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A75743
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The plain-man's devotion. Part. I. Being a method of daily devotion. Fitted to the meanest capacities. By the author of the Plain-mans reply to the Catholic missionaries
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Assheton, William, 1641-1711.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing A4035B; ESTC R230836
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9,005
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50
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Imprimatur Libellus cui Titulus The Plain-mans Devotion Part. I. Jan. 5. 1687. H. Maurice THE Plain-Man's DEVOTION PART I. Being a METHOD OF Daily Devotion Fitted to the meanest Capacities By the Author of the Plain-mans Reply to the Catholic Missionaries LONDON Printed by T. B. for R. Wild at the Bible and Crown on Ludgate-Hill 1688. Price 2d THE Country-Parson TO THE PLAIN-MAN HAving been instrumental through God's Blessing to fix your Belief I shall now proceed by the same gracious assistance to direct your Practice And do very chearfully comply with an invitation to so useful a Task as being fully convinced That it is much more profitable both for me and my Parish to spend my time in Devotion and practical Discourses then in these unpleasing Disputes Now the more effectually to perswade you to a holy and Religious Life pray-seriously consider this short Admonition You must not always be in this world but in a very little time perhaps before to Morrow-morning you may be removed into the next And then you will unalterably be fixt in an Eternal State either of Happiness or Misery Now as in all other Cases prudence doth direct you to provide for the worst so chiefly it ought in the concern of your Soul. Wherein if you do miscarry the mistake will be very fatal you are utterly ruined Let me therefore beg of you and I do it in Christ's stead immediately to break off your Sins by Repentance And resolve without delay to make your Peace with God before you go hence and be no more seen To assist you in this necessary work is the charitable Design of these little Papers Wherein I shall in the most familiar manner even lead you by the hand and shall shew you step by step what I would have you to do And if with an honest and sincere heart you will observe these following Directions I trust we shall comfortably meet at the Day of the Lord Jesus A METHOD OF Daily Devotion IN the Morning when you first awake offer up your first Thoughts and Words to God saying Glory be to God the Father who hath made me and all the world Glory be to God the Son who hath redeemed me and all Mankind Glory be to God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God. O holy blessed and glorious Trinity three Persons and one God have mercy upon me a miserable Sinner As you are rising say I laid me down and slept and rose up again for the Lord sustained me Psal 3. 5. Whilst you are puting on your Cloaths consider what you are to do that Day And if any Company or Business which you are to be engaged in shall be likely to tempt or to draw you to any Sin As to Intemperance in Meats or Drink to Lust Anger c. then arm your self with resolutions against it and say Lord lead me not into Temptation but deliver me from Evil. I do renounce the Devil and all his works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh I believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. And I will keep Gods holy will and Commandments and walk in the same all the Days of my Life All this O my God I am bound by the vow of my Baptism to believe and do and by thy help so I will. As soon as you are drest kneel down by your Bed-side and with great Reverence and Devotion as in Gods presence say your Prayers thus or in the like manner Morning Prayer for a Private Person I Bless and Praise thy holy Name most gracious God for all thy mercies bestowed upon me from the time of my Birth to this present moment I thank thee for the Preservation of the last Night and for the sweet sleep and refreshment which I have enjoyed O pardon and forgive me my manifold Sins particularly here mention the greatest of thy Sins I am truly sorry that I have offended thee and do fully resolve to do so no more Assist me this day in the works of my Calling and prosper all my lawful undertakings Give me Grace to be true and just in all my dealings and to do unto all men as I would they should do unto me Help me to be contented with my present Condition To be diligent in all my Duties Watchful against all Temptations So humble and modest chast and temperate and so moderate in my most lawful enjoyments that they never become a snare to me Lord I live here in a troublesom sinful world But do thou take me into thy Protection and then I am safe Guide me by thy counsel here and at last bring me to thy Glory And this I humbly beg for the sake of Jesus Christ my dear Lord and only Saviour who hath taught me thus to Pray Our Father c. After Break-fast at which the greatest part of the Houshold are supposed to be present let the Master of the Family or some other by his appointment distinctly and devoutly read this or the like following Prayer Morning Prayer for a Family O Holy Lord God Almighty before whom all Knees do bend and to whom all Creatures in Heaven and Earth do bow and obey Behold here poor impotent guilty Creatures humbly prostrate before thy Throne Adoring thy Greatness and admiring thy Goodness and desiring nothing more than faithfully to serve thee all the days of our Lives For thou only art Holy Thou only art the Lord And Glory be to thee O Lord most High. Praised be thy Name O Lord from the rising up of the Sun to the going down of the same Thou art our God and we will thank thee Thou art our God and we will praise thee We laid us down and slept and rose up again for the Lord sustained us Thou hast lightned our Eyes that we slept not in Death Thou hast delivered us from the Terrors of the Night and from the Evil that walketh in Darkness From Fire and Robbery and all other sad Accidents Thou renowest thy Mercies to us every Morning and has given us one Day more to serve thee and call upon thy Name O Lord our heavenly Father Almighty and everlasting God who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this Day defend us in the same by thy mighty Power and grant that this Day we fall into no sin neither run into any kind of Danger but that all our doings may be ordered by thy Governance to do always that is righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we beg thy Blessing for all Man-kind More particularly for these Kingdoms in which we live Bless save and defend the King and all the Royal Family with all Orders of men amongst us both in Church and State. Bless all our Friends and kind Relations Those that have done us any Good Lord reward them Those that have done or wisht us any Evil Father forgive them Comfort all those who are any ways afflicted
or distressed in mind body or 〈◊〉 Give them patience 〈◊〉 their sufferings 〈…〉 issue out of all their â—fflictions These mercies and whatever else thou knowest to be most convenient for us we do humbly beg in the name and for the sake of Christ Jesus our only Mediator and Intercessor who hath taught us thus to Pray Our Father c. Prayers being finished as you go first out of your Doors or as you return into the House say Lord Bless my going out and my coming in from this time forth for evermore Psal 121. 8. When you harness your Horses or take the Plough into your hand or begin any other work say Prosper thou the work of my hands O Lord O prosper thou my handy-work Psalm 90. 17. HAving thus commended your selves to God you are now under his care and protection And may comfortably expect his Blessing upon you and yours Which he for his part will most certainly grant provided that you lead the rest of the Day according to this beginning In order to which be very careful First of your Thoughts IF any idle wandring and impertinent Thoughts any wanton lustful and lascivious Thoughts any envious murthering and malicious Thoughts shall arise in your hearts then presently reject them by thinking upon something else and say Lord cleanse the Thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of thy holy Spirit Secondly Take heed of your Words 1. BEware of horrid Cursing and profane Swearing And do not think to excuse such extravagance by saying I was provoked or I am naturally Passionate It is my Temper and I cannot help it Which in plain English is this I have a mind to curse and to swear and I will do it Know therefore that God hath given you Reason and the Grace of his Holy Spirit whereby to curb your natures and restrain your vicious Inclinations both in this and every other Instance 2. To be noted for Lying besides the Sin and Guilt in respect of God will make you useless to the world No Body will trust you Or if they can help it will ever meddle with you I advise you therefore Children and Servants when you have committed a fault do not dare to excuse it with a Lye but confefs it freely And then both your Parents and Masters if they are prudent Persons will more chearfully forgive you 3. Let no filthy Communication proceed out of your Mouth Avoid all obscene lascivious Discourse as you would the Plague for 't is as infectious and kindles such a fire of Lust as without repentance will certainly bring you to the fire of Hell. 4. Avoid that pratling Gossipping humour of talking about other mens matters and censuring their Affairs But study to be quiet and to do your own Business And if Religion will not restrain you then be admonished in point of prudence that Silence is soon answered For the better regulating of your Actions OBserve that Golden Rule of our Blessed Saviour Whatsoever you would that men should do to you do ye even so to them Mat. 7. 12. Let this teach you to be true and just in all your dealings To be very punctual and exact in all your Promises and Bargains Not to go beyond or defraud your Brother in any matter for the Lord is the avenger of all such 1 Thess 4. 6. 2. Take heed of excessive Drinking which too often concludes your Bargains And if your head shall be stronger than your Neighbours then to abuse his weakness and to impose upon him under such Circumstances is a very base and dishonest practice 3. Beware of immoderate Anger or as you phrase it of being in Passion the consequents of which are many times dismal and amazing For you may do that in the height of a Provocation which if it doth not cut you off in the midst of your Days will bring your gray hairs with sorrow to the Grave When therefore your Children or your Servants have committed a fault be not either too rash or too severe in your Censures but treat them with Reason and argue the Case calmly with them And if after fair Admonitions they will not regard you then it will be prudent to dismiss such Servants and correct your Children 4. Let young Persons be admonished to flee youthful Lusts and to take heed of all filthy polluting practices which are very displeasing to a pure and holy God. Remember your Baptismal vow In which you did renounce the carnal desires of the flesh so that you will not follow nor be led by them Where observe You did not promise never to have those Desires for whilst you are young and healthful it cannot be otherwise but you only promised not to follow nor be led by them i. e. not to gratify those Desires and Inclinations in any unlawful way not to be led and prompted by them to commit any Sin or to do any thing which God hath forbidden If therefore after Prayers Fasting hard Labour and other Methods of Mortification you are still troublesom and uneasy then make use of the last Remedy which becomes a Duty to those who cannot live innocently without it I shall commend it to you in St. Pauls words If they can not contain let them Marry for it is better to Marry than tâ— burn 1 Cor. 7. 9. Marriage is honourable in all and the Beâ— undefiled but Whoremonger and Adulterers God will judg Heb. 13. 4. Being tempted to uncleanness or any other Sin lift up your heart unto God and say O Thou who art faithful do not suffer me to be tempted above that I am able but with the Temptation also make a way to escape that I may be able to bear it 1 Cor. 10. 13. 5. Take heed and beware of COVETOVSNESS Luke 12. 15. For the love of Money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the Faith and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows 1 Tim. 6. 10. Be not deceived nor Theives nor COVETOVS nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. From these and many other places of Scripture you are plainly convinced that Covetousness is a most perplexing and destructive practice And as such would more carefully be avoided by you were it not so difficult to convince you of your guilt For should I propose this Question to every Individual in thâ— whole Parish Are you guilty of this Sin of Covetousness I should doubtless fine a great number of frugal careful provident Persons bâ— not a Covetous man amongâ—â— you all And therefore foâ— your conviction I shall brieâ—ly shew you what Covetousness is and when a man may be truly said to be guilty of that Sin. COVETOVSNESS is an irregular unlawful Desire of geting and keeping wealth Now your Desires are then irregular and unlawful when they do transgress those bounds and limits which Almighty God by his Laws hath prescribed to them For God who is a God of Order hath established this method Seek