AN EXPOSITION ON THE CHURCH-CATECHISM Or the PRACTICE OF DIVINE LOVE.
COMPOSED For the Diocese of BATH & WELLS.
LONDON, Printed for Charles Brome, at the West-end of St. Paul's, and William Clarke in Winchester. 1685.
BOSTON in New-England, Reprinted by Richard Pierce Anno DOMINI MDCLXXXVIII.
To the Inhabitants within the Diocese of Bath and Wells, THOMAS their unworthy Bishop, wisheth the Knowledge, and the Love of GOD.
T HE Church has provided this short Catechism, or Instruction to be learn'd of every person, before he be brought to be Confirm'd by the Bishop, wherein she teaches all things that a Christian ought to know and believe for his soul's health; and she has enjoyn'd All Fathers and Mothers, Masters and Dames to cause their Children, See the Rubrick after [...] Catechism. and Servants, and Prentices, to come to the Church at the time appointed, and obediently to hear, and be ordered by the Curate, until such time as they have learn'd all that is here appointed to be learn'd.
How seasonable and necessary this Injunction is in these dayes, our woful experience does sufficiently convince us, when we reflect on the grass Ignorance and Irreligion of persons in those places where Catechizing is neglected, which all sober Christians do sadly deplore.
Since then the Providence of God, who is wont to glorifie His strength in the weakness of the Instruments He useth, has [...] from among the meanest Herdsmen Amos. [...]. [...]. into the pastoral Throne, and has been pleased to commit you to my care; the love I ought to pay to the chief Shepherd, Joh. 21. 15, 16. obliges me to feed all His lambs & His sheep that belong to [Page] my stock, and according to my poor abilities, to teach them the Knowledge and the Love of God; and how they may make them both their daily study and practice.
One thing only I most earnestly beg of you all, whether old or young, that you would help me to save your own souls; that ye would learn, and seriously consider, again and again, the terms on which your Salvation is to be had.
As for you who have Families, I beseech you to instil into your Children and Servants their Duty, both by your Teaching and your Example: In good earnest, it is less cruel unnatural to deny them bread for their mortal bodies, than saving knowledge for their Immortal souls.
Ye that are Fathers or Masters, I exhort you to tread in the steps of Abraham, the Father of the faithful, and the Friend Jam. 2. 23. of God, and like him, to command Gen. 18. 19. your Children and House-holds to keep the way of the Lord.
Ye that are Mothers, or Mistresses, I exhort you to imitate that unfeigned Faith 2. Tim. 1. 5. which dwelt in young Timothy' s Grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice, who taught him from a Child [...] 3. 15. to know the holy Scriptures, which were able to make him wise to Salvation; and like them to bring up their children and servants in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Eph. 6. [...].
I passionately exhort and beseech you all, of either Sex, never to cease your conscientious zeal for their instruction, till you bring them to Confirmation; to renew their Baptismal vow; to make open profession of their Christianity; to discharge their Godfathers and Godmothers; to receive the solemn Benediction of the Bishop; to share in the publick Intercessions of the Church; and to partake of all the Graces of God's Holy Spirit, [Page] implored on their behalf; that God who hath begun Phil. 1. 6. a good work in them; may perfect it till the day of Christ: and that I my self at that dreadful Day, may render Heb. 13. 17. an account of you with joy.
How much the Catechism of our Church may conduce to so desirable an end, you will in some measure judge by the following Explication, as imperfect as it is, and which, by God's gracious Assistance, I have so contriv'd, that at one and the same time, it may both inform your Understanding, and raise your Affections; and that it might the better sute with every ones Leisure and Infirmities, it is Penn'd in short Forms of Devotion; to be us'd in whole, or in part, in separate Collects or Ejaculations, or occasionally, as your spiritual necessities shall require.
God of His infinite mercy bless the whole, to His own Glory, and to your Edification, through JESUS the Beloved.
AN EXPOSITION ON THE CHURCH-CATECHISM, &c.
Question. WHAT is your Name?
Answer. N. or M.
Q. Why do you answer by that Name rather than by your Sirname?
A. Because it is my Christian▪ Name, and was given me when I was made a Christian, and puts me in mind both of the Happiness & Duty of a Christian.
Q. The Happiness of [...] Christian. Where do you learn the Happiness and the Duty of a Christian?
A. The very next Answer teaches me the Happiness,, and all the rest of the Catechism, the Duty of a Christian.
Q. Who gave you this Name?
A. My Godfathers & my Godmothers in my Baptism, wherein I was made a member of Christ, a child of God, & an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven.
[Page 2] Q. Shew me from hence the Happiness of a Christian.
A. The Happiness of a good Christian, is altogether unutterable; he is one who hath Christ for his Head, God for his Father, and Heaven with all its joys & glories, which are all eternal, for his Inheritance.
Q. Shew me, on the Contrary, the condition of a bad Christian.
A. The misery of a bad Christian is altogether insupportable; he has Christ for his Enemy, the Devil for his Father, and Hell (with all its miseries, and torments, & despair, which are all eternal) for his Doom.
Q. The Christian's Choice. Which of these conditions do you chuse?
A. I adore the goodness of God, who has set before me Deut. 30, 19. life and death, blessing and cursing; and in great compassion to my soul, has bid me chuse life; and with all my heart I chuse life, even life eternal.
Q. Are there not many in the world that chuse Death?
A. It is too too visible there are: Such is the extreme madness and folly of obstinate Sinners, that they chuse the service of the Devil before the Service of GOD, and Hell befor Heaven: the Damnation of such men is holly from themselves E [...]k. 23. 11., and having chosen death, even death eternal it is most just with God to give them their choice.
Q. Hos. 13. 9. Blessed be God who has given you grace to make a right Choice: Tell me what you must do to obtain that which you have chosen, Life eternal?
A. His Duty is Love. All that I am to do is reduced to one word only, and that is Love; This is the first and the great Command which comprehends all [Page 3] others, the proper Evangelical Grace; and eternal Truth has assur'd me Luk. 10. 27, 28., This do, and tho [...] shalt live,; So that if I truly love God, I shall live beloved by God to all Eternity.
Q. The nature of Love. Tell me wherein the Love of God doth Consist.
A. The Love of God is a Grace rather to be felt than desin'd, so that I can do no more than rudely describe it: It is the general Inclination and Tendency of the whole man, of all his heart, and soul, and strength; of all his powers and affections, and of the utmost strength of them all to GOD, as his Chief, and only and perfect, and infinite Good.
Q. Is this Love of God taught in the Catechism?
A. The Catechism having in the entrance of it presented to our Choice the Happiness of a Chrstian, does throughout all the remaining parts of it instruct us in the Duties of a Christian, by which that Happiness is to be attain'd, which are all summ'd up in the Love of God, which is here most methodically taught. The method of Love.
Q. In what method does the Catechism teach the Love of God?
A. In a method so excellent and natural, that if by God's help, I can but faithfully observe it, I shall not fail of the Love of God.
Q. Explain this method to me.
A. It teaches me how the Love of God is produced, how practised, and how preserved.
Q. Shew me more distinctly in what part of the Catechism each of these particulars is cought.
A. If I [...] desire the Love of God, I must first [...] all contrary Loves out of my heart, and then consider the motives and causes that excite [Page 4] it, the former is taught in the Vow of Baptism, the latter in the Creed.
When divine Love is once produc'd, my next care is to put it in practice, and that is by bringing forth the fruits, or effects of Love, which are all contained in the Ten Commandments.
When the Love of God is produc'd in my heart, and is set on work, my last concern is to preserve, and ensure, and quicken it: It is preserved by Prayer, the pattern of which is the Lord's Prayer: It is ensured to us by the Sacraments which are the Pledges of Love; and more particularly it is quickened by the Holy Eucharist, which is the Feast of Love: So that the plain order of the Catechisme teacheth me the rise, the progress, and the perfection of Divine Love, which God of His great mercy give me Grace to follow!
Q. I Beseech God to give you the Grace you pray for, that you may prosecute this method with your he [...], as well as with your words.
A. It is the full purpose of my Soul so to doe, and I trust in God I shall do it.
Q. You are to begin with the Vow you made at your Baptism: Tell me,
What did your Godfathers and Godmothers then for you?
A. They did promise and vow three things in my name:
First, That I should renounce the Devil and all his works, Expulsion of contrary Loves in our Baptismal Vow. the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh.
Secondly, That I should believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith.
And Thirdly, That I should keep God's holy Will and Commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my Life.
[Page 5] Q. Dost thou not think thou art bound to believe and doe as they have promised for thee?
A. Yes verily, and by God's help, so I will, and I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that He hath called me to this state of Salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. And I pray unto God to give me His Grace, that I may continue in the same unto my lives end.
Q. The Promises of Faith and Obedience, which you made in your Baptism, will be mention'd in their proper places, when you come to the Creed, and to the Decalogue: that which now lies before you is, to shew how your Abre [...]unciation is preparatory to the Love of God.
A. As all particular Graces are but the Love of God, varied by different instances and relations, so all particular S [...]ns are nothing but Concu [...], or the love of some one creature or another, in competition [...], or opposition to the Love of God: Now all the Creatures on which we set our Love, are reducible to these three, the Devil, the World, and the Flesh; and my heart must be emptied of these impure Loves; before it is capable of Entertaining the pure Love of God.
Q. If you are conscious to your self, that you have entertained these impute Loves, and have violated your Baptismal Vow, and have in your heart renounced GOD, instead of renouncing His Enemies, what must you do to recover that Favour of God you have lost, and to be deliver'd from the wrath to come▪
A. I must through [...] re [...]ent of all the breaches of my Vow, Repentance [...] Vow [...]. and I [...] renew it.
Q. Express your Repentance for breaking it.
A. I express it thus:
[Page 6] O Lord God, with shame, and sorrow, and confusion of Face, I confess and acknowledge, thy Infinite mercy and Goodness to me, my infinite vileness and Ingratitude to Thee.
Thou Lord, infinitely good and gracious wa [...]t pleas'd out of thine own free mercy, first to love me, to excite me to love again, Glory [...]e to thee.
Thou Lord didst vouchsafe, of a miserable sinner, to make me a member of my Saviour, Thy own Child, and an Heir of Heaven; Glory be to Thee!
I infinitely wicked and unworthy, have despis'd and rejected and forfeited all the inestimable blessings, to which I was Entitled by my Baptisme; Lord have mercy upon me!
Woe is me, wretch that I am, I have cut my self off by my Sins, from being a true Member of Christ's mystical Body, and from all the gracious Influences I might have derived from my Union to Him; Lord have mercy upon me!
Woe is me, wretch that I am, I have by my numerous provocations, lost that holy Spirit of Adoption, whereby I might become Thy Child, O God, and call Thee Father, and am become a child of wrath; Lord have mercy upon me.
Woe is me, wretch that I am, I have by my own willful impiety, disclaimed my being an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven, and am become an Heir to the Kingdom of Darkness; Lord have mercy upon me!
Woe is me, I have easily yielded to the Temptations of Satan, and have wrought the Works of my father the Devil; Lord have mercy upon me!
Woe is me, I have greedily coveted and pursued the Pomps and vanity of this wicked world; Lord have mercy upon me!
[Page 7] Woe is me, I have often Indulg'd the sinful Lusts of the Flesh; Lord have mercy upon me.
Woe is me, I have loved all things which Thou Lord, hatest, and am my selfe become odious in Thy Sight; LORD have mercy upon me.
Woe is me, I have neither believed in Thee, O my God, nor obeyed Thee, nor loved Thee, as I ought, and as I solemnly vow'd I would; Lord have mercy upon me.
O Lord God, most gracious and reconcileable, Pitty and pardon me.
I lament, O Lord God, my detestable impiety, for having so long, and so often, and so obstinately offended Thee.
In the bitterness of my soul, O Father of mercy, I bewail and abhor my unworthiness, and the hardness of my Heart, that hath despised the Rom. 2. 4. riches of thy Goodness, and Forbearance, and Long-suffering, which should have lead me to Repentance.
O Lord God, whatever Thou deniest me, deny me not a broken Psal. 51. 17. and a [...] heart.
O that my head were Jer. 9. 1. waters, and my eyes fountains of tears! that I might weep much, and love Luc. 7. 47. much, having much to be [...].
Lord, hear me, help me, save me▪ for Thy own gracious promise sake, for Thy own tender mercies sake, for the Merits and Sufferings of Jesus Thy beloved, in whom Thou hast made Penitents accepted. Amen, Amen.
Q. Having repented of the violations of your Baptismal Vow, shew me how you will renew it.
A. Our Vow renewed. I shall do it after this manner.
I have [...], O Lord God, I have sinned, and [Page 8] done evil in Thy sight, but I repent, I turn to Thee.
I confess Ps. 38. 18., and forsake my wickedness, and am sorry for my sins.
It greives me, O most amiable Goodness, it grieves me that ever I offended Thee.
With all my heart, O my God, do I now renew the Sacred Vow, which, alas! alas! I have so often violated.
O Lord God, I do, for the future, Renounce the Devil, that Arch-rebel against Thee; with all his apostate-Angels.
I Renounce all his Worship 1. Cor. 10. 20. Eph 2. 2, 12, all his impious Suggestions Joh. 13 2., Delusions 2 Cor. 4. 4. and Temptations, for which he is called the Tempter Mat. 4. 3., and all the wayes of consulting him, which ungodly men have taken Act. 19. 19..
I Renounce all his works, all those sins of the spirit, all Pride 1. Tim. [...]. 6., and Joh. 8. 44. Malice, and Envy; all Treachery —6. 70. and Lying, Revenge and Cruelty; all Tempting others to sin, Hatred to Holiness Act. 13. 10., and Apostasie Jude. 6., which are his daily practice, and are truly Diabolical.
I utterly Renounce, O Lord God, the pomps and vanity of this wicked world; all covetous desires of Honour, Riches, Pleasure Tit. 2. 12., all sinful excesses in things lawful 1. Cor. 7. 30. 31..
I Renounce, Lord, all evil Rom. 12. 2. Customs, all evil Companions, [...]. 1. 10. 1. Cor 15. 33, all that is vain or wicked Joh. 17. 15. 1. J [...] 5. 19. in the world, all that friendship with the world, which [...] enmity Jam. 4. 4. with Thee; all things that may alienate my heart from Thee.
I Renounce O Lord God, all worldly comforts and possessions; all my natural Relations, and my own Life lak. 14. 26., whenever they stand in competition with my Duty to Thee.
I utterly Renounce, O Lord God, all the sinful [Page 9] Lusts of the Flesh; all the inordinate desires of my own corrupt nature, of my own carnal mind, Rom. 7. 18. 25.—8. 7. which is enmity with Thee.
I renounce, Lord, all fleshly lusts which war agints 1. Pet. 2. 11. Thee, and against my own soul, all Sloth & Idleness, and Intemperance, and Lasciviousness, all filthiness of flesh 2. Cor. 7. 1. and spirit, which render us unclean in Thy sight.
O Lord God. 1 Joh. 2. 15. I utterly renounce all things that may any way displease Thee; Gal. 5. 19. from them all let it be Thy good pleasure to deliver me.
I know, Lord, that Sin is the utmost Pro. 15. 9. abomination to Thy Purity, the most audacious outrage to Thy adorable Majesty, the perfect Contradiction to Thy Deity, and therefore I ulterly renounce and abhor it.
I know Lord, that Sin exposes us to all the vials of Thy Wrath, and to vengeance eternal; I know it sets the Sinner at the extreamest Distance, and Opposition, and Defiance to Thee, and therefore I utterly renounce and abhor it.
I know, Lord, I cannot love Thee Psal. 97. 10. but I must hate Evil, and therefore I Renounce and detest it.
Turn Thou me Jer. 31. 18., O Lord God, and so shall I be turned.
Turn, O Lord the whole stream of my Affections, from sensual love, to the love of Thee.
O my God, let Thy heavenly love be the constant Byass of my Soul; O [...] it [...]e the natural Spring and Weight of my Heart, that it may alwa [...]es move towards Thee!
Thy Love, O my God shall hereafter be the sole Rule and Guid of my life; I will love Thee, [Page 10] and love whatever Thou lovest, and hate whatever Thou hatest: I will believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith, and I will keep Thy holy Will and Commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my Life.
All this, O my God, I own my self bound to believe and do, and though of my self I am impotent to all Good 2 Cor. 3. 4. Joh. 15.5., yet by Thy Help Phil. 4. 13. I will perform it; and I heartily thank Thee, O Heavenly Father 1. Eph. 3. 1. Pet. 1. 3., who out of meer Compassion to my soul, hast called me to this state of Salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord, who hast indulg'd me this opportunity of Repentance; Glory be to Thee who nast wrought in me this Will, to renew my Baptismal Vow.
O my God, I humbly, I earnestly pray unto Thee to give me continual Supplies of Thy Grace, that I may continue in Thy love unto my [...] End: That being faithful to Death, I may receive the Crown of Life Rev. 2. 10.
O Lord God, I have sworn Ps. 119. 106., and I will perform it, that I will keep Thy righteous Judgments.
My heart is empty and disengag'd, and longs for Thee; my heart is entirely devoted to Thee: Enter, O my God; possess it with Thy gracious presence, and fill it with Thy love.
Lord for Thy tender mercies sake, restore me to Thy Favour; to all the Graces and Priviledges of my Baptism, of which I have been spoil'd by my Sins.
Lord, make me a living Member of Thy Church, the mystical Body of thy Son 1. Cor. 12. 13, 27..
O my God, Unite me inseparably to Christ my Head Eph. 1. 23, and from thence let His gracious Influences [Page 11] be ever streaming into my soul.
Father, I have [...] against Heaven, and in Thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son: but I return with the Prodigal Luk. 15. 18.. O let Thy paternal bowels yern on me, and graciously receive me.
Lord send Thy Spirit of Adoption Gal. 3. 26, 27. into my heart, to instil true filial Affections, that I may again be owned by Thee for Thy Child, and call Thee Father, and share in the Blessings of thy Children, and at last become an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven. Rom. 8. 16, 17.
O Heavenly Father, accept my imperfect Repentance, compassionate my Infirmities, forgive my wickedness, purifie my uncleanness, strengthen my weakness, six my unstableness, and let Thy love ever rule in my heart, through the merits and sufferings and love of the Son of Thy love, in whom Thou art always infinitely pleased Mat. 3. 17. Amen.
[This Office may be us'd in times of devout Retirement, or on the Lord's Day, or in Affliction or Sickness, but especially before the Holy Eucharist.]
Q. Rehearse the Articles of your BELIEF.
A. I. Believe in God the Father Almighty, the Motives of Love. maker of Heaven and Earth.
II. And in Jesus Christ His onely Son out Lord.
III. Who was Conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary.
IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Dead and Buried, He d [...]scended into H [...]ll.
V. The third day he rose again from the Dead.
[Page 12] VI. He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
VII. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
VIII. I believe in the Holy Ghost.
IX. The Holy Catholick Church, the Communion of Saints.
X. The Forgiveness of Sins.
XI. The Resurrection of the Body.
XII. And the Life everlasting. Amen.
Q. What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief?
A. First. I learn to believe in God the FATHER, who hath made me and all the world.
Secondly, In God the SON, who hath Redeemed me and all man-kind,
Thirdly, In God the HOLY GHOST, who sanctifieth me, and all the Elect people of God.
Q. What is the Method of the Creed?
A. The Creed teaches me to believe in God, and to believe in His Church.
Q. How in God?
A. It teaches me to believe in God, with respect to His Unity, and then to the Trinity of Persons in that Unity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Q. How does it teach you to believe the Church:
A. It teaches me to believe the Church, with regard to its two different states, either Militant below, or Triumphant above.
Q. How are the Articles of the Creed Motives of Love?
A. Every Article includes a Blessing as well as a Mystery, and is as proper to excite our Love, as to engage our Faith.
Q. Give me such a Paraphrase on the Creed, that [Page 13] throughout the whole, your faith may work by love. Gal. 5. 6.
A. I shall do it to the best of my power, in such Instructive and pathetical Aspirations as follow.
I Believe.
My LORD and my God, with a full, free, and firm Assent, Faith working by Love. I believe all the Articles of my Creed, because Thou hast revealed them; I know Thou art Infallible Truth, and canst not Deut. 32. 4. Heb. 6. 18., Thou art Infinite Love Ps. 25. 8., and wilt not deceive me: Glory to Thee.
With all my heart, O my GOD, do I love and praise Thee, who art to infinitely amiable in thy Self, and so full of [...], that all I can know, or believe of Thee; [...] to love Thee.
Lord, daily increase my Faith; make it active and fruitful Jam. 2. 20., that I may believe & love Thee, as entirely, as becomes one entirely devoted to thee.
In GOD.
I believe, O my GOD, that Thou art One Deut. 4. 3 [...]., and that there is no other god besides Thee, Its Obejects. Thou art that One Infinite and independent Being, Isa. 44. 6. 45. 5, 6. that One onely true GOD, The Unity God. whom all men, and all Angels are to adore: All Glory be to Thee.
O Lord God, help me to love and to praise Thee with God-like affections, and a sutable Devotion.
I believe, O my GOD, that in the Unity of Thy Godhead, there is a Trinity of Persons mat. 3. 17. 28. 19., I believe in Thee, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in whose Name I was Baptized, The Trinity in Unity. to whose Service I am religiously devoted: Joh. 1. 5. 7. All Glory be to Thee.
[Page 14] I believe, I admire, I love, I praise, I adore Thee, O most blessed and glorious Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, for being the joint Authours of our Salvation: All glory be to Thee.
O Sacred, and dreadful, and mysterious Trinity, though I cannot conceive Thee, yet let me daily experiment Thy goodness; let Thy grace, O Lord Jesus, let Thy Love, O God the Father 2 cor. 13. 14., let Thy Communications, O Holy Spirit, be ever with me.
The Father.
I Believe, The first Person of the Trinity. and love, and praise Thee, O my GOD, the first Person in the Adorable Trinity; The Fountain of the Godhead; the Eternal Father of thy Coeternal Son Joh. 1. 18. 5. 18., JESUS my Saviour. His distinctive Property, Father.
Glory be to Thee, O GOD the Father, for so loving the world Joh. 3. 16., as to give thine only begotten Son to redeem us.
Glory be to Thee, O Heavenly Father, for first loving us, and giving the Dearest thing Thou hadst for us; O help me to love again, and to think nothing too dear for thee.
Almighty.
I believe, His Attributes. O my God, that Thou art a spirit Joh. 4. 23. 24. most pure, and Holy 1. Pet. 1. 16., and infinite in all perfections Ps. 145. 3, in Power Ps. 115. 3, and Knowledge Isa. 40. 28., and Goodness Mat. 19. 17.; that Thou art Eternal Ps. 90 2., immutable Jam. 1. 17, and Omnipresent Psal. 139. 1. &c.; [...] Love, All Glory be to Thee.
I Believe, O Lord, that Thou art most wise Psal. 147. 5. [Page 15] and just Rom. 2. 6., most happy Psal. 16. 11., and glorious 1. Tim. 6. 16., and alsufficient 2. Cor. 12. 2.; most gracious and merciful, and tender, and benign, and liberal, and beneficient Tit. 3. 4. Eph. 2. 4. Psal. 51. 1.; All love, all glory be to Thee.
I believe Thy Divine Nature, O my GOD, to be in all respects amiable, to be Amiableness it self, to be Love Cant. 5. 16. 1. Joh. 4. 8, 16. it self; and therefore I love, I admire, I praise, and fear, and adore Thee.
Thou, Lord, art my Hope, my Trust, my life, my Joy, my Glory, my God, my Love, my All.
Maker of Heaven and Earth.
I believe that Thou, O Father Almighty, didst create Heaven & Earth, His Works. the whole World, and all things in it, visible and invisible, out of nothing, and by Thy Word only Gen. 1. 1. Heb. 11. 3. Psal. 33. 6.: All glory be to Thee.
I believe, O Thou great Creatour, that Thy Divine Love made Thee communicate Being to Thy Creatures; that Thou lovest all things, and hatest nothing Thou hast made: Glory be to Thee.
I believe, O God, that Thou art the sole Lord, and Proprietour of all things Thou hast made Deut. 10. 14. Ps. 89. 11., that all things do necessarily Depend on Thee; that 'tis in Thee only we live Act. 17. 18, and move and have our Being: All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
I believe, O Thou communicative Goodness, that Thou dost preserve, & sustain, and protect & bless all things Thou hast made, sutably to the natures thou hast given them Read the 1+5 Psalm▪: All love, all glory be to Thee.
I believe, O mighty Wisdome, that Thou dost most sweetly Order and Govern, and [Page 16] dispose all things Ps. 104. 24; even the most minute Mat. 6. 26. 28. 10. 30.; even the very Sins of men Genes. 50. 20. to conspire in Thy Glory; O do Thou conduct my whole life: steer every motion of my soul, towards the great end of our Creation, to love and to glorifie Thee.
I believe, O Lord, that Thy Love was more Illustrious in the Creation of Man, than in all the rest of the visible world; Thou went pleased to make him Gen. 1. 26 in Thy own image, and after Thy own divine likeness: All love, all glory be to Thee.
Thou Lord, didst make Man for Thy Self, and all things visible for Man; Thou designedst all Creatures for his Use Psal. 8., and didst subject them to his Dominion; the very Angels Thou didst charge Ps. 91. 11 to keep him in all his wayes: All love all glory be to Thee.
Thy Works, O Lord, are wonderful and amiable Psal. 111. 2, 3, 4.; I love, and admire, and praise thy Universal Providence over the whole world; the perpetual flux of thy Goodness on every Creature; All glory be to thee.
I love and praise Thee, O my GOD, for all the particular Vouchsafements of Thy Love to me Ps. 68. 19, for all Thy Deliverances and Blessings, either to my Body or to my Soul, known, or unknown Read the 103. Psalm.: for all that I do not remember, or did not Consider: All love all glory be to Thee.
The longer I live O my God, the more reason I have to love Thee, because every day supplies me with flesh Experiments, and new Motives of Thy man [...] love to me; and therefore, All love, all glory be to Thee.
And [...] JESUS.
I believe in Thee, O JESUS, and I rejoice [Page 17] rejoice in that Dear Name which is so full and expressive of Thy Love. The Second Person in the Trinity,
Thou art JESUS our Saviour, because Thou camest into the world on purpose to save us from our mat. 1. 21. sins: All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
O be Thou ever JESUS to me; God the Son. His▪ Offices. O let me feel the kind force of that sweet Name, in which I & all sinners do read our Danger, and our Deliverance, our guilt, and our Salvation.
O most benign JESU! He well deserves to be accursed, that does not love Thee 1. Cor. 16. 22.: Who, Lord, can ever hope to share in Thy Salvation, that does not love Thee his Saviour?
CHRIST.
I Believe, O merciful Jesus, that Thou art Christ the true Messias Joh. 1. 41. Dan. 9. 26., the Anointed of the Lord, the promised seed which was to bruise the serpents Gen. 3. 15. head, long expected by the Luc. 2. 25. Fathers, foretold by the Act. 10. 43. Prophets, represented by Col. 2. 17. Types, which were all fulfilled in Thee, O thou, the Desire of all nations Hag. 2. 7.: All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
I believe that Thou, O Jesus, wert Anointed with the Holy Act. 10. 38. Heb. 1. 9. Spirit, that all His Gifts and Graces were poured out, and diffused like a sweet Ointment on thy Soul without Joh. 3. 34. measure; Thou art altogether lovely, O Christ and of Thy fulness we all 1. 16. receive: All Love all Glory be to Thee.
I believe, O Thou Anointed of God, that as Kings 1. Sam. 15. 1., and Priests Lev. 43. 5.16., and Prophets 1. King. 19. 16., were heretosore anointed with material oyl; so by Thy Heavenly Anointing Mat. 3. 16 Thou wa [...]t Consecrated [Page 18] to be our Prophet, our King, & our Priest, and in all those three Offices to manifest Thy love to us; and therefore All Love, all Glory be to Thee,
Glory be to Thee, O Christ, our Prophet Joh. 4. 23. Act. 7. 37. Luc. 4. 18., who didst teach, and reveal, and interpret Thy Father's Will, and all saving truth to the world.
Glory be to Thee, O Christ, our King Luc. 1. 33 69. 7 [...]., who dost give Lawes to Thy people, dost govern and protect us, and hast subdued all our ghostly Enemies.
Glory be to Thee, O Christ, our Priest, who dost bless Act. 3. 26. us, who didst offer Thy self a Sacrifice Isa 53. 10. Eph. 5. 2. Heb. 9. 14., and dost [...] make intercession for us Rom. 8. 34 Heb. 7. 25..
Our Redemption, our illumination, our support is wholly from Thy Love, O Thou Anointed of God: All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
His only SON.
I believe that Thou, O most adorable JESUS, art the Son of GOD, His two natures.by ineffable Generation Heb. 1. 5. Isa. 53 8. Joh. 1. 1., Thou didst from Eternity derive Thy Godhead from the Father; 1. of God. His Eternal Generation. Thou art the brightness Heb. 1. 3. of His Glory, and the express Image of His Person: All love, all glory be to Thee.
Thou, O Blessed Jesu, art the onlySon of God, the only begotten Son, full of grace & truth Joh. 1. 14. 18. 5. 18. Rom. 8. 32. Mat. 3. 17.;Thou art the only beloved Son in whom Thy Father is well pleased; 'tis only in Thee, and for Thee, that sinners have Hope; and therefore, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
Thou art equal Phil. 2. 6. to the Father, O Jesu, in Amiableness and in Love to us, and art equally to [Page 19] beloved by us; and therefore All love and praise be to the Father that eternally begat Joh. 5. [...]., and to the Son eternally begotten.
Our LORD.
I believe, His Deity. O Thou eternal Son of the Father, that Thou art the Great Tit. 2. 13 and true 1. Joh. 5. 20 GOD, Jehovah our Righteousness Jer. 23. 6. God above all, blessed for ever Rom. 9. 5., and mighty to save Isai. 63. [...].: All love, all glory be to Thee.
I believe, O Lord Jesus, that Thou didst make Joh. 1. 3. and dost sustain all things by thy power Heb. 1. 3, 10., and that thou art to be honoured by men and by Angels, as thy Father is honoured Joh. 5. 23.: All love, all glory be to thee.
I believe, O thou King of Kings, and LORD of Lords Rev. 19. 16., that thou art the Lord and the Author of the New Creation Eph. 1. 21. 22. 2. 10., as well as of the old, that thou art more peculiarly Lord of us Sinners by purchase 1. Cor. 6. 20: O that I, and all that own thy Dominion, may forever love, and revere, and obey Luc. 6. 46. so powerful and gracious a Lord!
Who was Conceived by the Holy Ghost.
I Believe O most condescending Majesty, 2. of Man in his state of Humillation. that when thou didst stoop so low as to assume our frail nature, the Holy Ghost came on thy sacred Mother, and that the power of the Highest did overshadow her Luc. 1. 31 24, 35, 42., His Conception. and that she did conceive, & lodge thee in her Womb, where thou, who sillest Heaven and Earth, wert about nine months for our sakes imprison'd; and therefore All love, all glory be to thee.
Born of the Virgin Mary.
I Believe, O most Adorable Humility, that thou wast at last born into the world Luc. 2. 6, 7., that thou having only God for thy Father, and Mary, a pure Virgin for thy Mother, whom all generations do call blessed Luc. 1. 48., both thy Conception & Birth were perfectly immaculate, that being without Sin thy Self 1. Joh. 2. 1, 2,, thou might'st be a sit Sacrifice to attone for us sinners, who being born of unclean parents, were all by nature unclean Joh. 14. 4. and therefore All love, all glory be to thee, O immaculate Lamb of GOD, who takest away the sins of the world. Joh. 1. 29.
I believe, O Blessed Saviour, that the two Natures of GOD, and of Man, were in thee so mysteriously united, without either Change, or Confusion, that they made in thee but One Person, but one Mediatour 1. Tim 2. 5., one Lord Eph. 4. 5., Thou, O Eternal Word, didst become Flesh, and didst dwell among us Joh. 1. 14. on purpose to save us; and therefore All love, all glory be to thee.
Suffered.
I believe, O Adorable Love, that thy whole Life was made up of Sufferings, and that for sinful men, and in particular for me; O let me never cease to adore and love thee.
It was for us sinners, O tenderest Love, that in thy very Infancy, thou wast Circumcised Luc. 2. 21. and designed by Herod for slaughter, and fore't to flee into Egypt Mat. 2. 13. 16., and therefore I praise and love thee.
[Page 21] It was for us Sinners, that Thou, O Afflicted Love. wert all thy life long, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief Isa. 53. 3.; that thou wast persecuted and reviled, despised, and rejected, and hadst not where to lay thy Head Mat. 8. 20.: and therefore I am bound to praise, and to love thee.
It was for us Sinners, that Thou, O Compassionate Love, when thou tookest on thee our nature, wast toucht with a feeling of our infirmities, and wast in all points tempted; like as we are, yet without sin Heb. 4. 15. that thou mightest the more affectionately pity the weak, and succour the tempted; and therefore I praise and love thee.
It was for us sinners, that Thou, O beneficent Love, didst go about doing good Act. 10. 38., preaching Repentance, publishing the glad Tidings of Salvation Mat. 4. 17 Luc. 4. 18., sending thy Disciples Mat 10. 1, 5., confirming thy Heavenly Doctrine by many glorious Miracles 11. 5., and illustrating it by a God-like example; all thy Life is full of Attractives of sweetest Love and Pity to us Sinners, which kindly 2. Cor. 5. 14. and forcibly constrain us to praise and love Thee.
O most exuberant Love, how amiable are all thy Graces! O sill my heart with Thy Love, and transform me into thy likeness Rom. 8. 29., that I may all my life long imitate thy perfect Obedience, unspotted Holiness, unchangeable Resolution, universal Charity, uninterrupted Devotion, Contempt of the world, Heavenly-mindedness, Gracious Condescention, ardent Zeal for thy Father's Glory, & unbounded Love; and that for the sake of that dearest Love, which enclined Thee to become incarnate for me.
[Page 22] I blieve, His Sufferings previous to His crucifixion. O my Lord, and my God, that tho. Thou did'st suffer all thy Life long, yet Thy greatest Sufferings were under the Roman Governour of Judge, Pantius Pilate; I believe all those mighty Sufferings, but am as little able to express the greatness of them, as I am the greatness of thy Love which mov'd Thee to suffer: All I can doe is to Love, and to praise Thee.
How great were Thy Sufferings, O Saviour of the World, when the very apprehension of them, made thy soul very heavy, exceeding sorrowful even, to Death, made thee offer up Prayers, with strong crying and Tears, that if it were thy Father's Will the cup might pass from thee, threw thee into an-Ag [...]ny and bloody Sweat, Heb. 5. 9. Mat. 26. 38. Luc. 22.43,44 insomuch that there was an Angel sent from Heaven on purpose to strengthen thee! 'O' Thou agonizing Love, impress on my heart so tender a sense of Thy sufferings for me, that I may agonise with Thee, that I may feel all thy Sorrows, that though I cannot sweat bloud like Thee, I may disolve into Tears for Thee, that I may love & suffer with Thee throughout every part of thy Passion.
O Suffering JESUS, when my Meditations follow thee from the Garden to Mount Calvary, I grieve and I love all the way.
I grieve, and I love, when I see Thee, O, incarnate God, who couldst command more than twelve Legions of Angels for thy Rescue; out of Love to Sinners, and in particular to me, one of the vilest of all that number, humbling thy Self to be Apprehended and bound by the rude souldiers, as a [...]factour Mat.26. 47. 53. 57. Joh. 18. 4..
[Page 23] I grieve, and I love, when I see thee, O gracious Lord, for my sake, betrayed by the treacherous Kiss of Judas, Mat. 26. 49. 51. 70. denied by peter, and forsaken of all thy Disciples.
I grieve and I love, when I see Thee, O spotless Innocence, out of love to me, dragg'd to Annas , Job. 18. 12. & Caiaphas Mat. 26. 57, 59. Luc. 22. 66 the High-Priest, when I see thee accused by false witnesses, Arraign'd and Condemn'd.
I grieve and I love, when I see Thee, O' Divine Majesty, out of Love, to me, spit upon, and blind-folded, and buffeted, and mockt, Mat. 26, 67. Luc. 22. 63 sent to Pilate, an Insidel Judge Mat. 27. 2. then to wicked Herod Luk. 23. 6, 11, 12. who with his men of War set Thee at nought, array'd thee in a white Robe of Mockery, and sent thee again to Pilate.
I grieve, and I love, O injured Goodness, when I see Thee, though declared innocent by the very Traitour Judas, who out of horrour for his Crime, went and hanged himself; though declared innocent by Pilate himself, the Judge to whom thine enemies appealed, yet worried to death by the Clamours of the Rabble, that cryed out Crucifie' Crucifie; when I see Barabbas a traitour, and a Murderer preferr'd before Thee Luc. 23. 14. 18. 19. 21. Mat. 27. 3, 4, 5.
I grieve, and I love when I see Thee, O Lover of souls: for my sake most unjustly given-up, into the hands of insidel Souldiers, to be stript naked, and tied to a Pillar, and scourg'd ; Job. 19. 1. Psal. 129. 3 to see the [...] plowing on thy back, and making long sorrows.
I grieve and I love, O KING of Heaven, when I see Thee, out of Love to mee, humbling thy Self to be array'd in [...] Mat. 2 [...]. 28. 29.with a Read in thy hand; when I see Thee Crown'd with Thorns, to multiply thy Torments; when I [Page 24] see thee mockt by barbarous wretches, with their bended Knee, and with Hail King of the Jews.
I grieve, and I love, when I see Thee, O LORD GOD, whom the Angels worship, spit upon again, and buffeted Marc.15. 19., and for my sake, made the extreme Scorn, and Contempt, and Sport of thy insolent & insulting Enemies; and though still declared innocent by Pilate Mat.27. 24. 26., yet surrender'd to the unrelenting Cruelty of the Multitude, to be Crucified.
My Lord, my God, my Saviour, with all my heart, I love, & adore Thy infinite Love & Benignity to Sinners; with all my heart, I lament & detest the hatred, and outrage of sinners to thee.
Was Crucified
I grieve, and I love, O sorrowful JESUS, when I see Thee, His Crucifixion for my sake, opprest with the weight of thy own Cross Job. 17., till thy tender Body, quite spent with sufferings, sank under it Mat. 27. 32.,
I grieve, and I love, O Thou great Martyr of Love, when for my sake I see thy Virgin Body stript naked, thy Hands and thy Feet nail'd to the Cross; when I see Thee crucified between two Thioves — 27. 38., and numbred with the transgrissours, when I see Gall given thee to eat, & [...] to drink Psal. 69. 21.
I grieve, and I love, when I see Thee, O incarnate Deity, hanging on the Cross, and for my sake, by thy own people, in the height of thy Anguish, derided, reproacht and blasphem'd, with Wagging of their hands, mockt by the Souldiers, and by the impenitent Thief Mat. 27. 39.,
I grieve, and I love, when I see Thee, O God [Page 25] Blessed for evermore, O Fountain of all Blessing, hang bleeding on the Cross, and made a curse for me Gal. 3. 13.; How does my indignation swell against the Injustice and ingratitude, and Inhumanity of the Jews, who could thus cruelly treat so unreproachable an Innocence, so amiable a Charity, so compassionate a Saviour.
Alas, alas, It was the Sinner, O Love incarnate, rather than the Jew, that betray'd, and derided, and blasphemed, and tortur'd and crucified Thee; the Sins of lapsed mankind Isa. 53. 6., and particularly my Sins, they were Thy Tormentors; and therefore from my heart, I bewail, detest and abjure them.
My Lord, and my God, instil penitential Love into my soul, that I may grieve for my sins, which grieved Thee, that I may love thee for Suffering for us sinners, who occasion'd all thy griefs; O may I always love thee, O may I never grieve thee more!
Dead.
I grieve, and I love O bleeding Love, when I see thee on the Cross, His Death. quite spent with pain and Anguish, when I see thee in thy dying pangs commending thy Spirit into the Hands of thy Heavenly Father Luc. 23. 46. bowing thy head Joh. 19. 30. and giving up the Ghost.
Thou, O Lord of Life, didst for us sinners humble thy self to death, even to the death of the Cross, a death of utmost shame and ignominy, and of Torment insupportable; all Love, all glory be to Thee.
Was ever any sorrow, O Crucified Lord, like that Sorrow my Sins created Thee?
[Page 26] Was ever any Love, O infinite mercy, like that Love Thou didst shew, in dying for Sinners,
All the frame of Nature, O dying Saviour, fell into Convulsions at the Crucifixion of their great Creature; The Sun was Darkned Mat. 27. 51. the Veil of the Temple was rent from the Top to the Bottom, the earth [...], the Rocks clave asunder the Bodies of dead Saints rose out of their graves, insomuch that the Centurion, and Infidel Souldiers acknowledg'd thee to be the Son of God; Thou wast lovely, and glorious, and adorable in Thy lowest Humiliation; all Love, all praise be to Thee.
Thy Bodily Sufferings, O Almighty love, His unknown Sufferings. were intolerable, but yet Thy inward were far greater.
I grieve, I love, I melt all o'er, when I hear Thee on the Cross crying out, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me Cap. 27. v. 46.? Ah sinful wretch that I am, how infinite and unconceiveable were the inward Dolours and Agonies thou didst undergo for us Sinners, when Thou didst tread the Wine-press of thy Father's Wrath alone, Isai. 63. 3. when it pleased thy own must beloved Father to bruise Thee, and to pint. Thee to grief, Cap. 53. v. 6, 10. when the Iniquities of the whole world, were-laid on Thee, and my numerous sins increas't thy load, & heightned thy Torment, when thy own Deity withdrew all Consolation from Thee: when GOD, offended by our Sins, did afflict Thee in the day of His fierce anger Lam.1. 12.; no Sufferings, no Love was ever like unto Thine for me; no grief, no Love but thy own should exceed mine for Thee.
For whom, O unutterable Goodness, didst thou suffer the Extreme bitterness of sorrow, but for the vilest of all thy Creatures, sinful Man, and for me one of the worst of sinners? and therefore I praise and love Thee.
[Page 27] For what end didst thou suffer, O most ardent Charity, but to save sinners from all things that were distructive, the Curse of the Law Gal. 3. 13., th [...] Terrours of Death Heb. 21. 14, 15., the Tyranny of Sin Rom 6. 14. the powers of Darkness, and Torments Eternal 1. Thes. 1. 10., to purchase for us all things conducible to our Happiness Eph. 1. 7. Heb. 9. 12. 15., Pardon and Grace, Consolation and Acceptance, and the everlasting Joys and Glories of the Kingdom of Heaven; and therefore I praise and love thee.
Out of what motive didst Thou suffer, O boundless [...] out of thy own preventing I. Job. 4. 19. Love, free Mercy, and pure Compassion; and therefore I praise and love thee.
When no other Sacrifice could attone thy Father's Anger, O thou beloved Son of God, and reconcile Divine Justice and Mercy together, but the Sacrifice of God [...] who as man was to die Heb. 9. 28., and to suffer in our stead, as God was to merit and [...] satisfaction for our Sins; 'twas then that [...] O God the Son, didst become man, the very meanest of men, didst take upon thee the form of A Servant, Phil. 2. 7. and didst on the Cross shew us the [...] and the Miracle of Love, God Crucified for [...] and Sinners Redeemed by the bloud of God Act. 20. 28.
O Thou prop [...]ious Wonder, God incarnate on the Cross, by what Names shall I adore Thee? all are too short too scanty to express Thee, Love only, nothing but LOVE will reach Thee, Thou art LOVE I. Jon 4. 8., O Jesu, Thou art all Love, O tenderest, O sweetest, O purest O dearest Love, soften sweeten, refine, love mee into all Love like thee.
By the Love of thy Cross, O Jesu, I live, Gal. 2. [...]0.—6. 14. in that I will only [...], that above all things will I study 1 Cor. 2. 2 that before all things will I value Phil. 3. 8.; [Page 28] by the love of thy Cross, I will take up my Cross daily Luc. 9. 23. and follow Thee, I will persecute, & and Torment, and crucifie Rom. 6. 6. Gal. 5. 24. my sinful Affections and Lusts, which persecuted, tormented, and crucified Thee, and if thy love calls me to it, I will suffer on the Cross for Thee, h Act.21. 13. as thou hast done for me.
How illustrious and amiable were thy Graces amidst all thy Sufferings, O Thou afflicted Jesu; I admire, and I love thy profound Humility, unwearied Patience, Lamb-like Meekness, immaculate Innocence, invincible Courage, absolute Resignation, Compassionate Love of Souls, and perfect Charity to thy Enemies. O my Love, I cannot love thee as I ought, but I desire above all things to be like my beloved; O give me grace to tre [...]d in thy steps I. Pet. 2. 21. and conform me to thy Thy Divine Image, that the more I grow like thee, the more I may love thee, and the more I may be loved by thee.
And Buried, He descended into Hell.
I believe, His B [...]rial & Descent. O crucified Lord, that thou wast realy dead, and there was a Separation of thy Body and Soul: that thy side was mortally wounded, and pierced with a spear on the Cross Joh.19. 34., and thy Sacred Body was buried Mat. 27. 57. 60., to assure us of Thy Death. All Love, all Glory be to thee.
I believe, O pierced, O wounded Love, that thy Soul in the state of Separation did descend into Hell Eph. 4. 9., to vanquish Death and all the Spirits of Darkness in their own Dominions: and therefore I adore and Love Thee.
Glory be to thee, O thou great Champion of [Page 29] Love, who didst for our sakes singly encounter all our ghostly Enemies, who didst thy self taste of Death Heb. 2. 9., that thou mightst take away the sting of Death 1. Cor. 15 55. 56. 57. who didst wrestle with Principalities and Powers Col. 2. 15 and all the force of Hell, that we might share in thy Victory; for which wonderful Salvation I will always praise and love Thee.
The third day He rose again from the Dead.
I believe, His state of Exaltation. O Almighty Love, that, according to the Types and Prophecies which went before of thee Luc. 24. 26, 27. Mat 12. 40. and according to thy own infallible Predictions, His Resurrection. thou didst by thy own power Job. 2. 19. rise from the Dead the third day: All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
Glory be to thee, who didst lie so long in the Grave to undergo the full Condition of the Dead, & to convince all the world thou wert dead; and didst rise so soon that Thou mightst not see corruption Act.2. 31. or retard our joy Joh.16. 22. All Love, all Glory be to thee.
He ascended into Heaven.
I believe, His Ascention. O victorious Love, that Thou, after thy Conquest over Death and Hell, didst ascend in Triumph to Heaven Luc.24. 51. Act 1. 9, 10, that thou mightst prepare Mansions for us Joh.14. 2. and from thence as Conquerour bestow the Gifts of my Conquest on us Eph. 4. 8. and above all the Gift of thy Holy Spirit Job. 16. 7. that thou mightst enter into the Holy of Holies, as our great High-Priest Heb. 6. 19. 20. 10. 10, 21. to present to thy Father the sweet-smelling Sacrifice of His Crucified Son, the sole Propitiation for Sinners; and therefore All Love, all glory be to thee.
[Page 30] Glory be to Thee, O Jesu, who didst leave the world and ascend to Heaven about the Thirty third year of thy age, to teach us in the Prime of our years to despise this world when we are best able to enjoy it, and to reserve our full vigour for Heaven and for thy Love.
O Thou whom my soul loveth, since Thou ha [...]h left the world, what was there ever in it worthy of our Love? O let all my affections ascend after Thee, and never return to the Earth any more; For, whom have I in Heaven but Thee? and there [...] none upon earth that I desire in comparison of Thee Psal. 73. 25.
And sitteth at the right hand of GOD, the Father Almighty.
I believe, His Session. O Triumphan▪ Love, that Thou now fittest in full and peaceful possession of Bliss I. Pet. 3. 22. and at the right Hand of GOD: that thy humane Nature is exalted to the most honourable place in Heaven, where thou sittest on thy Throne of glory, ador'd by Angels Rev. 5. 8, 9. 12., and interceding for Sinners Rom. 8. 34. and therefore, All Love all Glory be to Thee.
Glory be to thee, O love Enthron'd, Thy Resurrection, Ascension and Session, are all signal instances of Thy love, and earnests of our future Felicity, the entire purchase of thy Love: All our hopes of Heaven, our Resurrection, Ascention and Glorification depend on, and are derived from thine, and are all the Trophies of thy love to us; and therefore I will ever praise and love Thee.
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the Dead.
I believe, O Glorified Love, that from Thy [Page 31] Throne at God's right Hand, His coming to Judgment. where Thou now fittest, Thou wil [...] come again Acts. I. 11. Phil 3. 20. to judge the world, attended with thy holy Angels [...] 1. 7. All Glory be to Thee.
I believe, O thou adorable Judge, that all mankind shall be summon'd before thy awful Tribunal: All the Dead, who shall then he wak'd out of their Graves when the Angel shall blow the last Trump 1. Cor. 15. 52. and all that are then Quick and alive shall then appear before thee. All Glory be to Thee.
I believe, Lord, that I and all the World shall give a strict account of all our thoughts and words and actions; that the Books will then be opened; that out of those dreadful Registers we shall then be judged Rom. 14. 10. Mat. 12. 36. Rev. 20. 12. that Satan and our own Consciences shall be our Accusers. O let the last Trump be ever sounding in my ears, that I may ever be mindful of my great Accounts Eccles. 12. 13. 14. and that I may neither speak, nor do, nor think anything that may wound my own Conscience, or provoke Thy Anger, or make me tremble at the awful day.
I know, O Thou adorable Judge, that Love only shall then endure that terrible Test, that love only shall be acquitted, that Love only shall be eternally blest; and therefore I will ever praise and LoveThee.
Glory be to Thee, O Thou O Thou beloved Son of GOD, to whom the Father hath committed all Judgment l Job. 5. 22.
How can they that love Thee, O Jesu, ever despond, though their love in this life is [...] imperfect, when at last they shall have love for their [Page 32] Judge, Love that hath felt and will compassionate all their infirmities; and therefore all Love all Glory be to Thee.
I believe in the HOLY GHOST.
I because in Thee. The Third Person in the Trinity. O Thou Spirit of God, the Third person in the most Adorable Trinity; I believe, O Blessed Spirit, than Thou art the lord 2. Cor. 3. 17. 18., that Thou art GOD Joh. 4. 24. Act. 5. 3. Eternal Heb. 9. 14. and Omniscient I. Cor. 2. 10. a Person distinct from both the Father and the Son, eternally proceeding from both Mat. 10. 20. Rom. 8. 9. and equally sent by both r Joh. 14. 26. 16. 7. and joint Author with both of our Salvation: and therefore all love, all glory be to thee.
I believe, O blessed Spirit, that Thou art Holy, essentially Holy 1. Pet. 1. 15. in respect of thy own Divine Nature, and being essentially Holy, art infinitely [...]; and therefore all love, all glory be to Thee.
I believe, O blessed Spirit, that Thou art personally Holy, that thou art the Authour of all internal Holiness, and all internal and sanctifying Grace Gal.5. 22. that Thou art the principle of all Spiritual life in us Joh. 3. 5. and therefore all Love, all Glory be to Thee.
Glory be to Thee, O Love incarnate, for sending the Spirit in thy stead, and for promising it to our Prayers Luc. 11. 13.
Glory be to Thee, O Spirit of Love, for shedding the Love of God abroad in our hearts Rom. 5. 5. for filling all that love Thee with Exuberance of Joy and Consolation; All Love, all glory be to Thee.
O Thou blessed Spirit the Comforter, purifie my [Page 33] Soul, and infuse thy Love into it, and Consecrate it to be Thy Temple I. Cor. 6. 19. and fix Thy Throne immoveably there, and set all my Affections on fire, that my heart may be a continual Sacrifice of Love offer'd up to thee, and the Flame may be ever aspiring towards Thee.
The Holy Catholick Church.
I believe, O blessed and adorable Mediatour, that the Church is a Society of persons, Our Belief of the Church. I. Militant. Its Nature. sounded by thy Love to sinners Mat,16. 18. Eph. 5. 25. united into one Body, of which Thou art the Head Col. 1. 18., initiated by Baptism Mat. 28. 19., nourished by the Eucharist 26. 26., governed by paliors Commissioned by Thee, and endowed with the power of the Keys Mat 18. 18. Joh. 20. 22, 23. professing the Doctrine taught, by Thee Act. 2. 41. 42.—, and delivered to the Saints Jude3. and devoted to praise and love Thee.
I believe, O holy Jesus, that thy Church is Holy like thee its Author; Holy by the Original Design of its Institution 2 Tim 1. 9., Holy by Baptismel Dedication, Holy in all its Administrations, which tend to produce Holiness 1 Tim. 2. 19. and though there will be alwaies a mixture of good and bad in it in this world Mat.13. 24. yet that it has always many real Saints in it; and therefore All love, all glory be to Thee.
I believe, Lord, This Church to be Catholick, or Universal, made up of the Collection of all particular Churches; I believe it to be Catholick in respect of lime, comprehending all ages to the Worlds End, to which it is to endure 16. 18.—28. 20. Catholick in respect of all Places, out of which Believers are to be gather'd —28. 19. Catholick in respect [Page 34] of all saving Faith, of which this Creed contains the substance, which shall in it always be taught Joh. 16. 13. Catholick in respect of all Graces, which shall in it be practised, and Catholick in respect of that Catholick War it is to wage against all its ghostly Enemies, for which it is called Militatnt: O preserve me always a true Member of thy Catholick Church, that I may always inseparably adhere to Thee, that I may alwayes devoutly praise and love Thee.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God; who hast made me a Member of the particular Church of ENGLAND, whose Faith, and Government, and Worship are Holy, and Catholick, and Apostolick, and free from the extremes of Irreverence or Superstition, and which I firmly believe to be a sound part of thy Church Universal, and which teaches me Charity to those who dissent from me; and therefore all Love, all glory be to Thee.
O my GOD, give me grace to continue stedfast in her Bosome, to improve all those Helps to true piety, all those meanes of Grace, all those Incentives of thy Love, thou last mercifully indulged me in her Communion, that I may with primitive Affections & Fervour praise & Love thee.
The Communion of Saints.
I believe, Communion. O King of Saints, that among the Saints on Earth, whether real or in outward Profession only, there ought to be a mutual, Catholick Participation of all good things I Joh. 1. 7. I which is the immediate Effect of Catholick Love. Thou, O God of Love, restore it to Thy Church.
[Page 35] I believe, O thou God of Love, that all the Saints on earth by profession ought to communicate one with another, in Evangelical Worship, and the same holy Sacraments, in the same Divine and Apostolical Faith Act.2 [...]. 42. 46., in all Offices of Corporal Gal.6. 10. and Spiritual Charity Rom. 12. [...] 9, &c. 1 Thes. 5. 14. Heb. 10. 25, in reciprocal delight in each others Salvation, and in tender Sympathy as Members of one and the same Body 1. Cor.12. 13. 26.: O God of peace, restore in thy good time this Catholick Communion, that with one heart and one mouth we may all praise and love thee.
O my God, amidst the Deplorable Divisions of thy Church, 'O let me never widen its Breaches, but give me Catholick Charity to all that are Baptised in Thy Name, and Catholick Communion with all Christians in Desire. O deliver me from the Sins and Errours, from the Schisms and Heresies of the Age. O give me grace to pray daily for the peace of thy Church Psalm 122. 6., and earnestly to seek it, and to excite all I can to praise and to love thee.
I believe, O most Holy Jesu, that thy Saints here below, have Communion with thy Saints above Heb. 12 [...]. 22., that they pray for us, While we celebrate their Memories, congratulate their Bliss, give thanks for their Labours of Love, and imitate their Examples; for which all Love all glory be to Thee.
I believe, O gracious Redeemer, that thy Saints here on Earth, have Communion with the Holy Angels above; that they are ministring [...] Heb. 1. 14 [...] forth to minister for them who shalt be heirs of Salvation, and watch over us Ps.34. 7.; and we give thanks to Thee for their protection, and emulate their incessant, praises and ready Obedience; for [Page 36] which All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
I believe, O my Lord and my God, that the Saints in this Life, have Communion with the Three Persons of the most adorable Trinity 1. Joh. 1. 3. Phil.2. 1., in the same most benign Influence of Love in which all Three conspire; for which, All Love, all glory be to Thee, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, world without End.
Glory be to Thee, O Goodness infinitely Diffusive, for all the Graces and Blessings in which the Saints communicate, for breading thy Love, as the very Soul into thy Mystical Body, that all that believe in thee, may love one another, and all join in loving Thee.
The Forgiveness of Sins.
I believe, O my God, that none can forgive sins but Thou alone, Marc.2. 7., and that in Thy Church Forgiveness is always to be had; Reconciliation with God. and for so an inestimable a blessing, all Love, all glory be to thee.
I believe, O thou Lover of Souls, that without true Repentance, we cannot hope for Pardon 1. Joh. 1. 9., that our Repentance is at the best imperfect, that it is out of thy mere Mercy, O heavenly Father Tit. 3. 4. 5., and for the Merits, and Passion of thy Crucified Son 1 Pet.1, 18. that thou dost accept our imperfect Repentance, and art pleas'd to forgive us; and therefore all Love, all glory be to thee.
Glory be to Thee, O most adorable Trinity, for thy infinite Love in our Forgiveness Rom. 5. 8. 10.; Glory be to Thee, O Father forgiving, O Son propitiating, O Holy Ghost Purifying, I miserable [Page 37] Sinner, who sigh, and pant, and languish for thy Forgiveness, and to be at peace with Thee Rom. 5. 1.; praise, and adore, and love that most sweet, and liberal, and tender, and amiable Mercy, that delights in forgiving Sinners.
The Resurrection of the Body.
I believe, 2. Triumphant Resurrection. O Victorious [...] by the Virtue of thy Resurrection, all the [...] shall rise 1: Cor. 15. 20., bad as well as good, John 5. 28, 29. all Love, an Glory be to thee, by whom Death is swallowed up in Victory 1. Cor. 15. 54,
I believe, O Almighty Jesu, that by thy power, All shall rise▪ with the same bodies they had on earth Job 19. 26., that thou wilt recollect their scattered dust into the same form again, that our Souls shall be re-united to our bodies, that we shall be judged both in body and Soul, for the sins committed by both; that the bodies of the wicked shall be fitted for torment, and the bodies of the Saints changed in Quality, and made glorified Bodies 1. Cor. 15. 53. Phil. 3. 2 [...]., immortal and incorruptible, sitted for Heaven, and eternally to love and enjoy thee; for which glorious Vouchsafement I will always praise and love thee.
And the Life Everlasting.
I believe, Happiness Eternal. O Great JUDGE of Heaven and earth, that after all the Quick and Dead have appear'd before thy Judgment-seat, then the most just & [...] Sentence shall pass, & be executed to all Eternity; joyful only to these that love Thee: and therefore, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
[Page 38] I believe, O righteous Jesu, that the Wicked shall be set on thy left Hand, and be damn'd to Hell, to be tormented with everlasting and unconceiveable Anguish and Despair, by the Devil and his Angels, Mat. 25. 41. and their own Conscience, Both in Soul and body, in the lake of Fire and Brimstone Rev. 14. 10, 11, from which there never can be any Redemption; O just reward of those that do not love thee!
O merciful [...] [...]ow desireous art Thou that we should be [...] in loving Thee, when Thou hast created Hell on purpose to deterr us from hating thee, and Heaven, to compel us to love thee; and, therefore all Love all glory be to Thee.
I believe, O my Lord and my God, that the Righteous shall be rewarded with Joys un speakable, and full of glory, with the beatisick Vision and Love of Thy Self in heaven 1. Joh.3. 2., with the Happiness of Body and Soul, which shall be in all respects most perfect, 1. Cor. 13. 12. eternal, and unchangeable 1. Pet 1. 4., that they shall never sorrow nor sin more Rev. [...]1. 4., which is all the free gift of thy infinite Love Mat. 25. 34., O heavenly Father, and the purchase of thy blood, O God incarnate; for which I will ever, to the utmost of my power, adore and love thee.
O boundless Love, when shall I love thee in Heaven, without either Coldness or interruption, which (alas, too often) seise me here below?
When, O my God, O when shall I have the transporting Vision of thy most amiable Goodness, that I may unalterably love Thee, that I may never more offend thee?
O thou whom my soul loveth, I would not desire [Page 39] Heaven, but because Thou art there, for Thou [...] Heaven where-ever Thou art.
I would not, O Jesu, desire Life everlasting, but that I may there everlastingly love Thee.
O inexhaustible Love, do Thou eternally breathe Love into me, that my Love to Thee may be eternally increasing, and tending towards infinity, since a Love less than infinite is not worthy of thee.
Amen.
O Thou great Authour and Finisher of our Faith, do Thou daily increase my Faith, and heighten my Love; O grant that in holy Ardours of Love to Love crucified, my Love may at last ascend to the Region of Love, that I may have nothing to do, to all Eternity, but to praise and to love thee. Amen, O infinite LOVE, AMEN, AMEN.
[This Office may be divided into Several parts, and used on the Lords Day, or on Holydays, especially on the great Festivals of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost; in Lent also, and particularly on Good- [...]day, and before the Reception of the Blessed Sacrament; as is most sutable to the Occasion, or to the state, Temper and Disposition of every devout Soul.]
[Page 40] Q. You said your Godfathers and Godmothers did promise for you, The Fruits of Love. that you should keep Gods Commandments,
Tell me How many there be.
A. Ten.
Q. Which be they?
A. The same which God sp [...]ke in the twentieth Chapter of Exodus, saying, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, not of the house of Bandage.
1. Thou shalt have no other gods but Me.
11. Thou shalt not make to thy Self any graven Image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them, for I the LORD thy GOD an a jealous God, and visit the sins of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the [...] and fourth Generation of them that hate me, and shew mercy unto Thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments.
111. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.
IV. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day. Six days shalt thou Labour, and do all that thou hast to do, but the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: [...] thou shalt do no manner of [...], thou, and thy Son, and thy Daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thy Cattel, and the stranger that is within thy gates. For in Six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Seventh Day, and hallowed it.
[Page 41] V. Honour thy Father, and thy Mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
VI. Thou shalt do no Murther.
VII. Thou shalt not commit Adultery
VIII. Thou shalt not steal.
IX. Thou shalt not bear false Witness against thy Neighbour.
X. Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's House, thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife, nor his Servant, nor his Maid, nor his Ox, nor his A [...], nor any thing that in his.
Q. What dost thou chiefly learn by these Commandments?
A. I learn two things; my duty towards GOD, and my duty towards my Neighbour.
What is thy duty towards God?
A. My Duty towards God is,
I. To believe in Him, to fear Him, and to love Him, with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my Soul, and with all my strength.
II. To worship Him, to give Him thanks, to put my whole trust in Him, to call upon Him.
III. To honour His holy Name and His Word.
VI. And to serve Him truly all the days of my life.
Q. What is thy duty towards thy Neighbour?
A. My Duty towards my Neighbour is,
To love him as my self, and to do to all men as I would they should do unto me.
V. To love, honour, and succour my Father and [Page 42] Mother. To honour and [...] King, and all that are put in Authority under Him. To submit my self to all my Governours, Teachers, Spiritual Pastours and Masters, to order my self lovely and reverently to all my better▪
VI. To hurt no body by [...] or deed.
VII. To be true and just in all my Dealings.
VIII. To bear no Malice nor Hatred in my Heart.
IX. To keep my hands from picking and S [...]ea [...]ing.
X. And my tongue from evil-speaking, lying, and slandering.
XI. To keep my body in Temperance [...] Soberness, and Ch [...]ity.
XII. Not to covet nor desire other mens Goods, but to learn & labour truly to get mine own Living, and to doe my Duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me.
Q. You have shew'd me how the Creed presents to us the Motives; shew me next how the Ten Commandments contain the Fruits, or Effects of Divine Love.
A. JESUS our Love, the great Prophet of Love, has given us this Trial of our Love, If ye love Me, keep my commandments Joh. 14. 15..
Q. Are there not some general Rules, very useful to be observ'd, in expounding the Commandments?
A. Divine Love does suggest to us the best Rules, and is the best Expositour to teach us the full importance of every Command.
Q. Shew me how.
A. The Love of God does necessarily include these two things, a Tenderness to [...]ease, and a Fearfulness to offend our Beloved, and this Love [Page 43] will besure to guide thy in both the Affirmative, and the negative part of each Command.
Q.Express this more distinctly.
A.I shall do it in these following Particulars.
4. O my God, Rules for Expounding the Commandments.when in any of thy Commands a Duty is enjoin'd, Love tells me the contrary evil is forbidden; When any Evil is forbidden, Love tells me the contrary Duty is enjoin'd 2 Cor. 6 [...], 14.; O do thou daily increase my Love to Good, and my Antipathy to Evil.
2. Though thy Commands and Prohibitions, O Lord, are in general terms, yet let thy Love direct my particular Practice, and teach me, that in are general are imply'd all the kinds, and degrees, and Occasions, are incitements, and Approaches, and Allowances relating to Good or Evil. which are also commanded Mat. 5 [...]. 21, 22, 28. 1. Thes 5. 22. or forbidden, and give are grace to pursue, or to [...]
3. O my God, keep my Love alwaies watchful, and [...] in thy negative Precepts I am contim [...]; resist Evil; keep my love warm with a [...] Zeal, that in all thy Affirmative precepts I may lay hold on all S [...]asous and [...] of doing Good.
4. Let thy Love, O Thou that only art worthy to be belov'd make me careful to perswade, and engage others to love thee, and to keep thy Commandments, as well as my self Heb. 10 [...]. 24..
5. None can love Thee, O Lord, and endeavour to keep thy Holy Commands, Mat. 5. 16. but his daily [...] in his Duty, his frequent involuntary and unavoidable [...] and S [...]reptions and wanderings [...] and humble him Pro.24. 16. the infirmities [...] laps't nature create him a kind of a perpetual [Page 44] Martyrdom, because he can love thee no more, because he can so little serve thee.
But Thou O most compassionate Father, in thy Covenant of Grace, dost require sincerity 2. Cor.8. 12., not Perfection; and therefore I praise and love thee.
O my God, though I cannot love and obey thee as much as I desire, I will do it as much as I am able, I will to the utmost of my power keep all thy Commandments with my whole heart, and to the end Psal. 119. 2, 6, 112.; O accept of my imperfect Duty, and supply all the Defects of it by the Merits, and love, and obedience of Jesus thy beloved.
6. Glory be to Thee, O thou supreme Lawgi [...]er, for delivering these Commands to sinful [...] they are the Words which Thou thy Self, [...] JEHOVAH, didst speak, O let me ever have an awful regard for every Word [...] hast spoken; O let me ever love thee for speaking them, and for giving us the Laws of Love.
7. Glory be to Thee, O Lord God, who to make everyone of us sensible of our Obligation, hast given all thy Commands in the second Person, and by saying Thou, hast spoken in particular to every Soul, that every soul might love & obey thee.
Glory be to thee, O my God, who in this short Abstract, in these Ten Commandments hast compris'd the full extent of our Duty, all the Effects of Divine Love
Teach me O Lord to examine my Love by thy Commands, that I may know how to please Thee, that I may know wherein I have offended Thee, and grieve for my O [...], that I may bewail all my Commissions of Sin,all my Omissions of duty.
[Page 45] Teach me, O Lord, by this thy Law, which is the Rule of Love, and of all my Actions, to examine not only my several Sins, but also all the several Aggravations, whether they have been wilful, or known, or frequent, or obstinate, or habitual or ensnareing to others, that Love may shed the more tears, and in some measure proportion my Contrition to my guilt.
8. Glory be to Thee, O Lord God, who givest us Christians higher obligations to keep thy Commands than thou didst to the Jews, they had only the memory of their temporal Deliverance out of the [...]and of Egypt, and the House of Bondage set before them, we are delivered out of Spiritual Egypt, from the Bondage of Sin, the power of Satan, and the Torments of Hell; O give us grace to exceed them as much in our Love and Thanksgiving, and Obedience, as we do in our Blessings.
9. Glory be to thee, O thou Great JEHOVAH, who to constrain us to love and obey Thee, art pleas'd to honour every faithful soul with a near and intimate Propriety in Thy Self, and graciously to declare, I am the LORD thy GOD.
O merciful Lord, what is it possible for me to desire more than to have thee for my God Gen 17. 7? if thou be my God, Deut 26. 17. the Relation ought to be [...], Exod.19. 5. 6. and I must be thy Servant; Lord be thou [...], and I will be for ever thine
My [...] is mine, and I am His.
My God, my Father, my Friend, my Love, whatever is thine I will love, and particularly thy Law will love for teaching me to love thee▪thy Law I will highly esteem, and diligently read and study, thy Lawshall be daily my Delight, my [Page 46] Counsellour and my Meditation Psal. 119. 24. 97.
O my good God, keep me alwaies thine, and let nothing ever divorce me from thy Love.
Q. You have laid down proper Rules for interpreting the Commandments, Shew me now how they are divided.
A. Into two sorts or Tables, suitable to the two respects they have, to GOD, and to our Neighbour.
Q.Begin with the First Table, and shew me the Number and Order of the Commands which it contains.
A.It contains the four first Commands which relate to God, The First Table. and to teach us the worship of God, even that Reverential Love we are to pay to God, which naturally arises from a true sense of His infinite both Goodness and Greatness.
This Worship of God is either inward or outward.
The inward Worship, being that of the Heart, is the nobler of the two, and this, together with the right Object of our worship is taught in the first Commandment, as the Foundation of all the rest.
The outward is compris'd in the three following, which teach us the Regulation of God's Worship in reference to our [...] in the Second, to our Tongues in the Third, to our Time in the Fourth.
Q. Which are the Duties of the Second Table?
A. They are the six remaining Commands which do all relate to our Neighbour; of which I shall speak in their due place.
[Page 41] Q. What have you further to observe of the Commandments in general?
A. 'Tis observable that those which refer to God are put first, to teach us that the Love of God is the chief and original Command, and ought chiesy to be studied; and to teach us also, that all the Duties of the Second Table must yield to the First, when-ever they stand in any Competition Luc. 14. 26..
Q. Go over all the Ten Commandments in particular, and shew me how they are all the genuine Fruits and Effects of Divine Love, exercis'd either in Doing Good, or Eschewing Evil.
A. I shall gladly do it, and as distinctly as possibly I can, taking every Commandment apart.
The First Commandment.
O Thou who only art JEHOVAH, if thou he my God, and if I truly love Thee, I can never suffer any Creature to be thy Rival, Duties commanded. or to share my heart with Thee; I can have no other God, no other Love but only Thee Mat 6. 24.
O Infinite Goodness, Thou onely art amiable, whatever is amiable besides Thee, is no farther amiable, than it hears some Impressions on it of thy Amiableness; and therefore all love, all glory be to thee [...].
O my GOD, O my Love, instil into my Soul so entire, reverential a Love of Thee Deut. 10. 12, that I may love nothing but for thy sake, or in subordination to thy Love.
O Love, give me Grace to [...] thy Knowledge Joh. 17. 3., that the more I know Thee, the more I may [...] Thee.
[Page 48] O my God, O my Love, do Thou create in me a stedfast Faith Heb. 11. 1. 6. in the veracity, a lively Hope 1 Pet 1. 4. in the Promises, a firm Trust Ps. 9. 10. in the Power, a confident reliance 34. 8. on the Goodness, and a satisfactory Acquiescence 62. 1, 2, 5 in the All-sufficiency of Thee my Beloved.
O my God, O my Love, do Thou create in me an ardent desire of the Presence 42. 1., an heavenly Delight in the Fruition 37. 4. of Thee my Beloved.
O my GOD, O my Love, fill my heart with Thanksgiving 34. 1. for the Blessings, Praise 147. 1, of the Excellence, Adoration 99. 5. of the Majesty, Zeal 1. Cor. 10. 31. for the Glory of Thee my Beloved.
O my God, O my Love, fill my heart with a true Repentance Ezek. 18. 20. for Offending, with a constant fear Is. 112. 2 of Provoking thee my [...].
O my God, O my Love, fill my [...] affective Devotion [...] 5. 16 in Prayer, and [...] found Humility [...] 115. 1, in ascribing all Honour to Thee my beloved.
O my God, O my Love, create in me a sincere Obedience Mat 7 21 to all the Commands, a [...] missive Patience Is. 39 9. under all the Chastisements, an absolute Resignation Mat. 26. [...]. to all the disposals of Thee my Beloved.
O my God, O my Love, let thy All-powerful Love abound Phil. 1. 9. in my heart, and in the hearts of all that profess thy Name, that in all these, and in all other possible [...] of thy Love, our Souls may continually he employed to to praise and to love Thee.
O my God, O my Love, let me ever be seeking [Page 49] occasions to excite all I can Ps. 34. 3. 107. 8. to adore and love thee.
O my God, O my Love, Sins forbidden. I renounce and detest, and bewail, as odious and offensive to thee, as directly opposite to thy Love, & to thy glory,
All self-love 2. Tim. 3, 2., and inordinate Love of things below 1. John 2. 15..
All wilful and affected Ignorance 2. Thes. 1. 8..
All Atheism Ps. 14. 1., or having no God, and Polytheism Jer. 16. 11 or having more Gods than one.
All Heresie 2 Pet. 2. 1, Apostasie Heb. 10. 39., & Infidelity 2. Thes. 2. 12..
All Presumption Ps. 50. 21, and Despair, Mat 27. 5, Distruct Ps. 78. 22, and carnal Security Eccl. 8. 11.
All voluntary Humility and worshiping of Angels Col 2. 18., Reliance on the Creature Ps. 52. 7., or recourse to evil spirits Lev. 20 6..
All Unthankfulness 2 Tim 3. 2, and Irreligion Ps. 10. 4., Lukewarmness Rev. 3. 15, and Indifferency Zeph. 1. 12..
All Impenitence Lue. 19. 41., and Disregard of divine Wrath Is [...]. 5. 12..
All Indevotion 29. 13., and Pride Pre. 8. 13, Disobedience Rom. 2. 8. Impatience and Murmuring 1. Cor. The 10. 10..
All the least Tendencies Ps 141. 4. to any of these Impieties.
From all these and the like hateful violations of Thy Love; and from that vengeance they justly deserve; O my God, O my Love, deliver me, and deliver an faithful people.
O my GOD, O my Love, I earnestly pray, that thy Love may so prevail over our hearts, that we may sadly lament and abhor all these Abominations, and may never more provoke Thee.
The Second Commandment.
O my God, Sins forbidden. O my Love, I know the true Love of Thee is incommunicable to any but Thee; and therefore I renounce, and detest, and bewail as odious and offensive to Thee, as directly opposite to thy love and to thy glory,
All making of Idols or false gods, or of graven Images, with intent of worshipping and bowing downbefore them Deut. 7. 25, 26.—27. 15..
All Representations and Picturing of Thee, O my GOD, by visible likenesses of things in Heaven or in Earth.
All corporeal Shapes, which are infinitely unsutable to thy invisible and spiritual Nature, and derogatory from thy Adorableness 4. 15. Isai. 40. 18 Act. 17. 29.
All Idolatry Isa. 2. 8, 9, and Religious Invocation of Creatures Rev 19. 10—14. 9, 10..
All Sacrilege Pro 20. 25, and Prophanations of thy House, and of things sacred Mat. 21. 13..
All Abuse or disesteem or Carelesnes of thy Word 13. 15., and Contempt of the Ministers Lac. 10. 16..
All superstitions or unlawful Rites Jer 10. 2, 3 Superfluities, or mutilations [...]. 4 2, Irreverence or Innocencies [...] 5. 1. in thy publick Worship, by which thou art any way dishonoured.
All resting in more outward observances [...] 15. [...], 11, or refusing to give Thee bodily Worship, and to [...] before Thee Isa. 45. 23..
All the least Tendencies to any of these Impieties.
From all these and the like violations of thy incommunicable Love, and from that vengeance they justly deserve; O my GOD, O my Love, deliver me, and deliver all faithful people, &c. as p. 49.
[Page 51] O my God, Duties commanded. O my Love, imprint on my soul an awful Love of thy Majesty 3. 13., that I may worship thee in spirit and in truth Job 4. 24., in a manner worthy of Thee.
O my God, O my Love, make me so tender of the Honour of Thee my Beloved, that I may shew a due regard to all the parts of thy Worship:
That with lowest humiliation of Soul and Body Ps. 95. 6. Mat. 26. 39, when ever I appear in the presence of infinite Love, I may fall down and adore Thee.
O my God, O my love, O may I always enter thy House, the Habitation of unbounded Love, with recollected Thoughts, compos'd Behaviour, becoming Reference, and sincere Intentions of Love Gen 28. 17. Job. 2. 17..
O my God O my Love, O may I ever frequent the Publick pravers, and aproach thine Altar with servent and heavenly affections, with holy impatience for the Blessings of thy Love Psal. 84. 1, &c..
O my God, O my Love, O may I always read and hear thy Word, the heavenly Register of thy Love, with a serious Attention, an inflamable Heart, and a particular Application, and ever learn from it some lesson of thy Love Luc 8. 15. [...] Thes 2. 13.
O my God, O my Love, for thy dearest sake, give me grace to pay a religious Veneration Mat.10. 40. to all sacred Persons, or places Lev. 19. 30., or things Ezek. 22. 8. 26., which are thine by solemn [...], and separated for the Uses of Divine Love, and the Communications of thy Grace or which may promote the Decency and Order of thy Worship, or the Edification of faithful people [...] 14 4—26, 40..
[Page 52] O my God, O my Love, let thy All-powerful [...] abound in my heart and in the hearts of air that profess thy Name, that in vil these, and in all other possible instances of thy love, our Souls may be continually employed to praise and to love Thee, &c. as p. 49.
Thou, O my God, O my Love, art a Jealous GOD, The Reason of the Commandment. jealous of thy own Honour Deut. 4. 2 [...] If. [...]. 8. Exod. 34. 14, 15., and of the Chastness of my Love; O let me never run after other loves, or commit spiritual Adultery against thee, to provoke thee to Anger
Thou, O my God, O my Love, dost visit the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children; Thou, when thy jealousie burns like fire Ps. 79. 5. against Idolaters and those that rob thee of thy Worship, art wont to punish them in their very posterity, with temporal evils, and with spiritual too, when their children tread in their steps; for then thou makest their Father's sins occasions of hastning, or of increasing thy judgments, though thou always sparest the Children that repent Isa. 65. 6, 7. Ezek. 18. 17. 20. Jer. 31. 30.; O let thy just indignation against violating Thy Worship, deter me and all that profess thy Name, from such Violations.
Thy Jealousie, O my God, O my Love, falls heavy upon them that hate Thee; but how is it possible for any-one to hate Thee, who art infinite Love? and yet, alas! all that are Enemies to thy Divine Worship; all that exalt any Lust, any Creature into thy Throne, to ascribe their Happiness, to sacrifice their Esteem, and Zeal and Affections, and to offer up Sovereign Honours to it; what do they doe but love false gods, and hate thee, and are therefore hated by Thee Deut 7. 10
[Page 53] O Lord God, to hate Thee is the proper Character of Devils, and Lucifer himself cannot sin bevond that utmost extremity of evil, the Hatred of Thee; and my heart is full of horrour and grief to think, that ever those that bear thy image, and daily subsist by thy Love, should turn themselves into Devils, and this world into a Hell, by hating Thee 1. Job. 3. 8. Rom. 1. 30. Job. 15. 18.: O boundless Love, turn them, O turn them into men again, and then they cannot chuse but love thee.
Glory be to thee, O my God, who shewest mercy to them that love thee, and keep thy Commandments: Love and Obedience always go together, and entail a blessing on the Posterity of thy Lovers Deut 4. 46.; O keep me always one of that happy number; O let me ever love and obey Thee.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord God, whose Love is more diffusive than thy Anger; thy Vengeance extends but to the Third, or, at most, the Fourth Generation, thy Mercy unto Thousands; and the more diffused thy Love is, the more powerfully it moves us, to praise and to love Thee.
The Third Commandment.
O my God, O my Love, the NAME is thy own glorious and amiable Self Psal. 83. 18., thy Divine Nature, and perfections, and works, Duties commanded. most worthy to be ador'd, most worthy to be lov'd Ps. 5. 11. Ps. 29. 2.—72. 19. Ezek. 36. 23. Neh. 9. 5., and therefore I will always adore & love thy Name.
O my God, O my Love, may I ever have awful Thoughts of thee Ps. 111. [...], may I never mention thy venerable Name, unless on solemn, and just, and [Page 54] devout occasions; may I never mention it on those occasions without acts of Love and Adoration Isa 12. 4.—48. 1.
O my God, O my Love, to love and to glorifie thy Name is the great end of our Creation, which is still more enforced by our Redemption; O let it be the greatest business of my whole life to love, and to glorifie it all the possible ways I can, by my Mouth Ps. 51. 15, by my Conversation Maat 5. 16, by my publick Confession of Thee before men, even to Death —g 10 32. 1. Pet 3. 15, when-ever Thou art pleas'd to call me to it, by engaging all I can to glorifie and love Thee; O happy life, O blessed death, which is spent, and expires in glorifying, in Loving Thee!
O my God, O my Love, my heart shall ever be jealous of Thy Name 1. King. 19. 10.: I can have no true love, no real Concern for Thee if I do not, to the utmost of my power, assert and vindicate the Name of my Beloved, when-ever I hear it dishonoured.
O my God, O my Love, fix in my soul an habitual pure Intention of Thy Glory in all my Actions, that whether I eat or drink, or whatever I doe, I may doe all to the Glory 1. Cor. 10. 31. of my Beloved.
Oaths,
O my God, The Honour of GOD' s Name is more particularly concerned in Oaths. O my Love, fill me with a religious Aw of Oaths, in which the Honour of Thy beloved Name is so highly concern'd,
I know, O great Jehovah, that in an Oath I solemnly invoke Thee, as a Witness to attest the truth of what I swear Gen. 31. 50, 53., as a Judge to punish me if I swear falsly.
[Page 55] Far be it from me, O Lord God, ever to swear, and in swearing to invoke Thee, unless upon Inducements Lawful and important, when thy Glory Deut 6. 13, the Command of my Superiours, the visible Good of my Neighbour, the ending of strife Heb 6. 16, or my own Innocence obliges me to it.
O Lord God, whenever I am duly ca'lld to an Assertory Oath, grant I may swear in truth, in righteousness, and in judgement Jer. 4. 2..
Whatever lawful promissory Oaths I take, Lord give me grace conscientiously to perform them, though to my own hinderance Ps 15. 4. 2 Sam 21. 7
Vows.
The Glory of Thy most beloved NAME, O great JEHOVAH, next to the truth of our Oaths we invoke thee to attest, is concern'd in the Sincerity of those Vows we offer Thee to accept Eccles.5. 4, 5.; O do Thou therefore create in me a serious sence of the Religiousness of Vows, that my Vows may not dishonour thee.
O my God, O my Love, when-ever I voluntarily vow a vow to Thee, give me grace to vow with all the due Caution I can, that I may vow those things only which are lawful and acceptable to thee Gen 28, 20, 21. 22., and which thou hast put in my power Numb. 30. 5, 8., that I may vow with deliberation, and ghostly advice, and on weighty & considerable occasions only, and with a design of Glory Ps. 132. 2, and Thankfulness, and Love to Thee.
O my God, O my Love, give me grace faithfully to perform all the Vows I make to Thee 61. 8., [Page 56] especially my Baptismal Vow, and all my repeated vows of amendment, in which I have so often vow'd to glorifie and love thy Name.
O my God, O my Love, let thy All-powerful Love abound in my heart, and in the hearts of all that profess thy Name, that in all these, and in all other possible instances of Thy Love, our Souls may be continually employed, to praise and so love thee.
O my God, O my Love, who is there that Knows thy great, thy beloved NAME, can ever in the least dishonour Deut. 28. 58. it?
O my God, Sins forbidden. O my Love, I renounce, and detest, and bewail, as odious and Offensive to thee, as directly opposite to thy love, and to thy glory,
All taking of thy Name in vain.
All use of it on trivial occasions, and without holy Aw Psal. 139. 20.,
All abuse of it in impious Jests, in Charms, or Curses, or imprecations, or Telling Fortunes, or Exploratory Lots Deut. 18. 10, 11, 12.; all irreverent Thoughts of Thy Name Psal. 10, 11, 13. 50. 21., profaneness & Blasphemy Ja. 24. 7. Lev. 4. 16..
All Denying Thee by my works Tit. 1. 16, or Refusing publickly to confess thee, when call'd to it Joh. 12. 42., or tamely enduring to hear Thee dishonoured Psal. 139. 21..
All heathenish, or castomary, or rash oaths, or Swearing in ordinary Communication, or by any Creature Mat. 5. 34, 35, 36. 37..
All Breaking of lawful Oaths, perjury, falseswearing, and invoking thee, O God of Truth, to attest a Lye, sins most destructive to publick Faith and Society, and to our own souls, and [Page 57] most dishonourable and hateful to thee Zech. 8. 17. 5. 4. Jer. 23. 10. Hos. 4. 2, 3.
All hasty or unlawful, or superstitious, or impossible vows Mal. 1. 14. Jer. 44. 25., all breaking those that are regularly made Ps. 22. 25.
All the least Tendencies to any of these impieties.
From all these and the like hateful violations of thy Love and from that vengeance they justly deserve O my God, O my Love, deliver me, and deliver all faithful people.
O great Jehovah, The Threat annext to the Commandment. Thou art Jealous for thy glorious and beloved Name, and without a particular and serious Repentance Thou wilt not hold him guiltless that taketh it in vain; thou wilt pour on him the vials of thy wrath, thy wrath eternal 74. 10, 18 22, 23., and yet Thy ever blessed Name, is, alas, alas, daily, hourly blasphemed Isai. 5. 52.
O Apostate, infamous World, wherein Infinite Goodness is so oft blasphem'd; were not thy Name 1. John 4. 8. Love, O Lord, as well as JEHOVAH, Thou hadst long ago aveng'd thy self of the blasphemous world, with a Vengeance worthy of God.
Glory be to thee, O long suffering Love, for thy forbearance, efficacious of it self to convert the whole world, did the world but seriously consider it.
O Almighty Love, Thou canst as easily diffuse thy Love over the world, as thou didst at first diffuse Light; O let thy Fear, and thy Love so universally affect the Age, that thy great and beloved Name may be universally ador'd and lov'd!
The Fourth Commandment.
Glory be to thee, Duties commanded. O my God, O my Love, who in compassion to humane weakness, which is not [Page 58] capable of an uninterrupted contemplation of thee, such as the Saints have above, hast appointed a solemn Day on purpose for thy Remembrance.
Glory be to thee, O my God, my Love, for proportioning a Seventh part of our time to thy Self, and liberally indulging the remainer to our own use.
O my God, O my Love, let me ever esteem it my Priviledg, and my Happiness to have a Day of Rest set apart for thy Service Is 58. 13., and the Concerns of my own soul; to have a Day free from Distractions, disengaged from the World, wherein I have nothing to doe, but to praise, and to love Thee.
Lord, grant that I may not only-on thy Day give Thee due Worship my self, but may give Rest and Leisure also to my Family, to all under my Charge to serve Thee also Josh. 24. 15., to indulge ease to my very Beasts, since good men are merciful even to them Pro 12. 10
Glory be to Thee O Blessed Spirit, who on the First Day of the Week didst descend in miraculous Gifts and Graces on the Apostles Act. 2. 1.; O descend upon me, that I may be always in the Spirit on the Lord's Day.
O my God, O my Love, give me Grace on thy Day to worship Thee in my Closet, and in the Congregation, to spend it in Doing good Mar. 3. 4 in works of Necessity, Devotion and Charity, in Prayer, and Praise, and Meditation; O let it ever be to me a day Sacred to Divine Love, a Day of heavenly Rest and Refreshment.
Thou, O my God, O my Love didst ordain the Jewdaical Sabbath as a shadow of the true GospelSabbath Col. 2. 16. 17.; O may I every day keep an Evangelical [Page 59] Sabbath, and rest from my Sins, which are my own works, while I live here, and may I celebrate an eternal Sabbath with Thee Heb. 4. 9. in Heaven hereafter.
O my God, O my Love, for the like purposes of Piety, and of thy Glory, give me grace to sanctify the Feasts and Fasts of thy Church Ps. 42. 4. If. 58. 6, 7.—8. 10. as in the number of those happy Days set apart for the Remembrance of thy Love.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord God, who didst command the Sabbath, Reason of the Commandment. or Seventh day to be kept Holy, and strictly observed by the Jews, as Thy Sabbath, in Memory of the Creation Gen. 2. 2.; of Thy making Heaven and Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is, and of thy Resting the Seventh Day; of thy Blessing the Seventh Day, and hallowing it.
We Christians, O Lord God, following the Moral Equity of thy Command, & Authorised by Apostolical Practice Act 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 2, celebrate the Lord's Day Rev. 1. 10, the First Day of the Week, in Memory of our Redemtion, in Memory of thy Resurrection from the Dead, O most beloved Jesu, when Thou didst rest from the Labours and Sorrows of the New Creation Luc. 24. 1.; O may I ever remember thy Day, and Thee.
Glory be to Thee, O my God, my Love, who hast under the Gospel delivered us from the Rigours, but not from the Pietyof the Jewish Sabbath.
Lord, since the Blessing of everlasting Salvation, which we Christians on thy day commemorate, does wonderfully exceed the Creation commemorated by the Jews; O let our Love, and Praise, and Devotion, and Zeal, proportionably exceed their also Mat 5. 20.
O my God, O my Love, let thy all-powerful [Page 60] Love abound b Phil. 1. 9. in my heart, and in the hearts of all that profess my Name, that in all these, and all other possible instances of thy Love, our Souls may be continually employ'd to praise, and to love Thee.
O my God, O my Love, I renounce and detest &c. as p. 49.
All Profanations of Thy hallowed Day, Sins forbidden. and of all other holy Times Ezek. 20. 13, 16, 24. dedicated to thy Praise and thy Love.
All Jewdaizing Severities Mar 2. 24 Luk. 6. 7., All Worldlymindedness, and unnecessary Business Neh. 13 15., or not allowing those under my Care, Liberty and Leisure for thy Service Deut. 12. 7. on thy Day.
All Unmercifulness to my very Beasts Luc. 13. 15..
All Indevotion, or Forgetfulness of Thee Deut 6. 1 [...]—8. 14..
All the least Tendencies—
From all these and the like &c as p. 49.
Next to thy Glorious Self, The Second Table. O my God, O my Love, and for the sake of thy Supreme, independent Love, Thou hast commanded me to love my Neighbour, allied to me, by nature, or by Grace, all Strangers and Enemies, as well as Friends, Luk.10. 29, 30.; to honour all men, as being made after thy likeness, and the greater likeness they retain to Thee, to honour them the more 1 Pet. 2. 17.. Glory be to Thee.
Thou, O my God, O my Love, hast commanded me to love my Neighbour as my self, O for the sake of thy Love, give me Love to relieve and assist him in all instances wherein he may need my help, as freely, as fully, as affectionately as I my self would desire to be treated, were I in his Condition Mat 7. 12.
O my God, O my Love, for the sake of thy [Page 61] dearest Love, give me grace to love my Neighbour, not in word and in tongue only, but in deed, & in truth 1 Joh. 3. 18.; to wish well to all men, and to contribute my hearty prayers and endeavours, and to give them for thy sake all lawful, and reasonable and necessary Succours Col. 3. 12.
Glory be to Thee, O my God, O my Love, who by commanding me to love my Neighbour as my self, dost imply the Regular Love of my self Eph. 5. 29. that I should do all I can to preserve my self free and vigourous to glorify thee in my station: 'Tis for thy sake only I can love my self; and he does not wish or endeavour his own Happiness, he really hates himself, that does not love Thee.
Thou Lord, by enjoining me to love my Neighbour as my self, hast intimated my duty of loving those best, which either in bloud are nearest my natural self, or in Grace nearest my Christian self; O let thy Love teach me to observe the true order of Charity in loving others.
O Thou eternal Fountain of Goodness, give me Grace to imitate that boundless Goodness, let thy Love work in me an universal propension to love, and to doe good to all men: to be merciful to others, as thou Lord art merciful Luc.6. 36..
Q. Shew me how the Love of your Neighbour is in the Second Table divided.
A. The Love of my Neighbour, which is the Fulfilling of the Law, of all the Commands of the Second Table, is divided according to those different Conditions of our Neighbour, wherein we most exercise our Love or Hatred to him.
Q. In how many ruling instances may we exercise [Page 62] that Love of Hatred?
A. Either in outward Acts, or in inward Disposition.
Q. How in outward Acts?
A. Five several ways, in respect of his Superiority, in the Fifth Commandment.
His Safety in the Sixth.
His Bed in the Seventh.
His Propriety in the Eighth; or His good Name in the Ninth.
Q. how in our inward Disposition?
A By Regulating our very Desires in relation to him, as the Tenth obliges us to do.
Q. Let me hear how Divine Love moves in each of these Commands.
A. It moves in such Acts as follow.
The Fifth Commandment.
Let thy reverential Love, Duties commanded in general. O my God, teach & in encline me to shew respectful Love to all my Superiours, in my inward esteem, in my outward speech and Behaviour 1 Pet. 2, 17..
Glory be to thee, O Lord, who hast comprehended all that are above me under the Tender and venerable Names of Father and Mother, that I looking on them as Resemblances and Instruments of thy Sovereign Power and paternal providence to me, may be the more effectually engaged for thy sake to reverence and love them.
O my God, In particular of natural Parents. give me grace to imitate thy paternal Goodness, and for the sake of thy Love, to love, and cherish and provide for, to educate and instruct, and pray for my Children Deut. 6. 6, 7. Ephes. 6. 4. Col. 3. 21. 2 Cor. 12. 14.; to take conscientious care to give them medicinal Correction, [Page 63] and good Example, and to make them thy Children, that they may truly love Thee.
O my God, give me grace for the sake of thy Love, of Children. to Honour my Father and Mother: to render them all Love, and Reverence, and Thankfulness, and all that Regard which is due from a Child Ephes.6. 1, 2, 3. Col. 3. 20., that I may pay obedience to their Commands, Submission to their Corrections, Attention to their Instructions, and Succour to their Necessities Mat. 16. 4. &c., and may daily pray for their Welfare.
Thou, O LORD, hast set our most gracious King over us Prov. 8. 15., as our Political Parent, of Political Parents. The King. as thy Supreme Minister, to Govern and Protect us, and to be a Terrour to those that do ill: O grant him a long and happy Reign, that we may all live a peaceable and quiet life under Him, in all Godliness and Honesty 1. Tim. 2. 1, 2.. Defend Him from all His Enemies; let Him be ever beloved by Thee, and let Him ever love Thee, and ever promote thy Love.
Multiply, O Lord God, the Blessings of thy Love on our most Gracious Queen Mary, The Queen and Royal Family. Catherine the Queen Dowager, their Royal Highnesses Mary Princess of Orange, and the Princess Anne of Denmark, and all the Royal Family: Give them grace to exceed others, as much in Goodness as in Greatness, and make them Signal Instruments of the Glory, and Examples of thy Love.
O my God, of Subjects. give Grace to me and all my fellow-subjects, next to thy own Infinite Self, to love and honour, to fear and obey our Sovereign Lord the King, thy own Vicegerent, for conscience sake Rom. 13, 1, &c. 1 Pet 2. 13. Tit. 3. 1, [...], and for thy own sake, who hast [Page 64] placed him over us; O may we ever faithfully render Him His due Tribute; O may we ever pray for His Prosperity, sacrifice our Fortunes and our Lives in His Defence, and be always ready rather to suffer than resist.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord, who hast ordained Pastours, of Ecclesiastical Parents. and hast given them the power of the Revs; to be our Ecclesiastical Parents; to watch over our souls; to instruct us in saving knowledge Mal. 2. 7. to guid us by their Examples; to pray for, and to bless us; to administer spiritual discipline in thy Church, and to manage all the Conveyances of thy Divine Love.
O my God, of the People under their Care. for thy Love's sake, let me ever honour and love the Ministers of thy Love, the Ambassadours thou dost send in thy stead, to beseech un sinners to be reconciled to thee 2 Cor 5. 20., to offer thy Enemies Conditions of Love of Love eternal; O may I ever hear them attentively, practise their heavenly Doctrine, imitate their holy Examples, pay them their Dues, and Revere their Censures Heb. 13. 7. 17. 1 Tim 5. 17..
O my God, for the sake of thy Love, grant I may ever love, and provide for my Servants, of Occonomical Parents, Masters and Mistresses. [servant,] and may treat them like Brethren; let me never exact from them immoderate work; O may I always give them just Wages, and equitable Commands, and good Example, and merciful Correction: Grant, Lord, I may daily allow them time for their Prayers, indulge them due Refreshments, and may take care of their souls, and perswade them to love thee; remembring, that I also have a master in heaven Col. 4. 1. Ephes. 6. 9..
Give me Grace, of Servants. O my God, for the sake of thy Love, to honour, & love, and obey my Master [Page 65] [and Mistress] and to serve him [her] with Diligence & Faithfulness, and readiness to please 1 Tim. 6. 1, 2. Col, 3. 22, 23, 24. Eph. 6. 5, 6, 7, 8. and to pray for him, [her, them,] and whatever I doe, to doe heartily as to Thee, O Lord, and not to him. [her.] them.]
O my God, of other Supriours. let thy Love incline me to love and to honour all whom Thou hast any way made my Superiours, sutably to their Quality Lev. 19. 32. 1 Tim. 5. 1, 2, 3. 1 Pet. 5. 5., or Age, or Gifts, or Learning, or Wisdom, or Gravity, or Goodness.
O my God, grant that for thy sake, I may ever love and honour all that are, or have been, Instruments of thy Love to me, in doing me good; O may I reverence my Teachers Gal. 6. 6., be grateful to my Benefactours, and may I have always a peculiar Respect to my particular pastour.
O my God, let thy Love engage me to love those whom thou hast obliged to love me; of Equals & Inferiours. to shew Constancy and fidelity, and sympathy, and Love, and Communicativeness to my friend; to be affectionate to my Brethren and Sisters; to be kind and affable to my Equals; Condescending to my Inferiours; to be all the possible ways I can, universally helpful and obliging, and loving to all Rom 14. 10 1 pet. 3. 8.
O my God, O my Love, let thy All-powerful Love abound in my heart, & in the hearts of all that prosess thy Name, that in all these, and in all other possible instances of duty, our lives may be continully employ'd to love Thee, and for thy sake to love our Neighbour, and to excite our neighbour to love thee.
[ The several Forms which contain the Duties of Parent and Child, of Master and Servant &c. are to be used by every one, according as may sute with his Circumstances, or as he stands in any of those Relations.]
[Page 66] O my God, O my Love, I renounce and detest and bewail, Sins forbidden. as odious and offensive to Thee, as directly opposite to thy Love, and the Love of my Neighbour, for thy sake,
All Dishonour to our Superiours, in either despising them, speaking evil of them, or in irreverent Behaviour.
All Unnaturalness to Children.
All Undutifulness, or Stubborness or Disobedience, or Disrespect to Parents 2 Tim. 3. 2, 3, 4..
All Rebelling, or Reviling, or Murmuring against the King, or against His Ministers 1. Sam. 26. Eccl 10. 20. Act. 23. 5..
All Defrauding undervaluing, or Rejecting lawful Pastours Mat. 10. 14.
All Schism 1. Cor. 1. 10. 3 Ephist. John. 9., and Contempt of their Regular Censures.
All Falseness, or Negligence, or Refractoriness to Masters or Mistresses 2 Tit 9. 10 Mal. 2. 10..
All Rudeness, ingratitude, Treachery, want of Brotherly Love, and Unfaithfulness.
All the least Tendency to any of these Impieties.
From all these and the like hateful Violations of thy Love, and the Love of my Neighbour, and from the Vengeance they justly Deserve, O my God, O my Love, deliver me and all faithful People.
O my God; O my Love, I earnestly pray, that thy Love; and the Love of our Neighbour, may so prevail over our hearts, that we may sadly lament and abhor all these Abominations, and may never more provoke thee.
Glory be to thee, Promise annex'd to the Commandment. O Lord, who to teach us the importance of this Duty of Subjection, hast placed it the first of all the Second Table, of all that relate to our Neighbour, and hast made it the first [Page 67] Commandment with a promise Eph. 6. 2. to every soul that conscientiously keeps it, that thy days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Who would not love & obey Thee, O my God, and for thy sake his Superiours, when Thou hast promised, to reward our Duty with a long, happy life here, or if thou seest it best for us, and to take us away from the evil to come Is, [...]. [...]., by living a long tract of Holiness in a little time, and at last by prolonging our Bliss to all eternity, in Heaven: for which gracious promise, all love, all glory be to thee.
The Sixth Commandment.
O my God, O my Love, I renounce, and detest, and bewail, as odious and offensive to thee, Sins forbidden. as directly opposite to thy Love, and to the Love of my Neighbour for thy sake,
All Duels and unlawful Warr Jam. 4. 1. 2. Gen. 4. 10, 11.
All doing hurt to the Body and life of my Neighbour, directly by wounding or murthering him Gal. 5. 21, indirectly by contriving, or employing others to harm him Luc. 22. 2.
All the ways of procuring of Abortion Exod. 21, 22, 23..
All Malice and Envy, Hatred and Revenge, Contention and and Cruelty.
All injury and Violence, all rash, Causeless, Immoderate or implacable Anger Eph. 4. 26 Rom. 1. 30. 31., or contumelious speaking and Reviling Mat. 5. 22..
All wilful Vexing, grieving or Disquieting him
All Threatning, ill wishes or curses Eph. 4. 29, 31..
All needless endangering our selves, and selfMurder 1 Tim. 5. 23..
All Murdering of Souls Eph. 5, 29., by encouraging, [Page 68] ensnaring, tempting, commanding them to sin.
All the least Tendencies to any of these impieties.
From all these and the like, &c.
O my God, O my Love, let thy unwearied and tender Love to me, make my Love unwearied and tender to my Neighbour, Duties commanded. and zealous to procure, promote, and preserve his health, and Safety, and Happiness, and Life, that he may be the better able to serve and to love thee.
O my God, O my Love, make me like thy own self, all Meekness and Benign [...] 2 Cor. 10. 1. Gal. 5. 22., all Goodness and Sweetness, all Gentleness and Long-suffering.
Fill me full of good Wishes and Compassion, of Liberality in Alms-giving according to my Abilities Joh. 3. 17., and of readiness to succour, & relieve, and comfort, and rescue, and pray for all, whom thy Love or their own Necessities, or Miseries, or Dangers, recommend to my Charity 1 Cor. 13. 4..
O let thy Love, Thou God of love, make me peaceful and reconcilable, always ready to return good for evil, to repay Injuries with Kindness Mat 5. 44 Rom 12. 20., and easie to forgive, unless in those instances where the impunity of the Criminal would be Injustice or Cruelty to the Publick.
O Thou Lover of Souls, let thy Love raise in me a compassionate Zeal, to save the life, the eternal life of souls Dan. 12. 13. Jam. 5. 20., and by fraternal, and affectionate, and seasonable Advice, or Exhortation, or Correptions, to reclaim the wicked, and to win them to love thee.
O my God, O my Love, let thy All-powerful Love, &c. as p. 65.
[Page 69] O my God, O my Love, I renounce &c. as p. 66.
All Adultery and Violations of my Neighbour's Bed, Sins forbidden. in the gross Act, Robing him of that he loves best.
All Adultery and Unchastity of the Eye or the Hand Mat 5. 29
All The Kinds and degrees of Lust, Fornication, Pollution of our own bodies, and works of Darkness, which it is a shame to mention Eph. 5. 11. 12. 4. 19..
All things that provoke, or feed Lust, impure Company, Discourse, Songs, Books or pictures 4. 29..
All lascivious Dresses 5. 3, 4, 5. 1 Tim. 2. 9. 1 Pet. 3. 3., or Dances, or Plays; all Idleness, or luxurious Diet Rom. 13. 13, 14. 1 Pet. 4. 3.,
All the Excesses or Abuses of lawful Marriage, all unreasonable Jealousies, and all things that lessen the mutual kindness, or alienate the Affections of those that are married 1 Tim. 2. 12. Mat. 19. 6..
All the least tendencies to any of these impurities.
From All these, &c. as p. 66.
O my God, O my Love, let thy purest Love, who art Purity it self, create in me a perfect Abhorrence of all impurity, Duties commanded. that I may purify my self as Thou Lord art pure 1 Joh. 3. 3..
I know, O Lord, that I can never be partaker of the Divine Nature, unless I escape the pollution that is in the world through Lust 2. Pet. 1. 4., O do thou therefore cleanse me from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. that I may perfect holiness in thy fear 2 Cor. 7. 1.: Give me grace to possess my vessel in Sanctification and Honour 1 Thes. 4. 4., and to keep my Temple Holy, that thy Spirit of Love may always there inhabit.
[Page 70] O my God, let my Love be chast to Thee, chast to my self, chast to my Neighbour.
O my God, may thy Love set a strict Guard on my Senses; turn away, mine eyes Job. 31. 1, 7., stop mine ears, bridle my tongue, and restrain my hand from all Uncleanness.
Lord, give me grace to flee all incitements, or opportunities, or Instruments of defiling either my Neighbour or my self, to beat down my body, and to bring it into subjection 1 Cor. 9. 27..
O my Love, let me live ever Watching or Praying, or profitably employ'd or busied in thy Love, that I may leave no room if possible for any unclean spirit to enter into my soul and tempt me
O my God, O my Love, let thy All-powerful Love abound in my heart and in the hearts of all that profess thy Name, that in all these and in all other possible instances of Duty, our lives may be continually employ'd to love Thee, and for thy sake to love our Neighbour, and to excite our Neighbour to love Thee.
O Thou God of Love, who hast ordain'd the Marriage state for the Cure of our Passion 1 Cor. 7. 9., and the Comfort of our life Gen 2. 20., Duty of married Persons. and hast made it Embleme of that Divine Love & Union thou art pleas'd to bear towards thy Church Eph 5. 22, 23, 24, &c.: let the force of thy mystical Love teach us to love each other, and both of us to love thee.
O Thou who hast [...] us one flesh, make us but one Soul also; let [...] Love be matual, constant and inviolate Col. 3. 18, 19. 1 Pet. 3. 1, 7. 1 Cor. 7. 3, 4, 5. full of Compliance, and Condescensions and Sympathy, & Forbearance towards each other.
Fill us, O God of Love, with reciprocal Care [Page 71] and Zeal, and Charity for each others Happiness Tem oral and Eternal, and with a Delight in each other, exclusive of all Loves but thine.
Lord, give us grace to Keep our Marriage always honourable, and our bed undefiled Heb. 13. 4., let the affectionate Authority of the one, and the submissive Sweetness of the other, produce an entire Friendship, and Harmony of Dispositions, and servent Intercessions for each other; Give us, O Lord, and unafflicting foresight of our parting here, and a passionate longing to be beatified near each other, in neighbouring Mansions above, that from thenceforth our Love to each other and Thee may be coeternal with thine.
The Eighth Commandment.
O my God, Sins forbidden. O my Love, I renounce, &c. as p. 66.
All kinds of Stealing, by open Robbery, Violence, or Invasion Eph 4. 28. 1 Pet 4. 15..
All Oppression, or Extortion, or Rapine 1 Cor. 6, 9, 10., Vexatious Law-suits, or griping Usury.
All Fraud in Trade & Contracts, false Weights and Measures. and Coin 1 Thes. 4. 6..
All Concealing the Defects of our own Goods, or depretiating those of our Neighbour Prov. 20. 14..
All making hast to be rich, or taking advantage of the ignorance or Necessity of the persons we deal with.
All with holding out Neighbour's Dues, or detaining the [...] of the Labourer Jam 5. 4..
All Borrowing and not paying, injurious keeping the Goods of others Ps. 37. 21, and Refusing to make Restitution Luc. 19. 8.
All Breach of Trust, or removing land-mark Prov. 22. 22, 23, 28., [Page 72] wastful Prodigality, avaritious Gaming, or idle Begging.
All Outrages to the Fatherless, the Widow, and the Stranger Jer7: 6.
All the least Tendencies to any of these Acts of Injustice.
From all these and the like hateful Violations of thy Love, and of the Love of my Neighbour, and from the Vengeance they justly deserve, O my God, O my Love, deliver me and all faithful people.
O my God, O my Love, let the Love of thy eternal and amiable Justice, Duties commanded. teach me a steddy justice in giving all men their due, since I cannot love my Neighbour. if I am unjust to him.
Lord give me Grace to use my Neighbour as my friend, as my self: To buy and sell by just Weights and Measures, and to be content with moderate Gain Pro. 11. 1. 20. 10. 17. 21.
To pay Debts, and Wages, and conscientiously to make Restitution for injuries or wrongs, or for Goods unlawfully gotten Mat. 5. 23
Teach me, O my God, to use this world, so as not to abuse it 1 Cor. 7. 31. to receive and manage all thy temporal Blessings with Thankfulness to Thee, Sobriety to my self, and Charity to all besides Luc. 11. 41—
Make me ever, O my God, upright and faithful in Trusts, and Trade, and Agreements: Diligent, and honest in my station and Calling 2 Thes. 3. 10, 12. and according to my ability willing to lend, and remit to my poor Neighbours Ps 37. 26.
Whenever O my God, I am forc'd to go to Law, O let me ever contend more for Right than Victory, and in all prosecutions preserve a Charitable [Page 73] and equitable disposition Luk. 17. 3, 4.
O my God, O my Love, let thy All powerful Love abound in my heart, and in the hearts of all that profess thy Name, that in all these, and in all other possible instances of Duty, our lives may be continually employ'd to love Thee, and for thy sake to love our Neighbour, and to excite our Neighbour to love thee,
The Ninth Commandment.
O my God, O my Love, I renounce, as P. 66.
All manner of Bearing false witness against my Neighbour, Sins forbidden. all false Accusations, or Glosses, or Pleadings, or Testimonies, or Sentences in Courts of Judicature Ps. 82. 2. Mat. 26. 60. Tit. 2. 3. Micah 3. 9. by concealing or over-speaking, or perverting right and truth.
All things prejudicial or destructive to my neighbours good name.
All Censoriousness Mat. 7. 1. Prove 26. 18. &c. Jam. 3. 6. 2. Pet. 2. 12. 18. and Slander, Detraction and Calumny, fore'd Consequences, or invidious Reflections.
All Scoffing, or exposing the infirmities of Others.
All Whispering Rom. 1. 29. 1 Tim. 5. 13. Exod. 23. 1. and Tale-bearing, or raising of evil Reports, suspicions, or Jealousies, and all Evil-speaking.
All Equivocations and Dissembling, Flattery and Lying Ephes. 4. 25, 31.
All the least Tendencies to any of these injurious Falshoods.
From all these and the like hateful Violations of thy Love, and the Love &c. as page 66.
O my God, O my Love, who dost love Truth [Page 74] and dost hate a lie, as perfectly diabolical, instil into my soul an unalterable love of Truth, Duties commanded. that nothing may tempt me to deviate from an intire veracity Prov. 23. 23. Psal. 119. 163. Joh. 8. 44. in my whole conversation, or become a Liar, which thy Soul abhors.
O Lord, give me Grace ever to speak the Truth, and let my Heart and my Tongue alwayes go together.
O my God, give me Grace to be tender of my neighbour's good name Prov. 22. 1. Eccl. 7. 1. since I cannot love him if I take that from him which I know to be most dear to him.
Grant, O my God, for the sake of thy own Love, that I may be always ready to vindicate my Neighbour's good Name on all Occasions, that I may judge the best 1 Cor. 13. 5, 7., and speak well of him, and conceal or excuse his infirmities, that I may be impatient to hear, slow to believe, and unwilling to propagate evil Reports; that I may put candid Interpretations on his Actions, since the more he is defamed, the less able he is to serve Thee, the less Credit he has to perswade others to love thee
O my God, O my Love, let thy &c. as page 65.
The Tenth Commandment.
O my God, Sins forbidden. O my Love, I renounce, as page 65.
All the inordinate Desire of what is my Neighbour's, All Covering his House, or Wife Mat. 5. 28., or servant, or maid, or ox, or ass, or anything that is his.
All Discontentedness with my worldly Condition, and worldly Solicitude Mat. 6. 24. 25. &c. 13. 22.
All Coveteousness, or repining at the Happiness of others (x)
[Page 75] All taking pleasure in sin, or Complacence in past impurities Rom 1. 32 Jam. 5. 5. 2. Pet 2. 13.
All the first motions, all the least Tendencies to Concupiscence Mat. 15. 19.
From all these Duties commanded. and the like hateful &c. as P. 66.
O my God, O my Love, Thou art the great Searcher or hearts, and dost not only require outward Acts of Duty, but the inward disposition of the heart, the heart is the chief Sacrifice Prov. 23. 26. 4. 23. mat 15. 19. thou requirest, the heart is the proper seat of thy love, and my heart I wholly devote to thee.
O my God create in me a clean heart Ps. 51. 1 [...] that the Fountain of Action being clean, the streams may run clean also.
Give me a heart, O thou who only canst change the heart, entirely turn'd to Thee, that may suppress and resist all the first springings of Lust, before they shoot up into Consent 1 Jam. 14. 15. Approbation & Desire, before Lust conceiving brings forth sin.
Lord, make me contented Heb 13. 5. Phil 4. 11, 12. 1 Tim. 6. 6., and thankful, and well-pleas'd with that portion thy providential Love has allotted me, and to acquiesce in thy Choice, as best for me.
O great Lord of Hearts, lodge my neighbour in my Heart next to my self, let all my Desires be for his good, and let it be the subject of my Joy Rom. 12. 15., and Praise, and Love, to see thy Love Liberal to him, to see him abounding in thy blessings.
O my God, O my Love, what can a soul enam [...]our'd of thee, ever desire but thee? O let the world never move have place in my heart, all my Affections I withdraw from that to fix on Thee.
Forgive me, O my God, if I am unmeasurably ambitious, 'tis only of thy Favour; forgive me of I am unsatiably covetous, it is only of thy Fruition: forgive me if I am perpetually discontented, [Page 76] it is only because I cannot love thee more.
O unconceiveable happiness of Heaven! where my Ambition shall rest on a Throne, where my Covetousness shall be filled with the Beatifick Vision, and where I shall be eternally satisfied with Love
O my God, O my Love, let thy &c. as p. 65.
Q. My good Child, know this, that thou art not able to do these things of thy self, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve him, without His special grace, which thou must learn at all times to call for by ailigent Prayer let me hear therefore if thou canst say the Lord's Prayer.
A. Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdome come, thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us, and lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.
Q. What desirest thou of God in this Prayer?
A. I desire my Lord God, our heavenly Father, who is the Giver of all Goodness, to send his Grace unto me, and to all people, that we may worship Him, serve Him, and obey him as we ought to do. And I pray unto God that He will send us all things that be needful both for our Souls and Bodies, and that He will be merciful unto us, and forgive us our Sins, and [...] it will please Him to save and defend us in all Dangers ghostly and bodily, and that He will keep us from all Sin and Wickedness, and from our ghostly Enemy and from everlasting Death: and this I trust He will doe of His Mercy and Goodness, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore I say AMEN, so [...] it.
[Page 77] O infinite Lord, Previous Considerations. it is my duty and my happiness to love Thee; but alas! my own sad experience teaches me, how little able I am to love.
Ah Lord, Our Impotence to good. there is a dark cloud of Ignorance spread over my Soul, that intercepts thy beams, I cannot clearly see, I cannot fully know how lovely thou art.
Ah Lord, when ever any Gleams of thy Loveliness break in upon my spirit, and attract my Will; a crowd of strange Loves importune and tempt me to wander after them.
Since, O my God, I can of my self neither know, nor love Thee, God is our Refuge. since I cannot by my own strength do those things thou requirest, nor walk in thy Commandments, nor serve thee. nor think so much as one good thought 2 Cor 3. 5: whether can I fly but only to thy free and unbounded Love? Thou art my Hope my Help, and my Salvation Ps. 62. 7. Joh 15. 4, 5; Thou only canst teach and enable me to know, and to love thy own Goodness.
By thy Special Grace, O my God, by thy particular Assistance, Our Assistance from God. by the strength of thy Love I can do all things Eph. 3. 16. Phil. 4. 13.: O let thy Grace ever enlighten and enflame me; let it ever prevent, and accompany, and follow me; let it ever excite, and encrease, and support thy Love in my heart; O let it ever work in me; both to will and to doe of thy good pleasure 2. 13..
I know, Gain'd by Prayer. Lord, that thy Grace, and all other Blessings I must learn at all times to call for by diligent Prayer, and I adore and love thy infinite Benignity to Sinners, in indulging us the priviledge, the Honour, the Happiness to pray to thee Rom. 10. 13., to pour out our Souls, to breathe out our Desires, to present our wants, and to unbosome our [Page 78] Griefs at thy Throne of Love.
I praise and I love Thee, Encouragements to pray. O Sovereign Love, for not only permitting us miserable wretches to pray to Thee, but also for giving us all imaginable Encouragement to so important and Divine a Duty.
I adore and love Thee, O munificent Goodness, for inviting Psal. 50. 15. for Commanding us to pray Phil. 4. 6.: I adore and love Thee, for pouring out thy holy Spirit of Grace and supplication on us Zech. 12. 10. to help our infirmities, to assist us in praying, to make intercession for us with sighs, and groans that cannot be uttered Rom 8. 25 with the utmost ardours of a penitential and indigent Love. I adore and love Thee for giving us so many glorious Promises Mat. 7. 7. of hearing our Prayers, so many firm Assurances of a gracious Acceptance.
O Thou great Prophet of Divine Love, A Pattern of Prayer. who, as if they Invitation, and Command, and Assistance, and Promise were not enough to move us to pray; hast condescended to teach us this Duty thy Self, and to give us a perfect pattern of Prayer, for which I adore and love thee.
Glory be to Thee, A Form most Condescending. O blessed Master of Devotion, who in dictating a Form of Prayer, and enjoying us to use it 6. 7, 8, 9. Lu [...]. 11. 2., hast complied with our Weakness, and warned us not to relie on rash and unpremeditated Effusions; who in dictating a short Form, hast taught us to avoid vain Repetitions, or thinking we shall be heard for much speaking, and to measure our Prayers rather by their Fervency than length.
That Prayer which was composed by thy own self, most Divine. O God that hearest prayer, we are sure is most divine and excellent, and perfect like its [Page 79] Authour; and most agreeable and acceptable to Thee, for which I adore and love Thee.
O blessed Jesus, the only beloved of God, Thou best Understandest the Language of Love, most Acceptable. and in that language Thou hast taught us to pray, and whenever we pray in that language, we have an humble Confidence thy heavenly Father will hear us; who with the words of His own beloved Son will ever be well pleased; and therefore I adore and love Thee.
Thou, O heavenly Guid of our Devotion and and our Love, Necessity of Prayer. by teaching us to pray, hast shewed us, that Prayer is our Treasury, where all Blessings are kept, our Armory, where all our strength and Weapons are stored, the only great Preservative, and the very vital Heat of Divine Love.
Give me grace therefore to call on Thee at all times by diligent Prayer.
O the unspeakable misery of those who either totally neglect the duty of Prayer Ps. 10. 4., or else prophane it by drawing near to God with their Lips, Misery of those who do not Pray. when their hearts are far removed from Him, whose Prayers being void of all Devotion and Concern, are turned into fresh Sins 109. [...]: How deservedly shall he have God for his Enemy, who would not beg pardon of a most Reconcileable Father? How deservedly shall he suffer eternal Wrath, who thought Heaven not worth the Asking!
O my God, let me daily offer up to Thee my morning and evening Sacrifice 5. 3. 141. 2. in private, Prayer ought to be daily. and in publick too, if my circumstances permit; and as near as I can let me omit no opportunities of Praying, or of Praising Thee.
O my God, may I ever keep my self in Thy Love, Incessant. by praying in the Holy Ghost Jude 20. 21. and by Praying without [Page 80] out ceasing 1 Thes. 5. 17., since I incessantly want the Succours of thy Love.
Ah Lord, I know my Devotion has daily many unavoidable and necessary interruptions, and I cannot alwaies be actually praying; all I can do is to beg of thy Love, to keep my heart always in an habitual Disposition to Devotion, and in Mindfulness of thy Divine presence, that I may perpetuate my Prayer by frequent Ejaculations.
O my God, as thy infinite Love is ever streaming in Blessings on me; O let my soul be ever breathing Love on Thee.
O my God, Joined with Reading and Meditation. to Prayer (whereby I address to Thee) give me grace to add the daily reading and meditation of thy Word Psal. 1. 2., whereby thou art pleas'd to converse with me.
It is thy abundant Love to us, O Lord, that Thou indulgest us thy Word in our own mother Tongue, that from those dear Volumns of thy Love, every devout Lover may daily and on all occasions supply proper Fuel to his Love; for which all Love, all Glory be to Thee.
I adore and love Thee, O heavenly Oracle of Love, The Method of Prayer. for contriving this Prayer in that admirable Method; that Thou hast withal taught us all all the Requisites of an acceptable prayer; Thou in the Preface hast taught us how to pray; in the Petitions for what to pray; and in the Conclusion what ought to be the End of our Prayers: for which I adore and love Thee.
FATHER.
Glory be to Thee, O JESU, who hast taught [Page 81] us to whom to direct our Prayers, The Preface teacheth to GOD Ps. 65. 2. only, since He only is Omniscient to know, and All-sufficient to succour, all our Necessities.
Glory be to thee, how to pray. To whom? To God only. For Jesus sake. who hast taught us for whose sake only, we can hope to be heard, even for thy own, O blessed Jesus, for it is through thy alone Mediation Joh 16. 23. Eph. 1. 6. 2. 18. that we sinners can call God Father, or have access to His Throne.
Glory be to Thee, With the Affections of a Child. O beloved JESU, who in Teaching us to Call God Father, hast taught us to pray with the affections of a Child, with reverential Love, and Reliance on the paternal Care, and Benignity, & Love of our heavenly Father Isai. 63. 15, 16, Luc. 11. 13 Mal. 1. 6.
Our Father.
Glory be to Thee O Lord, of a Brother. who in teaching me to call God, Our Father, hast taught me not to confine my Charity to my self, but to pray also with the Affections of a Brother Eph. 4. 6. 1 Pet. 3. 8. to all mankind: who are Children by Creation, to all Christians, who are Children by Adoption for the same heavenly Father. O give me that Brotherly Kindness to them all, that I may beg the same Blessings for them, as for my self, and earnestly pray that they may all share with me in thy Fatherly Love.
Which art in Heaven.
Glory be to Thee, with the Humility of a Supplicant. O Thou beloved of the Father, who in teaching us to pray to Our Father in Heaven, hast taught me the infinite Distance between GOD and us, to pray with the Humility of a Supplicant Eccl. 5. 1. Heb. 12. 28, 29. with that Aw that becomes a [Page 82] frail Creature, a miserable Sinner, before his Creatour, and his Judge.
O Father Almighty, though Thou fillest all places, yet thy Glory is most manifested in Heaven, and there thy Majesty does most illustriously dwell, and to thy Throne there Psal. 11. 4. Is. 57. 15. are we to lift up our Hearts when we pray, O let my soul fly up to Thee (when I pray) in heavenly Thoughts and Desires, and Love: O let me savour nothing of the Earth, whenever I treat with Thee in Heaven!
Glory be to Thee, Petitions in general teach us for what to Pray. O Gracious Lord, who in the Petitions of thy most Divine Prayer, hast taught us for what we are to pray, for all Blessings temporal, and eternal, for all things lawful, and according to thy Will 1 Joh. 5. 14. 15..
Glory be to Thee, For things lawful: and in what order O Jesu, who in ranking the petitions for Spiritual blessings first, hast taught us to seek Heaven in the first place Mat. 6. 33. Grant Lord, that I may alwayes beg thy Blessings in their due order, that I may pray for Blessings Spiritual with holy Violence Mat. 11. 12. with Importunity and Resolution not to be denied, as being the proper Ingredients of thy Love, In particular for Blessings Spiritual relating to God. and absolutely necessary to my Eternal welfare Gen. 32. 26.; and for Temporal, with Indifference & Resignation to thy Will, since I may love Thee, and be eternally happy without them.
Hallowed be Thy Name.
O Lord God, may Thy Name, Psal. 8. 1, 9. 111. 9. thy own Glorious, and amiable Self, have a Love and Honour separate, and incommunicable. May thy infinite Goodness and Greatness be for ever, by all men and all Angels, confes't, and admired, and adored, [Page 83] and magnifyed Ps. 148. both in private and publick, in our hearts, our mouths and our lives.
All creatures share in thy Goodness 145. 9. 10 O God, O let all Creatures help us to Glorify thy Name.
O may every thing that hath breath, praise the Lord.
Thy Kingdom come.
O Thou King of Kings, may Thy Kingdom of Grace, Luc. 1. 3. Mat. 3. 2. Col. 1. 13. the Church Militant, the Catholick Seminary of divine Love, come to its utmost Evangelical perfection in this life.
O may thy Gospel, Lord, be daily propagated, unbelieving Nations converted Is. 2. 2, 3. and the number of thy Saints augmented.
Grant, O Lord God, that thy true Religion, thy Word, thy Conveyances of Grace, all the holy Institutions, Laws and Governours, fix't by Thee in thy spiritual Kingdom Joh. 18. 36., may be loved, and Honoured, and obeyed: and that thy faithful Subjects may be protected against all the Malice of wicked men, or the powers of Darkness 1 Pet 3. 13. Mal 12. 28, 29..
O my God, let it be thy Good pleasure to put a Period to Sin and Misery, to Infirmity and Death; to compleat the number of thine Elect, and to hasten thy Kingdom of Glory 2 Pet. 1. 11. that we, and all that wait for thy Salvation, may in the Church Triumphant Eternally Love and praise Thee.
Thy Will be done, in Earth as it is in Heaven.
O my God, thy Will, and thy Commands, are [Page 84] most Holy, [...]ust and Good Rom. 7. 12., and condescending to our Weakness, and by no meanes Grievous 1 Joh. 5., O give me Grace conscientiously to observe them.
Thy blessed Angels, O Lord, alwayes behold thy Face in heaven Mat. 18. 10. they have the Beatifick Vision of thy incomparable Amiablness, they cannot but unalterably choose Thee, they must needs to their utmost Capacity praise and love Thee, they cannot possibly offend thee, they ever perfectly obey Psal. 103. 20. Thee, and are always upon the Wing at thy Command.
Lord, give me Grace, in Imitation of the blessed spirits above, to set Thee always before me, O fix my serious contemplations on thee. Ravish my Soul with a lively Sense of thy infinite amiableness: O vouchsafe me one short Glimpse of thy Goodness. O may I once [...]st and see how gracious thou art 34. 8., that all things besides thee may be tastless▪ to me, that my desires may be always flying up towards thee, that I may render thee Love, and Praise and Obedience, Pure and Chearful, Constant and Zealous, Universal and Uniform, like that the Holy Angels render Thee in Heaven.
Give us this Day our dayly Bread.
Glory be to Thee, O Heavenly Benefactor, who [...] thy hand, and [...] all things living with Plenteousness, 145. 16.
O let it be thy Good Pleasure to give me, [...] and [...] wait on thy Beneficent Love, our Food in [...] Give us Bread, and all that is [...] it, Health, Food, Rayment, and all the necessaries of life.
[Page 85] Give us, O heavenly Father, dayly Bread, nothing to gratifie our Luxury, but such a Competency Prov. 30. 8. 9. as thy Divine Wisdom sees fittest for us.
Give us, O bountiful Creatour, [...] Bread this day; Teach us to live without Covetous Anxiety for tomorrow, with a fiducial Dependance on thy Fatherly Goodness, and to be content and Thankful for the present portion 1 Tim. 4. 4 Cap. 6. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 7. thy Love has indulged us.
O merciful Lord, give us Our Bread, that which is our own Bread by honest Labour Gen. 3. 19. Deut. 21. 17 or a Lawful Title, and grant that we may never eat the Bread of Idleness or Deceit.
Do thou, Lord, Give us our bread, for unless Thou givest it, we cannot have it, and together with our bread, give us thy Ec. 5. 19. Mich 6. 14. Blessing, otherwise our very bread will not nourish us.
Above all, O Lord God, give us the Bread of Life, the Bread that came down from Heaven, the Body & Blood of thy most blessed Son to feed our Souls to Life eternal.
Blessed Jesus, O that it might be my meat, as it was thine, to do the Will of thy Heavenly Father Joh. 4. 34.!
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.
For thy own infinite Mercies sake, and for the Merits of the Son of thy Love, forgive me, and all penitent Sinners Our Trespasses, our Sins known or secret, of Omission or Commission, which are the Vast Debts Mat 6. 12. Luc. 11. 4. we owe to thy vindictive Justice.
Forgive us, O Lord, as we forgive all them, even our greatest Enemies that trespass against us, [Page 86] their Trespasses which are infinitely inconsiderable in comparison of our Trespasses against Thee.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord, who to teach us Charity, hast made our Forgiveness, the Condition of obtaining Thine.
O easie, O Gracious Condition of Pardon, who would not forgive his Brother a few Pence in this life, to have ten thousand Talents Mat. 18. 22, 24, 28. forgiven in the next!
O let my Love, Lord, learn from thine, not only to forgive my Enemies, but to be zealous also to do them good.
And lead us not into Temptation.
O Lord God, thou seest how our Ghostly Enemies, the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, are every moment soliciting, enticing, alluring, or tempting us to Evil; O be merciful unto us, save, and help, and deliver us.
Thou seest, O my GOD, how infirm I am, and how ready my own deceitful heart is Jer. 17. 9 to surrender it self to the Tempter; and I know that Satan cannot Tempt me without thy permission Mat. 8. 3 [...].: O lead me not, if it be thy Good pleasure, suffer me not to fall into violent or lasting Temptations, that may endanger my Persevereance.
I know, O heavenly Father, that to be tempted is no sin, for thy own Beloved Son, God incarnate, 4. 1, 9. was tempted to the most horrid of all Sins, to fall down and worship the very Devil, I know Lord the Sin lies in Yielding to the Temptation.
O my God, if thou for tryal of my Love, lead me into any great Temptation, and let me continue [Page 87] under it, Thy Will, Lord, be done, not mine 1 Cor. 10. 13. 1 Pet. 5. 8. 2 Cor. 12. 7. 9. Jam. 4. 7.: O let thy paternal Tenderness limit and controul the Tempter: O let thy All-sufficient Grace restrain my Consent. and keep me always off my Guard, watching and praying, and let me at last be more than a Conquerour.
I am content, Lord, to be tried and assaulted, so I be not wicked, though it be grievous for those that love Thou to be tempted to offend thee.
But deliver us from evil.
O Father of Mercy, If Thou thinkest fit to Lead me into Temptation, Deliver me from the Evil to which I am tempted: Deliver me from the Evil of Sin, and the Evil of Punishment, from the evil One 1 Joh. 2. 14., from the evil World Gal. 1. 4., and from my one evil Heart Heb 3. 12., and from all Suggestions to Evil; for all that is evil is most hateful to Thee (who art Infinite Goodness) and most destructive of thy Love. And therefore, from all that is Evil, O Almighty Lord, defend me.
For thine is the Kingdom, The Conclusion teaches to pray for a right End, God's, Glory. and the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever.
I adore, and love thee, O Jesu, who by concluding this Prayer with a Doxology, hast taught us that the right end of our Prayers should be the Glory of God; that we should be ever careful to mix Praise with our Prayers, and to be as zealous to give Thanks for what we receive Phil. 4. 6. Neh 9. 5. 6., as to pray for what we want.
To thee, O Lord God do we pray, on thee, only we rely and depend for acceptance, to thee [Page 88] only we offer up Praises, for thine is the Kingdom 1 Psal. 47. 2, 7. and Sovereign Right to dispose of all things, thine is the Power 135. 6. Almighty, to relieve & bless us, Thine is the Glory 96. 7, 8.. All the Communications of thy Goodness, as they flow from They return to Thee again in Sacrifices of Love, of Praise, and Adoration.
AMEN.
For the sake, O Heavenly Father of thy Beloved 2 Cor. 1. 20. Rev. 3. 14., in whom all Thy Promises are Amen, and who is Himself he Amen, the Faithful & true Witness of thy Love to us. Hear me, and pardon my Wandrings and Coldness, and help me to summe up and enforce my whole prayer, all my own Wants, and all the Wants of those I pray for, in a Hearty, and Fervent, and Comprehensive. AMEN.
Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ Ordained in His Church?
A. Two only, The Pledges of Love, the Sacraments. as generally necessary to Salvation, that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord.
Glory be to Thee, Their Number. O Crucified Love: out of thy wounded side flowed Water and Blood Joh. 19. 34. the two Sacraments which thou hast Ordained in thy Church, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord, the one to initiate, the other to confirm us in our Christianity.
Glory be to Thee O Lord, who having Ordained Two Sacraments only, and made them General necessary to Salvation 3. 5. 6. 53, art yet pleas'd to have Mercy rather than Sacrifice, in cases where they cannot be had, and where a Surprise of Death may prevent their Administration, thou dost supply the [Page 89] want of them by thy merciful Acceptation of those persons who earnestly desire, and who are disposed to receive them.
O Blessed Jesu, the greater thy Compassion is to those sincere Persons who want thy Sacraments, by reason of their Infelicity, not their Choice, the greater will be thy Indignation against those who willfully Neglect, or contemn Luc. 14. 24 what thy adoreab [...] Love has ordain'd to be (throughout thy thy whole Church) used and Revered: From which Neglect and Contempt of thy Love, good Lord Deliver me!
Q. What meanest thou by this word Sacrament?
A. I mean an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual Grace, Nature. given unto us, ordained by Christ Himself, as means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.
Q. How many Parts are there in a Sacrament?
A. Two: the outward visible Sign, and the inward Spiritual Grace.
Glory be to thee, O tenderest Love, who to [...] our weak and Gross Apprehension, hast in the two Sacraments made an Outward and Visible, and familiar thing to be a Sign, and Memorial, and Representation, of an Inward and invisible, Mysterious and Spiritual Grace.
Glory be to Thee, O bountiful Love, for Ordaining and giving us thy Holy Sacraments Mat. 26. 26, 27. 28., Thou thy Self only art the Authour and Fountain of Grace, and Thou only hast the Right of Instituting the Conveyances of thy own Grace: All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
Glory be to thee, O Mighty Love, who hast [Page 90] elevated these obvious and outward signs, to an efficacy far above their Natures, not only to signify, but to be happy Means, and instruments, to convey thy Grace to us; to be Seals, & Pledges, to confirm and assure to us the Communications of thy Love, that our sight may assist our Faith, that if with due preparation we receive them, both the parts of the Sacrament will go together: as certainly as we receive the Outward and visible [...], so certainly shall we receive the Inward and invisible Grace: for which all Love, all Glory be to thee.
Q. What is the Outward Visible Sign, Baptism. or Form in Baptism?
A. Water: wherein the Person is Baptized, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy-Ghost.
Q. What is the inward and Spiritual Grace?
A. A Death unto Sin, and a new Birth-unto Righteousness. For being by nature born in sin, and the Children of Wrath, we are hereby made the Children of Grace.
Q. What is required of Persons to be baptized?
A. Repentance; whereby they forsake sin, and Faith, whereby they stedfastly believe the Promises of God, made to them in that Sacrament.
Q. Why then are Infants baptized, when by reason of their tender age they cannot perform them?
A. Because they promise them both by their Sureties; which Promise, when they come to age, themselves are bound to perform.
Glory be to Thee, The Outward Sign. O Lover of Souls; it was by thy preventing Love, that I was Baptized with the outward Sign, Water, in the Name of the Father, [Page 91] and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Mat. 28, 19.. That I should believe in the most Holy Trinity; that I should depend on the gracious Assistances, and live wholy devoted to the. Three most adorable persons, that it should be my chief care to love and glory that Tri-une Love, the Authour of my Salvation.
Glory be to thee O Jesu, who by [...], The invisible Grace. that washes away the Filth of the Body, dost represent to my Faith thy invisible Grace in Baptism Ezek. 36. 25. which spiritually washeth and cleanseth the soul.
Glory be to Thee, O blessed LORD, who in Baptism savest us, not by thy outward Washing, but by the inward purifying Grace, accompanied with a sincere Vow, and Stipulation of a good Conscience towards God 1 Pet. 8. 21.; by which thy propitious Love brought me into thy Church, the spiritual Ark, to save me from perishing in the Deluge of Sin, which overwhelms the generality of the World: and therefore all Love, all Glory be to thee.
Glory be to Thee, O All-powerful Love, by whose invisible Grace, we in baptism die to Sin Rom. 6. 3, 4. to all carnal Affections, renouncing and detesting them all, and resolving to take no more pleasure in them than dead Persons do in the Comforts of life. O may I ever thus die to Sin!
Glory be to thee, O Jesu, who from our Death to Sin in our Baptism, dost raise us to a new life, and dost breathe into us the Breath of Love [...] 'tis in this Laver of Re [...]eneration Tit. 3. 5. we are born again by Water Joh. 3. 5. and [...], by a New Birth unto Righteousness: that [...] the Natural Birth propagated Sin, our Spiritual Birth should propagate Grace: for which, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
[Page 92] Glory be to Thee, O most indulgent Love, who in our Baptism dost give us the Holy Spirit of Love to be the principle of new Life, and of Love in us, to infuse into our souls a supernatural Habitual Grace, and Ability to obey and love Thee: for which, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
Glory be to thee, O Compassionate Love, who when we were Conceived and Born in Sin Ps. 51. 5., of sinful Parents; when we sprang from a Root wholly corrupt, and were all Children of Wrath Eph. 2. 1. hast in our Baptism made us Children of thy own Heavenly Father, by Adoption and Grace Rom. 8. 15. When we were heirs of Hell, hast made us Heirs of Heaven, even joint-Heirs with thy own Self, of thy own Glory; for which with all the Powers of my Soul I adore and love Thee.
I know O dearest Lord, Conditions required. that I am Thine no longer than I love thee; I can no longer feel the saving Efficacy of my Baptism, than I am faithful to the Vow I there made; 1 st. Repentance, no longer than I am a Penitent, no longer am I a Christian; if I name the Name of Christ, I am to depart from Iniquity 2 Tim. 2 [...] 19.. O do Thou give me the Grace of true Repentance for all my Sins, for my original Impurity, and for all my actual Transgressions, that I may abhor and forsake them all: Wound my Soul with a most affectionate Sorrow for all the Injuries, and Affronts, and Dishonours I have offered to infinite Love.
Glory be to Thee, to Faith. O most liberal Jesu, for all those exceeding great [...] Promises 2 Pet. 12. 4. of pardon, and Grace, [...] Glory which Thou hast made to us Christians in the Sacrament of Baptism: O may I ever stedfastly believe, O may I ever passionately love, ma, I ever firmly rely on [Page 93] thy Superabundant Love in all these Promises, for which I will ever adore and love thee.
Glory be to Thee, O sweetest Love, who in my Infancy didst admit me to Holy Baptism who by thy preventing Grace, when I was a little Child, didst receive me into the Evangelical Covenant, didst take me up into the Arms of Mercy Marc. 10. 16., and bless me. Glory be to Thee▪ who didst early dedicate me to thy Self, to prepossess me by thy Love, before the World should Seize and defile me.
Ah Gracious Lord, how long, how often have I polluted my self by my Sins! but I repent, and deplore all those Pollutions, and I consecrate my self to thee again: O Thou most reconcileable Love, pardon, and accept me, and restore me to thy Love: O let the intensness of my future Love, not only love for the time to come, but retrieve all the Love I have lost.
Glory be to thee, O tenderest JESU, who when by Reason of my Infancy I could not promise to repent and believe for my self, Sureties. didst mercifully accept of the Promise of my Sureties, who promised both for me, as Thou didst accept for good to the Paralitick Mat. 8. 5., the charitable intention, of those that brought him to thee; and of the Faith of the Woman of Canaan Marc. 2. 5., for the Cure of her Daughter; for which merciful Acceptance, All Love all Glory be to Thee.
O my God, O my Lord, the Promise which was made by my Sureties for me, I acknowledge that as soon as I came to a competent Age, I was bound my self to perform, and I own and renew my Obligation: I promise O my Lord, with all the force of my Soul to love Thee: O do Thou ever keep me true to my own Promise, since thou art ever [Page 94] unalterably true to thine, for which I will ever adore and love thee.
Q. Why was the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ordained? The Supper of the Lord.
A. For the Continual-Remembrance of the Sacrifice of the Death of Christ, and of the Benefits which we receive thereby.
Q. What is the outward part or Sign in the Lord's Supper?
A. Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be received.
Q. What is the inward Purt [...] or thing Signified?
A. The Body and Bloud of CHRIST, which are verily and indeed taken, and Received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper.
Q. What are the Benefits whereof we are [...] Partakers thereby?
A. The Strengthening and Refreshing of our Souls by the Body and Blood of Christ, as our bodies are by the Bread and Wine.
Q. What is required of them who come to the Lord's Supper?
A. To Examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former Sins, stedfastly purposing to lead a new life; have a lively Faith in God's Mercy through Christ with a thankful Remembrance of His Death, and be in Charity with all men.
Glory be to thee, Institution. O Crucified Love, who at thy last Supper didst ordain the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament and Feast of Love.
It was for the continual Remembrance of the Sacrifice of Thy Death, O blessed. JESU, and of the Benefits we receive thereby, that Thou wast pleased to Ordain this Sacred and awful Rite: [Page 95] All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
Ah Dearest Lord, How little sensible is he of thy Love in Dying for us, who can over forget Thee!
Ah W [...] is me; that ever a Sinner should forget his Saviour, and yet, alas, how prone are we to do it!
Glory be to Thee, O Gracious JESU, who to help our Memories, and to impress thy Love deep on our Souls, hast Instituted the Blessed Sacrament, and commanded us, Do this in Remembrance of me.
O Jesu, let the propitiatory Sacrifice of thy Death which thou didst offer upon the Cross for the Sins of the whole World, and particularly for my Sins, be ever fresh in my Remembrance.
O blessed Saviour, let that mighty Salvation, thy Love has wrought for us never slip out of my mind; but especially let my Remembrance of Thee in the Holy Sacrament be always most lively and affecting.
O Jesu, if I love Thee truly, I shall be sure to frequent thy [...], that I may often Remember all the wonderful Loves of my crucifyed Redeemer.
I know, O my Lord and my God, that a bare Remembrance of Thee is not [...], O do Thou therefore fix in me such a Remembrance of Thee, as is suitable to the infinite Love I am to remember: Work in me all the holy and heavenly Affections, as become the Remembrance of a crucified Saviour.
Glory be to Thee, O Adorable Jesus, who under the Outward and Visible Part, Parts outward. the Bread and wine, things obvious and easily prepared, both which thou hast commanded to be Received, dost communicate to our souls the Mystery of Divine Love, the Inward [Page 96] and Invisible Grace, thy own most blessed Body of Blood, which are verily and indeed taken and Received by the Faithful in thy Supper: for which, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
O God Incarnate, Invisible. How the bread and the Wine, unchanged in their Substance, become Thy Body and thy Blood; After what extraordinary manner Thou, who art in Heaven, art present throughout the whole Sacramental Action to every devout Receiver; how Thou canst give us Thy Flesh to eat, and Thy Blood to drink; How Thy Flesh is Meat indeed, and Thy Blood is Drink indeed; how he thus catch Thy Flesh, & drinketh Thy Blood, dwelleth in Thee, and Thou in [...]; How he shall live by Thee, [...] be [...]ised up by Thee to Life Eternal Joh. 6. 54. &c., [...] by no means comprehend; but I firmly believe all Thou hast said, and I firmly rely on Thy Omnipotent Love, to make good Thy Word; for which, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
I believe, O Crucified Lord, Real Presence. that the Bread which we Break in the Celebration of the Holy Mysteries, is the Communication of Thy Body 1 Cor. 10. 16. and the Cup of Blessing which we bless, is the Communication of thy Blood, and that Thou dost as effectually and really convei [...] thy Body and Blood to our Souls, by the Bread and wine, as Thou didst thy holy Spirit Joh. 22. 22. by thy Breath to thy Disciples; for which, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
Lord, What need I labour in vain, to search out the manner of thy mysterious Presence in the Sacrament, when my Love assures me Thou art there. All the Faithful who approach Thee with prepared Hearts, they well know thou art there, they feel the Virtue of Divine Love going out of Thee, to heal their Infirmities, and to enflame their Affections [Page 97] for which, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
O holy JESU, when at thy Altar I see the Bread broken, and the Wine poured out, O teach me to discern thy Body there 1 Cor. 11. 29., O let those Sa [...]ed and significant Actions, Create in me a most lively Remembrance of thy Sufferings, how thy most blessed Body was Scourged, and Wounded, and Bruised, and Tormented; how thy most precious Blood was shed, for my sins; and set all my powers on work to Love Thee, and to celebrate thy Love in thus Dying for me.
Glory be to Thee, O Jesu; who didst institute the Holy Eucharist in both kinds, and hast Commanded both to be Received p Mat 26. 26, 27., Both Kinds. both the Bread and the Wine both thy Body broken, and thy Blood shed: thy Love, O Lord, has given me both, a [...]d both are equally significative and productive of thy Love: I do as much thirst after the one, as I hunger after the other, I equally want both, and it would be grievous to my Love to be deprived of either.
Ah Lord, who is there that truly loves Thee, when Thou givest him two distinct pledges of thy Love, can be content with one only? What Lover can endure to have one half of thy Love with-held from him? And therefore, All Love, all Glory be to Thee for giving both.
O my LORD, & my GOD, Benefits. do Thou so dispose my heart to be thy Guest at thy Holy Table▪ that I may feel all the sweet Influences of Love Crucified, the Strengthening and Refreshing of my Soul, as our Bodies are by the Bread and Wine: for which I will ever adore and love Thee.
O Merciful JESU, let that immortal Food [Page 98] which in the Holy Eucharist Thou vouchsafest me instil into my weak and languishing soul, new supplies of Grace, new life, new Love, new vigour, and new Resolution, that I may never more faint, or droop, or tire in my Duty.
O Crucified Love, raise in me fresh Ardours of Love and Consolation, that it may be henceforth the greatest Torment I can endure, ever to offend Thee, that it may be my greatest delight to please Thee.
O amiable Jesu, when I devoutly receive the outward elements as sure as I receive them, I receive thee, I receive the Pledges of thy▪ Love, to quicken mine; O indulge me, though but for a moment, one Beatifick Foretast of the Deliciousness of thy Love, that in the strength of that Deliciousness I may perseveringly love Thee.
Glory be to thee, my Lord and my God, who hast how given me an Invitation to Thy Heavenly Feast Mat. 11. 28. Luc. 14. 17.. All Love, all Glory to be Thee.
Lord, give me Grace, that I may approach thy awful Mystery, Preparation. with penitential Preparation, and with a Heart fully disposed to loye Thee.
O my GOD, my Judge, give me Grace, I most humbly beseech thee, Examination. to Examine 1 Cor. 11. 28. my whole life past, by the Rule of thy Commandments, before I presume to Eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup: give me Grace sadly to restect on and deplore all my Provocations, lest coming to the Holy Eucharist impenitent and unprepared, I Receive unworthily, and eat and drink my own Damnation.
O Thou great Searcher of Hearts, Thou knowest all that load of Impiety and Guilt under which [...] lie, O help me so impartially to judge and condemn [Page 99] my self, so humbly to repent, and beg pardon, that I may not be Condemned at Thy Tribunal, when I shall appear there at the last Day, that I may be set at thy Right Hand, amongst thy Lovers.
Lord, give me Grace to search every secret of my Heart, to leave no Sin, if possible unrepented of; fill my Eyes full of Tears of Love, that with those Tears I may lament all the Indignities I have offered thy Love.
But alas alas, after the most strict Examination we can make, who can number his impieties? Who can tell how oft he offendeth Psal. 1 [...]. 12.? Lord, therefore, cleanse me from my secret Faults, which in general I renounce and bewail.
O my GOD, Thou who alone changest the Heart, O be Thou pleas'd to change mine, change my Aversion to Thee, Repentance. into an entire Love of Thee. O give me a filial Repentance, that with a broken and a contrite Heart I may grieve, and mourn, and Repent for all my former Sins, and may for ever forsake them, and return to my Obedience.
Let thy Love, O my GOD, so perfectly exhaust my Soul, Amendment. that I may for the Future, stedfastly purpose to lead a new Life, that I may renew my Baptismal Vow, that I may hereafter live a sworn Votary to thy Love.
O Heavenly father, settle in my soul a Lively Faith-in thy Mercy through Christ, Faith. a steddy Belief of all thy Love to Siners, and an affectionate Reliance on the Merits and Mediation of thy Crucified Son, of my being Accepted in the Beloved Eph. 1. [...]., for whom I will ever adore and love Thee.
O my Crucified God, Thanksgiving. Thou Sovereign Inflammative of Love, let the Remembrance of thy Death, set all the powers of my soul on work, that I may [Page 100] desire, and pant after Thee Psal. 42. 1, 2. 63. 1., that I may Admire, and adore Thee, that I may take Heavenly Delight in thy gracious Presence, that with Praise and Thanksgiving, with Jubilation and Triumph, I may receive Thee into my Heart; there I will have Love, only Love, always Love, to entertain Thee.
Lord, when I present my self, and my Love, as all the Gift I have to offer at thy Altar, Charity. next to my Love to Thee, and for the sake of thy infinite Love to me, which I there Remember, give me Grace to love my Neighbour, and to be in Charity with all men, and to walk in Love Eph. 5. 2., as Thou hast loved us, and hast given thy Self for us, an Offering and a Sacrifice to God, for a sweetsmelling savour: For which, All Love, all Glory be to Thee.
O most Reconcileable JESU, in this Memorial of thy Sufferings, in Forgiving I see how thou didst forgive me, and didst love me when I was thy Enemy O for thy dearest Love to me, give me Love to forgive all my Enemies Mat. 61. 14. 15., and to be at peace with the world, as I desire to be loved, and forgiven, and to be at peace with Thee.
All that have any way injured me, O my God, I freely forgive, for thy sake, O do Thou also forgive them: encline them to Brotherly Charity, and let them at last feel the Comfort of that Reconciliation. Thou dist make upon the Cross, for which I will ever adore and love Thee.
O my God, if I have wronged or injured my Neighbour, Bestoring. O give me Grace to beg his Pardon and as I have opportunity to make him Satisfacttion, and Restitution according to my Power.
O crucified Love, whenever I see Thee in any of thy poor Members, Hungry or Naked or in distress [Page 97] Mat. 25. 35., Giving. O let the Rembrance of thy Love, in Dying for me, engage me to contribute all I can to thy relief, O may I ever be liberal in my Alms to Thee, who wert so liberal of thy inestimable Blood for me.
It is very adviseable, that persons before they Communicate, should read over the whole Communion Office, or at least the Exhortations there, which they will find to contain very proper and plain, and excellent Instructions.
It were much to be wish't, that people would make more use of their Common Prayer Books than they do, and apply the Prayers they meet with there to their own particular Conditions, for the Book is always at hand, and the Prayers are most safe, and familiar, and devout; and the more they affect us in our Closet, the more they will affect us in the Congregation; and well meaning Souls will reap great Spiritual advantage from this Practice.
For Example, An humble poor Christian who it may be has no other Book but his Common Prayer Book, and who intends to come to the Holy Communion, may learn to turn the Communion-Office to his own private use, after this manner.
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, Prayer for the Holy Sqirit. cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love Thee, and worthily magnify thy Holy Name, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
I give most humble and hearty thanks to Thee, Thanksgiving for our Redemption. O God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for the Redemption of the World by the Death [Page 102] and passion of our Saviour Christ, both God and man, who did humble Himself even to the Death upon the Cross, for us miserable Sinners, who lay in Darkness and the Shadow of Death, that He might make us the Children of God, and exalt us to everlasting Life.
Glory be to Thee, O JESUS, our Master and only Saviour, who to the end that we should always Remember thy Exceeding great Love in thus Dying for us, and the innumerable Benefits which by thy precious Blood-sheding Thou hast obtained to us; hast instituted and ordained Holy Mysteries, as Pledges of thy Love, and for a continual Remembrance of thy Death, to our great endless Comfort.
To Thee therefore, O blessed Saviour, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, I will give (as I am most bounden) continual thanks, I submit my self wholly to thy holy Will and Pleasure, and will study to serve Thee in true Holiness and Righteousness, all the days of my life.
Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Confession. Judge of all men, I acknowledge and bewail my manifold Sins, &c.
I lift up my heart unto thee, O Lord, I give Thanks unto Thee, O Lord our God, it is meet and right so to do: Praise. it is very meet, right, and my bounden Duty, that I should at all times, and in all places give Thanks unto Thee O LORD, holy Father Almighty, everlasting God.
But chiefly I am bound to praise Thee, for giving thy only Son JESUS to dye for my sins, and to rise again for my Justification.
Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the Company of Heaven, I laud and magnifie, &c.
[Page 103] I do not presume to come to thy Table, O merciful LORD, prayer for our Communicating worthily. trusting in my own Righteousness, &c.
Glory be to God on High, and on earth peace▪ good Will towards men: I praise Thee, Praise. &c.
To these, as you see Occasion, you may add many very good Prayers, short and plain, an pertinent to your purpose, which you may collect out of the Common Prayer, and which will much further your Devotion: such as these,
O Lord, For Fear & Love. who never failest to help and Govern them whom Thou dost bring up in Thy stedfast Fear and Love; Keep me I beseech Thee, under the Protection of Thy Good Providence, and make me to have a pertpetual Fear and Love of thy Holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
O God, For Love. who hast prepared for them that love Thee, such good things as pass mans understanding; pour into my heart such Love toward Thee, that I loving Thee above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that I can desire, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Lord of all Power and Might, who art the Authour and Giver of all good things, Graft in my heart the Love of thy Name, encrease in me true Religion, nourish me with all Goodness, and of thy great mercy keep me in the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
O Lord, For Charity who hast taught me that all my doings without Charity are nothing worth, send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into my heart that most excellent Gift of Charity, the very Bond of Peace [Page 104] and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before Thee. Grant this for thy only Son Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.
Almighty God, For Imitation of Christ. who hast given thy only Son to be unto us both a Sacrifice for Sin, and also an Example of Godly life; Give me Grace, that I may always most Thankfully receive that His inestimable Benefit, and also daily endeavour my self to follow the blessed steps of His most holy Life, through the same▪ Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
[ They that are ignorant, or that cannot read, should go to their parish Priest, or to some other discreet and learned Minister of God's Word, and desire him to teach them their Duty in Private: and they that do thus sincerely seek the Law at the Priest's Mouth, shall find that the Priest's lips do preserve Knowledge, and shall not go away without a Blessing.]
To God the Father, who first loved us, and made as accepted in the Beloved; to God the Son, who loved us, and wash'd us from our Sins in His own Blood; to God the Holy Ghost, who sheds the Love of God abroad in our hearts, be all Love, and all Glory, for time, and for Eternity, Amen.
To the poor Inhabitants within the Diocess of Bath and Wells, THOMAS their unworthy Bishop, wisheth the Knowledge and the Love of GOD.
THe Chatechism truly teaches all Christians that they are not able of themselves to do those things they have vowed in their Baptism to do, namely, To walk in the Commandments of God, and to serve Him, without His Special Grace, or favourable Assistance, and this they are to learn at all times to call upon God for, by diligent Prayer.
How good and seasonable this advice is, you will all see, if you consider what helpless and needy Creatures the very best of men are. Alas! our weakness is very great, our wants are very many, our Dependance on God for all things all our lives long, is entire, and absolute, and necessary, and there is no way in the world to gain Help and Supplies from God, but by Prayer; so that it is as easie. and as possible to preserve a natural Life without daily Bread, as a Christian Life without daily Prayer.
It was for this Reason that our Saviour Himself took a particular care, to teach His Disciples to pray Lue. 11. 1.: and it is for the same Reason, and in imitation of our Heavenly Master, that I have joyned these Directions for Prayer to the Catechism.
Sure I am, the Zeal I ought to have for your Salvation, can suggest to me nothing more Conducing to the Good of your Souls, than to Exhort and Beseech you all, of either Sex, [Page 106] to learn how to Pray.
This is the first general Request I shall make to you, and I am the more earnest in it, because my own sad Experience has taught me, how strangely ignorant common people usually are of this Duty; insomuch that some never pray at all, pretending they were never taught, or that their memories are bad, or that they are not Book-learn't, or that they want mony to buy a Book; and by this means they live and dye rather like Beasts than Men; nay, their Condition is much worse than that of Beasts, for the misery of a Beast doth end at death, but the Misery of a wicked man does then begin, and will endure to all Eternity.
To prevent then as much as lies in me the Damnation of those souls which God has committed to my Care, and to cure that lamentable Ignorance and Forgetfulness of GOD, which is the cause of the Damnation of so very many, I do not only incessantly pray for you my self, but I beg of you all to pray for your selves, and I beseech you to read the following Instructions; or if you cannot read your selves, to get some honest charitable Neighbours to read them▪ often to you, that you may remember them, and God of His Great Mercy reward the Charity of such Neighbours.
If any of you, either by your own Negligence, or by the Negligence of your parents, or for want of Catechising in your Parish, are wholly ignorant of your Duty: tho it be a most shameful and dangerous thing, for [...] who calls himself a Christian, to know nothing of Christ or Christianity; yet if you are willing to learn, and beg pardon of God for your wilful ignorance hitherto, and will sincerely do your endeavour to get saving Knowledge, and heartily pray to God to assist you, you shall find, that the very Entrance of God's Word giveth light, that it giveth Understanding unto the Simple Psal. 119. 130..
I must warn you before hand, that corrupt Nature will be very busie in hindering the learning of your Duty and Thoughts will arise in your mind that the Task will be too hard and too tedious for you to undertake; but I faithfully promise you, to [Page 107] impose no hard or tedious Task on you, but such as you your selves shall confess to be very complying with your Infirmities; for our most compassionate Saviour teaches me to say no more to you than you can bear Joh. 16. 11..
All I shall exhort you to, is, to learn your Catechism, which you may do by degrees; if you learn but a line or two in a day, you will by God's Blessing, in a very short time learn it all over, and you will rejoice, and thank God, for the sudden and happy progress you have made.
God forbid you should ever think your selves too old to learn to serve GOD, and to be Saved, both which are taught in the Catechism, and therefore the Catechism is of necessity to be learned: for how can you go to heaven if you never learn'd the way thither? How can you be saved if you do not know your Saviour?
'Tis a great Error, to think that the Catechism was made for Children only, for all Christians are equally concern'd in those saving Truths which are there taught; and the Doctrine delivered in the Catechism, is as proper for the Study, and as necessary for the Salvation of a great Doctor, as of a weak Christian or a young Child.
But you will be the more encouraged to learn your Catechism, when you see how excellent a help it will be to prayer, for it will at the same time further your Knowledge and your Devotion, both together; and the prayers I intend to commend to you, are chiefly the very▪ Answers in the Catechism, which being daily repeated, will be the better fix't in your memory, and you cannot imagine any advice for Prayer can be more easie, and Familiar, than that which directs you to turn your very Catechism into prayers.
You are by this time (I hope) satisfied, that the Duty to which I exhort you, is no hard task; and yet I will endeavour, by God's Assistance, to make it more easie, by putting you into an easie Method to attain it.
If you are wholly ignorant of your Catechism, let it be your first care to learn such Ejaculations, such short prayers as these, and say them often and heartily.
[Page 108] Lord have mercy upon me.
Christ have Mercy upon me.
Lord have mercy upon me.
Lord pardon all my wilful ignorance, and gross Carlesness of my Duty, for the sake of JESUS▪ my Saviour, Amen.
O GOD, assist me in the learning of my Duty.
Lord help me to know and to love Thee.
Lord pity me, Lord save me; Father forgive me.
Glory be to Thee, O LORD, who hast hitherto spared me.
Oh that I might at last learn to glorifie, and love, and serve Thee!
Such short Prayers as these you may easily get by heart, and the method in which I advise you to proceed, is, that in which Children are commonly taught, in regard I am now to look on you as a Child: for there are two sorts of Children; there are Children in Age, and Children in Understanding 1 Cor. 14. 20., and in this latter respect you are Children, and the same method, for the most part, is proper for you, which is proper for those that are Children in age.
I must therefore feed you with Milk, before you can be capable of strong meat Heb. 5. 13., and I must look on you as Lambs of my Flock, which I am to use tenderly, and these following Directions which I give to parents▪ for the training up their Children in Piety, I do equally design for the training up of you. God of His infinite Goodness, bless them to you both.
I exhort all you who are parents, to instil good things into your Children, as soon as ever they begin to speak; let the first words they utter, if possible, be these, Glory be to God. Accustom them to repeat these words on their knees, as soon as they Rise, and when they go to bed, and oft times in the day; and let them not eat or drink, without saying, Glory be to God.
As their Speech grows more plain and easie to them, Teach them who Made, and Redeem'd, and Sanctified them, and for what End, Namely, to Glorifie and to Love GOD; and withal, teach them some of the shortest Ejaculations you can, such as these;
[Page 109] Lord help me, Lord save me.
Lord have Mercy upon me.
All Love, all Glory be to God, who first loved me.
Lord keep me in Thy love.
Within a little time you may teach them the Lord's Prayer, and hear them say it every day, Morning and Evening, on their knees, with some one or more of the fore-going Ejaculations; and by degrees as they grow up, they will learn the Creed, and the whole Catechism.
Be sure to teach your Children with all the sweetness and gentleness you can, lest if you should be severe, or should overtask them, Religion should seem to them, rather a Burden than a Blessing.
As their Knowledge encreases, so let their Prayers encrease▪ also, and teach them as they go to turn their Catechism into Prayers, after the manner which I shall shew you, and to Confirm and improve their Knowledge, bring them duly to the Church to be Catechised by the parish Priest, that by his familiar and devout Explications of the Catechism, they may learn to understand it, and may be capable of Reading the Exposition on it, and other Books of Piety.
Take conscientious Care to Season your Children as early as you can, with the Love of GOD, which is the first and great Commandment Matth. 22. 38., and with the Fear of God which is the Beginning of wisdom Psal. 111. 10.; for the awful Love, and the Filial Fear of God, must always go together.
The same method you take in teaching your Children, the same you may observe in teaching your Servants, according as you see they want Teaching, and you your selves will reap the Benefit of it, as well as your servants; for the more devout Servants they are of GOD, the more [...]aithful Servants will they be to you.
Remember, You must teach both your Children and Servants by your Example, as well as by your Instruction, for they learn best by Example; and if they see you give an example of Fraud, or Lying, of Revenge or Calumny, of Uncleanness or Drunkenness, [Page 110] of Cursing and Swearing and Irreligion; instead of teaching them to obey God, you teach them to Provoke Him; instead of Teaching them to honour God, you teach them to Blaspheme Him; instead of leading them the way to Heaven, you lead them the way to Hell; and you will increase your own Damnation, by furthering theirs, which God forbid you should ever do.
Now that you may the better give a good Example to your Family, I will by Gods help give you a Method of Daily Devotion, taken for the most part out of the Catechism, which will be suitable to all Christians, be they never so well instructed, & which you may by little & little teach your childrens, and which those who have been bred up in Ignorance, and are Children in Understanding, and yet willing to be taught, may learn to say also, as the capacities of either do increase; for a Christian must never stand at a stay, but must be always growing in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 3. 18..
A Method of Daily PRAYER.
As soon as ever you awake, offer your first thoughts and Words to God, saying
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: Three Persons and one God, blessed for evermore; All Love, all [...]aise be to Thee.
As you are Rising, say
I laid me down and slept, and role up again; for the Lord sustained me Psal. 3. 5.: All Love, all Glory be to God.
As soon as you are Drest, kneel down, as our Saviour Himself kneel'd, Luc. 22. 41. at his Prayers, and remember you are in God's Presence, and say your Prayers with Reverence and Devotion.
Morning Prayer.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord GOD, for my Preservation and Refreshment, and for all the Blessings of the Night past, for [Page 111] which, All Love, all Praise be to Thee.
Father, Forgive me all the Evil of the Night past, for the Merits of JESUS my Saviour, Amen.
O Merciful God, keep and protect, and bless me this day, and prosper me in my Calling, and preserve me from Sin and Danger, for the Merits of Jesus my Saviour, Amen.
I Believe in GOD the Father Almighty, &c.
All Love, All Glory be to Thee, O God the Father, who hast made me and all the world.
All Love, All Glory be to thee O God the Son, who hast Redeemed me, and all Man-kind.
All Love, all Glory be to Thee, O God the Holy-Ghost, who dost Sanctifie me and all the Elect People of God.
All Love, all Glory be to Thee, O Father of Mercy, who in my Baptism didst make me a Member of Christ, thy own Child, and an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven.
O my GOD, I do this day Dedicate my self to thy Service, and do Renew the Promise and Vow of my Baptism:
I do from my heart Renounce the Devil and all his works, the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked world and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh : From all which, good LORD deliver me.
I believe all the Articles of the Christian-Faith, and I will keep Thy Holy Will and Commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life.
All this, O Lord, I am Bound to believe and do, and by thy Help so I will, and I heartily thank Thee, O Heavenly Father, who hast called me to this State of Salvation, through [...] Christ my Saviour; and I pray unto Thee to give me thy Grace, that I may continue in the same to my lives end.
Lord hear me, help me, pardon my failings, supply all my Wants, and the Wants of all faithful people, which I summ up in the Words of thy own beloved Son,
Our Father which art in heaven, &c.
After the like manner you may pray at Night.
Evening Prayer.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord, for my Preservation, and for all the blessings of the day past; for which, all Love, all Praise be to Thee.
Father, forgive me all the Sins I have this day committed, either in Thought, Word or Deed, either against Thee, or against my Neighbour, for the sake of Jesus my Saviour. Amen, Amen.
It grieves me, O merciful GOD, that I should daily offend Thee; but I repent, O pity and pardon me, for the Sake of JESUS thy beloved, Amen, Amen.
O my God, keep & protect, and bless me this Night, and preserve me from Sin & danger, for the sake of Jesus, Amen, Amen.
LORD, refresh me this Night with seasonable Sleep, that I may rise the next morning more fit and able to serve thee in my Calling, for the sake of Jesus thy beloved. Amen, Amen.
I believe in GOD, the Father Almighty, &c.
All Love, all Glory be to thee, O God the Father &c. as in the morning.
I desire Thee, O Lord God, O Heavenly Father, who art the the giver of all Goodness, to send thy Grace, unto me, ( and to my Wife and Children, to my Husband and Children, Father and Mother, Brethren and Sisters, Kindred and Friends Master and Mistress) and unto all people, that we may worship Thee, serve Thee, & obey thee, you must name these Relations, acording as you stand related. as we ought to do: And I pray unto Thee, that thou would'st send us all things that be needful both for our souls and dies, and that Thou wilt be merciful unto us, and forgive us our Sins; and that it will please Thee to save and defend us in all Dangers, ghostly and bodily, and that Thou wilt keep us from all Sin and Wickedness, and from our ghostly Enemy, and from everlasting Death: and this I trust He will do of His Mercy and Goodness, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen, Lord, So be it.
Lord hear me, Lord help me, pardon my Failings, supply all my wants and the wants of all for whom I pray, which I [Page 113] summ up in the Words of thy own beloved Son,
Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.
As you are going to Bed, say
I will lay me down in peace and take my Rest, for it is Thou, Lord, only that makest me dwell in safety Psal. 4. 9.
As you began the day, so end it with Glorifying God, and when you are in Bed, say,
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, Three Persons and One GOD, Blessed for ever more. All Praise, all Love be to Thee.
I earnestly beg of God, to make you Sensible your selves, and to give you Grace to make your Children and Servants sensible also, how necessary, and happy, and Heavenly a Duty Prayer is, and how many Exceeding great and precious Promises God has made to those that devoutly pray to Him; and if you are thus Sensible, you will not content your selves with Morning and Evening Prayer only, but you will be desirous, if you have Opportunity, to retire about Mid-day, for a few minutes, that you may imitate the Devotion of Holy David, and of Daniel, and pray three times a day Dan. 6. 10.: and that you may not want a Help for Noon-tide Prayer, the Catechism shall supply you.
Prayer for Noon.
At Evening, and at Morning, and at Noon-day, will I pray, and that instantly, Lord, hear my Voice Psal. 55. 17..
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the Beginning, is now, and ever shall be, World without end, Amen.
All Love, all Glory be to Thee, O God the Father, who hast first loved us, and hast given thy beloved Son to die for our Sins, and to rise again for our Justification.
Have mercy upon me O GOD, after Thy great Goodness, according to the Multitude of Thy Mercies do away mine Offences.
[Page 114] Wash me throughly from my Wickedness, and Cleanse me from my Sin.
Make me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me, for the sake of Jesus thy Beloved. Amen.
O Lord God, Who seest I am not able of my self to walk in thy Commandments, and to serve Thee: be pleased to help and strengthen me by thy special Grace, that I may daily and sincerely perform my Duty towards thee, and my Duty towards my Neighbour, for the sake of Jesus my Saviour, Amen.
O my God, give me Grace to believe in Thee, and to love Thee with all my Heart, with all my Mind, with all my Soul, and with all my strength; to worship Thee, to give Thee Thanks, to put my whole Trust in Thee, to call upon Thee, to honour thy Holy Name and thy Word, and to serve Thee truly all the Days of my Life: for the sake of JESUS thy beloved, Amen.
O my God, Give me grace to love my Neighbour as my self to do to all men, as I would they should do to me; This clause must be left out if your Father and Mother be dead. to Love, Honour, and Succour my Father and Mother, to Honour and obey the King and all that are put in Authority under Him; to submit my self to all my Governours, Teachers, spiritual Pastours and Masters; to order my self lowly and reverently to all my Betters; to hurt no body by Word or Deed, to be true and just in all my Dealing; to bear no Malice nor Hatred in my heart; to keep my hands from Picking and stealing, and my Tongue from evil-speaking, Lying, and Slandering; to keep my body in Temperance, Soberness, and Chastity; not to Cover or Desire other mens Goods, but to learn and labour truly to get my own Living, and to do my Duty in that state of Life unto which it hath pleased GOD to call me, for the sake of Jesus thy Beloved, Amen.
Lord, hear me, help me, pardon my Failings, supply all my wants, which I summ up in the Words of thy beloved Son,
Our Father which art in Heaven &c.
[Page 115] Instead of these two last Prayers, you may sometimes say the Ten Commandments, which you may turn into a very good prayer, by saying after every one,
Lord have Mercy upon me, and encline my heart to keep this Law.
Where you not only beg pardon for the sins you have committed against each Commandment, but you also beg Grace to keep it.
At the end of them you may say,
Lord have Mercy upon me, and write all these thy Laws in my heart, I beseech Thee.
And so conlude with the Lord's Prayer.
Do not think that this practice of Prayer will be too hard, or too long for young persons, or for labouring people; for if you cannot say them all, say as much as you can; or if you are at day-Labour, and have not Time or Convenience to say them, offer up to God two or three hearty Ejaculations in their place. But if you can get time & convenience, say them all: And I dare assure you, that all the three Forms of Prayer which I commend to you, will not in all take up a Quarter of an hour: and certainly, that person has very little sense of his Duty, very little concern for his immortal soul, very little Honour for God, or value for Heaven, who will not spend one quarter of an hour in the space of four and twenty hours, in the Service of God, and the Salvation of his own soul.
I do by all means exhort you, to give your Servants a few minutes leisure at noon, to pray after your Example, and to use your Children to do the same, for they will soon be able to say the Lord's Prayer, and two or three Ejaculations, and teach them to say these at Noon, as well as at morning & at night, and 'tis incredible to think, how much good this practice will do them, and what great comfort you your selves will reap from the early Devotion of your Children.
To further this Devotion in your Children, instead of idle Tales, and Songs, which pollute their souls, and when they come [Page 116] to be serious, will cost them great pains to unlearn. You must teach them short Psalms by heart, which will excercise their Memories and Piety, both together; and as you teach the Psalms to your [...], I exhort you to learn them your selves.
You cannot imagine the great benefit of learning Psalms by heart, for when you are under any Temptation, or are in any Affliction, or when you lye waking in the Night, or when you are sick, these Psalms will come into your mind, and the devout Repeating them will yield you most seasonable Consolations.
The very Common People, in the first and purest Ages of the Church, were so sensible of the spiritual Advantages of learning Psalms, that they learn'd the whole Psalter by heart, and sang or said the Psalms in their Shops and at the plow, insomuch that St. James makes it the proper Expression of Christian-Mirth Jam 5. 13., If any be merry, let him sing Psalms.
This is the way to store your own and your Childrens minds with Ejaculations, or short Prayers for all Occasions, which I advise both Old and Young to accustom themselves to, because it is the true way of Praying without ceasing, and it is a kind of Prayer most easie, and may be used at any time of the day, or in any place, and is one of the most efficacious means in the world to keep us in Gods Favour, which is of all things most desirable.
EJACULATIONS.
At Going out, or Comming in.
Lord bless my Going out and my Coming in, from this time forth for ever more Psal. 121. 8..
At Meals.
Lord Grant, that whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, I may do all to thy Glory 1 Cor. 10. 31..
At Work
Prosper Thou the Work of my hands, O LORD, O [Page 117] prosper Thou may handy Work Psal. 90. 17..
In the Shop or Market.
LORD, give me Grace to use this World so as not to abuse it 1 Cor. 7. 31..
Lord, grant that I may never go beyond, or defraud my brother in any matter, for Thou art the Avenger of all such 1 Thes. 4. 6..
In Temptation, or Danger.
O GOD, make speed to save me: O LORD make hast to help me.
At any time of the Day.
Wherever I am, whatever I do, Thou, Lord seest me: O keep me in thy Fear all the day long Prov. 23. 17.:
Lord, give me Grace to keep always a Conscience void of offence towards Thee, and towards men Act. 24. 16..
Lord, teach me so to number my Days, that I may apply my heart to Wisdom Psal. 90. 12..
O let my mouth be filled with thy Praise, that I may sing of thy Glory and Honour, all the day long 71. 7..
All Love, all Glory be to Thee, O God, who didst first love me.
Unto Him that loved us, and wash'd us from our sins in His own bloud, be glory and dominion, for ever & ever. Amen. Rev. 1. 5..
O blessed Spirit, [...] abroad the Love of God in my heart
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, praise His Holy Name Psal. 103. 1.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, while I live will I praise the Lord, yea as long as I have any being I will sing praises unto my God 146. 1.
You that have Families, I do further exhort, that besides your Private prayers, you would offer up to God, a Morning and Evening Sacrifice in your Families, and that every one of you would take up the Holy Resolution of Joshua, As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord Josh. 24. 15., And the prayers I advise you to [Page 118] use, are taken out of the Common Prayer, as being most Familiar, and of greatest Authority withal.
If any of your Family are gone abroad to their work, before the rest can be ready, call that little Congregation about you that is at home, and you that are present, pray for those that are absent; and by this means those that are absent upon necessary Employments, will share in the Blessings for which you pray.
Morning Prayer for a Family.
Let the Words of our Mouths, and the Meditations of our Hearts, be alway acceptable in thy Sight : O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer.
O God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy upon us miserable Sinners.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us miserable Sinners.
O God the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father & the Son, have mercy upon us miserable Sinners.
O Holy, Blessed, and Glorious Trinity, Three Persons and one God, have mercy upon us miserable Sinners,
O Lord, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins unto thee, that they whose Consciences by Sin are accused, by thy merciful Pardon may be absolved, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Almighty GOD, who seest that we have no power of our selves to help our selves, we give Thee humble thanks for thy preservation of us this day past, [ or this night past] and for all the Blessings Thou daily vouchsafest us; and we beseech Thee to keep us both outwardly in our Bodies, and inwardly in our Souls; that we may be defended from all Adversities which may happen to the Body, and from all evil Thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul, through JESUS Christ our Lord, Amen.
[Page 119] Almighty God, whose Kingdom is everlasting and Power infinite, have Mercy upon the whole Church, and so rule the Heart of thy chosen Servant JAMES our King and Governour, that He (knowing whose Minister He is) may above all things seek thy Honour and Glory; and that we, and all his Subjects (duly considering whose Authority He hath) may faithfully serve, honour, and humbly obey Him, in Thee, and for Thee, according to Thy blessed Word and Ordinance, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth ever One GOD, world without end, Amen.
Unto thy Gracious Mercy and Protection O LORD, do we Commit our selves this day, or this Night. and all our Relations and Friends, Lord, prosper us in our Callings; Lord bless us and keep us; Lord, make thy Face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us; Lord lift up thy Countenance upon us and give us peace, both now and ever more, for the sake of Jesus thy beloved, in whose own blessed Words, we summ up all our wants.
Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.
The same Form, changing but one word, is proper for the Night as well as the morning, to make Family prayer the more easie to you.
That prayer which I have set down, wherein you pray for the King, & pray for your selves also, that you may be good Subjects, I exhort you never to omit, because you know that the Countrey wherein you live, was the only seat of the late Rebellion, and the Tares of Sedition, have been industriously sown among you, and you have the greater reason to pray that you may continue firm in your Allegiance; besides, St. Paul teaches you that to pray for Kings is good and acceptable in the sight of GOD our Saviour. 1 Tim. 2. 2, 3.
To your Family Prayers, you may add, as you see occasion; are of these following:
[Page 120] Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the Increase of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and that we may obtain that which Thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou dost command, thre [...] [...] JESUS Christ our Lord, Amen.
Lord we beseech Thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the Temptations of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow Thee the only GOD, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
[...]vent us, O Lord, in all our Doings with thy most gracious Favour, and further us with thy continual help, that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in Thee, we may Glorifie thy Holy Name; and finally, by thy mercy obtain everlasting Life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
These and the like short Prayers may be said alone in the Closet, as well as in the Family, by changing only the number, and for [we] saying all along [I] and for [us] saying [me.] As for example, when you read any part of the Holy Scripture, either alone by your selves, or with your Families; both which you should do daily, if you have leisure, but if you have not, see that you do both on the Lord's days, and on Holy-days, and before Reading say this Prayer,
Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning grant that we [ I] may in such wife hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of thy holy Word, we [ I] may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting Life, which Thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
God of His infinite mercy, bless these Instructions to His Glory, and to the furtherance of your Devotions, through JESUS the beloved: Amen, Amen.
Though several Typographical Faults, which were in the last Impression, are in this Corrected, yet through the Inadvertency of the Printer, there have escaped these ERRATA.
PAge 12. line 21. dele in. p. 15. l. 3. for Beneficient, read Beneficent. p. 80. l. 13. for Breathing love on thee, r. Breathing love to thee. p. 101. in the Margin, r. Spirit. p. 103. l. 1. r. not. p. 110. l. 13. r. which those who have been bred. p. 111. l. 31. for support r. supply. p. 112. l. 26. for dies r. bodies. p. ibid. l. 30. for He will, r. Thou wilt. l. 31. for His, r. Thy. p. 114. l. 32. for support, r. supply.