to keep this memorial unviolated But this end is moral and perpetual Therefore the Sabbath is moral and perpetual What God hath perpetually sanctified let no man ever presume to make common or prophane Upon this ground it is that the Commandment terms this day the Sabbath of the Lord thy God And God himself calls it his holy day And upon the same ground likewise the Old Testament consecrated all their Sabbaths and holy days to the worship and honour of God alone To dedicate therefore a Sabbath to the honour of any creature is gross Idolatry For the first Table makes it a part of God's Worship to have a Sabbath to his honour so doth Levit. 23. 3 37 38 c. and Ezek. 20. 20. Neh 9. 14. the Sabbath is put for the whole worship of God And our Saviour teacheth that We must Worship the Lord God only Mat. 4. 10. and therefore keep a Sabbath to the only honour of God The Holy Ghost notes it as one of Jeroboam's greatest sins that he ordained a Feast from the device of his own heart 1 Kings 12. 33. And God threatneth to visit Israel for keeping the days of Baalim That is of Lords as Papists do of Saints Hos. 2. 13. but saith that such forget him And so indeed none are less careful in keeping the Lord's Sabbath than they who are most superstitious observers of mens holy days The Church of Rome therefore commits gross Idolatry First in taking upon her to ordain Sabbaths which belongs only unto the Lord of the Sabbath to do Secondly in dedicating those holy days to the honour of Creatures which in effect is to make them sanctifying Gods Thirdly In tying to these days God's Worship Prayers Fasting and Merit Fourthly In exacting on these days of mens
thou hast and a supply of those which thou wantest But especially pray that thou maist have Grace to hear the word of God read and preached with profit and that thou maist receive the holy Sacrament with comfort if it be Communion day that God by his Holy Spirit would assist the Preacher to speak something that may kill thy sin and comfort thy soul which thou maist do in this or the like sort A morning Prayer for the Sabbath-day O Lord most high O God eternal all whose works are glorious and whose thoughts are very deep there can be no better thing than to praise thy Name and to declare thy loving kindness in the morning on thy holy and blessed Sabbath day For it is thy Will and Commandment that we should sanctiâ—ie this day in thy service and praise and in the thankful remembrance as of the creation of the world by the power of thy Word so of the redemption of Mankind by the death of thy Son Thine O Lord I confess is greatness and power and glory and victory and praise for all that is in heaven and earth is thine Thine is the Kingdom O Lord and thou excellest as head over all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and strength and in thine hand it is to make great and to give grace unto all Now therefore O my God I praise thy glorious Name that whereas I a wretched sinner having so many ways provoked thy Majesty to anger and displeasure thou notwithstanding of thy favour and goodness passing by my prophaneness and infirmities hast vouchsafed to add this Sabbath again unto the number of my days And vouchsafe O heavenly Father for the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son whose glorious resurrection thy whole Church celebrateth this day to pardon and forgive me all my sins and misdeeds Especially O Lord cleanse my soul from those filthy sins with the blood of thy most pure and undefiled Lamb which taketh away the sins of the world And let thy Holy Spirit more and more subdue my corruptions that I may be renewed after thine own Image to serve thee in newness of life and holiness of conversation And as of thy mercy thou hast brought me to the beginning of this blessed day so I do beseech thee make it a day of Reconciliation betwixt my sinful Soul and thy Divine Majesty Give me grace to make it a day of Repentance unto thee that thy goodness may seal iâ— to be a day of pardon unto me and that I may remember that the keeping holy of this day is a Commandment which thine own finger hath written That on this day I might meditate on thy glorious works of our Creation and Redemption and learn how to know and to keep all the rest of thy holy Laws and Commandments And when anon I shall with the rest of the holy Assembly appear before thy Presence in thy House to offer unto thee our Morning Sacrifice of praise and Prayer and to hear what thy Spirit by the preaching of thy Word shall speak unto thy servant Oh let not my sins stand as a Cloud to stop my Prayers from ascending unto thee or to keep back thy grace from descending by thy Word into my heart I know O Lord and tremble to think that three parts of the good seed falls upon bad ground O let not my heart be like the high-way which through hardness and want of true understanding receives not the seed till the evil one cometh and catcheth it away nor like to the stony ground which heareth with joy for a time but falleth away as soon as persecution ariseth for the Gospel's sake nor like the thorny ground which by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choaketh the Word which it heareth and makes it altogether unfruitful but thâ—t like unto the good ground I may hear thy Word with an honest and good heart understand it and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience in that measure that thy Wisdom shall think meet for thy glory and mine everlasting comfort Open likewise I beseech thee O Lord the door of utterance unto thy faithful servant whom thou hast sent unto us to open our Eyes that we may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that we may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in Christ. And give me grace to submit my self unto his Ministery as well when he terriâ—ieth me with judgments as when he comforteth me with thy Mercies And that I may have him in singular love for his works sake because he watcheth for my soul as he that must give an account for the same unto his Master And give me grace to behave my self in the holy Congregation with comeliness and reverence as in thy presence and in the sight of thy holy Angels Keep me from drowsiness and sleeping and from all wandring thoughts and worldly imaginations sanctifie my Memory that it may be apt to receive and firm to remember those good and profitable doctrines which shall be taught unto us out of thy Word And that through the assistance of thy holy Spirit I may put the same Lessons in practice for my direction in Prosperity for my consolation in Misery for the amendment of my Life and the glory of thy Name And that this day which godless and prophane Persons spend in their own Lusts and Pleasures I as one of thy obedient Servants may make my chief delight to consecrate to thy glory and honour not doing mine own ways nor seeking mine own will nor speaking a vain word but that ceasing from the works of sin as well as from the works of mine ordinary calling I may through thy blessing feel in my heart the beginning of that eternal Sabbath which in unspeakable joy and glory I shall celebrate with Saints and Angels to thy praise and worship in thy heavenly Kingdom for evermore All which I humbly crave at thy hands in the name and mediation of my Lord Jesus in that form of Prayer which he hath taught me Our Father which art in Heaven c. Having thus in private prepared thine own soul if thou hasâ— the charge of a Family call all thy Houshold together read a Chapter and pray as in the week-days but remember so to dispatch these private preparations and duties as that thou and thy family may be in the Church before the beginning of Prayers Else your private exercises are rather an hindranâ—e than a preparation And as thou and thy Houshold do go in all reverence towards the Church let every one meditate thus with himself Things to be meditated as thou goest to the Church 1. That thou art going to the Court of the Lord and to speak with the great God by prayer and to hear his Majesty speak unto
A Publick Fast is when by the Authority of the Magistrate either the whole Church within his Dominion or some special Congregation whom it concerneth do assemble themselves together to perform the forementioned duties of Humiliation either for the removing of some publick calamity threatned or already inflicted upon them as the sword invasion famine pestilence or other fearful sickness or else for the obtaining of some publick blessing for the good of the Church as to crave the assistance of his holy Spirit in the election and ordination of fit and able Pastors c. or for the tryal of Truth and execution of Justice in matters of difficulty and great importance c. When any evil is to be removed the Pastors are to lay open unto the People by the evidence of God's Word the sins which were the special causes of that Calamity call upon them to repent and publish unto them the mercies of God in Christ upon their Repentance The People must hear the Voice of God's Messengers with hearty sorrow for their sins earnestly beg pardon in Christ and promise unfeigned amendment of their life When any blessing is to be obtained the Pastors must lay open to the People the necessity of that blessing and the goodness of God who giveth such graces for the good of Men. The people must devoutly pray unto God for bestowing of that grace and that he would bless his own means to his own glory and the good of his Church And when the holy Exercise is done let every Christian have a special care according to his ability to remember the poor And whosoever when just occasion is offered useth not this holy Exercise of Fasting he may justly suspect that his heart never yet felt the power of true Christianity So much of Fasting Now followeth the exercise of holy Feasting Of the Practice of Piety in Holy Feasting HOLY Feasting is a solemn Thanksgiving appointed by Authority to be rendred unto God on some special day for some extraordinary blessings or deliverances received Such among the Jews was the Feast of the Passover to remember to praise God for their deliverance out of Egypt's bondage or the Feast of Purim to give thanks for their deliverance from Haman's conspiracy Such amongst us are the fifth of August to praise God for delivering our Gracious King from the bloody conspiracy of the traiterous Gowries And the fifth of November to praise God for the deliverance of the King and the whole State from the Popish Gun-powder Treason Such Feasts are to be celebrated by a publick rehearsal of those special benefits by spiritual Psalms and Dances by mutual feasting and sending presents every man to his Neighbour and by giving gifts to the poor But forasmuch as the benefit of our Redemption was the greatest that Man needed from God or that God ever bestowed upon Man and that the Lord's-Supper is left by our Redeemer as the chiefest memorial of our Redemption every Christian should account this holy Supper his chiefest and joyfullest Feast in this World And seeing that as it ministreth to worthy partakers the greatest assurance which they have of their salvation so it pulleth temporal judgments on the Bodies and without repentance eternal damnation on the Souls of them who receive it unworthily Let us see how a Christian may best sit himself to be a due partaker of so holy a feast and to be a worthy Guest at so sacred a Supper Meditations concerning the due manner of practising Piety in receiving the Holy Supper of the Lord. THough no man living is of himself worthy to be a Guest at so holy a Banquet yet it pleaseth God of his grace to accept him for a worthy receiver who endeavoureth to receive that holy mystery with that competent measure of reverence that he hath prescribed in his Word He that would receive this holy Sacrament with due reverence must conscionably perform three sorts of duties First those which are to be done before he receiveth Secondly those that are to be done in the receiving Thirdly those that are to be done after that he hath received the Sacrament The first is called Preparation the second Meditation the third Action or Practice Of Preparation That a Christian ought necessarily to prepare himself before he presume to be a partaker of the holy Communion may evidently appear by five Reasons First Because it is God's Commandment For if he commanded under the pain of death that none uncircumcised should eat the Paschal Lamb nor any circumcised under four days preparation how much greater preparation doth he require of him that comes to receive the Sacrament of his Body and Blood which as it succeedeth so doth it exceed by many degrees the Sacrament of the Passover Secondly Because the Examples of Christ teacheth us so much for he washed his Disciples Fâ—et before he admitted them to eat of this Supper signifying how thou shouldest lay aside all unpureness of heart and uncleanness of life and be furnished with humility and charity before thou presumest to taste of this holy Supper Thirdly because it is the counsel of the Holy Ghost Let every man examine himself and so let him eat c. And if a man when he is to eat with an earthly Prince must consider diligently what is before him and put a Knife to his Throat rather than commit any Rudeness how much more oughtest thou to prepare thy soul that thou mayest behave thy self with all fear and reverence when thou art to feast at the holy Table of the Prince of Princes Fourthly Because it hath been ever the practice of all GOD's Saints to use holy preparation before they would meddle with divine Mysteries David would not go near to God's Altar till he had first washed his hands in innocency much less shouldest thou without due preparation approach to the Lord's Table Abimelech would not give nor David and his Men would not eat the Shew-bread but on condition that their Vessels were holy How much less should'st thou presume to eat the Lord's Bread or rather the Bread which is the Lord unless the Vessel of thy heart be first cleansed by repentance And if the Lord required Joshua as he had done Moses before to put off his shooes in reverence of his Holiness who was present in that place where he appeared with his sword in his hand for the destruction of his Enemies how much rather should'st thou put off all the affections of thine earthly conversation when thou comest near that place where CHRIST appeareth to the Eye of thy Faith with Wounds in his hands and side for the Redemption of his Friends And for this cause it is said That the Lamb's Wife hath made her self ready for the marriage Prepare therefore thy self if thou wilt in this life be betrothed unto Christ by Sacramental Grace or in Heaven married unto him by Eternal Glory Fifthly
tempt and move thee to relapse into thy former sins answer them as the Spouse doth in the Canticles I have put off my coat of my former corruption how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them again Lastly If ever thou hast found either joy or comfort in receiving the holy Sacrament let it appear by the eager desire of receiving it often again For the Body of Christ as it was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows so doth it yield a sweeter savour than all the ointments of the world The fragrant smell whereof allureth all Souls who have once tasted the sweetness thereof ever after to desire oftner to taste thereof again Because of the savour of thy good Ointments therefore do the Virgins love thee O taste therefore often and see how good the Lord is saith David This is the Commandment of Christ himself Do this in remembrance of me and in doing this thou shalt shew thy self best mindful and thankful for his death For as oft as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup ye shall shew the Lord's death until he came And let this be the chief end whereunto both thy receiving and living tendeth that thou maist be a holy Christian zelous of good works purged from sin to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world that thou mayst be acceptable to God profitable to thy brethren and comfortable unto thine own soul. Thus far of the manner of glorifying God in thy life Now followeth the Practice of Piety in glorifying God in the time of sickness and when thou art called to die in the Lord. AS soon as thou perceivest thy self to be visited with any sickness meditate with thy self 1. That misery cometh not forth of the dust neither doth affliction spring out of the earth Sickness comes not by hap or chance as the Philistines supposed that their Mice and Emrods came but from mans wickedness which as sparkles breaketh out Man suffereth saith Jeremy for his sins Fools saith David by reason of their transgressions and because of their iniquities are afflicted As therefore Solomon adviseth a man to carry himself towards an earthly Prince If the Spirit of him that ruleth rise up against thee leave not thy place for gentleness pacifieth great sins so counsel I thee to deal with the Prince of Princes If the spirit of him that ruleth heaven and earth rise up against thee let not thy heart despair for repentance pacifieth great sins And who soever returneth in his affliction to the Lord God of Israel and seeks him he will be found of him 2. Shut to thy Chamber door Examine thine own heart upon thy bed search and try thy ways Search as diligently for thy capital sin as Joshua did for Achan till thou findest it For albeit God when he beginneth to chasten his Children hath respect to all their sins yet when his anger is incensed he chiefly taketh occasion to chasten and enter with them into judgment for some one grievous sin wherein they have lived without Repentance 3. When thou hast thus considered all thy sins put thy self before the Judgment-Seat of God as a Felon or Murtherer standing at the Bar of an earthly Judge and with grief and sorrow of heart confess unto God all thy known sins especially thy Capital Offences wherewith God is chiefly displeased Lay them open with all the circumstances of the time place and manner how they were committed as may most serve to aggravate the hainousness of thy sins and to shew the contrition of thy heart for the same Lift up thine hand and acknowledge thy self before the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth guilty of eternal death and damnation for those thy hainous sins and transgressions And having thus accused and judged thy self cast down thy self before the Fcotstool of his Throne of grace assuring thy self that whatsoever the Kings of Israel be yet the God of Israel is a merciful God And cry unto him from a penitent and faithful heart for mercy and forgiveness as eagerly and earnestly as ever thou knewest a malefactor being to receive his sentence crying unto the Judge for favour and pardon vowing amendment of life and by the assistance of his grace never to commit the like sin any more All which thou maist do in these or the like words A Prayer when one begins to be sick O Most righteous Judge yet in JESUS CHRIST my gracious Father I wretched sinner do here return unto thee though driven with pain and sickness like the prodigal Child with want and hunger I acknowledge that this sickness and paiâ— comes not by blind chance or fortune but by thy divine providence and special appointment It is the stroke of thy heavy hand which my sins have justly deserved and the things that I feared are now faln upon me Yet I do well perceive that in wrath thou remembrest mercy when I consider how many and how hainous are my sins and how few and easie are thy corrections Thou mightest have strucken me with some fearful and sudden death whereby I should not have had either time or space to have called upon thee for grace and mercy and so I should have perished in my sins and have been for ever condemned in hell But thou O Lord visitest me with such a fatherly chastisement as thou usest to visit thy dearest Children whom thou best lovest giving me by this sicknes both warning and time to repent and to sue unto thee for grace and pardon I take not therefore O Lord this thy visitation as any sign of thy wrath or hatred but as an assured pledge and token of thy favour and loving kindness whereby thou dost with thy temporal Judgments draw me to judge my self and to repent of my wicked life that I should not be condemned with the godless and unrepentant World For thy holy Word assures me that whom thou lovest thou thus chastenest and that thou scourgest every son that thou receivest That if I endure thy chastening thou offerest thy self unto me as unto a son and that all that continue in sin and yet escape without correction whereof all thy children are partakers are bastards and not sons and that thou chastenest me for my profit that I may be a partaker of thy holiness O Lord how full of goodness is thy Nature that hast dealt with me so graciously in the time of my health and prosperity and now being provoked by my sins and unthankfulness hast such fatherly and profitable ends in inflicting upon me this sickness and correction I confess Lord that thou dost justly afflict my Body with sickness for my Soul was sick before of a long prosperity and surfeited with ease peace plenty and fulness of bread And now O Lord I lament and mourn for my sins I acknowledge my wickedness and mine iniquities
cleansâ—th him from all his sins and either asswage his pain or else increase his patience to endure thy blessed will and pleasure And good Lord lay no more upon him than thou shalt enable him to bear Heave him up unto thy self with those sighs aâ—d groans which cannot be expressed Make him now to feel what is the hope of his Calling and what is the exceeding greatness of thy Mercy and Power towards them that believe in thee And in his weakness O Lord shew thou thy strength Defend him against the suggestions and temptations of Satan who as he hath all his life time will now in his weakness especially seek to assail him and to devour him O save his Soul and reprove Satan and command thy holy Angels to be about him to aid him and to chase away all evil and malignant Spirits far from him Make him more and more to loath this world and to desire to be loosed and to be with Christ. And when that good hour and time shall come wherein thou hast determined to call for him out of this present life give him grace peacefully and joyfully to yield up his soul into thy merciful hands and do thou receive her into thy mercy and let thy blessed Angels carry her into thy kingdom Make his last hour his best hour his last words his best words and his last thoughts his best thoughts And when the sight of his eyes is gone and his tongue shall fail to do its office grant O Lord that his Soul may with Stephen behold Jesus Christ in Heaven ready to receive him and that thy Spirit within him may make request for him with sighs which cannot be expressed Teach us in him to read and see our own end and mortality and therefore to be careful to prepare our selves for our last ends and put our selves in a readiness against the time that thou shalt call for us in the like manner Thus Lord we recommend this our dear Brother or Sister thy sick servant unto thy eternal Grace and Mercy in that Prayer which Christ our Saviour hath taught us saying Our Father which art in heaven c. Thy grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy comfort and consolation O holy Spirit be with us all and especially with this thy sick servant to the end and in the end Amen Let them read often unto the sick some special Chapters of the holy Scripture as The three first Chapters of the Book of Job The 14. and 19. Chapters of Job The 34. Chapter of Deuteronomy The two last Chapters of Joshua The 17. Chapter of the first of Kings The 2 4 and 12. Chapters of the Second of Kings The 38 40 and 65. Chapters of Isaiah The History of the Passion of Christ. The 8. Chapter of the Romans The 15. Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians The fourth of the first Epistle to the Thessalonians The fifth Chapter of the second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians The first and last Chapters of St. James The 11 and 12 to the Hebrews The first Epistle of Peter The three first and the three last Chapters of the Revelations or some of these And so exhorting the sick party to wait upon God by faith and patience till he send for him and praying the Lord to send them a joyful meeting in the Kingdom of Heaven and a blessed Resurrection at the last day they may depart at their pleasure in the Peace of God Consolations against impatience in sickness IF in thy sickness by extremity of pain thou be driven to impatience meditate 1. That thy sins have deserved the pains of hell therefore thou maist with greater patience endure these fatherly Corrections 2. That these are the scourges of thy heavenly Father and the rod is in his hand If thou didst suffer with reverence being a child the correction of thy earthly Parents how much rather should'st thou now subject thy self being the Child of God to â—he chastisâ—ment of thy heavenly Father seeing it is for thine eternal good 3. That Christ suffered in his soul and body far grievo ser pains for thee therefore thou must more willingly suffer his blessed pleasure for thine own good Therefore saith Peter Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that ye should follow hiâ— steps And Let us saith S. Pauâ— run with joy the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross c. 4. That these afflictions which now you suffer are none other but such as are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world as witnesseth Peter Yea Job's afflictions were far more grievous There is not one of the Saints which now are at rest in heavenly joys but endured as much as you do before they went thither yea â—â—ny of them willingly suffered all the torments that Tyrants could inflict upon them that they might come to those heavenly 〈◊〉 whereunto you are now called And you have a promise that the God of aâ—l grace after that you have suffered a while will make you perfect stablish strengthen and settle you And that God of his fidelity will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it 5. That God hath determined the time when thy affliction shall end as well as the time when it began 38 years were appointed the sick man at Beâ—hesda's Pool Twelve Years to the Woman with the bloody Issueâ— Three months to Moses Ten days tribulation to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna Three days plague to David Yea the number of the godly man's tears are registred in God's book and the quantity kept in his bottle The time of our trouble saith Christ is but a Modicum God's Anger lasts but a moment saith David A little season saith the Lord and therefore calls all the time of our pain but the hour of sorrow Daâ—id for the swiftness thereof compares our present trouble to a Book and Aâ—â—anasius to a Shower Compare the longest misery that Man endures in this 〈◊〉 to the eternity of heavenly joys and they will appear to be nothing And as the sight of a Son safe born makes the Mâ—ther forget all her former deadly pain so the sight of Christ in Heaven who was born for thee will make all these pangs of death to be quite forgotten as if they had never been like Stephen who as soon as he saw Christ forgat his own wounds with the horror of the grave and terror of the stones and sweetly yielded his soul into the hands of his Saviour Forget thine own pain think of Christ's wounds Be faithful unto the death and he will give thee the Crown of eternal life 6. That you are