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Full text of "The whole works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor"

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13-NIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
AT LOS ANGELES 




THE 



WHOLE WORKS 



OF THE 



RIGHT REV. JEREMY TAYLOR, D.D. 

LORD BISHOP OF DOWN, CONNOR, AND DROMORE. 



VOLUME XV. 



CONTAIMXG 



THE GOLDEN GROVE J THE PSALTER ; A COLLECTION OF OFFICES, OR 

FORMS OF PRAYER; DEVOTIONS FOR VARIOUS OCCASIONS; 

AND THE WORTHY COMMUNICANT. 



YOL. XV. 



THE 



WHOLE WORKS 



OF THE 

RIGHT REV. JEREMY TAYLOR, D.D, 

LORD BISHOP OF DOWN, CONNOR, AND DROMOKE : 

WITH 

A LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, 

AND 

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF HIS WRITINGS, 

BV THK 

RIGHT REV. REGINALD HEBER, D.D. 

LATE LORD BISHOP OF CALCUTTA. 

V' 

THIRD EDITION OF THE COLLECTED WORKS. 

IN FIFTEEN VOLUMES. 
VOL. XV. 



LONDON: 

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS ; J. RICHARD- 
SON : HATCHARD AND SON; J., G., AND F. RIVINGTON ;- J. BOHN; HAMILTON, 
ADAMS, AND CO. ; DUNCAN AND MALCOLM; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO.; 
E. HODGSON; B. FELLOWES ; H. BOHN; C. DOLMAN; H. BICKERS; J. H. PARKER, 
OXFORD; J. AND J. J. DEIGHTON, CAMBRIDGE; G. AND J. ROBINSON, LIVER- 
POOL; AND W. STRONG, BRISTOL. 

M.DCCC.XXXIX. 



LONDON. 

PRINTtD BY MOVES AND BAKCLAY, 

Castle Strict, Leicester Square. 



BR75 



n 3? 

. J5 

CONTENTS 



OF 



THE FIFTEENTH VOLUME. 



THE GOLDEN GROVE; 

PAGE 

Or, a Manual of Daily Prayers and Litanies, fitted to the Days of the 
Week : containing a short Summary of what is to be believed, prac- 
tised, and desired 1 

CREDENDA ; or, what is to be believed 11 

AGENDA; or, Things to be done 32 

POSTULANDA ; or, Things to be prayed for 50 

Festival Hymns 76 



THE PSALTER OF DAVID; 

With Titles and Collects, according to the Matter of each Psalm : 
whereunto are added, ' Devotions for the Help and Assistance of all 
Christian People, in all Occasions and Necessities' 93 

Devotions for several Occasions 197 



A COLLECTION OF OFFICES, 

Or Forms of Prayer in Cases Ordinary and Extraordinary ; taken out 
of the Scriptures, and the Ancient Liturgies of several Churches, 

especially the Greek 237 

Morning Prayer, throughout the Year 243 

Evening Prayer, throughout the Year '. 255 

Additional to the foregoing Offices 265 

Varieties to be added upon the Great Festivals of the Year 282 



An Office or Order for the Administration of the Holy Sacrament of 
the Lord's Supper, according to the way of the Apostolical Churches, 
and the Doctrine of the Church of England . . 290 



CONTENTS. 



A Form of Administration of the Holy Sacrament of Baptism 306 

The Devotions and proper Offices for Women 316 

The Offices or Forms of Prayer and Devotion for the Miserable and 

Afflicted 332 

A Form of Devotion ; to be used and said in the Days of Sorrow and 

Affliction of a Family, or of Private Persons 371 

A Form of Prayer or Thanksgiving 378 



THE WORTHY COMMUNICANT; 

Or, a Discourse of the Nature, Effects, and Blessings, consequent 
to the worthy Receiving of the Lord's Supper; and of all the Duties 
required in order to a worthy Preparation : together with the Cases 
of Conscience occurring in the Duty of him that ministers and of him 
that communicates; as also Devotions fitted to every part of the 
Ministration 391 

The Introduction . 397 



CHAPTER I. 

OF THE NATURE, EXCELLENCES, USES, AND INTENTION OF THE 
HOLT SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

SECTION I. 

Of the several Apprehensions of Men concerning it 404 

SECTION II. 
What it is which we receive in the Holy Sacrament 409 

SECTION III. 

That in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper there are represented and 
exhibited many great Blessings, upon the special Account of that 
sacred Ministry, proved in general 421 

SECTION IV. 

The Blessings and Graces of the Holy Sacrament enumerated and proved 
particularly 431 

SECTION V. 
Practical Conclusions from the preceding Discourses 445 

SECTION VI. 
Devotions preparatory to this Mystery 454 



CONTENTS. V 



CHAPTER II. 

OF OUR GENERAL PREPARATION TO THE WORTHY RECEPTION OF THE 
BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND THE PARTICIPATION OF THE MYSTERIES. 

SECTION I. PAGE 

Of Examination of ourselves in order to the Holy Communion 457 

SECTION II. 
Of the Examination of our Desires 462 

SECTION III. 
Of our Examination concerning remanent Affections to Sin 470 

SECTION IV. 

Of Examination of ourselves in the Matter of our Prayers, in order to 
a holy Communion 480 

SECTION V. 
Of preparatory Examination of ourselves in some other Instances .... 486 

SECTION VI. 

Devotions to be used upon the Days of our Examination, relative to 
that Duty 493 



CHAPTER III. 

OF FAITH, AS IT IS A NECESSARY DISPOSITION TO THE 
BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

SECTION I. 
Of Catechumens, or unbaptized Persons * 499 

SECTION II. 
Of Communicating Infants 501 

SECTION III. 

Whether Innocents, Fools, and Madmen, may be admitted to the Holy 
Communion , , 508 

SECTION IV. 
Of actual Faith, as it is a necessary Disposition to the Sacrament .... 510 



CONTENTS. 



SECTION V. PAGE 

Of the proper and specific Work of Faith in the Reception of the Holy 
Communion 520 

SECTION VI. 

Meditations and Devotions relative to this preparatory Grace ; to be 
used in the Days of Preparation, or at any Time of Spiritual Com- 
munion . 534 



CHAPTER IV. 

OF CHARITY, PREPARATORY TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

SECTION I. 
Operations of Charity, relative to the Holy Communion 537 

SECTION II. 
Of Doing Good to our Neighbours * 540 

SECTION III. 
Of Speaking Good of our Neighbours 543 

SECTION IV. 

Forgiveness of Injuries a necessary Part of Preparation to the Holy 
Sacrament ^ 546 

SECTION V. 

Devotions relative to this Grace of Charity: to be used, by way of 
Exercise and Preparation to the Divine Mysteries, in any Time or 
Part of our Life; but especially before and at the Communion .... 579 



CHAPTER V. 

OF REPENTANCE, PREPARATORY TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

SECTION I. 
Remarks on the Necessity of Repentance in general 582 

SECTION II. 
The Necessity of Repentance in order to the Holy Sacrament 585 



CONTENTS. Vll 

SECTION III. PAGE 

What Actions of Repentance are specially required in our Preparations 
to the Holy Sacrament 589 

SECTION IV. 

How far we must have proceeded in our general Repentance, and 
Emendation of our Lives, before we communicate 606 

SECTION V. 

What Significations of Repentance are to be accepted by the Church 
in Admission of Penitents to the Communion 635 

SECTION VI. 

Whether may every Minister of the Church and Curate of Souls reject 
impenitent Persons, or any Criminals, from the Holy Sacrament, until 
themselves be satisfied of their Repentance and Amends 639 

SECTION VII. 

Penitential Soliloquies, Ejaculations, Exercises, and preparatory 
Prayers, to be used in all the Days of Preparation to the Holy 
Sacrament . 648 



CHAPTER VI. ' 

OF OUR ACTUAL AND ORNAMENTAL PREPARATION TO THE 
RECEPTION OF THE BLESSFD SACRAMENT. 

SECTION [ . 

An Inquiry whether we are habitually prepaied, is the pr oper Pre 
paralion for the Holy Communion 652 

SECTION II. 

Rules for Examination of our Consciences against the Day of our 
Communion 655 

SECTION III. 

Of an actual Supply to be made of such Actions and Degrees of Good 
as are wanting against a Communion Day 659 

SECTION IV. 

Devotions to be used upon the Morning of the Communion 664 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

OF OUR COMPORTMENT IN AND AFTER RECEIVING THE 
BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

SECTION I. PAGE 

Of the Circumstances and Manner of Reception of the Divine Mysteries 667 

SECTION II. 

Acts of Virtues and Graces relative to the Mystery, to be used before 
or at the Celebration of the Divine Sacrament 677 

SECTION III. 
An Advice concerning him who only communicates spiritually 688 



Prayer before Sermon 690 

Prayer after Sermon 694 



THE 



GOLDEN GROVE; 



OR, 



A MANUAL 



OF 

DAILY PRAYERS AND LITANIES, 

FITTED TO THE DAYS OF THE WEEK. 

CONTAINING 

A SHORT SUMMARY 

OF 
WHAT IS TO BE BELIEVED, PRACTISED, AND DESIRED. 



VOL. XV. 



TO THE 

PIOUS AND DEVOUT READER. 



IN this sad declension of religion, the seers who 
are appointed to be the watchmen of the Church, 
cannot but observe that the supplanters and under- 
miners are gone out, and are digging down the 
foundations ; and having destroyed all public forms 
of ecclesiastical government, discountenanced an 
excellent liturgy, taken off the hinges of unity, dis- 
graced the articles of religion, polluted public as- 
semblies, taken away all cognizance of schism, by 
mingling all sects, and giving countenance to that 
against which all power ought to stand upon their 
guard : there is now nothing left, but that we take 
care that men be Christians. For concerning the 
ornament and advantages of religion, we cannot 
make that provision we desire : " Incertis de salute, 
de gloria minime certandum :" for since they who 
have seen Jerusalem in prosperity, and have forgot- 
ten the order of the morning and evening sacrifice, 
and the beauty of the temple, will be tempted to 



IV TO THE READER. 

neglect so excellent a ministration, and their as- 
sembling themselves together for peace and holy 
offices, and be content with any thing that is 
brought to them, though it be but the husks and 
acorns of prodigals and swine, so they may enjoy 
their lands and their money with it ; we must now 
take care that the young men who were born in 
the captivity, may be taught how to worship the 
God of Israel after the manner of their fore- 
fathers, till it shall please God that religion shall 
return into the land, and dwell safely, and grow 
prosperously. 

But never did the excellence of episcopal 
government appear so demonstratively and con- 
spicuously as now.- Under their conduct and order 
we had a church so united, so orderly, so governed ; 
a religion so settled, articles so true, sufficient, 
and confessed ; canons so prudent and so obeyed ; 
devotions so regular and constant ; sacraments so 
adorned and ministered ; churches so beauteous 
and religious ; circumstances of religion so grave 
and prudent, so useful and apt for edification, that 
the enemies of our church, who serve the pope 
in all things, and Jesus Christ in some, who dare 
transgress an institution and ordinance of Christ, 
but dare not break a canon of the pope, did despair 



TO THE READER. V 

of prevailing against us and truth, and knew no 
hopes but by setting their faces against us to 
destroy this government, and then they knew they 
should triumph without any enemy : so Balaam, 
the son of Bosor, was sent for, to curse the people 
of the Lord, in hope that the son of Zippor might 
prevail against them that had long prospered under 
the conduct of Moses and Aaron. 

But now, instead of this excellence of con- 
dition and constitution of religion, the people are 
fallen under the harrows and saws of impertinent 
and ignorant preachers, who think all religion is 
a sermon, and all sermons ought to be libels against 
truth and old governors, and expound chapters 
that the meaning may never be understood, and 
pray that they may be thought able to talk, but 
not to hold their peace ; casting not to obtain 
any thing but wealth and victory, power and 
plunder. And the people have reaped the fruits 
apt to grow upon such crabstocks : they grow idle 
and false, hypocrites and careless ; they deny them- 
selves nothing that is pleasant; they despise reli- 
gion, forget government; and some never think 
of heaven ; and they that do, think to go thither in 
such paths which all the ages of the Church did 
give men warning of, lest they should that way 
go to the devil. 



VI TO THE READER. 

But when men have tried all that they can, 
it is to be supposed they will return to the ex- 
cellence and advantages of the Christian religion, 
as it is taught by the Church of England ; for by 
destroying it, no end can be served but of sin 
and folly, faction and death eternal. For besides 
that no church that is enemy to this, does worship 
God in that truth of propositions, in than unblam- 
able and pious liturgy, and in preaching the 
necessities of holy life, so much as the Church 
of England does; besides this, I say, it cannot 
be persecuted by any governor that understands 
his own interest, unless he be first abused by false 
preachers, and then prefer his secret opinion 
before his public advantage. For no church in 
the world is so great a friend to loyalty and obe- 
dience, as she, and her sisters of the same per- 
suasion. They that hate bishops, have destroyed 
monarchy ; and they that would erect an eccle- 
siastical monarchy, must consequently subject the 
temporal to it. And both one and the other would 
be supreme in consciences ; and they that govern 
there, with an opinion that in all things they ought 
to be attended to, will let their prince govern 
others, so long as he will be ruled by them : and, 
certainly, for a prince to persecute the Protestant 
religion, is as if a physician should endeavour to 



TO THE READER. Vll 

destroy all medicaments, and fathers kill their sons, 
and the master of ceremonies destroy all formali- 
ties and courtships ; and as if the pope should root 
out all the ecclesiastic state. Nothing so combines 
with government, if it be of God's appointment, as the 
religion of the Church of England ; because nothing 
does more adhere to the word of God, and disregard 
the crafty advantages of the world. If any man 
shall not decline to try his title by the word of God, 
it is certain there is not in the world a better guard 
for it than the true Protestant religion, as it is taught 
in our church. But let things be as it please God : 
it is certain, that in that day when Truth gets her 
victory, in that day we shall prevail against all God's 
enemies and ours, not in the purchases and perqui- 
sites of the world, but in the rewards and returns of 
holiness and patience, and faith and charity ; for by 
these we worship God, and against this interest we 
cannot serve any thing else. 

In the meantime we must, by all means, secure 
the foundation, and take care that religion may be 
conveyed, in all its material parts, the same as it was, 
but by new and permitted instruments. For let us 
secure that our young men be good Christians : it is 
easy to make them good Protestants ; unless they be 
abused with prejudice, and suck venom with their 



Vlll TO THE READER. 

milk, they cannot leave our communion, till they 
have reason to reprove our doctrine. 

There is, therefore, in the following pages, a 
compendium of what we are to believe, what to do, 
and what to desire ; it is indeed very little, but it is 
enough to begin with, and will serve all persons so 
long as they need milk, and not strong meat. And 
he that hath given the following assistances to thee, 
desires to be even a doorkeeper in God's house, and 
to be a servant of the meanest of God's servants, and 
thinks it a worthy employment to teach the most 
ignorant, and make them to know Christ, though but 
in the first rudiments of a holy institution. This only 
he affirms, that there is more solid comfort and mate- 
rial support to a Christian spirit in one article of 
faith, in one period of the Lord's Prayer, in one holy 
lesson, than in all the disputes of impertinent people, 
who take more pains to prove there is a purgatory, 
than to persuade men to avoid hell : and that a plain 
catechism can more instruct a soul, than the whole 
day's prate which some daily spit forth, to bid men 
' get Christ, and persecute his servants.' 

Christian religion is admirable for its wisdom, and 
for its simplicity ; and he that presents the following 
papers to thee, designs to teach thee as the Church 
was taught in the early days of the apostles. To 



TO THE READER. IX 

believe the Christian faith, and to understand it ; to 
represent plain rules of good life; to describe easy 
forms of prayer ; to bring into your assemblies hymns 
of glorification and thanksgiving, and psalms of prayer. 
By these easy paths they lead Christ's little ones into 
the fold of their great Bishop ; and if by this any 
service be done to God, any ministry to the soul of a 
child or an ignorant woman, it is hoped that God will 
accept it: and it is reward enough, if by my ministry 
God will bring it to pass that any soul shall be in- 
structed, and brought into that state of good things, 
that it shall rejoice for ever. 

But do thou pray for him that desires this to 
thee, and endeavours it. 



CREDENDA; 



ou, 



WHAT IS TO BE BELIEVED. 



'O ft.lv Sj i.oyas hfiiv ofteXoyti^ii; pit/tru, u; o'iyt, o^6us fi<xu,ibiup.ivoi, <r%l$ov tt.yu.Qai 
ylyvovrai, Plato de Legibus. 

Let this truth be confessed, and remain for ever, That they who are well 
instructed, easily become good men. 



A short Catechism for the Institution of Young Persons in 
the Christian Religion. 

QUESTION. In what does true religion consist ? 

ANSWER. In the knowledge of the one, true God, and, 
whom he hath sent, Jesus Christ ; and in the worshipping 
and serving them. a 

Quest. What dost thou believe concerning God ? 

Ans. 1. That there is a God ; 2. That he is one ; 3. Eter- 
nal ; 4. Almighty ; 5. That he hath made all the world ; 
6. That he knows all things ; 7. That he is a Spirit, not of 
any shape, or figure, or parts, or body ; 8. That he is present 
in all places ; 9. That his seat is in heav.en, and he governs 
all the world, so that nothing happens without his order and 
leave; 10. That he is the fountain of justice ; 11. Of mercy; 
12. Of bounty and goodness ; 13. That he is unalterably 
happy, and infinitely perfect; 14. That no evil can come 
near him ; 15. And he is the rewarder of them that diligently 
seek him. b 

1 John, xvii. 3. 1 John, ii. 23. 

b Deut vi. 4. Exod. xx. 2, 3. Revel, i. 4. Psalm xc. 2. 1 Tim. i. 17. 



12 CREDENDA. 

Quest. What other mystery is revealed concerning 
God? 

Ans. That God being one in nature, is also three in 
person ; expressed in Scripture by the names of " Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit." The first person is known to us 
by the name of " The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
The second person is called " The Son, and the Word of the 
Father." The third is "The Spirit and Promise of the 
Father." And these are three and one after a secret manner, 
which we must believe, but cannot understand. 

Quest. What is this God to us ? 

Ans. He is our Creator and Father, and therefore he is 
our Lord ; and we are his creatures, his sons, and his ser- 
vants. d 

Quest. Wherefore did God create and make us? 

Ans. That we might do him honour and service, and 
receive from him infinite felicities. 6 

Quest. How did God make man ? 

Ans. By the power of his Word, out of the slime of the 
earth ; and he breathed into him the breath of life/ 

Quest. Was man good or bad, when God made him? 

Ans. Man was made pure and innocent. 8 

Quest. How, then, did man become sinful and miserable ? 

Ans. By listening to the whispers of a tempting spirit, 
and breaking an easy commandment, which God gave him 
as the first trial of his obedience. 11 

Quest. What evils and changes followed this sin ? 

Ans. Adam, who was the first man, and the first sinner, 
did, both for himself and his posterity, fall into the state of 
death, of sickness, and misfortunes, and disorder both of 

Gen. i. 1. Exod. xx. 11. Heb. iii. 4. Isa. xl. 12. Job, xlii. 2, 3. Psalm 
cxxxix. 1, &c. Psalm cxlvii. 5. Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. 
John, iv. 24. 1 Kings, viii. 27. Psalm cxxxix. 8, 9. Acts, vii. 48, 49. 
Psalm ii. 4 ; ciii. 19 ; cxv. 3. Isa. xli. 4 ; xliv. 6. Job, ix. 4, &c. Deut. 
xxxii. 39. Gen. xviii. 25. Deut xxxii. 4. Psalm ciii. 8 ; xxv. 8 ; Ixxxvi. 5. 
Psalm 1. 12. James, i. 17. 

c Matt, xxviii. 19. John, xiv. 16, 26 ; xv. 26. 1 Cor. xii. 4-6. 2 Cor. 
xiii. 14. 1 John, i. 1 ; v. 7, 5 ; iii. 23. Luke, xxiv. 49. Acts, i. 4 ; ii. 33. 

d Coloss. i. 16. Acts, xvii. 24. 1 Cor. viii. 6 ; vi. 19. Gal. i. 4. 
Phil. ii. 15. Dan. ii. 47. Zech. iv. 14 ; xiv. 9. Matt. xi. 25. 

e Psalm cxlv. 10, 11. Acts, xiv. 15. ' Gen. ii. 7. 

f Eccles. vii. 29. Ecclus. xv. 14. h Gen. iii. per tot. 



CKEDENDA. 13 

body and soul : we were thrown out of Paradise, and lost 
our immortality. 1 

Quest. Was man left in these evils without remedy? 

Ans. No ; but God, pitying his creature, promised, that 
of the seed of the woman he would raise up a Saviour and 
Redeemer, who should restore us to God's favour, and to 
the felicity which we lost. k 

Quest. How did God perform the promise ? 

Ans. By sending Jesus Christ to take upon him our 
nature, to die for our sins, to become our Lord, and the 
author of holiness, and life, and salvation to mankind. 1 

Quest. Who is Jesus Christ ? 

Ans. He is the Son of God, the second Person of the 
Holy Trinity, equal with the Father, true God, without be- 
ginning of life, or end of days. 

Quest. How, then, could he be our Redeemer, and the 
promised seed of the woman ? 

Ans. The Son of God, in the fulness of time, by the 
miracles of his mercy, took upon him human nature, and 
united it after a wonderful manner to his godhead ; so that 
he was both God and man. He was born of a virgin, who 
conceived him not by any natural means, but by the power 
of the Holy Ghost, and was called Jesus Christ ; and his 
mother's name was Mary, of the seed of Abraham, of the 
family of King David ; and all these things came to pass 
when Augustus Caesar was lord of the Roman empire." 

Quest. How did Jesus Christ work this promised re- 
demption for us ? 

Ans. By his holy and humble life, and his obedient dying 
a painful death for us upon the cross. 

Quest. What benefits do we receive by the life and death 

of Jesus Christ? 

* 

9 i 

' Rom. v. 12 ; iii. 23 ; vi. 20. Ephes. ii. 3. 

k Gen. iii. 15. Gal. iv. 4. 1 Pet. i. 20. John, iii. 16. Heb. ii. 14, 
15, &c. 

1 John, viii. 25, 28. Heb. ii. 9, 16-18. Luke, i. 74, 75. 

m Isa. ix. 6. 1 Tim. iii. 16. 1 John, v. 20. Isa. XXXY. 4, 5. 
John, i. 2, 18 ; viii. 5, 8. Rer. i. 8. Heb. xiii. 8 ; i. 8. Phil. ii. 6. Rom. 
ix. 5. 

n Gal. iv. 4. Rom. i. 3. Acts, ii. 30, 32; iii. 22. Heb. i. 1 ; ii. 11. 
Acts, xiii. 23. Deut. xviii. 15. Matt. i. 18. Matt. i. 21. Luke, ii. 4, 5, &c. 

Heb. ii. 9, 10. 



14 CREDENDA. 

Ans. We are instructed by his doctrine, and encouraged 
by his excellent example ; we are reconciled to God by his 
death ; he hath given us an excellent law, and glorious pro- 
mises ; and himself hath received power to make good all 
those promises to his servants, and fearfully to destroy them 
that will not have him to reign over them. p 

Quest. What promises hath Jesus Christ made us in the 
Gospel ? 

Ans. He hath promised to give us all that we need in 
this life ; that every thing shall work together for our good ; 
that he will be with us in tribulation and persecution. He 
hath promised his graces and his Holy Spirit to enable us to 
do our duty ; and if we make use of these graces, he hath 
promised to give us more : he hath promised to forgive us 
our sins ; to hear our prayers ; to take the sting of death 
from us ; to keep our souls in safe custody after death ; and 
in his due time to raise our bodies from the grave, and to 
join them to our souls, and to give us eternal life, and joys 
that shall never cease. q 

Quest. How is Jesus Christ able to do all this for us ? 

Ans. When he had suffered death, and was buried three 
days, God raised him up again, and gave him all power in 
heaven and earth, made him Head of the Church, Lord of 
men and angels, and the Judge of the quick and dead/ 

Quest. By what means doth Jesus Christ our Lord convey 
all these blessings to us ? 

Ans. Jesus Christ had three offices, and in all he was 
Mediator between God and man ; he is our Prophet, our 
Priest, and our King. 3 

Quest. What was his office as he was a Prophet? 

Ans. This office he finished on earth; beginning when 



P Read the 3d, 4th, and 5th chapters to the Hebrews. Eph. ii. 13-15. 
Luke, xix. 27 ; xxiv. 46, 47. 

1 Matt. vi. 25, &c. Rom. viii.' 28. John, xiii. 33. Acts, xiv. 22. 
2 Cor. i. 4. Matt. iv. 11, 12; xi. 20, 21. John, vi. 44, 45. 2 Pet. i. 3, 4. 
Matt. xv. 59. Acts, ii.38; iii. 19. Luke, xviii. 7. Matt, vii.7. Coloss. ii. 13. 

1 Cor. xv. 54, 55, 57. Rev. xiv. 13. 1 Cor. xv. 22 ; vi. 14. 2 Cor. iv. 14. 
John, vi. 40. 

r Matt, xxviii. 6, 18. Phil. ii. 9, &c. Heb. ii. 9 ; v. 9 ; i. 8. Tit. ii. 13, 14. 
Epb. iii. 14, 15, 20. 1 Cor. xi. 3. Ephes. v. 23. Coloss. ii. 10. Acts, x. 42. 

2 Tim. iv. \; viii. 17, 31. 1 Pet. iv. 5. 

1 Tim. ii. 5. Heb. viii. 6 ; ix. 15 ; xii. 24. 



CREDENDA. 15 

he was thirty years old to preach the Gospel of the kingdom, 
faith, and repentance. 1 

Quest. When began his priestly office, and wherein does 
it consist ? 

Ans. It began at his death ; for he was himself the priest 
and the sacrifice, offering himself upon the altar of the cross 
for the sins of all the world." 

Quest. Did his priestly office then cease ? 

Ans. No; he is a priest for ever; that is, unto the end 
of the world, and represents the same sacrifice to God in 
heaven, interceding and praying continually for us, in the 
virtue of that sacrifice, by which he obtains relief of all our 
necessities." 

Quest. What doth Christ in heaven pray for on our 
behalf? 

Ans. That our sins may be pardoned, our infirmities 
pitied, our necessities relieved, our persons defended, our 
temptations overcome, that we may be reconciled to God, and 
be saved. y 

Quest. How is Jesus Christ also our King ? 

Ans. When he arose from his grave, and had for forty 
days together conversed with his disciples, shewing himself 
alive by many infallible tokens, he ascended into heaven, 
and there sits at the right-hand of God ; all things being 
made subject to him, angels, and men, and devils, heaven 
and earth, the elements, and all the creatures ; and over all 
he reigns, comforting and defending his elect, subduing the 
power of the devil, taking out the sting of death, and making 
all to serve the glory of God, and to turn to the good of his 
elect. 2 

Quest. How long must his kingdom last ? 

Ans. Till Christ hath brought all his enemies under his 
feet ; that is, till the day of judgment : in which day shall 
be performed the greatest acts of his kingly power; for 
then he shall quite conquer death, triumph over the devils, 



1 John, i. 18. Luke, iii. 23. John, v. 43. Luke, xxir. 19. Acts, 
iii. 23, &c. 

u Heb. v. 5, 7, 8, &c. Heb. vii. per totum. * Heb. vii. 24, 25. 

s Rom. viii. 33, 34. 1 John, ii. 1. Heb. iv. 14-16. 

z Heb. i. 3, 8. Psalin ex. 1. 1 Thess. i. 10. Acts, i. 3. Luke, xxiv. 51 ; 
i. 33. 1 Pet. iii. 23. 



16 CREDENDA. 

throw his enemies into hell-fire, and carry all his elect to 
never-ceasing glories ; and then he shall deliver up the 
kingdom to his Father, that God may be all in all." 

Quest. How is Christ a Mediator in all these offices ? 

Ans. A mediator signifies one that stands between God 
and us. As Christ is a Prophet, so he taught us his Father's 
will, and ties us to obedience : as he is a Priest, he is our 
Redeemer, having paid a price for us, even his most precious 
blood, and our Advocate pleading for us, and mediating our 
pardon and salvation : as he is a King, so he is our Lord, 
our Patron, and our Judge ; yet it is the kingdom of a 
Mediator, that is, in order to the world to come, but then to 
determine and end. And in all these, he hath made a 
covenant between God and us of an everlasting interest. 6 

Quest. What is the covenant which Jesus Christ, our 
Mediator, hath made between God and us? 

Ans. That God will write his laws in our hearts, and 
will pardon us, and defend us, and raise us up again at the 
last day, and give us an inheritance in his kingdom. 

Quest. To what conditions hath he bound us on our part ? 

Ans. Faith and repentance. d 

Quest. When do we enter into this covenant ? 

Ans. In our baptism, and at our ripe years, when we 
understand the secrets of the kingdom of Christ, and under- 
take willingly what in our names was undertaken for us in 
our infancy. 6 

Quest. What is the covenant of faith which we enter 
into in baptism? 

Ans. We promise to believe that Jesus Christ is the 
Messias, or he that was to come into the world ; that he is 
the anointed of the Lord, or the Lord's Christ ; that he is 
the Son of God, and the son of the Virgin Mary ; that he is 
God incarnate, or God manifested in the flesh ; that he is the 
Mediator between God and man; that he died for us upon 
the cross, and rose again the third day, and ascended into 
heaven, and shall be there till the day of judgment ; that then 

a Psalm ex. 1. 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, 28. Matt. xxv. 34, 41. 
b Gal. iii. 20. Heb. viii. 6 ; ix. 15 ; xii. 24. 1 Cor. xv. 24. 
c Heb. viii. 6 ; x. ; xiii. ; x. 16 ; xii. 24. Jer. xxxi. 31. 
d Mark, xvi. 16. Matt. iv. 17. Acts, ii. 38. 
e Acts, ii. 38, 41 ; iii. 19. 



CREDENDA. 17 

he shall be our Judge ; in the meantime he is the King of 
the world, and Head of the Church/ 

Quest. What is the covenant of repentance ? 

Ans. We promise to leave all our sins, and, with a 
hearty and sincere endeavour, to give up our will and affec- 
tions to Christ, and do what he hath commanded, according 
to our power and weakness* 5 

Quest. How if we fail of this promise through infirmity, 
and commit sins? 

Ans. Still we are within the covenant of repentance, 
that is, within the promise of pardon, and possibility of 
returning from dead works, and mortifying our lusts ; and 
though this be done after the manner of men, that is, in 
weakness, and with some failings, yet our endeavour must 
be hearty, and constant, and diligent, and our watchfulness 
and prayers for pardon must be lasting and persevering. 11 

Quest. What ministries hath Christ appointed to help 
us in this duty ? 

Ans. The ministry of the word and sacraments, which 
he will accompany with his grace and his Spirit. 1 

Quest. What is a sacrament ? 

Ans. An outward ceremony ordained by Christ, to be a 
sign and a means of conveying his grace unto us. 

Quest. How many sacraments are ordained by Christ? 

Ans. Two: baptism, and the supper of our Lord. k 

Quest. What is baptism ? 

Ans. An outward washing of the body in water, in the 
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost : in which we are 
buried with Christ in his death, after a sacramental manner, 
and are made partakers of Christ's death, and of his resur- 
rection, teaching us that we should rise from the death of 

sin to the life of righteousness. 1 

t 

' Matt. xvi. 16; i. 18. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Rom. xiv. 9. Acta, i. 9; iii. 21 ; 
xvii. 31. Rer. i. 5 5 xvii. 14. 

Luke, i. 75. Tit. ii. 11, 12. 1 Pet. ii. 1-3. <H Pet. i. 4, &c. Heb. 
xii. 1, 2. 

h 1 John; ii. 12 ; v, 16, 17. Gal. vi. 1 ; v. 24, 25. 

1 Rom. x. 15. Eph. ii. 20; iv. 11, 12. 1 Cor. xii. 28. 2 Cor. v. 20. 
Matt, xxviii. 20. 

k Matt, xxviii. 19 ; xxvi. 26. 1 Cor. xi. 24. 

1 Gal. iii. 27. 1 Cor. xii. 13. Rom. vi. 4. John, iii. 25. Tit. iii. 5. 
Eph. v. 24. Col. ii. 12. Acts, ii. 38 ; xxii. 16. Heb. x. 22. 1 Pet. iii. 21. 
VOL. XV. C 



18 CREDENDA. 

Quest. What is the sacrament of the Lord's supper ? 

Ans. A ceremony of eating bread and drinking wine, 
being blessed or consecrated by God's minister in public 
assemblies, in remembrance of Christ's death and passion . m 

Quest. What benefits are done unto us by this sacra- 
ment? 

Ans. Our souls are nourished by the body and blood of 
Christ ; our bodies, are sealed to a blessed resurrection, and 
to immortality ; our infirmities are strengthened, our graces 
increased, our pardon made more certain ; and when we 
present ourselves to God, having received Christ's body 
within us, we are sure to be accepted, and all the good 
prayers we make to God for ourselves and others are sure 
to be heard." 

Quest. Who are fit to receive this sacrament ? 

Ans. None but baptized Christians, and such as repent of 
their sins, and heartily purpose to lead a good life. 

Quest. What other ministries hath Christ ordained in 
his Church, to help us, and to bring so many great purposes 
to pass. 

Ans. Jesus Christ hath appointed ministers and am- 
bassadors of his own to preach his word to us, to pray for 
us, to exhort and to reprove, to comfort and instruct, to 
restore and reconcile us, if we be overtaken in a fault ; to 
visit the sick, to separate the vile from the precious, to 
administer the sacraments, and to watch for the good of our 
souls.? 

Quest. What are we tied to perform towards them ? 

Ans. To pay them honour and maintenance, to obey 
them in all things according to the Gospel, and to order 
ourselves so, that they may give account of our souls with 
cheerfulness and joy. q 

Quest. Which are the commandments and laws of Jesus 
Christ? 

Ans. They are many, but easy ; holy, but very pleasant 
to all good minds, to such as desire to live well in this 
world, and in the world to come : and they are set down in 

m 1 Cor. xi. 23-25. Matt. xxvi. 26. Mark, xiv. 22. Luke, xxii. 19. 

1 Cor. x. 16. Matt. xxvi. 28. 1 Cor. xi. 27-29. 

P 1 Cor. v. 18. Acts, xx. 28. 1 Pet. v. 2. Gal. i. 6. James, v. 14. 

1 Gal.ri. <i. 1 Tim. v. 17. Heb. xiii. 17. 



CREDENDA. 19 

the sermons of our blessed Lord, and of his apostles ; but 
especially in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of St. 
Matthew/ 



AN EXPOSITION 



THE APOSTLES' CREED. 



/ believe in God. 

I BELIEVE that there is 'a God who is one, true, supreme, 
and alone, infinitely wise, just, good, free, eternal, immense, 
and blessed, and in him alone we are to put our trust. a 

The father Almighty. 

I believe that he is, 1. The Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ; and, 2. Of all that believe in him, whom he hath 
begotten by his word, and adopted to the inheritance of 
sons : and because he is our Father, he will do us all that 
good to which we are created and designed by grace ; and 
because he is almighty, he is able to perform it all ; and, 
therefore, we may safely believe in him, and rely upon him. b 

Maker of heaven and earth. 

He made the sun and the moon, the stars, and all the 
regions of glory ; he made the air, the earth, and the water, 
and all that live in them ; he made angels and men, and he 
who made them, does, and he only can, preserve them in the 

r Read also Rom. xii. Epb. v. and vi. 1 Thess. v. 

Luke, vi. 35. Deut. x. 17 ; vi. 4. Mark, xii. 29, 32. 1 Cor. viii. 4. 
John, xvii. 3. 1 Thess. i. 9. Psalm xc. 2 ; xciii. 2 ; Ixxvii. 13 ; xcv. 3 ; cxlvii. 
5. Rom. xvi. 17. 1 Tim. i. 17. 2 Chron. xix. 7. Psalm cxix. 137. 1 Chron. 
xvi. 34. Psalm xxxiv. 8 ; cxxxv. 6. Exod. xxxiii. 19. 1 Tim. i. 11. 

b John, viii. 58. Rom. viii. 29, 32. 1 Cor. viii. 6; xv. 24. Matt. xxiv. 36. 
Heb. ii. 11. 1 Pet. i. 23. Gal. iv. 4. 



20 CREDENDA. 

same being, and thrust them forward to a better ; he that 
preserves them, does also govern them, and intends they 
should minister to his glory; and therefore we are to do 
worship and obedience to him in all that we can, and that he 
hath commanded. 6 

And in Jesus Christ. 

I also believe in Jesus Christ, who is, and is called a 
Saviour, and the Anointed of the Lord, promised to the 
patriarchs, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit, and 
with power to become the great Prophet, and Declarer of 
his Father's will to all the world, telling us how God will be 
worshipped and served ; he is anointed to be the Mediator 
of the new covenant, and our High-Priest, reconciling us to 
his Father by the sacrifice of himself; and to be the great 
King of all the world : and by this article we are Christians, 
who serve and worship God the Father through Jesus 
Christ. d 

His only Son. 

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he alone, of him. alone; 
for God, by his Holy Spirit, caused him to be born of a virgin : 
by his power he raised him from the dead, and gave him a 
new birth, or being in the body : he gave him all power and 
all excellence ; and beyond all this, he is the express image 
of his person, the brightness of his glory, equal to God, 
beloved before the beginning of the world, of a nature 
perfectly Divine ; very God by essence, and very man by 
assumption ; as God, all one in nature with the Father; and 
as man, one person in himself. 6 

Our Lord. 

Jesus Christ, God's only Son, is the heir of all things and 
persons in his Father's house : all angels and men are his 
servants, and all the creatures obey him ; we are to believe 

c Isaiah, Ixv. 17 ; Ixvi. 12. Acts, iv. 24. Psalm xxxvi. 7, 8. Matt v. 26 ; 
x. 29, 30. Rev. xiv. 7. Matt. iv. 10. 

d Matt. i. 20. John, iii. 34. Acts, x. 28 ; iii. 22, 23. Heb. xii. 24 ; i. 8 ; 
vi. 7, 21. Rev. i. 5. Acts, xi. 26 ; xxvi. 28. 1 Pet. iv. 16. 

e Luke, i. 32. Rom. i. 3, 4. 1 John, v. 9, &c. ; iv. 15 ; v. 5. John, i. 11. 
Col. i. 15, 17, 18. Heb. i. 3, 5. Phil. ii. 6. John, iii. 35 ; v. 19. Col. ii. 9, 10. 
John, xvii. 24. 



CREDENDA. 21 

in him, and by faith in him only, and in his name, we shall 
be saved. f 

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost. 

I believe that Jesus Christ was not begotten of a man, 
nor born by natural means, but that a Divine power from 
God, God's Holy Spirit, did overshadow the virgin-mother 
of Christ, and made her, in a wonderful manner, to conceive 
Jesus in her womb; and by this his admirable manner of 
being conceived, he was the Son of God alone, and no man 
was his father. 5 

Born of the Virgin Mary. 

Though God was his Father, and he begat him by the 
power of the Holy Ghost, and caused him miraculously to 
begin in the womb of his mother, yet from her he also 
derived his human nature, and by his mother he was of the 
family of King David, and called the Son of Man, his 
mother being a holy person, not chosen to this great honour 
for her wealth or beauty, but by the good will of God, and 
because she was of a rare exemplar modesty and humility : 
and she received the honour of being a mother to the Son of 
God, and ever a virgin, and all generations shall call her 
blessed.' 1 

Suffered under Pontius Pilate. 

After that Jesus passed through the state of infancy and 
childhood, being subject to his parents, and working in an 
humble trade to serve his own and his mother's needs, he 
grew to the state of a man, he began to preach at the age of 
thirty years, and having, for about three years and a half, 
preached the Gospel, and taught us his Father's will, having 
spoken the Gospel of his kingdom, and revealed to us the 
secrets of eternal life, and resurrection of the dead, regene- 
ration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, perfect remission of 
sins, and eternal judgment : at last, that he might reconcile 
the world to his Father, he became a sacrifice for all our 

f Matt, xxviii. 18. Acts, ii. 36. Psalm ii. 6, 7, &c. 1 Cor. viii. 6. Heb. 
i. 6, 14, 15. 1 Pet. i. 21. 

s Luke, i. 35. Gal. iv. 4. Luke, i. 32. 

11 Luke, i. 26, &c. Matt. i. 18. Luke, i. -15, 48. Mutt. i. '.'3. 



22 CREDENDA. 

sins, and suffered himself to be taken by the malicious Jews, 
and put to a painful and shameful death ; they being envious 
at him for the number of his disciples, and the reputation of 
his person, the innocence of his life, the mightiness of his 
miracles, and the power of his doctrine ; and this death he 
suffered when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.' 

Was crucified. 

Jesus Christ being taken by the rulers of the Jews, bound 
and derided, buffeted and spit upon, accused weakly and 
persecuted violently ; at last, wanting matter and pretences 
to condemn him, they asked him of his person and office ; 
and because he affirmed that great truth, which all the world 
of good men longed for, that he was the Messias, and 
designed to sit at the right-hand of the Majesty on high, 
they resolved to call it blasphemy, and delivered him over to 
Pilate, and, by importunity and threats, forced him against 
his conscience to give him up to be scourged, and then to 
be crucified. The soldiers, therefore, mocking him with a 
robe and a reed, and pressing a crown of thorns upon his 
head, led him to the place of his death ; compelling him to 
bear his cross, to which they presently nailed him ; on which 
for three hours he hanged in extreme torture, being a sad 
spectacle of the most afflicted and the most innocent person 
of the whole world. k 

Dead. 

When the holy Jesus was wearied with tortures, and he 
knew all things were now fulfilled, and his Father's wrath 
appeased towards mankind : his Father, pitying his innocent 
Son groaning under such intolerable miseries, hastened his 
death ; and Jesus, commending his Spirit into the hands of 
his Father, cried with a loud voice, bowed his head, and 
died ; and by his death sealed all the doctrines and revela- 
tions which he first taught the world, and then confirmed by 
his blood : he was consecrated our merciful High-Priest, and, 
by a feeling of our miseries and temptations, became able to 
help them that are tempted : and for these his sufferings, was 

1 Luke, ii. 51, 52 ; iii. 23. John, iii. 4, &c. Acts, xiii. 39. Matt. xxr. 
31, 32. Luke, xxii. 63. John, xviii. 4, 12, &c. Matt. xxvi. 
k Matt, xxvii. Mark, xv. Luke, xxiii. John, xix. 



CREDENDA. 23 

exalted to the highest throne, and seat of the right-hand of 
God ; and hath shewn, that to heaven there is no surer way 
than suffering for his name ; and hath taught us willingly to 
suffer for his sake what himself hath already suffered for 
ours: he reconciled us to God by his death, led us to God, 
drew us to himself, redeemed us from all iniquity, purchased 
us for his Father, and for ever made us his servants and 
redeemed ones, that we, being dead unto sin, might live unto 
God : and this death being so highly beneficial to us, he 
hath appointed means to apply to us, and to represent to 
God for us in the holy sacrament of his last supper. And 
upon all these considerations, that cross which was a smart 
and shame to our Lord is honour to us, and as it turned to 
his glory, so also to our spiritual advantages. 1 

And buried. 

That he might suffer every thing of human nature, he 
was, by the care of his friends and disciples, by the leave of 
Pilate, taken from the cross, and embalmed (as the manner 
of the Jews was to bury), and wrapt in linen, and buried in a 
new grave, hewn out of a rock ; and this was the last and 
lowest step of his humiliation." 1 

He descended into hell. 

That is, he went down into the lower parts of the earth, 
or (as himself called it) "into the heart of the earth;" by 
which phrase the Scripture understands the state of separa- 
tion, or of souls severed from their bodies : by this, his 
descending to the land of darkness, where all things are 
forgotten, he sanctified the state of death and separation, 
that none of his servants might ever after fear the jaws of 
death and hell ; whither he went, not to buffer torment (be- 
cause he finished all that upon the cross), but to triumph 
over the gates of hell, to verify his death, and the event of 
his sufferings, and to break the iron bars of those lower 



1 John, xix.; xviii. 37. Phil. ii. 8. Col. i. 20. Isaiah, Hi i. 10. Heb. vii. 
25 ; is. 12 ; ii. 17, 18 ; iv. 5. Luke, xxiii. 46. John, x. 17, 18 ; xii. 32 ; 
xi. 51. Eph. ii. 13, 11. Heb. ii. 10. Col. i. 21 , 22. Tit. ii. 14. John, vi. 51. 
1 Pet. ii. 24 ; iv. 13. 2 Tim. ii. 11. Gal. vi. 14. 

m Matt, xxvii. 57, &c. 



24- CREDENDA. 

prisons, that they may open and shut hereafter only at his 
command. 11 

The third day he rose again from the dead. 

After our Lord Jesus had abode in the grave the remain- 
ing part of the day of his passion, and all the next day, early 
in the morning upon the third day, by the power of God, he 
was raised from death and hell to light and life, never to 
return to death any more, and is become the first-born from 
the dead, the first-fruits of them that slept ; and although he 
was put to death in the flesh, yet now being quickened in 
the spirit, he lives for ever ; and as we all die in Adam, so 
in Christ we shall all be made alive ; but every man in his 
own order : Christ is the first ; and we, if we follow him in 
the regeneration, shall also follow him in the resurrection. 

He ascended into heaven. 

When our dearest Lord was risen from the grave, he 
conversed with his disciples for forty days together, often 
shewing himself alive by infallible proofs, and once to five 
hundred of his disciples at one appearing : having spoken to 
them fully concerning the affairs of the kingdom, and the 
promise of the Father; leaving them some few things in 
charge for the present, he solemnly gave them his blessing, 
and in the presence of his apostles was taken up into 
heaven by a bright cloud and the ministry of angels, being 
gone before us to prepare a place for us above all heavens, in 
the presence of his Father, and at the foot of the throne of 
God ; from which glorious presence we cannot be kept by 
the change of death, and the powers of the grave, nor the 
depth of hell, nor the height of heaven ; but Christ being 
lifted up, shall draw all his servants unto him. p 

Andsitteth on the right-hand of God the Father Almighty. 
I believe that Jesus Christ sitteth in heaven above all 

n Eph. iv. 9. Matt. xii. 40. Acts, ii. 27. Hos. xiii. 14. 1 Cor. xv. 54. 
Rev. xx. 13, 14. Matt xvi. 18. Rev. i. 17, 18. 

Mark, xvi. 1, Acts, x. 40. Rom. xiv. 9. Acts, v. 30, Inc. Col. i. 18. 
Matt, xxviii. 1. 1 Pet. iii. 18; i.3. Eph. i. 17. 1 Cor. xv. 20, &c. 

P Luke, xxiv. 45, 50. Matt. xxi. 17. John, xx. and xxi. Acts, i. 9. 1 Cor. 
xv. 6, 45, 47. Heh. vi. 19, Rom. viii. 38, 39. 1 John, iii. 2. 



CREDENDA. 25 

principalities and powers, being exalted above every name 
that is named in heaven and earth, that is, above every 
creature above and below, all things being put under his 
feet : he is always in the presence of his Father, interceding 
for us, and governs all things in heaven and earth, that he may 
defend his Church, and adorn her with his Spirit, and pro- 
cure and effect hereternal salvation : there he sits and reigns 
as King, and intercedes as our High-Priest ; he is a Minister 
of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle which God 
made and not man, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the 
Captain of our confession, the great Apostle of our religion, 
the great Bishop of our souls, the Head of the Church, and 
the Lord of heaven and earth: and, therefore, to him we are 
to pay Divine worship, service, and obedience, and we must 
believe in him, and in God by him, and rely entirely on the 
mercies of God through Jesus Christ. q 

From thence he shall come. 

In the clouds, shining, and adorned with the glory of his 
Father, attended by millions of bright angels, with the voice 
of an archangel, and a shout of all the heavenly army, the 
trump of God ; and every eye shall see him ; and they that 
pierced his hands and his feet shall behold his majesty, his 
terror, and his glory : and all the families of the earth shall 
tremble at his presence ; and the powers of heaven shall be 
shaken, and the whole earth and sea shall be broken in pieces 
and confusion : for then he shall come to put an end to this 
world/ and 

To judge the quick and dead. 

" For the Father judgeth no man, but hath given all 
judgment to the Son ;" and at this day of judgment, the Lord 
Jesus shall sit in the air in a glorious throne ; and the angels 
having gathered together God's elect from the four corners 
of the world, and all the kindreds of the earth being brought 
before the judgment-seat, the records of their conscience 
shall be laid open ; that is, all that ever they thought, or 

J Phil. ii. 8, 9, &c. Eph. i. 17, 22. Rom. viii. 34. Heb. vii. 27. 2 Pet. 
i. 4. Heb. xii. 2. 1 Pet. i. 20, 21. Heb. i. 6. 

r John, xiv. 3. Matt. xxiv. 30. 1 Thess. iv. 16. Rev. i. 7. Acts, i. 11. 
y Tim. iv. 1. 



26 CREDENDA. 

spake, or did, shall be brought to their memory, to convince 
the wicked of the justice of the Judge in passing the fearful 
sentence upon them, and to glorify the mercies of God to- 
wards his redeemed ones : and then the righteous Judge shall 
condemn the wicked to the portion of devils for ever, to a 
state of torments, the second, and eternal, and intolerable 
death ; and the godly being placed on his right-hand, shall 
hear the blessed sentence of absolution, and shall be led by 
Christ to the participation of the glories of his Father's 
kingdom for ever and ever. Amen. s 

/ believe in the Holy Ghost [or] the Holy Spirit ; 

Who is the third person of the holy, undivided, ever 
blessed Trinity, which I worship, and adore, and admire, 
but look upon with wonder, and am not in a capacity to 
understand. I believe that the Holy Spirit, into whose name, 
as of the Father and the Son, I was baptized, is the hea- 
venly Author, the Captain, the Teacher, and the Witness of 
all the truths of the Gospel : that as the Father sent the 
Son, so the Son from heaven sent the Holy Spirit to lead 
the Church into all truth ; to assist us in all temptations, and 
to help us in the purchase of all virtue. This Holy Spirit 
proceeds from the Father, and our Lord Jesus received him 
from his Father, and sent him into the world, who, receiving 
the things of Christ, and declaring the same excellent doc- 
trines, speaks whatsoever he hath heard from him ; and in- 
structed the apostles, and builds the Church, and produces 
faith, and confirms our hope, and increases charity : and this 
Holy Spirit our blessed Lord hath left with his Church for 
ever, by which all the servants of God are enabled to do all 
things necessary to salvation, which by the force of nature 
they cannot do : and we speak by the Spirit, and work by 
the Spirit, when by his assistances, any ways imparted to us, 
we speak or do any thing of our duty. He it is who en- 
lightens our understandings, sanctifies our will, orders and 
commands our affections ; he comforts our sorrows, supports 
our spirits in trouble, and enables us, by promises, and confi- 
dences, and gifts, to suffer for the Lord Jesus and the Gospel : 
and all these things God the Father does for us by his Son, 

8 John, v. 22, 23. 1 Thess. ir. 16, 17. Matt. xxv. 32. Acts, x. 42. 
Matt. xxv. 34, &c. 



CREDENDA. 27 

and the Son by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit by all 
means within and without, which are operative upon, and 
proportionable to, the nature of reasonable creatures. This 
is he who works miracles, gives the gifts of prophecy and of 
interpretation ; that teaches us what and how to pray ; that 
gives us zeal and holy desires ; who sanctifies children in 
baptism, and confirms them with his grace in confirmation, 
and reproves the \vorld, and consecrates bishops, and all the 
ministers of the Gospel, and absolves the penitent, and blesses 
the obedient, and comforts the sick, and excommunicates the 
refractory, and makes intercession for the saints, that is, the 
Church; and those whom he hath blessed, appointed, and 
sanctified to these purposes, do all these ministries by his au- 
thority, and his commandment, and his aids. This is he that 
' testifies to our spirits that we are the sons of God,' and that 
makes us to cry, ' Abba, Father ; ' that is, who inspires into 
us such humble confidences of our being accepted in our 
hearty and constant endeavours to please God, that we can 
with cheerfulness and joy call God our Father, and expect 
and hope for the portion of sons both here and hereafter; 
and, in the certainty of this hope, to work out our salvation 
with fear and reverence, with trembling and joy, with dis- 
trust of ourselves, and mighty confidence in God. By this 
holy and ever blessed Spirit, several persons in the Church, 
and every man in his proportion, receives the gilts of wisdom, 
and utterance, and knowledge, and interpretation, and pro- 
phecy, and healing, and government, and discerning of 
spirits, and faith, and tongues, and whatsoever can be ne- 
cessary for the Church in several ages and periods, for her 
beginning, for her continuance, for her in prosperity, and for 
her in persecution. This is the great ' promise of the Father,' 
and it is the ' gift of God,' which he will give to all them 
that ask him, and who live piously and chastely, and are 
persons fit to entertain so Divine a grace. This Holy Spirit 
God gives to some more, to some less, according as they are 
capable. They ' who obey his motions,' and love his pre- 
sence, and improve his gifts, shall have him yet more abun- 
dantly : but they that ' grieve ,the Holy Spirit,' shall lose 
that which they have ; and they that ' extinguish him,' belong 
not to Christ, but are in the state of reprobation ; and 'they 



28 CREDENDA. 

that blaspheme ' this Holy Spirit, and call him the spirit of 
the devil, or the spirit of error, or folly, or do malicious de- 
spites to him. that is, they who on purpose considering and 
choosing, do him hurt by word or by deed (so far as lies in 
them), shall for ever be separated from the presence of God 
and of Christ, and shall never be forgiven in this world, nor 
in the world to come. Lastly, this Holy Spirit seals us to 
the day of redemption; that is, God gives us his Holy Spirit 
as a testimony that he will raise us again at the last day, 
and give us a portion in the glories of his kingdom, in the 
inheritance of our Lord Jesus. 1 

The holy Catholic Church. 

I believe that there is and ought to be a visible company 
of men professing the service and discipline, that is, the reli- 
gion of the Gospel, who agree together in the belief of all 
the truths of God revealed by Jesus Christ, and in confession 
of the articles of this creed, and agree together in praying 
and praising God through Jesus Christ ; to read and hear the 
Scriptures read and expounded ; to provoke each other to 
love and to good works ; to advance the honour of Christ, 
and to propagate his faith and worship. I believe this to be 
a holy church, spiritual, and not civil and secular, but sanc- 
tified by their profession and the solemn rites of it, pro- 
fessing holiness, and separating from the evil manners of 
heathens and wicked persons, by their laws and institutions. 
And this church is catholic, that is, it is not confined to the 
nation of the Jews, as was the old religion ; but it is gathered 
out of all nations, and is not of a differing faith in differing 
places, but always did, doth, and ever shall profess the faith 
which the apostles preached, and which is contained in this 
creed ; which whosoever believes, is a catholic and a Christ- 
ian, and he that believes not, is neither. This catholic 
Church I believe, that is, I believe whatsoever all good 

* Matt, xxviii. 19. Jobn, xv. 26 ; xvi. 13 ; vi. 45 ; vii. 16, 17 ; y. 37. 
Acts, xv. 32; iii. 33 j ii. 4 ; xiii. 1-3 ; xx. 28. Luke, xii. 12. John, xvii/37 ; 
xiv. 16 ; xvi. 13, 8. Watt. x. 10. Eph. i. 17 ; iii. 16. 1 Cor. ii. 10-12. Rom. 
viii. 14-16 ; xiv. 17 ; xv. 13, 19. 1 Thess. i. 6. Luke, xxiv. 49 ; iv. 18. Acts, 
ii. 33, 38. Eph. iv. 7, 30. 1 Cor. iii. 16. Eph. i. 13. Acts, vii. 51. Rom. i. 14. 
1 TLess. v. 19. Mark, iii. 29. 2 Cor. i. 22 ; v. 15. 



CREDENDA. 29 

Christians in all ages and all places did confess to be the 
catholic and apostolic faith." 

The communion of saints. 

That is, the communion of all Christians, because, by 
reason of their holy faith, they are called saints in Scripture, 
as being begotten by God into a lively faith, and cleansed 
by believing; and by this faith, and -the profession of a holy 
life in obedience to Jesus Christ, they are separated from 
the world, called to the knowledge of the truth, justified 
before God, and endued with the Holy Spirit of grace, fore- 
known from the beginning of the world, and predestinated 
by God to be made conformable to the image of his Son, here 
in holiness of life, hereafter in a life of glory ; and they who 
are saints in their belief and profession, must be so also in 
their practice and conversation, that so they may make their 
calling and election sure, lest they be saints only in name 
and title, in their profession aud institution, and not in 
manners and holiness of living, that is, lest they be so 
before men, and not before God. I believe that all people 
who desire the benefit of the Gospel, are bound to have a 
fellowship and society with these saints, and communicate 
with them in their holy things, in their faith, and in their 
hope, and in their sacraments, and in their prayers, and in 
their public assemblies, and in their government ; and must 
do to them all the acts of charity and mutual help which 
they can and are required to ; and without this communion 
of saints, and a conjunction with them who believe in God 
through Jesus Christ, there is no salvation to be expected : 
which communion must be kept in inward things always, 
and by all persons, and testified by outward acts always, 
when it is possible, and may be done upon just and holy 
conditions/ 

The forgiveness of sins. 

I believe that all the sins I committed before I came to 

u 1 Tim. iii. 15. Eph. iii. 21. Heb. ii. 12 ; x. 24. 1 Cor. xiv. 26, &c. 
Matt, xviii. 17, 18. Acts, xii. 5. 1 Cor. xiv. 14. Gal. i. 8, 9. Col. ii. 8, 9. 
Heb. xiii. 8, 9. 

x Acts, xx vi. 10 ; ix. 13, 32, 41. 1 Cor. vi. 11 ; i. 2. Matt. xxii. 14. 
1 Pet. i. 2, 14-16. 2 Pet. iii. 11. Matt, xviii. 17, 18. Heb. x. 25. 1 Cor. xi. 
23, &c. Eph. iv. 13 ; v. 6, 7, 21 ; vi. 18. Phil. ii. 4 ; i. 27. Rom. xvi. 16, 17. 
1 John, iii. 18. 1 Pet. i. 22. 



.30 CREDENDA. 

the knowledge of the truth, and all the Slips of human 
infirmity, against which we heartily pray, and watch, and 
labour, and all the evil habits, of which we repent so timely 
and effectually, that we obtain their contrary graces, and 
live in them, are fully remitted by the blood of Christ ; 
which forgiveness we obtain by faith and repentance, and 
therefore are not justified by the righteousness of works, 
but by the righteousness of faith : and we are preserved in 
the state of forgiveness or justification by the fruits of a lively 
faith, and a timely active repentance/ 

The resurrection of the body. 

I believe, that at the last day, all they whose sins are 
forgiven, and who lived and died in the communion of 
saints, and in whom the Holy Spirit did dwell, shall rise 
from their graves, their dead bones shall live, and be clothed 
with flesh and skin, and their bodies, together with their 
souls, shall enter into the portion of a new life ; and that 
this body shall no more see corruption, but shall rise to an 
excellent condition ; it shall be spiritual, powerful, immortal, 
and glorious, like unto his glorious body, who shall then be 
our Judge, is now our Advocate, our Saviour, and our Lord. 2 

And the life everlasting. 

I believe that they who have their part in this resur- 
rection, shall meet the Lord in the air; and when the 
blessed sentence is pronounced upon them, they shall for 
ever be with the Lord in joys unspeakable, and full of 
glory ; God shall wipe all tears from their eyes ; there shall 
be no fear or sorrow, no mourning or death, a friend shall 
never go away from thence, and an enemy shall never 
enter; there shall be fulness without want, light eternal, 
brighter than the sun; day, and no night; joy, and no 
weeping ; difierence in degree, and yet all full ; there is love 
without dissimulation, excellence without envy, multitudes 
without confusion, music without discord ; there the under- 

y Rom. iii. 28. Acts, iL 38; xiii. 38. 1 John, ii. 1, 2, 12. Gal. vi. 1. 
John, xx. 23. Mark, xvi. 16. 2 Pet. i. 5, &c. Eph. i. 13. 1 Pet. i. 15-18. 
James, ii. 17, 20, &c. 1 John, iii. 21, &c. Heb. xii. 14-16. 

1 1 Cor. xv. 29, &c. Matt. xxii. 31. Rom. viii. 11, 23. John, vi. 3?. 
Phil. iii. 20. 2 Cor. v. 1. 



CREDENDA. 31 

standings are rich, and the will is satisfied, and the affec- 
tions are all love, and all joy, and they shall reign with God 
and Christ for ever and ever. a 

Amen. 

This is the catholic faith, which, except a man believe 
faithfully, he cannot be saved. 

" Regula quidem fidei, una omnino est, sola immobilis et 
irreformabilis, credendi scil. in unicum Deum Oninipotentem, 
&c. Hac lege fidei maneute, csetera jam disciplines et con- 
versationis admittunt novitatem correctionis, operante scil. et 
proficiente usque in finem gratia Dei : b 

"The rule of faith is wholly one, unalterable, never to be 
mended, never changed ; to wit, I believe in God, &c. 
This law of faith remaining, in other things you may 
increase and grow." 

" Hsec est fides, quae paucis verbis tenenda in symbolo 
novellis datur ; quse pauca verba fidelibus nota sunt : ut 
credendo subjugentur Deo, subjugati recte vivant, recte 
vivendo cor mundent, corde niundo quod credunt, intel- 
ligant : c 

" This is the faith which in few words is given to novices; 
these few words are known to all the faithful ; that by believ- 
ing they may be subject to God ; by this subjection they may 
live well ; by living well they may purify their hearts ; and 
with pure hearts they may relish and understand what they 
do believe." 

" Symbolum tessera est et signaculurn, quo inter fideles, 
perfidosque secernitur : d 

" This creed is the badge or cognizance by which the 
faithful are discerned from unbelievers." 

" Hujus catholici syrnboli brevis et perfecta confessio, 
quse duodecim apostolorum totidem est signata sententiis, 
tarn instructa est in munitione coelesti, ut'omnes hsereticorum 
opiniones solo possint gladio detruncari : e 

" This short and perfect confession of this catholic creed, 
which was consigned by the sentences of twelve apostles, is 
so perfect a celestial armour, that all the opinions of heretics 
may by this alone, as with a sword, be cut in pieces." 

a 1 Thess. iv. 17. Rev. xxi. 4 ; xxii. 5. Matt. xxtr. 34. 

b Tertull. de velandis Virgin. S. Aug. de Fide et Symb. 

d Max. Taurin. de Tradit. Symb. Leo M. ad Pulcheriam Aug. 



AGENDA; 

OR, 

THINGS TO BE DONE. 



Inscripta Christo pagina immortalis est ; 
Nee obsolescit ullus in ccelis apex. 

Prudent. vt rrtQamt. Hymn x. 



The Diary; or, a Mule to spend each Day religiously . 

SECTION I. 

1 . SUPPOSE every day to be a day of business ; for your 
whole life is a race and a battle, a merchandise and a jour- 
ney. Every day propound to yourself a rosary or a chaplet 
of good works, to present to God at night. 

2. Rise as soon as your health and other occasions shall 
permit; but it is good to be as regular as you can, and as 
early. Remember, he that rises first to prayer, hath a more 
early title to a blessing ; but he that changes night into day, 
labour into idleness, watchfulness to sleep, changes his hopes 
of blessing into a dream. 

3. Never let any one think it an excuse to lie in bed, be- 
cause he hath nothing to do when he is up ; for whoever hath 
a soul, and hopes to save that soul, hath work enough to do 
to " make his calling and election sure," to serve God, and to 
pray, to read, and to meditate, to repent, and to amend, to 
do good to others, and to keep evil from themselves. And 
if thou hast little to do, thou oughtest to employ the more 
time in laying up for a greater crown of glory. 

4. At your opening your eyes, enter upon the day with 
some act of piety. 



AGENDA. 33 

1. Of thanksgiving for the preservation of you the 
night past. 

2. Of the glorification of God for the works of 
the creation, or any thing for the honour of God. 

5. When you first go off from your hed, solemnly and 
devoutly bow your head, and worship the Holy Trinity, the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 

6. When you are making ready, be as silent as you can, 
and spend that time in holy thoughts ; there being no way 
left to redeem that time from loss, but by meditation and 
short mental prayers. If you choose to speak, speak some- 
thing of God's praises, of his goodness, his mercies, or his 
greatness : ever resolving, that the first-fruits of thy reason, 
and of all thy faculties, shall be presented to God, to sanc- 
tify the whole harvest of thy conversation. 

7. Be not curious, nor careless in your habit, but always 
keep these measures : 

1 . Be not troublesome to thyself, or to others, by 
unhandsomeness or uncleanness. 

2. Let it be according to your state and quality. 

3. Make religion to be the difference of your habit, 
so as to be best attired upon holy or festival days. 

8. In your dressing, let there be ejaculations fitted to the 
several actions of dressing : as, at washing your hands and 
face, pray God to cleanse your soul from sin ; in putting on 
your clothes, pray him to clothe your soul with the righteous- 
ness of your Saviour : and so in all the rest. 

For religion must not only be the garment of your soul, 
to invest it all over ; but it must be also as the fringes to 
every of your actions, that something of religion appear in 
every one of them, besides the innocence of all of them. 

9. As soon as you are dressed with the first preparation 
of your clothes, that you can decently do it, kneel and say 
the Lord's Prayer ; then rise from your knees, and do what 
is necessary for you in order to your further dressing, or 
affairs of the house, which is speedily to be done ; and then 
finish your dressing, according to the foregoing rules. 

10. When you are dressed, retire yourself to your closet; 
and go to your usual devotions, which it is good that, at the 
first prayers, they were divided into seven actions of piety: 

1. An act of adoration. 
VOL. xv. D 



34 AGENDA. 

2. Of thanksgiving. 

3. Of oblation. 

4. Of confession. 

5. Of petition. 

6. Of intercession . 

7. Of meditation, or serious, deliberate, useful read- 
ing of the Holy Scriptures. 

11. I advise that your reading should be governed by 
these measures :* 

1. Let it be not of the whole Bible in order, but 
for your devotion use the New Testament, and such 
portions of the Old as contain the precepts of holy life. 

2. The historical and less useful part, let it be 
read at such other times which you have of leisure 
from your domestic employments. 

3. Those portions of Scripture which you use in your 
prayers, let them not be long. A chapter at once, no 
more ; but then what time you can afford, spend it in 
thinking and meditating upon the holy precepts which 
you read. 

4. Be sure to meditate so long, till you make 
some act of piety upon the occasion of what you 
meditate; either that you get some new arguments 
against a sin, or some new encouragements to virtue ; 
some spiritual strength and advantage, or else some 
act of prayer to God, or glorification of him. 

5. I advise that you would read your chapter in the 
midst of your prayers in the morning, if they be divided 
according to the number of the former actions ; because 
little interruptions will be apt to make your prayers 
less tedious, and yourself more attent upon them. But 
if you find any other way more agreeing to your spirit 
and disposition, use your liberty without scruple. 

12. Before you go forth of your closet, after your prayers 
are done, sit yourself down a little while, and consider what 
you are to do that day, what matter of business is like to 
employ you, or to tempt you ; and take particular resolution 
against that, whether it be matter of wrangling, or anger, or 
covetousness, or vain courtship, or feasting : and when you 
enter upon it, remember upon what you resolved in your 

a Out tffri <riva ffuQTiva.1 fan ffuii^ 
Sf . Chrysoit. Homil. iii. de Lazaro. 



AGENDA. 35 

closet. If you are likely to have nothing extraordinary that 
day, a general recommendation of the affairs of that day to 
God in your prayers, will be sufficient ; but if there be any 
thing foreseen that is not usual, be sure to be armed for it, 
by a hearty, though a short prayer, and an earnest, prudent re- 
solution beforehand : and then watch when the thing conies. 

13. Whosoever hath children or servants, let him or her 
take care that all the children and servants of the family 
say their prayers before they begin their work ; the Lord's 
Prayer, and the ten commandments, with the short verse at 
the end of every commandment, which the Church uses ; and 
the creed is a very good office for them, if they be not fitted 
for more regular offices. And to these also it were good 
that some proper prayer were apportioned, and they taught 
it. It were well if they would serve themselves of this form 
set down at the end of this Diary. 

14. Then go about the affairs of your house, and proper 
employment, ever avoiding idleness, or too much earnestness 
of affection upon the things of the world : do your business 
prudently, temperately, diligently, humbly, charitably. 

15. Let there be no idle person in or about your family, 
or beggars, or unemployed servants, but find them all work 
and meat ; call upon them carefully ; reprove them without 
reproaches, or fierce railings. Be a master, or a mistress, 
and a friend to them, and exact of them to be faithful and 
diligent. 

16. In your servants, suffer any offence against yourself, 
rather than against God ; endure not that they should swear, 
or lie, or steal, or be wanton, or curse each other, or be 
railers, or slanderers, or tell-tales, and sowers of dissension 
in the family, or amongst neighbours. 

17. In all your intercourse with your .neighbours in the 
day let your affairs be wholly matter of business or civility, 
and always managed with justice and charity ; never let it 
be matter of curiosity or inquiry into the actions of others ; 
always without censuring or rash judgment, without back- 
biting, slandering, or detraction : do it not yourself, neither 
converse with them that do. He or she that loves tale- 
bearers, shall never be beloved, or be innocent. 

18. Before dinner and supper, as often as it is conve- 
nient, or can be had, let the public prayers of the Church, or 
some parts of them, be said publicly in the family, and let as 



36 AGENDA. 

many be present as you can. The same rule is also to be 
observed for Sundays and holydays, for their going to 
church. Let no servant be always detained, but relieved and 
provided for by changes. 

19. Let your meal be temperate and wholesome, accord- 
ing to your quality, and the season begun and ended with 
prayer ; and be sure that in the course of your meal, and 
before you rise, you recollect yourself, and send your heart 
up to God with some holy and short ejaculation, remem- 
bering your duty, fearing to offend, or desiring and sighing 
after the eternal supper of the Lamb. 

20. After meal, use what innocent refreshment you please 
to refresh your mind or body, with these measures. 

1 . Let it not be too expensive of time. 

2. Let it not hinder your devotion, nor your busi- 
ness. 

3. Let it be always without violence or passion. 

4. Let it not then wholly take you up when you are 
at it ; but let your heart retire with some holy thoughts, 
and sober recollections, lest your mind be seized upon by 
it, and your affections carried off from better things ; 
secure your affections for God, and sober and severe 
employment. Here you may be refreshed, but take heed 
you neither dwell here, nor sin here. It is better never to 
use recreation, than at any time to sin by it. But you 
may use recreation, and avoid sin, and that is the best 
temper ; but if you cannot do both, be more careful of 
your soul than of your refreshment, and that is the 
best security. But then in what you use to sin, carefully 
avoid it, and change your refreshment for some other 
instance, in which you can be more innocent. 

2 1 . Entertain no long discourses with any, but, if you can, 
bring in something to season it with religion : as God must 
be in all your thoughts, so, if it be possible, let him be in all 
your discourses, at least, let him be at one end of it ; and 
when you cannot speak of him, be sure you forget not to 
think of him. 

22. Toward the declining of the day, be sure to retire to 
your private devotions. Read, meditate, and pray ; in which 
I propound to you this method : 

On the Lord's day meditate on the glories of the 
creation, the works of God, and all his benefits to 



AGENDA. 37 

mankind, and to you in particular. Then let your devo- 
tion be humbly, upon your knees, to say over the 8th 
and 19th Psalms, and sometimes the 104th, with proper 
collects which you shall find or get : adding the form 
of thanksgiving which is in the * Rule of Holy Living,' 
page 293, in the manner as is there directed ; or some 
other of your own choosing. 

Meditate on Monday on 1. Death. 

Tuesday 2. Judgment. 

Wednesday 3. Heaven. 

Thursday 4. Hell. 

Saying your usual prayers, and adding some ejaculations 
or short sayings of your own, according to the matter of 
your devotion. 

On Friday, recollect your sins that you have done 
that week, and all your lifetime ; and let your devotion 
be to recite, humbly and devoutly, some penitential lita- 
nies, whereof you may serve yourself in the ' Rule of 
Holy Living,' p. 284. 

On Saturday, at the same time, meditate on the pas- 
sion of our blessed Saviour and all the mysteries of our 
redemption, which you may do and pray together, by 
using the forms made to that purpose in the ' Rule of 
Holy Living,' p. 298. In all your devotions begin and 
end with the Lord's Prayer. 

Upon these two days and Sunday, you may choose 
some portions out of the ' Life of Christ,' to read and 
help your meditation, proper to the mysteries you are 
appointed to meditate, or any other devout books. 

23. Read not much at a time ; but meditate as much as 
your time, and capacity, and disposition, will give you leave : 
ever remembering that little reading and much thinking, 
little speaking and much hearing, frequent and short 
prayers and great devotion, is the best way to be wise, to 
be holy, to be devout. 

24. Before you go to bed, bethink yourself of the day 
past ; if nothing extraordinary hath happened, your con- 
science is the sooner examined ; but if you have had any 
difference or disagreeing with any one, or a great feast, or 
great company, or a great joy, or a great sorrow, then recol- 
lect yourself with the more diligence ; ask pardon for what 
is amiss ; give God thanks for what was good : if you have 



38 AGENDA. 

omitted any duty, make amends next day ; and yet if nothing 
be found that was amiss, he humbled still and thankful, and 
pray God for pardon if any thing be amiss that yon know 
not of. If all these things be in your offices, for your last 
prayers, be sure to apply them according to what yon find in 
yonr examination : but if they be not, supply them with short 
ejaculations before yon begin your last prayers, or at the 
end of them. Remember also, and be sure to take notice of, 
all the mercies and deliverances of yourself and yonr rela- 
tives that day. 

25. As yon are going to bed, as often as yon can con- 
veniently, or that yon are not hindered by company, meditate 
on death, and the preparations to yonr grave. When yon lie 
down, close your eyes with a short prayer, commit yourself 
into the hands of your faithful Creator ; and when yon have 
done, trust him with yourself, as yon must do when you are 
dying. 

26. If you awake in the night, fill up the intervals or 
spaces of your not sleeping by holy thoughts and aspirations, 
and remember the sins of your youth : and sometimes re- 
member your dead, and that you shall die ; and pray to God 
to send to you and all mankind a mercy in the day of 
judgment. 

27. Upon the holydays observe the same rules ; only let 
the matter of your meditations be according to the mystery 
of the day. As upon Christmas-day, meditate on the birth 
of our blessed Saviour, and read that story and considera- 
tions which are in the * Life of Christ :' and to your ordinary 
devotions of every day, add the prayer which is fitted to the 
mystery which you shall find in the ' life of Christ/ or in 
the * Role of Holy Living.' Upon the day of the Annuncia- 
tion, or our Lady-day, meditate on the incarnation of our 
blessed Saviour ; and so, upon all the festivals of the year. 

28. Set apart one day for fasting once a week, or once a 
fortnight, or once a month at least, but let it be with these 
cautions and measures : 

1 . Do not choose a festival of the Church for your 
fasting day. 

2. Eat nothing till your afternoon devotions be done, 
if the health of your body will permit it : if not, take 
something, though it be the less. 

3. When you eat your meal, let it be no more than 



AGENDA. 39 

ordinary, lest your fasting day end in an intemperate 
evening. 

4. Let the actions of all the day be proportionable 
to it ; abstain from your usual recreations on that day, 
and from greater mirth. 

5. Be sure to design beforehand the purposes of your 
fast, either for repentance, or for mortification, or for the 
advantages of prayer ; and let your devotions be accord- 
ingly. But be sure not to think fasting, or eating fish, 
or eating nothing, of itself to be pleasing to God, but as 
it serves to one of these purposes. 

6. Let some part of that day extraordinary be set 
apart for prayer, for the actions of repentance, for con- 
fession of sins, and for begging of those graces for whose 
sake you set apart that day. 

7. Be sure that on that day you set apart some- 
thing for the poor ; for fasting and alms are the wings 
of prayer. 

8. It is best to choose that day for your fast, which is 
used generally by all Christians, as Friday and Saturday ; 
but do not call it a fasting day, unless also it be a day of 
extraordinary devotion and of alms. 

29. From observation of all the days of your life, gather 
out the four extraordinaries : 

1. All the great and shameful sins you have com- 
mitted. 

2. All the excellent or greater acts of piety, which 
by God's grace you have performed. 

3. All the great blessings you have received. 

4. All the dangers and great sicknesses you have 
escaped. And upon all the days of your extraordinary 
devotions, let them be brought forth, and produce their 
acts of virtue : 

1. Repentance and prayers for pardon. 

2. Resolutions to proceed and increase in good 
works. 

3. Thanksgiving to God. 

4. Fear and watchfulness, lest we fall into worse, as 
a punishment for our sin. 

30. Keep a little catalogue of these ; and at the foot of 
them set down what promises and vows you have made, and 
kept or broken, and do according as you are obliged. 



40 AGENDA. 

31. Receive the blessed sacrament as often as you can : 
endeavour to have it once a month, besides the solemn and 
great festivals of the year. 

32. Confess your sins often, hear the word of God, make 
religion the business of your life, your study, and chiefest 
care ; and be sijre that in all things a spiritual guide take you 
by the hand. 

Thou shalt always rejoice in the evening, if thou doest 
speud thy day virtuously. 



VIA PACIS. 

A SHORT METHOD OF PEACE AND HOLINESS, 

WITH 

A MANUAL OF DAILY PRAYERS FITTED TO THE 
DAYS OF THE WEEK. 



SUNDAY. 

The First Decad. 

1. IT is the highest wisdom, by despising the world, to 
arrive at heaven : for they are blessed whose daily exercise 
it is to converse with God by prayer and obedience, by love 
and patience. 

2. It is the extremest folly to labour for that which will 
bring torment in the end, and no satisfaction in the little en- 
joyment of it : to be unwearied in the pursuit of the world, 
and to be soon tired in whatsoever we begin to do for Christ. 

3. Watch over thyself, counsel thyself, reprove thyself, 
censure thyself, and judge thyself impartially : whatever thou 
dost to others, do not neglect thyself; for every man profits 
so much as he does violence to himself. 

4. They that follow their own sensuality stain their con- 
sciences, and lose the grace of God : but he that endeavours 
to please God, whatever he suffers, is beloved of God. For 
it is not a question, Whether we shall or shall not suffer? but, 
Whether we shall suffer for God or for the world ? whether 
we shall take pains in religion or in sin, to get heaven or 
to get riches ? 

5. What availeth knowledge without the fear of God ? An 



AGENDA. 41 

humble ignorant man is better than a proud scholar, who 
studies natural things, and knows not himself. The more 
thou knowest, the more grievously thou shalt be judged : 
many get no profit by their labour, because they contend for 
knowledge, rather than for holy life ; and the time shall come, 
when it shall more avail thee to have subdued one lust, than 
to have known all mysteries. 

6. No man truly knows himself, but he groweth daily 
more contemptible in his own eyes ; desire, not to be known, 
and to be little esteemed of by men. 

7. If all be well within, nothing can hurt us from without : 
for from inordinate love and vain fear, comes all unquietness 
of spirit, and distraction of our senses. 

8. He to whom all things are one, who draweth all things 
to one, and seeth all things in one, may enjoy true peace and 
rest of spirit. 

9. It is not much business that distracts any man, but the 
want of purity, constancy, and tendency towards God. Who 
hinders thee more than the unmortified desires of thine own 
heart ? As soon as ever a man desires any thing inordinately, 
he is presently disquieted in himself. He that hath not 
wholly subdued himself, is quickly tempted and overcome in 
small and trifling things. The weak in spirit is he that is in 
a manner subject to his appetite, and he quickly falls into 
indignation, and contention, and envy. 

10. He is truly great, that is great in charity, and little in 
himself. 



MONDAY. 

The Second Decad. 

1 1 . WE rather often believe and speak'evil of others, than 
good. But they that are truly virtuous, do not easily credit 
evil that is told them of their neighbours. For if others 
may do amiss, then may these also speak amiss. Man is frail 
and prone to evil, and, therefore, may soon fail in words. 

12. Be not rash in thy proceedings, nor confident and 
pertinacious in thy conceits. But consult with him that is 
wise, and seek to be instructed by a better than thyself. 

13. The more humble and resigned we are to God, the 



42 AGENDA. 

more prudent we are in our affairs to men, and peaceable in 
ourselves. 

14. The proud and the covetous can never rest. 

'15. Be not ashamed to be, or to be esteemed, poor in this 
world : for he that hears God teaching him, will find that it 
is the best wisdom to withdraw all our affections from secular 
honour, and troublesome riches, and to place them upon 
eternal treasures ; and by patience, by humility, by suffering 
scorn and contempt, and all the will of God, to get the true 
riches. 

16. Be not proud of well-doing ; for the judgment of 
God is far differing from the judgment of men. 

17. Lay not thine heart open to every one, but with the 
wise and them that fear God. Converse not much with 
young people and strangers. Flatter not the rich, neither 
do thou willingly or lightly appear before great personages. 
Never be partaker with the persecutors. 

18. It is easier, and safer, and more pleasant to live in 
obedience, than to be at our own disposing. 

19. Always yield to others when there is cause ; for that 
is no shame, but honour : but it is shame to stand stiff in a 
foolish or weak argument or resolution. 

20. The talk of worldly affairs hindereth much, although 
recounted with a fair intention : we speak willingly, but 
seldom return to silence. 



TUESDAY. 

The Third Decad. 

21 . WATCH and pray, lest your time pass without profit 
or fruit. But devout discourses do greatly further our 
spiritual progress, if persons of one mind and spirit be 
gathered together in God. 

22. We should enjoy more peace, if we did not busy 
ourselves with the words and deeds of other men, which 
appertain not to our charge. 

23. He that esteems his progress in religion to consist in 
exterior observances, his devotion will quickly be at an end. 
But to free ourselves of passions, is to lay the axe at the root 
of the tree, and the true way of peace. 



AGENDA. 43 

24. It is good that we sometimes be contradicted and 
ill thought of, and that we always bear it well, even when we 
deserve to be well spoken of: perfect peace and security 
cannot be had in this world. 

25. All the saints have profited by tribulations ; and they 
that could not bear temptations, became reprobates, and fell 
from God. 

26. Think not all is well within, when all is well without ; 
or that thy being pleased is a sign that God is pleased : but 
suspect every thing that is prosperous, unless it promotes 
piety, and charity, and humility. 

27. Do no evil, for no interest, and to please no man, 
for no friendship, and for no fear. 

28. God regards not how much we do, but from how 
much it proceeds. He does much that loves much. 

29. Patiently suffer that from others which thou canst 
not mend in them, until God please to do it for thee ; and 
remember that thou mend thyself, since thou art so willing 
others should not offend in any thing. 

30. Every man's virtue is best seen in adversity and 
temptation. 



WEDNESDAY. 

The Fourth Decad. 

31. BEGIN everyday to repent, not that thou shouldstat 
all defer it, or stand at the door, but because all that is past 
ought to seem little to thee ; because it is so in itself : begin 
the next day with the same zeal, and the same fear, and the 
same humility, as if thou hadst never begun before. 

32. A little omission of any usual exercise of piety, 
cannot happen to thee without some loss* and considerable 
detriment, even though it be upon a considerable cause. 

33. Be not slow in common and usual acts of piety and 
devotion, and quick and prompt at singularities : but having 
first done what thou art bound to, proceed to counsels and 
perfections, and the extraordinaries of religion, as you see 
cause. 

34. He that desires much to hear news, is never void of 
passions, and secular desires, and adherences to the world. 



44 AGENDA. 

35. Complain not too much of hinderances of devotion : 
if thou let men alone, they will let you alone : and if you 
desire not to converse with them, let them know it, and they 
will not desire to converse with thee. 

36. Draw not to thyself the affairs of others, neither 
involve thyself in the suits and parties of great personages. 

37. Know that if any trouble happen to thee, it is what 
thou hast deserved, and therefore brought upon thyself. 
But if any comfort come to thee, it is a gift of God, and 
what thou didst not deserve. And, remember, that often- 
times when thy body complains of trouble, it is not so much 
the greatness of trouble, as littleness of thy spirit, that makes 
thee to complain. 

38. He that knows how to suffer any thing for God, 
that desires heartily the will of God may be done in him, 
that studies to please others rather than himself, to do the 
will of his superior, not his own, that chooses the least 
portion, and is not greedy for the biggest, that takes the 
lowest place, and does not murmur secretly, he is in the 
best condition and state of things. 

39. Let no man despair of mercy or success, so long as 
he hath life and health. 

40. Every man must pass though fire and water before 
he can come to refreshment. 



THURSDAY. 

The Fifth Decad. 

41. SOON may a man lose that by negligence, which hath 
by much labour, and a long time, and a mighty grace, 
scarcely been obtained. And what shall become of us be- 
fore night, who are weary so early in the morning ? Wo 
be to that man who would be at rest, even when he hath 
scarcely a footstep of holiness appearing in his conversation ! 

42. So think, and so do, as if thou wert to die to-day, 
and at night to give an account of thy whole life. 

43. Beg not a long life, but a good one: for length of 
days oftentimes prolongs the evil, and augments the guilt. 
It were well if that little time we live, we would live well. 

44. Entertain the same opinions and thoughts of thy sin 



AGENDA. 45 

and of thy present state, as thou wilt in the days of sorrow. 
Thou wilt then think thyself very miserable and very foolish 
for neglecting one hour, and one day of thy salvation : think 
so now, and thou wilt be more provident of thy time and of 
thy talent. For there will a time come, when every careless 
man shall desire the respite of one hour for prayer and 
repentance, and I know not who will grant it. Happy is 
he that so lives, that in the day of death he rejoices, and is 
not amazed ! 

45. He that would die comfortably, may serve his ends 
by first procuring to himself a contempt of the world, a 
fervent desire of growing in grace, love of discipline, a 
laborious repentance, a prompt obedience, self-denial, and 
toleration of every cross accident for the love of Christ, and 
a tender charity. 

46. While thou art well, thou mayest do much good, if 
thou wilt ; but when thou art sick, neither thou nor I can tell 
what thou shalt be able to do. It is not very much, nor 
very good : few men mend with sickness, as there are but 
few who, by travel and a wandering life, become devout. 

47. Be not troubled, nor faint in the labours of mortifica- 
tion, and the austerities of repentance : for in hell one hour 
is more intolerable than a hundred years in the house of 
repentance: and try: for if thou canst not endure God 
punishing thy follies gently, for a while, to amend thee, how 
wilt thou endure his vengeance for ever to undo thee? 

48. In thy prayers wait for God, and think not every 
hearty prayer can procure every thing thou askest. These 
things which the saints did not obtain without many prayers, 
and much labour, and a shower of tears, and a long pro- 
tracted watchfulness and industry, do thou expect also in its 
own time, and by its usual measures. Do thou valiantly, 
and hope confidently, and wait patiently, and thou shalt find 
thou wilt not be deceived. 

49. Be careful thou dost not speak a lie in thy prayers, 
which, though riot observed, is frequently practised by care- 
less persons, especially in the forms of confession, affirming 
things which they have not thought, professing sorrow which 
is not, making a vow they mean not. 

50. If thou meanest to be devout, and to enlarge thy 
religion, do it rather by increasing thy ordinary devotions, 



46 AGENDA. 



than thy extraordinary. For if they be not regular, but 
come by chance, they will not last long. But if they be 
added to your ordinary offices, or made to be daily, thy 
spirit will, by use and custom, be made tender, and not 
willing to go less. 



FRIDAY. 

The Sixth Decad. 

51. HE is a truly charitable and good man, who, when he 
receives injuries, grieves rather for the malice of him that 
injures him, than for his own suffering ; who willingly prays 
for him that wrongs him, and from his heart forgives all his 
faults ; who stays not, but quickly asks pardon of others for 
his errors or mistakes ; who sooner shews mercy than anger ; 
who thinks better of others than himself ; who offers violence 
to his appetite, and in all things endeavours to subdue the 
flesh to the spirit. This is an excellent abbreviature .of the 
whole duty of a Christian. 

52. No man can have felicity in two states of things ; if 
he takes it in God here, in him he shall have it hereafter ; for 
God will last for ever. But if he takes felicity in things of 
this world, where will his felicity be when this world is 
done ? Either here alone, or hereafter, must be thy portion. 

53. Avoid those things in thyself which in others do 
most displease thee. And remember, that as thine eye 
observes .others, so art thou observed by God, by angels, and 
by men. 

54. He that puts his confidence in God only, is neither 
overjoyed in any great good thing of this life, nor sorrowful 
for a little thing. Let God be thy love and thy fear, and he 
also will be thy salvation and thy refuge. 

55. Do not omit thy prayers for want of a good oratory 
or place to pray in, nor thy duty for want of temporal en- 
couragements. For he that does both upon God's account, 
cares not how or what he suffers, so he suffer well, and be 
the friend of Christ ; nor where nor when he prays, so he 
may do it frequently, fervently, and acceptably. 

56. Very often remember and meditate upon the wounds 
and stripes, the shame and the pain, the death and the 



AGENDA. 47 

burial, of our Lord Jesus ; for nothing will more enable us to 
bear our cross patiently, injuries charitably, the labour of 
religion comfortably, and censuring words and detractions 
with meekness and quietness. 

57. Esteem not thyself to have profited in religion, unless 
thou thinkest well of others and meanly of thyself: there- 
fore, never accuse any but thyself; and he that diligently 
watches himself, will be willing enough to be silent con- 
cerning others. 

58. It is no great matter to live lovingly with good- 
natured, with humble, and meek persons : but he that can 
do so with the froward, with the wilful and the ignorant, 
with the peevish and perverse, he only hath true charity : 
always remembering, that our true solid peace, the peace of 
God, consists rather in complying with others, than in being 
complied with, in suffering and forbearing, rather than in 
contention and victory. 

59. Simplicity in our intentions, and purity of affections, 
are the two wings of a soul, investing it with the robes and 
resemblances of a seraphim. Intend the honour of God 
principally and sincerely, and mingle not thy affections with 
any creature, but in just subordination to God, and to 
religion ; and thou shalt have joy, if there be any such thing 
in this world. For there is no joy but in God, and no sorrow 
but in an evil conscience. 

60. Take not much care what or who is for thee, or 
against thee. The judgment of none is to be regarded, if 
God's judgment be otherwise. Thou art neither better nor 
worse in thyself, for any account that is made of thee by any 
but by God alone : secure that to thee, and he will secure 
all the rest. 



SATURDAY. 

The Seventh Decad. 

61. BLESSED is he that understands what it is to love 
Jesus, and contends earnestly to be like him. Nothing else 
can satisfy or make us perfect. But be thou a bearer of his 
cross, as well as a lover of his kingdom. Suffer tribulation 
for him, or from him, with the same spirit thou receivest 



48 AGENDA. 

consolation : follow him as well for the bitter cup of his 
passion, as for the loaves ; and remember, that if it be a hard 
saying, " Take up my cross and follow me," it is a harder 
saying, " Go, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." 

62. No man can always have the same spiritual pleasure 
in his prayers : for the greatest saints have sometimes 
suffered the banishment of the heart; sometimes are fervent, 
sometimes they feel a barrenness of devotion : for this spirit 
comes and goes. Rest, therefore, only in God, and in doing 
thy duty : and know, that if thou beest overjoyed to-day, 
this hour will pass away, and temptation and sadness will 
succeed . 

63. In all afflictions, seek rather for patience than for 
comfort. If thou preservest that, this will return. Any man 
would serve God, if he felt pleasure in it always ; but the 
virtuous does it, when his soul is full of heaviness, and 
regards not himself, but God, and hates that consolation 
that lessens his compunction ; but loves any thing, whereby 
he is made more humble. 

64. That which thou dost not understand when thou 
readest, thou shalt understand in the day of thy visitation : 
for there are many secrets of religion, which are not perceived 
till they be felt, and are not felt but in the day of a great 
calamity. 

Go. He that prays despairs not. But sad is the condition 
of him that cannot pray. Happy are they that can, and do, 
and love to do it. 

66. He that will be blessed in his prayers, must make his 
prayers his rule. All our duty is there set down, because in 
all our duty we beg the Divine assistance : and remember, 
that you are bound to do all those duties, for the doing of 
which you have prayed for the Divine assistance. 

67. Be doing actions of religion as often as thou canst, 
and thy worldly pleasures as seldom ; that if thou beest sur- 
prised by sudden death, it may be odds but thou mayest be 
taken at thy prayers. 

68. Watch, and resist the devil in all his temptations 
and snares : his chief designs are these ; to hinder thy desire 
in good ; to put thee by from any spiritual employment, 
from prayers especially, from the meditation of the passion, 
from the remembrance of thy sins, from humble confession 



AGENDA. 49 

of them, from speedy repentance, from the custody of thy 
senses and of thy heart, from firm purposes of growing in 
grace, from reading good books, and frequent receiving the 
holy sacrament. It is all one to him, if he deceives thee by 
a lie or by truth ; whether he amaze or trouble thee, by love 
of the present or fear of the future : watch him but in these 
things, and there will be no part left unarmed, in which he 
can wound thee. 

69. Remember how the proud have fallen, and they who 
have presumed upon their own strength have been dis- 
graced ; and that the boldest and greatest talkers in the 
days of peace, have been the most dejected and pusillanimous 
in the day of temptation. 

70. No man ought to think he hath found peace, when 
nothing troubles him ; or that God loves him, because he 
hath no enemy ; nor that all is well, because every thing is 
according to his mind ; nor that he is a holy person, because 
he prays with great sweetness and comfort; but he is at 
peace who is reconciled to God ; and God loves him when 
he hath overcome himself; and all is well when nothing 
pleases him but God, being thankful in the midst of his 
afflictions ; and he is holy, who, when he hath lost his com- 
fort, loses nothing of his duty, but is still the same, when 
God changes his face towards him. 



VOL. xv. 



POSTULANDA; 



OR, 



THINGS TO BE PRAYED FOR. 



Jubet Deus ut petas, et si non petis displicet, et non negabit quod petis : 
et tu non petes ? S, August. 



A form of Prayer, by way of Paraphrase, expounding 
the Lord's Prayer. 

Our Father. 

MERCIFUL and gracious ; thou gavest me being, raisedst me 
from nothing to be an excellent creation, efforming me after 
thy own image, tenderly feeding me, and conducting and 
strengthening me all my days : thou art our Father by a 
more excellent mercy, adopting us in a new birth, to become 
partakers of the inheritance of Jesus ; thou hast given us the 
portion and the food of sons ; O make us to do the duty of 
sons, that we may never lose our title to so glorious an 
inheritance. 

Let this excellent name and title, by which thou hast 
vouchsafed to relate to us, be our glory and our confidence, 
our defence and guard, our ornament and strength, our 
dignity, and the endearment of obedience, the principle of a 
holy fear to thee, our Father, and of love to thee and to 
our brethren, partakers of the same hope and dignity. 

Unite every member of the Church to thee in holy bands ; 
let there be no more names of division, nor titles and 
ensigns of error and partiality ; let not us, who are brethren, 
contend, but in giving honour to each other, and glory to 
thee, contending earnestly for the faith, but not to the breach 
of charity, nor the denying each other's hope : but grant that 
we may all join in the promotion of the honour of thee our 



POSTULANDA. 51 

Father, in celebrating the name, and spreading the family, 
and propagating the laws and institutions, the promises and 
dignities, of our elder brother; that despising the transitory 
entertainments of this world, we may labour for, and long 
after, the inheritance to which thou hast given us title, by 
adopting us into the dignity of sons. For ever let thy Spirit 
witness to our spirit, that we are thy children, and enable us 
to cry Abba, Father. 

Which art in heaven. 

Heaven is thy throne, the earth is thy footstool : from 
thy throne thou beholdest all the dwellers upon earth, and 
triest out the hearts of men, and nothing is hid from thy 
sight. And as thy knowledge is infinite, so is thy power, 
uncircumscribed as the utmost orb of heaven, and thou 
sittest in thy own essential happiness and tranquillity, im- 
movable and eternal. That is our country, and thither thy 
servants are travelling ; there is our Father, and that is our 
inheritance ; there our hearts are, for there our treasure is 
laid up till the day of recompense. 

Hallowed be thy name. 

Thy name, O God, is glorious, and in thy name is our 
hope and confidence : according to thy name, so is thy 
praise unto the world's end. They that love thy name, shall 
be joyful in thee ; for thy name which thou madest to be 
proclaimed unto thy people, is, " The Lord, the Lord God, 
merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in good- 
ness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving 
iniquity, and transgression, and sin ; and that will by no 
means clear the guilty." In this glorious name we worship 
thee, O Lord ; and all they that know thy name, will put 
their trust in thee. The desire of our soul is to thy name, 
and to the remembrance of thee. Thou art worthy, O Lord, 
of honour, and praise, and glory, for ever and ever: we con- 
fess thy glories, we rejoice in thy mercies ; we hope in thy 
name, and thy saints like it well : for thy name is praised 
unto the ends of the world ; it is believed by faith, relied 
upon by a holy hope, and loved by a great charity : all thy 
Church celebrates thee with praises, and offers to thy name 
the sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving. 



52 POSTULANDA. 

Thou, O God, didst frame our nature by thy own image, 
and now thou hast imprinted thy name upon us; we are thy 
servants, the relatives and domestics of thy family, and thou 
hast honoured us with the gracious appellative of Christians. 
O let us never dishonour so excellent a title, nor, by un- 
worthy usages, profane thy holy name, but for ever glorify 
it. Let our life be answerable to our dignity ; that our body 
may be chaste, our thoughts clean, our words gracious, our 
manners holy, and our life useful and innocent, that men, 
seeing our good works, may glorify thee our Father which 
art in heaven. 

Thy kingdom come. 

Thou reignest in heaven and earth : O do thou rule also 
in our hearts ; advance the interest of religion ; let thy 
Gospel be placed in all the regions of the earth ; and let all 
nations come and worship thee, laying their proud wills at 
thy feet, submitting their understandings to the obedience of 
Jesus, conforming their affections to thy holy laws. Let thy 
kingdom be set up gloriously over us ; and do thou reign in 
our spirits, by thy Spirit of Grace ; subdue every lust and 
inordinate appetite ; trample upon our pride, mortify all 
rebellion within us, and let all thine and our enemies be 
brought into captivity, that sin may never reign in our mor- 
tal bodies ; but that Christ may reign in our understanding 
by faith, in the will, by charity, in the passions, by morti- 
fication, in all the members, by a right and chaste use of 
them. And when thy kingdom that is within us hath 
flourished, and is advanced to that height whither thou hast 
designed it, grant thy kingdom of glory may speedily suc- 
ceed ; and we thy servants be admitted to the peace and 
purity, the holiness and glories, of that state where thou 
reignest alone, and art all in all. 

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Thy will, O God, is the measure of holiness and peace ; 
thy providence the great disposer of all things, tying all 
events together, in order to thy glory and the good of thy 
servants, by a wonderful mysterious chain of wisdom. Let 
thy will also be the measure of our desires : for we know, 
that whatsoever thou sayest is true, and whatsoever thou 



POSTULANDA. 53 

doest is good: grant we may submit our wills to thine, being 
patient of evils which thou inflictest, lovers of the good which 
thou commandest, haters of all evil which thou forbiddest, 
pleased with all the accidents thou sendest ; that though our 
nature is weaker than angels, yet our obedience may be as 
humble, our conformity to thy will may rise up to the de- 
grees of unity, and theirs cannot be more ; that as they in 
heaven, so we in earth may obey thy will promptly, cheer- 
fully, zealously, and with all our faculties; and grant, that 
as they there, so all the world here may serve thee with peace 
and concord, purity arid love unfeigned, with one heart and 
one voice glorifying thee our heavenly Father. 

Grant that we may quit all our own affections, and sus- 
pect our reasonings, and go out of ourselves, and all our own 
confidences; that thou being to us all things, disposing all 
events, and guiding all our actions, and directing our inten- 
tions, and overruling all things in us and about us, we may 
be servants of the Divine will for ever. 

Give us, this day, our daily bread. 

Thou, O God, which takest care of our souls, do not 
despise our bodies, which thou hast made and sanctified, and 
designed to be glorious. But now we are exposed to hunger 
and thirst, nakedness and weariness, want and inconveni- 
ence, ' Give unto us neither poverty nor riches, but feed us 
with food convenient for us,' and clothe us with fitting pro- 
visions, according to that state and condition where thou hast 
placed thy servants ; that we may not be tempted with want, 
nor made contemptible by beggary, nor wanton or proud by 
riches, nor in love with any thing in this world ; but that we 
may use it as strangers and pilgrims, as the relief of our 
needs, the support of our infirmities, and tire oil of our lamps, 
feeding us till we are quite spent in thy service. Lord, take 
from thy servants sad carefulness, and all distrust, and give 
us only such a proportion of temporal things as may enable 
us with comfort to do our duty. 

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass 
against us. 

O dear God, unless thou art pleased to pardon us, in vain 



54) POSTULANDA. 

is it that we should live here: and what good will our life do 
us? O look upon us with much mercy, for we have sinned 
grievously against thee. Pardon the adherent imperfections 
of our life, the weaknesses of our duty, the carelessness of 
our spirit, our affected ignorance, our indiligence, our rash- 
ness and want of observation, our malice and presumptions. 
Turn thine eyes from our impurities, and behold the bright- 
ness and purest innocence of the holy Jesus ; and under his 
cover we plead our cause, not that thou shouldest judge our 
sins, but give us pardon, and blot out all our iniquities, that 
we may never enter into the horrible regions where there 
are torments without ceasing, a prison without ransom, re- 
proaches without comfort, anguish without patience, dark- 
ness without light, * a worm that never dies, and the fire that 
never goeth out.' 

But be pleased also to give us great charity, that we may 
truly forgive all that trouble or injure us, that by that character 
thou may discern us to be thy sons and servants, disciples 
of the Holy Jesus, lest our * prayer be turned into sin,' and 
thy grace be recalled, and thou enter into a final anger 
against thy servants. 

Lead us not into temptation. 

Gracious Father, we are weak and ignorant, our affections 
betray us, and make us willing to die, * our adversary the 
devil goeth up and down, seeking whom he may devour ;' he 
is busy and crafty, malicious and powerful, watchful and 
envious; and we tempt ourselves, running out to mischief, 
delighting in the approaches of sin, and love to have neces- 
sities put upon us, that sin may be unavoidable. Pity us in 
the midst of these disorders ; and give us spiritual strength, 
holy resolutions, a watchful spirit, the whole armour of God, 
and thy protection, the guard of angels, and the conduct of 
thy Holy Spirit, to be our security in the day of danger. 
Give us thy grace to fly from all occasions to sin, that we 
may never tempt ourselves, nor delight to be tempted ; and 
let thy blessed providence so order the accidents of our lives, 
that we may not dwell near an enemy ; and when thou shalt 
try us, and suffer us to enter into combat, let us always be 
on thy side, and fight valiantly, resist the devil, and endure 



POSTULANDA. 55 

patiently, and persevere constantly unto the end, that thou 
mayest crown thy own work in us. 

But deliver us from evil. 

From sin and shame, from the malice and fraud of the 
devil, and from the falseness and greediness of men, from all 
thy wrath, and from all our impurities, good Lord, deliver 
thy servants. 

Do not reserve any thing of thy wrath in store for us ; 
but let our sins be pardoned so fully, that thou mayest not 
punish our inventions. And yet, if thou wilt not be en- 
treated, but that it be necessary that we suffer, thy will be 
done ; smite us here with a father's rod, that thou mayest 
spare us hereafter : let the sad accidents of our life be for 
good to us, not for evil ; for our amendment, not to exas- 
perate or weary us, not to harden or confound us : and what 
evil soever it be that shall happen, let -us not sin against 
thee. For ever deliver us from that evil, and for ever deliver 
us from the power of the evil one, the great enemy of man- 
kind, and never let our portion be in that region of darkness, 
in that everlasting burning, which thou hast 'prepared for the 
devil and his angels' for ever. 

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

So shall we thy servants advance the mightiness of thy 
kingdom, the power of thy majesty, and the glory of thy 
mercy, from generation to generation, for ever. Amen. 



LITANIES 

FOR ALL THINGS AND PERSONS. 



O GOD the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, have mercy upon thy servants, and hear the prayers 
of us miserable sinners. 

O blessed Jesus, the fountain of peace and pardon, our wis- 
dom and our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption, 



56 POSTULANDA. 

have mercy upon thy servants, refuse not to hear the 
prayers of us miserable, sorrowful, and returning sinners. 

O holy and divinest Spirit of the Father, help our infir- 
mities : for of ourselves we know not what to ask, nor how 
to pray, but do thou assist and be present in the desires of 
us miserable sinners. 

I. 

For Pardon of Sins. 

Remember not, Lord, the follies of our childhood, nor 
the lusts of our youth; the wildness of our head, nor the 
wanderings of our heart; the infinite sins of our tongue, and 
the inexcusable errors of the days of vanity. 

Lord, have mercy upon us, poor miserable sinners. 

Remember not, O Lord, the growing iniquities of our 
elder age, the pride of our spirit, the abuse of our members, 
the greediness of our appetite, the inconstancy of our pur- 
poses, the peevishness and violence of all our passions 
and affections. 

Lord, have mercy, &c. 

Remember not, O Lord, how we have been full of envy 
and malice, anger and revenge, fierce and earnest in the 
purchases and vanities of the world, and lazy and dull, slow 
and soon weary in the things of God and of religion. 
Lord, have mercy, &c. 

Remember not, O Lord, our uncharitable behaviour to- 
wards those with whom we have conversed, our jealousies 
and suspicions, our evil surmisings and evil reportings, the 
breach of our promises to men, and the breach of all our holy 
vows made to thee our God. 
Lord, have mercy, &c. 

Remember not, O Lord, how often we have omitted the 
several parts and actions of our duty ; for our sins of omis- 
sion are infinite, and we have not sought after the righteous- 
ness of God, but have rested in carelessness and forgetful- 
ness, in a false peace and a silent conscience. 
Lord, have mercy, &c. 

O most gracious Lord, enter not into judgment with thy 
servants, lest we be consumed in thy wrath and just dis- 
pleasure : from which 

Good Lord, deliver us, and preserve thy servants for ever. 



POSTULANDA. 57 

II. 

For Deliverance from Evils. 

From gross ignorance and stupid negligence, from a 
wandering head and a trifling spirit, from the violence and 
rule of passion, from a servile will and a commanding lust, 
from all intemperance, inordination, and irregularity what- 
soever : 

Good Lord, deliver and preserve thy servants for ever. 
From a covetous mind and greedy desires, from lustful 
thoughts and a wanton eye, from rebellious members and 
the pride and vanity of spirit ; from false opinions and igno- 
rant confidences : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From improvidence and prodigality, from envy and the 
spirit of slander, from idleness and sensuality, from presump- 
tion and despair, from sinful actions and all vicious habits : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From fierceness of rage and hastiness of spirit, from 
clamorous and reproachful language, from peevish anger and 
inhuman malice, from the spirit of contention and hasty and 
indiscreet zeal : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From a schismatical and heretical spirit, from tyranny 
and tumults, from sedition and factions, from envying the 
grace of God in our brother, from impenitence and hardness 
of heart, from obstinacy and apostasy, from delighting in sin 
and hating God and good men : 

God Lord, deliver, &c. 

From fornication and adultery, from unnatural desires 
and unnatural hatreds, from gluttony and drunkenness, from 
loving and believing lies, and taking pleasure in the remem- 
brances of evil things, from delighting* in our neighbour's 
misery and procuring it, from upbraiding others and hating 
reproof of ourselves : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From impudence and shame, from contempt and scorn, 
from oppression and cruelty, from a pitiless and unrelenting 
spirit, from a churlish behaviour arid undecent usages of 
ourselves or others : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 



58 POSTULANDA. 



From famine and pestilence, from noisome and infectious 
diseases, from sharp and intolerable pains, from impatience 
and tediousness of spirit, from a state of temptation and 
hardened spirits : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From banishments and prison, from widowhood and want, 
from violence of pains and passions, from tempests and earth- 
quakes, from the rage of fire and water, from rebellion and 
treason, from fretfulness and inordinate cares, from mur- 
muring against God and disobedience to the Divine com- 
mandment: 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From delaying our repentance, and persevering in sin, 
from false principles and prejudices, from unthankfulness 
and irreligion, from seducing others and being abused our- 
selves, from the malice and craftiness of the devil and the 
deceit and lyings of the world : 
Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From wounds and murder, from precipices and falls, from 
fracture of bones and dislocation of joints, from dismem- 
bering our bodies and all infatuation of our souls, from folly 
and madness, from uncertainty of mind and state, and from 
a certainty of sinning : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From thunder and lightning, from phantasms, spectres, 
and illusions of the night, from sudden and great changes, 
from the snares of wealth, and the contempt of beggary and 
extreme poverty, from being made an example and a warning 
to others by suffering sad judgments ourselves : 
Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From condemning others and justifying ourselves, from 
mispending our time and abusing thy grace, from calling 
good evil and evil good, from consenting to folly and tempt- 
ing others : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From excess in speaking and peevish silence, from looser 
laughing and immoderate weeping, from giving evil example 
to others or following any ourselves, from giving or receiving 
scandal, from the horrible sentence of endless death and 
damnation : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 



POSTULANDA. 59 

-> 

From cursing and swearing, from uncharitable chiding, 
and easiness to believe evil ; from the evil spirit that, walketh 
at noon, and the arrow that flieth in darkness; from the 
angel of wrath, and perishing in popular diseases : 
Good Lord, deliver, Sec. 

From the want of a spiritual guide, from a famine of the 
word and sacraments, from hurtful persecution, and from 
taking part with persecutors : 
Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From drowning or being burnt alive, from sleepless nights 
and contentious days, from a melancholy and a confused 
spirit, from violent fears and the loss of reason, from a vicious 
life and a sudden and unprovided death : 
Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From relying upon vain fancies and false foundations, 
from an evil and an amazed conscience, from sinning near 
the end of our life, and from despairing in the day of our 
death : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 

From hyprocrisy and wilfulness, from self-love and vain 
ambition, from curiosity and carelessness, from being tempted 
in the days of our weakness, from the prevailing of the flesh 
and grieving the Spirit, from all thy wrath and from all 
our sins : 

Good Lord, deliver, &c. 



III. 

For Gifts and Graces. 

Hear our prayer, O Lord, and consider our desire ; hearken 
unto us for thy truth and righteousness' sake : O hide not 
thy face from us, neither cast away tny servants in dis- 
pleasure. 

Give unto us the spirit of prayer, frequent and fervent, 
holy and persevering, an unreprovable faith, a just and an 
humble hope, and a never-failing charity. 

Hear our prayers, O Lord, and consider our desire. 

Give unto us true humility, a meek and a quiet spirit, a 
loving and a friendly, a holy and a useful conversation, 
bearing the burdens of our neighbours, denying ourselves, 



60 POSTULANDA. 

and studying to benefit others, and to please thee in all 
things. 

Hear our prayers, &c. 

Give us a prudent and a sober, a just and a sincere, a 
temperate and a religious spirit ; a great contempt of the 
world, a love of holy things, and a longing after' heaven and 
the instruments and paths that lead thither. 
Hear our prayers, &c. 

Grant us to be thankful to our benefactors, righteous in 

performing promises, loving to our relatives, careful of our 

charges, to be gentle and easy to be entreated, slow to anger, 

and fully instructed and readily prepared for every good work. 

Hear our prayers, &c. 

Give us a peaceable spirit and a peaceable life, free from, 
debt and deadly sin ; grace to abstain from all appearances of 
evil, and to do nothing but what is of good report; to confess 
Christ and his holy religion, by a holy and obedient life, and 
a mind ready to die for him when he shall call us and 
assist us. 

Hear our prayers, &c. 

Give to thy servants a watchful and an observing spirit, 
diligent in doing our duty, inflexible to evil, obedient to thy 
word, inquisitive after thy will, pure and holy thoughts, 
strong and religious purposes, and thy grace to perform 
faithfully what we have promised in the day of our duty, or 
in the day of our calamity. 
Hear our prayers, &c. 

O teach us to despise all vanity, to fight the battles of the 
Lord manfully against the flesh, the world, and the devil; to 
spend our time religiously and usefully, to speak gracious 
words, to walk always as in thy presence, to preserve our 
souls and bodies in holiness, fit for the habitation of the 
Holy Spirit of God. 

Hear our prayers, &c. 

Give us a holy and a perfect repentance, a well-instructed 
understanding, regular affections, a constant and a wise 
heart, a good name, a fear of thy majesty, and a love of all 
thy glories above all the things in the world for ever. 
Hear our prayers, &c. 

Give us a healthful body and a clear understanding, the 
love of our neighbours and the peace of the Church, the 



POSTULANDA. 61 

public use and comfort of thy holy world and sacraments, a 
great love to all Christians, and obedience to our superiors, 
ecclesiastical and civil, all the days of our life. 
Hear our prayers, &c. 

Give us spiritual wisdom, that we may discern what is 
pleasing to thee, and follow what belongs unto our peace ; 
and let the knowledge and love of God and of Jesus Christ 
our Lord be our guide and our portion all our days. 
Hear our prayers, &c. 

Give unto us holy dispositions and an active industry 
in thy service, to redeem the time mispent in vanity ; for 
thy pity sake take not vengeance of us for our sins, but 
sanctify our souls and bodies in this life, and glorify them 
hereafter. 

Hear our prayers, &c. 

Our Father, &c. 

IV. 

TO BE ADDED TO THE FORMER LITANIES, ACCORDING AS 
OUR DEVOTIONS AND TIME WILL SUFFER. 

For all States of Men and Women} especially in the Christian 

Church. 

O BLESSED GOD, in mercy remember thine inheritance, and 
forget not the congregation of the poor for ever ; pity poor 
mankind, whose portion is misery and folly, shame and 
death : but thou art our Redeemer, and the lifter up of our 
head ; and under the shadow of thy wings shall be our help, 
until this tyranny be overpast. 

Have mercy upon us, O God, and hide not thyself from 
our petition. 

Preserve, O God, the catholic Church in holiness and 
truth, in unity and peace, free from persecution, or glorious 
under it, that she may for ever advance the honour of her 
Lord Jesus, for ever represent his sacrifice, and glorify his 
person, and advance his religion, and be accepted of thee in 
her blessed Lord, that, being filled with his Spirit, she may 
partake of his glory. 

Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Give the spirit of government and holiness to all Christian 
kings, princes, and governors ; grant that their people may 



62 POSTULANDA. 

obey them, and they may obey thee, and live in honesty and 
peace, justice and holy religion; being nursing fathers to 
the Church, advocates for the oppressed, patrons for the 
widows, and a sanctuary for the miserable and the father- 
less, that they may reign with thee for ever in the kingdom 
of the Lord Jesus. 

Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Give to thy servants the bishops, and all the clergy, the 
spirit of holiness and courage, of patience and humility, 
of prudence and diligence, to preach and declare thy will by 
a holy life and wise discourses, that they may minister to 
the good of souls, and find a glorious reward in the day of the 
Lord Jesus. 

Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Give to our relatives [our wives and children, our friends 
and benefactors, our charges, our family, &c.] pardon and 
support, comfort in all their sorrows, strength in all their 
temptations, the guard of angels to preserve them from evil, 
and the conduct of thy Holy Spirit to lead them into all 
good ; that they, doing their duty, may feel thy mercies here, 
and partake of thy glories hereafter. 
Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Give to all Christian kingdoms and commonwealths 
peace and plenty, health and holy religion ; to all families of 
religion and nurseries of piety, zeal and holiness, prudence and 
unity, peace and contentedness ; to all schools of learning, 
quietness and industry, freedom from wars and violence, 
factions and envy. 

Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Give to all married pairs faith and love, charitable and 
wise compliances, sweetness of society and innocence of 
conversation ; to all virgins and widows great love of 
religion, a sober and a contented spirit, an unwearied attend- 
ance to devotion and the offices of holiness ; protection to 
the fatherless, comfort to the disconsolate, patience and 
submission, health and spiritual advantages to the sick ; 
that they may feel thy comforts for the days wherein they 
have suffered adversity. 

Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Be thou a star and a guide to them that travel by land or 
sea, the confidence and comfort of them that are in storms 



POSTULANDA. 63 

and shipwrecks, the strength of them that toil in the mines 
and row in the galleys, an instructor to the ignorant ; to them 
that are condemned to die be thou a guide unto death ; give 
cheerfulness to every sad heart, spiritual strength and pro- 
portionable comfort to them that are afflicted by evil spirits ; 
pity the lunatics ; give life and salvation to all to whom thou 
hast given no understanding; accept the stupid and the 
fools to mercy, give liberty to prisoners, redemption to cap- 
tives, maintenance to the poor, patronage and defence to 
the oppressed ; and put a period to the iniquity and to the 
miseries of all mankind. 

Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Give unto our enemies grace and pardon, charity to us, 
and love to thee ; take away all anger from them, and all 
mistakes from us, all misinterpretations and jealousies; bring 
all sinners to repentance and holiness, and to all thy saints 
and servants give an increasing love and a persevering duty ; 
bring all Turks, Jews, and infidels to the knowledge and 
confession of the Lord Jesus, and a participation of all the 
promises of the Gospel, all the benefits of his passion ; to all 
heretics give humility and ingenuity, repentance of their 
errors, and grace and power to make amends to the Church 
and truth, and a public acknowledgment of a holy faith, to 
the glory of the Lord Jesus. 

Have mercy upon us, &c. 

Give to all merchants faithfulness and truth ; to the 
labouring husbandmen health and fair seasons of the year, 
and reward his toil with the dew of heaven and the blessings 
of the earth ; to all artizans give diligence in their callings, 
and a blessing on their labours and on their families ; to old 
men, piety and perfect repentance, a liberal heart and an 
open hand, great religion and desires after heaven ; to 
young men give sobriety and chastity, health and usefulness, 
an early piety arid a persevering duty ; to all families, visited 
with the rod of God, give consolation and a holy use of the 
affliction, and a speedy deliverance; to us all, pardon, and 
holiness, and life eternal, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of 

God, and the communication of the Holy Spirit, be 

with us all for ever. Amen. 



POSTULANDA. 



A short Prayer to be said every Morning. 

O ALMIGHTY GOD, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
God of mercy and comfort, with reverence and fear, with 
humble confidence and strong desires, I approach to the 
throne of grace, begging of thee mercy and protection, 
pardon and salvation. O my God, I am a sinner, but sor- 
rowful and repenting : thou art justly offended at me, but 
yet thou art my Lord and my Father, merciful and gracious. 
Be pleased to blot all my sins out of thy remembrance, and heal 
my soul, that I may never any more sin against thee. Lord, 
open my eyes, that I may see my own infirmities, and watch 
against them ; and my own follies, that I may amend them : 
and be pleased to give me perfect understanding in the way 
of godliness, that I may walk in it all the days of my pil- 
grimage. Give me a spirit diligent in the works of my 
calling, cheerful and zealous in religion, fervent and frequent 
in my prayers, charitable and useful in my conversation ; 
give me a healthful and a chaste body, a pure and a holy 
soul, a sanctified and an humble spirit ; and let my body, 
and soul, and spirit, be preserved unblamable to the coming 
of the Lord Jesus. Amen. 

II. 

Blessed be thy name, O God, and blessed be thy mercies, 
who hast preserved me this night from sin and sorrow, from 
sad chances and a violent death, from the malice of the 
devil and the evil effects of my own corrupted nature and 
infirmity. The outgoings of the morning and evening shall 
praise thee, and thy servants shall rejoice in giving thee 
praise for the operation of thy hands. Let thy providence 
and care watch over me this day, and all my whole life, that 
I may never be against thee by idleness or folly, by evil 
company or private sins, by word or deed, by thought or 
desire ; and let the employment of my day leave no sorrow, 
or the remembrance of an evil conscience at night; but let it 
be holy and profitable, blessed and always innocent ; that 
when the days of my short abode are done, and the shadow 
is departed, I may die in thy fear and favour, and rest in a 
holy hope, and at last return to the joys of a blessed resur- 



POSTULANDA. 65 

rection, through Jesus Christ; in whose name, and in whose 
words, in behalf of myself, and all my friends, and all thy 
servants, I humbly and heartily pray, Our Father, &c. 

A Prayer for the Evening. 

ETERNAL GOD, Almighty Father of men and angels, by 
whose care and providence I am preserved and blessed, com- 
forted and assisted, I humbly beg of thee to pardon the sins 
and follies of this day, the weaknesses of my services, and 
the strength of my passions, the rashness of my words, and 
the vanity and evil of my actions. O just and dear God, 
how long shall I confess my sins, and pray against them, 
and yet fall under them ! O let it be so no more ; let me 
never return to the follies of which I am ashamed, which 
bring sorrow, and death, and thy displeasure, worse than 
death. Give me a command over my evil inclinations, and 
a perfect hatred of sin, and a love to thee above all the 
desires of this world. Be pleased to bless and preserve me 
this night from all sin, and all violence of chance, and the 
malice of the spirits of darkness : watch over me in my 
sleep ; and, whether I sleep or wake, let me be thy servant. 
Be thou first and last in all my thoughts, and the guide and 
continual assistance of all my actions. Preserve my body, 
pardon the sin of my soul, and sanctify my spirit ; let me 
always live holily, and justly, and soberly ; and, when I die, 
receive my soul into thy hands, O holy and ever-blessed 
Jesus; That I may lie in thy bosom, and long for thy 
coming, and hear thy blessed sentence at doomsday, and 
behold thy face, and live in thy kingdom, singing praises to 
God for ever and ever. Amen. 
Our Father, &c. 



FOR SUNDAY. 

A Prayer against Pride. 
I. 

O ETERNAL GOD, merciful, and glorious, thou art exalted 
far above all heavens ; thy throne, O God, is glory, and thy 
sceptre is righteousness, thy will is holiness, and thy wisdom 
VOL. xv. p 



66 POSTULANDA. 

the great foundation of empire and government : I adore thy 
majesty, and rejoice in thy mercy, and revere thy power, and 
confess all glory, and dignity, and honour, to be thine alone, 
and theirs to whom thou shalt impart any ray of thy majesty, 
or reflection of thy honour : but as for me, I am a worm and 
no man, vile dust and ashes, the son of corruption, and the 
heir of rottenness, seized upon by folly, a lump of ignorance 
and sin, and shame, and death. What art thou, O Lord ? the 
great God of heaven and earth, the fountain of holiness, and 
perfection infinite. But what am I ? so ignorant, that I 
know not what ; so poor, that I have nothing of my own ; so 
miserable, that I am the heir of sorrow and death ; and so 
sinful, that I am encompassed with shame and grief. 

II. 

And yet, O my God, I am proud : proud of my shame, 
glorying in my sin, boasting my infirmities ; for this is all 
that I have of my own, save only that I have multiplied 
my miseries by vile actions, every day dishonouring the work 
of thy hands : my understanding is too confident, my affec- 
tions rebellious, my will refractory and disobedient ; and yet 
I know thou resistest the proud, and didst cast the morning 
stars, the angels, from heaven into chains of darkness, when 
they grew giddy and proud, walking upon the battlements of 
heaven, beholding the glorious regions that were above them. 

III. 

Thou, O God, who givest grace to the humble, do some- 
thing also for the proud man ; make me humble and obe- 
dient. Take from me the spirit of pride and haughtiness, am- 
bition and self-flattery, confidence and gaiety : teach me to 
think well, and to expound all things fairly of my brother, to 
love his worthiness, to delight in his praises, to excuse his 
errors, to give thee thanks for his graces, to rejoice in all 
the good that he receives, and ever to believe and speak 
better things of him than of myself. 

IV. 

O teach me to love to be concealed, and little esteemed ; 
let me be truly humbled, and heartily ashamed of my sin 
and folly ; teach me to bear reproaches evenly, for I have 



POSTULANDA. 67 

deserved them ; to refuse all honours done unto me, because 
I have not deserved them ; to return all to thee, for it is thine 
alone ; to suffer reproof thankfully, to amend all my faults 
speedily ; and do thou invest my soul with the humble robe 
of my meek Master and Saviour Jesus ; and, when I have 
humbly, patiently, charitably, and diligently served thee, 
change this robe into the shining garment of immortality, 
my confusion into glory, my folly to perfect knowledge, my 
weaknesses and dishonours to the strength and beauties of 
the sons of God. 

V. 

In the meantime use what means thou pleasest, to conform 
me to the image of thy holy Son ; that I may be gentle to 
others, and severe to myself: that I may sit down in the 
lowest place ; striving to go before my brother in nothing, 
but in doing him and thee honour ; staying for my glory, till 
thou shalt please, in the day of recompenses, to reflect light 
from thy face, and admit me to behold thy glories. Grant 
this for Jesus Christ's sake, who humbled himself to the 
death and shame of the cross, and is now exalted unto glory : 
unto him, with thee, O Father, be glory and praise for ever 
and ever. Amen. 



FOR MONDAY. 

A Prayer against Covetousness. 

I. 

O ALMIGHTY GOD, eternal treasure of all good things, thou 
fillest all things with plenteousness ; ' thou clothest the lilies 
of the field, and feedest the young ravens that call upon 
thee :' thou art all-sufficient in thyself, #nd all-sufficient to 
us ; let thy providence be my storehouse, thy dispensation of 
temporal things the limit of my labour, my own necessity the 
measure of my desire : but never let my desires of this world 
be greedy, nor my labour immoderate, nor my care vexa- 
tious and distracting, but prudent, moderate, holy, subordi- 
nate to thy will, the measure thou hast appointed for me. 

II. 

Teach me, O God, to despise the world, to labour for the 



68 POSTULANDA. 

true riches, to ' seek the kingdom of heaven and its righ- 
teousness,' to be content with what thou providest, to be in 
this world like a stranger with affections set upon heaven, 
labouring for, and longing after the possessions of thy king- 
dom ; but never suffer my affections to dwell below, but 
give me a heart compassionate to the poor, liberal to the 
needy, open and free in all my communications, without base 
ends, or greedy designs, or unworthy arts of gain ; but let 
my strife be to gain thy favour, to obtain the blessedness of 
doing good to others, and giving to them that want, and the 
blessedness of receiving from thee pardon and support, grace 
and holiness, perseverance and glory, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 



FOR TUESDAY. 

A Prayer against Lust. 

I. 

O ETERNAL PURITY, thou art brighter than the sun, purer 
than the angels, and the heavens are not clean in thy sight ; 
with mercy behold thy servant, apt to be tempted with every 
object, and to be overcome by every enemy. I cannot, O 
God, stand in the day of battle and danger; unless thou 
coverest me with thy shield, and hidest me under thy wings. 
The fiery darts of the devil are ready to consume me, unless 
the dew of thy grace for ever descend upon me. Thou didst 
make me after thy image : be pleased to preserve me so, 
pure and spotless, chaste and clean ; that my body may be a 
holy temple, and my soul a sanctuary to entertain thy 
divinest Spirit, the Spirit of love and holiness, the Prince of 
purities. 

II. 

Reprove in me the spirit of fornication and uncleanness, 
and fill my soul with holy fires, that no strange fire may 
come into the temple of my body, where thou hast chosen 
to dwell. O cast out all those unclean spirits, which have 
unhallowed the place where thy holy feet have trod : pardon 
all my hurtful thoughts, all my impurities ; that I, who am a 
member of Christ, may not become the member of a harlot, 



POSTULANDA. 69 

nor the slave of the devil, nor a servant of lust and unworthy 
desires : but do thou purify my love, and let me ' seek the 
things that are above,' ' hating the garments spotted with the 
flesh ;' never any more, ' grieving thy Holy Spirit' by filthy 
inclinations, with impure and fantastic thoughts : but let 
my thoughts be holy, my soul pure, my body chaste and 
healthful, my spirit severe, devout, and religious, every day 
more and more ; that, at the day of our appearing, I may be 
presented to God washed and cleansed, pure and spotless, by 
the blood of the holy Lamb, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



FOR WEDNESDAY. 

A Prayer against Gluttony and Drunkenness. 

I. 

O ALMIGHTY FATHER of men and angels, who hast, of thy 
great bounty, provided plentifully for all mankind to support 
his state, to relieve his necessities, to refresh his sorrows, to 
recreate his labour ; that he may praise thee, and rejoice in 
thy mercies and bounty : be thou gracious unto thy servant 
yet more, and suffer me not, by my folly, to change thy 
bounty into sin, thy grace into wantonness. Give me the 
spirit of temperance and sobriety, that I may use thy crea- 
tures in the same measures, and to the same purposes which 
thou hast designed, so as may best enable me to serve thee, 
but 'not to make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts 
thereof:' let me not, as Esau, prefer meat before a blessing ; 
but subdue my appetite, subjecting it to reason and the 
grace of God, being content with what is moderate, and use- 
ful, and easy to be obtained ; taking it in due time, receiving 
it thankfully, making it to minister to my body, that my 
body may be a good instrument of the soul, and the soul a 
servant of thy Divine Majesty for ever and ever. 

II. 

Pardon, O God, in whatsoever I have offended thee by 
meat, and drink, and pleasures ; and never let my body any 
more be oppressed with loads of sloth and delicacies, or my 



70 POSTULANDA. 

soul drowned in seas of wine or strong drink ; but let my 
appetites be changed into spiritual desires, that I may hunger 
after the food of angels, and thirst for the wine of elect souls, 
and account it ' meat, and drink, and pleasure to do thy will,' 
O God. Lord let me eat and drink so, that my food may 
not become a temptation, or a sin, or a disease ; but grant 
that, with so much caution and prudence, I may watch over 
my appetite ; that I may, in the strength of thy mercies and 
refreshments, in the light of thy countenance, and in the 
paths of thy commandments, walk before thee all the days 
of my life, acceptable to thee in Jesus Christ, ever advancing 
his honour, and being filled with his Spirit, that I may, at 
last, partake of his glory ; through the same Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



FOR THURSDAY. 

A Prayer against Envy. 

I. 

O MOST gracious Father, thou spring of an eternal charity, 
who hast so loved mankind, that thou didst open thy bosom, 
and send thy holy Son to convey thy mercies to us ; and 
thou didst create angels and men, that thou mightest have 
objects to whom thou mightest communicate thy goodness : 
give me grace to follow so glorious a precedent, that I may 
never envy the prosperity of any one, but rejoice to honour 
him whom thou honourest, to love him whom thou lovest, 
to commend the virtuous, to discern the precious from the 
vile, giving honour to whom honour belongs, that I may go 
to heaven in the noblest way, of rejoicing in the good of 
others. 

II. 

O dear God, never suffer the devil to rub his vilest leprosy 
of envy upon me ; never let me have the affections of the 
desperate and damned ; let it not be ill with me, when it is 
well with others, but let thy Holy Spirit so overrule me for 
ever, that I may pity the afflicted and be compassionate, and 
have a fellow-feeling of my brother's sorrows, and that I 
may, as much as I can, promote his good, and give thee 



POSTULANDA. 71 

thanks for it, and rejoice with them that do rejoice ; never 
censuring his actions cursedly, nor detracting from his praises 
spitefully, nor upbraiding his infelicities maliciously, but 
pleased in all things which thou doest or givest ; that I may 
then triumph in spirit, when thy kingdom is advanced, when 
thy Spirit rules, when thy Church is profited, when thy saints 
rejoice, when the devil's interest is destroyed ; truly loving 
thee, and truly loving my brother ; that we may all together 
join in the holy communion of saints, both here and here- 
after, in the measures of grace and glory ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



FOR FRIDAY. 

A Prayer against Wrath and inordinate Anger. 

I. 

O ALMIGHTY JUDGE of men and angels, whose anger is 
always the minister of justice, slow, but severe, not lightly 
arising, but falling heavily when it comes : give to thy servant 
a meek and a gentle spirit, that I also may be slow to anger, 
and easy to mercy and forgiveness. Give me a wise and a 
constant heart, that I may not be moved with every trifling 
mistake, and inconsiderable accident, in the conversation 
and intercourse of others ; never be moved to an intemperate 
anger for any injury that is done or offered ; let my anger 
ever be upon a just cause, measured with moderation and 
reason, expressed with charity and prudence, lasting but till 
it hath done some good, either upon myself or others. 

. II. 

Lord, let me be ever courteous, and easy to be entreated ; 
never let me fall into a peevish or contentious spirit, but 
follow peace with all men, offering forgiveness, inviting them 
by courtesies, ready to confess my own errors, apt to make 
amends, and desirous to be reconciled. Let no sickness, or 
cross accident, no employment or weariness, make me angry 
or ungentle, and discontent or unthankful, or uneasy to 
them that minister to me ; but, in all things, make me like 
unto the holy Jesus. Give me the spirit of a Christian, 



72 POSTULANDA. 

charitable, humble, merciful and meek, useful and liberal, 
complying with every chance; angry at nothing but my 
own sins, and grieving for the sins of others ; that while my 
passion obeys my reason, and my reason is religious, and my 
religion is pure and undefiled, managed with humility, and 
adorned with charity, I may escape thy anger which I have 
deserved, and may dwell in thy love, and be thy son and 
servant for ever ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



FOR SATURDAY. 

A Prayer against Weariness in Well-doing. 
I. 

O MY GOD, merciful and gracious, my soul groans under the 
loads of its own infirmity ; when my spirit is willing my flesh 
is weak ; my understanding foolish and imperfect, my will 
peevish and listless, my affections wandering after strange 
objects, my fancy wild and unfixed, all my senses minister to 
folly and vanity ; and though they were all made for religion, 
yet they least of all delight in that. O my God, pity me, 
and hear me when I pray, and make that I may pray accept- 
ably. Give me a love to religion, an unwearied spirit in the 
things of God. Let me not relish or delight in the things of 
the world, in sensual objects, and -transitory possessions ; but 
make my eyes look up to thee, my soul be filled with thee, 
my spirit ravished with thy love, my understanding employed 
in the meditation of thy law, all my powers and faculties of 
soul and body wholly serving thee, and delighting in such 
holy ministries. 

II. 

O most gracious God, what greater favour is there than 
that I may, and what easier employment can there be than 
to pray thee to be admitted into thy presence, and to repre- 
sent our needs, and that we have our needs supplied only 
for asking and desiring passionately and humbly ? But we 
rather quit our hopes of heaven, than buy it at the cheapest 
rate of humble prayer. This, O God, is the greatest 
infirmity and infelicity of man, and hath an intolerable 
cause, and is an unsufferable evil. 



POSTULANDA. 73 

III. 

O relieve my spirit with thy graciousness, take from me 
all tediousness of spirit, and give me a laboriousness that 
will not be tired, a hope that shall never fail, a desire of 
holiness not to he satisfied till it possesses a charity that will 
always increase ; that I, making religion the business of my 
whole life, may turn all things into religion, doing all to thy 
glory, and by the measures of thy word and of thy Spirit : 
that when thou shalt call me from this deliciousness of 
employment, and the holy ministries of grace, I may pass 
into the employment of saints and angels, whose work it is 
with eternal joy and thanksgiving to sing praises to the 
mercies of the great Redeemer of men, and Saviour of men 
and angels, Jesus Christ our Lord : to whom, with the Father 
and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and worship, all service 
and thanks, all glory and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen. 



A Prayer to be said by a Maiden, before she enters into the 
State of Marriage. 

I. 

O MOST glorious God, and my most indulgent Lord and 
gracious Father, who dost bless us by thy bounty, pardon us 
by thy mercy, support and guide us by thy grace, and govern 
us sweetly by thy providence ; I give thee most humble and 
hearty thanks, that thou hast hitherto preserved me in my 
virgin state with innocence and chastity, in a good name, and 
a modest report. It is thy goodness alone, and the blessed 
emanation of thy Holy Spirit, by which I have been preserved ; 
and to thee I return all praise and tfcfanks, and adore and 
love thy goodness infinite. 

II. 

And now, O Lord, since by thy dispensation and over- 
ruling providence I am to change my condition, and enter 
into the holy state of marriage, which thou hast sanctified 
by thy institution, and blessed by thy word and promises, 
and raised up to an excellent mystery, that it might represent 



74 POSTULANDA. 

the union of Christ and his church : be pleased to go along 
with thy servant in my entering into, and passing through, 
this state, that it may not be a state of temptation or 
sorrow, by occasion of my sins or infirmities, but of holiness 
and comfort, as thou hast intended it to all that love and fear 
thy holy name. 

III. 

Lord, bless and preserve that dear person, whom thou hast 
chosen to be my husband; let his life be long and blessed, 
comfortable and holy ; and let me also become a great bless- 
ing and comfort unto him ; a sharer in all his joys, a refresh- 
ment in all his sorrows, a meet helper for him in all accidents 
and chances of the world. Make me amiable, for ever, in 
his eyes, and very dear to him. Unite his heart to me in the 
dearest union of love and holiness ; and mine to him in all 
sweetness, and charity, and compliance. Keep from me all 
morosity and ungentleness, all sullenness and harshness of 
disposition, all pride and vanity, all discontentedness and 
unreasonableness of passion and humour : and make me 
humble and obedient, charitable and loving, patient and 
contented, useful and observant ; that we may delight in 
each other according to thy blessed word and ordinance, 
and both of us may rejoice in thee, having our portion in the 
love and service of God for ever and ever. 

IV. 

O blessed Father, never suffer any mistakes or discontent, 
any distrustfulness or sorrow, any trifling arrests of fancy, 
or unhandsome accident, to cause any unkindness between 
us : but let us so dearly love, so affectionately observe, so 
religiously attend to each other's good and content, that we 
may always please thee, and by this learn and practise our 
duty and greatest love to thee, and become mutual helps to 
each other in the way of godliness ; that when we have 
received the blessings of a married life, the comforts of 
society, the endearments of a holy and great affection, and 
the dowry of blessed children, we may for ever dwell together 
in the embraces of thy love and glories, feasting in the 
marriage-supper of the Lamb to eternal ages, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen. 



POSTULANDA. 75 



A Pray erf or a holy and happy Death. 

O ETERNAL and holy Jesus, who by death hast overcome 
death, and by thy passion hast taken out its sting, and made 
it to become one of the gates of heaven, and an entrance to 
felicity, have mercy upon me now, and at the hour of my 
death. Let thy grace accompany me all the days of my life, 
that I may, by a holy conversation and a habitual perform- 
ance of my duty, wait for the coming of our Lord, and be 
ready to enter with thee at whatsoever hour thou shalt come. 
Lord, let not my death be in any sense unprovided, nor 
untimely, nor hasty, but after the manner of men, having in 
it nothing extraordinary, but an extraordinary piety, and the 
manifestation of a great and miraculous mercy. Let my 
senses and my understanding be preserved entire till the last 
of my days ; and grant that I may die the death of the 
righteous, free from debt and deadly sin, having first dis- 
charged all my obligations of justice, leaving none miserable 
and unprovided in my departure; but be thou the portion of 
all my friends and relatives, and let thy blessing descend 
upon their heads, and abide there, till they shall meet me in 
the bosom of our Lord. Preserve me ever in the communion 
and peace of the Church ; and bless my death-bed with the 
opportunity of a holy and a spiritual guide, with the assist- 
ance and guard of angels, with the reception of the holy 
sacrament, with patience and dereliction of my own desires, 
with a strong faith, and a firm and humbled hope, with just 
measures of repentance, and great treasures of charity to 
thee, my God, and to all the world ; that my soul, in the 
arms of the holy Jesus, may be deposited with safety and 
joy, there to expect the revelation of thy day, and then to 
partake the glories of thy kingdom, O eternal and holy Jesus. 
Amen. 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 



I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. 



HYMNS 

CELEBRATING THE MYSTERIES AND CHIEF FESTIVALS OF THE 
YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE MANNER OF THE ANCIENT 
CHURCH ; FITTED TO THE FANCY AND DEVOTION OF THE 
YOUNGER AND PIOUS PERSONS : APT FOR MEMORY, AND 
TO BE JOINED TO THEIR OTHER PRAYERS. 

Hymns for Advent, or the Weeks immediately before the Birth 
of our blessed Saviour. 

I. 

WHEN, Lord, O when, shall we 
Our dear salvation see ? 

Arise, arise ; 

Our fainting eyes 

Have long'd all night : and 'twas a long one too. 
Man never yet could say 
He saw more than one day, 

One day of Eden's seven : 
The guilty hours, there blasted with the breath 

Of sin and death, 

Have, ever since, worn a nocturnal hue. 
But thou hast given us hopes, that we, 
At length, another day shall see, 

Wherein each vile neglected place, 

Gilt with the aspect of thy face, 
Shall be, like that, the porch and gate of heaven. 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 77 

How long, dear God, how long ! 
See how the nations throng : 
All human kind, 
Knit and combined 

Into one body, look for thee their head. 
Pity our multitude ; 
Lord, we are vile and rude, 
Headless, and senseless, without thee, 
Of all things but the want of thy blest face : 

O haste apace, 

And thy bright self to this our body wed : 
That, through the influx of thy power, 
Each part, that erst confusion wore, 
May put on order, and appear 
Spruce, as the childhood of the year, 
When thou to it shall so united be. Amen. 



The second Hymn for Advent ; or, Christ's coming to 
Jerusalem in triumph. 

LORD, come away ; 
Why dost thou stay ? 

Thy road is ready ; and thy paths, made straight, 
With longing expectation wait 
The consecration of thy beauteous feet 
Ride on triumphantly : behold, we lay 
Our lusts and proud wills in thy way. 
Hosannah ! welcome to our hearts : Lord, here 
Thou hast a temple, too, and full as dear 
As that of Sion ; and as full of sin ; 
Nothing but thieves and robbers dwell therein, 
Enter, and chase them forth, and cfeanse the floor ; 
Crucify them, that they may never more 

Profane that holy place, 

Where thou hast chose to set thy face. 
And then if our stiff tongues shall be 
Mute in the praises of thy deity, 

The stones out of the temple-wall 

Shall cry aloud and call 
Hosannah! and thy glorious footsteps greet. Amen. 



78 FESTIVAL HYMNS. 

Hymns for Christmas Day. 
I. 

MYSTERIOUS truth ! that the self-same should be 
A Lamb, a Shepherd, and a Lion too ! 

Yet such was he 
Whom first the shepherds knew, 
When they themselves became 
Sheep to the Shepherd-Lamb. 
Shepherd of men and angels, Lamb of God, 
Lion of Judah, by these titles keep 
The wolf from thy endangered sheep. 
Bring all the world into thy fold ; 

Let Jews and Gentiles hither come 
In numbers great, that can't be told ; 

And call thy lambs, that wander, home. 
Glory be to God on high ; 
All glories be to th' glorious Deity. 

The second Hymn ; being a Dialogue between three Shepherds. 

1. WHERE is this blessed Babe, 

That hath made 
All the world so full of joy 

And expectation ? 

That glorious boy 1 , 

That crowns each nation 
With a triumphant wreath of blessedness ? 

2. Where should he be but in the throng, 

And among 
His angel-ministers, that sing 

And take wing 
Just as may echo to his voice, 

And rejoice, 

When wing and tongue and all 
May so procure their happiness. 

3. But he hath other waiters now ; 

A poor cow, 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 79 

An ox, and inule, stand and behold, 

And wonder, 
That a stable should enfold 

Him, that can thunder. 
Chorus. O what a gracious God have we ! 

How good, how great ! ev'n as our misery. 

The third Hymn: of Christ's Birth in an Inn. 

THE blessed Virgin travail'd without pain, 
And lodged in an inn ; 
A glorious star the sign, 
But of a greater guest than ever came that way ; 

For there He lay, 
That is the God of night and day, 
And over all the pow'rs of Heaven doth reign. 
It was the time of great Augustus' tax, 
And then he comes, 
That pays all sums, 
Ev'n the whole price of lost humanity, 
And sets us free 
From the ungodly empery 
Of sin, and Satan, and of death. 
O make our hearts, blest God, thy lodging place ; 
And in our breast 
Be pleas'd to rest, 
For thou lov'st temples better than an inn ; 

And cause, that sin 
May not profane the Deity within, 
And sully o'er the ornaments of grace. Amen. 



A Hymn upon St. Johns Day. 

THIS day 
We sing 

The friend of our eternal King, 
Who in his bosom lay, 
And kept the keys 
Of his profound and glorious mysteries ; 



80 FESTIVAL HYMNS. 

Which, to the world dispensed by his hand, 

Made it stand 
Fix'd in amazement to behold that light, 

Which came 
From the throne of the Lamb, 

To invite 

Our wretched eyes (which nothing else could see, 
But fire and sword, hunger and misery) 

To anticipate, by their ravish'd sight, 
The beauty of celestial delight. 
Mysterious God, regard me when I pray, 
And, when this load of clay 

Shall fall away, 

O let thy gracious hand conduct me up, 
Where on the Lamb's rich viands I may sup : 

And, in this last supper, I 
May, with thy friend, in thy sweet bosom lie, 

For ever, in eternity. Hallelujah. 



Upon the Day of the Holy Innocents. 

MOURNFUL Judah shrieks and cries 
At the obsequies 
Of their babes, that cry 

More that they lose their paps, than that they die. 
He, that came with life to all, 
Brings the babes a funeral, 
To redeem from slaughter Him, 
Who did redeem us all from sin. 
They, like himself, went spotless hence, 
A sacrifice to innocence ; 
Which now does ride 
Trampling upon Herod's pride ; 
Passing, from their fontinels of clay, 
To heaven a milky and a bloody way. 
All their tears and groans are dead, 
And they to rest and glory fled ; 
Lord, who wert pleas'd so many babes should fall, 
Whilst each sword hop'd that ev'ry of the all 
Was the desired King : make us to be 
In innocence like them, in glory, Thee. Amen. 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 81 

Upon the Epiphany, and the three Wise Men of the East 
coming to worship Jesus. 

A COMET, dangling in the air, 
Presag'd the ruin both of death and sin ; 
And told the wise men of a king, 
The King of glory, and the Sun 
Of Righteousness, who then begun 
To draw towards that blessed hemisphere. 
They, from the furthest east, this new 
And unknown light pursue, 

Till they appear 

In this blest infant king's propitious eye, 
And pay their homage to his royalty. 
Persia might then the rising sun adore ; 
It was idolatry no more. 
Great God, they gave to thee 
Myrrh, frankincense, and gold ; 

But, Lord, with what shall we 
Present ourselves before thy majesty, 
Whom thou redeem'dst when we were sold ? 
We've nothing but ourselves, and scarce that neither, 

Vile dirt and clay ; 
Yet it is soft, and may 
Impression take : 

Accept it, Lord, and say, this thou hadst rather ; 
Stamp it, and on this sordid metal make 
Thy holy image, and it shall outshine 
The beauty of the golden mine. Amen. 



A MEDITATION OF THE FOUR LAST THINGS, 

DEATH, JUDGMENT, HEAVEN", AND HELL; 

FOR THE TIME OF LENT ESPECIALLY. 

A Meditation of Death. 

DEATH, the old serpent's son, 
Thou hadst a sting once, like thy sire, 
That carried hell, and ever-burning fire : 

But those black days are done ; 
VOL. xv. G 



82 FESTIVAL HYMNS. 

Thy foolish spite buried thy sting 
In the profound and wide 
Wound of our Saviour's side; 

And now thou art become a tame and harmless thing, 
A thing we dare not fear, 

Since we hear, 

That our triumphant God, to punish thee 
For the affront thou didst him on the tree, 
Hath snatch'd the keys of hell out of thy hand, 

And made thee stand 

A porter to the gate of life, thy mortal enemy. 
O Thou, who art that gate, command that he 
May, when we die, 
And thither fly, 
Let us into the courts of heaven through thee ! 

Hallelujah ! 
THE PRAYER. 

My soul doth pant tow'rds thee, 
My God, source of eternal life : 
Flesh fights with me ; 
O end the strife 
And part us, that in peace I may 

Unclay 

My wearied spirit, and take 
My flight to thy eternal spring ; 
Where, for his sake 
Who is my King, 
I may wash all my tears away 

That day. 

Thou conqueror of death, 
Glorious triumpher o'er the grave, 
Whose holy breath 
Was spent to save 
Lost mankind ; make me to be styl'd 

Thy Child ; 

And take me, when I die, 
And go unto my dust, my soul, 
Above the sky 
With saints enrol, 
That in thy arms, for ever, I 
May lie. Amen. 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 83 

Of the Day of Judgment. 

GREAT Judge of all, how we vile wretches quake ! 

Our guilty bones do ache ; 
Our marrow freezes when we think 
Of the consuming fire 
Of thine ire, 
And horrid phials, thou shalt make 

The wicked drink ; 
When thou the winepress of thy wrath shalt tread 

With feet of lead. 

Sinful rebellious clay ! what unknown place 
Shall hide it from thy face ! 

When earth shall vanish from thy sight, 
The heavens that never err'd, 

But observ'd 

Thy laws, shall from thy presence take their flight, 
And kill'd with glory, their bright eyes stark dead 
Start from their head : 
Lord, how shall we, 
Thy enemies, endure to see 

So bright, so killing majesty ? 
Mercy, dear Saviour: thy judgment-seat 

We dare not, Lord, entreat ; 
We are condemn'd already, there. 
Mercy ! vouchsafe one look 
On thy Book 

Of Life ; Lord, we can read the saving Jesus here, 
And in his name our own salvation see : 
Lord, set us free ; 
The book of sin 
Is cross'd within ; 
Our debts are paid by thee, 
Mercy ! 

Of Heaven. 

O BEAUTEOUS God, uncircumscribed treasure 
Of an eternal pleasure, 
Thy throne is seated far 
Above the highest star. 



84 FESTIVAL HYMNS. 

Where thou prepar'st a glorious place 
Within the brightness of thy face 

For every spirit 

To inherit, 

That builds his hopes on thy merit, 
And loves thee with a holy charity. 
What ravish'd heart, seraphic tongue or eyes, 

Clear as the morning's rise, 

Can speak, or think, or see, 

That bright eternity ? 

Where the great King's transparent throne 
Is of an entire jasper stone : 

There the eye 

O' th' chrysolite, 

And a sky 

Of diamonds, rubies, chrysoprase, 
And, above all, thy holy face 
Makes an eternal clarity. 
When thou thy jewels up dost bind, that day 

Remember us, we pray, 

That where the beryl lies 

And the crystal, 'bove the skies, 
There thou may'st appoint us place 
Within the brightness of thy face ; 

And our soul 

In the scroll 

Of life and blissfulness enrol, 
That we may praise thee to eternity. 

Allelujah ! 



Of Hell 

HORRID darkness, sad and sore ; 

And an eternal night ! 
Groans and shrieks, and thousands more 

In the want of glorious light ! 

Every corner hath a snake 

In the accursed lake : 
Seas of fire, beds of snow, 
Are the best delights below ; 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 85 

A viper from the fire 
Is his hire, 

That knows not moments from eternity. 
Glorious God of day and night, 

Spring of eternal light, 
Allelujahs, hymns, and psalms, 

And coronets of palms, 
Fill thy temple evermore. 

O mighty God, 
Let not thy bruising rod 
Crush our loins with an eternal pressure ; 
O let thy mercy be the measure ; 
For, if thou keepest wrath in store, 
We all shall die ; 
And none be left to glorify 

Thy name, and tell 

How thou hast sav'd our souls from hell. 

Mercy ! 



On the Conversion of St. Paul. 

FULL of wrath, his threatening breath 
Belching naught but chains and death : 
Saul was arrested in his way, 

By a voice and a light, 
That, if a thousand days 

Should join in rays 
To beautify one day, 

It would not shew so glorious and so bright. 
On his amazed eyes it night did fling, 

That day might break within ; 
And, by those beams* of faith, 
Make him of a child of wrath 
Become a vessel full of glory. 
Lord, curb us in our dark and sinful way ; 

We humbly pray ; 

When we down horrid precipices run 
With feet that thirst to be undone, 
That this may be our story. 
Allelujah ! 



86 FESTIVAL HYMNS. 



On the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. 

PURE and spotless was the maid, 

That to the temple came ; 
A pair of turtle-doves she paid, 

Although she brought the Lamb. 
Pure and spotless though she were, 
Her body chaste, and her soul fair, 
She to the temple went 
To be purified 
And tried 

That she was spotless and obedient. 
O make us follow so blest precedent, 
And purify our souls, for we 
Are clothed with sin and misery. 
From our conception, 
One imperfection 
And a continued state of sin 
Hath sullied all our faculties within. 
We present our souls to thee 
Full of need and misery : 
And, for redemption, a Lamb 
The purest, whitest, that e'er came 

A sacrifice to thee, 
Even Him that bled upon the tree. 



On Good Friday. 

THE Lamb is eaten, and is yet again 
Preparing to be slain ; 
The cup is full and mix'd, 
And must be drunk : 
Wormwood and gall 
To this, are draughts to beguile care withal, 

Yet the decree is fix'd. 
Doubled knees, and groans, and cries, 
Prayers, and sighs, and flowing eyes, 
Could not entreat. 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 87 

His sad soul sunk 

Under the heavy pressure of our sin : 
The pains of death and hell 

About him dwell. 

His Father's burning wrath did make 
His very heart, like melting wax, to sweat 

Rivers of blood, 

Through the pure strainer of his skin : 
His boiling body stood 
Bubbling all o'er, 

As if the wretched whole were but one door 
To let in pain and grief, 
And turn out all relief. 
O Thou, who for our sake 
Didst drink up 
This bitter cup, 
Remember us, we pray, 
In thy day, 
When down 

The struggling throats of wicked men 
The dregs of thy just fury shall be thrown. 

Othen 

Let thy unbounded mercy think 
On us, for whom 

Thou underwent'st this heavy doom, 
And give us of the well of life to drink. 

Amen. 



On the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. 

A WINGED harbinger, from bright heav'n flown, 
Bespeaks a lodging room 
For the mighty King of love, 
The spotless structure of a virgin womb, 
O'ershadowed with the wings of the blest Dove ; 
For he was travelling to earth, 
But did desire to lay 
By the way, 

That he might shift his clothes, and be 
A perfect man as well as we. 



88 FESTIVAL HYMNS. 

How good a God have we, who, for our sake, 

To save us from the burning lake, 
Did change the order of creation ; 

At first he made 

Man like himself in his own image ; now 
In the more blessed reparation 
The heavens bow : 
Eternity took the measure of a span, 

And said, 
" Let us like ourselves make man, 

And not from man the woman take, 
But from the woman, man." 
Allelujah ! We adore 
His name, whose goodness hath no store. 

Allelujah ! 



Easter Day. 

WHAT glorious light ! 
How bright a sun, after so sad a night, 
Does now begin to dawn ! Blessed were those eyes 

That did behold 

This sun, when he did first unfold 
His glorious beams, and now begin to rise: 
It was the holy tender sex, 

That saw the first ray : 
Saint Peter and the other had the reflex, 

The second glimpse o' th' day. 
Innocence had the first, and he 
That fled, and then did penance, next did see 
The glorious Sun of Righteousness, 

In his new dress 

Of triumph, immortality, and bliss. 
O dearest God, preserve our souls 
In holy innocence ; 
Or, if we do amiss, 

Make us to rise again to th' life of grace, 
That we may live with thee, and see thy glorious face, 
The crown of holy penitence. 

Allelujah ! 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 89 



On the Day of Ascension. 

HE is risen higher, not set : 

Indeed a cloud 
Did, with his leave, make bold to shroud 

The Sun of Glory from Mount Olivet. 
At Pentecost, he '11 shew himself again ; 

\Vhen every ray shall be a tongue 
To speak all comforts, and inspire 
Our souls with their celestial fire ; 

That we, the saints among, 

May sing, and love, and reign. 

Amen. 



On the Feast of Pentecost, or Whitsunday. 

TONGUES of fire from heaven descend 
With a mighty rushing wind, 

To blow it up and make 

A living fire 

Of heav'nly charity, and pure desire^ 
Where they their residence should take. 
On the apostles' sacred heads they sit ; 
Who now, like beacons, do proclaim and tell 
Th' invasion of the host of hell ; 

And give men warning to defend 
Themselves from the enraged brunt of it. 
Lord, let the flames of holy charity, 

And all her gifts and graces, slide 

Into our hearts, and there abide ; 
That thus refined, we may soar above 
With it unto the element of love, 

Even unto thee, dear Spirit, 
And there eternal peace and rest inherit. 

Amen. 



9O FESTIVAL HYMNS. 

Penitential Hymns. 

I. 

LORD, I have sinned : and the black number swells 

To such a dismal sum, 
That, should my stony heart, and eyes, 
And this whole sinful trunk, a flood become, 
And run to tears, their drops could not suffice 
To count my score, 
Much less to pay : 

But thou, my God, hast blood in store, 
And art the Patron of the poor. 

Yet since the balsam of thy blood, 
Although it can, will do no good, 
Unless the wounds be cleans'd with tears before ; 
Thou in whose sweet but pensive face 
Laughter could never steal a place, 
Teach but my heart and eyes 

To melt away, 

And then one drop of balsam will suffice. 

Amen. 



II. 



GREAT GOD, and just! how canst thou see, 
Dear God, our misery, 
And not, in mercy, set us free! 
Poor miserable man ! how wert thou born 
Weak as the dewy jewels of the morn, 
Wrapt up in tender dust, 
Guarded with sins and lust, 
Who, like court- flatterers, wait 
To serve themselves in thy unhappy fate. 
Wealth is a snare ; and poverty brings in 
Inlets for theft, paving the way for sin : 
Each perfum'd vanity doth gently breathe 
Sin in thy soul, and whispers it to death. 
Our faults, like ulcerated sores, do go 
O'er the sound flesh, and do corrupt that too. 



FESTIVAL HYMNS. 91 

Lord, we are sick, spotted with sin, 
Thick as a crusty leper's skin ; 
Like Naaman, bid us wash ; yet let it be 
In streams of blood that flow from thee : 

Then will we sing 

Touch 'd by the heav'nly Dove's bright wing, 
Hallelujahs, psalms, and praise. 
To God, the Lord of night and days ; 

Ever good, and ever just, 

Ever high, who ever must 

Thus be sung ; is still the same ; 

Eternal praises crown his name ! 

Amen . 



A Prayer for Charity. 

FULL of mercy, full of love, 

Look upon us from above ; 

Thou, who taught'st the blind man's night 

To entertain a double light, 

Thine and the day's (and that thine too) ; 

The lame away his crutches threw ; 

The parched crust of leprosy 

Return'd unto its infancy : 

The dumb amazed was to hear 

His own unchain'd tonsrue strike his ear : 

O 

Thy powerful mercy did even chase 

The devil from his usurped place, 

Where thou thyself shouldst dwell, not he. 

O let thy love our pattern be ; 

Let thy mercy teach one brother 

To forgive and love another ; 

That, copying thy mercy here, 

Thy goodness may hereafter rear 

Our souls unto thy glory, when 

Our dust shall cease to be with men. Amen. 



THE 



PSALTER OF DAVID: 

WITH 

TITLES AND COLLECTS, 

ACCORDING TO THE MATTER OF EACH PSALM : 



WHEREUNTO ARE ADDED 



DEVOTIONS 





FOR THE 



HELP AND ASSISTANCE OF ALL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, IN 
ALL OCCASIONS AND NECESSITIES. 



THE PREFACE. 



IT is natural for all men, when they are straitened 
with fears or actual infelicities, to run for succour 
to what their fancy, or the next opportunity, pre- 
sents, as an instrument of their ease and remedy. 
But that which distinguishes men in these cases, is 
the choice of their sanctuary ; for to rely upon the 
reeds of Egypt, or to snatch at the bulrushes of 
Nilus, may weft become a drowning man, whose 
reason is so wholly invaded and surprised by fear, 
as to be useless to him in that confusion; but he 
whose condition (although it be sad) is still under 
the mastery of reason, and hath time to deliberate, 
unless he places his hopes upon something that is 
likely to cure his misery, or at least to ease it, by 
making his affliction less, or his patience more, does 
deserve that misery he groans under. Stripes and 
remediless miseries are the lot of fools; but afflic- 
tions, that happen to wise men or good men, repre- 
sent indeed the sadnesses of mortality ; but they 
become monuments and advantages of their piety 
and wisdom. 

In this most unnatural war, commenced against 
the greatest solemnities of Christianity, and all that 
is called God, I have been put to it to run some- 
whither to sanctuary; but whither, was so great a 
question, that had not Religion been my guide, I 



XCV1 PREFACE. 

had not known where to have found rest or safety : 
when the king and the laws, who, by God and man 
respectively, are appointed the protectors of inno- 
cence and truth, had themselves the greatest need 
of a protector. And when, in the beginning of 
these troubles, I hastened to his Majesty, the case 
of the king and his good subjects was something 
like that of Isaac, ready to be sacrificed ; the wood 
was prepared, the fire kindled, the knife was lift up, 
and the hand was striking ; that, if we had not been 
something like Abraham too, and " against hope 
had believed in hope," we had been as much with- 
out comfort, as we were, in outward appearance, 
without remedy. 

It was my custom long since to secure myself 
against the violences of discontents abroad, as 
Gerson did against temptations, "in angulis et 
libellis, in my books and my retirements;" but 
now I was deprived of both them, and driven to a 
public view and participation of those dangers and 
miseries, which threatened the kingdom, and dis- 
turbed the evenness of my former life. I was 
therefore constrained to amass together all those 
arguments of hope and comfort, by which men in 
the like condition were supported ; and amongst all 
the great examples of trouble and confidence, I 
reckoned king David one of the biggest, and of 
greatest consideration. For, considering that he 
was a king vexed with a civil war, his case had 
so much of ours in it, that it was likely the devo- 
tions he used, might fit our turn, and his comforts 
sustain us. 



PREFACE. XCV11 

And indeed, when I came to look upon the 
Psalter with a nearer observation, and an eye dili- 
gent to espy my advantages and remedies there 
deposited, I found very many prayers against the 
enemies of the king and church, and the miseries of 
war. I found so many admirable promises, so 
rare variety of expressions of the mercies of God, 
so many consolatory hymns, the commemoration 
of so many deliverances from dangers, and deaths, 
and enemies, so many miracles of mercy and sal- 
vation, that I began to be so confident as to believe 
there could come no affliction great enough to spend 
so great a stock of comfort, as was laid up in the 
treasure of the Psalter : the saying of St. Paul was 
here verified, " If sin" and misery " did abound, 
then did grace superabound :" and as we believe of 
the passion of Christ, it was so great as to be able 
to satisfy for a thousand worlds ; so it is of the com- 
forts of David's Psalms, they are more than suffi- 
cient to repair all the breaches of mankind. But 
for the particular occasion of creating confidences in 
us, that God will defend his church and his anointed, 
and all that trust in him, against all their enemies 
(which was our case, and contained in it all our 
needs for the present), I found so abundant supply, 
that of one hundred and fifty psalms, some whereof 
are historical, many eucharistical, many prophetical, 
and the rest prayers for several occasions ; thirty- 
four of them are expressly made against God's and 
our enemies, eleven expressly for the Church, four 
for the king ; that is, a third part of the Psalms 
relate particularly to the present occasion, beside 



XCVI1I PREFACE. 

many clauses of respersion in the other, which, if 
collected in one, would, of themselves, be great 
arguments of hope to prevail in so good a cause. 

This, which experience taught me now, I was 
promised before by a frequent testimony of the 
doctors of the Church, who gave the Psalter such a 
character, as is due to the best and most useful 
book in the whole world : viz. the most profitable 
of books, the treasury of holy instructions ; " con- 
summationem totius paginae Theologicse, the per- 
fection of the whole Scripture ;" so the ordinary 
gloss calls it: "arma juvenum, parva Biblia, tribu- 
latorum solatia, the young man's armoury, the 
little Bible, the comfort of the distressed ;" so others : 
to be said by all men, upon all occasions, is the 
counsel of the most devout amongst them. But 
concerning the Psalter there are good words enough, 
and real observation of advantages in the several 
prefaces before the commentaries upon the Psalms, 
set forth by the fathers and writers of the first and 
middle ages. I leave the particular enumeration of 
them to the learned divines of our church, to whom 
it is more proper : the sum of them is this, which 
Tertullian alone hath expressed in his Apology 
against the Gentiles, " Omnes bibliothecas et omnia 
monumenta unius prophetae scrinium vincit, in quo 
videtur thesaurus collocatus esse totius Judaici sacra- 
menti, et inde etiam nostri ; This book alone of 
the prophet David hath in it some excellences be- 
yond all the monuments of learning in any library 
whatsoever, and is the storehouse both of the Jewish 
and Christian religion." 



PREFACE. XC1X 

But that which pleases me most is the fancy of 
St. Hilary, expounding the Psalter to be meant ' the 
key of David/ spoken of by St. John in his Revela- 
tion: and properly enough: for if we consider, how 
many mysteries of religion are opened to us in the 
Psalter, how many things concerning Christ, what 
clear vaticinations concerning his birth, his priest- 
hood, his kingdom, his death, the very circumstances 
of his passion, his resurrection, and all the degrees 
of his exaltation, more clearly and explicitly re- 
corded in the Psalter than in all the old prophets 
besides, we may easily believe that Christ, with the 
key of David in his hand, is nothing else but Christ 
fully opened and manifested to us in the Psalms in 
the whole mystery of our redemption. " Omnes pene 
psalmi Christi personam sustinent," saith Tertullian ; 
" Almost all the psalms represent the person of 
Christ." Now this key of David opens not only 
the kingdom of grace, by revelation of the mysteries 
of our religion, but the kingdom of heaven too ; it 
being such a collection of prayers, eucharist, acts of 
hope, of love, of patience, and all other Christian 
virtues, that as the everlasting kingdom is given to 
the heir of the house of David, so the honour of 
opening that kingdom is given to the first prince of 
that family; the Psalms of his father David are one 
of the best inlets into the kingdom of the Son. 
Something to this purpose is that saying of one of 
the old doctors, "Vox psalmodiae, si recto corde 
dirigatur, in tantum omnipotent! Deo aditum ad 
animum aperit, ut intentae animae vel prophetise 
mysteria vel compunctionis spiritum infundat ; 



C PREFACE. 

The saying or singing of psalms opens a way so 
wide for God to enter into the heart, that a devout 
soul does usually, from such an employment, receive 
the grace of compunction and contrition, or of un- 
derstanding prophecies." 

Upon such premises as these, or better, the 
Church of God, in all ages, hath made David's 
Psalter the greatest part of her public and private 
devotions ; sometimes dividing the Psalter into 
seven parts, that every week's devotion might spend 
it all. 

Sometimes decreeing that ' it should be said day 
and night.' Otherwhile enjoining ' the recitation 
of the whole Psalter before the celebration of the 
blessed sacrament; and, after some time, it was 
made 'the public office of the Church.' 

It was the general use of Christendom to say the 
Psalms ' antiphonatim, by way of verse and an- 
swer,' saith Suidas; and so ancient, that the Reli- 
gious of St. Mark in Alexandria used it, saith Philo 
the Jew; and St. Ignatius, or else Flavianus, and 
Diodorus, brought it first into the Church of Antioch. 

And for the private devotions, that they chiefly 
consisted of the Psalms, we have great probability 
from the strict requiring it of the clergy, and parti- 
cularly from them who came to be ordained, great 
readiness of saying the Psalter by heart. It was 
St. Jerome's counsel to Rusticus : and when St. 
Gregory was to ordain the bishop of Ancona, his 
inquiry concerning his canonical sufficiency was, if 
he could say David's Psalms without book ; and for 
a disability of doing it, John the priest was rejected 



PREFACE. C{ 

from the bishoprick of Ravenna. But this, I conceive, 
more relates to their private than to their public 
devotions : for I cannot think but that, in respect of 
the public liturgy, it was enough for bishops and 
priests to read the psalm ; the requiring ability to 
remember them was to engage them to a frequent 
use of so admirable devotions in their private 
offices. 

But the Psalms were not only of use to the 
Church, as they lay in their own position and form, 
but the devout men of several ages drew them into 
collects, antiphonaries, responsories, and all other 
parts of their devotions. They made their prayers 
out of the Psalms ; their confessions, their doxo- 
logies, their ejaculations, for the most part, were 
clauses or periods of the Psalter. St. Jerome made 
a collection of choice versicles, and put them toge- 
ther into their several classes, and that was much of 
his devotion ; the collection is still extant under the 
name of " St. Jerome's Psalter." St. Athanasius 
made an index of the several occasions and matters 
of prayer and eucharist, and fitted psalms to each 
particular ; that was his devotion ; the psalms entire 
as they lay, only he made titles of his own. I have 
seen, of later time, a short hymn of some eight 
verses, which are, indeed, choice sentences out of 
several psalms, set together to make a compendium 
of liturgy or breviary of our necessity and devotions, 
collected by St. Bernardine : it is a very good copy 
to be followed. But if we look into the old liturgies 
of the Eastern and Western churches, and, where we 
will almost, into the private devotions of the old 



Cll PREFACE. 

writers, we may say of them in the expression of 
the prophet, " Hauriebant aquas e fontibus Salva- 
toris, they drew their waters from the fountains 
of our blessed Saviour," but through the limbecks of 
David. 

But the practice of this devotion I derived from 
a higher precedent, even of Christ and his apostles : 
for before the passion immediately "they sung a 
psalm," saith the Scripture; "Hymno dicto," saith 
the vulgar Latin, " having recited or said a psalm." 
But, however, it was part of David's Psalter that 
was sung ; it was the great Allelujah, as the Jews 
called it, beginning at the 113th Psalm, to the 
119th exclusively; part of that was sung. But this 
devotion continued with our blessed Saviour as long 
as breath was in him ; for when he was upon the 
cross, he recited the 22d Psalm ' ad verbum,' saith 
the tradition of the Church ; and that he began it, 
saith the Scripture, "My God, my God, why hast 
thou forsaken me?" The whole psalm is rather a 
history than a prediction of the passion ; and what 
Tertullian saith of the whole Psalter, is particularly 
verified of this, " Filium ad Patrem, id est, Chris- 
tum ad Deum, verba facientem reprsesentat ; It 
represents the Son's address to his Father, that is, 
Christ speaking to God." Against the example of 
Christ, if we confront the practice of Antichrist, 
nothing can be said greater in commendation of 
this manner of devotion : for bishop Hippolytus, in 
his oration of the end of the world, saith, that in 
the days of Antichrist, "Psalmorum decantatio 
cessabit, they shall then no more use the singing 



PREFACE. CHI 



or saying of psalms ;" which when I had observed, 
without any further deliberation I fixed upon the 
Psalter as the best weapon against him, whose 
coming, we have great reason to believe, is not far 
off, so great preparation is making for him. 

From the example of Christ this grew to be a 
practice apostolical, and their devotion came exactly 
home to the likeness of the design 'of this very book ; 
they turned the Psalms into prayers. 

Thus it was said of Paul and Silas, Acts, xvi. 
" They prayed a psalm ;" so it is in the Greek ; 
and we have a copy left us of one of the prayers 
or collects, which they made out of the bowels of 
the second Psalm ; it is in the fourth chapter of 
the Acts, beginning at the twenty-fourth verse, and 
ends at the thirty-first. And now I have shewn 
you the reasons of my choice, and the precedents 
that I have followed. This last comes home to 
every circumstance of my book. I only add this, 
that since, according to the instruction of our blessed 
Saviour, God is to be worshipped in spirit and in 
truth ; no worshipping can be more true or more 
spiritual than the Psalter, said with a pure mind 
and a hearty devotion. For David was God's 
instrument to the Church, " teaching and admonish- 
ing us," as our duty is to each other, " in psalms, 
and hymns, and spiritual songs ;" and the Spirit of 
Truth was the grand Dictator of what David wrote ; 
so that we may confidently use this devotion as the 
Church of God ever did, making her addresses to 
God most frequently by the Psalms : so Prudentius 
reports the guise of Christendom. 



CIV PREFACE. 

Te mente pura simplici, 
Te voce, te cantu pio, 
Rogare curvato genu, 
Flendo et cnnendo discimus.* 

The prayers which I have collected out of the 
Psalms are nothing else but the matter of the 
Psalms put into another mood, and fitted to the 
necessities of Christendom, and of ourselves in 
particular, according to the first designation or 
secondary intention of the blessed Spirit: for the 
use of them could not expire in the person of 
David, though first occasioned, many of them, by 
his personal necessities : for " all Scripture was 
written for our learning, upon whom the ends of 
the world are come," saith the apostle : and Christ, 
and his apostles, and the Church of all ages, *hath 
taught us by his example and precepts, that the 
purposes of the Holy Ghost were of great extent, 
and the profits universal both for times and occa- 
sions ; so also were the prayers which the Church 
made out of the Psalms, and sung them in her 
public offices. St. Austin found great advantages 
by such devotions, as himself witnesses : " Cum 
reminiscor lacrymas meas, quas fudi ad cantus 
Ecclesiae, in primordiis recuperatae fidei meae, 
magnam instituti hujus utilitatem agnosco ; When 
I call to mind the many tears I shed, when I heard 
the hymns and psalms of the Church, I cannot but 
acknowledge the great benefit of this institution." 

And yet besides the spiritual sense of an actual 
devotion which is sooner had in this use of the Psalms 

Hymn. 9. Cathem. 



PREFACE. CV 

than of other prayers, I have had a meditation that 
this manner of devotion might be a good symbol 
and instrument of communion between Christians 
of a different persuasion ; for if we would com- 
municate in the same private devotions, it were a 
great degree of peace and charity. The Nicene 
fathers, in their zeal against heresy, forbade their 
people to be present at the prayers of heretics : and 
they had great reason, so long as they derived their 
heresy into their liturgy, into their very forms of 
baptism. But I am much scandalized, when I see 
a man refuse to communicate with me in my 
prayers, even such as are in his own Breviary 
or Manual. For, methinks, it is strange, that the 
Lord's Prayer itself should be unhallowed in the 
mouth of a protestant, and yet the whole office 
from the mouth of one of their priests, though never 
so wicked, though a necromancer, a secret Jew, 
or any thing, so of their communion, shall lose no 
tittle of its sanctity and value. So long as nothing 
of controversy is brought into our prayers (and 
certainly we may very well pray to God without 
disputing), and devotion is not made a party ; he 
that refuseth to join with me in what himself con- 
fesses true and holy, upon pretence I am a heretic, 
will certainly prove himself a' schismatic. For true 
it is, a heretic is to be avoided, that is, in his 
temptation and in his heresy, just as a notorious 
fornicator and adulterer, a sentenced drunkard, 
and no more ; the apostles' rule excommunicates 
all alike, " with such men no not to eat :" and this 
rule cannot, with so much ease and certainty, be 



CV1 PREFACE. 

put to practice in the case of heresy as in the case 
of drunkenness ; because heresy is as much harder 
to be judged, as the soul is more invisible than the 
body ; especially if we make heresy to be an error, 
not in the great articles of faith only, but to consist 
in minutes also : as all they do who refuse to com- 
municate with persons disagreeing even in the 
smallest article. 

But he that is ready to join with all the societies 
of Christians in the world in those things which 
are certainly true, just, and pious, gives great 
probation that he hath at least ' animum catholi- 
cum, no schismatical soul;' because he would 
actually communicate with all Christendom, if 
" bona fides in falso articulo," sincere persuasion 
(be it true or false) did not disoblige him : since 
he clearly distinguishes persons from things, and, 
in all good things, communicates with persons bad 
enough in others. This is the communion of charity; 
and when the communion of belief is interrupted 
by mispersuasion on one side, and too much con- 
fidence and want of charity on the other, the erring 
party hath human infirmity to excuse him ; but 
the uncharitable, nothing at all. This, therefore, 
is the best and surest way, because we are all apt 
to be deceived, to be sincere in our disquisitions, 
modest in our determinations, charitable in our 
censures, and apt to communicate in things of 
evident truth and confessed holiness. And such 
is this devotion, the whole matter whereof is the 
Psalms of David, and the prayers symbolical, and 
alike in substance, and of the same expression 



PREFACE. CV11 

throughout, where it is not already by circum- 
stances. 

So that I thought I might not imprudently in- 
tend this book as an instrument of public charity to 
Christians of different confessions. For I see that 
all sorts of people sing or say David's Psalms ; and, 
by that use, if they understand the consequences of 
their own religion, accept set forms of prayer for 
their liturgy, and this form in special is one of their 
own choices for devotion : so that if all Christians 
that think David's Psalms lawful devotions, and 
shall observe the collects from them to be just of 
the same religion, would join in this or the like 
form, I am something confident the product would 
be charity, besides other spiritual advantages. For 
my own particular, since all Christendom is so much 
divided and subdivided into innumerable sects, I 
knew not how to give a better evidence of my own 
belief, and love of the communion of saints, and 
detestation of schism, than by an act of religion, 
whose consequence might be, if men please, the 
advancement of a universal communion. For in 
that which is most concerning, and is the best 
preserver of charity, I mean practical devotion and 
active piety, the differences of Christendom are not 
so great and many, to make art eternal disunion and 
fracture ; and if we instance in prayer, there is none 
at all abroad (some indeed we have commenced at 
home), but in the great divisions of Christendom 
none at all, but concerning the object of our prayers 
and adorations. For the Socinian shuts up the 
Holy Ghost from his litanies, and places the Son of 



CV111 PREFACE. 

God in a lower form of address. But concerning 
him, I must say as St. Paul said of the unbelievers, 
" What have I to do with them that are without ?" 

For this very thing, that they disbelieve the 
article of the holy Trinity, they make themselves 
uncapable of the communion of other Christian 
people of the Nicene faith, and we cannot so much 
as join with them in good prayers, because we are 
not agreed concerning the persons to whom our 
devotions must be addressed ; and Christendom 
never did so lightly esteem the article of the holy 
Trinity as not to glory in it, and confess it publicly, 
and express it in all our offices. The Holy Ghost, 
together with the Father and the Son, must be 
worshipped and glorified. 

But since all Christians of any public confessions 
and government, that is, all particular and national 
churches, agree in the matter of prayers and the 
great object, God in the mystery of the Trinity, if 
the Church of Rome would make her addresses to 
God only, through Jesus Christ our Lord, and leave 
the saints in the calendar, without drawing them 
into her offices (which they might do without any 
prejudice to the suits they ask, unless Christ's inter- 
cession without their conjuncture were imperfect), 
that we might all once pray together, we might 
hope for the blessings of peace and charity to be 
upon us all. I am sure they that have commenced 
this war against the king and the Church, first fell 
out with the liturgy, and refused to join with us in 
our prayers : I have, therefore, a strong persuasion, 
that if we were joined in our prayers, we should 



PREFACE. C1X 

quickly be united in affections : and to this purpose 
I have some reason to believe this Psalter may do 
good service. 

For I have seen an essay of this design made by 
that prudent and pious moderator of controversies, 
George Cassander, who did much for the peace of 
Christendom. When disagreeing interests and opi- 
nions made the great schism in the Western churches, 
he puts forth devotions, and with them collects to each 
psalm. But I said it was a mere essay ; they are 
short of what he could have done : but when I saw 
his name at them, I guessed what every man else 
would have guessed concerning him, it was a pursu- 
ance of his great design for peace and charity. 

I have seen three more : the first by an old Saxon 
priest or bishop, in which there is nothing of offence, 
nothing but pious and primitive for the matter ; but 
the collects so short that the psalm did scarce pass 
through the prayer ; so little of the relish is left that 
the percolation is scarce discernible. 

A second was printed at Lyons 1545, without 
the author's name, with a complying design of 
avoiding all offence, and a not engaging of God in 
our scholastical wranglings, but quite contrary to 
the Saxon : the prayers are so full of paraphrase, 
that I resolved to go further,* and see if I could 
speed better ; and at last met with a Psalter printed 
lately at Antwerp by command, very fairly indeed, 
with a title and a collect to every psalm, all free 
from dispute, and partaking in the questions of 
Christendom, not so much as a gust or relish of 
his own party till the Psalter be done ; the prayers 



CX PREFACE. 

all good : and here I had fixed, but that I had found 
them very often to be impertinent. But that which 
I observed in all these is, that the design seems 
alike, and they are a form of devotion made for no 
private sect, but for the benefit of all Christian 
people ; which the author of the Antwerp Psalter 
declines in his additional devotions, where he brings 
in litanies to saints as grossly as he had before 
avoided it with discretion. 

If any man's piety receives advantage by this 
intendment, it is what I wish : but I desire that his 
charity might increase too, and that he would say a 
hearty prayer, when his devotion grows high and 
pregnant, for me and my family; for I am more 
desirous my posterity should be pious than honour- 
able. I have no ends of my own to serve, but to 
purchase an interest of prayers ; for I would fain 
have these devotions go out into a blessing to all 
them that shall use them, and yet return into my 
own bosom too ; and if I may but receive the 
blessings of the Psalter, " even the sure mercies 
of David," it will be like the reward of five cities 
for the improvement of a few talents ; I shall ven- 
ture again in a greater negotiation, and traffic for 
ten talents ; for there is no honour so great as to 
serve God in a great capacity ; and, though I wait 
not at the altar, yet I will pay there such oblations 
of my time and industry, as I can redeem from the 
services of his Majesty, and the impertinences of 
my own life. 



THE 



PSALTER OF DAVID, 



TITLES AND COLLECTS FITTED TO EACH PSALM, &c. 



THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. 

Jtflornfag Draper. 

PSALM I.* 

A Prayer that we may continually meditate in God's Law y 
and have no fellowship with wicked Persons in the Manner 
of their living or dying. 

O HOLY JESU, Fountain of all blessing, the Word of the 
eternal Father, be pleased to sow the good seed of thy word 
in our hearts, and water it with the dew of thy divinest 
Spirit ; that while we exercise ourselves in it day and night, 
we may be like a tree planted by the water-side, bringing 
forth, in all times and seasons, the fruits of a holy conversa- 
tion ; that we may never walk in the way of sinners, nor 
have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness ; but 
that when this life is ended, we may have our portion in the 
congregation of the righteous, and may be able to stand 
upright in judgment, through the supporting arm of thy 
mercy, O blessed Saviour and Redeemer, Jesu. Amen. 

* To avoid enlarging the volume unnecessarily, the words of the Psalms 
have been omitted, as reference can easily be made to the Psalter. 



112 THE FIRST DAY. 



PSALM II. 

A Prayer to promote Christ's Kingdom, and for Grace to 
serve him with Fear and Reverence. 

O blessed Jesu, into whose hands are committed all domi- 
nion and power in the kingdoms and empires of the world, 
out of whose mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it thou 
mightest smite the nations, and rule them with a rod of iron ; 
on whose vesture and on whose thigh a name is written, 
King of kings, and Lord of lords ; we adore thee in thy 
infinite excellence and most glorious exaltation, beseeching 
thee to reveal thy name and the glory of thy kingdom to 
the heathen which know thee not, and to the uttermost 
parts of the earth, which are given thee for thy possession 
and inheritance. And to us give thy grace to serve thee in 
fear, and plant the reverence of thy law and of thy name in 
our hearts ; lest thy wrath be kindled against us, and thou 
break us in pieces like vessels of dishonour. Have mercy 
on us, O King of kings, for we have put our trust in thee ; 
thou art our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesu. Amen. 



PSALM III. 

A Prayer for Defence against all our Enemies, bodily and 

ghostly. 

O Lord, our Defender, have pity upon us : behold, the 
armies of the flesh, the world and the devil, fight against our 
souls, and multiply against us, every day, temptations and 
disadvantages. We are not able of ourselves, as of our- 
selves, to think a good thought, much less to put to flight 
the armies of them that have set themselves against us round 
about. But thou, O Lord, art our Defender; thou art our 
worship, and the lifter-up of our heads. Up, Lord, and help 
us : arm us with the shield of faith, and the sword of the 
Spirit, and, in all times of temptation and battle, cover our 
heads with the helmet of salvation : so shall we not be afraid 
for ten thousands of our enemies : for salvation belongeth 
unto thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE FIRST DAY. 113 



PSALM IV. 

A Prayer in which we exercise an Act of Hope in God, and 
desire his Providence over us. 

O God, who art the Author of all righteousness, from 
whom all grace, and safety, and glory, does proceed, hear 
the prayers of thy humble servants, whensoever we call upon 
thee in our trouble ; for our trust is in thee alone ; and no 
creature can shew us any good, unless it derives from thee. 
Shew the light of thy countenance upon us, let thy provi- 
dence guide all our actions and sufferings to thy glory and 
our spiritual benefit, and consign us to the blessedness of 
thy kingdom, by the testimony of thy Holy Spirit ; that we 
may not place our joys and hopes upon the good things of 
this life, which perish and cannot satisfy, but in the eternal 
fountain of all true felicities ; that, thou being our treasure, 
our hearts may be fixed upon thee by the bands of charity 
and obedience ; that thou mayest make us to dwell in safety 
here, and when our days are done, we may lay us down in 
peace, and take our rest in thy arms, expecting the coming 
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PSALM V. 

A Prayer for a Blessing upon all pious People, and for 
Protection against the Malice of wicked Men. 

O most holy and blessed Lord God, who canst take no 
pleasure in wickedness, neither can evil come nigh thy 
dwelling; defend us and all thy Holy Church from the fraud 
and malice of blood-thirsty and deceitful men, and from the 
crafty insinuations of all them that work vanity: but let thy 
blessings be upon the righteous, and "let thy favourable kind- 
ness defend thy whole Church as with a shield; that all those 
who put their trust in thy mercy, may be ever giving of 
thanks, and may be joyful in thee. O lead us in thy righte- 
ousness, that we become not a rejoicing to our enemies ; but 
that we may worship thee in fear, and come into thy house 
to make our prayers unto thee, and to give thee thanks for 
the multitude of thy mercies, which thou hast given us in 
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

VOL. xv. i 



114 THE FIRST DAY. 

lEbenmg Draper. 
PSALM VI. 

A Prayer of a Penitent Person for Remission of his Sins. 

O MOST merciful God, whose property is always to have 
mercy and to forgive, behold, with the eyes of thy pity and 
compassion, the state of thy humble servants, made most 
miserable by reason of our sins. Hear the voice of our 
weeping, pity our groaning; strengthen us, for we are weak; 
heal us, for our bones are vexed ; and deliver our souls from 
death, that, being saved from the bottomless pit, we may 
give thanks to thy holy name. O turn from the severity of 
thy displeasure, and visit us with thy mercy and salvation. 
For all our sins give us a great sorrow and contrition, and in 
our sorrows let thy comforts sustain us; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM VII. 

A Prayer for Defence of our Innocence against the unjust 
Molestation of our Enemies. 

O God, from whom cometh our help, thou art a righteous 
Judge, and preservest all that are true of heart: deliver us 
from our persecutors, who travail with mischief against us, 
and have digged a pit for our destruction. O let their 
wickedness and malicious devices against thy servants come 
utterly to an end for evermore. Thou, O Lord, art strong, 
and able to take vengeance, and yet, being provoked every 
day, still art patient towards us, and compassionate. Deliver 
us from their wrath, to whom we have done no injustice or 
displeasure ; pardon our offences against thee, and protect 
our innocence against them ; that we may praise thy name, 
and give thanks unto thee for thy righteousness and salva- 
tion, who art blessed for evermore. Amen. 

PSALM VIII. 

A Contemplation of the Divine Beauty and Excellence 
manifested in his Creatures. 

O Lord God, Father of men and angels, God of all the 
creatures, who hast created all things in a wonderful order, 



THE SECOND DAY. 115 

and hast made them all conveyances of thy mercies to man- 
kind ; give us great and dreadful apprehensions of thy glory 
and immensity, thy majesty and mercy, that we may adore 
thee as our Creator, love thee as our Redeemer, fear thee as 
our God, obey thee as our Governor, and praise thee as the 
Author and Fountain of all perfections, and all good which 
thou hast communicated to thy creatures, that they may all, 
in their proportions, do thee service, who hast to that end 
made the world, and redeemed us by oar Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE SECOND DAY. 



PSALM IX. 

A Prayer of poor and oppressed People against their 
Persecutors. 

O LORD GOD, who art a defence for the oppressed, and a 

refuge in due time of trouble, have mercy upon us thy ser- 
vants, who are violently assaulted by enemies without, and 
weaknesses and temptations within. Thou never failest 
them that seek thee, but lovest to hear the poor make their 
complaint unto thee in their trouble, and art known to exe- 
cute judgment upon them that oppress them. Pity us, and 
look upon the trouble we suffer of them that hate us; deliver 
us from the strivings of our adversaries, lift us up from the 
gates of death ; that being safe under thy mercies and pro- 
tection, we may give thanks unto thee with our spirits and 
voices, we may embrace thee with a lively faith, fear thee 
with all our hearts, serve thee with all our powers and 
faculties both of soul and body, all the days of our life; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM X. 

A Prayer to God in Times of Persecution and War against 
the Church. 

O Lord God, who behoklest all the actions of men, and 
seest all the ungodliness of sinners,, aud the wrong the^ Ho 



116 . THE SECOND DAY. 

unto thy servants, we fly unto thee for succour and defence, 
in this our needful time of trouble. Behold, O Lord, how 
the enemies of thy Church have set their eyes against her, 
and use all violences and arts, that thy poor servants may 
fall under the hands of their captains. Thou seest their 
malice, and their confidences : they fear thee not, neither 
art thou, O God, in all their thoughts. But thou art our 
King for ever and ever, and the helper of the friendless. 
We commit ourselves wholly to thy mercy and providence : 
take the matter into thine own hand. Let them perish out 
of the land, that are exalted against thee, and against thy 
Church : that we, being delivered from fear of our enemies, 
may serve thee with constant and regular devotions all the 
days of our life ; through Jesus our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM XL 

An Address to God by way of Hope and Confidence in him, 

and a Prayer against our secret Enemies. 
O Lord, who art our hope and our refuge, and the ex- 
ceeding great, reward of all that trust in thee, have mercy 
upon us thy servants, who have no confidences, but upon thy 
mercies and infinite loving-kindness. Defend us from all 
secret plots and designs, intended against our peace and 
securities by them that privily shoot at us, and would over- 
throw the foundations of our repose and safety. And, that 
we may be better entitled to thy protection and care over us, 
make us to love righteousness, and to follow the things that 
are just; that, by thy grace, we being defended from taking 
delight in wickedness, may also be delivered from the por- 
tion of the ungodly, which thou givest them to drink, upon 
whom thou rainest snares, fire and brimstone, storm and 
tempest. Deliver us, O Lord, from the eternal pressure of 
thy wrath; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



PSALM XII. 

A Prayer for Defence against the Dangers of Evil Company. 
O MOST blessed Jesu, who, in thy eternal providence, dost 
suffer 'the tares and the wheat to grow together until the 



THE SECOND DAY. 117 

harvest, permitting heretics and vicious persons to commu- 
nicate in the external society of thy people ; grant us thy 
grace, that we may so believe, and heartily obey, all thy pure 
words and dictates which thou hast taught us in thy holy 
Gospel, that we may be kept unspotted of the world. And, 
although the ungodly walk on every side, yet we may perse- 
vere in the ways of righteousness, and increase the number 
of the godly, that, at last, we may be admitted into the glo- 
rious fellowship of saints and angels, who behold thy face, 
and the glories of thy kingdom, where thou livest and 
reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, eternal God, 
world without end. Amen. 

PSALM XIII. 
A Prayer in Time of Temptation. 

O God, the Giver of all grace, the Author of all ghostly 
strength, look with compassion upon our infirmities, and 
how unequally we are assaulted by many, by powerful, by 
malicious adversaries. How long, O Lord, how long shall 
we seek for rest, and find none ? O give us either peace or 
victory ; and preserve us, that we sleep not in the death of 
sin, lest our grand enemy the devil say ' he hath prevailed 
against us.' Our trust is in thy mercy, and thy delight is in 
it : strengthen us so with thy grace, that we may fight a 
good fight, and conquer, and be crowned with a crown of 
righteousness, which, we beg, we may receive from the hands, 
and by the mercies, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 

PSALM XIV. 
A Prayer against Atheism and Irreligion. 

O Eternal God, Creator of the 'world, Conserver of the 
creatures, whose essence, and goodness, and perfections, are 
infinite, and made so manifest in the creation, order, protec- 
tion, and disposition of thy creatures, that, without the 
greatest sin and folly in the world, we cannot but acknow- 
ledge thee, and adore thee with the lowest adorations of 
soul and body, and with the most profound humility : pre- 
serve us, O Lord, in great religion, veneration and reverence 
of thy Divine perfections. Keep us from all distrust of thy 



118 THE THIRD DAY. 

providence, all doublings of thy infiniteness, or of any other 
article of our faith ; and grant that we, confessing thee 
before all the world, may be acknowledged for thy children, 
and rewarded among thy servants, not for our righteousness, 
but through the merits and mercies of our dearest Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE THIRD DAY. 

J&ornfag ^raget. 

PSALM XV. 

Which is a short Rule of a good Life, and a Desire of Innocence 
and Sanctity. 

O LORD, let thy mercy preserve us in holiness and inno- 
cence; or, if through infirmity we fall, make us to rise again 
by penitence : that we may lead an incorrupt life with humi- 
lity, and truth, and justice, not slandering our neighbour, 
not invading his right, not breaking our trust, not oppressing 
the indigent and necessitous, but doing good to all, and 
especially making much of them that fear the Lord; that 
we may never fall from thy favour, but, at the end of our 
weary pilgrimage, we may take our rest upon thy holy hill, 
and dwell in thy tabernacle, where thou reignest with 
infinite glory and felicities, God eternal, world without end. 
Amen. 

PSALM XVI. 

A. Prayer for the Blessings of God's Providence and Preserva- 
tion in this Life, and for Glory hereafter. 

O God, who art the portion of our inheritance, our God 
and our preserver, preserve and maintain all those good 
things, which thou hast wrought in us and for us ; and that 
we may never fall, give us thy grace, that we may set thee 
always before us, rejoicing in thee, and delighting in the 
saints that are upon the earth : that when our flesh shall see 
corruption, our souls may not be left in hell, but may walk 



THE THIRD DAY. 119 

in the paths of life ; and in the day of the restitution of all 
things, both bodies and souls may have a goodly heritage, 
even the lot of thy right-hand, where there is pleasure for 
evermore, and where we may see thy face and the glory of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PSALM XVII. 

A Prayer for Protection against the Injuries of our Enemies, 
bodily and ghostly. 

O most merciful Jesu, thou that art the Saviour of them 
that put their trust in thee, defend us and deliver us from the 
hands of all our enemies ; and although they are a sword of 
thine, and an instrument sent from thee to chastise us for 
our sins, yet arise, O Lord, in mercy and strength ; disap- 
point them and cast them down, lest they destroy our souls ; 
that, when thou hast visited us with thy fatherly correction, 
and tried us like as silver is tried, thou mayest find no 
wickedness in us. Sanctify our hearts and lips, that we may 
not think a thought displeasing unto thee, and that our mouth 
may not offend. Keep us as the apple of an eye; hide us 
under the shadow of thy wings of mercy and providence ; 
keep us from the ways of the destroyer, and hold up our goings 
in thy paths, that we may persevere in righteousness, and 
our footsteps may not slip ; that, in the day of the resurrec- 
tion of the just, we may behold thy presence, and receive 
infinite satisfactions in the vision beatifical. Grant this, O 
merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesu. Amen. 



Draper. 
PSALM XVIII. 

A Prayer for Strength and Victory in War, temporal or spi- 
ritual, together with an Act of Hope and Confidence in God. 

O GOD our Saviour, the rock upon whom all our hopes are 
built, our strength and defence, our salvation and our refuge, 
hear our voice out of thy holy temple; let our complaint 
come before thee and enter even into thy ears. The sor- 
rows of death compass us, and we are afraid, because of the 



120 THE FOURTH DAY. 

overflowings of ungodliness. Our enemies are strong, yea, 
they are too mighty for us, and we have no hope to escape, 
unless thou preventest them in the day of our trouble, and 
deliverest us from the strivings of our enemies. But in thee, 
O Lord, is our hope ; do thou teach our hands to fight, and 
gird us with strength unto the battle. Make us to have an 
eye unto all thy laws, that we may eschew our own wicked- 
ness, and be uncorrupt before thee : then shalt thou give us 
the defence of thy salvation, and we shall give thanks unto 
thee, O Lord, and sing praises unto thy name, who art become 
our strong helper, and the God of our salvation, which thou hast 
given unto us in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE FOURTH DAY. 

J&ornmg Draper. 

PSALM XIX. 

A Prayer for the Preservation from Sin, and for Love of 
God's Law. 

O MOST blessed Jesu, thou Sun of Righteousness, who earnest 
forth from the bosom of thy eternal Father, as a bridegroom 
out of his chamber ; be pleased to plant in our hearts the 
fear of the Lord, and in our bodies the purity and cleanness 
of chastity, and make them to abide there for ever. Lighten 
our eyes with the light of thy Gospel, and the bright revela- 
tion of thy whole will and pleasure ; that so being guided by 
thy grace, we may be cleansed from all our secret sins, and 
preserved from presumptuous and great offences : so shall 
the thoughts and meditations of our heart, the words of our 
mouth, and all our actions, be always acceptable in thy sight, 
O Lord our Saviour, our strength and our Redeemer Jesus. 
Amen. 

PSALM XX. 

A Prayer that God would hear our Petitions which we make 
to Him in Times of Trouble. 

O King of Heaven, who art the health and strength of our 
right-hand, have mercy upon us, and hear us when we call 



THE FOURTH DAY. 121 

upon thee : let our prayers come into thy presence like a 
burnt-offering of a sweet savour ; for in all our troubles we 
disclaim all confidences in any of thy creatures, and remem- 
ber thy name only, O Lord our God. Teach us what to ask, 
and how to come into thy presence, that we may never beg of 
thee any thing but what is agreeable to thy will, and may then 
promote thy glory when thou suppliest our necessities ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM XXI. 

A Prayer for the King. 

O eternal God, King of kings, and Lord of lords, have 
mercy upon thy servant the king : as thou hast set a crown 
of gold upon his head, and given him power and command 
to rule thy people with justice and piety, so do thou hear the 
request of his lips, grant him the desire of his heart, and pre- 
vent both his desires and requests with the blessing of thy 
goodness : give him great honour and reverence in the sight 
of his people and of all the nations round about : let all his 
enemies feel thine hand, and put them to flight that rise up 
against him : that, when thou hast given him the blessings 
of a long life and prosperous, and made him glad with the 
joy of thy countenance, at last he may be crowned with 
everlasting felicity, and reign with thee in thy eternal king- 
dom ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Draper. 

PSALM XXII. 

A Meditation upon the Passion of our blessed Saviour. 

O MERCIFUL Jesu, who for our sakes didst suffer thyself to 
be betrayed, tormented, spit upon, crucified, and to die, that 
thou mightest purchase for us redemption from the sting of 
death, the miseries of hell, the malice and power of the devil ; 
deliver our souls from the sword of thy vengeance ; cut us 
not off by untimely death ; free our darling from the power 
of the dog, our souls from being a prey unto the devil ; snatch 
us out of the lion's mouth, who goeth up and down, seeking 
whom he may devour. O Jesu, be a Jesus unto us, and let 



122 THE FIFTH DAY. 

those victories which thou hast obtained over Satan, and 
hell, and the grave, bring us peace and righteousness, and a 
crown of glory in the heavens, where thou livest and reign- 
est in the great congregation of saints and angels, one God, 
world without end. Amen. 

PSALM XXIII. 

A Prayer that God would guide, and feed, and support us, as 
a Shepherd doth 7ds Flock. 

O blessed Jesu, thou great Shepherd and Bishop of our 
souls, let thy grace convert us, let thy mercies guide us in 
the paths of righteousness ; feed us with thy word and sacra- 
ments, refresh us with the comforts of thy Holy Spirit ; and 
in the whole course of our life, which is nothing else but a 
valley of miseries and a shadow of death, let thy rod correct 
us, like a father, when we do amiss, and thy staff support us 
in all our troubles and necessities. O let thy loving-kindness 
and mercy follow us all our days, that after this life we may 
dwell in thy house for ever, where thou hast prepared a table 
and a full cup of blessing for thy people, and shalt anoint 
their heads with the oil of an eternal gladness in the fruition 
of thy glories, O blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesu. Amen. 



THE FIFTH DAY. 

Jflornfng 



PSALM XXIV. 

A Meditation upon the Ascension of our blessed Saviour : and 
a Prayer for Sanctity, that we may ascend where he is. 

O BLESSED Jesu, King of glory, Lord of hosts, and King of 
all the creatures, to whom the everlasting doors were opened, 
that thou mightest enter into thy kingdom which thou didst 
open to all believers, after thou hadst overcome the sharpness 
of death ; give us clean hands and a pure heart : teach us to 
follow thy innocence, to imitate thy sanctity, that we may 
receive from thee our Lord the eternal rewards and blessings 
of righteousness, and ascend thither, whither thou, O God of 



THE FIFTH DAY. 123 

our salvation, art gone before, who livest and reignest with 
the Father and the Holy Ghost, eternal God, world without 
end. Amen. 

PSALM XXV. 

A penitential Psalm, or a Prayer for Deliverance from Sin 
and Punishment. 

O gracious and righteous Lord God, who art the guide of 
the meek, and teachest the humble and gentle in thy way, 
forgive the sins and offences of our youth : and although by 
them we have deserved thy wrath, and that we be put to con- 
fusion, yet be pleased to think upon us for thy goodness, and 
according to thy mercy ; that when thou hast forgiven us all 
our sin, and taken away our adversity and all our misery, 
thou mayest keep our souls in perfectness and righteous 
dealing, that at last we may dwell at ease, free from trouble, 
and safe from all our enemies, even when we shall inherit the 
land of everlasting rest, where thou livest and reignest, eter- 
nal God, world without end. Amen. 

PSALM XXVI. 

A Prayer of Preparation to the Holy Sacrament, and 
to Death. 

O Lord, our Judge, whose loving-kindness is great, and 
always before our eyes, manifested in the abundant acts of 
thy grace and providence, make us to love and frequent all 
the actions, ministries, and conveyances of thy graces to us, 
especially thy holy sacraments. O dear God, endue our 
souls with faith, and charity, and^ holy penitence ; that our 
hands and hearts, our souls and bodies, being washed in 
innocence and penance, we may go to thy holy table, and 
may, in the whole course of our life, walk righteously and in 
obedience to thee ; that, in this world, hating the congrega- 
tion of the wicked, and the fellowship of deceitful and vain 
persons, at last our souls may not be shut up with sinners, 
nor our lives with the blood-thirsty, but we may have our 
portion in the eternal habitation of thy house, where thine 
honour dwelleth and reigneth, world without end. Amen. 



124 THE FIFTH DAY. 



C&tonfng 

PSALM XXVII. 

A Prayer that, being freed from our Enemies, we may attend 
the Services of Religion, and serve God in his holy Temple. 

O LORD GOD, thou hast been our succour, our light and 
salvation : leave us not, neither forsake us when we are 
assaulted by enemies without and by temptations from within ; 
but lead us in the right way, which thou hast appointed for 
us to walk in : and when thou hast lifted up our heads above 
our enemies round about us, grant that we may spend our 
days in prayer, and giving praises to thee, and in all other 
actions of holy religion, visiting thy temple with frequent 
addresses of devotion, and contemplating and admiring the 
fair beauty of the Lord ; and that, being secure in such em- 
ployments, being hid in thy tabernacle, and taking sanctuary 
within the secret place of thy dwelling, we may at last come 
unto thy heavenly Jerusalem, where the gates of thy temple 
are open day and night, there seeing the goodness of the 
Lord in the land of the living, praising thee to all eternity ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM XXVIII. 

A Prayer for Deliverance from Death and Damnation. 

O Lord, my strength and confidence, my shield and the 
defence of all that hope in thee, hear the voice of our humble 
petitions. We hold up our hands to thy mercy-seat, praying 
thee for pity, and pardon of our sins : reward us not according 
to our deeds, nor according to the wickedness of our inven- 
tions ; for if thou shouldest deal with us according to the 
operation of our hands, we should be like them that go down 
into the pit, and our inheritance would be death and destruc- 
tion. But our heart hath trusted in thee, and thou hast 
helped us : continue thy loving-kindness to us, and pluck us 
not away, neither destroy us with the ungodly and wicked 
doers, but magnify thy mercies in the salvation of our souls; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE SIXTH DAY. 125 

PSALM XXIX. 

In which God is adored, and the Mightiness of his Power and 
Voice is celebrated. 

O most glorious God, who makest the thunder ; thy voice 
is mighty in operation, and is a glorious voice: give us 
grace that we may hear thy voice, and obey it with reverence 
and humility. Thou that breakest the cedar-trees, let thy 
word rend our hearts with sorrow and contrition for our sins, 
that so we may feel the power and the mercy of thy voice, 
and may ascribe unto thee worship and strength, worshipping 
thee with a holy worship all the days of our life ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE SIXTH DAY. 



Jttornfng 
PSALM XXX. 

A Prayer for Deliverance from Sickness, and Death, and 
Damnation. 

O LORD our God, whose mercy is infinite, but thy wrath 
endureth but the twinkling of an eye, and even, in this short 
time of thy wrath, thou rememberest mercy; we cry unto 
thee, and address ourselves unto thee right humbly : O turn 
not thy face away from us ; keep our life from them that go 
down into the pit, and preserve our souls from hell. And 
although thou sometimes sendesf heaviness unto us and 
trouble upon our loins, yet let it be but as for a night; let 
thy mercy dawn upon us, and shine as in a glorious morning: 
for thou art more pleased in demonstrations of thy mercy, 
than in shewing thy displeasure. O Lord, heal us, and be 
merciful unto us and save us ; turn our heaviness into joy, 
and gird us with gladness ; so shall we give thanks unto thee 
for ever ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



126 THE SIXTH DAY. 



PSALM XXXI. 

A Prayer for Protection against our Enemies and all Dangers 
of Soul and Body, and specially at the Hour of Death. 

O God, our rock and the house of our defence, let us be 
glad and rejoice in thy mercies and salvation. Consider, 
O Lord, our trouble ; and, in thy pity, know our souls to be 
set round about with enemies and adversaries. Shut us not 
up into the hands of our enemies, nor our lives within the 
grave. Our time, O Lord, is in thy hand, to thee pertain the 
issues of life and death : and though our strength hath failed 
us because of our iniquity, and our bones are vexed by reason 
of our sins, yet our hope is in thee, O Lord ; we have said, 
Thou art our God. Deliver us from all our enemies, bodily 
and ghostly: turn our sadness into joy and our mourning 
into gladness, lest our bodies and souls be consumed for 
very heaviness. Let us not be put to confusion nor to 
silence in the grave, but let us see thy marvellous loving- 
kindness, and partake of thy plentiful goodness which thou 
hast laid up for them that fear thee, even before the sons of 
men. O let us never be cast out of the sight of thine eyes, 
but deal with us in mercy and loving-kindness. Into thy 
hands we commend our spirits, resigning ourselves up to thy 
providence and disposition, either to life or death, as thou in 
thy infinite wisdom shalt find most proportionable to thy 
glory and our eternal good, beseeching thee to be our guide 
to death, and to lead us for thy name's sake to everlasting 
life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



PSALM XXXII. 

A Confession of Sins and a Prayer for Pardon. 

O LORD GOD, eternal Judge of men and angels, whose pro- 
perty is always to have mercy and to forgive, have mercy 
upon us, who confess our sins unto thee to be so great and 



THE SIXTH DAY. 127 

many, that, were not thy mercy infinite, we might despair of 
having our unrighteousness forgiven or our sins covered. 
O dear God, preserve us from the great plagues that remain 
for the ungodly ; and let thy mercy embrace us on every 
side. Impute not unto us the sins we have multiplied against 
thee and against all the world ; for we have been like to a 
horse and mule without understanding, brutish in our pas- 
sions, sensual in our affections, of unbridled heats and dis- 
temperatures. But thy mercy is as infinite as thyself. O let 
not thy hand be heavy upon us, but forgive the wickedness 
of our sin, and compass us about with songs of deliverance : 
then shall we be glad and rejoice in thee, O Lord, who art 
become our mighty Saviour and most merciful Redeemer 
Jesu. Amen. 

PSALM XXXIII. 

A Prayer to God for the Graces of Fear, Hope, and Religion. 

O Lord our God, who lovest righteousness and judgment, 
who fillest the earth with thy goodness, and lookest down 
from heaven upon the children of men : consider us, O Lord, 
and let thy grace fashion our hearts, and produce in our souls 
such forms and impresses as may bear thy image, and seem, 
beauteous in thine eyes, that thou mayest be our God, and 
choose us for thine inheritance. Let thy mercy feed us, thy 
hands deliver us from death, and snatch us from the jaws of 
hell : teach us to fear thee, to put our trust in thy mercy, 
patiently to tarry for thee and the revelation of thy loving- 
kindnesses, to hope in thy holy name, and to rejoice in thy 
salvation, giving thee thanks and praise with a good courage, 
with humble and religious affections, all the days of our life, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM XXXIV. 

A Prayer, that we, being disposed by Holy Living, may receive 
and have a Sense and Taste of the Divine Goodness. 

O most merciful and gracious Lord, whose eyes are over 
the righteous, and thine ears are open unto their prayers, 
give us, we beseech thee, a contrite heart and an humble 



128 THE SEVENTH DAY. 

spirit, a fear of thy name, a watchfulness over our tongue 
that we epeak no guile, a care of our actions that we eschew 
all evil, and a zeal of thy name that we may do good ; that 
being thus prepared with holy dispositions, we may be de- 
livered out of all our troubles by the hands of thy mercy, 
we may be defended against our enemies by the custody of 
angels, we may be provided for, so as to want no manner of 
thing that is good, by the ministration of thy providence; 
that so, in all the whole course of our life, we may feel the 
goodness of the Lord, seeing and tasting the sweetnesses of 
thy mercy, which may be to us an antepast of eternity, and 
as an earnest of the Spirit to consign us to the fruition of the 
glories of thy kingdom, who livest and reignest ever one God, 
world without end. Amen. 



THE SEVENTH DAY. 

Jttorm'ng Draper. 

PSALM XXXV. 

A Prayer to be delivered from our Enemies. 

O LORD our God, who art the shield of the oppressed, and 
the buckler of all that trust in thee, deliver us from all the 
assaults and intendments of our enemies against us, who 
without cause make pits for our souls : let the angel of the 
Lord scatter all their mischievous imaginations, lest they 
triumph over us, and say, ' We have devoured them ;' strive 
thou with them that strive with us, and fight against them 
that fight against us. Preserve us in innocence, that we 
neither sin against thee, nor do injustice to them : and 
restore us to our peace : so shall we talk of thy righteousness 
and thy praise all the day long, and give thee thanks in the 
great congregation of saints, because thou hast pleasure in 
the prosperity of thy servants, and hast redeemed them 
from the hands of their enemies; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



THE SEVENTH DAY. 129 



PSALM XXXVI. 

A Prayer, desiring the Joys of Heaven, the Blessings 
of Eternity. 

O God, whose mercy reacheth unto the heavens, and thy 
righteousness unto the clouds ; teach us to abhor every thing 
that is evil, and to set ourselves in every good way ; that 
thy fear being always before our eyes, and our trust being 
under the shadow of thy wings, thou mayest continue forth 
thy loving-kindness to us all the days of our life : that at 
last we may be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house, 
and may drink down rivers of pleasures, deriving from thee 
the eternal fountain and well of life, and, in the light of thy 
countenance, may see everlasting light ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



bening 



PSALM XXXVII. 

A Prayer that we may trust and delight in God, and that our 
lot may be amongst the Godly, and not in the seeming 
Prosperity of the Wicked. 

O GOD ALMIGHTY, who never forsakest the godly, but pre- 
servest them for ever, let thy law be in our hearts, fixed and 
grounded, that we may keep innocence, and take heed to 
the thing that is right : order our goings, and make thy way 
acceptable to thyself; that we, delighting in thee alone, 
committing our ways wholly to thy providence, and putting 
our trust in thy mercies, we may not be confounded in the 
perilous times; but may be refreshed in the multitude of 
peace, having peace all our days, and peace at the last, in 
the inheritance of saints, who have refused the gilded glories 
of this world, which is the lot of the wicked and ungodly 
people, and are satisfied with the expectation of true joys, 
and the reward of innocence ; through the merits of Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

VOL. XY. K 



130 THE EIGHTH DAY. 

THE EIGHTH DAY. 

Jfflorning ^rager. 
PSALM XXXVIII. 

A Prayer for Remission of Sins. 

O LORD, who knowest all our desires, and from whom our 
groaning is not hid, we confess before thee our many wicked- 
nesses, and are truly sorry for our sins : our wickednesses 
are gone over our head, and are a sore burden too heavy for 
us to bear: our enemy the devil is malicious and mighty, 
our weaknesses many, our temptations strong, our con- 
sciences do busily accuse us. Where shall we appear in the 
day of judgment.' How shall we stand upright in the eternal 
scrutiny ? Our trust is in thy merits. O blessed Jesu, thou 
art our judge and our advocate: thou shalt answer for us, 
O Lord our God. Put us not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine 
anger, for it is insupportable ; neither let thy whole dis- 
pleasure arise, for that is vast and mountainous as our sins, 
and will break us in pieces. O let not the arrows of thy 
vengeance slick fast in us, for our sins are wounds enough, 
and make us restless and miserable. Touch our sores gently, 
and let not thy hands press us, unless to drive forth our 
corruption : then shall we follow the thing that good is, and 
rejoice greatly in thy mercies, O Lord God of our salvation, 
who hast redeemed us, and saved us through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM XXXIX. 

A Meditation of the Shortness and Vanity of our Life, and a 
Prayer preparatory to Death. 

O eternal God, who art without beginning or end of days, 
thou hast given us a short portion of time in the generations 
of this world ; our condition is vain, unsatisfying, and full of 
disquiet, and we have no hope but in thee, O Lord. O teach 
us to number our days, to remember and to know our end, 
that so we may never sin against thee; and grant that we 
may live as always dying, being of mortified souls and bodies, 
of bridled tongues and affections, and that, instead of heaping 



THE EIGHTH DAY. 131 

up riches, we may strive for a treasure of good works, laying 
up in store against the time to come, that having recovered 
our strength, lost by the commission of sins, when we go 
hence and are no more seen, we may have a residence in 
those mansions which are prepared for the saints, by our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PSALM XL. 

A Thanksgiving to God for his Deliverance, and a Prayer for 
Redemption from Sins, and Defence against, our Enemies. 

O Lord our God, whose works are wondrous, and thy 
thoughts, which are to usward, full of mercy and admirable 
in wisdom ; we adore and worship thy infinite perfections, 
and thy providence in the disposing of all thy creatures, and 
the effects of all causes, which, in an infinite variety, thou 
orderest to thy glory and the good of all faithful people. 
Thou hast dealt, with us in mercy ; and although our sins 
are so multiplied that they are more in number than the 
hairs of our head, yet thou hast not suffered us to fall into 
the horrible pit of eternal misery and destruction, but hast 
set our feet upon the rock Christ Jesus, and by his graces 
and holy laws hast ordered our goings. Let it be thy plea- 
sure still to deliver us, for we are not able of ourselves to 
look up, and our enemies still seek after our souls to destroy 
us. Make no long tarrying, O God ; shew thyself our helper 
and redeemer; so shall we talk of thy truth and of thy salva- 
tion in the assemblies of thy servants in this life, hoping that 
we shall hereafter declare thy righteousness in the great con- 
gregation of saints and angels, singing eternal praises to God 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 



(JBbcning Draper. 

PSALM XLI. 

A Prayer for the Grace of Charity, for Pardon of Sins, and 
for Deliverance from False Friends and Traitors. 

O BLESSED JESU, Saviour of the world, be merciful unto us, 
and heal our sins, for we have sinned against thee, and are 



132 THE EIGHTH DAY. 

no more worthy to be called thy children ; but yet make us 
thy servants, and give us testimony that we are translated 
from death to life, by charity and love to all our brethren. 
O make our bowels yearn with pity and compassion over the 
necessities of the poor and needy, and give us grace and 
power to help them and relieve their miseries ; that we, 
being merciful as our heavenly Father is, may receive such 
blessings and assistances as thou hast provided for the 
charitable ; deliverance from our open enemies, safety from 
private treachery and conspiracies, comfort in our sicknesses, 
health of body, and pardon of our sins, through thy mercies 
and blessed charity, O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer 
Jesu. Amen. 

PSALM XLII. 

A Prayer for Comfort in Spiritual .Desertion and Dryness of 
Affection, and that we may long and sigh after God. 

O eternal and living God, thou art the help of our coun- 
tenance and our God, thou art the thing that we long for, 
and our hearts are vexed within us and disquieted when we 
feel not the comforts of thy Spirit, and those actual exulta- 
tions and that spiritual gust which thou dost often give to 
thy people as earnest of a glorious immortality. O Lord, 
pity our infirmities, and give us earnest longings for the 
fruition of thee our God, in the actions of holy religion. 
Grant unto us vivacity of spirit, unweariedness in devotion, 
delight and complacency in spiritual exercises ; that when 
our souls are vexed with temptations and sadnesses, we may 
remember thee concerning the land of promise, and be com- 
forted and encouraged in our duties by the expectation of 
those glories which thou hast laid up for them that love the 
appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PSALM XLIII. 

A Prayer for Cheerfulness of Spirit in our Devotions. 

O God, our defender and deliverer, thou art the God of 
our strength, and our ghostly confidence : let the light of 
thy countenance produce the beams of spiritual joy in our 
souls, and let thy truth lead us in the way of thy salvation, 
that when we go unto thy dwelling-places, where thou 



THE NINTH DAY. 13(J 

manifestest thy presence, we may approach unto thee with 
joy and gladness, rejoicing in nothing more than in doing 
thee service, and singing praises to thy name for the help of 
thy countenance, which thou givest us in our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE NINTH DAY. 



PSALM XLIV. 

A Prayer in the Time of War. 

O LORD GOD of hosts, who for our sins hast suffered the 
sword to take vengeance upon us, and to plead thy cause 
against us, O hide not thy face from us, and forget not our 
misery and trouble. We are killed all day long, and are 
accounted as sheep appointed to be slain ; we are covered 
with the shadow of death; and they which hate us spoil our 
goods. Deal with us in pity ; and as thou hast done to our 
fathers of old time, when they called upon thee in their 
trouble, so deal with us: thou overthrewest their enemies, 
and didst tread them under that arose up against them. 
Arise, and help us, and deliver us also for thy mercy's sake : 
our own sword cannot help us, but let thy right-hand and 
thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, work deliver- 
ance and salvation for us. Go forth with our armies, O 
thou God of hosts, do thou fight our battles, that we may 
not turn our backs upon our enemies ; but crown us with 
victory and peace, that we may make our boast of thee all 
day long, and praise thy name for ever, who art holy, and 
just, and merciful, the great God of battles and recompenses. 
From thee let mercy now and eVer proceed, and to thy 
name let honour be for ever ascribed of all the hosts of 
heaven and earth, world without end. Amen. 

PSALM XLV. 

A Prayer for the Conversion of the Heathen, and Prosperity 

of the Church. 

O blessed Jesu, Prince of the catholic Church, thou art 
fairer than the children of men, thy lips are full of grace, 



134- THE NINTH DAY. 

thine armies mighty, thy head is crowned with majesty, and 
clothed with worship and renown : have mercy upon thy 
holy Church ; bless her for ever with righteousness, and let 
the oil of gladness refresh her amidst the multitude of her 
sorrows and afflictions. And because she is the daughter of 
a king, and thou takest pleasure in her beauty, let her not 
always be clothed in mourning garments, but let her be 
decked with exterior ornaments and secular advantages, such 
as may truly promote the interests of holy religion. Let 
kings and queens be nursing fathers and nursing mothers 
unto her; and so let the sound of thy Gospel go into all the 
earth, that her children may be princes in all lands, and 
ministers of thy kingdom, advancing thy honour, and further- 
ing the salvation of all men, for whom thou didst give thy 
precious blood, that all people may worship thee, and give 
thee thanks for ever; who, together with the Father and the 
Holy Ghost, livest and reignest one God, world without 
end. Ainen. 

PSALM XLVI. 

A Prayer for Protection, and for Confidence in God in Times 
of public Distractions, and for the Peace of Christendom. 

O most merciful Saviour Jesu, Prince of peace, at whose 
birth all the kingdoms of the world were in peace and 
tranquillity, be thou in the midst of us for our refuge and 
present help in times of trouble and public calamities ; when 
the kingdom is moved, and the hearts of men shake at the 
tempests of the same. Dear God, unite all the parts of 
Christendom with the union of faith and chanty, and the 
fruits of them, a blessed and universal peace. Break the 
bow of the mighty, knap the spear of the warrior in sunder, 
and burn the chariots in the fire, that wars may cease in all 
the world, and we all may feel the promised blessing of the 
Gospel, that our swords may be converted into plough- 
shares, and our spears into pruning-hooks : that thy name 
and thy kingdom may be exalted among the heathen, and in 
all the nations of the earth, who livest and reignest over 
all, in the unity of the blessed Trinity, God eternal, world 
without end. Amen. 



THE NINTH DAY. 135 



PSALM XLVII. 

A Prayer fur the Exaltation of Christ's Kingdom, and that all 
the Princes of the World may jointly adore Jesus reigning 
in the Heavens. 

O LORD GOD, King of heaven, who reignest a great king in 
all the earth ; thou art high above all creatures, and art to be 
feared in all the kingdoms of the earth: let the seed of thy 
Gospel be disseminated in all the corners of the habitable 
world : let thy grace break down all the strongholds of sin 
and Satan, subduing all people under thee, and the nations 
under thy feet ; that the princes of the nations that have 
not known thy name may be joined to thy people, the people 
of the God of Abraham, becoming one sheepfold under one 
Shepherd, Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord, our Saviour and 
Redeemer. Amen. 



PSALM XLVIII. 

A Prayer for the Prosperity of the Church. 

O great God, who art highly to be praised, who hast 
manifested thy power and thy mercy in the constitution, 
propagation, and defence of thy holy Church, by the 
miraculous assistances and effects of thy Holy Spirit, inso- 
much that the kings of the earth marvelled to see such 
things, and were astonied and suddenly cast down, ac- 
knowledging the powers of thy kingdom, and submitting to 
thy laws with faith and obedience :* be pleased, according to 
thy gracious promise, to uphold the same for ever : let not 
the gates of hell prevail against thy Church : be thou known 
in her palaces as a sure refuge : make her the joy of the 
whole earth, and let her be glad and rejoice because of thy 
judgments; so shall we praise thee in the midst of thy 
temple, waiting for thy loving-kindness, that according as 
thy name is, so may thy praise be, infinite and eternal, world 
without end. Amen. 



136 THE TENTH DAY. 



PSALM XLIX. 

A Prayer that we may despise perishing Riches, and put our 
Trust in God only. 

O blessed Jesu, them only Redeemer of souls, who, by 
thy death and passion, hast delivered us from the place of 
hell, give us grace to put our whole trust in thee, and in the 
riches of thy mercy and loving-kindness, always remembering 
our end, the vanity and shortness of our lives, the certainty 
of our departure. Teach us to despise the world and worldly 
things ; and to lay our treasure up in heaven by charity and 
actions of religion ; that while we live here, we may have 
our conversation in heaven, by love, by hope, and by desires, 
that when our beauty shall consume in the sepulchre out of 
our earthly dwellings, we may be received into everlasting 
habitations, always to enjoy thee, who livest and reignest 
eternal God, world without end. Amen. 



THE TENTH DAY. 

Jftormng Draper. 

PSALM L. 

A Prayer that we may lead a holy Life, and find Mercy in 
the Day of Judgment. 

O MOST mighty God, who art more pleased with the sacrifice 
of thanksgiving, and the oblation of our souls in the vows of 
obedience and a holy life, than with the burnt-offerings and 
sacrifices of bullocks and goats, let thy grace reform our lives 
and manners : keep our mouth from slander and obloquy, 
from guile and deceit : let us never consent to actions of 
injustice or uncleanness, that we partake not with thieves or 
with adulterers either in their sin or punishment ; that wheu 
thou shalt appear in perfect beauty, with a consuming fire 
before thee, and a tempest round about thee, with terrors 
and glorious majesty, calling the heavens and the earth 
together, that thou mayest judge all thy people, thou mayest 



THE TENTH DAY. 137 

gather us among thy saints, and give us the mercies and the 
portion of thine inheritance, that so we may honour thee by 
an eternal oblation of praise and thanksgiving in the heavens, 
where thou, O God, declarest thy salvation to all thy elect 
people ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LI. 

A Prayer for the Pardon of Sins, and the Restitution of 
God's Favour. 

O most merciful God, whose goodness is great, and the 
multitudes of thy mercies are innumerable, have mercy upon 
us, for our sins are ever before us, presented by the continual 
accusations of a troubled conscience. We have sinned 
against thee, and done evil in thy sight: and yet because 
thou art the God of mercy, and Fountain of eternal purity, 
delighting in the conversion and salvation of a sinner, we 
present unto thee the sacrifice of a troubled spirit, of broken 
and contrite hearts ; beseeching thee to let the dew of thy 
favour, and the fire of thy love, wash away our sins and 
purify our souls. Make us clean hearts, O God, and pure 
hands ; though our sins be as scarlet, yet make them like 
wool ; though they be as purple, yet make them as white as 
snow. Restore the voice of joy and gladness to us : let us 
not be for ever separate from the sweet refreshings of thy 
favour and presence ; but give us the comforts of thy help 
again, and let thy free Spirit loose us from the bondage of 
sin, and establish us in the freedom and liberty of the sons of 
God : so shall we sing of thy righteousness, and our lips 
shall give thee praise in the congregation of thy redeemed 
ones, now, henceforth, and for ever. Amen. 

PSALM LII. 

A Prayer for Deliverance from Tyranny, Oppression, 
and Slander. 

Almighty God, whose goodness endureth daily, extend 
this thy goodness towards us thy servants, and defend us 
from the tyranny and malice of all our enemies, who boast 
themselves in mischief: keep us from the obloquy of false 



138 THE TENTH DAY. 

tongues, and from the slander of lying persons, who talk of 
lies more than righteousness ; that we, being nourished by 
thy goodness, and watered with the dew of Divine blessings, 
may flourish like a green olive in the house of God, bringing 
forth the fruits of tender mercy, and abounding in peace, and 
that we may, by the suffusion of anointing of the Holy 
Ghost, be consigned to thy everlasting kingdom, there to 
reign with thee, who reignest eternally, one God, world 
without end. Amen. 



(Bbem'ng ^ 

PSALM LIII. 

A Prayer for Redemption of the Church from the Persecution 
of Atheists and Persons irreligious. 

O LORD GOD, who dwellest in heaven, and lookest down 
from thence upon the children of men, be pleased to give 
salvation to thy people out of Sion, thy holy habitation, and 
preserve thy Church from the malice of such persons as have 
not called upon thee, but would eat up thy people as they 
would eat bread : that we, being delivered from the captivity 
of sins and miseries, may serve thee with freedom of spirit, 
in joy and spiritual rejoicing, all the days of our life ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



PSALM LIV. 

A Prayer for Deliverance from our Enemies. 

O blessed Jesu, our God and our helper, whose name is 
comfortable, the hope of all that are miserable, and the relief 
of the oppressed, hearken unto our prayers, and, for thy 
name's sake, save us from the tyranny of those that are 
risen up against us, and seek after our souls. Give us thy 
grace that we may set thee always before our eyes, to obey 
thy laws, to follow thy example, to trust in thy protection, 
to give praises unto thy holy name, who livest and reignest 
with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without 
end. Amen. 



THE ELEVENTH DAY. 139 



PSALM LV. 

A Prayer for Deliverance from Treachery, and the 
Conspiracies of our secret Enemies. 

O eternal God, who hast promised to nourish and defend 
all them that cast their burden upon thee, deliver the souls 
of thy servants in peace from the battle that is against us. 
Tearfulness and trembling are come upon us, and the fear of 
death is fallen upon us ; for our enemies are maliciously set 
against us, and minded to do us mischief; and we know not 
whither to flee away and be at rest, for mischief and sorrow 
are round about us. O rescue us from the public enmity of 
our open adversaries, and from the secret conspiracies of all 
our private enemies ; so shall we pray unto thee, and that 
instantly, and praise thy name in the evening, in the morn- 
ing, and in the noon-day, dedicating to thy honour and 
worship the beginning, the growth, and the decrease of our 
life, even all our days, because thou hast not suffered us to 
fall for ever, but hast brought us from the pit of destruction ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE ELEVENTH DAY. 

Jttomtng ^ragcr. 
PSALM LVI. 

A Prayer that we may trust in God, and have such Carefulness 
over our Ways, that we give our Enemy no Advantage. 

O LORD GOD, in whom we have trusted, have mercy upon 
us who are daily troubled with sadnesses in the world, 
temptations of the devil, weaknesses of the flesh, malicious 
surmisings and mistakings of our enemies, and whatsoever 
may make us miserable, and disturb our peace. Give us 
great assistances of thy grace, that we may walk without 
scandal, resist and overcome the devil, despise the things of 
this world, and be strengthened in our spirits with ghostly 
confidence ; that whensoever we call upon thee, we may 
have thee on our side, and our enemies be put to flight; that 
our souls being delivered from death, and our feet from 



140 THE ELEVENTH DAY. 

falling, we may at last be admitted into the light of the 
living, there to walk eternally before thee our God, who 
livest and reignest in the unity of the blessed Trinity, world 
without end. Amen. 

PSALM LVII. 

A Prayer to be delivered from the Power of the Devil, 
and Slander of Men, and that we may put our Con- 
fidence in God. 

O most high and mighty God, who hast set thyself above 
the heavens, and thy glory above all the earth, do thou send 
from heaven, and save us from the reproof of all our ghostly 
enemies, who would eat us ; for our soul is among lions, and 
the devil is busy seeking to devour us. O send out thy 
mercy and truth, deliver us from the malicious slander of 
men, and from the dreadful accusations of the devils at the 
day of judgment, who are set on fire against us, and their 
teeth are spears and arrows gnashing at us to tear us in 
pieces. Let thy mercy sustain us, let thy righteousness be 
interposed in answer for us, that as our enemies accuse us, 
thy mercies may acquit us ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

PSALM LVIII. 

A Prayer that God's People may be delivered from the Malice 
of wicked Men. 

O Almighty Lord, thou God that judgest the earth, who 
preparest rewards for the righteous, and executest vengeance 
against the ungodly, deliver all thy chosen people from 
the peevishness of froward and ungodly men, whose hands 
deal with wickedness, and they imagine mischief in their 
hearts. And to thy servants give thy grace, that our rnirids 
may be set upon righteousness ; that we may judge the thing 
that is right, never refusing to hear thy voice, or stopping 
our ears, like the deaf adder, against thy holy precepts ; 
that we may have no iniquity in our mouths, nor unright- 
eousness in our actions ; and at last we may have the reward 
of the righteous, the inheritance of thy kingdom ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE ELEVENTH DAY. 141 



(Bbening 
PSALM LIX. 

A Prayer against Heretics, and all other Enemies of the 
Church. 

O LORD GOD of Israel, visit us with thy salvation, and 
deliver us from the malice of wicked doers, and the violences 
of blood-thirsty men. Let not them prosper, O Lord, in 
their machinations, whose preaching is of cursing and lies, 
and who offend of malicious wickedness; shew us thy good- 
ness plenteously, that we may never forget thy mercies or thy 
laws ; for thou art our defence and refuge, and our merciful 
God ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LX. 

A Prayer in Time of War or Temptation. 

O Lord God, who for our sins hast shewed us heavy 
things, and given us a drink of deadly wine, and yet hast 
never failed them that fear thee, but hast given them a token 
that they may triumph because of thy truth and mercy, 
consigning them to redemption and deliverance by the testi- 
mony and comforts of thy Holy Spirit : O be thou our help 
in trouble, for all our hope is in thee, and we disclaim all 
confidence in ourselves, or in the arm of flesh, praying thee 
for aid ; that in thy strength we may tread down our enemies, 
and give thee thanks, who art the fountain of strength, and 
the disposer of victories; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

PSALM LXI. 

A Prayer for the King, and for Comfort in Sadness. 

O blessed Jesu, thou that art the rock higher than all 
the world, upon whom thy Church is built, and all our hopes 
rely, be merciful unto us, and give ear unto our prayers ; 
be unto us a fountain of comfort whensoever our heart is in 
heaviness, for under the covering of thy wings there is joy, and 
health, and safety. Save all those that fear thy name, and 
give thy blessing to thine heritage ; and that the blessings 
of thy people may be lasting and perpetual, give unto thy 
servant the king long life; let thy loving-kindness and faith- 
fulness alway preserve him ; be a strong tower for him against 



142 THE TWELFTH DAY. 

all his enemies ; and at last bring him to an eternal kingdom, 
where no enemies shall assault or disturb his peace ; that 
he may dwell before thee for ever, and rejoice in the partici- 
pation of the blessings of thy kingdom, who livest and 
reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen. 



THE TWELFTH DAY. 

Jftornmg Draper. 

PSALM LXII. 

A Prayer that we may trust in God only, in all our Troubles. 

O LORD GOD, of whom cometh our salvation, thou art our 
defence and strength, our health and our glory ; give us thy 
grace, that we may put our whole trust in thee alway, that 
we may pour out our hearts before thee in all our troubles, 
that we may wait still upon thee for the performance of our 
expectation in all our longings and desires. Be thou our 
defence ; uphold us, that we may not fall into those great 
sins which lay waste our consciences, or into such mise- 
ries as make us without hope or remedy, the miseries of 
despair, obstinate malice, or the woes of a sad eternity. 
Teach us to despise riches ; to disclaim all trust in the 
creatures ; not to delight in lies or vanity ; not to multiply 
wrongs and robbery ; that when thou shalt come with power 
and great glory, to reward every man according to his work, 
thou mayest be merciful unto us, pardoning our sins, and 
accepting us to life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

PSALM LXIII. 

A Prayer for the Deliverance from the Miseries of our Pil- 
grimage; with Longing and Desires for God and the Joys 
of Heaven. 

O merciful and dear God, whose loving-kindness is 
better than the life itself, defend us against the malice and 
designs of all them that seek the hurt of our souls, and make 
us to rejoice in thy help, and under the shadow of thy wings. 
O let the day-spring of thy favour visit us from on high, that 
we may seek thee with an early devotion, pursue after thee 
with a constant and an active industry, and at last possess 



THE TWELFTH DAY. 143 

thee with the firm comprehensions of love and charity ; that 
in this world, we, looking for thee in holiness of living, 
longing and thirsting after thee with fervent desires, may for 
ever hereafter behold thy power and glory, and our souls be 
eternally satisfied, even as with marrow and fatness, when 
our lips and hearts shall praise thee to all eternity. Grant 
this for the love and honour of Jesus Christ, our only 
Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. 

PSALM LXIV. 

A Prayer for Deliverance from the Slander and Mischiefs of 
all wicked Persons. 

O Lord God, thou that nearest the voice of our prayers, 
and considerest the cries of them that fly unto thee for 
succour, deliver us and all thy whole Church from the gather- 
ing together of the froward, and from the insurrection of 
wicked doers. Disappoint their snares, infatuate their 
counsels, distract their consultations, and blast all their 
designs ; let the swords and arrows of their tongues be shot 
in vain, that they may never hit any of thy servants, nor 
wound him that is perfect. Make them to fall, O God, in 
their hopes, whereby they encourage themselves in mischief, 
and fear not ; and do thou laugh them to scorn ; that we, 
who have put our trust in thee, may rejoice in thee, and 
confess that it is thy work to give salvation and deliverance 
to thy people, whom thou lovest, in our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 



PSALM LXV. 

A Prayer for Spiritual Blessings, 'and for Fruitfulness of 

the Earth. 

O GOD, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of them 
that remain in the Broad sea, be thou merciful unto our 
sins, and let not our misdeeds prevail against us, so as either 
to make us habitually sinful, or endlessly miserable ; but 
give us the blessings of thy chosen ; let us receive the influ- 
ences of thy graces and benediction, by the participation 
of thy word and sacraments in thy holy temple. And as 



144 THE TWELFTH DAY. 

thou embraces! us with thy right hand, shewing us wonderful 
things in thy righteousness and salvation, so let thy left hand 
be under our heads, and give us such a portion of temporal 
blessings as shall be necessary for us. Make the earth plen- 
teous, and bless the increase of it; crown the year with 
goodness, and let the clouds drop fatness ; that the valleys 
standing thick with corn, may laugh and sing thy praises; 
and that we, being refreshed with the multitude of thy 
blessings, may praise thee in Sion ; and, at last, be satisfied 
with the pleasures of thy house in the celestial Jerusalem, 
where thou livest and reignest, one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

PSALM LXVI. 

A Prayer that God would support us in Times of Trouble, 
and deliver us. 

O Lord God, who art wonderful in thy works, and in thy 
doings towards the children of men ; thou chastisest every 
one whom thou receivest, proving us and trying us, like as 
silver is tried : let thy merciful hands lead us through the 
fire of afflictions, and the waters of temporal chastisements, 
so as we may not be consumed with the flames of thy 
wrath, nor the waters go over our souls ; but that we, being 
sustained by the comforts of thy Spirit, and refreshed with 
the dew of thy graces, may at last be brought out into a 
wealthy place, even the place of eternal treasures. O give 
us thy grace, that our hearts incline not to wickedness, and 
that our feet slip not ; that so, we regarding thy laws, and 
having respect to obey thy holy will and pleasure, thou 
mayest hear our prayers, the greatness of thy power may cast 
down all our enemies, that they may never be able to exalt 
themselves ; that while thou boldest our souls in life, we may 
never cease praising thee, who hast never turned thy mercy 
from us ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LXVII. 

A Prayer that all Men may bless God, and God may bless 

all Men. 

O Lord our God, thou Governor of all nations, and the 
righteous Judge of the whole earth, be merciful unto us, and 
bless us. Thou makest the sun to shine upon all the corners 



THE THIRTEENTH DAY. 145 

of the habitable world, giving his light both to the good and 
bad ; let the light of thy countenance diffuse itself to all 
nations, and to all men : lighten all our darkness with the 
beams of thy Divine favour ; teach thy ways unto all the 
people of the earth, and give thy saving health to all nations ; 
that while all join with one consent, to fear thee and to 
give thee praises, thou rnayest govern us all in peace and 
righteousness, and when thou shalt come to judge us, we 
may receive thy everlasting mercies. Grant this for Jesus 
Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. 



THE THIRTEENTH DAY. 



PSALM LXVIII. 

A Prayer for Defence and Propagation of the Catholic 
Church. 

O LORD GOD, mighty and merciful, thou ridest upon the 
heavens as it were upon a horse ; thou art the Father of the 
fatherless, and defendest the cause of the widow ; have 
mercy upon thy holy Church : and, since her Lord and 
Spouse is gone up on high, even to his holy habitation, leave 
us not comfortless, but send the Holy Ghost, in assistances 
and gifts, to dwell amongst us ; that, by his aid, we may 
escape death spiritual, and the bitterness of the temporal. 
Send a gracious rain, even the dew of thy Divine favours, 
upon thine inheritance, to refresh us in our weariness and 
sadnesses. Make thy people innocent and chaste as the 
dove; and, besides the beauty of internal sanctity, let thy 
Church be covered with silver wings, and her feathers like 
gold, decked and assisted with exterior advantages, as may 
best promote thy honour, and the services of religion. Let 
all the princes and lands of the earth stretch their hands out 
unto thee, O God, and confess thy mightiness and thy 
honour ; that thy Gospel going forth into all lands, peace, 
and all thy blessings, may follow it, and thy praise be multi- 
plied from generation to generation ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

VOL. xv. L 



14G THE THIRTEENTH DAY. 

lEbtnmg $rager. 
PSALM LXIX. 

A Prayer in Time of Persecution for the Cause of Religion. 

O BLESSED Jesn, whose loving-kindness is comfortable, 
who, for our sakes, didst taste vinegar and gall, that thou 
mightest redeem us from the bitterness of death and sin, and 
establish to thyself a church in holy religion, and defend it 
with thy favour and power ; have mercy upon thy servants, 
who suffer from the hands of their enemies for the testimony 
of a good conscience, and the doctrines of a catholic faith. 
Let not them that trust in thee, O Lord God of hosts, be 
ashamed ; but let them who, for thy sake, have suffered 
reproof, be delivered from them that hate them, and from the 
deep waters of persecutions and discomforts ; that we, and 
all thy faithful people, being saved from our enemies, may 
praise thee and thy faithfulness in this world, and may 
finally inherit the land of promise, which thou hast made to 
all that suffer persecution for a cause of righteousness, even 
the possession of thine inheritance, thy kingdom in heaven, 
where thou livest and reignest, ever one God, world 
without end. Amen. 

PSALM LXX. 

A Prayer to (rod for Blessings upon faithful People, and 
Deliverance from our Enemies. 

O Lord God, our Helper and Redeemer, have mercy upon 
us and all thy faithful people : make haste and help us, O 
God, against all those that seek after our souls to do us 
mischief: make us to delight in thee, to wait for thy salva- 
tion, to trust in thy mercies, to rejoice in thy excellences 
and perfection ; that our feet being directed by thy, guidance, 
our weaknesses strengthened by thy power, our sins par- 
doned by thy mercies, and our souls justified by thy free 
grace, we may always give thee praise with the humble 
addresses of devotion and thankfulness; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE FOURTEENTH DAY. 147 

THE FOURTEENTH DAY. 

Jttormng 



PSALM LXXI. 

A Prayer for the Continuance of God's Favour to us, even to 
our old Age, and a longing for a happy Departure. 

O LORD GOD, our house of defence and our castle, who, 
by thy mercies and thy loving Spirit, has taught us and led 
us in thy ways from our first years until now, thou hast 
brought us to great honour, even the honour of being Christ- 
ians, the honour of adoption to be thy children and heirs of 
thy glorious promises, co-heirs with thy Son Jesus Christ, 
and hast comforted us on every side with a continual stream 
of thy mercies and refreshments : give us thy grace, that we 
may love thee, and long for thee above all the things of this 
world. And as thou hast holden us up, ever since we were 
born, so let thy mercy go along with us all our days: cast 
us not away in the time of age, and give us grace, that we 
may never cast thee nor thy laws from us. Let not thy 
grace, and the ghostly strength we derive from thee, forsake 
us when our natural strength fails us ; but let our spirit grow 
upon the disadvantages of the flesh, and begin to receive 
the happiness of eternity by an absolute conquest over the 
weakened and decaying body ; that after we have, by thy 
aid, passed through the great troubles and adversities thou 
shewest unto all thy children in this world, we may lie down 
in righteousness and with thy favour; that when thou bringest 
us out from the deep of the earth again, we may have a joyful 
resurrection to the society of saints and angels, and the full 
fruition of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PSALM LXXII. 

A Prayer for the Exaltation and Propagation of Christ's 
Kingdom. 

O blessed Jesu, who didst descend from heaven into the 
womb of the blessed Virgin, like rain into a fleece of wool, 
thou that punishest the wrong-doer, and defendest the 
children of the poor, and them that have no helper, have 



148 THE FOURTEENTH DAY. 

mercy upon thy holy Church ; be pleased, by her ministry, 
to extend thy blessings and thy dominion from the one sea 
to the other, even unto the world's end, that all kings of the 
earth may fall down before thee, and all nations may do thee 
service. Make thy righteous people to flourish, and subdue 
their enemies under them, delivering them from falsehood 
and wrong, that they may be blessed with abundance of 
peace, and be satisfied with thy righteousness and salvation 
through thy mercies, O blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesu. 
Amen. 



Draper. 
PSALM LXXIII. 

A Prayer that we may have our Portion in God, and not in 
the good Things of the Men of this World. 

O LORD GOD, who art loving unto all thy Church, even 
unto all such as are of a clean heart, give us hearts humble 
and merciful, that we may never be holden with pride, nor 
overwhelmed with cruelty ; and sanctify our words and lips, 
that we may never blaspheme thy holiness, nor our talking 
be ever against thee or thy honour. O God most highest, 
give unto us such religious and mortified affections, that we 
may never thirst after the temporal advantages and prosper- 
ities of the wicked : set not our feet in slippery places, lest 
we be suddenly cast down, and have our portion in the lot 
of the wicked, who perish and come to a fearful end : guide 
us with thy counsel, that we holding us fast by thee, and 
putting our trust in thee, O God, thou mayest be the strength 
of our hearts, the hope of our souls, and the ground of all 
the confidence and content in this life, and, after this life is 
ended, thou mayest receive us with glory, and be our portion 
for ever ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LXXIV. 

A Prayer against all Sacrilegious Persons, and all the 
Enemies of the Church. 

O Lord God, blessed Jesu, who with thy precious blood 
hast purchased to thyself and redeemed a church, that it 



THE FIFTEENTH DAY. 149 

should serve thee in holiness and righteousness, being de- 
livered from fear of all their adversaries ; forget not the 
congregation of thy poor people for ever ; maintain thine 
own cause ; deliver thy turtle-dove from the multitude of 
her enemies. Preserve with thy right-hand all the places 
appointed for thy public service ; let a guard of flaming 
cherubims (as at the gate of Paradise) stand sentinel, and 
keep from the invasions of sacrilegious persons, and the 
pollutions of all impure church -robbers, all thy dwelling- 
places, that thou mayest for ever dwell among us, defending 
the poor, bringing help to all thy people, and particular 
blessings and assistances to the tribe of thine own inherit- 
ance, which thou hast sanctified to thy worship and service ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE FIFTEENTH DAY. 

Jfltormng Draper. 

PSALM LXXV. 

A Prayer against the Terrors of the Day of Judgment. 

O LORD GOD, the Judge of all the world, from whom cometh 
all promotion and all punishment, have mercy upon us now 
at the hour of death, and in the day of judgment, when thou 
shalt judge all the congregations of men and angels accord- 
ing unto right. O give us grace to expect thy coming in 
humility and charity, that we be not stiff-necked and exalted 
in our own opinion and conceptions, but may submit to thy 
yoke with meekness and obedience ; that when thou shalt 
pour forth the cup of vengeance upon the ungodly, we may 
not drink or taste of the dregs of it, but may sit down at 
thy table in the supper of the Lamb, and be satisfied with the 
blessings of eternity ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LXXVI. 

A Prayer that we may fear God's Judgments, and be freed 
from the Terrors of Men. 

O Lord God, whose dwelling is in heaven, and thy name 
is great in all the world, plant the dread and reverence of 
thee and thy power in our hearts : let thy threatenings and 



150 THE FIFTEENTH DAY. 

thy judgments which are heard from heaven, and executed 
upon disobedient and gainsaying people, make us to tremble 
at the remembrance of our sins, and in the .consideration of 
our weaknesses and demerits : and let thy mercies and the 
remembrance of thy infinite loving-kindnesses make our 
hearts still, full of evenness and tranquillity, that we may 
not fear the fierceness of man, or the wrath of those whose 
spirits thou canst refrain, lest we be disturbed in our duties 
towards thee ; but let ns so fear thee, that we may never 
offend against thee, but may pass from fear to love, from 
apprehensions of thy wrath to the sense and comforts of thy 
mercies, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LXXVII. 

A Prayer that the Experience of God's Goodness may pro- 
duce Hope in us, and remove from us all Fearfulness and 
Doubting. 

O God, who doest wonders, and hast declared thy power 
amongst all people, let the observation of thy mercies and 
loving-kindnesses make such deep impression in our hearts 
and memories, that when we are in heaviness, we may re- 
member the years of thy right-hand, and call to mind the 
wonders of old time : that although thou sometimes with- 
drawest the brightness of thy countenance from us, and 
shuttest up thy loving-kindness ia a short displeasure, yet 
the experience of thy old mercies, which never fail, may 
sustain our infirmities, and the expectation of thy loving- 
kindnesses may cure all our impatience, till, in thy due time, 
the sense of thy favours may actually relieve all our dis- 
tresses, and thy right hand lead us like sheep into the folds 
of eternal rest and security ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



lEbenmej 
PSALM LXXVIII. 

A Commemoration of God's Bkssings to his Church of old, of 
his Judgments upon Sinners, and his Mercies to the Penitent. 

O LORD GOD of our fathers, God of Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob, thou that leddest thy people through the wilderness 



THE SIXTEENTH DAY. 151 

with a light and with a cloud, and with thy bright angel ; 
for their sakes turning rocks into a springing well, and 
making the sea and the river become dry land, so making 
demonstration of the greatness of thy mercy by the greatness 
of thy miracles, and didst still go on to make all thy crea- 
tures leave their natures to serve them, even then when they 
tempted and provoked thee ten times in the desert : O be 
pleased to do unto us as thou didst unto them ; lead us through 
the desert of this world with the light of thy Holy Spirit ; 
and from the rock, which for our sakes thou didst smite 
with the heavy rod, the roek Christ Jesus, let water and 
blood stream forth, to cleanse, and to refresh us. Give us 
of the bread that came down from heaven, the flesh of thy 
dear Son, to eat ; that we being purified by his blood, and 
nourished by that celestial manna, our hearts may be set 
aright, and our spirits may cleave stedfastly unto thee, O 
God ; that we may remember thy works, and trust in thy 
mercies, and may keep thy commandments. O never let the 
fire of thy wrath be kindled towards us, nor thy heavy dis- 
pleasure come up against us. Let us not consume our days 
in folly and vanity, lest our years be spent in trouble ; but 
when through infirmity we fall, let thy gentle correction call 
us home, that we may turn us early, and seek after thee, 
our God, who art our strength and our merciful Redeemer ; 
that we may never feel the furiousness of thy eternal wrath, 
nor have our portion amongst the evil angels, but may be 
conducted by thy mercies and providence to the border of 
thy sanctuary, and to the mountain where thou reignest over 
all the creatures, one God, world without end. Amen. 



THE SIXTEENTH DAY. 

Jfflorning Draper. 

PSALM LXXIX. 

A Prayer that God would deliver his Church from the Cruelty 
of all her Persecutors. 

O LORD GOD of thine inheritance, who conveyest many 
blessings to the children of men by the prayer and ministry 



152 THE SIXTEENTH DAY. 

of thy Church, let our prayers obtain of thee mercies and 
deliverances for her. O Lord, thou hast planted thy Church 
in the humility, and poverty, and death of thy Son ; thou hast 
watered it with the blood of thy apostles and martyrs ; thou 
hast made it flourish and spread forth its branches, by the 
warmth, and heat, and graces of thy Holy Spirit, and hast, 
according to thy promise, still preserved it in the midst of 
all enmities and disadvantages. Thy laws and righteous 
commandments have been a scorn and derision to Jews and 
Gentiles : the flesh of thy servants hath been meat for the 
beasts of the land : and still she wears the purple robe of 
mockery, and the crown of thorns, which at first she took 
from the head and side of her dearest Lord. At last, O Lord, 
be gracious unto thine inheritance : help us, O God of our 
salvation, for the glory of thy name : let not thine enemies 
devour the Church, and lay waste her dwelling-places : be 
merciful unto our sins : preserve all those that by malice of 
their enemies are appointed to death, or prison, or any other 
misery : let us still enjoy the freedom of thy Gospel, the food 
of thy word, the sweet refreshings of thy sacraments, public 
communion in thy Church, and all the benefits of the society 
of saints ; and let not our sins cause thee to remove the 
candlestick from us, but make thy people and the sheep of 
thy pasture secure and glad in thy salvation, that we may 
shew forth thy praise in this world and in the world to 
come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LXXX. 

A Prayer for the Church, 

O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that sittest upon the 
cherubims, stir up thy strength, and come and help thy 
people, that prayeth unto thee for mercy and protection. 
Thou hast made affliction the portion of thy children in this 
life; thou feedest them with bread of tears, and givest them 
plenteousness of tears to drink : yet be pleased to shew the 
light of thy countenance upon us, to lighten our darknesses, 
to relieve our miseries, to heal our sicknesses ; and let not 
thy Church become a strife unto her neighbours, but reunite 
her divisions, and make her not a prey to them that would 
devour her, and then laugh her to scorn. O Lord, hedge 



THE SIXTEENTH DAY. 153 

her about with thy mercies, with the custody of angels, with 
the patronage of kings and princes, with the hearts and 
hands of nobles, and the defence of the whole secular arm ; 
lest the wild beasts of the field pluck off her grapes, destroy 
the vintage, and root up the vine itself : but let her so flourish 
under the beams of thy favour and providence, that it may 
take root, and spread, and fill all lands ; that the name of 
the man of thy right-hand, the God and man Christ Jesus, 
may be glorified, thy Church enlarged and defended, and we 
blessed with thy health and salvation. Grant this, O Lord, 
for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Saviour and Redeemer. 
Amen. 

PSALM LXXXI. 

A Festival Song, and a Prayer for the Grace and Blessings 
of Obedience to God's Laws. 

O Lord God our strength, whose mercies are infinite, 
whose majesty is glorious, whose goodness is amiable above 
all the excellences in the world ; enlarge our hearts with joy 
and rejoicings in thy glories, open our mouths wide, and fill 
our lips with thy praises, that upon the solemn feast-days we 
may commemorate thy excellences and mercies, and the 
great mysteries of our redemption and religion, adoring thee 
with thanks and joyfulness, who art mysterious in thy words, 
and marvellous and merciful in all thy works. And that we 
may, in the best manner, express our thankfulness to thee, 
give us thy grace that we may hear thy voice, that we may 
obey thee and walk in thy laws, that we follow not our own 
imaginations, nor be given to our own hearts' lusts, but that 
we resigning ourselves only to thy holy will and pleasure, 
thou mayest hear our prayers whenever any storm of trouble 
falls upon us, and turn thine hand against our adversaries ; 
and that we, being delivered from, the burden of our sins, 
may be fed with the choicest of thy viands, and with food 
from the rock Christ Jesus, even his most precious body and 
blood, nourishing us up to life eternal, through the same 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



154- THE SIXTEENTH DAY. 



lEbenfng 

PSALM LXXXII. 

A Prayer for Princes and Judges of the World, that they 
may do right Judgment. 

O ALMIGHTY JUDGE of men and angels, thou God of gods, 
and Prince of princes, let thy Spirit of anointing rest upon 
the princes and rulers within the pale of the universal 
Church; and let thy righteousness and judgments guide all 
those that sit in the seat of the judges, that they may 
minister justice and true judgment unto the people, de- 
fending and promoting the interest of true religion, relieving 
the oppressed, encouraging virtue, and dishonouring vicious 
persons ; delivering the poor, and saving them from the hand 
of the ungodly : that men may not walk on still in darkness, 
but their evil deeds may be discovered and brought to light ; 
that we may all live before thee in righteousness, expecting 
the great day of righteous judgment, which we beg we may 
all behold with confidence, receiving thy mercies, and be- 
holding thy face in glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

PSALM LXXXIII. 

A Prayer against the Enemies of the Church, particularly 
sacrilegious Persons. 

O Lord God, who wert known to thy people Israel by thy 
name Jehovah, thou only art the Highest over all the earth ; 
arise and defend thy people, and deliver thy secret ones 
from the murmurings, counsels, and crafty imaginations of 
thine enemies against them. Fix the foundations of thy 
Church upon a rock, and preserve thine inheritance in peace 
and safety. Infatuate the counsels, restrain the sacrilegious 
appetites, of all such persons, who would rob all thy houses, 
and take them to their own possession ; and make their faces 
so ashamed and their hearts afraid, that they may return 
from covetousness and impiety, and seek thy name, repenting 
of all their sins, and living in justice and religion, that at 
last they may come into an everlasting possession of thy 
house and of thy temple, where thine honour dwelleth and 
reigneth eternally, world without end. Amen. 



THE SIXTEENTH DAY. 155 



PSALM LXXXIV. 

A Prayer of Desire and Longings after the Joys of 
Heaven. 

O Lord God of hosts, who dwellest in the heavens, seated 
in essential and eternal felicities ; fill our hearts with desires 
and longings to enter into those courts where thou sittest, 
attended with the beauteous orders of angels, and millions 
of beatified spirits : and that our desires may receive infinite 
satisfactions, give us thy help, that we going through the 
vale of misery, the pools may be filled with water, our hearts 
and eyes may run over with tears of repentance, and over- 
flow with sorrow and contrition for our sins ; that we living 
a godly life, going from strength to strength, from virtue to 
virtue, at last we may appear in Sion unto the God of gods, 
beholding the face of thine Anointed, thy Christ and our 
Jesus, and may dwell one day in thy courts, even all the 
long day of eternity ; through the same Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LXXXV. 

A Thanksgiving for God's free Mercy in the Pardon of our 
Sins, and a Prayer for the Continuance and Increase of his 
Mercies to us. 

O most gracious God, who art reconciled unto us in our 
Saviour Jesus, having for his sake forgiven the offences of 
thy people, and covered all their sins with the robe of his 
most immaculate sanctity and righteousness : let thy grace 
convert and quicken us, that we may rejoice in thee and thy 
salvation, in faith of thy promises, m the hope of actual com- 
munication of thy mercies to us, and in love to thee for so 
great blessings and redemption : and when thou hast spoken 
peace unto our souls, and reconciled us to thyself in the 
blood of thy Son, give us the grace of perseverance, that we 
may never turn again to folly, but may follow mercy and 
truth all our clays, and at last be satisfied with thy righteous- 
ness and peace eternal ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



156 THE SEVENTEENTH DAY. 

THE SEVENTEENTH DAY. 

Jftoming Draper. 

PSALM LXXXVI. 

A Prayer for Sanctity and Preservation. 

O LORD GOD, good and gracious, and of great mercy unto 
all them that call upon thee, give ear unto our prayers, and 
ponder the voice of our desires, whenever we call upon thee 
in our trouble. Let the souls of thy servants be refreshed 
with thy comforts, and defended from the congregations of 
proud and naughty men. Turn thee unto us with mercy, 
give thy strength unto us, teach us thy laws, make us to 
walk in thy truth, give us the fear of thy name, and knit our 
hearts unto thee with the indissoluble bands of charity and 
obedience ; that our souls being saved from the nethermost 
hell, we may worship thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name, 
who art full of compassion and mercy, long-suffering, and 
plenteous in goodness and truth, which thou hast manifested 
to us in our deliverance and redemption ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM LXXXVII. 

A Contemplation of the Excellences of Sion, or the celestial 

Jerusalem. 

O Lord God, who dwellest in Sion, and delightest to have 
thy habitation in the hearts of men : thou hast built the 
Church as a city upon a hill, and laid the foundation of it 
upon the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief 
corner-stone : make us to be a spiritual building fit for thy 
habitation, and a residence for thy Holy Spirit, grounding us 
in faith, building us up in hope, and perfecting us in charity; 
that we, being joined in the communion of saints, in the union 
of the holy catholic Church militant on earth, may all partake 
of the blessings of thy Church triumphant in the city of thee 
our God, in the celestial Jerusalem, where thou livest and 
reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen. 



THE SEVENTEENTH DAY. 157 

PSALM LXXXVIII. 

A Prayer in Time of Sickness and Danger of Death. 

O Lord God of our salvation, who for our sakes wert 
wounded, and didst die and lie in the grave, but yet alone of 
all that ever died, wert free among the dead, and by thine own 
power didst rise again with victory and triumph, have mercy 
upon thy servant, for thine indignation lieth hard upon me, 
and thou hast vexed me with all thy storms. My soul is full 
of trouble by reason of my sins, and my life draweth nigh 
unto the grave : restore me unto thy favour, and let me not 
go down into the dark, nor my life into the place where all 
things are forgotten ; but let me shew forth thy loving-kind- 
ness amongst thy redeemed ones in the land of the living : 
for the living, the living, he shall praise thee, and confess 
the holiness and the mercies of thy holy name. O hide not 
thou thy face from me, but give me health of body, and re- 
store and preserve me in the life of righteousness ; and so 
bless me with opportunities of doing thee service, that I may 
redeem the time past, and by thy grace may grow rich in 
good w*orks, always abounding in the work of the Lord ; that 
when thou shalt demand my soul to be rendered up into thy 
hands, my soul may not be abhorred of thee, nor suffer thy 
terrors, but may feel an eternity of blessings in the resur- 
rection of the just ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



35benmg Draper. 

PSALM LXXXIX. 

A Prayer for the King in Time of Wars or any public 
Calamity.' 

O LORD GOD of hosts, thou art greatly to be feared in the 
council of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all the 
world. Let thy strong hand and thy mighty arm bless and 
preserve thine anointed the king : as thou hast exalted thy 
chosen from among the people, so let the greatness of thy 
blessings and assistances distinguish him from all the world : 
make his throne as the days of heaven, smite down his 



158 THE EIGHTEENTH DAY. 

enemies before his face, let thy hand hold him fast, that the 
enemy may not be able to do him violence, and let thine arm 
strengthen him, that the sons of wickedness may not hurt 
him. O do thou never put his glory out, nor cover him with 
dishonour, but give him victory in battles, honour and re- 
joicing in time of peace, confidence in thee, reverence 
amongst his people, and continual defence in thy salvation ; 
that when thou hast finished his days in peace and honour, 
his seed may be established in his throne, and endure for 
ever, like as the sun before thee. Grant this, O King of 
kings, for his sake, to whom thou hast given all power and 
dominion in heaven and earth, even our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE EIGHTEENTH DAY. 



PSALM XC. 

A Meditation of Death, and a Prayer preparatory to it. 

O ETERNAL GOD, whose being was before the mountains 
were brought forth, before the earth and the world were 
made, even from everlasting, and world without end, have 
mercy upon us weak and impotent people, the children of 
men, who fade away suddenly like the grass : remove our 
misdeeds from before thee, and our secret sins from the sight 
of thy countenance : be not angry with us, neither consume 
us in thy displeasure : teach us to number all the days of our 
life, and to reckon on still till the day of death ; that when 
our days are gone, and our years are brought to an end like 
a tale that is told, thou mayest turn unto us at the last, and 
be gracious unto us in the pardon of our sins, in restraining 
the power and malice of all our ghostly enemies, in giving us 
opportunity of all spiritual assistances and advantages ; that 
our lamps being trimmed and burning bright with charity 
and devotion, we may enter into the bridechamber, there for 
ever to behold the glorious majesty of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE EIGHTEENTH DAY. 159 

PSALM XCI. 

A Prayer for Protection in all Dangers. 

O Lord God, our hope and our stronghold, have mercy 
upon us, and defend us under the shadow of thy wings, that 
we, trusting under thy defence, may, by thy faithfulness and 
truth, be covered as with a shield and buckler. Give thy 
angels charge concerning us and our habitations, that we 
may be preserved and kept in all our ways, that no evil 
happen unto us, no plague come nigh our dwelling, no 
terrors of the night, no arrows of thy vengeance by day, may 
disturb our peace or safety. Let thy ministering spirits bear 
us in their hands, and keep us from precipice, from fracture 
of bones, from dislocations, noisome or sharp diseases, stu- 
pidities and deformities, that we may tread under our feet all 
the snares of the roaring lion and the great dragon the devil, 
who seeks our bodily and ghostly hurt. Do thou set thy 
love upon us, and deliver us from all our troubles ; and at 
the end of our days shew us thy salvation, and satisfy us 
with long life, even of a blessed eternity in thy kingdom ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM XCII. 

A Meditation of the great Works of God in the Destruction 
of the Wicked, and the Preservation of the Godly. 

O Lord God, thou art the Most Highest for evermore ; thy 
works are glorious, and thy thoughts are very deep : make 
our hearts and tongues loud instruments of thy praises, that 
we may tell of thy mercy in the morning; of thy truth, in 
the night ; and that we may rejoice in giving thee thanks 
for the operations of thy hands all the days and nights of 
our life. Let thy merciful kindness descend evermore upon 
the righteous, that they may flourish like a palm-tree, being 
continually watered with the dew of temporal and spiritual 
blessings, and may bring forth fruits of a holy conversation. 
And grant that we thy servants being planted in the house 
of God, and firmly fixed in the blessed communion of saints, 
may flourish in the courts of thy house, thy celestial temple, 
to all eternity. O let not our portion be amongst the 



160 THE EIGHTEENTH DAY. 

ungodly and unrighteous : make us not to communicate in 
their wickedness, so much as by consent or approbation, that 
we may never perish and be destroyed in the furiousness of 
thine anger, which thou treasurest up against the day of 
vengeance and righteous judgment, even the day of the 
appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



lEbmtng Draper. 

PSALM XCIII. 

A Prayer that God would preserve his Church against the 
Storms and Floods of Persecution. 

O LORD our King, who art girded with strength, and hast 
prepared thy seat from everlasting, establish thy testimonies 
in our hearts as a sure foundation of temporal and eternal 
happiness. Preserve thy house, the holy catholic Church, in 
peace and holiness, which is its defence and ornament : and 
although the floods of persecution and secular disadvantages 
have lift up their waves to overthrow it ; yet because it is 
built upon a rock, the rock Christ Jesus, make it to stand 
firm and sure against all the malice of hell and earth, and all 
the powers of them both; for thou, O Lord, art mightier 
than all the waves and storms of her enemies. To thee, 
O Lord, who dwellest on high, and art mightier, be all 
honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen. 

PSALM XCIV. 

A Prayer for Patience, Comfort, and Assistance to the Godly, 
and that God would disappoint the Designs of the 
Wicked. 

O Lord God, Judge of the world, to whom vengeance 
belongeth, and the execution of righteous judgments ; have 
mercy upon us, chasten us with thy gentleness and fatherly 
correction when we sin against thee, teach us thy law, be 
our refuge and our confidence in our troubles, and give us 
patience in times of adversity ; that, in the multitude of sor- 
rows, thy comforts may refresh us, thy mercies may relieve 
us, thy grace may pardon and confirm us, that our feet slip 
not, and our souls be not put to silence. Have pity upon all 



THE NINETEENTH DAY. 161 

distressed and miserable people : do justice upon all that 
murder the widow, that put the fatherless to death, that 
grind the face of the poor. Fail not thy people, O Lord, 
and forsake not thine inheritance ; but destroy the devices 
of all them that imagine mischief as a law, and are confede- 
rate against the righteous, to condemn the innocent, to dis- 
countenance religion, to disadvantage thy worship and 
service : that in the day of eternal vengeance, when thou 
shalt reward the proud after their deserving, and the pit be 
digged for the ungodly, we may have the lot of thine inhe- 
ritance, and reign in the fellowship of saints, who give 
honour and praise to thee, O Lord God Almighty, world 
without end. Amen." 



THE NINETEENTH DAY. 

Jftlorm'ng Draper, 
PSALM XCV. 

A Hymn invitatory to the Worship of God, and a Prayer for 

Obedience to his Will. 

O GREAT GOD, the Lord our Maker, who art a King above 
all gods, give us the graces of humility arid holy religion, 
that we may worthily praise and worship thy glories and 
perfections infinite. We are the people of thy pasture ; let 
thy mercies lead us, and feed and refresh our souls with 
the Divine nutriment of thy word and sacraments. We are 
the sheep of thy hands : do thou guide us, that we may never 
go astray : or if we do, bring us home into the sheepfold of our 
great Shepherd, that we, hearing his voice, may not harden 
our hearts, neither tempting thy mercies, nor provoking thy 
wrath ; that our hearts being preserved from error, and our 
ways from obliquity and crookedness, we may at last enter 
into thy eternal rest, through the merits and guidance of our 
great Shepherd Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. 
Amen. 

PSALM XCVI. 

A Hymn of Adoration, and Magnifying the Glories of God. 

O Lord God, in whose sanctuary is power and honour, 
VOL. xv. M 



162 THE NINETEENTH DAY. 

before whose presence is glory and worship, fill our lips and 
souls with great devotion and reverence towards thee our 
God ; make us to love thy goodness, to adore thy omnipo- 
tence, to reverence thy justice, to fear thy majesty, to admire 
and tremble at thy omniscience and omnipresence, and to 
contemplate, with the greatest zeal and affections, all those 
glories which thou cominunicatest to the sons of men, in the 
revelations of thy Gospel, of thy creatures, and of thy mira- 
cles ; that we may tell of thy greatness, and declare thy 
salvation from day to day ; and when thou comest with 
righteousness to judge the earth, and all people with thy 
truth, we may rejoice in thee everlastingly, and sing an 
eternal hallelujah to thee in thy sanctuary. Grant this for 
Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and only Saviour. Amen. 

PSALM XCVII. 

A Meditation upon the Day of Judgment, and a Prayer for 
Mercy and Salvation. 

O Lord our King, Lord of the whole earth, have mercy 
upon us, and sanctify us with thy grace, that we may hate 
every thing that is evil, that we may love thee, give thanks 
unto thy name, and rejoice in remembrance of thy holiness ; 
that in the day of judgment and great terrors, when thou 
shalt sit in thy seat supported with righteousness and judg- 
ment, and a fire shall go forth from thy presence, to burn up 
thy enemies on every side, thou mayest preserve our souls in 
safety from the hand of our enemies, and a light may spring 
up unto us to preserve us from eternal darkness and the 
want of the light of thy countenance, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



PSALM XCVIII. 

A Thanksgiving for the Redemption of Mankind by 
Jesus Christ. 

O MOST glorious and powerful Jesu, who with thine own 
right hand and with thy holy arm hast gotten to thyself, on 



THE NINETEENTH DAY. 163 

our behalf, the victory over sin, hell, and the grave ; remem- 
ber this thy mercy and truth which thou hast promised to all 
that believe on thee : give us pardon of our sins sealed unto 
us by the testimony of the Holy Spirit and of a good con- 
science : and grant that we by thy strength may fight against 
our ghostly enemies, and by thy power may overcome them, 
that we may rejoice in a holy peace, and sing and give thee 
thanks for our victory and our crown. Extend this mercy, 
and enlarge the effect of thy great victories to the heathen, 
that all the ends of the world may sing a new song unto 
thee, and see the salvation of God : that when thou comest 
to judge the earth we may all find mercy, and be joyful to- 
gether before thee in the festivity of a blessed eternity, 
through thy mercies, O blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesu. 
Amen.. 

PSALM XCIX. 

A Prayer for the Virtue of Religion and Devotion in holy 

Places. 

O great God, and King of heaven and earth, thou that 
sittest between the cherubims, unmoved in the centre of 
thine own felicity and essential tranquillity, undisturbed in 
the great concussions and unquietness of the earth ; give 
unto us thy servants venerable and dreadful apprehensions 
of the sanctity and perfections of thy name and nature, 
which is great, wonderful, and holy. Teach us in all ad- 
dresses of our devotion, and in all places appointed for thy 
service, by all reverence and holiness of soul and body to 
express the greatness of thy power and our weakness, the 
majesty of thy glory, and the unworthiness of our persons, 
the distance of God and man, of finite and infinite, of Lord 
and servant; that the awfulness of thy dread majesty may 
check every unreverent gesture and thought in us, and teach 
us to make approaches of humility and fear, that we, calling 
upon thy name according to our duties, and by the fear of 
thee being taught to keep thy testimonies and never to 
forget the law thou givest us, may be delivered from thy 
wrath and punishment, and at last praise thee upon thy holy 
hill in thine everlasting habitation; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



164; THE NINETEENTH DAY. 

PSALM C. 

A Psalm of Praise to God for his Mercy and Truth. 

O Lord our God, who hast created us out of nothing, 
and hast redeemed us from misery and death when we were 
thine enemies; shewing great expresses of thy loving-kind- 
ness, when we were vessels of wrath and inheritors of perdi- 
tion; revealing thy truth unto us in the sermons of the 
Gospel ; teach us to walk as thou hast commanded us, to 
believe as thou hast taught us, that we may inherit what 
thou hast promised us : for thou art the way, the truth, and 
the life. We are thy people, and the sheep of thy pasture; 
thou art our guide and our defence : let thy grace teach us 
to serve thee, and thy Holy Spirit assist and promote our 
endeavours with the blessings of gladness and cheerfulness 
of spirit, that we may love to speak good of thy name, and 
at last may go into the courts of thy temple with praise and 
a song in our mouths, to thy honour and eternal glory, 
whose mercy and truth is everlasting, and revealed unto the 
Church in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PSALM CI. 

A Prayer for a holy Life. 

O Lord God of eternal purity, who art of pure eyes, and 
canst behold no unrighteousness or impurity, enlighten our 
understandings, that we may have knowledge in the way of 
godliness ; make our paths straight and our hearts perfect ; 
take from us the sins of unfaithfulness, correct and mortify 
in us all froward and peevish dispositions ; let us love the 
society of the saints, and hate the fellowship of the wicked, 
that we may not be destroyed with the ungodly, nor be 
rooted out from the city of the Lord, and banished from 
the sweetness of thy presence ; for with thee is light, and 
health, and salvation : to thy name be all honour, and glory, 
and praise ascribed, world without end. Amen. 



THE TWENTIETH DAY. 165 

THE TWENTIETH DAY. 

.Plorm'ng 



PSALM CII. 

A Prayer for Comfort in Sadness, Anxiety of Spirit, Sick- 
ness, or any other Affliction. 

O ETERNAL GOD, who endurest for ever, and thy remem- 
brance throughout all generations, have pity upon us ac- 
cording to the infinite treasures of thy loving-kindness ; hear 
the voice of our groaning, for thy indignation and thy wrath 
lieth hard upon us, and our sins have put an edge upon thy 
sword, and a thorn into our wounded consciences. O build 
up the ruins of our souls, repair the breaches of our comforts 
and our hopes, and let thy glory now appear, for that shines 
brightest in the beams of thy mercy, and when thou turnest 
unto the prayer of poor wretched destitutes, it becomes an 
eternal monument and a record of thy honour, and all gene- 
rations which shall be born shall praise thee. Look down, 
O Lord, from thy sanctuary ; hear the mournings of us and 
of all distressed people ; send us health and life so long as it 
may be a blessing ; and do not shorten our days in wrath : 
but give us grace so to spend all our time in the works of 
repentance and holiness, that when our years fail, and our 
change is come, we may be translated to the new heavens, 
which shall never perish nor wax old, there to continue and 
stand fast in thy sight for ever ; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

PSALM GUI. 

A Thanksgiving to God for all his'Benefits and Mercies. 

O most merciful God, whose mercy is as high as the 
heavens, as great and many as the moments of eternity ; thou 
hast opened thy hand wide to fill us with blessings, and the 
sweet effects of thy loving-kindness ; thou art pitiful as a 
father, tender as a mother, careful as a guardian, and exceed- 
ing merciful to all them that fear thee : we pray thee to fill 
our souls with great apprehensions and impresses of thy 
unspeakable mercies, that our thankfulness may be as great 



166 THE TWENTIETH DAY. 

as our needs of mercy are : and let thy merciful loving-kind- 
ness endure for ever and ever upon us all. Keep no anger 
in store for us, chide us not in thy displeasure, satisfy our 
mouths with good things, remove all our sins from us as far 
as the east is from the west, heal all our infirmities, and save 
our lives from destruction ; for these are mercies thou 
delightest in : and because we cannot praise thee according 
to thy excellences, take our souls, in thy due time, into the 
land of everlasting praises, that we may spend a whole 
eternity in ascribing to thy name praise, and honour, and 
dominion. Grant this for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord 
and only Saviour. Amen. 



PSALM CIV. 

A Contemplation of the Wisdom and Goodness of God 
manifested in his Creatures. 

O LORD GOD, who art exceeding glorious, who art clothed 
with majesty and honour, thou hast created all things with 
admirable wisdom, established them with excellent order, 
and hast provided for them with mercy and singular provi- 
dence ; be pleased to give us grace that we may remember 
thou hast created us all for thy glory, that thou hast planted 
thine image on us, and hast crowned all our years with thy 
mercies and loving-kindness ; let us never disobey thy will, 
forget thy mercies, or deface thine image in us ; but when 
all thy creatures praise thee in their manner, let not us, whom 
thou hast made in dignity next to angels, disturb the blessed 
order of creation by our sins and irregular disobedience. 
Open thy hand, O Lord, and fill us with good things, both 
spiritual and temporal ; that when thou takest away our 
breath that we die, and turn again to our dust, thou mayest 
not hide thy face away from us, but communicate to us the 
light of thy countenance, and the glories of thy kingdom, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 167 

THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 

Jfflorning Draper. 

PSALM CV. 

A Commemoration of God's Care of his Church, and 
Blessings to his People. 

O LORD GOD, who art alway mindful of thy covenant and 
promise to a thousand generations, and didst deliver the 
seed of Abraham, the children of Jacob thy chosen, from the 
slavery of Egypt, from the waves of the sea, from the rage of 
Pharaoh, from the thirst and famine of the wilderness, con- 
tinue the like mercies to all Christian people ; deliver us 
from the bondage of our sins, preserve us in the ark of the 
Church, that we perish not in the waves of this troublesome 
world : save us from the fury of all our temporal and ghostly 
enemies, feed us from heaven, and give us a competence of 
good things on earth, that we may keep thy statutes, and 
observe thy laws, and at last receive the promises of a blessed 
eternity, which, in the covenant of thy Gospel, thou hast 
made unto all that believe in thee, and are obedient to thy 
word. Grant this, O blessed Jesu, to whom, with the 
Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world 
without end. Amen. 



PSALM CVI. 

A Commemoration of God's frequent Pardons and Mercies 
to the Penitent. 

O LORD GOD, full of mercy and pity, who didst many times 
deliver thy people from their adversity, when thou, for their 
rebelling against thee with their inventions, hadst given them 
into the hands of the heathen ; remember us, O Lord, 
according to the favour thou bearest unto thy people, and 
visit us with thy salvation ; and though we have done amiss, 
and dealt wickedly against thee and against thy covenant, 
yet be pleased to help us for thy name's sake, and make thy 



186 THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 

power to be known in the mighty deliverance and redemp- 
tion of us from so great danger and misery. Give us grace 
to believe thy words, to abide thy counsels, to walk in thy 
laws, to relinquish our own sinful and vain desires, to obey 
our governors, ecclesiastical and civil ; that we may not have 
the lot of Dathan and Abiram, but at last may receive our 
portion in the felicity of thy chosen, giving thee thanks with 
thine inheritance, for that thou hast turned from us thy 
wrathful indignation, pitying us and saving us according to 
the multitude of thy mercies. Thy name be blessed, O Lord 
God, everlastingly and world without end, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 



PSALM CVII. 

A Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Miseries and Danger. 

O LORD GOD, gracious and good, whose mercy endureth for 
ever, have mercy upon us when in our trouble we cry unto 
thee ; for when our hearts are brought down through heavi- 
ness, there is none to help us up, or to deliver us out of our 
distress, but only thou, O Lord. We have sinned, we have 
rebelled against thee, and lightly regarded thy counsels ; we 
have walked and sat in darkness and in the shadows of death, 
being fast bound in the captivity and misery of sin. O bring 
us out of darkness, and break our bonds asunder ; guide us 
through the desert of this world, in which grows nothing 
but sadness and discontent ; still the tempests, and smooth 
the floods of misery, which are ready to overwhelm us ; and 
in thy due time bring us to eternal rest, and to the haven 
where we would fain be ; that in the congregation of thy 
holy people we may praise thee for thy goodness, and 
declare the wonders thou hast done for us, in delivering us 
from sin, and misery, and death, and bringing us to a city 
to dwell in, where there is life, and light, and joy eternal, 
in the beholding the face of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 169 



lEbenmg 

PSALM CVIII. 

A Prayer for Victory against our Enemies. 

O LORD GOD, whose mercy is greater than the heavens, and 
thy glory is above all the earth, be thou exalted in thine own 
strength, and magnify thy power and thy mercy, in defending 
us, and all thy holy Church, against all our enemies, temporal 
and spiritual. Forsake us not, O God our defence, for vain 
is the help of man : do thou strengthen us, and go forth 
with our hosts to battle ; that we, being defended and armed 
by thee, may do acts great and good, fighting thy battles, 
and putting our confidence in thy righteousness only, and 
thy salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CIX. 

A Prayer against God's Enemies, and especially Traitors, 
prophetically intended against the Person of Judas. 

O God of our praise, who wast contented that thy Son 
Jesus Christ should be betrayed into the hands of sinners by 
one of his own apostles, the traitor Judas, and in punishment 
of so great impiety didst suffer Satan to stand at his right 
hand, tempting him to despair, and to give sentence upon 
himself to condemn himself, and to execute his own judg- 
ment, and gavest his bishopric to another ; let thy righteous 
judgments find out all those that are traitors to their prince, 
enemies to the Church, apostates from religion, hypocrites 
under specious pretences and beauteous titles ; that they 
may be clothed with shame, and may cover themselves with 
their own confusion, as with a cloak ; that, by thy punish- 
ments in this life, they may be driven to a sharp and salutary 
repentance, and may be saved in the life to come. Deal thou 
with us, O Lord, according to thy mercy ; take away the 
curse, and let not thy blessing be far from us ; let not our 
wickedness, nor the wickedness of our fathers, be had in 
remembrance in thy sight; let our minds be alway to do 
good, and our hearts and lips be given unto prayer, and our 
prayers so guided by thy assistances, that they be not turned 



170 THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 

into sin ; that when we go hence, like the shadow that de- 
parteth, and are driven away like the grashopper, when the 
days of our vanity and rejoicing are past, we may stand at 
thy right hand, and our souls be saved from the lot and 
portion of the unrighteous ; through the righteousness and 
passion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 

.Plornmcj Draper. 
PSALM CX. 

A Hymn in the Honour of Christ's Kingdom, and Priesthood, 
and Exaltation. 

O ETERNAL GOD, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
when thy Son had drunk of the brook in the way to the 
grave, and to our redemption (beginning his passion by the 
brook Cedron, and tasting the waters of bitterness till he had 
drunk off the whole chalice of thy wrath upon the cross), 
didst lift up his head, and set him at thy right hand, till thou 
shalt make all his enemies his footstool ; fill pur hearts with 
his love and praises, that we may pay him the offerings of 
our souls and bodies in a holy worship, and joyful thanks- 
giving for all the parts and mysteries of our redemption ; for 
his birth in the womb of his holy mother, pure and virginal 
like the morning dew ; for his death and passion ; and for his 
continual mediation and intercession, by which he doth 
officiate in his eternal priesthood, which is after the order of 
Melchisedeck. Remember us, blessed Jesu, in the day of 
thy power, when thou shalt come to judge the world, and 
the places filled with dead bodies shall give up their dead ; 
that we may sit at thy right hand to magnify and behold the 
glories of thy kingdom for ever and ever. Amen. 

PSALM CXI. 

An Eucharistical Hymn for the Benefits of the Holy Gospel, 
particularly of the Blessed Sacrament. 

O blessed Jesu, whose righteousness endureth for ever, 
thy work is worthy to be praised and had in honour, for that 



THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 171 

thou hast been merciful and gracious to us, and hast given 
meat, even the food of the blessed sacrament, unto them that 
fear thee, that by the participation of thy holy communion 
we should have thee in remembrance, and ever be mindful 
of thy covenant : plant thy fear in our hearts, give us wisdom 
and good understanding, and make us to have pleasure in 
thee, and all thy works ; that we, obeying the precepts of 
thy holy Gospel, and performing the conditions of thy 
covenant, which thou hast established for ever in truth and 
equity, in verity and judgment, we may worthily praise and 
adore thy reverend and holy name among the faithful in this 
life, and in the congregation of saints in the life to come, 
through thy mercies, O blessed Jesu, to whom, with the 
Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now 
and for ever. Amen. 

PSALM CXII. 

A Prayer for the Fear of the Lord, for Charity, and the 
Blessings of the Righteous. 

O Lord God, who art to be feared in the generations of 
the world, teach us the fear of thy name, that we may fear 
to offend thee, and that, delighting in thy commandments, 
we may serve thee, without fear of our enemies, in holiness 
and righteousness all our days. Let thy light arise upon 
the darkness of our understandings ; let thy mercies and 
gentleness cure all thoughts of unmercifulness in us; and 
make us charitable, of tender bowels, yearning with pity over 
the needs of the poor. Teach us to guide our words with 
discretion, make us never to be moved from our purposes of 
holy living, stablish our hearts in thy love, that in the day 
of restitution of all things, thou mayest give us the portion of 
the charitable, the rewards of thy right hand ; and when the 
wicked shall gnash with their teeth, and consume away in a 
sad eternity, we may be satisfied with the riches and plen- 
teousness of thy house for ever ; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



172 THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 



PSALM CXIII. 

A Thanksgiving to God for his Acts of Providence, and 
particular Care over the Poor and Humble. 

O Lord God, whose dwelling is on high, and yet thou 
humblest thyself to behold the things that are in heaven and 
earth, have mercy upon us thy humble servants, and lift us 
up from the gates of death ; take us out of the mire, that we 
sink not into the bottomless pit of misery and infelicity : 
and when for our sins thou humblest us as low as the dust, 
let thy mercy exalt us, and restore us to the light of thy 
countenance and the joy of thy salvation ; that when thou 
shalt call all the world to judgment from the rising of the 
sun to the going down thereof, we may be set with the 
princes of thy people, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in 
thine eternal kingdom, to sing praises to thy name from this 
time forth for evermore. Amen. 



IBbem'ng Draper. 
PSALM CXIV. 

A Thanksgiving to God for the Deliverance of his People 
from Bondage and Misery. 

O LORD GOD, at whose presence the earth trembles, who 
workest salvation and deliverance for thy Church in all ages, 
and didst deliver thy people from the bondage of Egypt with 
a mighty hand and an arm stretched out in miraculous effects ; 
deliver us from the bondage of sin, from the tyranny of the 
devil, from the empire and dominion of the flesh : that our 
bodies and souls being mortified, our flesh brought under 
subjection of the Spirit, our appetites made subordinate to 
reason, and our souls wholly comformable to thy will, our 
hard stony hearts may be converted into hearts of flesh, and 
into a springing well bringing forth the waters of repentance, 
and fruits springing up to life eternal ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 173 

PSALM CXV. 

A Prayer against Idolatry, and for Confidence in the 
true God. 

O Lord God Omnipotent, whose seat is in heaven, and 
thou hast done whatsoever pleased thee in heaven and earth, 
give us thy grace, that in all our troubles we may make thee 
our succour and defence, and put our trust in thee only ; 
that we, receiving thy mercies and the satisfaction of all 
our hopes from thy plenteousness and loving-kindness, may 
give praise unto thy name, never ascribing to ourselves any 
honour, or the glory and thanks of any good action or pro- 
sperous success, but to thee, who art the Author and Giver of 
all good things. Preserve us from all dangers of idolatry, 
from worshipping or loving any vain imaginations, and 
making any thing to be our confidence besides thee, our 
God ; that so thou mayest be mindful of us, and bless us in 
all our ways, and when we die and go down into silence, we 
may have our portion amongst the blessed of the Lord, in 
the inheritance of thy kingdom, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 

Jfltornmg ^rajw. 

PSALM CXVI. 

An Act of Love and Thanksgiving to God for Deliverance 
from Sin and Death. 

O LORD GOD of eternal mercies,' gracious and righteous, 
give unto us hearts filled with love and praise to thy holy 
name ; for thou hearest our prayers, thou breakest asunder 
the bonds of our sins, thou deliverest our souls from trouble 
and heaviness, and snatchest us from the snares of death, 
and savest us from the pains of hell. O merciful God, let 
our souls rest in thee, and be satisfied in the pleasures of thy 
mercy, that we may receive the cup of blessing and salvation, 



174 THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 

and celebrate the eucharist in honour of thy name, and in 
remembrance of thy infinite benefits which thou hast done 
unto us, and at last may pay our great Hallelujah to the Lord 
in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of the celestial 
Jerusalem, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXVII. 

An Invitation to all People to praise God's Mercy and Truth. 

O blessed Jesu, who art not only the glory of thy people 
Israel, but the light of the Gentiles, let thy merciful kindness 
be ever more and more towards the sons of men ; that the 
nations which have not known thee, may hear thy truth, and 
feel thy mercies, and call upon thy name, and thy grace may 
be confirmed upon us, till we receive the fulness and perfec- 
tion of thy graces, in the full fruition of the glories of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PSALM CXVIII. 

A Psalm of Thanksgiving for the Mercies and Salvation 
which are given us in Jesus Christ. 

O most gracious Lord, our strength and our song, thou 
art become our salvation, and thy mercy endureth for ever : 
be thou on our side, take part with them that help us, let the 
voice of joy and health be in our dwellings, and when thou 
chastenest and correctest us for our sins, give us not over 
unto death, but fix our faith and hopes upon the head stone 
in the corner, even our Lord Jesus Christ ; that in all the 
assaults made against us by our ghostly enemies, the right 
hand of the Lord may have the pre-eminence, and bring 
mighty things to pass, even victory and deliverance unto thy 
servants ; that we, putting no confidence in the best of men, 
may trust in thee, O Lord, till at last, when thou openest 
the everlasting gates of righteousness, we may enter in and 
give thee thanks and praise ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 175 



PSALM CXIX. 

A Prayer for Religion, Zeal, Love of the Law of God, 
and Meditation in it. 

O BLESSED Lord God, whose words are light and life to the 
obedient and believing soul, let thy grace so purify our hearts 
and actions, that we may be undefiled in thy way, keeping 
thy testimonies, and seeking thee with our whole heart ; that 
our ways being made direct without wandering into by-paths, 
we may go into our country, the land of eternal and glorious 
promises ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

II. 

Grant, O Lord, that our affections and endeavours be not 
divided between thee and the world, but that we may seek 
thee with our whole heart, cleansing our ways from all im- 
purity, giving to thy service our youth and more perfect age, 
even all our days, and all our powers; taking more delight in 
the way of thy testimonies than in all manner of riches and 
fading pleasures ; that we, delighting in thee, and the ways 
that lead to thee, may be beloved of thee with an eternal 
love ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

III. 

O Lord God, our Father and our Guardian, we are 
strangers upon the earth, far removed from our country, and' 
we are in darkness and walk in the shadow of death ; let not 
this darkness seize upon our souls, hide not thy command- 
ments from us, but open our eyes with the light of thy Holy 
Spirit, that we may see the wondrous things of thy law, and 
admire thy glories, and adore thy might, and obey all thy 
righteous precepts : and although all our hearts be already 
enkindled with the love of thy law, yet make our desires to 
serve thee more fervent, that our lukewarmness may arise up 
to the flames and ardours of a cherubim ; that while we are 
busied in thy statutes, making them our delight and our 
counsellors, shame and rebuke may always be turned from 
us, and we ever rejoice with hope and confidence in thee ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



1 76 THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 



IV. 

We have chosen the way of thy truth, O Lord, and laid 
thy judgments before us ; and yet, through our infirmities 
and the disadvantages of the flesh, we are in heaviness, and 
drive on slowly, like Pharaoh's chariots with the wheels off; 
our souls and our desires cleave unto the dust and to things 
below, and we are not active in thy services. O quicken us 
according to thy word, refresh our weariness, comfort our 
sadness, take from us the way of lying and vanity, set our 
hearts at liberty from the bondage of sin, from the fetters of 
temptation, from the encumbrances of the world ; and then 
we shall run the way of thy commandments, never ceasing 
to run till we arrive at the land of eternal rest and righteous- 
ness, where thou livest and reignest world without end. 
Amen. 



THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 

Jftoming $rager. 

V. 

O LORD GOD, who art of infinite sanctity, and hast given us 
thy law/that we, walking in so Divine a rule, may imitate the 
perfection of thy holiness ; make us to go all our days in the 
paths of thy commandments : take from us all greedy and 
inordinate appetite of the creature; let not our hearts be 
inclined to covetousness, nor our eyes wander after vanity : 
but grant that we, being established in thy law, and walking 
in thy fear, may persevere in the ways of righteousness, 
keeping the way of thy statutes even unto the end ; that the 
rebuke which for our sins we may justly fear, may, by thy 
mercies and pardon, be taken away from us, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

VI. 

Let thy loving mercy come unto us, O Lord, and thy 
salvation ; for thou always keepest promise, and never dis- 
appointest the hopes of them that trust in thee. Give us 
confidence and boldness in thee, that we may never fear or 



THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 177 

blush to confess thee before men, but may speak of thy 
testimonies even before kings, and may never be ashamed of 
thy word, which is the ground of our hope ; but that our 
hands may be lift up to perform thy law, and our study, 
our love, and our delight may be in it, even for ever and ever ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

VII. 

Think upon us, O Lord, in all our desires, in all our fears, 
in all our troubles ; let thy law give us comfort, redress, and 
satisfaction : that in our trouble we may thence derive com- 
fort, in our fears we may there fix our anchor of hope, and 
from thence we may get defence against the derisions and 
insolences of the proud. And grant that thy grace may 
reward thy grace in us, and a further degree of sanctity may 
crown the first beginnings : and when by thy assistances we 
think upon thy name, and keep thy law, we beg this only, 
that our reward may be still to keep thy commandments. 
Grant this for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and only Saviour. 
Amen. 

VIII. 

O dear God, be thou our portion and the lot of our in- 
heritance, and be merciful unto us whenever we make our 
humble petition in thy presence, and above all the desires of 
our souls let us receive satisfaction in this request : give us 
repentance and thy Holy Spirit, that we, calling our own 
ways to remembrance, may be truly sorrowful for our past 
sins, and may make haste, prolonging not the time, but early 
and instantly turn our feet unto thy testimonies ; that we, 
being companions of all that fear thee, may be partakers of 
all the blessings in the communion of saints, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

IX. 

Thou, O Lord, art gracious even in the execution of thy 
judgments and displeasure against sinners, and thou sendest 
chastisement and correction to us when we go wrong, that 
thou mayest chide us into obedience and the blessings of 
eternity : let not idleness and sensuality make us remiss in 
our duty, nor our own vanity and the sense of thy favour 

VOL. xv. N 



178 THE TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 

make us proud, nor the want of holy discipline make us 
impudent and refractory ; but let thy mercies and judgments 
learn us thy statutes, and make them dearer to us than 
thousands of gold and silver ; that while we make thy 
statutes to be our treasure, our heart may be fixed on them 
in a continual meditation ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



X. 

U LORD our Maker, thy hands have made us and fashioned 
us, let thy Holy Spirit regenerate us, and thy grace form us 
anew : that the old man being destroyed, the new man may 
be produced in righteousness and sanctity : that our hearts 
may be sound in thy statutes without hypocrisy and inor- 
dinate ends, full of candour and ingenuity ; that thy loving 
mercies coming unto us in a full stream, we may live in them, 
and be turned unto thee, never to be removed from thy law 
and love. Grant this for the love of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 

XL 

O Lord our Helper, teach us to remember our end, to 
consider our years that are past, that we, in consideration 
how few the days of thy servants are which are yet to come, 
may quicken our industry and affections to thy law ; that by 
a double and more active endeavour in the ways of thy com- 
mandments, we may redeem the time, and by thy mercy 
being delivered from all them that trouble and persecute us, 
we may be refreshed in thy eternal comforts, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

XII. 

O Lord our Guide, thou hast laid the foundation of the 
earth sure, and it abideth, but thy word endureth for ever in 
heaven : and though heaven and earth shall pass away, yet 
one tittle of thy word shall never pass in vain and unac- 
complished : teach us to obey thee with a regular obedience, 



THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 179 

that since all the creatures continue according to thine or- 
dinance and serve thee, we only may not disobey thee, and 
disturb the order of creation by a rebellion of creatures 
against their Maker, lest thy wrath arise upon us, and we 
perish in our trouble. Have mercy upon us, and deliver us 
from thy wrath ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

XIII. 

O Lord our Governor, who art the Fountain of all wisdom 
and understanding, and hast commanded that all that lack 
wisdom should ask it of thee, who givest liberally ; make us 
wise and understanding in the observation of thy command- 
ments, that we may refrain our feet from every evil way, and 
never shrink from thy judgments, but may delight and study 
in all the expresses of thy will, which thou hast revealed to 
us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 



XIV. 

O SUN of Righteousness, that earnest to bring light unto the 
world by thy word, and example, and illumination of thy 
Holy Spirit; let thy Spirit lead us, thy example guide us, 
thy word teach us j that we may not love darkness more 
than light, but may keep thy righteous judgments according 
to our many purposes and our vow of baptism. Keep us 
from the snare of the ungodly, and from our ownselves, the 
dangers of our own concupiscence, and the miseries of our 
infirmity : leave not our souls in our own hands, but keep 
them under thy protection and government, lest we swerve 
from thy commandments ; but that applying our hearts 
always to fulfil thy statutes even unto the end, we may pos- 
sess thy law as our portion and inheritance for ever. Grant 
this, O blessed Jesu, for thy promise and for thy mercy's 
sake, that we may glorify thee in the unity of the most mys- 
terious Trinity, now and for evermore. Amen. 



180 THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 



XV. 

O God of our defence and shield, thou that treadest down 
all them that depart from thy law, and puttest away the 
ungodly of the earth like dross, let thy mercies hold us up, 
that we may he safe from sin and death eternal : make us to 
hate all evil things, all evil imaginations ; that we, being 
established with a trust in thee, and building our expecta- 
tions upon thy mercies and promises, may not be disap- 
pointed of our hope, but may live with thee eternally; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

XVI. 

O Lord God, thou seest with what miseries and dangers 
we are encompassed, our ghostly enemies seek to do us 
wrong, and to oppress our souls: give us not over unto 
their malice, but arm us against their pride and insolence by 
faith in thy word, by hope of thy mercies, and looking for 
thy health, and by love unto thy commandments ; that so in 
this world, and in the eternal retribution of the saints, thou 
mayest deal with thy servants according to thy loving mercy. 
Grant this for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and only Saviour. 
Amen. 

XVII. 

O just and dear God, shew the light of thy countenance 
upon thy servants, and let this light give unto us under- 
standing in thy law, that our steps being ordered in thy 
word, thou mayest deliver us from the wrongful dealings of 
men, and from the malicious enmities of our ghostly adver- 
saries ; that by their temptations and our own weakness, we 
may never be brought under the dominion of sin and wicked- 
ness ; that when thy word goeth forth to call to judgment all 
people, quick and dead, thou mayest be merciful unto us, and 
save us, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. 
Grant this for the merits and mercies of our dearest Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

XVIII. 

O righteous Lord God, whose judgments are true, and 
thy testimonies exceeding righteous, enkindle our souls with 



THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 181 

a zeal to thy laws and service, that the continual remem- 
brance of thy commandments may so enable our souls, as to 
give a greatness and reputation to us in thy estimation, even 
the greatness of humility and obedience, which are more 
honourable in thy eyes than all the pomps and vanities of 
this world. Grant this for his sake, who, for our sakes, 
humbled himself to the form of a servant, and became obe- 
dient to the death of the cross, even Jesus Christ our Lord, 
to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all honour 
and glory now and for ever. Amen. 



XIX. 

O LORD GOD of eternal mercy and truth, give us hearts fixed 
upon thy Divine beauties, and an actual intention in our 
prayers, that we may call upon thee with our whole hearts ; 
and do thou hear in heaven when we call upon thee : deliver 
us from all them that of malice draw nigh to persecute 
and afflict us ; be thou also nigh at hand, and nothing can 
disturb our safety. Make us to see thee early in the morn- 
ing ; let our eyes and our prayers prevent the night-watches, 
that we may be safe in our conversation with thee, and our 
daily approaches to thy mercy-seat, where thou sittest 
attended with cherubims and seraphims, glorious in thyself, 
incomprehensible in thy attributes, and infinitely rejoicing in 
thy mercies, which thou shewest unto us in our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

XX. 

O Lord, thy mercy is great, thy word is true from ever- 
lasting, and in the truth of thy word, and in the mercies of 
thy promises and loving-kindness, thou lovest to be known 
to the sons of men. O give us thy health and salvation, 
that our souls being delivered from the heavy pressure of 
sin, and quickened in thy word, thou mayest avenge us of 
all oar ghostly enemies, and deliver us in thy righteousness 
in the day of thy eternal vengeance upon the ungodly, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



182 THE TWENTY- SEVENTH DAY. 

XXI. 

All our ways, O God, are before thee ; let all our ways 
be directed by thee, and teach us to walk as in thy presence. 
Make us to hate and abhor lies and vanity : and give us so 
much love and so much zeal of thy name and honour, that 
we may make it a business to give praises to thee with a 
frequent and daily devotion ; that we, standing in awe of thy 
word and holy laws, and doing after thy commandments, 
our expectations may be satisfied with thy saving health, and 
we may at last enjoy the peace which they have that love 
thy law, even the peace of a good conscience here, and of a 
blessed eternity hereafter, through Jesus Christ our Lord* 
Amen. 

XXII. 

O Lord God, we have gone astray from thy command- 
ments, and been like lost sheep ; thou art our Shepherd 
and our merciful Guide : O seek thy servants, let thy hand 
help us, let thy care and providence reduce us into the way 
of thy statutes ; that we being delivered according to thy 
own word from thy wrath, and from our corruptions and 
irregularities, may at last be satisfied with thy saving health, 
and our lips may speak of thy praise in the choir of saints 
and angels, singing glorious anthems to all eternity to the 
honour of thee, O Lord God eternal, who livest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 

Jftornfag Draper. 

PSALM CXX. 

A Prayer to be delivered from false Tongues and Cohabitation 
with wicked Persons. 

O LORD GOD, who nearest the prayers of them that call 
upon thee in their calamities and distresses, have mercy 
upon us thy servants, who live in the midst of a crooked and 



THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 183 

perverse generation, whereof we ourselves make too great a 
part ; we beseech thee so to order the circumstances and 
opportunities of our life, that we may live in the society of 
holy people, whose example and conversation may be a 
continual incentive to the ways of peace and righteousness ; 
and deliver us from a necessity of conversing with turbulent 
spirits, angry and unpeaceful dispositions, who, upon all 
occasions, make 'themselves ready to battle. Sanctify our 
hearts and lips with a burning coal from thy altar, that our 
words may be holy and profitable ; and keep us from all 
slander and scandal, and the rewards of both, the sharp 
arrows of thy vengeance, the hot burning coals of thy 
wrath. Grant this for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and 
only Saviour. Amen. 

PSALM CXXI. 

A Prayer for God's Protection over us. 

O Lord God, our Keeper, who dwellest upon the eternal 
hills, from whence cometh all our help, .let thy mercies and 
thy providence watch over us by day and night, that neither 
the vanities of the one nor the terrors of the other may dis- 
turb our peace or safety. Let not our feet be moved, but be 
fixed upon the rock, Christ Jesus ; and so order our goings, 
making us to walk in the way of thy commandments, that 
thou mayestgo in and out before us, till at last we come into 
thy presence to dwell with thee for evermore ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXXIL 

A Prayer for the Peace and Prosperity of the Church. 

O blessed Jesu, who didst descend, according to thy 
human nature, from the house of thy servant David, and 
hast planted a church, and defended it with a mighty hand 
and great assistances ; be pleased to preserve peace within 
her walls, and send plenteousness within her palaces ; that 
all that love her peace may prosper, and receive the blessings 
which thou givest to thy faithful people in the communion of 
saints. Take from her all schisms and divisions, that she 
may be like a city that is at unity with itself, strong in 



184 THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 

faith, abounding in hope, and rich in the treasure of charity ; 
that at last she may be removed to a fellowship of all those 
joys and felicities which are laid up for the inhabitants of 
the heavenly Jerusalem, which is from above, and is the 
mother of us all. Grant this, O blessed Jesu, our only 
Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. 

PSALM CXXIII. 

An Ejaculation, or a Lifting up our Souls to God for Help in 

Trouble. 

O Lord God, that dwellest in the heavens, have mercy 
upon us in all our troubles, in contempt, in our poverty, and 
whenever we are oppressed by any injurious practices of the 
proud. Thou art our Lord and Master ; we are thy servants ; 
our eyes wait upon thee, till thou have mercy upon us : let us 
not be ashamed of our hope, nor unfaithful in our services, 
nor distrustful of thy providence ; but make us diligent 
labourers in our calling, good husbands of our talents, and 
faithful in all thy house ; that we, first serving thee, may at 
last sit down at meat with thee at thy table in thy kingdom ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXX1V. 

A Thanksgiving for our Deliverance from the Power of all 
our Enemies, and a confessing God to be the Author of it. 

O Lord God, which hast made heaven and earth, in 
whose name our help standeth, we praise and bless thy name, 
that in our troubles and temptations thou hast stood on our 
side, and pleaded for us against them that rose against us. 
It was thy hand, O Lord, and the help of thy mercy, that 
relieved us : the waters of affliction had drowned us, and the 
stream had gone over our soul, if the Spirit of the Lord had 
not moved upon the waters. Thou, O Lord, didst blast the 
designs of our enemies with the breath of thy displeasure ; 
and to thee, O Lord, we ascribe the praise and honour of our 
redemption. Perpetuate thy mercies to us ; let us never be 
given over as a prey to our ghostly enemies, but break their 
snares, discover and weaken all their temptations by which 
they would destroy our souls ; that we, being delivered from 



THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 185 

sin, may be preserved from thy wrath, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXXV. 

A Prayer for Confidence in God, and for Deliverance from 
the Portion of the wicked. 

O Lord God, our trust and confidence, in whom who- 
soever trusteth shall never be removed, but standeth for 
ever ; let thy mercies and the guard of holy angels stand 
round about us, and about all thy holy people, like the hills, 
for our defence and safety, that we may be inaccessible by 
all the intendments of our enemies. O let us not put our 
hands to wickedness, neither let our portion be in the lot of 
the ungodly, whom thou leadest forth to destruction : but 
let us receive the blessing which our Lord Jesus left unto his 
Ckurch, even the peace of God the Father, of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost ; to whom be all honour and glory ascribed 
of men and angels, now and for ever. Amen. 



PSALM CXXVI. 

A Contemplation of the Joys and Blessings of them that 
depart hence in the Lord. 

O LORD GOD, who hast promised salvation to thy people, 
and hast done great things for us already, deliver us from 
the captivity and bondage of sin and misery. Fill our hearts 
with holy sorrrow and compunction, whenever we trespass 
against thee; and teach us so to deny ourselves, to mortify 
our affections, to crucify our lusts and all the temptations of 
the flesh, that we, going on our way mourning and weeping, 
despising the pleasures of this life, may, when thy great 
harvest shall come, and thy reapers, the angels, shall sepa- 
rate the wheat from the tares, come before thee with joy, and 
bring our sheaves with us to be laid up in thy granary, that 
so we may escape the everlasting burning; through the 
mercies of Jesus Christ. Amen. 



186 THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 

PSALM CXXVII. 

A Prayer for God's Blessings to go along with the temporal 
good Things he gives us. 

O Lord our God, without whose blessing all our labours 
are vain and unprofitable, and our possessions are but bitter 
and unpleasant ; let thy blessing be upon our labours and 
our substance, our children and our dwelling, that the good 
things of this life may be a heritage and gift from the issues 
of thy favour, and an earnest of a greater blessing : make 
our souls diligent in thy service, not importunate and greedy 
for the increase of riches : let our dwellings be safe and 
peaceable, and our families increase in thy blessings ; that 
we, feeling the comforts of thy favour here, may be stirred 
up to great desires after the blessings of eternity ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXXVIII. 

A Prayer for the fear of God, and the Blessings of the Godly. 

O Lord God, who hast promised to multiply thy blessings 
upon them that fear thee, teach us the fear of the Lord ; and 
let thy Spirit so assist us, that we may walk in thy ways with 
great observation of all our actions, and much diligence to 
perform thy holy will ; that we may receive the blessings of 
the righteous, blessings of the right hand and of the left 
hand, and may rejoice in the blessing and peace of thy 
Church, waiting for the consummation of all blessing and 
peace in thy eternal kingdom ; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXXIX. 

A Prayer against the Enemies of the Church. 

O most blessed Jesu, who for our sins didst suffer the 
ploughers to plough upon thy back, and make long furrows, 
suffering shame and whipping for our sakes, and all the con- 
tradictions of sinners, and didst leave sorrows and afflictions 
entailed upon thy Church, that by suffering with thee, she 
might at last reign with thee in glory : deliver us and all thy 



THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 187 

holy Church from all that fight against us ; hew the snares 
of the ungodly in pieces ; let the designs of them that have 
evil will at thy Church, be like the grass growing upon the 
house-tops, withered and blasted before it comes to maturity; 
and make us to prosper under thy mercies, and in the good 
wishes and devout prayers of holy people ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXXX. 

A Penitential Psalm, or a Prayer for Pardon and Redemption 
from Sins. 

O Lord God, blessed Jesu, with whom is mercy and 
plenteous redemption, who didst redeem thy people from all 
their sins, paying the ransom of thine own blood to purchase 
us freedom and salvation ; let the height of thy mercy take 
us up from the deep abyss of sin and misery. O be not 
extreme to mark what we have done amiss, for it is im- 
possible we should abide the extremity of thy severest judg- 
ments. And as thy mercy pardons what is past, so let the 
sweetness of it beget thy fear in our hearts, that we may not 
dare to offend so gracious, so merciful a God ; but that, 
trusting in thy word, and flying unto thee for succour, we 
may wait for thee till our change cometh, looking for thee 
in holiness and righteousness all our days: grant this for 
thy mercies' and compassion sake, O blessed Jesu, our only 
Saviour and Redeemer. Amen. 

PSALM CXXXI. 

A Prayer for the Graces of Humiliation and Mortification. 

O Lord God, before whom the humble publican, who 
durst not lift up his eyes to heaven, but, with confusion of 
face, begged pardon, was justified and acquitted ; give 
unto us, thy servants, humility of soul, and modesty in our 
behaviour, that our looks be not proud, nor our thoughts 
arrogant, nor our designs ambitious : but that our souls 
being refrained from all vanity and pride, our affections 
weaned from great opinions and love of ourselves, we may 
trust in thee, follow the example of our blessed Master, and 
receive thy promises, which thou hast made unto us in our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



188 THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 

THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 



PSALM CXXXII. 

A Prayer for the Church, for the Promotion of Religion, for 
the King, and for the Clergy. 

O LORD GOD, who dwellest not in temples made with hands, 
and yet hast been pleased to manifest thy presence by special 
blessings and assistances in places set apart for thy worship, 
be pleased to hear our prayers and accept our services when- 
ever we make our addresses to thee in the house of prayer, 
and fall down low on our knees before thy footstool : let thy 
priests be clothed with righteousness, and let thy saints sing 
with joyfulness, and let all those that make their approaches 
unto thee, purify their hearts and hands, that they may offer 
to thee a pure sacrifice, even the sacrifice of obedience and 
holiness, and the expresses of true religion. Bless, O Lord, 
thy servant the king, whom thou hast made the patron and 
defender of the Church ; make his horn to flourish and be 
exalted above all his enemies, and let thy word be as a lantern 
for thine anointed, to shew him thy holy will and pleasure ; 
that, he seeking thy honour and glory, thy Church may 
flourish under the covert of his shield and patronage, her 
victuals may be blessed with increase, her poor satisfied with 
bread, her priests decked with health, her saints with joy, 
and himself with honour, and great renown, and a flourishing 
diadem, while his enemies sit clothed in shame and misery. 
Grant this, O blessed God, for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord 
and only Saviour. Amen. 

PSALM CXXXIII. 

A Prayer for Unity in the Churchy in a Kingdom, or Family. 

O blessed Jesu, in whose garment was variety, but no 
rent or seam, have mercy upon thy holy catholic Church and 
all Christian kingdoms and families; and so unite all our 
hearts and affections by the union of faith and charity, that 
we be not torn into factions and schisms, but being anointed 



THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 189 

with the precious ointment, even the anointing of thy Spirit 
from above, we may keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond 
of peace : and grant that this holy ointment may so knit 
together the guides of thy Church, the rulers of kingdoms, 
the princes of the nations, that the blessings of it may 
descend to the skirts of the people, and that thou mayest 
bless us with thy graces here, and hereafter give us life for 
evermore in the participation of thy glorious kingdom, where 
thou livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

PSALM CXXXIV. 

An Invitation to the Clergy to be diligent in singing God's 
Praises publicly. 

O Lord, Creator and Governor of all the world, thou that 
madest heaven and earth, that all should celebrate thy praise 
and the glory of thy name ; give great religion and devout 
affections to thy ministers, that, by frequent elevation of their 
hands and hearts in thy sanctuary in behalf of themselves 
and all the people, thy Honour may be exalted among all thy 
servants, religion may be advanced, and the love of thy name 
increased, and thy blessings may descend upon us in a plen- 
tiful proportion, to supply all our necessities ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

% 

PSALM CXXXV. 

A Prayer that God would avenge his people of their Enemies, 
and an Invitation of them to praise his Name. 

O Lord God, in whose sight the death of all the saints is 
precious, and to whom the souls of the martyrs from under 
the altar call to avenge their blood, that is shed like water 
upon the earth; be gracious unto* us thy servants ; avenge 
all thy people of their enemies : that all that hate and per- 
secute thy Church, being either brought to repentance or 
confusion, thy name and thy memorial may be celebrated to 
all generations, thy kingdom and thy coming may be has- 
tened ; that the saints may receive the consummation of their 
glories, by resurrection of their bodies, and receiving the 
crown of righteousness which thou hast prepared for all that 
put their trust in thee ; and that we all standing in the house 



190 THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 

of the Lord, even in the courts of the house of our God, for 
ever, may praise thy name, which is gracious and lovely, even 
for ever and ever. Amen. 



mg Draper. 
PSALM CXXXVI. 

A Prayer of Thanksgiving to God for his eternal Mercies. 

O GOD of heaven and Lord of lords, who by thy excellent 
wisdom hast made the heavens, and only doest great wonders 
in heaven and earth, making all thy creatures to be expresses 
of thy power and of thy loving mercy ; let thy mighty hand 
and stretched-out arm lead us through the midst of this 
world and the throng of all our enemies, giving us food for the 
sustenance of our bodies, the light of the Sun of Righteous- 
ness to lead us in our goings, and great apprehensions of thy 
mercy to excite in us devotion and^true religion; that we, 
praising thy mercies, and being relieved and sustained by thy 
loving-kindness, may at last come to the land of promise 
which thou givest for a heritage to thy people, and may 
receive the mercies of thy kingdom, which endure for ever; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXXXVII. 

A Prayer for the Redemption of the Church from Captivity 
and Persecution. 

O Lord our God, thou hast placed us in this world like 
pilgrims and strangers far from our country, far from rest ; 
give us souls and desires so abstract, so religious and con- 
templative, that all our hopes, our joys, and longings, may be 
to enjoy thee and thy glories in the celestial Jerusalem : and 
let thy comforts refresh us in this our captivity and exile, that 
in our heaviness thou mayest be our joy, our songs and me- 
lody may be the songs of Sion, the praises of thy name : 
that when thou hast delivered us from the wrath and malice 
of our enemies, and dashed all their wickedness (which they 
have conceived, and would bring forth to our destruction) 



THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 191 

against the rock Christ Jesus, we may be blessed amongst 
thy children, and be carried into our country, the land of 
glorious promises, there to reign with thee, who livest and 
governest all things, world without end. Amen. 

PSALM CXXXVIII. 

A Prayer and a Thanksgiving for Gods Mercies. 

O Lord God, who hast magnified thy name and word 
;ibove all things, make good thy loving-kindnesses towards 
us, and endue our souls with much strength ; that thine hand 
being stretched forth upon the furiousness of all our ghostly 
enemies, and we being saved by thy right-hand, may praise 
thee and all thy glories, serving thee here with a lowly mind 
and a great industry : that at last we may worship thee in 
thy holy temple, in the midst of all the myriads of angels, 
where thy glory is great and far exalted above all gods. 
Grant this for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and only Sa- 
viour. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 

jJWormncj ^prager. 
PSALM CXXXIX. 

A Meditation of the Omnipresence of God, and a Prayer 
that we may always walk as in his Sight. 

O LORD our God, who art infinite in wisdom, and present in 
all places, filling heaven, and earth, and hell, with the effects 
of thy mighty power, and communications of thy glorious 
essence ; let thy hand lead us, and thy right-hand hold us in 
all our ways, always considering that thou art present, under- 
standing our thoughts and words even long before they are, 
and seeing our most secret ways as clearly as in the sight of 
the sun : print thy fear mightily upon our souls, that we may 
be as fearful of committing sins in secret, as in the eyes of 
all the world : that we, hating all iniquity, and loving thy 
counsels as our dearest treasures and guide, may, by the 
paths of a holy life, be conducted into the way everlasting; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



192 THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 



PSALM CXL. 

A Prayer for Deliverance from the Mischief of all wicked 
Persons. 

O Lord God, thou strength of our health, thou that 
avengest the poor, and maintainest the cause of the helpless, 
deliver us, O Lord, and preserve us from the evil and wicked 
man, that neither his example may corrupt us, nor his coun- 
sels mislead us, nor his prosperity scandalize us, nor his strife 
disquiet us, nor his mischief disturb our safety : but do thou 
cover our heads in the day of battle and contestation against 
all our bodily and ghostly enemies; that although they hunt 
us to overthrow us, yet we may prosper upon earth under 
thy favour and protection, and at last, being removed from 
all fears, and sadness, and dangers, may continue in thy sight 
amongst the congregation of the just for ever ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXLI. 

A Prayer for the Virtue of Religion, for Holiness of Life, 
and for Deliverance from the Snares of our Enemies. 

O Lord, our trust and confidence, haste thee unto us, and 
consider our voice, when we call upon thee in our trouble 
and necessity ; let our prayers ascend up unto thee as in- 
cense, and be as the savour of the evening and morning 
sacrifice. We beg of thee nothing but grace and power to 
fulfil thy will : let not our hearts be inclined to any evil. Set 
a watch, O Lord, before our mouths, and keep the door of 
our lips : let us not be busied in ungodly works, that we may 
never offend in our thoughts, or words, or actions ; and when 
we do amiss, do thou smite us friendly, and reprove us with 
the checks of a tender conscience, that thy fatherly correc- 
tion may, like precious balm, cure all the wounds made by 
our own infirmities; that we, escaping all the snares of 
wickedness, may for ever hear and obey thy sweet words, and 
our souls may never be cast out of thy presence, but for ever 
may rejoice in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY. J 93 



(Bbcnfng 

PSALM CXLII. 

A Prayer in all Sadness, and in the Hour of Death. 

O LORD GOD, thou art our hope, and our portion in the land 
of the living ; consider our complaint and misery : thou art 
our place to flee unto, thou only art our sanctuary. O hide 
us under the covert of thy wings, keep ns from all the 
dangers which multiply upon us, when our spirits are in 
heaviness, and our bodies pressed with infirmities : be thou 
always at our right-hand, and assist us so with the strength 
of thy grace, that our temptations and our enemies not being 
above our strength derived from thee, our souls may with 
confidence go out of prison, and give eternal thanks unto 
thy name in the companies of the righteous ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXL1II. 

A Prayer that God would pardon our Sins, and direct us in 
the Way of Righteousness. 

O Lord our Judge and our Redeemer, hearken unto us 
for thy truth and righteousness' sake; deliver us from the 
guilt of all our sins, and those great punishments which are 
due to us for the same. Enter not into judgment with us, 
for in thy sight no man can be justified by any worthiness of 
his own. Endue our souls with the righteousness of a holy 
faith, living and working by charity. Shew us the way that 
we should walk in ; teach us to do whatsoever pleaseth thee ; 
quicken our souls in the paths of life ; and so continue the 
conduct of thy Spirit to us, that if may never leave us, till 
we be brought forth of this world into the land of righteous- 
ness, to dwell with thee eternally ; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



VOL. xv. 



194 THE THIRTIETH DAY. 

THE THIRTIETH DAY. 

JiTornmg Draper. 
PSALM CXLIV. 

A Thanksgiving for Victory, and a Prayer for the Blessings 

of Peace. 

O LORD our strength, our hope and fortress, our castle and 
deliverer, our defender in whom we trust ; bow the heavens, 
O Lord, come down and save us, send down thy hand from 
above, deliver us and take us from the great waters, from 
those miseries and afflictions which come upon us by reason 
of our sins, and from the condition of mortality, and from the 
hand of strange children, whose right-hand is a right-hand of 
wickedness. Give us, O Lord, victory and peace, and all 
the blessings of thy peace, with which thou usest to adorn 
and beautii'y the dwellings of the righteous, that we may be 
happy in the continual descent of thy favours ; but above all, 
our happiness may consist in being thy people, and thou 
being our God, that we may be blessed for ever in so blessed 
a relation ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXLV. 

A Meditation of the Glory and Majesty of God, and the 
Mightiness of his Kingdom. 

O God our King, thou art marvellous, worthy to be 
praised, and there is no end of thy greatness : give us en- 
larged and sanctified hearts and lips, that we may sing of thy 
righteousness, and magnify thy glory, thy worship, and won- 
drous works. All thy works praise thee, O Lord, and thy 
saints give thanks unto thee. Make us holy and righteous 
in thy sight ; we are already the works of thine hands : and 
then we have a double title to praise thee ; uphold us, O 
Lord, that we fall not, and lift us up when we are down. 
Give us meat in due season for our souls and for our bodies ; 
that we, .being filled with the plenteousness of thy mercies 
here, may have our best, and all our desires fulfilled and 
satisfied hereafter amongst such as fear thee, and give thanks 
unto thy holy name for ever. Grant this for Jesus Christ's 
sake; to whom with thee, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, be 
all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen. 



THE THIRTIETH DAY. 195 

PSALM CXLVI. 

A. Prayer that we may trust in God only, and not in an Arm 

of Flesh. 

O Lord God, who reignest a King for evermore, give us 
grace that we may make thee our help, and fix our hopes in 
thee, for thou only art able to give deliverance. Feed our 
souls, O Lord, and satisfy us with thy salvation, when we 
hunger and thirst after righteousness ; help us to right, when 
we suffer wrong; heal our backslidings ; raise us when we 
are fallen ; enlighten the eyes of our souls, that we walk not 
in darkness and the shadow of death ; and do thou take care 
for us in all our ways and in all our necessities ; that when 
our breath goeth forth, and we turn again to our earth, we 
may reign with thee in Sion, thy celestial habitation, for 
evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



PSALM CXLVII. 

A Celebration of God's Wisdom and Providence in the Mi- 
nistration of the 2' kings of this World, and of his Goodness 
towards them that fear him. 

O LORD GOD, whose power is great, and thy wisdom infinite, 
give us broken and contrite hearts, meek spirits, a fear of 
thy name, and a trust in thy mercy ; that thou mayest arise 
upon us with healing in thy wings, giving us medicine to 
heal all our ghostly sicknesses, and thy delight may be in us, 
delighting to do us good, to feed us when we call upon thee, 
to set us above our enemies, to give us knowledge of thy 
laws, to build up Jerusalem, and to repair the breaches of thy 
Church, that we may sing praises unto thee, O God, and be 
thankful to all eternity ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CXLVIII. 

An Invitation of all the Creatures in the World to praise God. 

O Lord God, whose name only is excellent, and thy 
praise above heaven and earth ; we adore and bless thy 
mercy and thy power for creating us after thine own 
image; thou spakest the word, and we were made; thou 
commandest, and we were created. And as thou hast 



196 THE THIRTIETH DAY. 

established thy creation with a law for ever, that all should 
minister to thy praises in their several proportions ; so give 
us grace that the laws of sanctity, of faith and obedience, 
which thou hast given to us, may never be broken ; that we, 
serving thee not only in the order of thy creatures, but in the 
capacity of thy children, may sing thy praises amongst the 
angels and the numerous host of saints reigning in thy 
kingdom for ever and ever. Amen. 

PSALM CXLIX. 

A Meditation on the Joys of Heaven -prepared for the Saints. 

O Lord our King, in whose honour and salvation all thy 
saints rejoice, give unto thy holy Gospel a free passage in all 
the world, that kings and nobles may be bound with the 
chains of obedience, discipline, and subordination to all thy 
holy laws : and grant to us thy servants, that thy laws may 
be so fixed in our hearts, and thy praises in our mouths, and 
righteousness in all our actions, that we may be written 
among the righteous, and have our portion with the saints, 
who rejoice in their beds of eternal rest, and are joyful in the 
glories of thy kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PSALM CL. 

An Invitation to praise God with all our Faculties and Powers. 

O eternal God, thy holiness, and power, and excellent 
greatness are far above all the praises of man and angels, 
and yet thou art pleased in the harmony and consent of a 
thankful heart and a thanksgiving tongue ; touch our hearts 
with admirable apprehensions of thy Divine perfections, that 
our songs of thy honour may be devout and illuminate to 
the height of ecstasies, and the devotions of a, seraphim ; for 
nothing is proportionable to thy glories, but what is infinitely 
beyond our infirmities. Make us to sing thee and thy name 
while we have breath ; and when we are breathless, let our 
hearts fill up the harmony, and think thy praises so cordially, 
till our souls being separated from the harsh sound ofour bodily 
organs, we may praise thee when we are all spirit in the state 
of separation, and in the reunion when our bodies shall be 
made spiritual, singing to thee exalted praises for ever and ever. 
To thee, O blessed and glorious God, be praises, and honour, 
and glory, ascribed now and to all eternity. Amen, Amen. 



DEVOTIONS 



THE HELP AND ASSISTANCE 



CHRISTIAN PEOPLE 



ALL OCCASIONS AND NECESSITIES. 



A Prayer against' wandering Thoughts, to be said at the 
beginning of our Devotions. 

ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast commanded us to pray unto 
thee without ceasing, and hast added many glorious promises 
for our encouragement, let thy Holy Spirit teach me how to 
pray : give me just apprehensions of my want, zeal of thy 
glory, great resentment of thy mercies, love of all spiritual 
employments that are pleasing unto thee; and do thou help 
mine infirmities, that the devil may not abuse my fancy with 
illusions, nor distract my mind with cares, nor alienate my 
thoughts with impertinencies ; but give me a present mind, 
great devotion, a heart fixed upon thy divine beauties, and 
an actual intention and perseverance in my prayers, that I 
may glorify thy name, do unto thee true and laudable ser- 
vice, and obtain relief for all my necessities. Hear me, O 
King of heaven, when I call upon thee ; for thou hast pro- 
mised mercy to them, that pray in the name of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. Ameu. 



J98 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

Penitential Prayers, and a Form of Confession of Sins to God, 
to be said upon Days of public or private Humiliation. 

O LORD GOD of mercy and pardon, give me a just remem- 
brance and sad apprehensions of my sins ; teach me to bewail 
them with as great indignation and bitterness, as I have 
committed them with complacency and delight. Let my 
prayers and my confession come into thy presence, and 
obtain a mercy for me and a pardon. Let not thy justice 
and severity so remember my sins, as to forget thine own 
mercy : and though I have committed that for which I 
deserve to be condemned, yet thou canst not lose that glo- 
rious attribute, whence flows comfort to us and hopes of 
being saved. Spare me, therefore, O merciful God ; for, to 
give pardon to a sinner that confesseth his sins, and begs 
remission, is not impossible to thy power, nor dispropor- 
tionate to thy justice, nor unusual to thy mercy and sweetest 
clemency. Blessed Jesu, acknowledge in me whatsoever is 
thine ; and cleanse me from whatsoever is amiss. Have pity 
on me now in the time of mercy, and condemn me not when 
thou comest to judgment : for what profit is there in my 
blood ? Thou delightest not in the death of a sinner, but in 
his conversion there is joy in heaven ; and when thou hast 
delivered me from my sins, and saved my soul, I shall praise 
and magnify thy name to all eternity. Mercy, sweet Jesu, 
mercy. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, have mercy upon us. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 
Our Father which art in heaven, &c. 
I am not worthy, O Lord, to look up to heaven, which is 
the throne of thy purity ; for my sins are more in number 
than the hairs upon my head, and my heart hath failed me. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have not lived according to thy will, but in the vanity of 
mine own thoughts, in idle, sinful, and impertinent language, 
in foolish actions, in blindness of heart, in contempt of thy 
holy word and commandments ; I have not loved thee, my 
God, with all my heart, nor feared thee with all my soul, nor 
served thee with all my might, according to thy holy precept, 
nor loved my neighbour as myself. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 199 

I have been unthankful to thy Divine Majesty, forgetting 
that thou madest me and preservest me ; to thy Son my 
blessed Saviour, forgetting the bitter pains he suffered for 
me ; and to the Holy Ghost, forgetting how many gracious 
influences I have received from him for my help, comfort, 
and promotion in the ways of holy religion : but have re- 
belled against thee my Maker, have sold myself to work 
wickedness, from whence, by the passion of thy holy Son, I 
was redeemed, and have resisted the Holy Ghost. 
Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have offended thee, my God, in an inordinate estimation 
of myself, in vain complacencies and desires to be esteemed 
as much or more than others ; in not suffering with meek- 
ness, indifference, and obedience, the humiliations sent to 
me by thy Divine providence ; in haughty deportment to- 
ward my superiors, equals, and inferiors; and in accepting 
such honours as have been done to me, without returning 
them to thee the fountain. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have offended thee, my God, in impatience, in anger, 
intemperate in degree, inordinate in the object, growing 
peevish and disquieted by trifling inadvertencies of others; 
and slight accidents about me. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have offended thee, my God, by being envious at the 
prosperous successes and advantages of my neighbours, and 
have had resentments of joy at their displeasures and sadnesses. 
Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have been negligent in performance of my charge, idle 
in doing my duties, soft and effeminate in my life, indevout 
in my prayers, slothful in the exercises of religion, weary of 
their length, displeased at their return, without advertency 
in the execution of them, and glad at an occasion of their 
pretermission. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have been diligent and curious in pleasing my appetite 
of meat and drink, and pleasures, losing my time, pampering 
my flesh, quenching the Spirit, making matter both for sin and 
sicknesses, and have not been sedulous in mortifying my body 
for the subduing mine own intemperances and inordination. 
Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have been an improvident steward of the good things 



200 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

them hast given me ; I have loved them inordinately, sought 
them greedily and unjustly, dispensed them idly, and parted 
with them unwillingly : I have not been so charitable to the 
poor, or so pitiful to the afflicted, or so compassionate to the 
sick, or so apt to succour and give supply to the miseries of 
my neighbours, as I ought, but have too much minded things 
below ; not setting mine affections upon heaven and heavenly 
things, but have been unlike, thee in all things : I have been 
unmerciful and unjust. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

Mine eyes, O Lord, have wandered after vanity, behold- 
ing and looking after things unseemly without displeasure, 
despising my neighbours, prying into their faults ; but have 
been blind, not seeing mine own sins and infinite irre- 
gularities. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have not with care kept the door of my lips, nor bridled 
my tongue, but have been excessive in talking, immoderate 
in dissolute and wanton laughter, apt to lie, to deny truth, to 
accuse others, to scoff at them, to aggravate their fnults, to 
lessen their worth, to give rash judgment, to flatter for 
advantage, to speak of thy name irreverently, and without 
religious or grave occasions ; our discourses have been allayed 
with slander and backbiting, not apt to edify, or minister 
grace unto the hearers. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

Mine ears have been greedy after vanity, listening after 
things unprofitable, or that might tend to the prejudice of 
my neighbours, and have not, with holy appetite, listened 
after thy holy words and conveyances of salvation. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

1 have offended thee by the entertainment of evil thoughts, 
thoughts of uncleanness and impurity, and have not resisted 
their first beginnings, but have given consent to them expli- 
citly and implicitly, and have brought them up till they have 
grown into idle words and actions. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have made myself guilty of the sins of others, by con- 
sent, by approving, by not reproving, by co-operating, by 
encouraging their ill actions, so making mine own heap 
greater, by pulling their deformities upon mine own head. 

Lord, be merciful to me u sinner. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 201 

I have employed all my members and faculties both of 
soul and body in the ways of unrighteousness ; [ have trans- 
gressed my duty in all my relations, and in all my actions 
and traverses of my whole life : even where I might have 
had most confidence, I find nothing but weakness and 
imperfections. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

I have broken my vows and purposes of obedience and 
holy life ; I have been inconstant to all good, refractory to 
counsels, disobedient to commands, stubborn against admo- 
nition, churlish and ungentle in my behaviour, unmindful 
and revengeful of injuries, forgetful of benefits, seeking my 
own ends, deceiving my own soul. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. 

My secret sins, O Lord, are innumerable : sins secret to 
myself through inadvertency, forgetfulness, wilful ignorance, 
or stupid negligence ; secret to the world, committed before 
thee only, and under the witness of mine own conscience. I 
am confounded with the multitude of them, and the horror 
of their remembrance. 

O Jesu God, be merciful unto me. 

I. 

SON of David, blessed Redeemer, Lamb of God, that takest 
away the sins of the world, have mercy upon me ; O Jesu, be 
a Jesus unto me : thou that sparedst thy servant Peter that 
denied thee thrice; thou that didst cast seven devils out of 
Mary Magdalene, and forgavest the woman taken in adul- 
tery, and didst bear the convert thief from the cross to the 
joys of paradise, have mercy upon me also: for although I 
have amassed together more sins than all these in conjunc- 
tion, yet not their sins, nor mine, nor the sins of all the 
world, can equal thy glorious mercy, which is as infinite and 
eternal as thyself. 1 acknowledge, O Lord, that I am vile, 
but yet redeemed with thy precious blood ; I am blind, but 
thou art the light of the world; 1 am weak, but thou art my 
strong rock ; I have been dead in trespasses and sins, but 
thou art my resurrection and my life. Thou, O Lord, lovest 
to shew mercy; and the expressions of thy mercy, the nearer 
they come to infinite, the more proportionable they are to 
thy essence, and like thyself. Behold then, O Lord, a fit 



202 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

object for thy pity : my sins are so great and many, that 
to forgive me will be an act of glorious mercy ; and all the 
praises which did accrue to thy name by the forgiveness of 
David, and Manasses, and Saint Paul, and the adulteress, 
and the thief, and the publican, will be multiplied to thy 
honour in the forgiveness of me, so vile, so unworthy a 
wretch, that I have nothing to say for myself, but that the 
greatness of my misery is a fit object for thy miraculous and 
infinite mercy. Despise me not, O Lord, for I am thy crea- 
ture : despise me not, for thou didst die for me ; cast me not 
away in thine anger, for thou earnest to seek me, and to save 
me. Say unto my soul, ' I am thy salvation ;' let thy Holy 
Spirit lead me from the errors of my ways, into the paths of 
righteousness, to great degrees of repentance, and through 
all the parts of a holy life, to a godly and a holy death. 
Grant this, O blessed Jesu, for thy mercies' and for thy pity 
sake. Amen. 

II. 

O Lord God, blessed Jesu, eternal Judge of quick and 
dead, I tremble with horror at the apprehension, when I call 
to mind with what terrors and majesty thou shalt appear in 
judgment; a fire shall go out from thy presence, and a tern- 
pest shall be stirred up round about thee, such a tempest as 
shall rend the rocks, level the mountains, shake the earth, 
disorder and dissolve the whole fabric of the heavens ; and 
where then shall I, vile sinner, appear, when the heavens 
are not pure in thy sight ? Lord, I tremble when I remember 
that sad truth, * If the righteous scarcely be saved, where then 
shall the wicked and the ungodly appear ?' I know, O Lord, 
that all my secret impurities shall be laid open before all the 
nations of the world, before all the orders and degrees of 
angels, in the presence of innumerable millions of beatified 
spirits. There shall I see many that have taught me inno- 
cence and sanctity, many that have given me pious example, 
many that have died for thee, and suffered tortures rather 
than they would offend thee. O just and dear God, where 
shall I appear? who shall plead for me, that am so laden 
with impurities, with vanity, with ingratitude, with malice, 
and the terrors of an affrighting conscience ? Lord, what 
slmll I do, who am straitened by my own covetousness, 
accused by my own pride, consumed with envy, set on fire 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 203 

by lust, made dull with gluttony, and stupid by drunkenness, 
supplanted by ambition, rent asunder with faction and dis- 
cord, made dissolute with lightness and inconstancy, de- 
ceived with hypocrisy, abused with flattery, fooled with 
presumption, disturbed with anger, and disordered by a 
whole body of sin and death? But thou shalt answer for 
me, O Lord, my God ; thou art my Judge and my Advocate, 
and thou art to pass sentence upon me for those sins for 
which thou diedst. O reserve not my sins to be punished in 
the life to come, for then I die eternally; but bring me in this 
world to a holy, a sharp, and salutary repentance. Behold, 
I am in thy hands ; grant I may so weep and be contrite for 
my sins, that in the hour of my death I may find mercy, and 
in the day of judgment I may be freed from all the terrors of 
thy wrath, and the sentence of the wicked, and may behold 
thy face with joy and security, being set at thy right-hand, 
with all thy saints and angels, to sing an eternal hallelujah to 
the honour of thy mercies. Amen, sweet Jesu. Amen. 

III. 

Most merciful and indulgent Jesus, hear the complaint 
of a sad and miserable sinner ; for I have searched into the 
secret recesses of my soul, and there I find nothing but 
horror, and a barren wilderness, a neglected conscience 
overgrown with sins and cares, and beset with fears and sore 
amazements. I find that I have not observed due reverence 
towards my superiors, nor modesty in my discourse, nor 
discipline in my manners ; I have been obstinate in my vain 
purposes, cozened in my own semblances of humility, perti- 
nacious in hatred, bitter in my jesting, impatient of sub- 
jection, ambitious of power, slow to good actions, apt to talk, 
ready to supplant my neighbours, full of jealousies and sus- 
picion, scornful and censorious, burdensome to my friends, 
ungrateful to my benefactors, imperious to my inferiors, 
boasting to have ?aid what I said not, to have seen what I 
saw not, to have done what I did not, and have both said, 
and seen, and done what I ought not, provoking thy Divine 
Majesty with a continual course of sin and vanity. And 
yet, O Lord, thou hast spared me all this while, and hast 
not taken away my life in the midst of my sins ; which is a 
mercy so admirable and of so vast a kindness, as no heart or 
tongue can think or speak. If thou hadst dealt with me 



20 i DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

according as I had deserved, and might justly have expected, 
I had heen now, now at this instant, sealed up to an eternity 
of torments, hopelessly miserable, fearing the revelation of 
thy day with an unsnpportahle amazement : and now, under 
the sweet influences of thy mercies, I am praying to thee, 
confessing my sins, with shame indeed at my baseness and 
ingratitude, but with a full hope and confidence in thy mercy. 
O turn the eyes of thy Divine clemency with a gracious 
aspect upon a wretched sinner, open the bowels of thy 
mercy, and receive me into favour. O my dear God, let 
thy grace speedily work that in me, for which thou so 
long hast spared me, and to which thou didst design me in 
thy holy purposes and mercies of eternity, even a true faith, 
and a holy life conformable to thy will, and in order to 
eternal blessedness. I remember, O Lord, the many fatherly 
expressions and examples of thy mercies to repenting sin- 
ners, thy delight in our conversion, thy unwillingness to 
destroy us, thy earnest invitation of us to grace and life, thy 
displeasure at our danger and miseries, the infinite variety of 
means thou usest to bring us from the gates of death, and to 
make us happy to eternity. These mercies, O Lord, are so 
essential to thee, that thou canst not but be infinitely pleased 
in demonstrations of them. Remember not, O Lord, how 
we have despised thy mercies, slighted thy judgments, neg- 
lected thy commandments ; but now, at length, establish in 
us great contrition for our sins, lead us on to humble con- 
fession and dereliction of them, and let thy grace make us 
bring forth fruits meet for repentance, fruits of justice, of 
hope, of charity, ofVeligion and devotion, that we maybe 
what thou delightest in, holy, and just, and merciful, vessels 
prepared for honour, temples of the Holy Ghost, and instru- 
ments of thy praises to all eternity. O blessed Jesu, who 
livest and reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

O Lord Jesu Christ, Son of the eternal God, interpose 
thy holy death, thy cross, and passion, between thy judgment 
and my soul, now and in the hour of my death ; granting 
unto me grace and mercy, to all faithful people, pardon and 
peace, to the Church, unity and amity, and to all sinners, 
repentance and amendment, to us all, life and glory ever- 
lasting, who livest and reignest ever one Cod, world without 
end. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 205 



A Form of Thanksgiving, with a particular Enumeration of 
God's Blessings. 

MOST glorious Lord God, infinite in mercy, full of com- 
passion, long-suffering, and of great goodness ; I adore, and 
praise, and glorify thy holy name, worshipping thee with 
the lowliest devotions of my soul and body, and give thee 
thanks for all the benefits thou hast done unto me ; for 
whatsoever I arn, or have, or know, or desire as I ought, it 
is all from thee ; thou art the Fountain of being and blessing, 
of sanctity and pardon, of life and glory. 

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, 

praise his holy name. 

Thou, O God, of thine infinite goodness, hast created me 
of nothing, and hast given me a degree of essence next to 
angels, imprinting thine image on me, enduing me with rea- 
sonable faculties of will and understanding to know and 
choose good, and to refuse evil, and hast put me into a 
capacity of a blessed immortality. 

O praise the Lord with me, and let us magnify his 

name together. 

Thou, O God, of thy great mercy, hast given me a comely 
body, a good understanding, straight limbs, a ready and 
unloosed tongue; whereas, with justice, thou mightest have 
made me crooked and deformed, sottish and slow of appre- 
hension, imperfect and impedite in all my faculties. 

O give thanks unto the God of heaven ; for his mercy 

endureth for ever. 

Thou, O God, of thy glorious mercies, hast caused me to 
be born of Christian parents, and didst not suffer me to 
be strangled in the womb, but gavest me opportunity of 
holy baptism, and hast ever since blessed me with education 
in Christian religion. .* 

Thy way, O God, is holy : who is so great a God as 

our God? 

Thou, O God, out of thine abundant kindness, hast made 
admirable variety of creatures to minister to my use, to serve 
my necessity, to preserve and restore my health, to be an 
ornament to my body, to be representations of thy power 
and of thy mercy. 

Unto thee, O God, will I pay my vows : unto thee will 
I give thanks. 



206 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

Thou, God, of thine admirable and glorious mercy, 

hast made thine angels ministering spirits for my protection 

and defence against all the hostilities of the devil ; thou hast 

set a hedge about me, and such a guard as all the power of 

hell and earth cannot overcome ; thou hast preserved me 

by thy holy providence, and the ministry of angels, from 

drowning, from burning, from precipice, from deformities, 

from fracture of bones, and all the snares of evil, and the 

great violations of health, which many of my betters suffer. 

I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, with my whole 

heart ; even before the gods will I sing praises unto 

thee. 

Thou, O most merciful God, hast fed me and clothed me, 
hast raised me up friends and blessed them, hast preserved 
me in dangers, hast rescued me from the fury of the sword, 
from the rage of pestilence, from perishing in public dis- 
temperatures and diseases epidemical, from terrors and 
affrightments of the night, from illusions of the devil and sad 
apparitions ; thou hast been my guide in my journeys, my 
refreshment in sadnesses, my hope and my confidence in all 
my griefs and desolations. 

O give thanks unto the Lord of lords ; for his mercy 

endureth for ever. 

But above all mercies, it was not less than infinite, 
whereby thou lovedst me and all mankind, when we were 
lost and dead, and rebels against thy Divine Majesty ; thou 
gavest thine own begotten Son to seek us when we went 
astray, to restore us to life when we were dead in trespasses 
and sins, and to reconcile us to thyself by the mercies and 
the atonement of an everlasting covenant. 

He is our God, even the God of whom conieth salva- 
tion : God is the Lord by whom we escape death. 

most blessed Jesu, I praise and adore thine infinite 
mercies, humility, and condescension, that for rny sake thou 
wouklst descend from the bosom of thy heavenly Father into 
the pure womb of an humble maid, and take on thee my 
nature, and be born, and cry, and suffer cold, and all the 
incommodities which the meanness of a stable could minister 
to the tenderness of thy infancy. 

Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him ; and 
the son of man, that thou so regardest him? 

1 adore thee, blessed Jesu, and praise thee for thine 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 207 

immaculate sanctity, for all thy holy precepts and counsels, 
for thy Divine example, for thy miracles and mysterious 
revelations of thy Father's will, for the institution of the holy 
sacraments, and all other blessings of thy prophetical office. 
O praise the Lord, for the Lord is gracious : sing praises 

unto his name, for it is lovely. 

I adore and love thee, most blessed Jesu, for all the 
parts of thy most bitter passion, for thy being betrayed and 
accused, buffeted and spit upon, blindfolded and mocked, 
crowned with thorns and scourged, for thine agony and 
bloody sweat, for thy bearing the sad load of the cross and 
sadder load of our sins, for thy crucifixion three long hours, 
when the weight of thy body was supported with wounds 
and nails, for thy death and burial, for thy continual inter- 
cession and advocation with thy heavenly Father in behalf 
of me and all thy holy Church, and all other acts of mediation 
and redemption, the blessings of thy priestly office. 

O praise the Lord for his goodness ; and declare the 

wonders he hath done for the children of men. 
I adore and magnify thy holy name, O most blessed Jesu, 
for thy triumph over death, hell, sin, and the grave, for thy 
opening thy kingdom of heaven to all believers, for thy 
glorious resurrection and ascension, for thy government over 
all the creatures, for the advancement of thy holy kingdom, 
for thy continual resisting and defeating the intendments of 
thy enemies against thy Church by the strength of thine arm, 
by the mightiness of thy power, by the glories of thy 
wisdom ; for those blessed promises thou hast made and 
performest to thy Church of sending the Holy Ghost, of 
giving her perpetuity of being, in defiance of all the gates 
and powers of hell and darkness, and blessing her with 
continual assistances, and all other glories of thy regal office 
and power. . 

O sing praises, sing praises unto our God ; O sing 
praises, sing praises unto our King. For God is 
the King of all the earth : sing ye praises with 
understanding. 

O most Holy Spirit, Love of the Father, Fountain of 
grace, Spring of all spiritual blessings, I adore and praise 
thy Divine excellences, which are essential to thy glorious 
self in the unity of thy most mysterious Trinity, and which 



208 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 



thou coramunicatest to all faithful people, and to me thy 
unworthy servant in the unity of the catholic Church. 

magnify the Lord our God, and fall down before his 
footstool ; for he is holy. 

O blessed Spirit, I praise and magnify thy name for thy 
miraculous descent upon the apostles in Pentecost in myste- 
rious representments, for those great graces and assistances 
coining upon their heads, and falling down upon us all in the 
descent of all ages of the Church, for confirmation of our 
faith, for propagation of the Gospel, for edification and 
ornament of thy family. 

Thou, O God, shalt endure for ever, and thy remem- 
brance throughout all generations. 

most glorious Spirit, I praise and magnify thy name 
for the inspiration of the apostles and prophets, for thy pro- 
vidence and mercy in causing Holy Scriptures to be written, 
arid preserving them from the corruptions of heretics, from 
the violences of pagans, and enemies of the cross of Christ. 

1 will always give thanks unto the Lord : his praise 

shall ever be in my mouth. 

1 bless thy name for those holy promises and threaten- 
ings, those judgments and mercies, those holy precepts and 
admonitions, which thou hast registered in Scriptures, and 
in the records and monuments of the Church ; for all those 
graces, helps, and comforts, whereby thou prornotest me in 
piety and in the ways of true religion ; for baptismal and 
penitential grace ; for the opportunities and sweet refreshings 
of the sacrament of the eucharist; for all the advantages thou 
hast given me of good society, tutors, and governors ; for the 
fears thou hast produced in me as diiatories and impediments 
of sin, for all my hopes of pardon, and expectation of the 
promises made by our Lord Jesus Christ to encourage me in 
the paths of life and sanctity ; for all the holy sermons, 
spiritual books, and lessons ; for all the good prayers and 
meditations ; for those blessed waitings and knockings at 
the door of my heart; patiently tarrying for and lovingly 
i.iviting me to repentance without ceasing; admonishing and 
reproving me with the checks of a tender conscience, with 
exterior and interior motives ; and for whatsoever other 
means or incentives of holiness thou hast assisted me withal. 

I magnify, and praise, and adore thee and thy goodness. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 209 

All nations, whom thou hast made and sanctified, shall 
come and worship thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name ; 
for thou art great and dost wondrous things ; thou art God 
alone : and great is thy mercy towards me ; thou hast 
delivered my soul from the nethermost hell ; therefore shall 
every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing. O my 
God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever with cherubims 
and seraphims, and all the companies of the heavenly host, 
saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth ; holy is our 
God, holy is the Immortal, holy is the Almighty, the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to whom be all honour, and 
glory, and dominion, and power, ascribed of all spirits, and 
all men, and all creatures, now and for evermore. Amen. 



I. 

Prayers preparatory to the receiving of the blessed Sacrament. 

MOST immaculate and glorious Jesu, behold me, miserable 
sinner, drawing near to thee with the approaches of humility 
and earnest desire to be cleansed from my sins, to be united 
to thee by the nearest and most mysterious union of charity 
and sacramental participation of thy most holy body and 
blood : I presume nothing of mine own worthiness, but I am 
most confident of thy mercies and infinite loving-kindness. 

1 know, O Lord, I am blind, and sick, and dead, and naked, 
but therefore I come the rather: I am sick, and thou art my 
physician, thou arisest with healing in thy wings, by thy 
wounds I come to be cured, and to be healed by thy stripes: 
I am unclean, but thou art the Fountain of purity : I am 
blind, and thou art the great Eye of the world, the Sun of 
Righteousness ; in thy light I shall see light : I am poor, and 
thou art rich unto all, the Lord of all the creatures. I, 
therefore, humbly beg of thy mercy that thou wouldst be 
pleased to take from me all my sins, to cure my infirmities, 
to cleanse my filthiness, to lighten my darkness, to clothe 
my nakedness with the robe of thy righteousness, that I 
may, with such reverence, and faith, and holy intention, 
receive thy blessed body and blood in the mysterious sacra- 
ment, that it may be unto me life, and pleasantness, and holy 

VOL. xv. P 



210 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

nourishment, and that I may be firmly and indissolubly 
united to thy mystical body, and may at last see, clearly and 
without a veil, thy face in glory everlasting, who livest and 
reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

II. 

I adore and bless thy glorious Majesty, O blessed Jesu, 
for this great dignation and vouchsafing to me, that thou art 
pleased, for all the infinite multiplication of my sins, and 
innumerable violations of thy holy law, still to give thyself 
unto me, to convey health, and grace, and life, and hopes 
of glory, in the most blessed sacrament. I adore thee, O 
most righteous Redeemer, that thou art pleased under the 
visible signs of bread and wine, to convey unto our souls thy 
holy body and blood, and all the benefits of thy bitter 
passion. O my God, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come 
under my roof, hut let thy Holy Spirit, with his purities, pre- 
pare for thee a lodging in my soul. Thou hast knocked often, 
O blessed Jesu, at the door of my heart, and would st will- 
ingly have entered : behold, O Lord, my heart is ready to 
receive thee : cast out of it all worldly desires, all lusts and 
carnal appetites, and then enter in, and there love to inhabit, 
that the devil may never return to a place that is so swept 
and garnished, to fill me full of all iniquity. O thou lover of 
souls, grant that this holy sacrament may be a light unto 
mine eyes, a guide to my understanding, a joy to my soul; 
that by its strength I may subdue and mortify the whole 
body of sin in me, and that it may produce in me constancy 
in faith, fulness of wisdom, perfection and accomplishment 
of all thy righteous commandments, and such a blessed union 
with thee, that I may never more live unto myself or to the 
world, but to thee only ; and by the refreshments of a holy 
hope I may be led through the paths of a good life and 
persevering piety to the communion and possession of thy 
kingdom, O blessed Jesu, who livest and reignest ever one 
God, world without end. Amen. 

III. 

O Lord God, who hast made all things of naught, produc- 
ing great degrees of essence out of nothing, make me a new 
creature ; and of a sinful man, make me holy, and just, and 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 211 

merciful ; that I may receive thy precious body devoutly, 
reverently, with meekness, contrition, and great affection, 
with spiritual comfort and gladness at thy mystical presence. 
Feed my soul with bread from heaven, fill me with charity, 
conform me to thy will in all things, save me from all dangers 
bodily and ghostly : assist and guide me in all doubts and 
fears, prepare and strengthen me against all surreptions and 
sudden incursions of temptations, cleanse me from all stains 
of sin, and suffer nothing to abide in me but thyself only, 
who art the life of souls, the food of the elect, and the joy of 
angels. Give me such a gust and a holy relish in this 
Divine nutriment, that nothing may ever hereafter please me 
but what savours of thee and thy miraculous sweetness. 
Teach me to loathe all the pleasures and beauties of this life ; 
and let my soul be so inebriated with the pleasures of thy 
table, that I may be comprehended and swallowed up with 
thy love and sweetness : let me think on nothing but thee, 
covet nothing but thee, enjoy nothing but thee, nothing in 
comparison with thee, and neither do nor profess any thing 
but what leads to thee, and is in order to the performance of 
thy will and the fruition of thy glories. Transfix my soul, 
O blessed Jesu, with so great love of thee, so great devotion 
in receiving the holy sacrament, that I may be transformed 
to the fellowship of thy sufferings, and admitted to a partici- 
pation of all the benefits of thy passion, and to a communion 
of thy graces and thy glories. I desire to be with thee : 
dissolve all the chains of my sin, and then come, Lord Jesus, 
come quickly. Let my soul feed on thee greedily, for thou 
art the Spring of light and life, the Fountain of wisdom and 
health, a torrent of Divine pleasure and tranquillity, the 
Author of peace and comfort. Enter into me, sweet Jesu, 
take thou possession of my soul, an4 be thou Lord over me 
and all my faculties, and preserve me with great mercy and 
tenderness, that no doubting or infidelity, no impenitence or 
remanent affection to a sin, no impurity or irreverence, may 
make me unworthy and incapable of thy glorious approach. 
Let not my sins crucify the Lord of life again ; let it not be 
said concerning me, 'The hand of him that betrayeth me is 
witli me on the table:' that this holy communion may not be 
unto me an occasion of death, but a blessed peace-offering 
for my sins, and a gate of life and glory. Grant this, O 



212 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

blessed God, for bis sake, who is botb Sacrifice and Priest, 
the Master of the feast and the Feast itself, even Jesus 
Christ, to whom with thee, O Father, and thy Holy Spirit, 
be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen. 



A Prayer offer the receiving the consecrated Bread. 

I GIVE thanks unto thee, almighty and eternal God, that 
thou hast not rejected me from thy holy table, but hast 
refreshed my soul with the salutary refection of the body of 
thy Son Jesus Christ. Lord, if I had lived innocently, and 
had kept all thy commandments, I could have had no pro- 
portion of merit to so transcendent a mercy : but since I 
have lived in all manner of sin, and multiplied provocations 
against thy Divine Majesty, thy mercy is so glorious and 
infinite, that I am amazed at the consideration of its im- 
mensity. Go on, O my dear God, to finish so blessed a 
redemption ; and now that thou hast begun to celebrate a 
marriage and holy union between thyself and my soul, let me 
never throw off the wedding garment, or stain it with 
pollution of deadly sin, nor seek after other lovers ; but let 
me for ever and ever be united unto thee, being transformed 
into thy will in this life, and to the likeness of thy glories in 
the life to come, who livest and reignest, ever one God, 
world without end. Amen. 

After receiving the Cup. 

O just and dear God, who, out of the unmeasurable 
abysses of wisdom and mercy, hast redeemed us, and offered 
life, and grace, and salvation to us, by the real exhibition of 
thy Son, Jesus Christ, in the sacrifice of his death upon the 
altar of the cross, and by commemoration of his bitter 
agonies in the holy sacrament ; grant that that great and 
venerable sacrifice, which we now commemorate sacrament- 
ally, may procure of thee for thy whole Church mercy and 
great assistance in all trials, deliverance from all heresies, 
schisms, sacrilege, and persecutions ; to all sick people 
health and salvation, redemption for captives, competence 
of living to the indigent arid necessitous, comfort to the 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 213 

afflicted, relief to the oppressed, repentance to all sinners, 
softness of spirit and a tender conscience to the obstinate, 
conversion to the Jews, Turks, and remedy to all that are 
in any trouble or adversity. And grant to us, O Lord, that 
this blesssed sacrament and sacrifice of commemoration, in 
virtue of that dreadful and proper sacrifice upon the cross, 
may obtain for me, and for us all who have communicated 
this day, pardon and peace ; and that we may derive from 
thee, by this ministry, grace to expel all our sins, to mortify 
all our lusts, to exterminate all concupiscence, to crucify 
all inordinacy and irregularity, to produce in us humility, 
and chastity, and obedience, and meekness of spirit, and 
charity, and may become our defence and armour against 
the violence and invasions of all our ghostly enemies and 
temporal disadvantages: and give us this grace and favour, 
that we may not die in the guilt and commission of a sin 
without repentance, nor without receiving the blessed sacra- 
ment; but that we may so live and die, that we may at last 
rest in thy bosom, and be embraced with the comprehensions 
of thy eternal charity, who livestand reignest, ever one God, 
world without end. Amen. 

All blessing, and praise, and honour, be unto thee, O 
blessed Redeemer ; and to thee we, the banished and miser- 
able sons of Adam, do call for mercy and defence, and to 
thee we sigh and cry in this valley of tears. O dearest 
Advocate, turn those thy merciful eyes towards us, and shew 
us thy glorious face in thy kingdom, where no tears or sighing, 
or fears or sadness, can approach. Amen. Sweetest Jesu, 
Amen. 



PRAYERS PREPARATORY TO DEATH. 
I. 

A Prayer for a blessed Ending, to be said in Time of Health 
or Sickness. 

O BLESSED JESU, Fountain of eternal 'mercy, the Life of the 
soul, and glorious Conqueror over death and sin, I humbly 
beseech thee to give me grace so to spend this transitory 



214 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

life in virtuous and holy exercises, that when the day of my 
death shall come, in the midst of all my pains I may feel the 
sweet refreshings of thy Holy Spirit comforting my soul, 
sustaining mine infirmities, and relieving all my spiritual 
necessities : and grant that in the unity of the holy catholic 
Church, and in the integrity of Christian faith, with con- 
fidence and hope of thy mercy, in great love towards thee, 
in peace with my neighbours, and in charity with all the 
world, I may, through thy grace, depart hence out of this 
vale of misery, and go unto that glorious country, where 
thou hast purchased an inheritance for us with the price of 
thy most precious blood, and reignest in it gloriously in the 
unity of thy Father and ours, and thy Holy Spirit and our 
ghostly Comforter, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

II. 

A Prayer to be said at the Beginning of a Sickness. 

O Lord my God, who chastisest every one whom thou 
receivest, and, with thy fatherly correction, smitest all those 
whom thou consignest to the inheritance of sons, write my 
soul in the book of life, and number me amongst thy child- 
ren-, whom thou hast smitten with the rod of sickness, and, 
by thy chastisements, hast brought me into the lot of the 
righteous. Thou, O blessed Jesu, art a helper in the need- 
ful time of trouble; lay no more upon me than thou shalt 
enable me to bear, and let thy gentle correction in this life 
prevent the unsupportable stripes of thy vengeance in the life 
to come. Smite me now, that thou mayest spare me to all 
eternity : and yet, O blessed High-Priest, who art touched 
with a sense of our infirmities, smite me friendly, and reprove 
me with such a tenderness as thou bearest unto thy children, 
to whom thou conveyest suppletory comforts, greater than 
the pains of chastisement ; and in due time restore me to 
health and to thy solemn assemblies again, and to the joy of 
thy countenance. Give me patience and humility, and the 
grace of repentance, and an absolute dereliction of myself, 
and a resignation to thy pleasure and providence, with a 
power to do thy will in all things, and then do what thou 
pleasest to me ; only in health or sickness, in life or death, 
let me feel thy comforts refreshing my soul, and let thy grace 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 215 

pardon all my sins. Grant this, O blessed Jesu, for my trust 
is in thee only: thou art my God, and my merciful Saviour 
and Redeemer. Amen. 

III. 

A Prayer to be said in the Progress of a Sickness. 

O Lord my God, blessed Jesu, who, by thy bitter death 
and passion, hast sweetened the cup of death to us, taking 
away its bitterness and sting, and making it an entrance to 
life and glory ; have pity upon me thy servant, who have so 
deep a share in sin that I cannot shake off the terrors of 
death, but that my nature, with its hereditary corruption, 
still would preserve itself in a disunion from the joys of 
thy kingdom. Lord, I acknowledge my own infirmities, 
and beg thy pity. It is better for me to be with thee : but 
the remembrance of my sins doth so depress my growing 
confidence, that I am in a great strait between my fears and 
hopes, between the infirmities of my nature and the better 
desires of conforming to thy holy will and pleasure. O my 
dear Redeemer, wean my soul and all my desires from the 
flatteries of this world : pardon all my sins, and consign 
so great a favour by the comforts and attestation of thy 
divinest Spirit, that, my fears being mastered, my sins 
pardoned, my desires rectified, as the hart thirsts after the 
springs of water, so my soul may long after thee, O God, 
and to enter into thy courts. Heavenly Father, if it may be 
for thy glory and my ghostly good, to have the days of my 
pilgrimage prolonged, I beg of thee health and life ; but if 
it be not pleasing to thee to have this cup pass from me, 
thy will be done : my Saviour hath drunk off all the bitter- 
ness. Behold, O Lord, I am in thy hands, do with me as 
seemeth good in thine eyes. Though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou 
art with me : thy rod and thy staff comfort me. I will lay 
me down in peace, and take my rest ; for it is thou, Lord, 
only who shalt make me to dwell in everlasting safety, and 
to partake of the joys of thy kingdom who livest and reign- 
est, eternal God, world without end. Amen. 



216 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

IV. 

A Prayer for a Sick Person in Danger of Death. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, our health and life, our hope, and 
our resurrection from the dead, I resign myself up to thy 
holy will and pleasure, either to life, that I may live longer 
to thy service and my amendment ; or to death, to the per- 
petual enjoyment of thy presence, and of thy glories. Into 
thy hands I commend my spirit; for I know, O Lord, that 
nothing can perish which is committed to thy mercies. I 
believe, O Lord, that I shall receive my body again at the 
resurrection of the just. I relinquish all care of that, only 
I beg of thee mercy for my soul ; strengthen it with thy 
grace against all temptations, let thy loving-kindness defend 
it, as with a shield, against all the violences and hostile 
assaults of Satan ; let the same mercy be my guard and 
defence which protected thy martyrs, crowning them with 
victory in the midst of flames, horrid torments, and most 
cruel deaths. There is no help in me, O Lord ; I cannot by 
my own power give a minute's rest to my wearied body ; but 
my trust is in thy sure mercies ; and I call to mind, to 
my unspeakable comfort, that thou wert hungry, and thirsty, 
and wearied, and whipt, and crowned with thorns, and 
mocked, and crucified for me. O let that mercy which 
made thee suffer so much, make thee do that for which thou 
sufferedst so much, pardon me and save me. Let thy merits 
answer for my impieties, let thy righteousness cover my sins, 
thy blood wash away my stains, and thy comforts refresh my 
soul. As my body grows weak, let thy grace be stronger ; 
let not my faith doubt, nor my hope tremble, nor my charity 
grow cold, nor my soul be affrighted with the terrors of 
death ; but let the light of thy countenance enlighten mine 
eyes, that I sleep not in death eternal ; and when my tongue 
fails, let thy Spirit teach my heart to pray with strong cry- 
ings, and groans that are unutterable. O let not the enemy 
do me any violence, but let thy holy mercies and thy angels 
repel and defeat his malice and fraud ; that my soul may, by 
thy strength, triumph in the joys of eternity, in the fruition 
of thee, my life, my joy, my hope, my exceeding great 
reward, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



. DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 217 

V. 

For a Dying Person, in or near the Agonies of Death. 

Most merciful and blessed Saviour, have mercy upon 
the soul of this thy servant ; remember not his ignorance, 
nor the sins of his youth : but according to thy great mercies, 
remember him in the mercies and glories of thy kingdom. 
Thou, O Lord, hast opened the kingdom of heaven to all 
believers; let the everlasting gates be opened, and receive 
his soul; let the angels, who rejoice at the conversion of a 
sinner, triumph and be exalted in his deliverance and salva- 
tion. Make him partaker of the benefits of thy holy incar- 
nation, life, and sanctity, passion and death, resurrection and 
ascension, and of all the prayers of the Church, of the joy 
of the elect, and all the fruits of the blessed communion of 
saints ; and daily add to the number of thy beatified servants 
such as shall be saved, that thy coming may be hastened, 
and the expectation of the saints may be fulfilled, and the 
glory of thee, our Lord Jesu, be advanced, all the \vhole 
Church singing praises to the honour of thy name who livest 
and reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

VI. 

O most merciful Jesu, who didst die to redeem us from 
death and damnation, have mercy upon this thy servant, 
whom thy hand hath visited with sickness : of thy goodness 
be pleased to forgive him all his sins, and seal his hopes of 
glory with the refreshments of thy Holy Spirit. Lord, give 
him strength and confidence in thee, assuage his pain, repel 
the assaults of his ghostly enemies. by thy mercies, and a 
guard of holy angels ; preserve him in the unity of the 
Church, keep his senses entire, his understanding right, give 
him great measure of contrition, true faith, a well-grounded 
hope, and abundant chanty; give him a quiet and a joyful 
departure, let thy ministering spirits convey his soul to the 
mansions of peace and rest, there with certainty to expect a 
joyful resurrection to the fulness of joy at thy right-hand, 
where there is pleasure for evermore. Amen. 



218 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

VII. 

A Prayer for the Joys of Heaven. 

O most glorious Jesu, who art the portion and exceeding 
great reward of all faithful people, thou hast beautified 
human nature with glorious immortality, and hast carried 
the same above all heavens, above the seat of angels, beyond 
the cherubims and seraphims, placing it on the right-hand 
of thy heavenly Father; grant to us all the issues of thy 
abundant charity, that we may live in thy fear, and die in thy 
favour. Prepare our souls with heavenly virtue, for hea- 
venly joys, making us righteous here, that we may be 
beatified hereafter. Amen. 



A MORNING PRAYER. 

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, OF THE SON, AND OF THE 
HOLY GHOST. 

Our Father which art in Heaven, Sfc. 

I. 

O ETERNAL Sun of Righteousness, who earnest from the 
bosom of thy Father, the Fountain of glorious light, to 
enlighten the darknesses of the world, I praise thy name, 
that thou hast preserved me from the dangers of this night, 
and hast continued to me still the opportunities of serving 
thee, and advancing my hopes of a blessed eternity. Let 
thy mercies shine brightly upon me, and dissipate the clouds 
and darknesses of my spirit and understanding, rectify my 
affections, and purify my will, and all my actions ; that 
whatsoever I shall do or suffer this day, or in my whole life, 
my words and purposes, my thoughts and my intentions, 
may be sanctified and be acceptable to thy Divine Majesty. 
Amen. 

II. 

Grant that my understanding may know thee, my heart 
may love thee, and all my faculties and powers may give 
thee due obedience, and serve thee. Preserve me this day 
from all sin and danger, from all violences and snares of mine 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 219 

enemies, visible and invisible ; let thy holy fear be as a 
bridle to my distemperatures, and thy love so enkindle and 
actuate all my endeavours, that no pleasures or allurements 
of the world may draw me from thy service, nor any diffi- 
culty or temptation may be my hinderance. Let the pro- 
found humility and innocence of my blessed Saviour keep 
from me all pride and haughtiness of mind, all self-love and 
vainglory, all obstinacy and disobedience, all fraudulency 
and hurtful dissimulation ; and let the graces of the Holy 
Ghost take so absolute possession and seizure of my soul, 
and all its faculties, that I may tread down and cast out the 
spirit of intemperance and uncleanness, of malice and envy, 
idleness and disdain, that I may never despise any of thy 
creatures but myself; that so being little in my own sight, I 
may be great in thine. Amen. 

III. 

Clothe my soul with a wedding garment, the habits of 
supernatural faith and charity, that I may believe all thy 
holy promises and revelations without all wavering, and love 
thee, my God, with so great devotions and affections, that 
neither life nor death, prosperity nor adversity, temptations 
within nor without, may ever disunite me from the love of 
thee ; but that I may have the most intimate adhesion to 
thy glories and perfections, of which my condition in this 
world is capable. Make me to choose virtue with the same 
freeness of election, entertain it with as little reluctance, 
keep it with as much complacency, actuate it with as many 
faculties, serve it with as much industry, as I have, in time 
past, my vices and pleasures of the world : and grant that 
all inordinate affection to the transitory things of this life 
may daily decay in me, and that I may grow in spirit and 
ghostly strength, till I come to a* perfect man in Christ 
Jesus. Amen. 

IV. 

Give unto thy servant true humility, great contrition, a 
tender conscience, and obedient heart, an understanding 
always busied in honest and pious thoughts, a will tractable 
and ever prone to do good, affections even and moderate, a 
watchful custody over my senses, that by those windows sin 
may never enter in, nor death by sin. Make me to watch 



220 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

over my tongue, and keep the door of my lips, that no cor- 
rupt or unseemly communication proceed out of my mouth ; 
that I may never slander, calumniate, or detract from the 
reputation of my neighbour ; that I be not busy in the faults 
of others, but careful to correct mine own, being gentle and 
merciful to others, and severe towards myself; that I may 
speak much of thy praises, and what I can for the edification 
of my brethren. Amen. 



Give me understanding in thy law, that I may know thy 
will ; and grace and strength faithfully to fulfil the same. 
Give me a fear of thy name, and of thy threatenings, and a 
love and hope of thy promise ; let me daily feel thy mercies, 
and remove thy judgments far from me. Imprint in my 
heart a filial reverence and awfulness towards thy Divine 
Majesty, that I may study to please thee with diligence, to 
worship thee with much devotion, to submit to the dispo- 
sitions of thy providence with thankfulness ; and that in 
conscience of my duty towards thee, I may honour the king, 
obey magistrates under him, love the saints, and do all acts 
of charity according to my opportunity and ability; directing 
all my actions and intentions, not according to custom, or 
in pursuance of mine own ends, and temporal advantages, 
but in thy fear, and in holy religion, to the advancement of 
thy honour and glory. Amen. 

VI. 

Give me a soul watchful in the services of religion, con- 
stant in holy purposes, ingenuous and free from sordid ends 
or servile flattery ; a modest gravity in my deportment ; 
affability and fair courteous demeanour towards all men ; 
austerity in condemning my own sins ; sweetness in fraternal 
correction, and reprehending others; mature judgment; a 
chaste body, and a clean soul ; patience in suffering ; delibe- 
ration in my words and actions ; good counsels in all my 
purposes: make me just in performing promises, and in all 
my duties ; sedulous in my calling ; profitable to the com- 
monwealth ; a true son of the Church ; and of a disposition 
meek and charitable towards all men. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 221 

VII. 

Let this be my portion, arid the comfort of my pilgrimage, 
so long as I am detained in the condition of mortality, and 
exiled from my heavenly country; that, being free from all 
fear of mine enemies, and from vexations, fears, and solici- 
tudes of this life, I may be wholly devoted to thy service, 
that I may attend thee only, and what tends to thee ; that I 
may rejoice only in thee, and my soul may rest in thee ; that 
without distractions I may entertain thy heavenly doctrine, 
and the blessed motions of thy Holy Spirit, spending my 
time in the duties of necessity, in the works of charity, and 
the frequent office of religion, with diligence, and patience, 
and perseverance, and hope, expecting the accomplishment 
of my days in peace ; that when I go unto my dust, I may 
be reckoned amongst those blessed souls whose work it is 
to give thee praise, and honour, and glory, to all eternity. 
Amen. 

Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity, now and 
for evermore. Amen. 



AN EVENING PRAYER. 

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF 
THE HOLY GHOST. 

Our Father which art in Heaven, fyc. 
I. 

O LORD GOD, who art the light and splendour of souls, in 
the brightness of thy countenance is eternal day that knows 
no night; in thy arms, and in thy protection, is all quietness, 
tranquillity, and everlasting repose ; while the darkness 
covers the face of the earth, receive my body and soul into 
thy custody ; let not the spirits of darkness come near my 
dwelling, neither suffer my fancy to be abused with the 
illusions of the night. Lord, I am thy servant, and the 
sheep of thy pasture : let not the devil, who goeth up and 
down seeking whom he may devour, abuse my body, or 
make a prey of my soul ; but defend me from all those cala- 
mities which I have deserved, and protect my soul, that it 



222 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

consent not to any work of darkness, lest mine enemy say, 
he hath prevailed over me, or do mischief to a soul redeemed 
with thy most precious blood. Amen. 

II. 

Pardon and forgive me all the sins and offences of my 
youth, the errors of mine understanding, the inordination of 
mine affections, the irregularity of all mine actions, and par- 
ticularly of whatsoever I have transgressed this day, in 
thought, word, or deed, Lord, let not thy wrath arise ; for 
although I have deserved the extremest pressure of thine 
indignation, yet remember my infirmity, and how thou hast 
sent thy Son to reveal thy infinite mercies to us, and convey 
pardon and salvation to the penitent. I beseech thee also 
to accept the heartiest devotion and humblest acknowledg- 
ment of a thankful heart for thy blessing and preservation of 
me this day ; for unless thy providence and grace had been 
my defence and guide, I had committed more and more 
grievous sins, and had been swallowed up by thy just wrath 
and severest judgments. Mercy, sweet Jesu. Amen. 

III. 

Lord, let thy grace be so present with me, that though 
my body sleep, yet my soul may for ever be watchful, that I 
sleep not in sin, or pretermit any opportunity of doing thee 
service : let the remembrances of thy goodness and glories 
be first and last with me, and so unite my heart unto thee 
with habitual charity, that all my actions and sufferings may 
be directed to thy glory, and every motion and inclination, 
either of soul or body, may, in some capacity or other, re- 
ceive a blessing from thee, and do thee service ; that whether 
I sleep or wake, travel or rest, eat or drink, live or die, I 
may always feel the light of thy countenance shining so upon 
me that my labours may be easy, my rest blessed, my food 
sanctified, and my whole life spent with so much sanctity 
and peace, that, escaping from the darknesses of this world, 
I may at last come to the land of everlasting rest, in thy 
light to behold light and glory, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity, now and 
for evermore. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 223 

Another Prayer for Evening. 

I. 

VISIT, we beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation with thy 
mercy, and us thy servants with salvation, and repel far from 
us all the snares of the enemy. Let thy holy angels dwell 
here to keep us in peace and safety, and thy blessing be upon 
us for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

II. 

O Lord Jesu Christ, the lively image of thy Father's 
mercies and glories, the Saviour of all them that put their 
trust in thee ; we offer and present to thee all our strengths, 
and powers of our souls and bodies, and whatsoever we are 
or have, to be preserved, governed, and possessed by thee. 
Preserve us from all vicious, vain, and proud cogitations, 
unchaste affections, and from all those things which thou 
hatest. Grant us thy holy charity, that we love thee above 
all the world, that we may, with sincerity of intention and 
zealous affections, seek thee alone, and in thee only take our 
rest, inseparably joining ourselves unto thee, who art worthy 
to be beloved and adored of all thy creatures with lowest 
prostrations and highest affection, now and for evermore. 
Amen. 

III. 

O Father of mercies, and God of all comforts, let thy 
blessing be upon us, and upon all the members of thy holy 
Church; all health and safety both of body and soul, against 
all our enemies, visible and invisible, now and for ever. Send 
us a quiet night, and a holy death in the actual communion 
of the catholic Church, and in thy charity, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Our Father which art in Heaven, &c. 

Now, and in all dangers and afflictions of soul and 
body, in the hour of death, and in the day of judg- 
ment, save us and deliver us, O sweet Saviour and 
Redeemer Jesu. 



224? DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

COLLECTS TO BE ADDED UPON VARIOUS OCCASIONS. 

I. 
For the Church. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast revealed thy 
glory to Jews and Gentiles in our Lord Jesus Christ, extend 
thy hand of mercy over all the world, that thy Church may 
spread like a flourishing vine, and enlarge her borders to the 
uttermost parts of the earth; that all nations partaking of the 
sweet refreshings of thy Gospel, thy name may be glorified, 
the honour of our Lord Jesus advanced, his prophecies ful- 
filled, and his coming hastened. Bless, O Lord, thy holy 
Church with all blessings of comfort, assistance, and preserva- 
tion; extirpate heresies, unite her divisions, give her patience 
and perseverance in the faith, and confession of thy name in 
despite of all enmities, temptations, and disadvantages ; de- 
stroy all wicked counsels intended against her or any of her 
children by the devil or any of his accursed instruments; let 
the hands of thy grace and mercy lead her from this vale of 
misery to the triumphant throne of her Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 

II. 
For the King. 

O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of 
kings, who in thy hands hast the hearts of kings, and canst 
turn them as the rivers of water, send the light of thy coun- 
tenance and abundance of blessings upon thy servant, our 
sovereign lord, king Charles : make him as holy, valiant, 
and prosperous as king David, wise and rich like Solomon, 
zealous for the honour of thy law and temple as Josiah ; and 
give him all sorts of great assistances to enable him to serve 
thee, to glorify thy name, to protect thy Church, to promote 
true religion, to overcome all his enemies, to make glad all 
his liege people : that he serving thee with all diligence, and 
the utmost of his possibility, his people may serve him with 
honour and obedience, in thee and for thee, according to thy 
blessed word and ordinance ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 225 

III. 

For the Queen. 

O God of heaven, Father of mercies, have mercy upon 
our most gracious queen, unite her unto thee with the hands 
of faith and love, preserve her to her life's end in thy favour, 
and make her an instrument of glory to thy name, of refresh- 
ment to the Church, of joy to all faithful people of this king- 
dom, and crown her with an eternal weight of glory, through 

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

i 

IV. 

For the Bishops. 

O thou great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, most 
glorious Jesu, bless all holy and religious prelates, especially 
the bishops of our church. O God, let abundance of thy 
grace and benediction descend upon their heads, that by a 
holy life, by a true and catholic belief, by a confident con- 
fession of thy name, and by a fatherly care, great sedulity 
and watchfulness over their flock, they may glorify thee our 
God, the great lover of souls, and set forward the salvation 
of their people, and of others by their example; and at last, 
after a plentiful conversion of souls, they may shine like the 
stars in glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

V. 

For our Parents. 

O Almighty God and merciful Father, who from the 
loins of our first parents, Adam and Eve, hast produced 
mankind, and hast commanded us to honour our parents ; 
in pursuance of thy holy commandment, and of our duty to 
thee our God, and in thee to them, w*e do, with all humility, 
beg a blessing of thee for our parents, who from thy mercy 
and plenty have conveyed many to us : pardon and forgive 
all their sins and infirmities, increase in them all goodness, 
give them blessings of the right hand and blessings of the 
left : bless them in their persons, in their posterity, in the 
comforts of thy Holy Spirit, in a persevering goodness, and 
at last in an eternal weight of glory, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

VOL. XV. Q 



226 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

VI. 

For our Children. 

O Father of heaven, God of all the creatures, by whose 
providence mankind is increased, I bless thy name for be- 
stowing on me that blessing of the righteous man, the bless- 
ing of children. Lord, bless them with health, with life, with 
good understanding, with fair opportunities and advantages 
of education, society, tutors, and governors ; and, above all, 
with the graces of thy Holy Spirit, that they may live and be 
blessed under thy protection, grow in grace, and be in favour 
with God and man, and at last may make up the number of 
thine elect children, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

VII. 

For our Patron, our Friends, and Benefactors. 

O Almighty God, thou fountain of all good, of all excel- 
lence both to men and angels, extend thine abundant favour 
and loving-kindnesses to my patron, to all my friends and 
benefactors : reward them, and make them plentiful com- 
pensation for all the good which, from thy merciful provi- 
dence, they have conveyed unto me. Let the light of thy 
countenance shine upon them, and let them never come into 
any desertion, affliction, or sadness, but such as may be an 
instrument of thy glory and their eternal comfort, in our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

VIII. 

A Prayer of a Wife for her Husband. 

O my God, who hast graciously pleased to call me to the 
holy state of matrimony, bless me in it with the grace of 
chastity, with loyalty, obedience, and complacency to my 
husband ; and bless him with long life, with a healthful 
body, with an understanding soul, with abundance of thy 
graces, which may make him to be and continue thy servant, 
a true son of the Church, a supporter and a guide to me his 
wife, a blessing and a comfort to his children, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 227 

IX. 

Of a Husband for his Wife. 

O merciful God, who art a Father to us thy children, a 
Spouse to thy holy Church, a Saviour and Redeemer to all 
mankind, have mercy upon thy handmaid my wife; endue 
her with all the ornaments of thy heavenly grace, make her 
to be holy and devout as Esther, loving and amiable as 
Rachel, fruitful as Leah, wise as Rebecca, faithful and obe- 
dient as Sarah, that being filled with grace and benediction 
here, she may be partaker of thy glory hereafter, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

X. 

For a Curate to say in behalf of his Parish. 

O blessed Jesu, thou that art an eternal Priest, a uni- 
versal Bishop, and the fountain of all ghostly good, have 
mercy upon this parish which thou hast concredited to my 
charge. Lord, I am unfit for so great a burden, but by thy 
aid and gracious acceptation I hope for mercy, pardon, and 
assistance. O Lord, send thy Holy Spirit to dwell amongst 
us : let here be peace and charity, and true catholic religion, 
and holy discipline. Comfort the comfortless, heal the sick, 
relieve the oppressed, instruct the ignorant, correct the re- 
fractory, keep us all from all deadly sin : and make them 
obedient to their superiors, friendly to one another, and ser- 
vants of thy Divine Majesty ; that so from thy favour they 
may obtain blessings in their bodies, in their souls, in their 
estates, and a supply to all their necessities, till at last they 
be freed from all dangers and necessities in the full fruition 
of thy everlasting glories, O blessed Saviour and Redeemer 
Jesu. Amen. 

XI. 

For a Parishioner to say in behalf of his Curate. 

O God Almighty, who art pleased to send thy blessings 
upon us by the ministration of the bishops and priests of thy 
holy Church, have mercy upon thy servant to whom is com- 
mitted the care of my soul, that he, by whose means thou 
art graciously pleased to advance my spiritual good, may 
by thy grace and favour be protected, by thy providence 



228 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

assisted, by thy great mercies comforted and relieved in all 
his necessities bodily arid ghostly, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

XII. 

For safe Childbirth. 

O blessed Jesu, Son of the eternal God, who, according 
to thy humility, wert born of a holy maid, who conceived 
thee without sin, and brought thee forth without pain, have 
mercy upon me thy humble servant, and as by thy blessing 
I have conceived, so grant that by thy favourable assistance 
I may be safely delivered : Lord, grant me patience, and 
strength, and confidence in thee, and send thy holy angel to 
be my guardian in the hour of my travail. O shut not up 
my soul with sinners, nor my life with them that go down 
into the pit. I humbly also beg mercy for my child ; grant 
it may be born with its right shape, give it a comely body 
and an understanding soul, life, and opportunity of baptism, 
and thy grace from the cradle to the grave, that it may 
increase the number of saints in that holy fellowship of 
saints and angels, where thou livest and reignest, eternal 
God, world without end. Amen. 

XIII. 

Before a Journey. 

O God, who didst preserve thy servants Abraham and 
Jacob, thy people Israel, thy servant Tobias, and the wise 
men of the east in their several journeys, by thy providence, 
by" a ministry of angels, by a pillar of fire, and by the 
guidance of a star; vouchsafe to preserve us thy servants 
in the way we are now to go. Be, O Lord, a guide unto us 
in our preparation, a shadow in the day, and a covering by 
night, a rest to our weariness, and a staff to our weakness, a 
patron in adversity, a protection from danger; that by thy 
assistance we may perform our journey safely to thy honour, 
to our own comfort, and at last bring us to the everlasting 
rest of our heavenly country, through him who is the way, 
the truth, and the life, our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus, 
Amen. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 229 

XIV. 

For afflicted Persons. 

O Lord God, merciful and gracious, whose compassion 
extends to all that are in misery and need, that takest delight 
in the relieving the distresses of the afflicted, give refresh- 
ment to all the comfortless, provide for the poor, give ease 
to all them that are tormented with sharp pains, health to 
the diseased, liberty and redemption to the captives, cheer- 
fulness of spirit to all them that are in great desolations. 
Lord, let thy Spirit confirm all them that are strong, 
strengthen all that are weak, and speak peace to afflicted 
consciences, that the light of thy countenance being restored 
to them, they may rejoice in thy salvation, and sing praises 
unto thy name, who hast delivered their souls from death, 
their eyes from tears, and their feet from falling : grant this 
for the honour of thy mercies, and the glory of thy name, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

XV. 

For our Enemies. 

O blessed Jesu, who wert of so infinite mercies, so trans- 
cendent a charity, that thou didst descend from heaven to 
the bowels of the earth, that thou mightest reconcile us who 
were enemies to the mercies of thy heavenly Father; and, 
in imitation of so glorious example, hast commanded us to 
love them that hate us, and to pray for them that are our 
enemies ; I beseech thee, of thine infinite goodness, that 
thou wouldst be pleased to keep me with thy grace in so 
much meekness, justice, and affable disposition, that I may, 
so far as concerns me, live peaceably with all men, giving no 
man occasion of offence : and to them who hate me without 
a cause, I beseech thee give thy pardon, and fill them with 
charity towards thee and all the world ; bless them with all 
blessings in order to eternity, that when they are reconciled 
to thee, we also may be united with the bands of faith, and 
love, and a common hope ; and at last we may be removed 
to the glories of thy kingdom, which is full of love and 
eternal charity, and where thou livest and reignest, ever one 
God, world without end. Amen. 



230 DEVOTIONS FO*R SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

XVI. 

A Prayer to be said upon Ember Days. 1 

O merciful Jesu, who hast promised perpetuity to the 
Church, and a permanence in defiance of all the powers of 
darkness, and the gates of hell, and to this purpose hast 
constituted several orders, leaving a power to his apostles, 
and their successors the bishops, to beget fathers of our 
souls, and to appoint priests and deacons for the edification 
of the Church, the benefit of all Christian people, and the 
advancement of thy service ; have mercy upon thy ministers 
the bishops, give them for ever great measure of thy Holy 
Spirit, and at this time particular assistances, and a power of 
discerning and trying the spirits of them who come to be 
ordained to the ministry of thy word and sacraments : that 
they may lay hands suddenly on no man, but maturely, 
prudently, and piously, they may appoint such to thy service 
and the ministry of thy kingdom, who by learning, discre- 
tion, and a holy life, are apt instruments for the conversion 
of souls, to be examples to the people, guides of their 
manners, comforters of their sorrows, to sustain their weak- 
nesses, and able to promote all the interests of true religion. 
Grant this, O great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, 
blessed Jesus, who livest and reignest in the kingdom of 
thine eternal Father, one God, world without end. Amen. 

Sanctus Deus. 
Sanctus Fortis. 
Sanctus Immortalis. 



XVII. 

A Prayer wherewith St. Austin began his Devotions ; ad- 
miring the unspeakable Majesty and Attributes of God. 

Conf. lib. i. c. 4. 

What art thou, O my God? what art thou, I beseech 
thee, but the Lord my God ? for who is God besides our 
Lord, who is God besides our God ? O thou supreme, most 
merciful, most just, most secret, most present, most beautiful, 
most mighty, most incomprehensible, most constant, and 
yet changing all things ; immutable, never new, and never 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 231 

old, and yet renewing all things ; ever in action, and yet ever 
quiet ; heaping up, yet needing nothing ; creating, uphold- 
ing, filling, protecting, nourishing, and perfecting all things. 
Thou lovest, and yet thou art not transported ; thou art 
jealous, yet thou art void of fear ; thou dost repent, yet thou 
art free from sorrow ; thou art angry, and yet art never 
unquiet ; thou takest what thou findest, yet didst thou never 
lose any thing ; thou art never poor, and yet thou art glad 
of gain; never covetous, and yet thou exactest profit at our 
hands. We bestow largely upon thee, that thou mayest 
become our debtor ; yet who hath any thing but of thy gift ? 
Thou payest debts, when thou owest nothing ; thou forgivest 
debts, and yet thou losest nothing. And what shall I say ? 
O my God, my life, my joy, my holy dear delight ! or what 
can any man say when he speaketh of thee I And wo be 
to them that speak not of thee, but are silent in thy praise ; 
for even they who speak most of thee, may be accounted to 
be but dumb. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, that I may 
speak unto thee, and praise thy name. Amen. 

XVIII. 

A general Confession. 

Almighty God, I, a miserable sinner, do humbly confess, 
and am truly sorrowful for my many and great, my innume- 
rable and intolerable crimes, of which my conscience does 
accuse me by night and by day, and by which I have pro- 
voked thy severest wrath and indignation against me. I 
have broken all thy righteous laws and commandments by 
word or deed, by vain thoughts or sinful desires. I have 
sinned against thee in all my relations and capacities, in all 
places and at all times ; I can neither reckon their number, 
nor bear their burden, nor suffer thy anger, which I have 
deserved. But thou, O Lord God, art merciful and gracious ; 
have mercy upon me ; pardon me for all the evil I have 
done ; judge me not for all the good I have omitted ; take 
not thy favour from me, but delight thou to sanctify and 
save me, and work in me to will and to do of thy good 
pleasure all our duty, that being sanctified by thy Spirit, 
and delivered from my sin, I may serve thee in a religious 
and holy conversation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



232 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

XIX. 

A Prayer against Temptations. 

O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy name is 
great, thy essence is infinite, thy goodness is eternal, and 
thy power hath no limit ; thou art the God and Lord of all, 
blessed for evermore : look down in mercy and compassion 
from thy dwelling, hear my prayers and supplications, and , 
deliver me from all temptations of the world, the flesh, and 
the devil. Take not thy grace from me, let me never want 
thy help in my need, nor thy comfort in the day of my 
danger or calamity. Never try me beyond my strength, nor 
afflict me beyond my patience, nor smite me but with a 
father's rod. I have no strength of my own, thou art my 
confidence, my rock, and my strong salvation. Save me, O 
God, from the miseries of this world, and never let me suffer 
the calamities of the next. Rescue me from the evils I have 
done, and preserve me from the evils I have deserved ; that, 
living before thee with a clean heart, and undefiled body, 
and a sanctified spirit, I may, at the day of judgment, be 
presented pure and spotless by the blood of the Lamb, that 
I may sing eternal hallelujahs in heavenly places to the 
honour of God our Saviour, who hath redeemed our souls 
from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling. 
Grant this in the richness of thy mercy, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

XX. 

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for any great Deliverance. 

O God, my God and Father, thou hast strangely pre- 
served and rescued me from evil, and, for the glory of thy 
own name, thou hast diverted the arrow that was directed 
against me. What am I, O Lord, and what can I do, or 
what have I done, that thou shouldest do this forme ? I am, 

God, a miserable sinner, and I can do nothing without a 
mighty grace ; and I have done nothing by myself but what 

1 am ashamed of, and I have received great mercies, and 
miracles of providence. I see, O God, I see that thy good- 
ness is the cause and measure of all my hopes and all my 
good : and upon the confidence and greatness of that good- 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 233 

ness, I humbly beg of thy sacred majesty to keep and defend 
me from all evil by thy wise providence ; to lead me into all 
good by the conduct of thy Divine Spirit, and where I have 
clone amiss give me pardon, and where I have been mistaken 
give me pity, and where I have been injured give me thy 
favour and a gracious exchange : that I may serve thee here 
with diligence, and hereafter may rejoice with thee, and love 
thee as I desire to love thee, and as thou deserves! to be 
loved, even with all the powers and degrees of passion and 
essence, to eternal ages, in the inheritance of Jesus, whom 
I love, for whom I will not refuse to die, in whom I desire to 
live and die : to whom with thee, O gracious Father, and the 
Holy Spirit, be all glory and honour, love and obedience, for 
ever and ever. Amen. 

XXI. 

A Prayer to be said by a Prisoner in behalf of himself . 

O Almighty God, the merciful Father of all that put their 
trust in thee, look down from the beauteous throne of thy 
glory with much mercy and compassion upon thy servant, 
who is a child of misery, full of sin and full of calamity ; 
whose only hope is in the mercies and loving-kindness of the 
Lord. O do thou pardon all my trespasses and debts, by 
which I am in arrear to thee, put them upon the accounts of 
the cross ; for our blessed and most gracious Lord hath paid 
our price to redeem us from the eternal prisons : and be thou 
pleased to enrich me with thy Holy Spirit, that I may be 
strong in faith, abounding in hope, established in a holy 
patience, and rich in charity ; expecting with meekness and 
submission, when the times of refreshment shall come from 
the presence of the Lord, our blessed Saviour and Redeemer 
Jesus. Amen. 

XXII. 

A Prayer to be used by those that are at Sea. 

O Almighty God and Father of heaven and earth, who 
settest bounds to the sea, and restrainest the waves thereof 
by a heap of sand, by mountains and rocks, by thy word and 
by thy Spirit, saying, ' Hither shall thy proud waves pass, and 
no further ;' look upon thy servant, whose life is in his hands, 
and I dwell in the shadows of death night and day : I know, 



234 DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 

O Lord, and confess, the floods and waves of passion do 
frequently overrun me ; and we are drowned in the storms 
and overwhelmed with iniquity. The oaths, blasphemies, 
impieties, irreligious actions, of which I stand guilty before 
thee, are louder than the fiercest winds, and call aloud upon 
thee for vengeance ; and many of us in our greatest danger 
provoke thee with the greatest unreasonableness and violence 
of impiety. But, O God, our God, be gracious unto thy 
servant who accuseth himself, and confesseth his guilt, and 
acknowledgeth thy justice, and begs thy goodness, and 
prays to thee for safety and defence, for deliverance and for 
pardon, for thy conduct and thy blessing. Keep us, O God, 
from storms and quicksands, from pirates and rocks, from 
errors and impieties, from all evil contingencies and all evil 
actions ; let this voyage be safe to my person and goods, let 
it be blessed by thy providence and thy Holy Spirit, that I 
may return with comfort and with advantages of success, 
and thy servant may glorify thee in the land of the living, 
in the Church of the first-born, the congregation of thy 
redeemed ones, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

XXIII. 

In a Storm, or Danger of Pirates, or Shipwreck. 

O eternal and most holy Saviour Jesus, who, in the days 
of thy flesh and thy infirmity, didst command the winds and 
rebuke the seas, and they obeyed thee : and thou art exalted 
far above all principalities and powers, above all heavens 
and all angels, and art the King of the world, and hast com- 
manded us to come boldly to the throne of grace, with pro- 
mise of help in time of need : look down upon thy servant, 
who, in the abyss of the seas, and the more uncomfortable 
abyss of our trouble, invocate the abyss of thy mercies. O 
refuse not to hear the prayers, and to consider the cries, and 
to behold and pity the need of me who call upon thee, who 
put my trust in thee, who have laid up all my hopes in thee, 
and thy infinite and eternal goodness. I have no strength 
of my own, but thou art my confidence ; be thou also my 
portion and guide, my defence and shield, a star in the night 
and a covering by day. 



DEVOTIONS FOR SEVERAL OCCASIONS. 235 

XXIV. 

Strengthen my faith, O God, and increase my hope, that, 
in the greatest danger, I may against hope believe in hope, 
and with faith and love expect the salvation of the Lord , and 
may find thy goodness rescuing me from this present fear, 
and defending me in all our difficulties, and sanctifying every 
accident, and sweetening every event of providence, and 
consigning me by these blessings to a final delivery from all 
my sins, and from the evil which my sins deserve, to the 
glory of God, to the salvation of my soul in thy day, in thy 
glorious day, eternal and most holy Saviour and Re- 
deemer Jesu. Amen. 

XXV. 

A Prayer wherewith to conclude all our Devotions. 

Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions 
of them that ask in thy Son's name ; I beseech thee merci- 
fully to incline thine ears unto me, who have now made my 
prayers and supplications unto thee : and grant that those 
things which I have faithfully asked according to thy will, 
may be effectually obtained, to the relief of my necessity, 
and to the setting forth of thy glory, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

The Blessing. 

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding ; the 
blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Ghost; the virtue of Christ's blessed cross and passion ; 
be with me now, and at the hour of death. Amen. 



COLLECTION OF OFFICES, 



OR 



FORMS OF PRAYER 



IN 



CASES ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY; 

TAKEN OUT OF THE SCRIPTURES, AND THE ANCIENT LITUR- 
GIES OF SEVERAL CHURCHES, ESPECIALLY THE GREEK. 



l-ri ro O.VTO i ry ir^fio^n Up* ffinif^tffi fti* linfif Ifra, its tavf. 

St. Ignaliut. 



AN 

ADVERTISEMENT* 

TO THEM THAT SHALL USE THESE PRAYERS. 



BECAUSE no Prayers are the more pleasing to God 
for being long, and they are oftentimes displeasing 
even to good men if they be very long ; and yet, on 
the other side, if the devotion be long it is the 
better : and if that be lasting, it ought to be sup- 
plied with materials, like gums to the altar of 
incense, and fuel for the holy fires : he that collected 
these devotions did design to serve the advantages 
both of length and shortness, that the most devout 
may be fitted, and the most secular and employed 
may not be wearied. 

1. Therefore, although every thing is set down 
at length, that the trouble of references and turnings 
back might be avoided, and, therefore, seem longer 
than they are ; and the hymns are sometimes double, 
that the variety might be more apt to please and to 

* The reason for omitting the Preface to the " Collection of Offices," has been 
stated at p. 312 of vol. vii. 



240 AN ADVERTISEMENT, &C. 

i 

instruct, and the offices are made full, that upon the 
more solemn days, when people come with a greater 
and more active devotion and greater leisure, their 
time and their piety might be employed ; yet, on 
other days, there is but one lesson appointed, and 
one hymn to follow it. 

2. The prayers are divided into smaller portions, 
that with ease any of them may be omitted by 
persons whose occasions force them from their at- 
tendance on longer offices; besides that there are 
two Forms of Morning and Evening Prayer, the one 
shorter, the other longer. 

3. In the beginning of Morning and Evening 
Prayer, some of the devotions which are set down, 
are desired and intended to be used but seldom; 
not only to avoid tediousness, but for other reasons 
very obvious, that the minister's more solemn power 
and office might not be less regarded, by being 
daily (and consequently very often without just dis- 
positions) offered : I mean it concerning the form of 
Absolution. The Confession may be shortened as 
there is cause, by making use only of some of the 
sections, and leaving out the other. 

4. If, upon communion-days, the Morning Prayer 
and the Communion Office be not read at one time, 
but the Morning Prayer be read at seven or eight 
o'clock in the morning ; and the Communion Office 



AN ADVERTISEMENT, &C. 241 

at the time of celebration ; or if it be convenient that 
they be both together, if then the sermon be in the 
afternoon, the length will be very tolerable. 

5. These Prayers being intended only as a cha- 
ritable ministry to them who are not permitted to use 
those which were appointed formerly, there is no 
necessity upon any one, and he may use as much or 
as little as he please ; and therefore no man will have 
cause to complain of length or shortness. 



VOL. XV. 



For the Offices themselves, I pray God bless them to all 
those ends whither they are designed, and to which in their 
own nature they can minister. And as I humbly recommend 
them to God's blessing, so I do submit them to the judgment 
of my afflicted mother the Church of England, and particu- 
larly to the censure of my spiritual superiors : and I desire 
that these Prayers may no longer be used in any public 
place, than my lords the bishops, upon prudent inquiries 
and grave considerations, shall perceive them apt to minister 
to God's glory, and useful to the present or future necessities 
of the sons and daughters of the Church of England. 



MORNING PRAYER, 

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 



Say one or more of these Sentences. 

HE that covereth his sins, shall not prosper: but he that 
confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy. Prov. 
xxviii. 13. 

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, 
though we have rebelled against him. Neither have we 
obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in his laws, 
which he hath set before us by his servants the prophets. 
Dan. ix. 10. 

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and 
the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is 
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 
from all unrighteousness. 1 John, i. 8, 9. 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; a broken and 
a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm li. 17. 

Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye 
have transgressed, and make you a new heart, and a new 
spirit. For why will ye die ? I have no pleasure in the 
death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God. Wherefore 
turn yourselves, and live ye. Ezek. xviii. 31, 32. 

After which say, 

Draw nigh, therefore, unto God, and he will draw nigh 
unto you. Cleanse your hands, and purify your hearts. 
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and make a 
confession of your sins unto him, with a hearty sorrow 
and an humble hope, begging for pardon at the throne of 
grace. 

Let us pray. 

The Confession. 

I. 

O ALMIGHTY GOD, great Lord of heaven and earth, we mi- 
serable sinners, with fear and shame, cast ourselves down 



244 MORNING PRAYER 

before thee, humbly confessing our manifold sins and unsuf- 
ferable wickednesses, by which we have deserved thy wrath, 
and that we should be separated from the sweetest comforts 
of thy presence for ever. 

II. 

We confess, O great God, we have sinned against thee 
by knowledge and by ignorance, by folly and by surprise, 
by word and deed, by anger and desires, by night and by 
day, in private and in public, by the lusts of the flesh and 
the vanity and pride of our spirits : our sins of omission are 
infinite, and the sins of our tongue cannot be numbered. O 
God, thy words and laws are holy, and thy judgments are 
terrible ; but we have broken all thy righteous laws and 
commandments, and we have great cause to be afraid of thy 
severest judgments : and where shall we appear, when thou 
art angry with us ? 

III. 

But thou shalt answer for us, O Lord our God : thou art 
our Judge, but thou art our Redeemer ; we have sinned, but 
thou, O blessed Jesus, art our Advocate. Have mercy 
upon us ; have mercy upon us, most miserable sinners ; enter 
not into judgment with us, lest we die : let not thine anger 
arise, lest we be consumed ; but spare us, gracious Lord, 
spare thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most 
precious blood ; O reserve not evil in store for us against 
the day of vengeance, but shew thy goodness in us, and let 
thy mercies be magnified upon us : deliver us, O Lord, from 
the power of sin ; and preserve us from the punishments of 
it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Deprecation to be used upon solemn Days, or at the Dis- 
cretion of him that ministers. 

I. 

O LORD our God, whose power is infinite, whose glory is 
supreme, whose mercy is without measure, whose goodness 
is unspeakable, despise not thy returning servants, who 
earnestly beg for pardon and to be reconciled to thee : sanc- 
tify, O God, our bodies and souls, search out our spirits, and 
cast out all iniquity from within us ; all weak principles and 
false arguings, every impure lust and filthy desire, all pride 
and envy, all hypocrisy and lying, all inordinate love of this 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 245 

world, and base covetousness ; all hardness of heart and un- 
relenting dispositions, all peevishness and hasty anger, all 
mindfulness of injuries and revengefulness, all blasphemy 
and irreligion ; and every motion of soul and body, which 
can withdraw us from thee, and is against thy will and 
commandment. 

II. 

Gracious Father, give us perfect pardon for what is past, 
and a perfect repentance of all our evils, that, for the time to 
come, we may, with pure spirits, with broken and contrite 
hearts, with sanctified lips and holy desires, serve thee reli- 
giously ; walk humbly with our God; converse justly and 
charitably with men ; and possess our souls in patience and 
holiness, and our bodies in sanctification and honour, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Prayer of A bsolution, to be said by the Minister alone, 
according to his Piety and Discretion, when he sees cause, 
not frequently. 

OUR blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus, the great Shepherd 
and Bishop of our souls, that Lamb of God who taketh 
away the sins of the world, who promised paradise to the 
repenting thief, and gave pardon to the woman taken in 
adultery, pardon and forgive all your sins known and 
unknown. 

O blessed Jesus, in whatsoever thy servants as men 
bearing flesh about them, and inhabiting this world, or de- 
ceived by the devil, have sinned, whether in word or deed, 
whether in thought or desire, whether by omission or com- 
mission, let it be forgiven unto them by thy word and by 
thy Spirit ; and for ever preserve thy servants from sinning 
against thee, and from suffering thine eternal anger, for thy 
promise sake, and for thy glorious name's sake, O blessed 
Lord and Saviour Jesus. Amen. 

Then devoutly and distinctly say the Lord's Prayer. 

OUR Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in 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. 



246 MORNING PRAYER 

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

The Doxology. 

GLORY be to the Father of mercies, the Father of men and 
angels, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Glory be to the most holy and eternal Son of God, the 
blessed Saviour and Redeemer of the world, the Advocate of 
sinners, the Prince of Peace, the Head of the Church, and 
the mighty Deliverer of all that call upon him. 

Glory be to the holy and eternal Spirit of God, the Holy 
Ghost the Comforter, the sanctifying and life-giving Spirit. 

All glory and thanks, all honour and power, all love and 
obedience, be to the blessed and undivided Trinity, one God 
eternal. 

The heavens declare thy glory, the earth confesses thy 
providence, the sea manifests thy power ; and every spirit, 
and every understanding creature, celebrates thy greatness, 
for ever and ever. All glory and majesty, all praises and 
dominion be unto thee, O God, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Then arising from their knees, let the Psalter be read in order, as shall 
be judged convenient : that is to say, the ordinary portions for every 
day, Morning and Evening Prayer: and Psalms particularly chosen for 
special Days of Festivity, or of Humiliation, respectively. 

After the Psalms ending with " Glory be to the Father," &c., read a 
chapter in the Old Testament. The chapter out of the Old Testament 
is to be read on Sundays and Festivals ; and not omitted without great 
occasion : but, on ordinary days, it may suffice, after the Psalms, imme- 
diately to read the Lesson out of the New Testament. 

A fter which, recite this Hymn to the honour of God; saying the verse* 
interchangeably. * 

REJOICE in the Lord, ye righteous : for praise is comely for 
the upright. 

The word of the Lord is true ; and all his works are 
faithful. 

He loveth righteousness and judgment : the earth is full 
of the goodness of the Lord. 

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all 
the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 

He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap : 
he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 247 

Let all the earth fear the Lord : let all the inhabitants 
of the world stand in awe of him. 

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him ; 
upon them that hope in his mercy. 

To deliver their souls from death ; and to keep them 
alive in the time of famine. 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous ; but the Lord 
delivereth him out of all. 

Evil shall slay the wicked : and they that hate the 
righteous shall be desolate. 

Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise 
wicked works with men that work iniquity : and let me 
not eat of their dainties. 

Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning, 
for in thee do I trust : cause me to know the way wherein I 
should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee. 

Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God ; thy 
Spirit is good : lead me into the laud of uprightness. 

Gather not my soul with sinners; nor my life with 
bloody men. 

The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and 
saved him out of all his troubles. 

O taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the 
man that trusteth in him. 

O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up 
for them that fear thee ; which thou hast wrought for them 
that trust in thee before the sons of men. 

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence 
from the pride of man : thou shalt keep them secretly in 
a pavilion, from the strife of tongues. 

O love the Lord, all ye his saints : for the Lord preserveth 
the faithful, and plenteously rewardeth the proud doer. 

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, 
all ye that hope in the Lord. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Or this, 

SING praises unto God, sing praises : sing praises unto 
our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the 
earth : sing ye praises with understanding. 

God reigneth over the nations : God sitteth upon the 
throne of his holiness. 



248 MORNING PRAYER 

He is our refuge and strength : a very present help in 
trouble. 

Many, O Lord our God, are thy wonderful works which 
thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are towards us : 
they cannot be reckoned in order. 

For God is my King of old, working salvation in the 
midst of the earth. 

Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood ; thou 
driest up mighty rivers. 

The day is thine, the night also is thine : thou hast 
prepared the light and the sun. 

Thou hast set all the borders of the earth, thou hast 
made summer and winter. 

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name : 
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. 

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters : the God of 
glory thundereth, the Lord is upon many waters. 

The voice of the Lord is powerful : the voice of the 
Lord is full of majesty. 

The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and 
discovereth the forests : and m his temple doth every 
man speak of his glory. 

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous : and 
shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. 

For this God is our God for ever and ever, he will be 
our guide unto death. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Then read a Lesson out of one of the four Gospels, or the Acts of the 
holy Apostles; in order, or bj choice, upon extraordinary occasions. 
After which recite one of these following Psalms. 

THE mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken, and called 
the earth, from the rising of the sun unto the going down 
thereof. 

Out of Sion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. 

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence : a fire 
shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous 
round about him. 

He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the 
earth, that he may judge his people. 

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness ; for God 
is Judge himself. 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 249 

His name shall endure for ever : his name shall be con- 
tinued as lono- as the sun : and men shall be blessed in him : 

O 

all nations shall call him blessed. 

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only 
doth wondrous things. 

And blessed be his glorious name for ever : and let the 
whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, Amen. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Or this, to be said especially on Communion Days. 

PSALM XXIII. 

THE Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. 

He inaketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth 
me beside the still waters. 

He restoreth my soul : he leadeth me in the paths of 
righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 
death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me ; thy rod and 
thy staff they comfort me. 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine 
enemies, thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth 
over. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days 
of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Then say the Apostles' Creed, or the Nicene Creed, if it be a great 
Festival of the Church. 

I BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
and earth : 

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord : Which was 
conceived by the Holy Ghost : Born* of the Virgin Mary : 
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and 
buried : He descended into hell : The third day he rose again 
from the dead : He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the 
right-hand of God the Father Almighty : From "thence he 
shall come to judge the quick and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Ghost : The holy catholic Church : 
the communion of saints : The forgiveness of sins : The 
resurrection of the body : And the life everlasting. Amen. 



250 MORNING PRAYER. 

The Nicene Creed, to be said upon the great Solemnities 
of the Year. 

I BELIEVE in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of 
heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. 

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of 
God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of gods, 
Light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, 
being of one substance with the Father ; by whom all things 
were made : who for us men and for our salvation came down 
from heaven, and was incarnate, by the Holy Ghost, of the 
Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for 
us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered, and was buried, and 
the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and 
ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right-hand of the 
Father. And he shall come again with glory, to judge both 
the quick and the dead : whose kingdom shall have no end. 
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, 
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the 
Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, 
who spake by the prophets. And I believe one catholic and 
apostolic church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remis- 
sion of sins. And I look for the resurrection of the dead, 
and the life of the world to come. Amen. 

After the Creed. 

Minister. The Lord be with you. 
People. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

OUR FATHER which art in heaven : Hallowed be thy name : 
Thy kingdom come : Thy will be done in 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 : 
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

I. 

O GREAT King of heaven and earth, the Lord and Patron of 
all ages, receive thy servants approaching to the throne of 
grace in the name of Jesus Christ ; give unto every one of us 
what is best for us, cast out all evil from within us, work in 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 251 

us a fulness of holiness, of wisdom and spiritual understand- 
ing, that we, increasing in the knowledge of God, may be 
fruitful in every good work, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

The Collect for the Morning. 

II. 

O Almighty Father, great God of all the world, who 
dwellest in the light to which no man can approach, in thy 
presence there is no night, in the light of thy countenance 
there is perpetual day : we thy servants, whom thou hast pre- 
served this night, who bless and glorify thee this day, who 
live by thy power, who desire to walk by thy laws, to be 
blessed by thy providence, to be defended by thy almighty 
hand, humbly pray unto thee, that this day and all the days 
of our lives may be holy and peaceable ; send thy Holy Spirit, 
the Spirit of peace, to be the guide of our way, the guard of 
our souls and bodies. Grant that all the chances and acci- 
dents of this day may be healthful to our bodies and profit- 
able to our souls ; and that we may spend the remaining 
portion of our life in blessing, and peace, and holiness. Make 
thou the latter end of our days to be Christian, without 
shame and without torment ; and when we shall appear be- 
fore thy dreadful seat of judgment, grant that we may not be 
confounded, but may stand upright in the congregation of 
the saints, acquitted by the death of Christ, justified by his 
resurrection, pardoned by his sentence, saved by his mercy, 
that we may rejoice in his salvation, and sing thy praises for 
ever and ever. Amen. 

A Prayer against Temptations. 

III. 

O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy name is 
great, thy essence is infinite, thy g'oodness is eternal, and 
thy power hath no limit ; thou art the God and Lord of all, 
blessed for evermore. Look down in mercy and compassion 
from thy dwelling, hear our prayers and supplications, and 
deliver us from all temptations of the world, the flesh, and 
the devil. Take not thy grace from us, let us never want 
thy help in our needs, nor thy comfort in the day of our 
danger and calamity. Never try us beyond our strengths, 
nor afflict us beyond our patience, nor smite us but with a 



252 MORNING PRAYER 

father's rod. We have no strengths of our own, thou art 
bur confidence, our rock, and our strong salvation. Save us, 
O God, from the miseries of this world, and never let us 
suffer the intolerable calamities of the next. Rescue us from 
the evils we have done, and preserve us from the evils we 
have deserved ; that we, living before thee with clean hearts, 
and undefiled bodies, and sanctified spirits, may, at the day 
of judgment, be presented pure and spotless by the blood of 
the Lamb, that we may sing eternal hellelujahs in heavenly 
places to the honour of God our Saviour, who hath redeemed 
our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from 
falling. Grant this in the richness of thy mercy, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then shall be added, upon all Sundays and Festivals of the year, this 

following Prayer : and upon other days, as opportunity is to be had, all 

or some portions. 
The Prayers for Kings, &c., and the state Ecclesiastical, are never to be 

omitted : but on ordinary days it may suffice to recite them, omitting so 

much of either as is included in the columns [*]. 

The Prayer of Intercession, for all States of Men and Women 
in the Catholic Church. 

I. 

SAVE us, defend and keep us in thy fear and love, O thou 
God of mercy and grace ; give unto us the light of thy 
countenance, pardon of our sins, health of our body, sancti- 
fication of our spirits, peace from heaven, and salvation of 
our souls in the day of our Lord Jesus. Amen. 

For the Catholic Church. 

II. 

Hear our prayers for thy holy Church catholic, which thou 
hast redeemed with thy blood, sealed and sanctified with thy 
Spirit : extirpate all heresies and false doctrines, unite all her 
divisions, let her be prosperous under thy favour, and the 
protection of kings and princes, and the whole secular arm : 
that she may daily celebrate thy name, with strict obedience, 
and pure spiritual sacrifices; that she may be accepted, and 
prevail in her daily and nightly prayers, and that the gates 
of hell may never prevail against her ; let her live in the 
Spirit, and reign in thy glory ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 253 

For the supreme Power. 

III. 

We pray unto thee, O great King of heaven and earth, for 
all Christian kings, princes, governors, and states : crown 
them with justice and peace, and with the love of God, and 
the love of their people ; [*] let holiness be the ornament of 
their heads ; invest them with the armour of righteousness, 
and let the anointing from above make them sacred and 
venerable, wise and holy, [*] that being servants of the King 
of kings, friends of religion, ministers of justice, and patrons 
of the poor, they may, at last, inherit a portion in the king- 
dom of our Lord Jesus.. 

For the State Ecclesiastical. 
IV. 

Remember all them that do the Lord's work in the 
ministry and conduct of souls. Give them great gifts and 
great holiness, [*] that wisely and charitably, diligently and 
zealously, prudently and acceptably, they may be guides to 
the blind, comforters to the sad and weary, that they may 
strengthen the weak and confirm the strong, separate the 
vile from the precious, boldly rebuke sin, patiently suffer for 
the truth, and be exemplary in their lives, [*] that in all their 
actions and sermons, in their discipline and ministrations, 
they may advance the good of souls, and the honour of our 
Lord Jesus. Amen. 

For all Orders and States of Men, &fc. 
V. 

O blessed God, who art rich in mercy and compassion, 
take care of all states of men and women in the Christian 
Church, the nobility and gentry, magistrates and judges, 
advocates and physicians, merchants and artificers, husband- 
men and tradesmen, the labourers and the hirelings : give 
them grace in their several callings to glorify thee, and to 
keep a good conscience both towards God and towards man, 
that they may find eternal comfort in the glorious day of our 
Lord Jesus. 

For the Miserable and Afflicted. 

VI. 
In mercy remember the poor and needy, the widows and 



254 MORNING PRAYER. 

fatherless, the strangers and the friendless, the oppressed 
and the grieved, the decrepit and sickly, the young men 
and the tempted, the weak of heart and the weak in hody, 
them that languish and them that are dying ; relieve their 
necessities, comfort their sorrows, sanctify their calamities, 
strengthen their weaknesses, and suffer not the devil to pre- 
vail over them in the days of their sorrow and disadvantage : 
and, in thy due time, deliver them from their sad bondage 
into thy glorious liberty of the sons of God, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

VII. 

Be a guide to the travellers, a star and a port to mariners, 
the comfort and strength of miners and galley-slaves. Pity, 
good God, all gentlemen that are fallen into poverty and 
sad misfortunes ; strengthen and deliver all women that are 
in sharp and dangerous labour ; all them that roar and groan 
with intolerable pains and noisome diseases : have mercy 
and compassion upon all that are afflicted with illusion of 
the night and frightful apparitions ; that are haunted or pos- 
sessed with evil spirits, or troubled with despairing or amazed 
consciences, with the stone and with the gout, with vio- 
lent colics and grievous ulcers : give them pity and give 
them patience, a speedy deliverance from their calamity, and 
a sanctified use of the rod of God, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

VIII. 

We pray unto thee, O blessed Father, in behalf of all that 
are in banishment and captivity, in fetters or hard services, 
n want or extreme poverty, in great fear or in any great 
passion. Keep them from sinning against thee, and from 
being swallowed by too great a sorrow. Let the accidents 
of their lives be under the command of reason, and of thy 
Holy Spirit, and end in holiness and comfort, in peace and 
joys eternal ; through the mercies of our God, in our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

For Preservation from Danger and Evil. 

IX. 

Keep us, O God, from famine and pestilence, from earth- 
quakes and inundations, from fire and sword, from invasion 
by foreign enemies and from civil wars, from false religion 



EVENING PRAYER, &C. 255 

and from discountenancing the true : let every Christian soul 
find pity at the throne of grace : let all our errors and igno- 
rances find pardon by Christ, and remedy by the Holy Spirit 
of Christ ; hear all our prayers, relieve all our necessities, 
sanctify all the events of thy providence, and the changes of 
our life, that we may for ever love and for ever fear thee, and 
all things may work together for our good unto thy glory, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Blessing. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, 
and the communication of the Holy Spirit of God, be with 
us, and with all our relatives, and with all the servants of 
God, this day, and for evermore. Amen. 



EVENING PRAYER, 

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 



Say one or more of these sentences. 

O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be 
ashamed, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain 
of living waters. 

O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, have 
mercy upon us for thy name's sake ; for our backslidings 
are many, we have sinned against thee. 

Seek the Lord, while he may be found : call upon him, 
when he is near. 

There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. 

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, 
and passeth by the remnant of the transgression of his 
heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he 
delighteth in mercy. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 
man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he 
will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will 
abundantly pardon. 



256 EVENING PRAYER. 

Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, 
whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place, with 
him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive 
the spirit of the humble, and to renew the hearts of them 
that are contrite. 

After which add this short Exhortation. 

I beseech you that are present, to join with me in an 
humble confession of sins to Almighty God, casting your- 
selves down with all humility before the throne of grace. 

The Confession. 
I. 

ALMIGHTY GOD, powerful and merciful, thou art a jealous 
God against persevering sinners, but a gracious Father to 
the penitent : let thy merciful ears be opened to the peti- 
tions of thy servants, who, with sorrow and shame, confess 
their sins unto thee. 

II. 

We have loved the world, not thee: we have obeyed the 
desires of our own hearts, not thy holy laws and command- 
ments : we have often left our duty undone, but cease not to 
please our senses, and to feed greedily upon vanity : thou 
hast commanded us to love our brethren, and, instead of 
loving them, we have slandered and reproached, injured 
and tempted them, envied their good, and rejoiced in their 
calamity. 

III. 

O blessed God, we are ashamed when we remember our 
own follies, our violent passions, our peevishness and pride, 
our vain thoughts and unprofitable words, our uncharitable 
and useless conversation : we spend our days in idleness 
and folly, our nights in the images and causes of death ; 
and though our sins are so many that we cannot number 
them, yet we so little apprehend our own dangers that we 
neither leave them utterly nor heartily deplore them. 

IV. 

But, O God, thou God of pity and compassion, have 
mercy upon us : for thou art our Father, merciful and gra- 
cious, and thou hast revealed to mankind an infinite mercy 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 257 

in Jesus Christ. For his sake be pleased to give us repent- 
ance and to give us pardon, and grant that our souls being 
washed in the blood of the holy Lamb and the baptism of 
repentance, we may live a gracious, a holy, and a blessed 
life, in all godliness, and honesty, and sobriety, and may die 
in the love of God, in the charity of our neighbours, in the 
communion of the Church, and in a sure and certain hope of 
life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Prayer of Absolution, to be said by the Minister alone, 
according to his Piety and Discretion, when he sees cause. 

Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus, the great Shepherd 
and Bishop of our souls, that Lamb of God that taketh away 
the sins of the world, who promised Paradise to the repent- 
ing thief, and gave pardon to the woman taken in adultery, 
pardon and forgive all your sins known and unknown. O 
blessed Jesus, in whatsoever thy servants, as men bearing- 
flesh about them, and inhabiting this world, or deceived by 
the devil, have sinned whether in word or deed, whether in 
thought or desire, whether by omission or commission, let it 
be forgiven unto them by thy word and by thy Spirit ; and 
for ever preserve thy servants from sinning against thee, and 
from suffering thine eternal anger, for thy promise sake, and 
for thy glorious name's sake, O blessed Lord and Saviour 
Jesus. Amen. 

Then devoutly and distinctly say the Lord's Prayer. 

Our Father which art in heaven : Hallowed be thy name : 
Thy kingdom come : Thy will be done in 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 : 
For thine is the kingdom, the power,, and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

The Doxology. 

Glory be to the Father of mercies, the Father of men and 
angels, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Glory be to the most holy and eternal Son of God, the 
blessed Saviour and Redeemer of the world, the Advocate of 
sinners, the Prince of peace, the Head of the Church, aud the 
mighty Deliverer of all them that call upon him. 

VOL. xv. s 



258 EVENING PRAYER 

Glory be to the holy and eternal Spirit of God, the Holy 
Ghost the Comforter, the sanctifying and life-giving Spirit. 

All glory and thanks, all honour and power, all love 
and obedience, be to the blessed and undivided Trinity, one 
God eternal. 

The heavens declare thy glory ; the earth confesses thy 
providence ; the sea manifests thy power ; and every spirit, 
and every understanding creature, celebrates thy greatness 
for ever and ever. All glory and majesty, all praises and 
dominion, be unto thee, O God, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Then, arising from their knees, let the Psalms be said in order, unless 
some extraordinary occasion do intervene : in which case let Psalms 
be selected according to the occasion, or as is afterwards described , 
concluding with, Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Then read, upon all Sundays and Festivals of the year, a Chapter in the 
Old Testament, either in order or by choice. 

After the Lesson recite this Hymn. 

I will remember the works of the Lord ; surely I will 
remember the wonders of old : I will meditate of all thy 
works, and talk of thy doings. 

Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary : who is so great a 
God as our God ? 

Thou art the God that doest wonders, thou hast declared 
thy strength among the people. 

Thou, even thou, art to be feared : and who may stand 
in thy sight when thou art angry ? 

For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine 
is red ; it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same ; 
but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall 
wring them out and drink them. 

But I will declare for ever : I will sing praises to the 
God of Jacob. 

For thou art my hope, O Lord God : thou art my trust 
from my youth. 

By thee have I been holden up from the womb : thou art 
he that took me out of my mother's bowels, my praise shall 
be continually of thee. 

For the Lord is a sun and a shield : the Lord will give 
grace and glory : and no good thing will he withhold from 
them that live a godly life. 



THROUGHOUT TIIK YKAR. 2. r if> 

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that puttcth his trust 
in thce. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Or this. 

God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, 
and to be had in reverence of all them that arc about him. 

Thou rulest the raging of the sea ; when the waves 
thereof arise, thou stillest them. 

'Hi e heavens are thine, the earth also is thine : as for the 
world arid the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. 

Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne : 
mercy and truth shall go before thy face. 

For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, lo, thine enemies shall 
perish : all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 

The righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree : he shall 
grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 

Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall 
flourish in the courts of our God. 

They shall still bring forth fruit in their old age : they 
shall be fat and flourishing. 

To shew that the Lord is upright : he is our rock, and 
there is no unrighteousness in him. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Then read a Lesson out of the Epistles of St. Paul, or any of the Canon, 
ical Epistles ; in order, or selected upon special occasions. 

After the Lesson say this Psalm. 

Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer, and attend to the 
voice of my supplications. 

Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger 
towards us to cease. 

For thou, Lord, art good, and* ready to forgive, and 
plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon thee. 

O remember not against us former iniquities : let thy 
tender mercies speedily prevent us. 

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy 
name : deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's 
sake. 

Teach us thy way, O God, and we will walk in thy 
truth : unite our hearts to fear thy name. 



260 EVENING PRAYER 

O satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may rejoice 
and be glad all our days. 

So we, thy people and sheep of thy pasture, will give 
thee thanks for ever : we will shew forth thy praise from 
generation to generation. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Or this. 

In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be 
ashamed ; deliver me in thy righteousness. 

Into thy hand I commend my spirit ; thou hast redeemed 
me, O Lord God of truth. 

Make thy face to shine upon thy servants : save us for 
thy mercies' sake. 

For great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for 
them that fear thee ; which thou hast wrought for them 
that trust in thee before the sons of men. 

The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that 
fear him, and delivereth them. 

Thou art my hiding-place ; thou shalt preserve me from 
trouble ; thou shalt compass me about with songs of 
deliverance. 

Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the 
beasts of the forest do creep forth. 

Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast 
thou made them all : the earth is full of thy riches. 

The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever : the Lord 
shall rejoice in his works. 

He appointed the moon for certain seasons ; and the sun 
knoweth his going down. 

1 will sing unto the Lord as long as I live : I will sing 
praise unto my God while I have my being : my meditation 
of him shall be sweet, I will rejoice in the Lord. 

I will both lay me down in peace and sleep ; for thou, 
Lord, makest me dwell in safety. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Or else say Psalm 103d, or the 91st, or the 121 ( . 
Then shall follow the Apostles' Creed. 

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
and earth : And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord ; 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 261 

Which was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin 
Mary : Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, 
and buried : He descended into hell : The third day he rose 
again from the dead : He ascended into heaven, and sitteth 
on the right-hand of God the Father Almighty : From 
thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Ghost : the holy catholic Church : 
The communion of saints : The forgiveness of sins : The 
resurrection of the body: And the life everlasting. Amen. 

Minister. The Lord be with you. 

People. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name : 
Thy kingdom come : Thy will be done in 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. 
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for 
ever and ever. Amen. 

Then follows the first Collect, as at Morning Prayer. 
I. 

O great King of heaven and earth, the Lord and Patron 
of all ages, receive thy servants approaching to the throne of 
grace in the name of Jesus Christ. Give unto every one of 
us what is best for us, cast out all evil from within us, work 
in us a fulness of holiness, of wisdom and spiritual under- 
standing, that we, increasing in the knowledge of God, may 
be fruitful in every good work ; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

Or this. 

Save us, defend and keep us in thy fear and love, O thou 
God of mercy and grace. Give unto us the light of thy 
countenance ; pardon of our sins, health of body, sanctifica- 
tion of our spirits, peace from heaven, and salvation of our 
souls in the day of our Lord Jesus. Amen. 

I. 

For Repentance and a Holy Life. 
Almighty God, the fountain of holiness and felicity, who 



262 EVENING PRAYER 

by thy word and thy Spirit dost conduct all thy servants hi 
the ways of peace and sanctity ; inviting them by promises, 
and winning them by love ; endearing them by necessities, 
and obliging them by the perpetual testimonies of thy loving- 
kindness ; grant unto us so truly to repent us of our sins, so 
carefully to reform our errors, so diligently to watch over all 
our actions, so industriously to do all our duty, that we may 
never transgress thy holy laws willingly ; but that it may be 
the work of our lives to obey thee, the joy of our souls to 
please thee, the satisfaction of all our hopes, and the perfec- 
tion of our desires, to live with thee in the holiness of thy 
kingdom of grace and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

II. 

For Peace. 

O Almighty and most gracious Father, who art the 
Fountain of peace, and the Father of unions, we pray unto 
thee for peace, for love, and for thy salvation. Let a holy 
peace for ever dwell in our consciences. Let peace and 
holiness, and God's blessing, for ever adorn, support, and 
enlarge this family : [or parish, or church, or commonwealth. ,] 
Let there be peace and union of minds in all Christian 
assemblies ; one heart and one voice, the same faith and an 
eternal charity. Make wars to cease in all the world, that 
the peace and the design of the Gospel may be advanced, 
the laws of the holy Jesus may be obeyed, and his name be 
magnified in all the world, for ever and ever. Amen. 

III. 

For all Christian Princes, and the Ecclesiastical State. 

Almighty God, who rulest in the kingdoms of men, and 
in all the events of the world, defend those with thy mercy 
whom thou hast adorned with thy power ; lift up the horn, 
advance the just interests of all Christian kings, princes, and 
states, by the power of thy venerable and life-giving passion. 

Give unto all them who serve thee in the ministries of 
religion, wisdom and holiness, the blessings of peace, and 
great abilities to minister prosperously to the good of souls, 
by the power and aids of thy Holy Spirit of wisdom. 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 263 

IV. 

Pardon all our sins ; take away our iniquities from us all, 
and preserve us from all danger and trouble, from need and 
persecution, from the temptations of the devil, from the 
violence and fraud of all our enemies. Keep us, O God, 
from sinning against thee, and from suffering thy wrath ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

V. 

The Collect for the Evening. 

O Almighty Father, who givest the sun for a light by 
day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a 
light by night, vouchsafe to receive us, this night and ever, 
into thy favour and protection, defending us from all sad 
casualties and evil accidents, ruling and governing us with 
thy Holy Spirit, that all darkness and hurtful ignorance, all 
infidelity and weakness of heart, all inordinate fear and 
carnal affections, may be removed far from us ; that we, 
being justified by the mercies of God in our Lord Jesus, may 
be sanctified by thy Spirit, and glorified by thy infinite 
mercies in the day of the glorious appearing of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

VI. 

For a blessed Death. 

O most gracious and most holy Redeemer, who, by dying 
for us, becamest the Author of life unto us, and hast sub- 
dued all the powers of hell and the grave, taking away the 
sting of death, and breaking in pieces the powers of dark- 
ness ; have mercy upon us now and at the hour of death : 
let thy Holy Spirit govern all our words and actions, our 
thoughts and designs, our civil iptercourse and the duties of 
religion ; and grant to us so perfectly to obey his command- 
ments, and attend his motions all the days of our life, that 
we may, by holy habits and a constant performance of our 
duty, wait for the coming of our Lord, and be ready to enter 
with him at whatsoever hour he shall come. 

VII. 

O be merciful unto us in the day of our calamity, and 



264 EVENING PRAYER 

of thy visitation : strengthen our faith in the day of our 
sicknesses and trial, when the cloud is thick and the storm is 
great : that we may rely upon thy grace, invocate thy 
mercies, hope in thy goodness, and receive the end of our 
hopes, the salvation of our souls. O let us never descend 
into the dwellings of the wicked, nor into the place of them 
that know not God ; but be pleased here to guide us with 
thy counsel, and after that receive us with thy glory, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Or this. 

O eternal God, thou Fountain of life and pardon, there is 
no number of thy days nor of thy mercies ; be merciful unto 
us now and at the hour of our death ; let not thy servants 
be arrested with sudden death, that we be neither unready in 
our accounts, nor snatched hence with an imperfect duty, 
nor surprised in an act of sin, nor called upon when our 
lamps are untrimmed ; let it be neither violent nor untimely, 
hasty nor unblessed, but after the ordinary visitation of men, 
having in it an excellent patience and an exemplar piety, 
and the greatest senses and demonstrations of thy eternal 
mercies. Preserve, O God, our reason and religion, our 
faith and our hope, our sense and our speech, perfect and 
useful till the last of our days ; and grant that we may die 
the death of the righteous, and let our last end be like to 
his, free from debt and deadly sin, having first discharged 
all our obligations of justice, and made competent provision 
for our relatives, that none of ours be left miserable and 
unprovided in our departure ; but grant that being blessed 
by thy providence, and sanctified with thy Spirit, they may 
for ever be servants of the Lord Jesus. 

II. 

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts, shut not 
up thy merciful eyes and ears unto our prayers ; but spare 
us, O Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and 
merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us 
not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee ; 
but strengthen us with a mighty grace, and support us with 
an infinite mercy, giving us perfect measures of repentance 
and great treasures of charity ; that at the general resurrec- 



THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 265 

tion in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy 
sight, and receive that blessing which thy well-beloved Son 
shall then pronounce to all them that love and fear thee, 
saying, ' Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive 
the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the 
world.' This mercy, O most merciful Father, vouchsafe to 
give unto us and all thy servants, through Jesus Christ, our 
Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. 

Here may be inserted any of the portions of the Prayer of Intercession, 
which is at the end of Morning Prayer. 

The Blessing. 

The Lord bless you and keep you : the Lord make his 
face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The 
Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you, and give 
you peace. 

The blessing of 'God Almighty, the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, be amongst you , and abide with you, and be 
your portion for ever and ever. Amen. 



To be added to the foregoing Offices upon special Occasions, immediately 
before the Blessing at Morning or Evening Prayer. 

A Prayer before Sermon. 

O LORD GOD, Fountain of life, Giver of all good things, 
who givest to men the blessed hope of eternal life by our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and hast promised thy Holy Spirit to 
them that ask him ; be present with us in the dispensation 
of thy holy word [and sacraments] ,* grant that we, being 
preserved from all evil by thy power, and, among the diver- 
sities of opinions and judgments in this world, from all errors 
and false doctrines, and led into all truth by the conduct of 
thy Holy Spirit, may for ever obey thy heavenly calling : 
that we may not be only hearers of the word of life, but 
doers also of good works, keeping faith and a good con- 
science, living an unblamable life, usefully and charitably, 

This clause is to be omitted, if there be no sacrament that day. 



266 ADDITIONAL^ TO THE FOREGOING OFFICES. 

religiously and prudently, in all godliness and honesty before 
thee our] God, and before all the world ; that at the end of 
our mortal life we may enter into the light and life of God, 
to sing praises and eternal hymns to the glory of thy name, 
in eternal ages, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

In whose name let us pray in the words which himself 
commanded, saying, 

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name : 
Thy kingdom come : Thy will be done in 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. 
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

A Prayer of Thanksgiving after Sermon ; if it be convenient 
by reason of the Time or other Circumstances. 

I, 

Almighty God, our glory and our hope, our Lord and 
Master, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort, we 
humbly present to thee the sacrifice of a thankful spirit in a 
joyful acknowledgment of those infinite favours by which 
thou hast supported our state, enriched our spirits, com- 
forted our sorrows, relieved our necessities, blessed and 
defended our persons, instructed our ignorances, and pro- 
moted our eternal interest. We praise thy name for that 
portion of thy holy word, of which thou hast made us par- 
takers this day. Grant that it may bring forth fruit unto 
thee, and unto holiness in our whole life, to the glory of thy 
holy name, the edification of our brethren, and the eternal 
comfort of our souls in the day of our Lord Jesus. 

II. 

Have mercy upon all that desire, and upon all that need , 
our prayers. Ease the pains of the sick, support the spirit 
of the disconsolate, hear the cries of orphans and widows in 
their calamity, and restore all that are oppressed, to their 
rights, and sanctify to them all their wrongs ; pity the folly, 
and pity the calamities, of poor mankind ; in mercy remember 



ADDITIONALS TO THE FOREGOING OFFICES. 267 

those that are appointed to die, comfort and support their 
spirits, perfect and accept their repentance, and receive the 
souls returning unto thee, whom thou hast redeemed with 
thy most precious blood. 

III. 

Lord, pity and pardon, direct and bless, sanctify and save, 
us all. Give repentance to all that live in sin, and per- 
severance to all thy sons and servants for His sake who is thy 
beloved, and the foundation of all our hopes, our blessed Lord 
and Saviour Jesus, to whom, with the Father and the Holy 
Spirit, be all honour and glory, praise and adoration, love 
and obedience, now and for evermore. Amen. 

If this whole Office be said at Morning or Evening Prayer respectively, 
the Collect before Sermon here put down, may be used instead of 
the usual Prayer before Sermon, ending with the Lord's Prayer ; 
and the Sermon to begin immediately before the Blessing. 

The Sermon being ended, the Prayer of Thanksgiving may be said, and 
the Congregation dismissed with the Blessing set down at the end 
of Evening Prayer. 

A Prayer when a sick Person desires to be publicly 
prayed for. 

I. 

O Almighty and most gracious Father, who art the 
Fountain of life, and health, and pardon, hear the prayers of 
thy servants in behalf of our brother, the miserable for 
the afflicted, of sinners for him whom thou hast smitten. 
Lord, lay no more upon him than thou shall enable him to 
bear, but give him patience ; and do thou thyself open a door 
for his escape, even by a holy and a reformed life, and a 
speedy recovery, or else by a blessed death, as thou, in thy 
infinite loving-kindness, shalt choose for thy glory and his 
eternal interest. 

II. 

Lord, give unto thy servant a perfect repentance and a 
perfect pardon of all his sins. Remember not the errors of 
his youth, the weaknesses of his spirit, the surprises of his 
life, and the crimes of his choice: but join his present 
sufferings to the passion, his prayers to the intercession, and 



268 ADDITIONAL^ TO THE FOREGOING OFFICES. 

Jiis repentance to the merits of our dearest Saviour Jesus ; 
that he may be pardoned and pitied, comforted and sup- 
ported, sanctified and saved, in the day of recompenses. 

III. 

Blessed Jesus, who hast overcome all the powers of sin, 
hell, and the grave, take from thy servant all inordinate fear 
of death, give him a perfect resignation of his will, and con- 
formity to thine ; restrain the power of the enemy, that he 
may not prevail against the soul which thou hast redeemed : 
if it be thy will, give him a speedy restitution of his health, 
and a holy use of the affliction ; or if thou hast otherwise 
decreed, preserve him in thy fear and favour, and receive his 
soul to mercy, to pardon, and eternal life, through thy 
mercies and for thy compassion sake, O blessed Saviour and 
Redeemer Jesus. Amen. 

I. 

For seasonable Weather in Time of Drought, immoderate Rain 
or Scarcity, or Death of Cattle, tifc. 

O Lord God, whose providence is universal, and suffereth 
nothing to happen in vain, have mercy upon thy servants, 
who have deserved thy wrath, and to suffer thy indignation 
in every expression, by which thou art pleased to signify it. 
Thou, O God, coverest the heaven with clouds, and preparest 
rain for the earth ; thou makest the grass to grow upon the 
mountains, and herb for the use of men : thou givest fodder 
unto the cattle, and feedest the young ravens that call upon 
thee : hear us, O God, who are thy servants, and the sheep 
of thy pasture. We have indeed wandered and gone astray, 
but do thou be merciful unto us, and bring us home to thee : 
take away thine anger from us ; bless the labours of the 
husbandman, and the fruits of the field ; refresh the weary 
earth with seasonable showers [or, seasonable weather], a for 
thou hast the key of rain, and the key of providence ; thou 
didst bind up the heavens with ribs of iron, and thou didst 
open again the sluices of water, at the prayer of thy servant 
Elijah ; and thy hand is not shortened, and thy mercies have 
no limit. 

* According to the present need of rain or fair weather respectively. 



ADDITIONALS TO THE FOREGOING OFFICES. 269 

II. 

Open thy hand, O God, and fill us with thy loving- 
kindness, that the mower may fill his hand, and he that 
bindeth up the sheaves, his bosom, that our garners maybe 
full with all manner of store ; that our sheep may bring 
forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets : that our 
oxen may be strong to labour, that there be no breaking in 
or going out, that our hearts may be replenished with food 
and gladness, that there be no complaining in our streets. 
Give us sufficient for this life; food and raiment, the light of 
thy countenance, and contented spirits ; and thy grace to 
seek the kingdom of heaven and the righteousness thereof 
in the first place, and then we are sure all these things shall 
be added unto us. Grant the desires and hear the prayer of 
thy servants, for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and only 
Saviour. Amen. 

Or this, upon the same Occasion, or in the Time of any other 

Judgment. 

Almighty Father, Lord of heaven and earth, we have 
sinned, and thou hast smitten us ; and all our evils that we 
suffer, are drawn upon our heads by our own impious hands ; 
let thy threatenings and thy judgments, thy love and thy 
fear, thy promises and thy precepts, work in thy servants 
an excellent repentance, and our repentance obtain thy 
favour, and thy favour remove the present evil [of drought, 
of immoderate rain, of murrain, of plague, of war, of sick- 
ness] a from us ; sanctify unto us thy rod, and support us 
with thy staff, and restore us to those comforts which we 
need, and which thou hast promised to give to them that 
love and fear thee, that repent of their sins, and beg for 
pardon through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

According to the present occasion. 



270 MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 

A SHORTER FORM OF MORNING PRAYER 
FOR A FAMILY. 

A more private Office for the Family, to be said betimes in the morning 
on Sundays, or at any hour of the morning upon the other days of the 
week. 

IN THE NAME OF OUR BLESSED LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS, 
OUR FATHER, ETC. 

The Morning Hymn. 

HEARKEN unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God, 
for unto thee will I pray. 

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning. O Lord, in 
the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look 
up. 

Great is our Lord, and greatly to be praised : his eyes 
are ever upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto 
their cry. 

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens ; and thy faith- 
fulness reacheth unto the clouds. 

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, thy judg- 
ments are a great deep : O Lord, thou preservest both man 
and beast. 

How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O Lord ; therefore 
the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy 
wings. 

For with thee is the fountain of life : in thy light we 
shall see light. 

According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise to the 
ends of the earth : thy right-hand is full of righteousness. 

The Lord, the Lord God is merciful and gracious, long- 
suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping 
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, 
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. 

What is man that thou shouldst magnify him, and that 
thou shouldst set thy heart upon him ? 

And that thou shouldst visit him every morning, and try 
him every moment ! 

If thou wouldst seek unto God betimes, and make thy 
supplication to the Almighty ; 



MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 271 

If thou wert pure and upright, surely now he would 
awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteous- 
ness prosperous. 

O Lord, be gracious unto us, we have waited for thee, be 
thou our arm every morning ; our salvation also in the time 
of trouble. 

O send out thy light and thy truth ; let them lead me,- 
let them bring me to thy holy hill, unto thy dwelling. 

put your trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is 
mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption : he shall 
redeem his people from their sins. 

Then shall their light break forth as the morning, and 
their health shall spring forth speedily ; for the glory of the 
Lord shall be their rereward. 

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. 

If there be time and convenience, let a chapter be read out of the Sapi- 
ential books in order, viz. the Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the 
Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus. 

Then shall follow the Creed, to be said by all together. 

1 believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
and earth ; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord : 
Which was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin 
Mary : Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, 
and buried : He descended into hell : The third day he rose 
again from the dead : He ascended into heaven, and sitteth 
on the right-hand of God the Father Almighty : From thence 
he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in 
the Holy Ghost : The holy catholic Church : the communion 
of saints : The forgiveness of sins : The resurrection of the 
body : And the life everlasting. Amen. 

Minister. The Lord be with you. 
People. And with thy spirit. 

I. 

Let us pray. 

O eternal and most blessed Saviour Jesus, thou art the 
bright Morning-Star, and the Sun of Righteousness ; ,thou 



272 MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 

dost enlighten our eyes with thy beauties, and our hearts 
with thy comfort and with the joys of God ; tho*u art the 
Fountain of health and life, of peace and truth, of rest and 
holiness ; thou givest to them that want, thou comfortest 
them that suffer, thou forgivest them that repent, and hearest 
the prayers of all them that call upon thee : we adore thee, 
and praise thy glories, and rejoice in thy salvation, and give 
thee thanks for thy blessing and defending us, this night, 
from all the evil which we have deserved every day, and 
from all the violences and snares by which the enemy of 
mankind would have hurt us, or destroyed us, unless he had 
been restrained by thy eternal goodness and thy almighty 
power. Blessed be God. 

II. 

We acknowledge, O God and Father of our life, that we 
are less than the least of all thy mercies, and our iniquity 
is greater than we can bear: our thoughts are vain, our words 
are foolish and useless, injurious and uncharitable, our ac- 
tions criminal and hateful ; our devotion cold, our passions 
violent and unreasonable ; our duties imperfect, our repent- 
ance little, our holiness none at all. O God our Judge, we 
confess before thee, that we neither know thee as we ought, 
nor have taken care that we might ; we live in the world to 
ourselves, but without just regards of thee and of religion ; 
we daily receive thy blessings, and yet we provoke thee 
every day ; we tremble not at thy judgments, though we 
have deserved them, nor fear till the evil day comes upon 
us : we are greedy of doing evil, but impatient of suffering 
any in prosperity: we forget thy severity and justice : in 
afflictions we are timorous and amazed, and dare not rely 
upon thy goodness, nor with confidence and love expect the 
effects of thy mercies and forgiveness. Every thing can 
ternpt us to sin, and we fall infallibly ; but by all the arts 
of thy Spirit, and the methods of thy mercy, we are not brought 
to obey thee as we ought : our state is sad, our condition is 
sinful, our hopes are broken, and we often forget ourselves, 
and still neglect and despise our own danger. 

III. 

But, O God our Father, merciful and gracious, have 
mercy upon us. Be pleased to admit thy servants to a full 



MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 273 

pardon of all our sins, let us not persevere in any one sin, 
nor pass from one sin to another. Smite us not, O God, in 
thine anger, and let not thy wrath descend upon our guilty 
heads. Thy anger, O God, is insufferable, thy vengeance is 
the portion of accursed souls, and thou hast prepared the 
everlasting fire for the devil and his angels for ever. O Lord, 
thou Father of our life and lover of souls, let us never have 
our portion in the bottomless pit, in the lake that burneth 
with fire and brimstone for ever : but let our portion be in 
the actions of repentance, in the service of God, in the aids 
and comforts of thy Spirit, in duty and holiness, in the light 
of thy countenance, and in the likeness and in the inheritance 
of our Lord Jesus, O God, let not thine arrows smite us, 
nor thy judgments consume us ; keep us from all expressions 
of thy wrath, and let us rejoice in thy mercies and loving- 
kindnesses for ever and ever. Amen. 

IV. 

And that thy servants may reasonably and humbly hope 
for thy final mercies and deliverance, be pleased to give us 
all that we need in order to the performance of our duty, and 
work all that in us by which we may please thee. Instruct 
us in thy truth, and prepare the means of salvation for us, 
providing for the necessities, and complying with the capa- 
cities, of every one of us. Take from us all blindness of 
heart and carelessness of spirit, all irreligion, and wilful 
ignorance. Create in us a love of holy things, and open 
our hearts, that we may perceive, and love, and retain the 
things of God with diligence, and humility, and industry. 
O God our Father, pity our weaknesses and temptations, our 
avocations and unavoidable divertisements, the prejudices 
and evil contingencies happening in the state of our lives : 
enable us with sufficient and activa graces to do whatsoever 
thou requirest of us severally. Require no more of any one 
of us than thou hast or shalt give unto us, neither do thou 
exact all that ; for we all confess our weaknesses and defects, 
our strange imperfections and inexcusable wanderings and 
omissions : but be pleased to cure all our vicious inclina- 
tions ; and take care to remove from us all those temptations, 
which without thy mighty grace are not to be avoided, and 
if they come, are by our weaknesses not to be overcome. 
VOL. xv. T 



274 MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 

Keep us, O God, from flattery and irreligion, from vicious 
compliances and evil customs, and let not the reverence of 
any man cause us to sin against thee ; keep us upright in our 
religion and worshippings of thee, and let no change of the 
world engage us in a state of life against our duty ; for Jesus 
Christ's sake, our dearest Lord and Saviour. 

V. 

Keep us, O God, by thy Holy Spirit of grace, from all 
the sins of idleness and intemperance, from injustice and 
sensuality, from the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, 
from the pride of life and vanity of spirit, from being careless 
of our duty or false in our trust, from breach of promise or 
reproachful language, from slandering or traducing any man, 
from false accusation and false witness, from faction and 
envy. Grant us thy grace, that we may be diligent in our 
business, just in our charges, provident of our time, watchful 
in our duty, careful of every word we speak. O make us to 
be pleased in the offices of religion, useful to those that 
employ us, dutiful to our superiors, loving to each other, con- 
scientious in private, humble in public, patient in adversity, 
religious and thankful in prosperity. 

VI. 

O blessed God, take care of our souls, and of our bodies : 
keep us from sharp and tedious sicknesses. Let us never fall 
into want or be unprovided for in our age, and forsake us 
not, O God, when we are gray-headed. Grant us great 
measures of thy Spirit, that we may abstain from all appear- 
ances of evil, and from all occasions of it, and that we may 
take care to do whatsoever is honest and of good report; 
that having laid up a treasure of good works against the day 
of thy visitation, we may rejoice in the day of our death, and 
find mercy at the day of judgment, through the goodness of 
our God, and by the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 

VII. 

Bless and sanctify, defend and save, all Christian kings, 
princes, governors, and states ; grant that all powers, civil 
and ecclesiastical, may join together in the promoting the 
honour of God and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and may 



MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 275 

find the blessings of God, and the rewards of the Lord Jesus, 
in this world, and in the world to come. Give health and 
comfort, peace and holiness, long life and increase of grace, 
to the chiefest of this family [here name the relation'] : grant 
that their portion may he in religion, and the love of God ; 
keep them from all evil by the guard of angels, and lead 
them into all good by the conduct of thy good Spirit. 

VIII. 

In mercy and great compassion remember all them that 
are miserable and afflicted, persecuted or poor; that have 
lost their estates or lost their liberty, their health or their 
peace, their innocence or their hopes ; restore them, O Lord, 
to all good, and to all useful comforts ; and let not the enemy 
of mankind invade thy portion, or destroy any soul for whom 
thou hast paid the price of thy most precious blood. Hear 
us, O God, in mercy, and bless all our relations, and prosper 
all our labours, and sanctify all our intentions, and forgive 
us all our sins, and relieve all our necessities, and defend us 
from all dangers, and especially from our ownselves, from 
our evil habits and foolish customs, from our weak principles 
and sad infirmities, from our evil concupiscence and vicious 
inclinations, from the power of the devil and from thy wrath ; 
and bring us in mercy and truth, in holiness and comfort, in 
labour and certainty, to a fruition of the glories of God, in 
the inheritance of our blessed Saviour. Grant this, O God 
our Father, for the merits and by the redemption and inter- 
cession of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, 
and the communication of the Holy Spirit of God, be with 
us, defend and guide, sanctify and save us, and all our rela- 
tives, and all the servants of God, this day and for evermore. 
Amen. 



276 EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 



A SHORT FORM OF EVENING PRAYER 
FOR A FAMILY. 

IN THE NAME OF OUR BLESSED LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS. 
OUR FATHER, &c. 

The Hymn. 

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the 
earth, thou hast set thy glory above the heavens ! 

When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, 
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained : 

What is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son 
of man, that thou visitest him? 

For thou hast made him little lower than the angels, and 
hast crowned him with glory and honour. 

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of 
thy hands : and hast put all things under his feet ; 

All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the 
fowl of the air, and the fishes of the sea. 

O Lord, our Governor, how excellent is thy name in all 
the world ! 

The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament 
sheweth his handy work. 

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night 
sheweth knowledge. 

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their 
words to the end of the world. 

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and 
not be silent : O Lord, my God, I will give thanks unto thee 
for ever. 

Shew me thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths, lead me 
in thy truth, and teach me ; for thou art the God of my sal- 
vation : on thee do I wait all the day. 

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving- 
kindnesses ; for they have been ever of old. 

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgres- 
sion : according to thy mercy remember me, for thy goodness' 
sake, O Lord. 

For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for 



EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 277 

it is very great : O keep my soul and deliver me, let me not 
be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee. 

That which I see not, teach thou me : I have done iniquity, 
but I will do no more : for there is no darkness, nor shadow 
of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all 
his goings : but none saith, Where is God my Maker, who 
giveth songs in the night ? 

But I put my trust in thee, O Lord ; I have said, Thou 
art my God. 

Into thy hand I commend my spirit ; thou hast redeemed 
me, O Lord God of truth. 

I will lay me down in peace: for thou, Lord, only makest 
me dwell in safety. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Or this. 

Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trtist : O 
my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord : 
my goodness extendeth not to thee ; 

But to the saints which are in the earth, and to the 
excellent, in whom is all my delight. 

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my 
cup : thou maintainest my lot. 

I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel : my 
reins also instruct me in the night-seasons. 

I have set the Lord always before me : because he is at 
my right-hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is 
glad, and my glory rejoiceth : my flesh also shall rest in 
hope. 

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell : neither wilt 
thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. 

Thou wilt shew me the path of life ; in thy presence is 
the fulness of joy : at thy right-hand there are pleasures for 
evermore . 

As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my 
soul after thee, O God. 

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God : when 
shall I come and appear in the presence of God ? 

The Lord will command his loving-kindness in the day- 



278 EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 

time, and in the night his song shall be with me ; I will 
make my prayer unto the God of my life. 

For thou art the God that doest wonders ; thy way, O 
God, is in the sanctuary : who is so great a God as our God ? 

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, 
and from the noisome pestilence. 

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night : nor for 
the arrow that flieth by day. 

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep 
thee in all thy ways ; they shall bear thee in their hands, 
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

I will remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee 
in the night-watch ; for thou hast been my health, therefore 
in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, 
even the God of our salvation. 

He that is our God, is the God of salvation : and unto 
God the Lord belong the issues of death. 

Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy : for thou 
renderest to every man according to his work. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

The Lesson. 

1 Thess. v. 2. - 

Yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord so 
cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, 
Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon 
them, as travail upon a woman with child : and they shall 
not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that 
day should overtake you as a thief. Ye all are children of 
the light and children of the day : we are not of the night or 
of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others ; but 
let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the 
night ; and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night. 
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the 
breast-plate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of 
salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath ; but to 
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ : who died for us, that 
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 

Or read a chapter in the Sapiential books in order. 



EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 279 

After the Lesson recite the Creed. 
I believe in God the Father Almighty, &c. 

The Lord be with you. 
Answer. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 
I. 

The Confession of Sins, taken out of the Prayer of 
St. Ephraim, the Syrian. 

O Almighty God, who dwellest in the inaccessible light, 
before whom the greatest mountains are like the dust of the 
balance, and in whose sight the heavens are not pure, and 
the angels tremble, and the saints are charged with folly, 
and all the world shall fear in thy glorious presence ; we 
confess to thee, O Lord, Father of heaven and earth, all 
those sins which we have wrought in private and in public ; 
for thou knowest all things, and nothing is hid from thy 
righteous eyes. Thou art the God of mercy and pity, and 
thou wouldst have all, even strangers, to be saved ; we fly 
therefore unto thee, who art the Lover and Saviour of all 
the souls of the faithful. Have pity upon us, who have many 
times embittered and grieved thy most holy Spirit, to the 
joy of our enemies, and the sad ruin of our pitiable and 
wounded souls. Behold, O God, we have been dead in sins 
and trespasses, and servants to thy enemy. There is no 
kind of sins but we have committed, or would have com- 
mitted ; if it were pleasant, we cared not for the foulness, 
but if we were tempted we did fall ; and where we did fall, 
there we did love to lie; we have sinned worse than the 
adulteress or the thief, more than the publican or the pro- 
digal, oftener than David or Manasses : we have sinned 
against greater mercies, a more determined conscience, a 
better law, a clearer revelation, more terrible threatenings, 
and better, much better promises. 

II. 

We know, O God, and tremble at the sad remem- 
brance, that all our sins shall be placed before our faces at 
the day of thy dreadful appearance ; O look upon us with a 
mighty pity, let not the angel of wrath snatch our precious 



280 EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 

souls from thy beatific presence ; take not the sweet refresh- 
ments of thy Spirit from us one hour. O dearest Lord, thou 
Lover of souls, take not our lives from us, while our souls are 
unprepared and unready, unexcused and unpardoned ; for 
thou knowest the abyss of our sins, and thou knowest what 
is that abyss of flames and anger, which is prepared for 
foolish and unwary souls. 

III. 

Most blessed Saviour Jesus, thou gavest thy life to 
redeem us from death ; and thou art the Judge of those 
actions for which thou wert a sacrifice ; and to give sentence 
upon those men for whom thou art an advocate, and makest 
perpetual intercession: O suffer us not to fall under thine 
eternal anger ; destroy the whole body of sin in us ; bring 
our understandings into the obedience of God, our affections 
under the dominion of reason, our reason into a perfect 
subordination to thy Holy Spirit; that we may love thee 
and fear thee, and, by repentance and charity, may enter into 
thy favour, and dwell there by a holy perseverance all our 
days ; through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

IV. 

The Prayers. 

Do thou open our eyes, that we may see our own vile- 
nesses, and forsake them ; and our foolish errors, that we may 
amend them ; and all our infirmities, that we may watch 
against them ; and all our duty, that we may pursue it 
earnestly and passionately, prudently and entirely, presently 
and for ever. Cause us to return to our duty with greater 
fervour and devotion than ever we have sinned against thee 
with pleasure and delight ; and as we have dishonoured thee 
by our unworthiness, so grant that we may glorify thee ten 
times more, weeping bitterly for our sins, watching against 
them strictly, hating them infinitely, and forsaking them 
utterly. O grant that we may every day renew our repent- 
ances and vows of a better life, and make us to do every day 
what we promise, and what is our duty ; so imprinting a holy 
religion and a severe repentance in our spirits, that we may 
confess our sins with a real and humble sorrow, and beg for 
pardon, because we desire it, and ask for thy help because 
we will make use of it, and number our sins because we will 



EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. 281 

leave them ; not resting in forms of godliness, but living in 
the power of it, in love and duty, in holiness and godly 

choice ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 



V. 

Most gracious God and Father, imprint in our hearts 
great apprehensions of thy power and thy glories, of thy 
judgment and thy mercies, of our sins and of our change 
approaching, of our fugitive life and the day of our death, of 
"our duty and our danger, and the inexpressible terrors of the 
day of judgment; and, in proportion to such apprehensions, 
teach us, O God, to walk in this world with fear and caution, 
with hope and purity, with diligence and devotion, religiously 
and usefully, humbly and charitably, with love and obedience 
to thee, with love and justice to our neighbours, with sober 
spirits and chaste bodies, with temperance and peace, with 
faith and patience, with health and holiness, in the favour of 
God and the friendliness of our neighbours, in the com- 
munion of the Church, and in obedience to all good laws ; 
that we, being blessed by thy providence, defended by thy 
ministering angels, conducted by thy good Spirit, instructed 
by thy word, nourished by the body of Christ, cleansed by 
his blood, and clothed with his righteousness, may grow 
from grace to grace in the increase of God to the fulness of 
Christ, being subjects of thy kingdom of grace in this world, 
and heirs of the kingdom of glory in the world to come ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

VI. 

Give us pardon, O thou God of mercy and peace, for all 
the errors and follies, the ignorances and omissions, the rash 
words and imprudent actions, of which any of us hath been 
guilty this day, or at any time before. We confess our sins 
every day, and yet every day sin against thee ; and we pray 
unto thee for all the blessings that we need, and thou givest 
us all that we pray for, and much more ; but yet we regard 
thee not, but every day we have new matter of shame and 
sorrow. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, have mercy upon us. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 



282 ADDITIONALS UPON 

For if thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done 
amiss, we shall not be able to abide or stand upright in judg- 
ment : thy mercy is great, and thou hast blessed us this 
day, and kept us from the evils of our inclination, and the 
evils of temptation : and though in the things wherein our 
consciences do not accuse us, we are not justified, but by thy 
mercies and loving-kindness in Christ Jesus, yet we rejoice 
in thy goodness to us, and praise thy bounties and thy love, 
and hope in thy mercies, and beg of thee that thou wilt 
pardon us, and keep us this night and ever; sanctify and 
save us, bless us at home and abroad, in the works of our 
calling and the duties of religion, in our persons and rela- 
tions ; make us to do what pleaseth thee, and to be what 
thou hast designed us to be, and to receive what thou hast 
promised, and to keep us from all the evil we have deserved, 
for Jesus Christ's sake, our dearest Lord and Saviour. Amen. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, 
and the communication of the Holy Spirit of God, be with 
us, and with all our relatives, and with all the servants of 
God, for ever and ever. Amen. 



VARIETIES 

TO BE ADDED 

UPON THE GREAT FESTIVALS OF THE YEAR. 



UPON CHRISTMAS-DAY. 

The Psalms appointed at Morning Prayer, Psalms ii. xlv. ex. 
Evening Prayer, Psalms Ixxxvii. Ixxxix. 

The Hymn for Christmas- Day, to be said after the Second 
Lesson at Morning and Evening Prayer. 

PRAISE waiteth fqr thee, O God, in Sion : and unto thee 
shall the vow be performed. 

O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh 
come. 



THE GREAT FESTIVALS. 283 

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to 
approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts : he 
shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy 
holy temple. 

By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, 
O God of our salvation, who art the confidence of all the 
ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea. 

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare 
what he hath done for my soul. 

The people that walked in darkness, hath seen a great 
light ; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, 
upon them hath the light shined. 

O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his good- 
ness, and declare the wonders that he hath done for the 
children of men. 

He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry 
ground into water-springs. 

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a 
joyful mother of children. 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and 
the government shall be upon his shoulders. 

His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the 
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace. 

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall 
be no end. 

He shall sit upon the throne of David to order his king- 
dom, and to establish it with judgment and justice for ever 
and ever. 

O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his good- 
ness, and declare the wonders that he hath done for the 
children of men. 

Minister. Glory be to God on high, 

Answer. And on earth peace, good-will towards men. 

Minister. Amen. 

Answer. Amen. 

Then proceed to the Nicene Creed. 

The Collect, to be inserted after the first Collect of the Morning 
and Evening Prayer ; and may be said during the twelve 
Days. 

Almighty God, who hast so loved the world, that for our 



284- ADDITIONALS UPON 

redemption from sin and misery thou gavest thy Son, that 
he, taking upon him our nature, and being born of a virgin, 
might perform to thee the obedience which mankind owed, 
and pay the price in which we were indebted, and teach us 
what thou wouldst have us to do, and convey to us all the 
good which thou didst design for us ; overshadow us with 
thy Holy Spirit of grace, that we may conceive Christ in our 
hearts by faith, rely upon him in a holy hope, and express 
him in an excellent charity ; that as he was pleased to take 
upon him our nature, so we may be born again, and be 
partakers of the Divine nature, that conforming to his image, 
following his example, and being filled with his Spirit, we 
may grow in the knowledge and love of God, and live in 
righteousness; that, being thy sons by a holy adoption, we 
may partake of the inheritance of thy well-beloved Son, the 
first-born of all the creatures, our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



UPON GOOD-FRIDAY. 

Instead of tin- Psalms of the day, read at Morning Prayer, Psalms zzii. xxv. li. 

Evening Prayer, Psalms Ixxxi. Ixxxv. Ixzzvi. Izxxriii. 

Or any three of them. 

The Collect. 

O MOST blessed, most gracious Saviour Jesus, who, by thy 
obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, didst 
become, the sacrifice of the world, the great example of 
patience, the Lord of life, the good Shepherd, laying down 
thy life for thy sheep, and the Mediator between God and 
man ; let thy wounds heal, thy blood cleanse, thy death 
make us to live, and thy Spirit make us to work righteous- 
ness all our days ; that we may, by thy aid, and by thy 
example, obey our heavenly Father with all our powers and 
all our faculties, with our reason and our affections, with 
our souls and with our bodies, with our time and with our 
estate, in prosperity and adversity ; that we may bear our 
cross patiently, and do thy work cheerfully, and be ready to 
benefit mankind with great charity and great industry ; that, 
being followers of thy life and partakers of thy death, we 



THE GREAT FESTIVALS. 285 

may receive a part in the resurrection of the just to the joys 
of God in thy inheritance, O most blessed, most gracious 
Saviour Jesus. Amen. 



FOR EASTER-DAY. 

The Psalms appointed for Morning Prayer, Psalms xxx. xlv. 
Evening Prayer, Psalms Ivii. btvi. Ixxii. 

The Hymn to be said after the Second Lesson at Morning and 
Evening Prayer. 

IN thee, O Lord, I have put my trust ; let me never be put 
to confusion, but rid me and deliver me in thy righteousness ; 
incline thine ear unto me, and save me. 

Be thou my stronghold, whereunto I may always resort : 
thou hast promised to help me ; for thou art my house of 
defence and my castle. 

For thou, O Lord God, art the thing that I long for : 
thou art my hope even from my youth. 

Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was 
.born : thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb ; 
my praises shall be always of thee. 

O let my mouth be filled with thy praise, that I may 
sing of thy glory and honour all the day long. 

Thy righteousness, O God, is very high : and great 
things are they, which thoujiast done ; O God, who is like 
unto thee ! 

O what great troubles and adversities hast thou shewed 
me ! and yet didst thou turn and refresh me : yea, and 
broughtest me from the deep of the earth again. 

Thou hast brought to me great honour, and comforted 
me on every side. 

Therefore will I praise thee and thy faithfulness, O God, 
playing upon an instrument of music : unto thee will I sing 
upon the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. 

My lips will be fain when I sing unto thee ; and so will 
my soul, whom thou hast delivered. 

Blessed be the Lord God, even the God of Israel, which 
only doeth wondrous things. 



286 ADDITIONALS UPON 

And blessed be the name of his majesty for ever ; and all 
the earth shall be filled with his majesty. Amen, Amen. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

The Collect. 

O most holy, most glorious Saviour and Redeemer Jesu, 
who for our sakes didst descend from the glories of God to 
the pains and labours of the earth, and didst pass from a 
painful life to an ignominious death, from the bitterness of 
death to the darkness of the grave, and by thy Divine power 
didst raise thyself from death to life again ; we give thee 
thanks for thy infinite love to us and all mankind ; we ac- 
knowledge thee to be our Lord, and confess thee to be our 
God ; we adore thy majesty, and rejoice in thy mercies ; we 
humbly pray thee to enable us, with thy Spirit, to believe all 
thy doctrines, and to obey all thy commandments, that after 
a holy and religious life, spent in doing honour to thy holy 
name, we may be partakers of thy holy resurrection, passing 
from death to life, from the darknesses of the grave to the 
light of heaven, from an imperfect duty to the perfection of 
holiness in the fruition of the joys of God in thy eternal 
kingdom, O most holy, most glorious Saviour and Redeemer 
Jesu. Amen. 



UPON ASCENSION-DAY. 

Instead of the Psalms of the day, read at Morning Prajer, Psalms xv. xxi. xxir. 
Evening Prayer, Psalms xcii. xcvi. xcvii. 

The Collect. 

O BLESSED High-Priest, holy Jesus, King of the world and 
Head of the Church, who, when thou hadst taken upon thee 
our nature and our sin, and appeased thy Father's wrath, and 
performed all his will, and overcome death, and rescued all 
obedient souls from the hand of the enemy, didst ascend to 
thy eternal Father, and open the kingdom of heaven to all 
believers ; thou hast espoused thy Church unto thyself with 
the eternal circles of thy providence, with thy love and with 
thy care, with thy word and with thy Spirit, thy promises 



THE GREAT FESTIVALS. 287 

and thy holy intercession; thou hadst a feeling of our in- 
firmities, and art our merciful High-Priest, makingintercession 
for us for ever ; O, be pleased to represent and supply all our 
wants ; excuse all our infirmities ; pity all our calamities, 
pardon our sins, and send down thy Holy Spirit of grace 
into our hearts, that though we walk upon the earth, yet our 
conversation may be in heaven, and there also may be our 
portion and inheritance for ever, through thy mercies, O most 
gracious Saviour and Redeemer Jesus. Amen. 



FOR WHITSUNDAY. 

Psalms for Morning Prayer, Psalms Ixxxvii. Ixxxix. 
Evening Prayer, Psalms ii. xlv. ex. 

The Hymn to be said after the Second Lesson at Morning and 
Evening Prayer. 

SING aloud unto God our strength : make a joyful noise 
unto the God of Jacob. 

I will remember the works of the Lord : surely I will 
remember thy wonders of old : I will meditate of all thy 
works, and talk of thy doings. 

Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary : who is so great a 
God as our God ? Thou art the God that doest wonders ; 
thou hast declared thy strength among the people. 

Vow and pray unto the Lord your God : let all that be 
round about him, bring presents unto him that_ought to be 
feared. 

He shall cut off the spirit of princes : he is terrible to the 
kings of the earth. 

Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! 
through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies 
submit themselves unto thee. 

Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judah 
rejoiced, because of thy judgments, O Lord. 

For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth : thou art 
exalted far above all gods. 

Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the 
upright in heart. 

Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous ; and give thanks at 
the remembrance of his holiness. 



288 ADDITIONALS UPON 

The Lord hath made known his salvation : his right- 
eousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. 

He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the 
house of Israel : all the ends of the earth have seen the 
salvation of our God. 

Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give 
unto the Lord glory and strength. 

For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth : he 
shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people 
with his truth. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

The Collect. 

O eternal God, the great Father of spirits, the great 
Lover of souls, who didst send thy Holy Spirit upon thy 
Church in the day of Pentecost, and hast promised that he 
shall abide with the Church for ever, let thy Holy Spirit lead 
us into all truth, defend us from all sin, enrich us with his 
gifts, refresh us with his comforts, rule in our hearts for 
ever, conduct us with his truth, and lead us in the way ever- 
lasting; that we, living by thy Spirit, and walking in him, 
may by him be sealed up to the day of our redemption. O 
let thy Spirit witness to our spirits, that we are the children 
of God, and make us to be so for ever, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of 
the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. 



UPON TRINITY SUNDAY. 

O BLESSED, ineffable, and most mysterious Trinity, how 
admirable are thy beauties, how incomparable are thy per- 
fections, how incomprehensible are those relations of the 
three most blessed Persons, which we believe, and admire, 
and adore, but understand not ! The angels are amazed in 
the unimaginable beauties of that glorious presence, and are 
swallowed up with the ocean of thy infinity. How then can 
we, who are in the lowest order of understanding creatures, 
and have removed ourselves further from thee, and the par- 
ticipation of thy excellences, by a sinful life, praise thee 



THE GREAT FESTIVALS. 289 

either according to our duty or thy glories ! yet be pleased 
to accept the humblest adorations, and with a favourable 
and a gracious eye behold the lowest worshippings and 
duty of thy servants. We confess and glory in thy om- 
nipotence, thy immensity, thy goodness, thy uncircum- 
scribed nature, thy truth, thy mercy, thy omniscience. O 
let us also receive thy blessings and gracious influences, that 
we may adore thee with all our powers and possibilities for 
ever, love thee with all our affections for ever, serve with our 
best and earliest, and all our industry : that, being here 
wholly inebriated with love, and busied in thy service and 
the duties of a holy obedience, we may, to all eternity, 
rejoice in the beholding of those glories which are above all 
capacities, above all heavens, above all angels, even those 
glories which stream forth from the throne of the eternal 
God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to whom be 
glory and dominion, honour and adoration, eternally con- 
fessed due, and humbly paid by all men and all angels, world 
without end. Amen. 

A Collect to be used upon any of the Festivals or 
Commemoration of the Apostles. 

Almighty God, who hast built thy holy Church upon the 
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself 
being the chief corner-stone, we bless and magnify thy 
name, thy holy and ever glorious name, for thy graces 
which thou gavest to thy apostles, and prophets, and martyrs, 
in the days of their flesh ; and this day we have thy servant 
[here name the apostle, &c.] in remembrance : praising thee 
for the benefits which the Church hath received by his 
ministry and example ; we pray unto thee to give us thy 
grace, that we, obeying thy doctrine which he taught and 
published, and following his example as he followed Christ, 
we also may, with safety and holiness, pass through this 
valley of tears ; that, serving thee in our generation, advanc- 
ing thy honour, and obeying thy laws, we may, in the society 
and communion of saints and angels, sing eternal hallelujahs 
to the honour of thy mercy and of thy majesty, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

VOL. xv. u 



AN 

OFFICE OR ORDER 

FOR THE 

ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOLY SACRAMENT 

OF THE 

LORD'S SUPPER, 

ACCORDING TO THE WAY OF THE APOSTOLICAL CHURCHES, 
AND THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 



THE ANTE-COMMUNION. 

OUR Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name : 
Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done in 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 : 
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

The Collect. 

O King of glory, Lord and Maker of the world, thou art 
a God knowing all things and all thoughts even long before 
they are ; be thou present with us in this religious solemnity 
calling upon thee. Deliver us from the shame of our sins, 
from the corruption and evil inclinations that attend them, 
and from all the evils that may justly follow them. Cleanse 
our wills and our understandings from all evil lusts and con- 
cupiscence, from the deceits of the world, from the violence 
and snares of the devil, from all guile and hypocrisy, from 
every evil word and work, that we may serve thee faithfully, 
worship thee religiously, and pray unto thee acceptably ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 291 

Then shall the Minister humbly say this Prayer of Preparation, first in behalf 
of himself, then of the Congregation. 

O Lord God, who, in mercy and great compassion, dost 
consider thy people, and hast given unto us, thy unworthy 
servants, miserable sinners, confidence and commandment 
to present ourselves before thee at thy holy table to repre- 
sent a holy, venerable, and unbloody sacrifice for our sins, 
and for the errors and ignorances of all thy people, look 
upon me, the meanest and most polluted of all them that 
approach to thy sacred presence. Pity me, O God, and wash 
away all my sins. Cleanse my heart and my hands, my head 
and my lips, from all impurities of the flesh and spirit ; and 
remove far from me all irreverence and undecency, all foolish 
imaginations and vain reasonings; and, by the power of the 
Holy Ghost, make me worthy for this ministry, accepting this 
service for his sake, whose sacrifice I represent, and by whose 
commandment I minister, even our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 

Have mercy upon this thy people, who, with hungry and 
thirsty souls, come to be refreshed and comforted by the 
Divine nutriment of thy holy body and blood. Pity our in- 
firmities, despise not our unworthiness, curse not our follies, 
and take not from thy servants thy grace and the light of 
thy Divine countenance, but, according to the multitude of 
thy great mercies, do away all our offences, that, without 
self-condemnation, we may appear before thy glory, covered 
with the veil of Jesus, adorned with the robe of his righteous- 
ness, and illustrated with the brightness of thy Divine Spirit ; 
that we may live by thy grace, and feel thy mercy and pardon 
in this world and in the world to come ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

Then shall the Minister, rising up, rehearse, with a loud voice, the Eight 
Beatitudes : the People still kneeling. 

Minister. Our Lord Jesus, seeing the multitudes, went 
up into a mountain ; and he opened his mouth, and taught 
them, saying, 

1 . Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven. 

People. Lord, pardon our faults, and incline our hearts 
to obey thee, that we may inherit this blessing. 



292 AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 

Minister. 2. Blessed are they that mourn : for they 
shall be comforted. 

People. Lord, pardon our faults, and incline our hearts 
to obey thee, that we may inherit this blessing. 

Minister. 3. Blessed are the meek : for they shall in- 
herit the earth. 

People. Lord, pardon our faults, and incline our hearts 
to obey thee, that we may inherit this blessing. 

Minister. 4. Blessed are they which hunger and thirst 
after righteousness : for they shall be filled. 

People. Lord, pardon our faults, and incline our hearts 
to obey thee, that we may inherit this blessing. 

Minister. 5. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall 
obtain mercy. 

People. Lord, pardon our faults, and incline our hearts 
to obey thee, that we may inherit this blessing. 

Minister. 6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they 
shall see God. 

People. Lord, pardon our faults, and incline our hearts 
to obey thee, that we may inherit this blessing. 

Minister. 7. Blessed are the peace-makers : for they 
shall be called the children of God. 

People. Lord, pardon our faults, and incline our hearts 
to obey thee, that we may inherit this blessing. 

Minister. 8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for 
righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

People. Lord, make us ready in heart and body to obey 
thee in every thing, that we may inherit all these blessings in 
the kingdom of our Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

O Lord God, our Creator, who hast given us life and 
being, and hast shewn unto us the way of salvation, vouch- 
safing to us the revelation of heavenly mysteries, and hast 
commanded to us this service in the power of the Holy 
Ghost, and obedience of the Lord Jesus ; be thou well 
pleased, O Lord, with this our service and duty, and grant 
that with a holy fear, and a pure conscience, we may finish 
this service, presenting a holy sacrifice holily unto thee, that 
thou mayest receive it in heaven, and smell a sweet odour in 
the union of the eternal sacrifice, which our blessed Lord 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 293 

perpetually offers ; and accept us graciously as thou didst 
entertain the gifts of Abel, the sacrifice of Noah, the services 
of Moses and Aaron, the peace-offering of Samuel, the repent- 
ance of David, and the incense of Zacharias : and as from 
the hands of thy holy apostles thou didst accept this ministry, 
so vouchsafe, by the hands of us miserable sinners, to finish 
and perfect this oblation, that it may be sanctified by the 
Holy Ghost, and be accepted in the Lord Jesus ; that we, 
being adopted into the society and participation of his holiness 
and sufferings, admitted to his service, incorporated to his 
body, united to his purity, made partakers of his intercession, 
pardoned by his mercy, sanctified by his grace, confirmed by 
his strength, professing his religion, believing in his word, 
hoping in his promises, and keeping all his commandments, 
may receive the reward of faithful and wise stewards in the 
day of thy righteous judgment. 

Grant this, O God, for his sake who is the food of our 
souls, and the joy of our hearts, the object of our faith and 
hope, and the great example of charity and all excellences, 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Then, all arising from their knees, shall be read some portions of Scrip- 
ture, relating to the present Mystery, viz. 

1st Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, chap.xi. from verse 

23 to the end. 
The Gospel according to St. Mark, xiv. 2, unto verse 26. 

Or, 
1st Epistle of St. Paul written to the Corinthians, chap x. from 

verse 1 to verse 18. 
Gospel according to St. Matthew, chap. xxvi. from verse 17 

to verse 30. 

Sometimes one of these may suffice ; but never above two are to be used at 

once, one out of the Epistles, one out of the Gospels. 
Then shall follow this Eucharistical Hymn, all standing up, reciting the verses 

interchangeably. 

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek 
after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days 
of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to visit his 
temple. 

For, in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion ; 
in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me, and set me 
upon a rock. 



294 AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 

Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; 
I will sing and speak praises unto the Lord. 

The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall I 
fear? the Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall I be 
afraid ? 

Examine, O Lord, and prove me : try my reins and my 
heart. 

For thy loving-kindness is before my eyes : and I will 
walk in thy truth. 

I have not sat with vain persons ; neither will I go in 
with dissemblers. 

I will wash my hands in innocence : and so will I com- 
pass thine altar, O Lord, 

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 
tell of all thy wondrous works. 

taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man 
that trusteth in him. 

Look at the generations of old, and see did ever any trust 
in the Lord and was confounded ? or did any abide in his 
fear, and was forsaken ? or whom did he ever despise that 
called upon him ? 

For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy, long-suf- 
fering and very pitiful, and forgiveth sins, and saveth in time 
of affliction. 

Ye, therefore, that fear the Lord, believe him : and your 
reward shall not fail. 

They that fear the Lord will seek that which is well- 
pleasing unto him ; and they that love him shall be filled 
with the law. 

They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts and 
humble their souls in his sight. 

For as his majesty is, even so is his mercy. 

What shall I render unto the Lord for all the benefits 
which he hath done unto me ? 

1 will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name 
of the Lord. 

Return unto thy rest, O my soul ; for the Lord hath dealt 
bountifully with thee. 

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call 
upon the name of the Lord. 

The Lord hath been mindful of us, and he will bless 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 295 

us ; lie will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and 
great. 

Blessed be the name of our God, from this time forth for 
evermore. Praise the Lord. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Then shall the Minister, with a loud voice, pronounce this Commina- 
tion. 

" Thus saith the Lord Jesus, I am Alpha and Omega, the 
beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are 
they that do his commandment, that they may have right to 
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the 
city. For without are dogs and sorcerers, whoremongers 
and murderers. The idolaters and the filthy, the fearful and 
the unbelieving, the hypocrite and the liars, the drunkards 
and the envious, the hinderers of God's word, and the slan- 
derers of their neighbours, the swearers and the covetous, 
the impenitent and the uncharitable, shall have their part in 
the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. And be- 
hold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give 
every man according as his work shall be. 

" I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these 
things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of 
David, and the bright and morning-star : and the Spirit and 
the Bride say, ' Come,' and let him that heareth, come : and 
let him that is athirst, come ; and whosoever will, let him take 
the water of life freely." a 

But first cleanse your hands and purify your hearts, 
repent you truly of all your sins past, retain no affection to 
any thing that displeases God : resolve against all sin, strive 
against all, pray against all, watch against all, and so shall 
ye be meet partakers of this holy table : but if any of you 
here present live in any known sin, of which ye have not 
truly repented, and which ye do not mean presently and 
utterly to forsake ; in the name of Jesus Christ, I pronounce 
every such person to be unworthy of these holy mysteries, 
and that he cannot receive them but to his condemnation. 

a Apocal. xxii. 



296 AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLT COMMUNION. 

Judge, therefore, yourselves, brethren, that ye be not 
judged of the Lord : for it is a fearful thing to fall into the 
hands of the living God ; and who is able to dwell with the 
everlasting burning? 

But if any of you, after this severe admonition, shall pre- 
sume to approach these sacred mysteries with an impure and 
disobedient heart, let him know that he pollutes the blood 
of the everlasting covenant, he eats and drinks damnation to 
himself, not discerning the Lord's body. I have given you 
warning ; I have discharged my duty. 

All ye who truly repent you of your sins, and are in love 
and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a holy 
life in all godliness, and sobriety, and honesty, draw near 
and take these holy mysteries to your comfort ; first make 
your humble confession of sins to God, and meekly beg his 
pardon for what is past, and his grace for the time to come. 

The Confession, to be said by all kneeling. 

Almighty God, we miserable sinners do humbly confess, 
and are truly sorrowful for our many and great, our innume- 
rable and intolerable crimes, of which our consciences do 
accuse us by night and by day, and by which we have pro- 
voked thy severest wrath and indignation against us. We 
have broken all thy righteous laws and commandments, by 
word or by deed, by vain thoughts or sinful desires ; we have 
sinned against thee in all our relations, in all places and at 
all times : we can neither reckon their number, nor bear their 
burden, nor suffer thine anger which we have deserved. But 
thou, O Lord God, art merciful and gracious : have mercy 
upon us : pardon us for all the evils we have done : judge us 
not for all the good we have omitted : take not thy favour 
from us, but delight thou to sanctify us and save us, and 
work in us to will and to do of thy good pleasure all our 
duty; that being sanctified by thy Spirit, and delivered from 
our sins, we may serve thee in a religious and a holy con- 
versation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then the Minister, rising up, shall pronounce" Absolution in the form pro- 
scrihed at Morning Prayer. 

Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus, the great Shepherd 
and Bishop of our souls, that Lamb of God who taketh away 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 297 

the sins of the world, who promised paradise to the repenting 
thief, and gave pardon to the woman taken in adultery, he 
pardon and forgive all your sins known and unknown. 

O blessed Jesus, in whatsoever thy servants, as men bear- 
ing flesh about them, and inhabiting this world, or deceived by 
the devil, have sinned, whether in word or deed, whether in 
thought or desire, whether by omission or commission, let it 
be forgiven unto them by thy word and by thy Spirit ; and 
for ever preserve thy servants from sinning against thee, and 
from suffering thine eternal anger, for thy promise sake, and 
for thy glorious name's sake, O blessed Lord and Saviour 
Jesus. Amen. 

Then, all rising up, there shall be made a Collection for the Poor, by the 
Deacon or Clerk, while the Minister reads some of these Sentences, or 
makes an exhortation to Chanty and Alms. 

To do good and to distribute, forget not ; for with such 
sacrifices God is well pleased. Heb. xiii. 16. 

Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy: the 
Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble : the Lord will 
preserve him and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed 
upon the earth, and thou wilt not deliver him into the will 
of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed 
of languishing : thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. 
Psalm xli. 1-3. 

He which soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly ; and he 
which soweth bountifully, shall reap bountifully. Every man 
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not 
grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. 
2 Cor. ix. 6, 7. 

Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighte- 
ousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into ever- 
lasting habitations. Luke, xvi. 9. 

Give alms of such things as ye have ; and, behold, all 
things are clean unto you. Luke, xi. 41. 

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, 
* Come, ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was 
a hungered, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye 
gave me drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took me in ; naked, 
and ye clothed me ; I was sick, and ye visited me ; I was in 
prison, and ye came unto me.' Matt. xxv. 34, 35. 



298 AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 

Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto 
him that teacheth, in all good things. Be not deceived, God 
is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he 
also reap. Gal. vi. 6, 7. 

If there be none fit to gather, the Minister himself shall gather it: and when 
he hath done or received it from the hand of him that gathered it, let him 
in an humble manner present it to God, laying it on the Communion- 
Table , secretly and devoutly saying, 

Lord, accept the oblation and alms of thy people: and 
remember thy servants for this thing, at the day of judgment. 

Then shall follow the Address to the Holy Mysteries ; the people shall come 
up to the Holy Table where it is the custom, or near it, where it is most fit 
to communicate : and then the Minister shall say, 

Let us pray. 

O God, who, by thy unspeakable mercy, hast sent thy 
only begotten Son into the world, that he might bring the 
wandering sheep into his fold, turn not away from us miser- 
able sinners, who worship and invocate thee in these holy 
mysteries. For we do not approach to thee in our own 
righteousness, but in the hope and confidence of that glorious 
mercy, by which thou hast sent thy holy Son to redeem 
miserable and lost mankind. We humbly beseech thee to 
grant, that these mysteries, which thou hast ordained to be 
ministries of salvation to us, may not become an occasion 
of our condemnation, but of pardon of our sins, of the reno- 
vation of our souls, of the sanctification and preservation of 
our bodies, that we may become well-pleasing to thee our 
God, in the obedience of our Lord Jesus, with whom, and 
with thy Holy Spirit, thou reignest over all, one God, blessed 
for evermore. Amen. 

Minister. Lift up your hearts. 

People. We lift them up unto the Lord. 

Minister. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God. 

People. It is just and right so to do. 

Minister. 

It is, indeed, truly just, righteous, and fitting, to praise 
and to glorify, to worship and adore, to give thanks and to 
magnify thee, the great Maker of all creatures, visible and 
invisible, the treasure of all good, temporal and eternal : the 
fountain of all life, mortal and immortal : the Lord and God 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 299 

of all things in heaven and earth, the great Father of his 
servants, the great Master of his children. 

The heavens and the heaven of heavens, and every power 
therein; the sun and the moon, and all the stars of the sky; 
the sea and the earth, the heights above and the depths 
below; Jerusalem that is from above, the congregation celes- 
tial, the Church of the first-born written in the heavens, the 
spirits of the prophets and of just men made perfect, the 
souls of the apostles and all holy martyrs, angels and arch- 
angels, thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, the 
spirits of understanding and the spirits of love, with never- 
ceasing hymns and perpetual anthems cry out, night and day, 
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts! heaven and earth 
are full of thy glory. Hosanna ! Blessed is he that cometh 
in the name of the Lord ! 

Hosanna in the highest ! 



HERE BEGINNETH THE COMMUNION. 

After a decent pause for short Meditation, the Minister shall, with a loud 
voice, say, 

Our Father, &c. 

And then this, 'ExQavvtris, or Denunciation. 

LET all corruptible flesh be silent, and stand with fear 
and trembling, and think within itself nothing that is earthly, 
nothing that is unholy. The King of kings, the Lord of 
lords, Christ our God, comes down from heaven unto us, and 
gives himself to be meat for the souls of all faithful people. 
All the glorious companies of angels behold this and wonder, 
and love and worship Jesus. Every throne and dominion, 
the cherubims with many eyes and the seraphims with many 
wings, cover their faces before the majesty of his glory, and 
sing a perpetual song for ever: Hallelujah, Hallelujah. 
Glory be to God on high ; and in earth, peace ; good- will 
towards men. Hallelujah. 

Then shall follow this Prayer of Consecration, to be said by the Minister 
standing. 

I. 

Have mercy upon us, O heavenly Father, according to thy 
glorious mercies and promises, send thy Holy Ghost upon 



300 AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 

our hearts, and let him also descend upon these gifts, that 
by his good, his holy, his glorious presence, he may sanctify 
and enlighten our hearts, and he may bless and sanctify 
these gifts ; 

That this bread may become the holy body of Christ. 

Amen. 

And this chalice may become the life-giving blood of Christ. 

Amen. 

That it may become unto us all, that partake of it this 
day, a blessed instrument of union with Christ, of pardon 
and peace, of health and blessing, of holiness and life eternal, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

II. 

Holy and blessed art thou, O King of eternal ages, foun- 
tain and giver of all righteousness. 

Holy art thou, the eternal and only-begotten Son of God, 
our Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world. 

Holy art thou, O blessed Spirit, that searchest all things, 
even the depths and hidden things of God. 

Thou, O God, art almighty : thou art good and gracious, 
dreadful and venerable, holy and merciful to the work of 
thine own hands. 

Thou didst make man according to thine image; thou 
gavest him the riches and the rest of paradise : when he fell 
and broke thy easy commandment, thou didst not despise his 
folly, nor leave him" in his sin ; but didst chastise him with 
thy rod, and restrain him by thy law, and instruct him by 
thy prophets ; and, at last, didst send thy holy Son into the 
world, that he might renew and repair thy broken image. 

The People shall auswer, 

Blessed be God. 

He, coming from heaven, and taking our flesh, by the 
power of the Holy Ghost, of the Virgin Mary, conversed with 
men, and taught us the way of God, and the dispensation of 
eternal life. 

People. Holy Jesus ! Blessed be God. 

But when for the redemption of us sinners he would 
suffer death upon the cross without sin, for us who were 
nothing but sin and misery, in the night in which he was 
betrayed, he took bread, he looked up to heaven, he gave 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 301 

thanks, he sanctified it, he brake it, and gave it to his apo- 
stles, saying, 'Take, eat, This 3 is my body which is broken 
for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' Likewise after 
supper he took the cup ; and when he had given thanks and 
blessed it, he gave it to them, saying, ' Drink ye all of this, 
for this b is my blood of the new testament, which is shed 
for you and for many, for the remission of sins. Do this in 
remembrance of me. For as often as ye shall eat this bread, 
and drink this cup, ye shall shew forth the Lord's death till 
he come.' 

The People shall answer, 

Amen. 

Minister. We believe, and we confess. 
People. We declare thy death, and confess thy resur- 
rection. 

Then the Minister kneeling, shall say this Prayer of Oblation. 
I. 

We sinners, thy unworthy servants, in remembrance of 
thy life-giving passion, thy cross and thy pains, thy death 
and thy burial, thy resurrection from the dead, and thy 
ascension into heaven, thy sitting at the right hand of God, 
making intercession for us, and expecting, with fear and 
trembling, thy formidable and glorious return to judge the 
quick and dead, when thou shalt render to every man accord- 
ing to his works ; do humbly present to thee, O Lord, this 
present sacrifice of remembrance and thanksgiving, humbly 
and passionately praying thee not to deal with us according 
to our sins, nor recompense us after our transgressions ; but 
according to thy abundant mercy, and infinite goodness, to 
blot out and take away the handwriting that is against us in 
the book of remembrances which thou hast written: and that 
thou wilt give unto us spiritual, celestial, and eternal gifts, 
which neither eye hath seen, nor ear hath heard, neither hath 
it entered into the heart of man to understand, which God 
hath prepared for them that love him ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

Then shall follow the reception and distribution of the Holy Sacrament, the 
Minister first receiving, and privately saying this short Prayer. 

O blessed Jesus, my Lord and my God, thou art the 

a The Minister at those words shall touch the bread. 
b Here he must touch or handle the chalice. 



302 AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 

celestial food and the life of every man that cometh unto 
thee. I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am 
not worthy to partake of these holy mysteries ; but thou art 
my merciful Saviour. Grant that I may, religiously, thank- 
fully, and without reproof, partake of thy blessed body and 
blood for the remission of my sins, and unto life eternal. 
Amen. 

Then reverently taking in his hand the consecrated Bread, that he means 
to eat, let him say, 

The body of our Lord Jesus, which was broken for me, 
preserve my body and soul into everlasting life. Amen. 

Then praying awhile privately, let him receive the Chalice, saying, 

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for 
the remission of my sins, cleanse my soul, and preserve it 
into everlasting life. Amen. 

Then let him pray awhile privately, and recommend to God his own 

personal necessities, spiritual and temporal, and the needs of all his 

relatives, &c. 
After that, let him distribute it first to the Clergy that help to officiate, and 

after that, to the whole Congregation that offer themselves, saying the 

same words, changing the person. 
While the Minister of the Mysteries is praying privately, the People may 

secretly pray thus, or to this purpose ; 

I believe, O God, and confess that thou art Christ, the 
Son of the living God, who came into the world to save 
sinners, whereof I ain chief. Lord, make me this day par- 
taker of thy heavenly table; for thou dost not give thy secrets 
to thy enemies, but to the sons of thine own house. Let me 
never give thee a Judas' kiss; I confess thee and thy glories, 
I invocate thee and thy mercies : I trust upon thee and thy 
goodness like the thief upon the cross ; Lord, remember me 
in thy kingdom, with the remembrances of an everlasting 
love. 

Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under 
my roof; but as thou didst vouchsafe to lie in a manger 
with beasts, and to enter into the house of Simon the leper, 
nor didst despise the repenting harlot when she kissed thy 
feet ; so vouchsafe to lodge in my soul, though it be a place 
of beastly affections and unreasonable passions ; throw them 
out and dwell there for ever; purify my soul, accept the 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 303 

sinner, cleanse the leper, so shall I be worthy to partake of 
this Divine banquet. Amen. 

'When evervof the Communicants hath received in hoth kinds, let the Paten 
and Chalice, if any of the consecrated Elements remain, be decently 
covered, and then shall follow these Prayers. 



THE POST-COMMUNION. 

The Minister and People devoutly kneeling, shall say the Lord's Prayer, 
the People repeating every Petition after the Minister. 

OUR Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name : 
Thy kingdom come : Thy will be done in 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 : 
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

Then the Minister shall pray this Prayer for the catholic Church. 
I. 

Receive, O eternal God, this sacrifice for and in behalf 
of all Christian people, whom thou hast redeemed with the 
blood of thy Son, and purchased as thine own inheritance. 
From the fountains of mercy, the springs of our blessed 
Saviour, let all thy people, upon whom the name of Jesus is 
called, receive confirmation and increase of grace, fruitful- 
ness in good works, and perfect understanding in the way of 
godliness. Defend, O God, thy Church, and preserve her 
from all heresy and scandal, from sacrilege and simony, from 
covetousness and pride, from factions and schism, from 
atheism and irreligion, from all that persecute the truth, and 
from all that work wickedness, and let not the gates of hell 
prevail against her, nor any evil come near to hurt her. 

II. 

Give thy blessing, God, to this nation ; remember us 
for good, and not for evil ; be reconciled unto us in the Son 
of thy -love, and let not thine anger be any longer upon us, 
nor thy jealousy burn like fire. Send us health and peace, 
justice and truth, good laws and good government; an 



304 AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 

excellent religion, undivided, undisturbed; temperate air, 
seasonable showers, wholesome dews, fruitful seasons : crown 
the year with goodness, and let the clouds drop fatness, that 
we may glorify thy name, and confess thy goodness, while 
thou bearest witness to us from heaven, filling our hearts 
with food and gladness. 

III. 

With a propitious eye, and a great pity, behold the 
miseries of mankind ; put a speedy period to all our sins 
and to all our calamities : hear the sighings of the distressed, 
the groans of the sick, the prayers of the oppressed, the 
desires of the poor and needy ; support the weakness of them 
that languish and faint ; ease the pains of them that are in 
affliction, and call to thee for help. Take from the miserable 
all tediousness of spirit and despair : pardon all the peni- 
tents, reform the vicious, confirm the holy, and let them be 
holy still; pity the folly of young men, their little reason 
and great passion ; succour the infirmities and temptations 
of the aged, preserving them that they may not sin towards 
the end of their lives ; for Jesus Christ's sake. 

IV. 

Admit, O blessed God, into the society of our prayers, 
and the benefits of this eucharist, our fathers and brethren, 
our wives and children, our friends and benefactors, our 
charges and relatives, all that have desired our prayers and 
all that need them, all that we have, and all that we have 
not, remembered ; thou knowest all their necessities and all 
their dwellings, their joys and their sorrows, their hopes and 
their fears, the number of their sins and the measures of their 
repentances; O dear God, sanctify them and us; let our por- 
tion be in the good things of God, in religion and purity, in 
the peace of conscience, and the joys of the Holy Ghost, in 
the love of God and of our neighbours. O gather us to the 
feet of thy elect when thou wilt, and in what manner thou 
art pleased : only let us appear before thee without shame 
and without sins, through the merits of Jesus Christ, ou 
most merciful Saviour and Redeemer. Amen. 

Then shall follow the Eucharistical Prayers. 
I. 

GLORY be to thee, O God our Father, who hast vouchsafed 



AN OFFICE FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION. 305 

to make us at this time partakers of the body and blood of 
thy holy Son : we offer unto thee, O God, ourselves, our 
souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice 
unto thee : keep us under the shadow of thy wings, and de- 
fend us from all evil, and conduct us by thy Holy Spirit of 
grace into all good ; for thou who hast given thy holy Son 
unto us, how shalt not thou with him give us all things else ? 
Blessed be the name of our God for ever and ever. Amen. 

II. 

Glory be to thee, O Christ, our King, the only begotten 
Son of God, who wert pleased to become a sacrifice for our 
sins, a redemption from calamity, the physician and the 
physic, the life and the health, the meat and the drink of 
our souls ; thou, by thy unspeakable mercy, didst descend to 
the weakness of sinful flesh, remaining still in the perfect 
purity of spirit, and hast made us partakers of thy holy body 
and blood : O condemn us not when thou comest to judg- 
ment, but keep us ever in thy truth, in thy fear, and in thy 
favour, that we may have our portion in thine inheritance, 
where holiness and purity, where joy and everlasting praises, 
do dwell for ever and ever. Amen. 

III. 

Proceeding from glory to glory, we still glorify thee, O 
Father of spirits, and pray thee for ever to continue thy 
goodness towards us. Direct our way arijjht, establish us 
in holy purposes, keep us unspotted in thy faith, let the 
enemy have no part in us, but conform us for ever to the 
likeness of thy holy Son ; lead us on to the perfect adoption 
of our souls, and to the redemption of our bodies from cor- 
ruption, and fill our hearts and tongues with everlasting 
praises of thy name ; through Jesug Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Blessing. 

The peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep 
your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, 
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord : And the blessing of 
God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon you, 
and abide with you, and be your portion for ever and ever. 
Amen. 

VOL. xv. x 



A 

FORM 

or 

ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOLY SACRAMENT 

OF 

BAPTISM. 



Pure Water being provided, and put into the Fount, or into a Lavatory 

of Silver, or some other clean vessel, fit and decent for this sacred 

action, the Minister, being vested in an ecclesiastical habit, shall begin 
with this Exhortation. 

DEARLY BELOVED BRETHREN, 

FORASMUCH as from our first parents we derive nothing 
but flesh and corruption, and that 'flesh and blood cannot 
inherit the kingdom of heaven ;' it is necessary that every 
man who is reckoned in Adarn, should be also reckoned in 
Christ; that every one who is born of the flesh, be also born 
again, and born of the Spirit ; that every son of man by nature 
may become the son of God by adoption, be incorporated 
into Christ, entitled to the promises, and become heir of 
heaven by grace and faith in Jesus Christ ; and that this 
cannot be done but by being admitted to the covenant of 
grace in baptism ; our blessed Saviour saying, that ' except 
a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot 
enter into the kingdom of God ;' let us humbly and devoutly 
pray unto God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he 
will be pleased to send down his Holy Spirit upon these 
waters of baptism ; that they may become to this infant 
[all that shall be washed in them 3 ] a laver of regeneration, 

a If the place be populous, and baptisms frequent, and this water be kept 
(as is usual in most churches both of East and West), then that clause within the 
crotchets may be used, else not. 



AN OFFICE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, &C. 307 

and a well of water springing up to life eternal : and that this 
infant maybe admitted to the covenant of grace and pardon, 
of mercy and holiness, receiving from grace what by nature 
he cannot have, that being baptized in water to the remission 
of sins, he may all his life walk in this covenant of grace and 
holiness, as a lively member of the holy Church, which is the 
mystical body of Christ our head. 

Let us pray. 
I. 

O Almighty and Eternal God, Father of men and angels, 
Lord of heaven and earth, whose Spirit, moving upon the 
waters at the beginning of the world, produced every living 
and every moving creature ; thou by the flood of waters 
didst wash away the iniquity of the old world, and by pre- 
serving to thyself a generation of holy persons, whom thou 
didst bring up from those waters, didst consign to us a type 
of regeneration : look, O Lord, graciously upon the face of 
thy Church, and multiply in her thy regenerations, and the 
new births of thy Spirit. With the abundance of thy grace 
make thy holy city to rejoice, and still open this holy fountain 
of baptism, for the reformation and sanctification of all the 
nations of the world ; that thy blessed Spirit sanctifying 
these waters, a new and heavenly offspring may hence arise, 
full of health and light ; that human nature, which was 
made after thy own image, being reformed and restored tq 
the honour of its first beginning, may be cleansed from all 
the impure adherences of sin, preserved from the dominion 
of it, and rescued from all its sad effects, that what shall be 
so born in the womb of the Church, may dwell in the house 
of God, and reign with thee for ever in the inheritance of our 
blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus. 'Amen. 

II. 

Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus, who was baptized 
of John in Jordan, who walked upon the waters, who con- 
verted water into wine, who out of his precious side shed 
forth blood and water, the two sacraments of life, unto his 
holy Church, and commanded his disciples to ' teach all 
nations, baptizing them with water in the name of the Father, 



308 AN OFFICE FOR THE 

of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : ' he bless and sanctify by 
his Holy Spirit this water, that it may be instrumental and 
effective of grace, of pardon and sanctification : hear us, O 
most gracious God, that whosoever shall be baptized in this 
water, may be renewed by thy grace, justified by thy mercy, 
sanctified by thy Spirit, preserved by thy providence, and 
guided by thy word ; that in this water, springing from the 
paradise of God, the soul [or souls] presented unto thee may 
be cleansed and purified, and that there may be added to thy 
Church daily, such as shall be saved in the day of thy 
glorious appearing, O blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus. 
Amen. 

Then, the Minister and People arising from their knees, the following 
Gospel shall be read. 

Hear the words of the holy Gospel written by St. 
Matthew, in the third chapter, &c. 

Verses 13 to 17, inclusively. 

" Then cometli Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, 
to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I 
have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? 
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now ; 
for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he 

O 

suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up 
straightway out of the water, and, lo, the heavens were opened 
unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a 
dove, and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven 
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

Hear likewise what St. Mark writeth in his tenth chapter. 

Verses 13 to 16, inclusively. 

The Jews " brought children" to Christ, *' that he should 
touch them, and his disciples rebuked those that brought 
them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and 
said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, 
and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. 
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the king- 
dom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 
And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, 
and blessed them." 



ADMINISTRATION OF BAPTISM. 309 

FRIENDS, 

"In these Gospels you see the actions and hear the 
words of our blessed Saviour : how he commanded little 
children to be brought unto him, how he rebuked those that 
would Ijave kept them away, how readily he blessed them, 
how kindly he embraced them, how he pronounced them 
capable of, and entitled to, the kingdom of God : how he 
commanded us to receive the kingdom as infants received it, 
and affirmed that we can no way receive it but by being like 
them : you know, also, that although Christ commanded 
them to be brought unto him, there is no ordinary and 
appointed way for infants to come to Christ, and no way 
possible for them to be brought to Christ, but by this new 
birth and regeneration in the laver of baptism : you see also 
by the example and words of our blessed Lord himself, that 
even the most innocent persons ought to be baptized ; for he 
himself, who knew no sin, was yet baptized in the baptism 
of repentance, and so to do was the fulfilling of righteous- 
ness; we may therefore easily perceive that the innocence of 
infants, and their freedom from actual sin, cannot excuse 
them from baptism. And if we remember, that although our 
blessed Saviour required faith of them who came to be 
healed of their diseases, yet by the faith of others/ who 
came in behalf of such as could not be brought, or could not 
come, the sick person was healed ; we are sufficiently in- 
structed, that although infants have no more actual faith 
than they have actual sin, yet the faith of others can be, and 
is, by the usual and revealed method of the Divine mercy, as 
well imputed to them, to the purposes of grace and life, 
as the sin of Adam can be imputed to the purposes of death ; 
that * as in Adam all die, so in Christ all should be made 
alive :' we may therefore, from these certain evidences, con- 
clude, that God alloweth in you this obedience and charity, 
in bringing this child to Christ, to receive all blessings of 
which he is capable, and a title to the promises and adoption 
to be the child of God, a sanctification by the Spirit, a 
designation to the service of Christ, and putting him into 
the order of eternal life. Therefore b [as circumcision was 

* Matt. viii. 13 ; tx.28. John, IT. 50. Mark, ix. 23. 

b All tbis between the crotchets may be omitted, according to the discretion of 
him that ministers. 



310 AN OFFICE FOR THE 

the seal of the righteousness of faith, and yet ministered to 
infants eight days old, and commanded so severely, that God 
said, The uncircumcised child, whose flesh is not circumcised, 
that soul shall be cut off from his people : so baptism, which 
is now the seal of the same faith and the same righteous- 
ness, and a figure like unto the former, is to be administered 
to infants, although they have no more actual faith than the 
children of the Israelites had ; our blessed Saviour having 
made baptism as necessary in the New Testament, as cir- 
cumcision in the Old. For because little children can 
receive the kingdom of ,God, and in infants there is no 
incapacity of receiving the mercies of God, the adoption to 
be children of God, a title to the promises, the covenant of 
repentance, and a right to pardon ; whosoever shall deny to 
baptize infants when he is justly required, is sacrilegious and 
uncharitable. Since, therefore, the Church of God hath so 
great, so clear, so indubitable a warrant to baptize infants, 
and, therefore, did always practise it] let us humbly and 
charitably give thanks to God for his great mercies unto us 
all, and, with meekness and love, recommend this child to 
the grace of God." 

Let us pray. 
I. 

O Almighty and Eternal God, who hast redeemed us from 
sin and shame, from the gates of hell and the sting of death, 
and from ignorance and darkness, by thy holy Son, who is 
that light which lighteneth every man that cometh into the 
world : we praise and glorify thy name, that thou hast called 
us to the knowledge of thy will, and the love of thy name, 
and the service of thy majesty, which is perfect freedom, the 
freedom of the sons of God. 

IT. 

As thou hast dealt graciously with us, so deal with this 
infant, whom we humbly bring and offer to our blessed 
Saviour Jesus, that he should receive him, and bless him with 
the blessings of an everlasting love. Receive him, O most 
gracious Lord, who is thy child by creation, make him thine 

c Rom. iv. 11-13, 17. Gal. iii. 14, 29. 



ADMINISTRATION OF BAPTISM. 311 

also by adoption into thy covenant of grace and favour ; let 
him be consigned with thy sacrament, be admitted into 
Christ's kingdom, enter into his warfare, believe his doctrine, 
labour and hope for his promises, that this child, witnessing 
here a good confession, may have his understanding for ever 
brought unto the obedience, his affections to the love, and all 
his faculties to the service, of Christ ; and after he hath 
served thee in his generation, he may receive his part and 
portion in thy glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Then arising from their knees, the Minister shall say uiito the God- 
fathers and Godmothers, as followeth : 

" Well-beloved friends, you have brought this child to be 
presented unto Christ as a servant of his laws, and a disciple 
of his doctrine; ye have prayed that God would receive him, 
and give him a portion in the Gospel and kingdom of his 
Son ; ye have heard what promises God hath made on his part, 
and ye believe and know all ' his words are yea and amen,' 
and not one tittle of them shall pass unaccomplished ; now, 
therefore, because it is a covenant of grace and favour on 
God's part, and of faith and obedience on ours, though God 
prevents us with his grace, and begins to do for us before we 
can do any thing for him, yet you, under whose power this 
child is, and by whose faith and charity this child comes to 
Christ in holy baptism, must also, on his behalf, promise that 
he will forsake the devil and all his wicked works, that he 
will faithfully believe Christ's holy Gospel, and dutifully 
keep all Christ's commandments." 

Minister. Dost thou abjure, and renounce, and promise 
to forsake, the devil and all his wicked works, not to listen 
to his temptations, not to be led by the flesh, by the vain 
powers of the world, by carnal or covetous desires, but thou 
wilt be the servant of the Lord Jesus ? 

Answer. I forsake them all', and will be a servant of 
Jesus. 

Minister. Dost thou believe in God the Father Almighty, 
Maker of heaven and earth ? And in Jesus Christ, his only 
begotten Son, our Lord ? And that he was conceived by 
the Holy Ghost ; born of the Virgin Mary ; that he suffered 
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; that 
he went down into hell, and also did rise again the third 
day ; that he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right- 



312 AN OFFICE FOR THE 

hand of God the Father Almighty ; and from thence he shall 
come again, at the end of the world, to judge the quick and 
the dead? And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost; the 
holy catholic Church ; the communion of saints ; the remis- 
sion of sins ; the resurrection of the flesh ; and everlasting 
life after death ? 

Answer. All this I will profess and steadfastly believe. 

Minister. Wilt thou be baptized into this faith ? 

Answer. That is my desire. 

Let us pray. 

O Almighty God, who hast given the promise of thy 
Spirit to us and to our children, even to as many as the Lord 
our God shall call ; give thy Holy Spirit to this infant, that 
the evil spirits of darkness may not take thy portion from 
thee, nor hurt the body, nor deceive the understanding, nor 
corrupt the will, nor tempt the affections of this infant : but 
that thy Spirit, who bloweth where it listeth, and no man 
knows whence he cometh nor whither he goeth, may be in 
this child as the seed of God springing up to life eternal ; 
that the kingdom of God which is within, and cometh not 
with observation, may early rule and conduct this infant, 
prevent the folly of his childhood from growing up to sins in 
Ms youth, and may work strongly in him when his weakness, 
his ignorances, and temptations, are most powerful to prevail 
upon him ; that from his cradle to his grave he may be guided 
by the Spirit of God in the paths of the Divine command- 
ments. Admit him, O God, into the bosom of the Church, 
into the arms of thy mercy, into a right of the promises, into 
the service of Christ, into the communion of saints ; and 
give him power to become the son of God, that being buried 
with Christ in baptism, he may also rise with him through 
the faith of the operation of God, through the same our 
blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Then the Minister of the Sacrament shall take the Child in his arms, and 
ask the name. 

Then naming the Child aloud, he shall dip the head, or face, or body of 
the Child in the water, saying, 

N. Tbaptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 

Dipping the head, at the naming of the holy Trinity. 



ADMINISTRATION OF BAPTISM. 313 

If the Child be weak, or any other great cause intervene, it may 
suffice, instead of dipping, to sprinkle water on the face, using 
the same form of words. 

Then shall the Priest make the sign of the Cross upon the Child's 
forehead, saying, 

" We sign this child with the sign of the cross, and enrol 
him a soldier under the banner of Christ, to signify, and, as 
a ceremony, to represent, that the duty of this and all bap- 
tized persons is manfully to fight under the banner of Christ 
against the flesh, the world, and the devil, all the days of 
their life ; and by the power which Christ our blessed Lord, 
who hath the key of David, hath given unto me, I admit 
this child into the communion of saints, into the bosom of 
the visible Church, the kingdom of grace, and the title to the 
promises evangelical, and the hopes of glory." 

Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus, who, when he had 
overcome the sharpness of death, did open the kingdom of 
heaven to all believers, and gave unto his Church the keys of 
the kingdom, that his ministers might let into it all that 
come to him ; he, of his infinite goodness and truth, make 
good his gracious promises upon this infant, that what we do 
on earth according to his will, he may confirm in heaven by 
his Spirit and by his word, to the glory of the blessed and 
undivided Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
Amen. 

Then shall the Minister add this Invitation. 

Seeing now, dearly beloved, that this infant hath received 
holy baptism, and is washed in the laver of regeneration, 
admitted into the bosom of the Church, into the covenant of 
faith and repentance, pardon and holiness ; let us give 
thanks to God for these graces, and pray that this child may 
lead his life according to the present undertaking. 

I. 

We give thee thanks and praise, O heavenly and most 
gracious Father, that it hath pleased thee to call this child 
to thy holy baptism, to renew him with thy Holy Spirit, to 
admit him into the Church, to adopt him for thy child, and to 
receive him unto the profession of thy faith: and we humbly 



314 AN OFFICE FOR THE 

beseech thee to grant unto him thy grace, to accompany him 
all the days of his life, that he may hold fast the profession 
of his faith, making his calling and election sure; that his 
body being washed in pure water, and he tasting of the 
heavenly gift, being made partaker of the Holy Ghost, and 
sprinkled in his heart from an evil conscience, he may follow 
thee in the regeneration, and, after the end of this life, he may 
for ever be with them who have washed their robes and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Grant this, 
O God our Father, through Jesus Christ our blessed Saviour 
and Redeemer. 

II. 

O most holy, most gracious Saviour Jesus, who lovest 
thy Church, and hast given thyself for it, that thou mayest 
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water in the 
word ; do thou with thy Holy Spirit enlighten, and with 
thy word instruct, the understanding of this child, that he 
may live by faith, and may receive the secrets of thy king- 
dom, and know thy will, and obey thy laws, and promote 
thy glory. 

III. 
> 

O God, be thou his Father for ever, Christ his elder 
brother and his Lord ; the Church his mother ; let the body 
of Christ be his food, the blood of Christ his drink, and the 
Spirit the earnest of his inheritance. Let faith be his learn- 
ing, religion his employment, his whole life be spiritual, 
heaven the object of his hopes, and the end of his labours ; 
let him be thy servant in the kingdom of grace, and thy son 
in the kingdom of glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Then shall the Priest add this Blessing. 

Our blessed Lord God, the Father of men and angels, 
who hath sent forth his angels ministers, appointing them to 
minister to the good of them who shall be heirs of salvation, 
he of his mercy and goodness send his holy angel to be 
the guardian of this child, and keep him from the danger 
and violence of fire and water, of falls and sad accidents, 
from evil tongues and evil eyes, from witchcraft and all 



ADMINISTRATION OF BAPTISM. 315 

impressions of the spirits of darkness, from convulsions and 
rickets, from madness and stupidity, from folly and evil 
principles, from bad examples and from evil teachers, from 
crookedness and deformity, from the mutilation of a member 
or the loss of sense, from being useless and unprofitable, 
from being impious, harsh-natured, and unreasonable ; and 
make him a wise, useful, and a holy person, beloved of men, 
and beloved of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, 
Amen. 

You the godfathers and godmothers of the child, as you 
have done this charity to the infant to bring him to holy 
baptism, so you must be sure to continue your care over him 
till he be instructed in his duty, taught what vow he hath 
made by you, and how he shall perform it. To this purpose 
you shall take care that he may learn the Lord's Prayer, the 
Apostles' Creed, and the Commandments of our Lord, that 
he may know how to pray, what to believe, and what to 
practise ; and when he is in all these things competently in- 
structed, neglect not any opportunity of bringing him to the 
bishop, that he, by imposition of hands and invocation of 
the Holy Spirit of God, may procure blessing and spiritual 
strength to this child. Which duty when you have done, 
you are discharged of this trust ; and, from the mercies of 
God, may humbly hope for the reward of your charity. 



THE 



DEVOTIONS AND PROPER OFFICES 



WOMEN. 



An Office for safe Childbirth. 

I. 

O ALMIGHTY FATHER of men and angels, in whose hands 
are the keys of life and death, of the womb and of the grave, 
look down at this time in great mercy and gentlest com- 
passion upon thy servant. Thou hast, O God, upon the 
weakest of mankind fixed the sharpest degree of painful 
childbirth ; but so thou lovest to magnify thy mercies and 
thy power, that thy strength may be seen in our weakness ; 
so let it be, O God, unto thy handmaid ; let thy loving- 
kindness be her confidence and her rest, her hope and her 

security, now and in the hour of her travail. 



II. 

Lord, let thy holy angels be present with thy servant, in 
their holy and charitable ministries about her person ; it is 
a great thing that we require ; but we beg it of the great 
King of heaven and earth, the Lord of angels, who hath 
promised that his angels shall stand in circuit round about 
them that fear the Lord : look, O Lord, upon her fear ; it is 
humble, but it is trembling: look upon her love, and make it 
what it is not yet : do thou sanctify her fear of thee, and 
change it into obedience, and carefulness of duty ; increase 
her love of thee, and make it to be pure and perfect, operative 
and busy, zealous and obedient ; make it to grow up to 
the perfections of a Christian, and pass unto the beauties of 



AN OFFICE FOR SAFE CHILDBIRTH. 317 

holiness : so shall thy servant feel thy daily mercies, and no 
evil shall come near to hurt her. 

III. 

Gracious Father, give thy servant leave to rely upon thy 
glorious promises. Thou hast commanded us to call upon 
thee in our trouble, and hast promised to deliver us : O look 
upon thy handmaid, leave her not, nor forsake her, for 
trouble is hard at hand, and there is none that can help or 
deliver but only thou, O God. In thee, O Lord, do we trust, 
let thy servants never be confounded. Be pleased, O Lord, 
to give thy servant patience and dereliction of her own 
desires, perfect resignation of her own will and a conformity 
to thine ; that she may with joy receive the blessing which 
thou wilt choose for her, and which we humbly beg of thee, 
even that she may have a holy, a healthful, a joyful, and a 
safe deliverance of her burden. Lord, keep her from all sad 
accidents and evil contingencies, from violent pains and 
passions, from all indecency of comportment and unqnietness 
of spirit, from impatience and despair, from doing any thing 
that is criminal, or feeling any thing that is intolerable. 

IV. 

O Lord our God, give thy servants leave to pray unto 
thee in behalf of this thy handmaid, that thou wilt not cut 
her off in the midst of her days, nor forsake her when her 
strength faileth : but spare her, O God, not for any purposes 
of vanity, or the satisfaction of any impotent or secular 
desires, but that she may live to serve thee, to redeem her 
time mispent in folly, to get victory over temptations, and 
perfect dominion over her passions, to grow great in religion, 
and of an excellent charity and devotion. O spare her 
a little, that she may recover her strength before she goes 
hence and be no more seen ; so shall thy servant rejoice in 
thy mercies, and speak of thy loving-kindness in the Church 
of thy redeemed ones, and will spend her days in holiness 
and zealous pursuances of religion. Remove her sins far 
from her, as the east is from the west ; for thou didst send 
thy most holy Son to die for us, and redeem us from all the 
powers of sin and hell : thou knowest whereof we were 
made, and rememberest that we are but dust : O do not visit 



318 A THANKSGIVING FOR WOMEN 

her sins upon her by a hasty death, but manifest thy mercies 
and thy pardon, by giving her a mighty grace, that she may 
live a holy life : and be pleased to grant this also, that those 
impresses of pious resolutions, and religious purposes of fear 
and love, of hope and desire, which thy grace in the circum- 
stances of her present condition makes upon her, may abide 
in her soul for ever; and, in the days of ease and safety, may 
be as operative and productive of holiness, as now they are 
of a hearty prayer, and passionate desires for thy mercies 
upon her, in a safe and blessed childbirth. 

V. 

Lord, bless her child ; grant that it may be born with 
a right shape and a perfect body, with a comely countenance 
and straight limbs, with entire senses and expedite faculties, 
with an excellent power of understanding and sweet dis- 
positions; and let thy Holy Spirit of grace conduct it to the 
sacrament of baptism, and in safety and holiness from the 
cradle to the grave. Grant this, O eternal God, for his sake, 
who was born of a holy maid, and suffered the infirmities of 
nature, and died for our sins, and rose again for our justifica- 
tion, even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



An Office of public Thanksgiving for Women after their 
Delivery from Childbirth, or any great Sickness, or 
Calamity, or Fear. 

At tbe end of Morning Prayer, immediately before the Blessing, the 
woman presenting herself before God on her knees, in some 
convenient place near to him that ministers, begin with this 
Exhortation. 

" FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God, who hath 
commanded us when we are aiflicted to pray, and hath 
promised to be with us in trouble, to make good his truth 
and mercy unto you, in standing at your right-hand in the 
day of your sorrow and danger, giving you safe deliverance 
[and a living and hopeful child a ], you shall therefore return 
to him the sacrifice of a thankful and joyful heart, in an 

* This may be inserted or omitted, according to the present circumstances. 



AFTER CHILDBIRTH. 319 

humble acknowledgment of the Divine mercies and goodness 
unto you, in this great blessing and deliverance from the 
pain and peril of childbirth." [Or else name any other 
instance in which the minister is required to give thanks.] 

The Psalm or Hymn of Thanksgiving: 

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want : he maketh 
me lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the 
still waters. 

He restoreth my soul : he leadeth me in the paths of 
righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 
death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me ; thy rod and 
thy staff they comfort me. 

I will declare thy name unto my brethren : in the midst 
of the congregation will I praise thee. 

Ye that fear the Lord, praise him ; for he hath not despised 
nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted : neither hath he 
hid his face from him, but when he cried unto him, he heard. 

O . Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast 
healed me. 

Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave : 
thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 

Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his : and give thanks 
at the remembrance of his holiness. 

For his anger endureth but for a moment ; in his favour 
is life : weeping may endure for a night, but joy conieth in 
the morning. 

1 cried unto thee, O Lord : unto the Lord I made my 
supplication. 

What profit is there in my blood, when I go down into 
the pit ? shall the dust praise thee ? shall it declare thy truth ? 

Hear, O Lord, and have mercyupon me: Lord, be thou 
my helper. 

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: 
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with glad- 
ness. 

To the end that my glory may sing praise unto thee, and 
not be silent : O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee 
for ever. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 



320 A THANKSGIVING FOR WOMEN 

Or else say the Te Deum. 

We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the 
Lord. 

All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting. 

To thee all angels cry aloud : the heavens and all the 
powers therein. 

To thee cherubim and seraphim continually do cry, 

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, 

Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory. 

The glorious company of the apostles praise thee. 

The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee. 

The noble army of martyrs praise thee. 

The holy Church throughout all the world, doth ac- 
knowledge thee : 

The Father : of an infinite Majesty. 

Thy honourable, true, and only Son. 

Also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. 

Thou art the King of glory, O Christ. 

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. 

When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst 
not abhor the virgin's womb. 

When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou 
didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. 

Thou sittest at the right-hand of God, in the glory of the 
Father. 

We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge. 

We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou 
hast redeemed with thy precious blood. 

Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory 
everlasting. 

O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage. 

Govern them : and lift them up for ever. 

Day by day, we magnify thee, 

And we worship thy name, ever, world without end. 

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. 

O Lord, have rnercy upon us : have mercy upon us. 

O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is 
in thee. 

O Lord, in thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded. 
Minister. The Lord be with you. 
Answer. And with thy spirit. 



AFTER CHILDBIRTH. 321 

Let us pray. 

O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesus, who wert 
born of a pure and a holy maid ; who hast felt the calamities 
of mankind, and knowest how to pity our infirmities, and 
rejoicest in doing and shewing mercy to all that need, and 
to all that call to thee for succour ; we give thee thanks and 
praise, that thou hast heard the prayers, and considered the 
cries and relieved the necessities, of this thy servant, and 
kept her life from the grave, still continuing to her a portion 
in the land of the living, and opportunities of serving thee. 
O be pleased to continue and increase, and to sanctify thy 
mercies to thy servant : pardon all her sins, pity her infirmi- 
ties, enable her duty, keep her from all evil by thy blessed 
providence, let her portion be in the things of God and of 
religion, in the light of thy countenance, and the service of 
thy majesty ; that she, walking humbly and devoutly before 
thee, piously and dutifully to her relatives, doing justice, 
and giving good example to those with whom she shall con- 
verse, may find the rewards of holiness, and the eternal 
mercies of God, in the day of thy glorious appearing, O 
blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus. Amen. 

Then shall be added this form of Blessing. 

The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make his 
face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord 
lift up the light of his countenance upon you, and give 
you peace. 

The blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and abide with you, and be 
your portion for ever and ever. Amen. 

A Prayer to be said immediately after the Woman's Delivery, 
either by the Priest, or anytother in Attendance. 

O ALMIGHTY LORD and Father, who healest every sick- 
ness and every disease, and art ever gracious, and always 
present to the prayers of them who, in the day of trouble, 
call upon thy holy name ; thou hast given delivery to this thy 
servant [and made her the mother of a living child], still be 
pleased to continue and renew thy loving-kindness unto 
her ; keep her from all violent accidents and intolerable 
pains, from colds and fevers ; defend her by the custody of 
VOL. xv. Y 



32*2 A NEW-MARRIED WIFE'S PRAYER. 

thy holy angels of light, from all impresses of the powers of 
darkness : give h*r rest and sleep, a quiet spirit, and an easy 
tody ; confidence in thee, and a daily sense of thy mercies ; 
a speedy restitution of health and strength, and a thankful 
heart to praise thee in the congregation of saints, and to 
serve thee with an increasing and a persevering duty all the 
days of her life ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then, if there be time and fitted circumstances, add this Prayer for the 
Child. 

O eternal God, who hast promised to be a Father to a 
thousand generations of them that love and fear thee ; be 
pleased to bless this child, who is newly come into a sad and 
most sinful world. O God, preserve his life, and give him 
the grace and sacrament of baptismal regeneration : do thou 
receive him and enable him to receive thee, that he may have 
power to become the child of God ; keep him from the spirits 
that walk at noon, and from the evil spirits of the night, from 
all charms and enchantments, from sudden death and violent 
accidents : give unto him a gracious heart and an excellent 
understanding, a ready and unloosed tongue, a healthful and 
a useful body and a wise soul, that he may serve thee aud 
advance thy glory in this world, and may increase the number 
of thy saints and servants in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus. 
Amen. 

To God the Father of our Lord Jesus : to the eternal Son 
of God, the Son of man : to the Spirit of the Father and the 
Son : be all honour and glory, praise and thanksgiving, love 
and obedience, now and for evermore. Amen. 

A Prayer to be said by a new-married Wife entering into 
a Family. 

I. 

O ETERNAL GOD, the Father of wisdom and mercy, thou 
hast been my guide and my defence all iny days ; thou didst 
take me from my mother's womb, and didst conduct me 
through the varieties of my life with much mercy, and the 
issues of a loving and wise providence ; I bless thy name, O 
Lord, for all thy dispensations ; thou hast done all things 
with infinite goodness and infinite wisdom : thou hast kept 
me from the effects of thy wrath, and the evils of my own 



A NEW-MARRIED WIFE'S PRAYER. 323 

infirmities ; thou didst defend me from evils by the guard of 
angels, and didst lead me into good by the conduct of thy 
Holy Spirit: thou hast always heard my prayer, ever being 
more ready to bless me than I to ask it : thou hast said unto 
me, ' I will never leave thee nor forsake thee ;' be therefore 
graciously pleased to hear the prayer of thine handmaid, that 
I may have the aids of an excellent providence and a mighty 
grace to do my duty in all my relations, in all varieties and 
changes of the world, until my great change shall come. 

II. 

Give thy blessing to thy servant, my dear husband; give 
him a long life and a confirmed health ; encircle him with 
blessings, adorn him with thy grace, nourish him with content, 
refresh him with a perpetual succession of comforts, let the 
light of thy countenance be upon him in all his actions and 
the accidents of his life, and grant that he may still more 
and more increase in the love and fear of thy holy name; 
that, despising the things of this world, he may hunger and 
thirst after the things of God and of religion, and may have 
his portion in the gathering together of the saints in the 
kingdom of grace and glory. 

III. 

Bless me, even me, O my Father ; and grant that I may, 
in all things, do my duty to thee, my God : give me a perfect 
command over all my passions and affections, that they being 
subject to my will, and my will guided by reason, and my 
reason by religion, I may never suffer any undecency or 
violent transport, but may pass through all the accidents of 
my life with meekness and a sober spirit, with patience and 
charity, with prudence and holiness. O be pleased to give 
thy servant a right judgment in all things, that I may not be 
amazed at trifles, nor discomposed by every contrariety of 
accidents, nor passionate for the things of the world, nor 
discontent if thou shouldst smite me : but that I may, with 
an even arid a quiet spirit, do my duty, and comply with 
every variety of thy providence, and obey my husband, and 
be amiable in his eyes, and useful and careful for his children : 
ever desiring to approve myself to thee in a holy and hearty 
obedience, in piety and devotion, in patience and humility, 



324) A NEW-MARRIED WIFE'S PRAYER. 

in chastity and purity, in all holiness of conversation : and do 
thou give thy holy and blessed Spirit to guide and teach me 
all my days, that I may overcome all my infirmities, and 
comply with and bear the infirmities of others, and charitably 
pardon their errors, and fairly expound their actions, and 
wisely perceive their intentions, and with a Christian in- 
genuity deport myself in all things, giving offence to none, 
but doing good to all I can ; that I may receive pardon from 
thee for all my sins, and pity for all my infirmities, and thy 
blessing upon all my actions, and a sanctification of all my 
intentions ; and when my life is done, I may have the peace 
of God, and the testimony of a holy conscience, to accom- 
pany me to my grave, and to consign me to a holy and a 
blessed resurrection, to partake of the inheritance which 
thou hast provided for thy saints and servants. Grant this 
for Jesus Christ's sake, our dearest Lord and Saviour. 
Amen. 

For a Fruitful Womb. 

I. 

O MOST gracious and eternal God, Father and Lord of all 
the creatures, thou didst sanctify marriage in the state of in- 
nocence, in the dwellings of paradise, and didst design it for 
the production of mankind, and didst give it as one of the 
first blessings of mankind. O be pleased to look upon thy 
handmaid who waits for thy mercy, and humbly begs of thy 
infinite goodness to make me partaker of that blessing which 
thou didst design to all the sons and daughters of Adam : 
thou, O God, hast the keys of heaven and hell, of rain and 
providence, of the womb and the grave : O let not thy 
servant feel the curse of dry breasts and a barren womb ; but 
make me a joyful mother of children, that thy handmaid may 
serve thee in increasing the number of thy redeemed ones, 
and may minister blessings to this family into which thou 
hast adopted me, and may bring comfort to my dear husband, 
whom do thou bless, and love, and sanctify for ever. 

II. 

O God, I confess I am unworthy of this or any other 
favour ; I am less than the least of thy mercies, yet our 
weakness and unworthiness cannot be the measures of thy 



THE AFFLICTED WIFE'S PRAYER. 325 

mercy : thou art good and gracious, infinitely gracious, 
essentially good, and delightest in shewing mercy to them, 
that call upon thee, and put their trust in thee : O dear God, 
I remember that thou didst relieve the sorrows of thy servant 
Hannah, and gavest her the blessing of children ; thou didst 
bless the womb of Elizabeth, who was barren ; thou spakest 
the word, and the rocks did rend, and they sent forth a plea- 
sant stream : thy hand is not shortened, and thy mercies are 
not less than ever, no less than infinite, and why should not 
thy servant hope that thou wilt hear my prayer, and grant 
the desire of my soul ? Even so, O gracious Father, let it be 
as thou pleasest : thy wisdom is infinite, and thy counsels 
are secret, and the ways and lines of thy providence are like 
the path of a bird in the air, and are not to be discovered by 
our weak sight. 

III. 

I know, O God, that thou lovest to hear our prayers, and 
thou delightest in the humble, passionate, and resigned 
desires of thy servants. Although, O God, I desire this 
blessing with an earnestness as great as any temporal favour, 
yet I numbly submit my desires, my interests, my content, 
and all that I am or have, to thy holy will and pleasure, 
humbly begging of thee that I may cheerfully suffer, and 
obediently do thy will, and choose what thou choosest, and 
observe the ways of thy providence, and revere thy judgment, 
and wait for thy mercy, and delight in thy dispensation, and 
expect that all things shall work together for good to them 
that fear thee. O let thy Holy Spirit for ever be present 
with me, and make me to fear thee and to love thee above 
all the things in the world for ever, and then no ill can come 
unto thy servant : for whosoever loves thee cannot perish. 
Hear the prayer of thy servant, a^id relieve my sorrow, and 
sanctify my desires, and accept me in the Son of thy love and 
of thy desires, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

A Prayer to be used by an afflicted Wife in behalf of a 

vicious Husband. 



I. 

O ETERNAL FATHER, thou Preserver of men, thou great Lover 
of souls, who didst send thy holy Son to die, that mankind 
might be redeemed, and sin might be destroyed : thou 



326 A PRAYER OF AN AFFLICTED WIFE. 

knowest how intolerable a thing it is that a soul should, to 
eternal ages, be encircled with thy wrath and the indignation 
of a mighty and an angry God ; and, therefore, dost love to 
do miracles of mercy, because thou lovest not that a sinner 
should perish : be pleased to give thy handmaid leave to pre- 
sent her humble desires in behalf of a sinner, one sinner for 
another; the miserable for him that is ready to perish. 
Lord, look down in mercy upon my husband ; snatch him 
from the jaws of hell, suffer him not to perish in his sin ; but 
open his eyes with the light of thy word and of thy Spirit, 
that he may espy his danger, that he may behold the 
deformity of his sins [the injuriousness of his actions, the 
folly of his pleasures], the iniquity of his vows. 

II. 

Cleanse his hands and heart from all unrighteousness 
[from blood-guiltiness, from rapine, from violence, from 
cruelty], O Lord, and purify his soul and body from all 
impurity [from all intemperance, from the violence and fury 
of passion], giving him a perfect repentance, and a perfect 
pardon : and if it be thy will, let me also, some way or other, 
co-operate towards the recovery of his precious soul ; and be 
pleased to remember the sufferings of thy handmaid, not that 
he may receive evil, but that I may find good from thy 
gracious hands, in the day of recompense ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

If she have escaped anj Violence intended against her, bj his Malice 
or Passion, then add this Prayer of Thanksgiving. 

O God, my God and Father, thou hast strangely pre- 
served and rescued me from evil, thou hast made decrees in 
heaven for my safety and preservation ; and for the glory 
of thy own name, thou hast diverted the arrow that was 
directed against me. What am I, O Lord, and what can I do, 
or what have I done, that thou shouldst do this for me ? I ' 
am, O God, a miserable sinner, and I can do nothing without 
a mighty grace ; and I .have done nothing by myself, but 
what I am ashamed of, and yet I have received great mercies, 
and miracles of providence. I see, O God, I see that thy 
goodness is the cause and the measure of all my hopes, and 
all my good : and upon the confidence and greatness of that 



THE PRAYER OF A MOTHER. 327 

goodness, I humbly beg of thy sacred Majesty to keep and 
defend me from all evil by thy wise providence; to lead me 
into all good by the conduct of thy Divine Spirit ; and where 
I have done amiss, give me pardon ; and where I have been 
mistaken, give me pity ; and where I have been injured, give 
me thy favour, and a gracious exchange ; that I may serve 
thee here with diligence and love, and hereafter may rejoice 
with thee, and love thee as I desire to love thee, and as thou 
deservest to be loved, even with all the powers and degrees 
of passion and essence, to eternal ages, in the inheritance of 
Jesus, whom I love, for whom I will not refuse to die, in 
whom I desire to live and die, to whom with thee, O gra- 
cious Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, 
love and obedience, for ever and ever. Amen. 

A Mother's Prayer for her Children. 

I. 

MOST gracious and eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, Father of men and angels, Father of mercies, and 
God of all comforts ; thou hast promised to be a Father to 
a thousand generations of them that love and fear thee ; be 
thou a God and a Father to me, and the children which thou 
hast given me. Enable me, O Lord, to bring them up in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord, and in the fear of God, 
to the praise of thy holy name. O give me thy grace and 
favour, that I may instruct them with diligence and meek- 
ness, govern them with prudence arid holiness, provide for 
them useful employments, and competent provisions of life 
and comfort, leading them in the paths of religion and jus- 
tice, by example and precepts of holiness ; never provoking 
them to wrath, never indulging them in their follies, never 
conniving at an unworthy action ; and that all my children 
may be thine, O preserve them in thy favour, or take them 
away from hence while they are. If thou pleasest, let them 
live to a full age, but secure to them a full measure of piety 
and holiness ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

II. 

To this end give them grace to obey their parents, that 
doing the duty, they may receive the promise : preserve them 
from sin and shame, from youthful follies, and youthful 



328 THE WIDOW'S PRAYER. 

crimes. Sanctify them throughout in their bodies, and souls, 
and spirits ; that their thoughts may be pure and holy, not 
displeasing or misbecoming the eye of him who is the 
Searcher of hearts ; let their words be true, prudent, and 
ingenious, seasoned with grace, and apt to minister grace 
unto the hearers : let all their actions, in their whole life, 
be such as become the servants of Jesus, holy and useful, 
that they may not be burdens to the public or to their 
family ; but pleasing thee, and doing good to others, they 
may increase in the love of God, and in favour with men, 
and may have the portion of the meek and humble in this 
world, and of the pure and merciful in the world to come ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Widow's Prayer. 

I. 

O ETERNAL GOD, most gracious Lord, and my most merciful 
Father, thou art my refuge and my hope, my sanctuary and 
my rock, my guardian and protector, all my days. I have 
offended thee, and thou hast smitten me ; I have deserved 
very much evil, and thou hast corrected me with the gentle 
visitation of a father's rod : and though thy hand is heavy, 
and thy rod presseth me sore, by reason of my own weakness 
and infirmities, yet when I consider how little I suffer in 
respect of what I have deserved, I cannot but adore thy 
goodness, and delight in thy mercies, and run for help and 
comfort, support and conduct, to that hand which smites 
me. O my God, give me patience under thy afflicting hand : 
for my impatience, I fear, hath provoked thee to anger, and 
hath doubled my own calamity ; and since my duty is my 
proper cure, and will make thy hand easy, and thy anger 
little ; give thy servant a quiet and a resigned, an humble 
and a meek spirit, that I may not become my own tormentor, 
and my sin may not be my own punishment. 

II. 

O my gracious Lord, do to me what seemeth good in thy 
own eyes ; I am like clay in the hands of the potter ; and 
what am I, that I should repine against the acts of thy provi- 
dence and dispensation ? Behold, O God, thy handmaid is 
but a worm before thee ; shall dust and ashes repine against 



THE WIDOW'S PRAYER. 329 

God? Thou art just and righteous in all thy ways, and 
though thou hast afflicted me sore, yet, blessed be thy holy 
name, I have not lost my hope, and I can yet pray, and I 
will trust in thee though I die ; only be thou pleased to let 
this thy. heavy hand efform in me the effects of grace, and 
conform me to the likeness of the holy Jesus, my dearest 
Saviour ; that I may so bear the cross that I may never dis- 
please him, nor dishonour the excellent name of a Christian 
by which I am called. 

III. 

I am, O my God, by the means of thy heavy hand, not 
only under the discipline of a child, but have also obtained a 
new title to thy especial providence and protection ; for thou 
art the patron of the poor, the helper of the friendless, the 
father of the fatherless, and the defender of the widows : and 
if these be the effects of thy anger, and that when thou 
smitest us, thy very strokes are healing, and thy displeasure 
is medicinal, what shall thy servant expect will be the effect 
of thy pardon and loving-kindness? But yet, O my Lord, 
help me in my duty, and though I have failed in all my rela- 
tions hitherto, by my impatience and murmur, by my careless 
comportment and undutiful behaviour towards thee ; yet now 
let my sad state of widowhood be a state of holiness and 
repentance, of devotion and a severe religion. Let me recol- 
lect my years in bitterness, and my soul in sorrow for my 
sins : let me have no affections for the things of this world ; 
but let my hope and all my joy, my desires and my conversa- 
tion, be in heaven, and all my employment and care be how 
I may enjoy thee in holy and spiritual unions and adherences. 

IV. 

O Lord, I know that the way^of man is not in himself: it 
is not in man that walketh, to direct his steps : I have often 
resolved to live innocently, and I have often broken all my 
holy purposes ; and I cannot of myself think one good 
thought as of myself, but my sufficiency is of thee ; thou art 
my strength : O preserve thy servant in my single state of 
widowhood, that I may never have any thought of change, 
till the day of my great change shall come : be thou, O God, 
a covering of the eyes unto thy handmaid ; let me have no 
loves but thine, no affections but for thy service ; and since 



330 THE WIDOW'S PRAYER. 

thou hast broken in pieces the holy band of conjugal society 
which thy holy ordinance did tie between my dear lord and 
husband and thy handmaid, give me thy grace dearly to pre- 
serve his memory, to retain the impresses and remembrances 
of that affection, and to entertain no new ones ; but wholly 
employ my time, my estate, and all my powers [in a bringing 
up my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, 
in making fair and fitting provisions for them, in giving them 
good example], in bearing the burden of the Lord sweetly, 
in prayers and fastings, in alms and piety, in reading and 
meditating, in spiritual and sacramental communions ; that 
when the work of my life is done, I may find pardon and 
favour, and acceptance at the hands of my Lord, and a por- 
tion among thy saints and servants. 

V. 

If there be Children of both Sexes, let the following portion be added. 

O my God, now thy servant hath taken upon me to speak 
to my Lord, let not my Lord be angry, nor reject the prayer 
of his servant, interceding and praying for my children, the 
pledges of my dear lord and husband : preserve them, O 
God, in the strictest duty and services to thyself: O be thou 
their God and Father, let thy providence be their portion, 
thy service their employment, thy angels their guards ; keep 
them so by thy preventing and thy restraining grace, that 
they may not, by their own sins, provoke thee to anger and 
jealousy ; and let not the sins of their forefathers be visited 
upon them in thy anger and displeasure : thou lovest to shew 
mercy, and thou delightest in the affections of thy loving- 
kindness, and thou art displeased when our vilenesses con- 
strain thee to pour down thy judgments on us. O be pleased 
to grant, that they living in holy obedience to thee, may feel 
a perpetual stream of mercy, refreshing and supporting them ; 
and let them not bear another's burden, for thou art just and 
merciful, righteous and true, and hast sentenced every one to 
bear their own iniquity. 

VI. 

Great God of mercy, heal all the breaches of this family, 

* If she have children, insert this within the crotchets. 



THE WIDOW'S PRAYER. 331 

preserve and increase the remaining comforts and advantages 
of it, support the estate, renew thy favour to it, and perpetu- 
ally pour down thy blessings upon it : for the light of thy 
countenance and thy gracious influence does preserve and 
bless, support and nourish, honour and advance, persons, 
families, and kingdoms. Bless my eldest son ; give him an 
obedient and a loving spirit, a provident and a wise heart, a 
worthy and a pious comportment, a blessed and an honour- 
able posterity : to my younger sons give health and holi- 
ness, wisdom, and fair fortunes, the love of God and good 
men : to my daughters give thy perpetual grace and favour, 
that they may live in honour and a severe chastity, free from 
sin and shame, from temptation and a snare, and let their 
portion be in the blessing, in the love and service of God. 
Let them live in the favour of God and man, useful to others, 
an honour to their family, a comfort to all their relatives and 
friends, and servants to thy Divine Majesty. 

VII. 

Preserve me thy servant from all evil, lead me into all 
good ; change my sorrows into comforts, my infirmity into 
spiritual strength ; take all iniquity from me, and let thy 
servant never depart from thee. I am thine, O save me ; I 
am thine, sanctify me and preserve me for ever ; that neither 
life nor death, health nor sickness, prosperity nor adversity, 
weakness within nor cross accidents without, may ever sepa- 
rate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our 
Lord. 

Amen, blessed Jesus, Amen. 



THE 

OFFICES OR FORMS 

OF 

PRAYER AND DEVOTION 

FOR THE 

MISERABLE AND AFFLICTED. 



An Office to be said in the Days of Persecution of a Church, 
by sacrilegious or violent Persons. 

Our Father which art in heaven, Sec. 

Minister. O God, make speed to save us. 

Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us. 
Minister. Glory be to the Father, &c. 

Answer. As it was in the beginning, &c. 

I. 

A Hymn petitory and complaining. 

O GOD, the heathen are come into thine inheritance : thy 
holy temple have they denied, and made Jerusalem a heap 
of stones. 

The adversaries roar in the midst of the congregations : 
and set up their banners for tokens. 

They have set fire upon thy holy places : and have defiled 
the dwelling-places of thy name, even unto the ground. 

They have destroyed all the carved work thereof ; with 
axes and hammers. 

Yea, they said in their hearts, Let us make havoc of them 
altogether: thus have they spoiled the houses of God in 
the land. 



AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 333 

God, how long shall the adversary do this dishonour ? 
how long shall the enemy blaspheme thy name ; for ever? 

Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand ? 
pluck it out of thy bosom : for they have devoured Jacob, 
and laid waste his dwelling-place. 

They have said, Come, and let us root them out, that they 
be no more a people ; and that the name of Israel may be no 
more in remembrance. 

Hold not thy tongue, O God ; keep not still silence : 
refrain not thyself, O God, for they have cast their heads 
together with one consent, and are confederate against thee. 

They have taken crafty counsel against thy people : and 
consulted against thy hidden ones. 

O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry with 
thy people that prayeth ? 

Thou feedest them with the bread of tears : and givest 
them plenteousness of tears to drink. 

Wilt thou be displeased at us for ever ? and wilt thou 
stretch out thy wrath from one generation to another ? 

Wilt thou not turn again and quicken us, that thy people 
may rejoice in tbee ? 

Will the Lord absent himself for ever ? and will he be no 
more entreated ? Is his mercy clean gone for ever ? and is his 
promise come utterly to an end for evermore ? 

Hath God forgotten to be gracious 1 and will he shut up 
his loving-kindness in displeasure ? 

O do thou bring the wickedness of the ungodly to an 
end : but guide thou the just. 

Bring down the ungodly and malicious : take away his 
iniquity, and thou shalt find none. 

Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness : thou that art the 
Saviour of them that put their trust in thee, from such as 
resist thy right hand. 

So will not we go back from thee : quicken us, and we 
will call upon thy name. 

Turn us again : O Lord of hosts. 

Cause thy face to shine : and we shall be saved. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 



334 AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 

II. 

A Hymn consolatory, in Time of Persecution. 

The Lord is in his holy temple ; the Lord's seat is in 
heaven : his eyes consider the poor : and his eyelids try the 
children of men. 

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord : and the 
people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 

For thou shalt keep thy people that are in adversity : and 
shall bring down the high looks of the proud. 

For thou shalt save them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve 
them from this generation for ever : for the righteous Lord 
loveth righteousness : his countenance will behold the thing 
that is just. 

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the 
needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord : I will set him in 
safety from him that swelleth against him. 

For the Lord will not fail his people, neither will he for- 
sake his inheritance : until righteousness turn again unto 
judgment, and all such as be true in heart shall follow it. 

O how plentiful is thy goodness which thou hast laid up 
for them that fear thee : and that thou hast prepared for them 
that put their trust in thee, even before the sons of men ! 

Thou shalt hide them privily, by thine own presence, from 
the provoking of all men : thou shalt keep them secretly in 
thy tabernacle from the strife of tongues. 

Great plagues remain for the ungodly ; but whoso putteth 
his trust in the Lord, mercy embraceth him on every side. 

He calleth upon the Lord, and the Lord heareth him: yea, 
and Saveth him out of all his troubles. 

He delivers their souls from death, and feedeth them in 
the days of .famine : they shall not be confounded in the 
perilous time, and in the days of dearth they shall have 
enough. 

The Lord ordereth a good man's going : and maketh his 
way acceptable to himself. 

Though he fall, he shall not be cast away : for the Lord 
upholdeth him with his hand. 

Thou, Lord, shalt save both man and beast : how excellent 
is thy mercy, O God ! and the children of men shall put their 
trust under the shadow of thy wings. 



AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 335 

O taste and see how gracious the Lord is : blessed is the 
man that trusteth in him. 

The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous : and his ears 
are open unto their prayers. 

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them : and de- 
livereth them out of all their troubles. 

O love the Lord, all ye his saints : for the Lord pre- 
serveth them that are faithful, and plenteously rewardeth the 
proud doer. 

The salvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord : which 
is also their strength in the time of trouble. 

And the Lord shall stand by them, and save them : he 
shall deliver them from the ungodly, and shall save them, 
because they put their trust in him. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, Sec. 

The following Hymns may be said in the public or private 
Calamities of a Church, of a Family, of a single Person, 
under Persecution or Oppression, false Imprisonment, 
unjust and vexatious lawsuits, <Sfc. 

III. 

My soul waiteth still upon God : for of him corneth my 
salvation : he verily is my strength and my salvation, so that 
I shall not greatly fall. 

Thou also shalt light my candle : the Lord my God shall 
make my darkness to be light. 

Thou hast given a token for such as fear thee : that they 
may triumph because of the truth. 

Therefore were thy beloved delivered : help me with thy 
right hand, and hear me. 

O praise the Lord which "dwelleth in Sion : shew the 
people of his doings. 

For when he maketh inquisition for blood : he remem- 
bereth, and forgetteth not the complaint of the poor. 

For the poor shall not always be forgotten : the patient 
abiding of the meek shall not perish for ever. 

He hath not despised nor abhorred the low estate of the 
poor : he hath not hid his face from him, but when he called 
unto him, he heard him. 



336 AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 

Wherefore should the wicked blaspheme God : while he 
doth say in his heart, Tush, thou, God, carest not for it? 

Surely thou hast seen it ; for thou beholdest ungodliness 
and wrong, that thou mayest take the matter into thine 
hand : the poor committeth himself unto thee ; for thou art 
the helper of the friendless. 

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the poor: thou pre- 
parest their heart, and thine ear hearkeneth thereto ; 

To help the fatherless and poor to their right ; that the 
man of the earth be no more exalted against them. 

O cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall nourish 
thee : and shall not suffer the righteous to fall for ever. 

Hold thee still in the Lord, and abide patiently upon 
him : but grieve not thyself at him whose way doth prosper, 
against the man that doth after evil counsels, 

For wicked doers shall be rooted out : but they that wait 
upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. 

Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be : yea, thou 
shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. 

But the meek shall inherit the earth : and shall delight 
themselves in the abundance of peace. 

So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the 
righteous : doubtless there is a God that judgeth the earth. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

IV. 

Hymn consolatory and petitory for the Church and Clergy, 
in Times of Persecution. 

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will be 
always praising thee. 

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee : in whose 
heart are thy ways. 

Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee : 
they shall walk in the light of thy countenance. 

For the Lord is a sun and shield : the Lord will give grace 
and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that 
walk uprightly. 

Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which 
thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are towards us : they 



AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 337 

cannot be reckoned up in order to thee : if I would declare 
and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 

Many shall see it and fear : and put their trust in the 
Lord. 

The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh occasion 
to slay him : but the Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor 
condemn him when he is judged. 

The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord, and put his trust 
in him : and all they that are true of heart shall be glad. 

Keep innocence, and take heed unto the thing that is 
right : for that shall bring a man peace at the last. 

They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy. 

He that now goeth on his way weeping, and beareth forth 
good seed, shall doubtless come again with joy, and bring 
his sheaves with him. 

The Lord from out of Sion shall so bless thee, that thou 
shalt see Jerusalem in prosperity all thy life long, and peace 
upon Israel. 

For God will save Sion, and build the cities of Judah : 
that men may dwell there, and have it in possession. 

The posterity also of his servants shall inherit it : and 
they that love his name, shall dwell therein. 

Arise, O Lord, into thy resting-place : thou and the ark 
of thy strength . 

Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt : thou hast cast 
out the heathen, and planted it. 

Thou madest room for it: and when it had taken root, it 
filled the land. 

The hills were covered with the shadow of it : and the 
boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees. 

Why hast thou then broken down her hedge : that all 
that go by, pluck off her grapes? 

The wild boar out of the wood doth root it up : and the 
wild beasts of the field devour it. 

Turn thee again, thou God of hosts : behold and visit this 
vine, and the place of thy vineyard, that thy right-hand hath 
planted ; and the branch that thou madest so strong for thyself. 

Turn us again, O God : shew the light of thy countenance, 
and we shall be whole. 

Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness. 

Let thy saints sing with joyfulness. 

VOL. xv. z 



338 AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 

So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture, will give 
thee thanks for ever. 

We will shew forth thy praise, from generation to 
generation. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

If there be occasion, add Psalms Ixxxix. xxi. and Ixi. 

Then for the Lesson read Judges, ii. or iii. 1 Sam/ xxxi. Ezra, ix., 

Nehemiab, ix., or Daniel, ix. Matthew, xix. verse 16, to the end of 

Matthew xx. Matthew, xxi. 

If there be Famine, or Dearth, or Drought, read Jeremiah, xiv. 
If two Lessons be read at one Meeting, then let one of the former 

Hymns be read between the two Lessons, and omitted before. 
If but one Lesson be read, or after the Second Lesson [if there be two] 

say this Psalm. 

Plead thou my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with 
me : for they have laid their net to destroy me without a 
cause ; yea, even without a cause have they made a pit for 
my soul. 

Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice 
over me : neither let them wink with the eye, that hate me 
without a cause. 

For they speak not peace, but they devise deceitful matters 
against them that are quiet in the land. 

They rewarded me evil for good : to the great discomfort 
of my soul. 

Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment : even unto 
my cause, my God and my Lord. 

Judge me, O Lord my God, according to my righteous- 
ness : and let them not rejoice over me. 

And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord : it shall rejoice 
in his salvation. 

All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, 
which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him : 
yea, the poor and needy from him that spoileth him ? 

Let them shout for joy and be glad that favour my right- 
eous cause : yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be 
magnified which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his 
servants. 

Trust in the Lord, and do good : so shalt thou dwell in 
the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 



AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 339 

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him : fret not 
thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, hecause of 
the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 

For the Lord shall laugh at him : for he seeth that his 
day is coming. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Minister. The Lord be with you. 
Answer. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 
Our Father which art in heaven, &c. 

The Collect. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that 
thou hast made, and lovest not that a sinner should die ; be- 
fore thee and before thy angels there is joy in heaven at the 
conversion of a sinner ; thou hast promised pardon to the 
penitent, and salvation to them that persevere : O grant that 
we may never presume on thy mercy, or despise the riches of 
thy goodness ; but that thy forbearance and long-suffering 
may lead us to repentance : create and make in us new and 
contrite hearts, that we truly mourning for our sins and 
forsaking them, condemning ourselves and justifying thee, 
crucifying the old man and becoming new creatures, may 
obtain of thee mercy and remission ; that though we are now 
worthily punished for our sins, by the comfort of thy grace 
we may be mercifully relieved, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

The Prayer for the Church. 

I. 

O eternal God, thou preserver of men, and the great 
lover of souls, have pity and compassion upon thine afflicted 
handmaid, the Church of England. Thou hast humbled 
us for our pride, and chastised us for our want of discipline. 
O forgive us all our sins, by which thou hast been provoked 
to anger and to jealousy, to despise our sorrows, and to arm 
thyself against us. 

II. 

Blessed God, smite us not with a final and exterminating 



340 AN OFFICE IN TIME OF PERSECUTION. 

judgment, call not the watchmen off from their guards, nor 
the angels from their charges ; let us not die by a famine of 
thy word and sacraments : if thou smitest us with the rod of 
a man, thou canst sanctify every stroke unto us, and canst 
bring good out of evil, and delightest to do so : but 
nothing can bring us recompense if thou hatest us, and 
sufferest the souls of thy people to perish. 

III. 

Unite our hearts and tongues, take away the spirit of 
error and division from amongst us, and so order all the 
accidents of thy providence, that religion may increase, and 
our devotion may be great and popular, and truth may be 
encouraged and promoted, and thy name glorified, and thy 
servants comforted and instructed, that thy Holy Spirit may 
rule, and all interests may stoop and obey, publish and 
advance the honour of our Lord Jesus. Amen. 

For the superior Clergy. 

O most blessed Saviour Jesus, King of heaven and earth, 
the Head and Prince of the catholic Church, who hast ap- 
pointed thy servants ministers and stewards in the house of 
thy Father, to give bread to the hungry, and drink to them 
that thirst after the water of life flowing from the fountains 
of our Saviour : continue and bless, sanctify and adorn with 
thy gifts and graces, all the spiritual guides and governors 
which thou hast appointed over us : that they may continue 
in thy service to comfort the afflicted, to instruct the igno- 
rant, to confirm the strong, to defend and promote thy truth, 
to intercede for thy servants, to open the kingdom of heaven 
to all believers, and to shut up the disobedient and rebellious 
in everlasting prisons, by the keys of the kingdom, by thy 
word and sacraments, by thy power and by thy Spirit ; 
remove not the candlestick from us, neither do thou quench 
the light of Israel ; but let thy servants, our bishops and 
priests, be like burning and shining lights in the temple of 
God, by a continual, never failing, never broken succession, 
offering up the daily sacrifice, rejoicing in the plenty of 
peace, and the employments of thy house ; in holy offices, 
and a daily ministration ; that thou being for ever pleased, 
and for ever glorified, we may be thy peculiar people, a 



AN OFFICE IN TIME OF WAR. 341 

chosen generation, a royal priesthood, clothed with right- 
eousness, and singing with joyfulness eternal hallelujahs to 
the honour of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

For Priests and the inferior Clergy. 

Most blessed and eternal Jesu, who art a priest for ever 
after the order of Melchisedec, and hast separated thy ser- 
vants to minister to thee in holy offices, and to convey holy 
things unto the people; give unto all thy servants, the 
ministers of thy word and sacraments, the spirit of prudence 
and knowledge, of faith and charity, of watchfulness and holy 
zeal; that they, as good helps in government, may declare 
thy will faithfully to their congregations, and administer 
the sacraments purely and devoutly, and by their holy life 
become an example to thy little flock, that so they, with 
cheerfulness and joy, may render an account of their charge, 
and may by thy mercy obtain the blessing of thy priesthood, 
and the glories of thy kingdom, O most blessed and eternal 
Saviour, who livest and reignest with the Father and the 
Holy Spirit, eternal God, world without end. Amen. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 

To this Office may be added the Confession of Sins, taken out of 
St. Epbraim the Syrian, in ' the Evening Prayer for a Family,' and said 
immediately before the Collect; or else immediately before the 
Blessing (as opportunity shall require or permit) may be said the 
Litany described at the end of these Devotions. 

Any of these Prayers or Psalms may, upon any occasion, ordinary or 
extraordinary, be used in any of the other Offices. 

In time of War, to the foregoing Offices may be added these following 
Prayers, taken out of a special Office published by the authority of 
Queen Elizabeth, 1597. 

A Prayer for an Army or Navy, in Time of War. 

I. 

O Almighty Lord God of hosts, the Prince of Peace, and 
the everlasting Counsellor, we humbly beseech thee so to 
conduct, encourage, and defend our armies and fleets with 
thy mighty arm, and thy wise providence, that what they 
shall attempt or take in hand for defence of this church and 
state, may be prosperous and blessed. Direct and lead 
them- all in safety, strengthen their, governors and leaders 



342 AN OFFICE IN TIME OF WAR. 

with sound counsel and wise conduct, the officers and soldiers 
with ready obedience and valiant resolution : bless their 
conflicts with signal victories ; give them blessed opportu- 
nities of effecting the purposes of peace and justice with the 
least bloodshed. Preserve them from contagious diseases, 
from the violence of sword and sickness, from evil accidents 
or crafty designs, from treachery or surprise, from careless- 
ness of their duty and from all irreligion, from eonfusion or 
fear, from mutiny and disorder. Give them a happy and 
an honourable return, that we being defended from our ene- 
mies, thy servant our sovereign [or supreme] may rejoice in 
thy mercies, and thy Church may give thee thanks in the 
days of peace, and all thy people may worship thee in a holy 
religion, giving thee praise, and honour, and glory for ever, 
in eternal ages, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Or this. 

I. 

O most mighty Lord God, who reignest over all the 
kingdoms of men, thou hast power in thy hand to cast down 
and to raise up, to save thy servants and to rebuke their 
enemies, and in all ages hast given victory to thy people, 
effecting by small numbers what man cannot do by the mul- 
titude of a host : let thy ears be now open unto our prayers, 
and thy merciful eyes upon our trouble and our danger. O 
Lord, do thou judge our cause in righteousness and mercy, 
prosper our arms, and defend our armies. Establish us in 
the rights thou hast given us, in our lands and in our goods, 
in our government and in our laws, in our religion and in all 
the holy orders which thou hast appointed to minister to all 
who shall be heirs of salvation. 

II. 

Never let ambition or cruelty, thirst of empire or thirst 
of blood, the greediness of spoil or the pleasures of victory, 
make us either to love war or to neglect all the just ways of 
peace : and grant unto the army such piety and prudence, 
such happy circumstances and blessed events, that none of 
them may do any act misbecoming Christians, disciples, and 
servants of the Prince of Peace. Do thou, O God, bless 
them in all their just actions and necessary defences, that they 



AN OFFICE FOR PRISONERS. 313 

may neither do wrong, nor suffer any. Let not our enemies 
have their unjust desires, nor their mischievous imaginations 
prosper, lest we become a scorn and derision to our oppres- 
sors. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the 
strong, and a horse is counted but a vain thing to save a 
man ; but our trust is in the name of the Lord our God, he 
is our strength and our defence : for it is thou, O Lord, who 
canst indifferently save with many or with few. 

III. 

Wherefore, from thy holy sanctuary, open thine eyes and 
behold ; stretch forth thy hand and help ; defend and save 
our armies and navies, O thou God of power, from all evil of 
man, and all evil of chance. Cover their heads in the day of 
battle and danger ; send thy fear before thy servants, that 
our enemies may flee before them : let thy faith make them 
valiant in fight, and put to flight the armies of aliens, rebels, 
&c. ; and by this shall thy servants know thou favourest us, 
in that our enemy doth not triumph over us, and shall always 
confess, to the praise of thy name, that it was thou, Lord, 
the shield of our hope, and the sword of our glory, who hast 
done great things for us ; and evermore say, ' Praised be the 
Lord, that hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servants.' 
Hear us, O Lord, for the glory of thy name, for thy loving 
mercy, and for thy truth's sake; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



AN OFFICE FOR PRISONERS. 

The foregoing ordinary Offices are fitted for all mankind in general, 
and so may be also used by these in their prisons : to which they may 
add what is fit for them in the following Devotions : and upon solemn 
occasion, or upon special necessity or devotion, they may entirely 
and distinctly use the following Prayers and Psalms, &c. 

IN the name of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus. 
Our Father which art in heaven, &c. 

Versicle. O God, make speed to save us. 

Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us. 
Glory be to the Father, &e. 
As it was in the beginning, <^c. 



344 A FORM OF PRAYER FOR PRISONERS. 

The Psalm. 

I will cry unto God with my voice : even unto God will I 
cry with my voice, and he shall hearken unto me. 

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord : in the night 
my sore ceased not ; my soul refused to be comforted. 

When I am in heaviness, I will think upon God : when 
my heart is vexed, I will complain. 

remember how short my time is : wherefore hast thou 
made all men for naught ? 

1 go hence like the shadow that departeth, and am driven 
away as the grashopper : but the Lord shall endure for ever, 
lie hath also prepared his seat for judgment. 

For he shall judge the world in righteousness : and 
minister true judgment unto his people. 

The Lord also will be a defence for the oppressed : even 
a refuge in due time of trouble. 

And they that know thy name, will put their trust in thee : 
for thou, Lord, hast never failed them that seek thee. 

Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man : preserve me 
from the violent man. 

I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the 
afflicted, and the right of the poor. 

Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name : 
the upright shall dwell in thy presence. 

O let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before 
thee : according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou 
those that are appointed to die. 

The humble shall consider this and be glad : seek ye 
after God, and your soul shall live. 

For the Lord heareth the poor : and despiseth not his 
prisoners. 

Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth 
on high, 

Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in 
heaven and earth ? 

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust : and lifteth the 
needy out of the dunghill. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth 
for evermore. 

For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry 
soul with goodness. 



A FORM OF PRAYER FOR PRISONERS. 345 

Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being 
bound in affliction and iron : 

He bringeth them out of darkness and the shadow of 
death : and breaketh their bands in sunder. 

O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness: and 
declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men! 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Or this. 

In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust, let me never be put 
to confusion : but rid me and deliver me in thy righteous- 
ness ; incline thine ear unto me and save me. 

Be thou my stronghold, whereunto I may always resort: 
thou hast promised to help me, for thou art my house of de- 
fence and my castle. 

As for the children of men, they are but vanity ; the child- 
ren of men are deceitful upon the weights: they are altoge- 
ther lighter than vanity itself. 

O trust not in wrong and robbery, give not yourselves 
unto vanity; if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. 

Up, Lord, why sleepest thou? awake, and be not absent 
from us for ever. 

Wherefore hidest thou thy face : and forgettest our misery 
and trouble? 

For our soul is brought low even unto the dust: our belly 
cleaveth unto the ground. 

O cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall nourish 
thee : and shall not suffer the righteous to fall for ever : 

For this God is our God for ever : he shall be our guide 
unto death. 

There the wicked cease from troubling : and there the 
weary be at rest. 

There the prisoners rest together : they hear not the voice 
of the oppressor. 

The small and great are there : and the servant is free 
from his master. 

Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help : 
and whose hope is in the Lord his God. 

Which helpeth them to right that suffer wrong : which 
feedeth the hungry. 



346 A FORM OF PRAYER FOR PRISONERS. 

The Lord looseth men out of prison, the Lord giveth sight 
to the blind, he helpeth them that fall : the Lord careth for 
the righteous. 

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. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

The Lesson. 

Read Gen. xxxix. and xl. Isaiah, xlii. and li. Jerem. xxxii. or 
xxxvii. and lii. Matt. xxv. Acts, v. and xvi. 

Let these be read at several times ; and if the Office be said in private, 
let him that reads and is interested, meditate awhile. After which, 
let him humbly kneel down and pray. 

I. 

The Prayer for all Prisoners. 

O Almighty God, the merciful Father of all that put their 
trust in thee, look down from the beauteous throne of thy 
glory, with much mercy and compassion upon us thy servants, 
who are children of misery, full of sin and full of calamity, 
whose only hope is in the mercies and loving-kindness of the 
Lord. O do thou pardon all our trespasses and debts, by 
which we are in arrears to thee ; put them upon the accounts 
of the cross ; for our blessed and most gracious Lord hath 
paid our price to redeem us from the eternal prisons : and be 
thou pleased to enrich us with thy Holy Spirit ; that we may 
be strong in faith, abounding in hope, established in a holy 
patience, and rich in charity ; expecting with meekness and 
submission, when the times of refreshment shall come from 
the presence of the Lord, our blessed Saviour and Redeemer 
Jesus. Amen. 

II. 

For Prisoners of Debt. 

Enable us, O God, thou Treasure of all goodness, and all 
plenty, and all justice, to do our duty to those to whom we 
are obliged ; let not their kindness to us be injurious to them, 
nor our poverty become their calamity ; but do thou enable 
us, by the miracles of thy mercy, to do what we are bound 



A FORM OF PRAYER FOR PRISONERS. 347 

to do ; or incline our creditors to accept what we can, and 
make us willing to do according to the utmost of our power; 
and do thou make it up in the blessings of plenty and 
mercy, what is diminished to them by our poverty and in- 
felicity. Restore us, O God, to the light of thy countenance, 
to the sense of thy mercies and refreshments ; sanctify our 
present condition ; make us humble and obedient, quiet and 
peaceable, temperate and patient : let not our calamities ex- 
asperate our spirit ; nor the present affliction make us to 
seek for comfort in the creature, much less in vice and stu- 
pors of drunkenness, in profane noises and evil company. O 
let our hopes be in thee, and our joy in thee only, and in thy 
service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

III. 

For Prisoners of Crime. 

O eternal and most holy Saviour Jesus, who wert brighter 
than an angel, purer than the morning-star, and yet wert 
pleased for our redemption to take upon thee our guilt, that 
suffering our punishment thou mightest rescue us from an 
intolerable state of evil : thou didst for our sakes suffer thy- 
self to be imprisoned in the house of the High-Priest, and 
have thy holy hands bound with cords, that thou mightest 
procure to us the liberty of the sons of God ; O look upon us 
with a gracious eye. Thou didst suffer, and yet wert inno- 
cent ; we suffer less than we have deserved, and hope in thy 
goodness that we never shall suffer so much. O hear our 
cries from the bottom of our prisons, from the depths of our 
sorrows ; let this affliction be thy discipline to work contri- 
tion and repentance in our hearts. Thou art just, O God, in 
all that we suffer, and thou art to be glorified ; and shame 
and confusion of face belongs unto us, as it is this day : but 
never let us suffer the confusion of a sad eternity : accept our 
sorrow and repentance, our suffering and our shame ; that 
our sins beinr washed in the blood of the Lamb and the tears 

O 

of repentance, our souls may be presented pure and spotless 
before the throne of grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

IV. 

If the Prisoners be condemned to Death, then add this Prayer. 
O most merciful Saviour, who didst glorify thy mercy by 



348 A FORM OF PRAYER FOR PRISONERS. 

giving pardon and promising paradise to the repenting thief, 
thy mercies have no limit, and thy loving-kindness cannot 
be measured ; O hear the cries and deepest groanings of 
miserable perishing sinners, who cannot look up with any 
hope, but only because thy glorious mercy is greater than 
can be understood, and by thine own measures thou doest 
good to the miserable and calamitous. Thou didst add 
fifteen years to the days of Hezekiah upon his prayer ; but 
he was righteous. Thou didst lift up the head of Manasses 
from the dungeon, and gavest pardon to him when he cried 
mightily ; but he was a timely penitent. O give mercy to 
thine enemies, that fain would be reconciled to thee ; to the 
impenitent, that fain would be admitted to repentance ; to 
miserable and undone persons, who desire that the infinite- 
ness of thy mercy should be glorified upon those whom 
nothing can relieve but what is infinite as thyself. O give 
pardon to thy servants, give patience, a conformity to thy 
will, and a dereliction of their own ; let thy blessed angels 
stand in circuit round about and rescue this miserable com- 
pany [man, woman, &c.] from all the violence and fraud of 
the spirits of darkness, from the weakness of human nature, 
from the curse and power of evil habits, and from eternal 
damnation ; through the mercies of God and the grace of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

I. 

For Prisoners under Oppression, by false Accusation, by unjust 
War, for a good Conscience, or unreasonable Dealings of Men 
by vexatious lawsuits, and violent, injurious Bargains. 

O Almighty God, most merciful, most gracious Father, 
who hast glorified thine eternal Son, and exalted him to be a 
Covenant for the people, a Light of the Gentiles, to open the 
blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and 
them that sit in darkness, out of the prison-house : thou 
standest at the right-hand of the poor, to save his soul from 
unrighteous judges: thou art a defence for the oppressed, 
and a refuge in due time, in the time of trouble : O look 
upon thy servants, who suffer wrong from the violent and 
unjust usages of our oppressors: if it be thy will, speedily 
rescue us from our calamity. We submit to thy will and 



A FORM OF PRAYER FOR MARINERS. 349 

pleasure, and adore thy providence and thy wisdom in every 
dispensation ; but we beg of thee, together with the suffer- 
ing, give us patience and a way for us to escape ; and sanc- 
tify both thy justice in our suffering, and thy mercy in our 
delivery. Do thou judge our cause, O Lord, defend our 
persons, give good unto our persecutors, and not evil ; give 
them a love of justice, and repentance, pardon, and holiness ; 
send peace, O Lord, in all our days and in all our dwellings ; 
let there be no leading into captivity, no complaining in the 
houses of bondage ; and let not our portion be with per- 
secutors, but with the poor and the persecuted, with the 
harmless and the innocent, with them that do good, and suffer 
evil for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and only Saviour. 
Amen . 

II. 

O God of mercy, extend thy loving-kindness to all thy 
servants, who are under the same or any other great affliction: 
deliver them, O God, from all evil, from their own weakness 
and their enemies' power ; bless them with thy providence, 
sanctify them by thy grace, pardon them by thy mercy, 
defend them with thy power, conduct them by thy Spirit, en- 
rich them with thy wisdom, and bring them to all holy and 
useful comforts in this world, and to never-ceasing glories in 
the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, 
and the communication of the Holy Spirit of God, be with 
us and with all our relatives, and with all the servants of 
God, for ever and ever. Amen. 



AN OFFICE, OR FORM OF PRAYER, FOR SAILORS 
OR MARINERS. 

Our Father which art in heaven, &c. 
Versicle. O God, make speed to save us. 
Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

As it was in the beginning, &c. 



350 A FORM OF PRAYER FOR MARINERS. 



The Psalm. 

BLESSED is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help ; and 
whose hope is in the Lord his God. 

Which made heaven and earth, the sea and all that 
therein is : which feedeth the hungry. 

The Lord is great, and cannot worthily be praised : he is 
more to be feared than all gods. 

His dominion is from one sea to the other, and from the 
flood unto the world's end. 

Whither then shall I go from thy Spirit ? or whither 
shall I go from thy presence? 

If I climb up into heaven, thou art there : if I go down 
to hell, thou art there also. 

If I take the wings of the morning, and remain in the 
uttermost parts of the sea ; 

Even there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy right- 
hand shall hold me. 

They that go down to the sea in ships, and do business 
in great waters ; 

These men see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in 
the deep. 

For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which 
lifteth up the waves thereof. 

They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the 
depths : their soul is melted because of trouble. 

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man : 
and are at their wit's end. 

Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble : and he 
bringeth them out of their distresses. 

He maketh the storm a calm : so that the waves thereof 
are still. 

Then are they glad, because they be at quiet : so he 
bringeth them unto the desired haven. 

O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his good- 
ness, and for his wonderful works to the sons of men ! 

O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee? thy truth, 
most mighty Lord, is on every side. 

Thou rulest the raging of the sea : thou stillest the waves 
thereof, when they arise. 

Thou shalt shew us wonderful things in thy righteousness, 



A FORM OF PRAYER FOR MARINERS. 351 

O God of our salvation : thou that art the hope of all the 
ends of the earth, and of them in the broad sea. 

They also that dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth, 
shall be afraid at thy tokens : thou that makest the out- 
goings of the morning and evening to praise thee. 

The Lord hath said, I will bring my people again, as I did 
from Basan: mine own will I bring again, as I did some time 
from the deep of the sea. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Or this; to be said especially in a Storm or Danger of 
Shipwreck. 

The Lord is King; ever since the world began, hath thy 
seat been prepared : thou art from everlasting. 

The floods are risen, O Lord, the floods have lift up their 
voice : the floods lift up their waves. 

The waves of the sea are mighty, and rage horribly : but 
the Lord that dwelleth on high, is mightier. 

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord : 
awake as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. 

Art not thou he, which hath dried the sea, the waters of 
the great deep : that hath made the depths of the sea a way 
for the ransomed to pass over ? 

Thou art the God that doeth wonders : and hast declared 
thy power among the people. 

Thou hast mightily delivered thy people, even the sons of 
Jacob and Joseph. 

The waters saw thee, O God ; the waters saw thee, and 
were afraid : the depths also were troubled. 

The clouds poured out waters : the air thundered, and 
thine arrows went abroad. 

The voice of thy thunder was heard round about ; the 
lightnings shone upon the ground : the earth was moved, 
and shook withal. 

Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters : 
and thy footsteps are not known. 

Therefore I will cry unto God with my voice, even unto 
God will I cry with rny voice : and he shall hearken unto me. 

Hear me, O God, in the multitude of thy mercy : even in 
the truth of thy salvation. 



352 A FORM OF TRAYF.R FOR MARINERS. 

Take me out of the mire, that I sink not: O let me be do- 
livered from them that hate me, and out of the deep water*. 

Let not the water-flood drown me, neither let the deep 
swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. 

Hear me, O Lord, for thy loving-kindness is comfortable : 
turn thee unto me, according to the multitude of thy mercies. 
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, amongst the gods? who is 
like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing 
wonders ? 

O hide not thy face from thy servants : for we are in 
trouble : O haste and hear us. 

Our souls are full of trouble ; and our life draweth nigh 
unto the grave. 

O thou that nearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come : 
O let our prayer enter into thy presence, incline thine ear 
unto our calling. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

If there be time and opportunity to read any portions of Scripture 
suitable to the necessity, then read, if they be pursued by Pirates, 
Exod. xiv. from verse 21 to verse 20 of chapter xv. If they be 
in danger of Shipwreck, read Jonah i. or ii. or Acts, xxvii. 
At other times, read Matt. viii. or ziv. or Mark, iv. or 
Luke, viii. 

The Prayer. 

I. 

O Almighty God, and Father of heaven and earth, who 
seltest a bound to the sea, and restrainest his waves by a 
heap of sand, by mountains and by rocks, by thy Word and 
by thy Spirit, saying, * Hither shall thy proud waves pass and 
no further ; ' look upon us, thy servants, whose lives are in 
our hands, and we dwell in the shadows of death night and 
day ; we know, O Lord, and confess the floods and waves of 
passion do frequently overrun us, and we are drowned in the 
storms, and overwhelmed with iniquity. Our [oaths, blas- 
phemies, impieties] irreligious actions are louder than the 
fiercest winds, and call aloud upon thee for vengeance ; and 
many of us, in our greatest danger, provoke thee with the 
greatest unreasonableness and violence of impiety. But 
O God, our God, be gracious unto thy people, who accuse 



A FORM OF PRAYER FOR MARINERS. 353 

ourselves, and confess our guilt, and acknowledge thy justice, 
and beg thy goodness, and pray to thee for safety and 
defence, for deliverance and for pardon, for thy conduct and 
thy blessing. Keep us, O God, from storms and quicksands, 
from pirates and rocks, from error and impieties, from all 
evil contingencies and all evil actions ; let our voyage be 
safe to our persons and to our goods ; let it be blessed by 
thy providence and thy Holy Spirit, that we may return with 
comfort and with advantages of trade (or success}, and thy 
servants may glorify thee in the land of the living, in the 
Church of the first-born, the congregation of thy redeemed 
ones; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

II. 

In a Storm, or Danger of Pirates and Shipwreck. 

O eternal and most holy Saviour Jesus, who, in the days 
of thy flesh and thy infirmity, didst command the winds and 
rebuke the seas, and they obeyed thee ; and thou art now 
exalted far above all principalities and powers, above all 
heavens and all angels, and art the King of the world, and 
the great Prince of the whole creation ; and thou hast com- 
manded us to come boldly to the throne of grace, and hast 
promised we should find help in time of need ; look down 
upon thy servants, who, in the abyss of the seas, and the 
abyss of our trouble, invocate the abyss of thy mercies ; 
speak peace unto our consciences, and command our enemies 
to be in peace with us, or to have no power against us; 
rebuke the winds ; restrain the violent and injurious : thou 
art our refuge ; be thou therefore our defence and our 
security, and rescue us from the present danger ; we know, 
O God, that the devil is a great prince, and rules in the air, 
and in the hearts of the children of disobedience ; but thou 
art the King and Lord over him and all princes of the world; 
thou art the Prince of spirits, and restrainest the spirits of 
princes ; let not the enemy of mankind execute his cruel 
envy against us, nor any of the elements, or any of his 
instruments, be able to do us any violence. 

III. 

O refuse not to hear the prayers, and to consider the 
VOL. xv. A A 



354 A FORM OF PRAYER FOR TRAVELLERS. 

cries, and to behold and pity the need of them that call upon 
thee, that put their trust in thee, that have laid up all their 
hopes in thee, and thine infinite and eternal goodness : we 
have no strengths of our own, but thou art our confidence ; 
be thou also our portion and our guide, our defence and our 
shield, a star in the night and a covering by day: strengthen 
our faith, O God, and increase our hope ; that in the greatest 
danger we may, against hope, believe in hope, and with faith 
and love expect the salvation of the Lord, and may find thy 
goodness rescuing us from this present fear, and defending 
us in all our difficulties, and sanctifying every accident, and 
sweetening every event of providence, and consigning us, by 
these blessings, to a final delivery from all our sins, and from 
the evils which our sins deserve ; to the glory of God, to the 
salvation of our souls in thy day, in thy glorious day, O 
eternal and most holy Saviour and Redeemer Jesus. Amen. 

A Form of Prayer and Blessing to be used over him, that, in 
the beginning of a Journey, by Land or Sea, begs the 
Prayers of the Minister of the Church. 

The Prayer. 

O ALMIGHTY GOD, most gracious and most merciful, who 
art a God afar off as well as nigh at hand, and hast sent thy 
ministering angels to minister good to them that shall be 
heirs of salvation ; be thou pleased to send thy holy angel 
before this thy servant N., to defend him from the heat of 
the day, and the cold of the night ; from the arrow that flies 
at noon, and the evil spirits that walk in darkness; from errors 
and falls, from precipices and fracture of bones, from pirates 
and robbers, from evil intentions and evil accidents, from 
violent weather and violent fears, from all impressions of 
evil men and evil spirits ; let his journey be safe and useful 
to thy servant, comfortable to his relatives, holiness to the 
Lord, and glory to thy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The Blessing. 

The Lord bless thee and keep thee ; the Lord make his 
face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee : he 
keep thee from all evil by the custody of angels, and lead 



A PRAYER IN BEHALF OF FOOLS. 355 

thee into all good by the conduct of his good Spirit. 
Amen. 

Let the providence and love of God be thy defence and 
thy security; his grace be thy portion, his service thy em- 
ployment : he go in and out before thee, and keep thee in all 
thy ways, and lead thee in all his. 

He bring thee back again in peace and safety, and prosper 
all thy innocent and holy purposes ; and when the few and 
evil days of thy pilgrimage are ended, he of his infinite 
mercy bring thee to the regions of holiness and eternal 
peace ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

I. 

A Prayer to be used in behalf of Fook or Changelings. 

O ETERNAL and most "blessed Saviour Jesus, who art the 
Wisdom of the Father, and art made unjo us Wisdom, 
Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption, have pity 
upon the miserable people to whom thou hast given life and 
no understanding. Thou didst create us of nothing, and 
gavest us being when we were not, and createdest in us 
capacity of blessings when we had none, and gavest us many 
when we did not understand them ; thou bringest infants 
from the womb, and from the state of nature to the state of 
grace, and from their mothers' breasts thou dost often convey 
them to the bosom of Jesus, and yet they do nothing, but 
thou art glorified in thy free gift. O be gracious to all 
natural fools and innocents, for thou hatest nothing which 
thou hast made, and lovest every soul which thou hast 
redeemed; we, that have -reason, can deserve heaven no 
more than these can ; but these do not deserve hell so much 
as we have done. Impute not to them their follies that are 
unavoidable, nor the sins which they discern not, nor the 
evils which they cannot understand ; keep them from all 
evil and sad mischances, and make supply of their want of 
the defences of reason by the special guard of angels ; and 
let thy obedience and thy sufferings be accepted, and thy 
intercession prevail for them ; that since they cannot glorify 
thee by a free obedience, thou mayest be glorified by thy 
free mercies to them ; and for their destitution of good in 
this world, let them receive eternal blessings in the world to 
come, through thy mercies, O eternal and most blessed 
Saviour Jesus. Amen. 



356 A PRAYER IN BEHALF OF HERETICS. 

II. 

A Prayer for Madmen. 

Almighty God, whose wisdom is infinite, whose mercy is 
eternal, whose tranquillity is essential, and whose goodness 
hath no shore ; in judgment remember mercy, and do thou 
delight to magnify thy mercy upon them who need it, but 
cannot ask it; who are in misery, but feel it not; who do 
actions without choice, or choose without discretion and 
sober understanding. Pity the evil they suffer, and pardon 
the evils that they have done, and impute not unto them the 
evils which they rather bear than act; and let not their entry 
into this calamity be an exclusion from their future pardon ; 
but let this sad calamity and judgment which they bear, be 
united to the sufferings of our Lord, and be sanctified by his 
intercession, a*nd become an instrument of their peace. 
Lord, restore them to their health and understanding ; take 
from them all violent passions, and remove all evil objects 
far from their eyes and ears : create a clean heart, and renew 
a right spirit in them : give them sober thoughts and meek 
spirits, contempt of the world, and love of holy things ; 
suffer them not to do violence to any man, and let no man 
do violence to them : let them be safe under the conduct of 
thy providence and the public laws, and be innocent under 
the conduct of thy Holy Spirit; that when thou shalt return 
and speak peace to thy people, they may rejoice in thy 
mercies and salvation. Thou didst, O God, shew mercy to 
Nebuchadnezzar, and gavest to him the heart of a man, after 
he had sinned, and fallen into the lot of beasts and wildness; 
and thy hand is not shortened that thou canst not help ; but 
let thy mercies and loving-kindness return upon thy servants 
as at first, that thou mayest rejoice in thy mercies and 
salvation, because thou hast pleasure in the prosperity of thy 
servants. Grant this, Almighty God and Father, for Jesus 
Christ's sake, our Lord and dearest Saviour. Amen. 

III. 

A Prayer in Behalf of Heretics and seduced Persons. 

O MOST blessed, most gracious Saviour Jesus, who art the 
Way, and the Truth, and the Life ; thou that art a Light to 
them that sit in darkness, the Light that lighteneth every 



A PRAYER IN BEHALF OF HERETICS. 357 

man tliat cometh into the world; preserve thy Church in peace 
and truth, in love and holiness, to thy second coming : reduce 
every misbeliever to the fold of thy Church ; instruct every 
ignorant person in the ways of godly wisdom ; subdue the 
pride of man, and bring every understanding to the obedience 
of thy sacred law. Let no man's vanity or ignorance divide 
the Church, let not any holy truth be sullied with the mixture 
of impure and heretical doctrines, nor evil principles dis- 
order the beauties of religion and godly living, nor any 
doctrines of men be taught as the commandment of God ; 
but grant that the truth of God may be publicly maintained, 
constantly taught, humbly believed, zealously practised by 
all men in their several stations ; that in the Church of God 
there be no contention but in giving honour to each other, 
and glory to God in all the ways of faith and charity ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



IV. 

Bless the ministry of thy holy word in its ordinary dis- 
pensation ; grant it may prevail mightily for the convincing 
of them that have no faith, for the reproving of the errors of 
them whose faith is not pure ; for the confirming them who 
are weak in faith ; for the perfecting them who are novices 
in faith; open the hearts of all gainsayers, take from them 
all their prejudices and all their passions, their secular 
interest and confident opinions, that they may humbly and 
meekly attend to the voice of God in the mouths of thy 
servants, in the pages of Scripture, in the doctrines of the 
Spirit ; that they may do nothing against the truth, but for 
the truth ; that they may not quench the Spirit, nor despise 
prophesying, nor shut their eyes against the light, and their 
hearts against the love of God : but grant that in all things 
being obedient to the heavenly calling, they may receive the 
blessings of truth and peace in this world and in the world 
to come, exalting the kingdom, and partaking the glories of 
our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

These three last Prayers are to be used upon any of the great 
Festivals of the Year; especially Easter-day, Ascension-day, Whit- 
sunday, and upon eight days after these Festivals ; or upon Good' 
Friday. 



358 A FORM OF PRAYER AT THE 

Prayers and Psalms to be used by the Minister and Curate 
of Souls at the Visitation of the Sick. 

In the name of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus. 
Our Father which art in heaven, &c. 

Minister. O God, make speed to save us. 
Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Then recite this Psalm, 

REBUKE me not, O Lord, in thine anger : neither correct 
me in thy heavy displeasure. 

Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak: O Lord, 
heal me, for my bones are vexed. 

My soul is also sore troubled : but, Lord, how long wilt 
thou punish me ? 

Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul : O save me for 
thy mercy's sake. 

For in death no man remembereth thee : and who will 
give thee thanks in the pit ? 

Shall the dust give thanks unto thee ? or shall men 
declare thy truth in the grave, in the land where all things 
are forgotten ? 

My time is in thy hand, O let me not be confounded : 
shew thy servant the light of thy countenance, and save me 
for thy mercy's sake. 

My life is waxen weak with sorrow, and my years are 
consumed in mourning. 

Mine eye is consumed with very heaviness : and my 
strength faileth me because of mine iniquity. 

For thine arrows stick fast in me : and thy hand presseth 
me sore. 

There is no health in my flesh, because of thy displeasure ; 
neither is there any rest in my bones, by reason of my 
sins. 

For my wickednesses are gone over mine head : and are 
like a sore burden too heavy for me to bear. 

But I will confess my wickedness, and be sorry for my 
sin. 



VISITATION OF THE SICK. 359 

Against thee have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight : 
that thoumightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when 
thou art judged. 

O give me the comfort of thy help again : cast me not 
away from thy presence ; and take not thy Holy Spirit from 
me. 

Be thou my strong rock and a house of defence, that 
thou mayest save me : be thou also my guide, and lead me 
for thy name's sake. 

Into thy hand I commend my spirit: for thou hast 
redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth. 

In God is my health and my glory : he is the rock of my 
might ; in God is my trust. 

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and receivest 
unto thee : he shall dwell in thy court, and shall be satisfied 
with the pleasures of thy house, even of thy holy temple. 

O praise our God, ye people, and make the voice of his 
praise to be heard : which holdeth our soul in life, and suffer- 
eth not our feet to slip. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Or this. 

In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust: let me never be 
put to confusion : deliver me in thy righteousness. 

Lord, let me know mine end, and the number of my 
days : that I may be certified how long I have to live. 

Behold, thou hast made my days as it were a span long, 
and mine age is even as nothing in respect of thee : and 
verily, every man living is altogether vanity. 

And now, Lord, what is my hope ? truly my hope is even 
in thee. 

Deliver me from all mine offences : take thy plague away 
from me ; I am even consumed by the means of thy heavy 
hand. 

When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin, thou 
ruakest his beauty to consume away like as it were a moth 
fretting a garment : every man therefore is but vanity. 

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with thine ears consider 
my calling : hold not thy peace at my tears. 



360 A FORM OF PRAYER AT THE 

For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner : as my 
fathers were. 

O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength, 
before I go hence and be no more seen. 

O Lord, let it be thy pleasure to deliver me : make haste, 
O Lord, to help me. 

O send out thy light and thy truth, that they may lead 
me, and bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy dwelling. 

Up, Lord, why sleepest thou ? awake, and be not absent 
from us for ever: hide not thy face from us, and forget not 
our misery and trouble. 

For our soul is brought low, even unto the dust : our belly 
cleaveth unto the ground. 

Arise and help us : and deliver us for thy mercy's sake. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

Then may the Minister read John, xi. from the first verse to the forty, 
seventh ; or else this short Lesson, Matt. xxv. from verse 1 to the 
fourteenth. 

Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened unto ten 
virgins, which took their lamps, and went to meet the bride- 
groom. 

And five of them were wise, and five foolish. 

The foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them. 

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

Now while the bridegroom tarried long, all slumbered 
and slept. 

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the 
bridegroom cometh : go out to meet him. 

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil, for 
our lamps are out. 

But the wise answered, saying, We fear lest there will 
not be enough for us and you : but go ye rather to them that 
sell, and buy for yourselves. 

And when they went to buy, the bridegroom came : and 
they that were ready went in with him to the wedding, and 
the gate was shut. 

Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, 
Lord, open to us. 



VISITATION OF THE SICK. 361 

But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know 
you not. 

Watch, therefore : for ye know neither the day nor the 
hour when the Son of man will come. 

After the Lesson, as he sees occasion, let him add some Discourse of bis 
own, short and pertinent to the necessities of the Sick Person, ever 
being careful that he do him all his assistaaces, and call upon him to 
perfect that which can never be perfected but in this world, t. e. his 
Repentance. 

Immediately after this Exhortation, or if it was done before, or is 
better reserved to another time, then immediately after the Lesson 
or the Psalm, according to the discretion of him that ministers, and 
according to the Circumstances of the Sick Man, let him add these 
Prayers. 

Let us pray. 

I. 

A Prayer for Repentance. 

O Almighty God and most merciful Father, who delight- 
est not in the death of a sinner, but that he be converted 
from his sin, and thou be turned from thine anger ; give unto 
thy servant a deep contrition for his sins, a perfect hatred of 
them, a timely and an entire dereliction of them; grace to 
fear thee, and grace to love thee ; powers to serve thee, and 
time and grace to finish all the work of God which thy 
servant ought to do; that the soul of thy servant, being 
washed white in the blood of Jesus, may be justified by thy 
mercy, sanctified by thy Spirit, blessed by thy providence, 
saved by thine infinite and eternal goodness ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

II. 

For Patience and Ease. 

O Almighty and most gracious Saviour, who didst suffer 
with meekness and patience those severe stripes of thy 
Father's wrath which we did deserve, but thou didst feel, 
and hast established with mankind a covenant of faith and 
patience, a law of sufferings, making the way of the cross to 
be the way of heaven : give to thy servant thy grace, that 
according to thine excellent example and holy commandment, 
he may bear the burden of the Lord with an even and a 



362 

willing, an obedient and a loving spirit. O let him never 
charge thee foolishly, nor murmur secretly, nor make too 
much haste ; but, with faith and hope, submit his body and 
soul to thy merciful and just dispensation ; that he may not 
discompose the duties of his repentance by a new sin, nor 
provoke thee to anger by his impatience, nor offend them 
who charitably minister to him, nor neglect the doing of any 
thing that can be in his power or in his duty to his body or 
his soul. O God, be merciful unto thy servant, and press not 
him with an unequal load ; but remember that we are but 
flesh and vanity, that we are crushed before the moth, and 
die in thy displeasure : give him ease and rest, a quiet mind 
and a peaceful conscience : make thou all his bed in his 
sickness; and deliver him not into the will of his spiritual 
enemies : but glorify thy mercies, and make thy goodness 
illustrious upon thy servant ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

III. 

Against Death and the Fear of it. 

O eternal God, who, for the sin of man, didst send death 
into the world, and by the resurrection of thy holy Son didst 
bring life to all believers ; have mercy upon this thy servant, 
whom thou hast smitten with thy rod, and brought into the 
valley of tears, and the shadow of death ; O let not thy fierce 
anger go beyond a fatherly correction : let this rod be dis- 
cipline, not vengeance ; let it kill his sin, but not the man : 
but in judgment remember mercy ; take from thy servant all 
inordinate fear ; give him a present mind, a hopeful spirit, a 
faithful heart, a perfectly repenting conscience, a charitable 
and a devout soul. Take from him the fear, and take from 
him the sentence of death; preserve his life, and restore his 
health, if that be best for him ; for to thy power we submit, 
on thy goodness we do depend, by thy wisdom we desire to 
be governed, and that thy love should choose for thy servant. 
But if thou hast otherwise decreed, O grant to thy servant the 
comforts of a holy hope, and the strengths of an unconquer- 
able faith ; the constancy of an unmoved patience, and the 
meekness of a perfect resignation ; that to him to live may 
be Christ, and to die may be gain ; that whether he lives or 

,fo may be thine ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



VISITATION OF THE SICK. 363 

IV. 

For Pardon. 

O most gracious and eternal Son of God, who only hast 
power to forgive sins, and to rescue erring souls from the 
power of sin, and from the wrath of God ; be gracious to thy 
servant, who confesses thy justice in his suffering, and begs 
to feel thy mercy in his pardon, and thy pity in his ease and 
restitution. Contend no longer with the miserable, who 
confesses himself guilty : reject him not that begs for remis- 
sion of his sins and remission of thine anger ; remember not 
the follies of his childhood, nor the vanities of his youth, the 
sins of his tongue, nor the sins of his anger ; the sins of 
desire, nor the innumerable breaches of charity ; his infinite 
omissions of duty, and the inexcusable actions of his choice. 
Thou hast glorified thyself in all generations of the world by 
giving pardon to the penitent, and ease to the afflicted, com- 
fort to the comfortless, and refreshment to the weary ; 
behold, O God, the sorrows of thy servant, and remember 
his sins no more : behold the passion and the pains which 
our blessed Lord suffered for our sins ; and let not the sins 
of thy servants cause thee to take another forfeiture, and 
produce another and an eternal anger : but spare thy servant 
in thine anger ; and remember him in thy mercy, and pity him 
in thine infinite compassion, and relieve him with mighty 
grace, and deliver him from his sins, and bring him to thy 
glory ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

V. 

If he be in, or near, the Agonies of Death. 

O blessed God, thou Lover of souls and the Saviour of 
thy servants, who gavest thy Son to die for us, that we 
might live in him ; look with mercy and great compassion 
upon the soul of thy servant, for whom the Lord Jesus gave 
his precious blood. Now, O God, is that sad period in 
which he is to be consigned over to his final sentence; now 
is the day of his great expense ; his needs of mercy are great 
as his sins, and great as his dangers, and great as all his 
enemies ; let him receive the fruit of all his labours, a blessed 
return of all his prayers, the grace of thy promises, and the 



364 A FORM OF PRAYER AT THE 

effect of all the sufferings of the holy Jesus : now, O God, 
let him find the end of his hopes, and a just peace in his 
conscience, a spiritual communion with Christ, and the 
benefit of all his passion, pardon of his sins, and the sweetest 
visitations of thy Holy Spirit the Comforter. Now let him 
feel the effect of thy mighty power and of thy glorious 
victory over sin and all the powers of darkness : let them 
have no portion in him; and let thine anger end in comfort 
and pardon, in the visitation of angels, and the glorious 
appearing of thy Holy Spirit. Now let him feel the truth of 
religion, and the substance of the things he hath hoped for ; 
the verification of thy promises, and the goodness of God ; 
let all the sermons of the Gospel pass into real exhibition of 
thy loving-kindness : and let thy servant rejoice in the 
portions of the blessed, in the redemption of his soul, in the 
communion of saints, in the society of the spirits of just men 
made perfect ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Then shall the Minister recommend the soul of the dying man, if it be 
departing the body. 

I. 

O most blessed and most gracious Saviour Jesus, into 
thy holy hands we commend the soul of this our brother, 
praying thee to defend it from all evil, from the wrath of 
God which he hath deserved, from the evil spirits of dark- 
ness which are ready to devour her, from the flames of hell 
from whence nothing can rescue her but the mercies of God 
in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

II. 

Let thy holy angel receive this soul from her prison and 
ruinous house of clay, and carry her to the region of loving 
and obedient souls in the bosom of Jesus, there with joy and 
longing, with the assurance of hope and a peaceful charity, 
to expect the resurrection of the just, and the day of thy 
righteous judgment. Amen. 

III. 

O let not the devils accuse this soul before thee, or if 
they do, let them not prevail; but interpose thy death 
and passion, thy mediation and intercession, between thy 



VISITATION OF THE SICK. 365 

judgment and this soul, now at her departure and at the day 
of judgment ; that, in the terrors of that day, this soul may 
stand upright, supported by the arms of thy eternal mercy. 
Amen. 

IV. 

Let not this soul carry along with her the infirmities of 
her present state, but be immured with a guard of loving 
and blessed spirits to defend her against all the hostilities 
and incursions of evil angels. Now she shall see what she 
never saw, and hear what she never heard, and know what 
was never revealed below ; O grant that she may have aids 
that here she never did need, even mighty assistances in 
proportion to her new and stranger state, that whatsoever is 
in the darkness or in the fire, in the secret regions of wrath, 
and the horrible places of torment and fearful expectations, 
may not afflict or affright the lamb of thy flock, the price of 
thy blood, the child of thy kingdom, and the portion of 
thine own inheritance. Amen. 

V. 

O sweetest Jesu, say unto this soul, 'This day shalt 
thou be with me in Paradise ;' say unto this soul, ' Fear 
not, for it is my Father's pleasure to give thee a kingdom ;' 
let this soul dwell in safe and pleasant regions ; and be 
supported with the hope of God, comforted with a holy 
conscience, rejoice in a confirmed pardon, be recreated with 
the visitation of angels, and walk in white whithersoever the 
Lamb shall go. Amen. 

VI. 

Give unto this decaying, dying body, a blessed and a 
glorious resurrection ; to this weary and afflicted, this peni- 
tent and redeemed soul, a portion in the blessed sentence of 
thy right hand amongst the blessed children of thy Father, 
who shall receive the kingdom prepared for them from the 
beginning of the world. Amen. 

VII. 

Remember, O God, the good things which, by thy grace, 
and by the aids of thy Holy Spirit, thy servant hath done in 



366 VISITATION OF THE SICK. 

all his life ; and remember not his evil deeds which, by the 
weakness of the flesh, and the temptations of the devil, 
and the evil contingencies of this world, have afflicted and 
humbled the soul of thy servant : remember thy holy Son 
did die for these ; and thy Holy Spirit was the cause of 
those; and for whom thou hast given thy Son, and to whom 
thou hast given thy Spirit, give thine eternal pardon and thine 
eternal glories ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

After the Soul is departed, the Minister may say this Prayer in behalf 
of the living Friends and Relatives of the dead. 

Almighty God, who governest all things in heaven and 
earth with infinite wisdom and infinite mercy, and bringest 
good out of evil, comfort out of sorrow, and after a gentle 
visitation dost refresh thy children with the light of thy 
countenance, with the blessings of thy providence, with the 
returns of thy grace, and the comforts of thy Holy Spirit; 
have mercy upon this family, and return to them all with thy 
loving-kindness, exchanging their present sorrow into the 
advantages of holiness and blessing. Be thou now and ever 
what thou gloriest in, a Father of the fatherless, a Husband 
to the widow, a God of comfort to them that mourn in secret. 
Grant that thy servants may not weep as men without hope, 
nor murmur at thy dispensation, nor complain of any thing 
but themselves, nor desire any thing but that thy will be 
done, nor do any thing but what is agreeable to thy holy 
word and commandment. And grant that when thou smitest 
any of us, it may increase thy fear in us, and when thou doest 
good to any of us, in smiting or forbearing, in chastising or 
comforting, it may increase thy love in us: and let thy Holy 
Spirit so prevail over all our wills and understandings, our 
affections and the outward man, our interests and our hopes, 
that we may live in this world pleasing to thee, and may go 
out of this world with the peace of a holy conscience, and 
may have a joyful resurrection in the last day, to a participa- 
tion of the glories of God ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

The Blessing. 

The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make his 
face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The 



PRAYERS AT THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 367 

Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you, and give 
you peace. 

The blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and abide with you, and be 
your portion for ever and ever. Amen. 



Prayers and Devotions to be used at the Burial of the Dead. 

The Minister, before the Corpse entering at the Church-door, may begin 
with one or more of these Sentences. 

A GOOD name is better than precious ointment : and the day 
of death, than the day of one's birth. 

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to 
the house of feasting : for that is the end of all men, and the 
living will lay it to his heart. 

I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord : he that 
believeth in me, yea, though he were dead, yet shall he live. 
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall not die for 
ever. 

It is appointed to all men once to die, and after death 
comes judgment. 

I would not have you to be ignorant concerning them 
which are asleep, that we sorrow not even as others without 
hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even 
so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

After the Corpse is set down in the body of the Church, let Morning orEven- 
ing Prayer be read according to the time of the day, with this difference 
only : instead of the usual Psalms, read Psalms xxxis. xlix. xc. For 
the first Lesson read Job, xiv. or xix. After the first Lesson, read 
Psalm Ixxxviii. For the second Lesson read 1 Cor. xv. from verse 12 to 
the end. After the second Lesson read Nunc Dimittis. 

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, 
according to thy word : 

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ; 
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory 
of thy people Israel. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 



368 A FORM OF PRAYER AT THE 

After the usual Prayers are done, then the Corpse being carried to the 
Grave, the Minister sball read this Lesson. 

ECCLESIASTES XU. 

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while 
the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou 
shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. 

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be 
not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain : 

In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, 
and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders 
cease because they are few, and those that look out of the 
windows be darkened ; 

And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the 
sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the 
voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be 
brought low ; 

Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and 
fears shall be in the way, and the almond-tree shall flourish, 
and the grashopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail ; 
because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go 
about the streets : 

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be 
broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel 
broken at the cistern. 

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was ; and the 
spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 

People. Blessed be God. 

The Minister, while they are preparing to inter the Corpse, shall say this 
Psalm. 

The wicked is driven away in his wickedness : but the 
righteous hath hope in his death. 

I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates 
of the grave : I am deprived of the residue of my years. 

I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land 
of the living : I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants 
of the world. 

I have set the Lord always before me : because he is at 
my right hand, I shall not be moved. 

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth : my 
flesh also shall rest in hope. 



BURIAL OF THE DEAD. 369 

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell : neither wilt thou 
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 

As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness : when 
I awake with thy likeness I shall be satisfied. 

Thou wilt shew me the path of life : in thy presence is 
the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there is pleasure for 
evermore. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, Sac. 

When the Corpse is in the Grave the Minister shall say, 

Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God to take to 
himself the soul of our dear brother here departed; we lay his 
body in the ground ; for out of it was it taken ; dust it is, 
and unto dust it does return ; but we lay it down in a sure 
and certain hope of the resurrection from the grave. For the 
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with 
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : and 
the dead in Christ shall rise first; then those, which are alive 
and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the 
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we be ever 
with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these 
words. 

Let us pray. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, have mercy upon us. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Our Father which art in heaven, &c. 

I. 

O Almighty God, with whom do live the spirits of the 
just men made perfect, we give thee humble thanks that thou 
hast delivered the soul of thy servant [ a N. N.] from the cala- 
mities of this life, putting a period to his sin and to his pains; 
O be pleased shortly to fill up the numbers of thine elect, 
and hasten thy kingdom ; and to us thy servants grant that 
we may die to sin and live to righteousness, living a holy and 
a gracious life, peaceable and blessed ; that when we have 

Bishop Taylor seems to be of opinion, that to name the deceased adds 
solemnity to the service. 

VOL. XV. B B 



370 A FORM OF PRAYER, &C. 

served thee in our generations, we may die the death of the 
righteous, leaving a good name and a fair example behind, 
and our good works may follow us ; that heing holy in our 
lives, we may be blessed in our death, and with this thy servant, 
and all other departed in thy love and fear, may lie in the 
bosom of our Lord, till, by the trump of God, we shall be 
awakened in the resurrection of the just, to reign with thee 
in thy kingdom ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

II. 

O most blessed Saviour Jesus, who art the resurrection 
and the life, and in whose sight the death of thy saints is 
precious, look upon us thy servants whose life is vanity, and 
our days pass away like a tale that is told, and as the remem- 
brance of a passenger that stayeth but a night ; the days 
of our pilgimage are few and evil, and we disquiet ourselves 
in vain : O look upon us with a gracious eye ; give us thy 
Holy Spirit of wisdom and peace to guide us in the ways of 
God, that our affections and our conversation being in heaven, 
and being weaned from this world, we may die daily, and 
every day be doing good ; that laying up a treasure of good 
works, we may rejoice in the day of our death, and may be 
freed from the terrors of the day of judgment, and the gates 
of hell may not prevail against us. O preserve us from that 
eternal wrath which shall destroy all thine enemies; and let 
our portion be with the charitable and the merciful, on the 
right hand of the Father, where thou sittest and reignest 
in the glory of God, to eternal ages, world without end. 
Amen. 

If it be opportune, then here may he added one of the ' Prayers for a 
blessed Death,' at the end of Evening Prayer throughout the year ; 
ending with the usual Benediction : 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 



A 

FORM OF DEVOTION; 

TO BE USED AUD SAID IS 

THE DAYS OF SORROW AND AFFLICTION 

OF 

A FAMILY, OR OF PRIVATE PERSONS. 



In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
Our Father, which art in heaven, &c. 

Versicle. O God, make speed to save us. 

Answer. O Lord, make haste to help us. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

The Psalm. 

HIDE not thy face far from me, O Lord, put not thy servant 
away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither 
forsake me, O God of my salvation. 

my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou nearest not : 
and in the night season I am not silent. 

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of 
Israel. 

Our fathers trusted in thee : they trusted in thee, and thou 
didst deliver them. 

But I am a worm, and no man : smitten of thee, Lord, 
afflicted, tormented, forsaken. 

Thou hast filled me with bitterness, and hast made me 
drunk with wormwood : thou hast removed my soul far off 
from peace, and I have forgotten prosperity. 

But, O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee : be 
not thou far from me ; O Lord, O my strength, haste thee 
to help me. 

1 acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have 



372 A FORM OF PRAYER IN THE 

I not hid : I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord ; 
O do thou forgive the iniquity of my sin. 

Thou art my hiding-place, thou shalt preserve me from 
trouble : thou shalt compass me about with songs of 
deliverance. 

Lord, make me to know my end, and the measure of my 
days, what it is : that I may know how frail I am. 

Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth, and 
mine age is nothing before thee: verily every man at his best 
state is altogether vanity. 

And now, O Lord, what wait I for? Surely my hope is 
in thee. 

Deliver me from all my transgressions, remove thy stroke 
away from me : I am even consumed by the blow of thy 
hand. 

When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for iniquity, 
thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth : surely 
every man is vanity. 

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry, hold 
not thy peace at my tears : for I am a stranger with thee, and 
a sojourner, as all my fathers were. 

O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength : 
before I go hence, and be no more seen. 

Let all those that seek thee, rejoice and be glad in thee : 
let such as love thy salvation, say continually, The Lord be 
magnified. 

But I am poor and needy, yet the Lord careth for me : 
thou art my help and my deliverer ; make no tarrying, O 
my God. 

Amen, Amen, Amen. 



Then read the second chapter of Ecclesiasticus ; or the sixth chapter of 
St. Matthew's Gospel ; or the twelfth chapter to the Romans ; or the fifth 
chapter of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians; or the first of Timothy, 
the sixth chapter; or Hebrews, the twelfth; or James, the fifth. These 
at several times. 

After the chapter is read, sit still awhile, and consider of such comforts or 
instructions as are in the chapter fitted to your needs. 

If this Office be said by a Minister in the company of the afflicted Person, 
then he may add such useful and comfortable Discourses as are occasioned 
by the chapter, and then say the following Collects. 

After meditation or discourse, humbly kneel down and pray. 



TIME OF AFFLICTION. 373 

I. 

An Act of Repentance. 

O my God and Father, in vain do we beg to have thy 
heavy hand taken from us, so long as the cause remains : 
our sins, O God, our sins are so great, so numerous, so into- 
lerable, that we must needs with shame hide our face, and 
confess we have deserved all the evil that we suffer, and all 
that which thou hast threatened. We have, O God, more to 
give thee thanks for, than we have to deplore. It is thy in- 
finite mercy, that we are yet kept from feeling thy severest 
judgments. It is thy mercy that we have our senses and our 
understandings, that we have the use of thy word and sacra- 
ments, that we have not intolerable pains of body, and un- 
sufferable troubles in our mind : it is thy blessing that we 
have bread, that we have any friends, that we have the 
prayers of thy faithful servants ; that we have faith in thee, 
and that we have hope. It is thy infinite mercy, that we are 
yet kept from the unsufferable pains of hell, and are per- 
mitted to pray to thee, to rely upon thy mercies, to work out 
our salvation, and to expect thy loving-kindness in the land 
of the living. 

II. 

All the evils that we suffer, we have deserved, but nothing 
of the good have we deserved ; we are less than the least of 
all thy mercies, and our sins are greater than the greatest of 
all our sufferings. And now, O God, thou who hast so 
mercifully dealt with thy servants in taking a less fine of us 
than in justice thou mightest have exacted, be pleased also 
to proceed in the methods of thy mercy ; and make our pre- 
sent sufferings be instrumental of thy glory, of the pardon of 
our sins, of the sanctifications of our spirits, of the humilia- 
tion of our souls, that, like silver tried in the fire, we may 
come forth more pure vessels of honour, pleasing and accept- 
able to thee in Jesus Christ. 

HI. 

An Act of Patience and Resignation. 

We know, O God, that thou art infinitely wise and 
infinitely gcoi and thou dispasest all the events of thy 



374 A FORM OF PRAYER IN THE 

creatures to excellent purposes, and delightest to bring good 
out of evil. Behold, O God, we are thy servants and thy crea- 
tures, do to us as seemeth good in thine eyes ; only give us 
patience and a long-suffering spirit, that we may not murmur 
secretly, when we complain openly ; that we may not make 
haste in the day of our calamity, but with a quiet spirit 
expect and wait for the time of our redemption. But make 
no long tarrying, O Lord; make haste to help us, O God of 
our salvation ; and be pleased to give us a light from heaven, 
that, with the eye of faith, we may see beyond the cloud, and 
look for those comforts which thou didst prepare for thy ser- 
vants that love thee and put their trust in thee, and have laid 
up all their hopes in the bosom of God. 

IV. 

An Act of Hope. 

O God, our God, thou hast said unto us, ' I will never 
leave you, nor forsake you ;' thou hast often eased our cala- 
mities, and taken off thy severe hand, thou hast promised to 
be with us in time of need, thou delightest to deliver them 
whose confidence is in thy goodness. Thou hast supported 
our spirits in the day of our sorrow, and hast given us many 
intervals and spaces of refreshment, and renewest thy loving- 
kindness day by day: O let us never have our portion 
amongst the hopeless and desperate. Let us always pray to 
thee, and hope in thee, and in every period of our affliction 
let us do some actions of virtue, by which we may please 
thee, and be accepted so long as we can pray. Thou hast 
commanded us to hope ; and we do hope, that these comforts 
shall refresh our souls, that thy mercies will support us under 
our afflictions, that thy Spirit shall comfort us in it, and thy 
grace and thy glorious providence shall speedily deliver us 
from it. Amen, blessed Jesus, Amen. 

V. 

TJie Petition. 

And now, O most merciful Father, give thy servants 
admittance to present our complaint before the throne of 
grace, and let our petition enter into thy presence : thy arrows 
stick fast in us, and thy hand presseth us sore : open thy heart, 



TIME OF AFFLICTION. 375 

the treasure and spring of mercy, and thence let comforts 
and refreshments descend upon thy servants. Put a blessed 
period to our sorrows, but first put a stop to our sins ; let 
us not sin against thee, when for sin thou art smiting us ; 
let us never charge thee foolishly, nor behave ourselves 
peevishly towards others, but use all the means we can to 
ease their sorrows, to lighten their burdens, to sweeten their 
lives, that so we may expect from thy goodness a more plen- 
tiful and abundant measure of loving-kindness. 

VI. 

O Lord, put a bar and stop unto our passions ; make them 
to be humble ministers of religion and prudent government, 
but never let us suffer any violent transportations in our- 
selves, never be provoked to any bitterness, never to be harsh 
or cruel towards any, never to speak any thing peevishly and 
nndecently, never to put too much upon any temporal 
interest; in all things let us behold thy providence, and 
reverence thy justice, and adore thy majesty, and feel thy 
mercy, and obey thy Spirit; arid if thou shalt still persevere 
to smite us, and to try thy servants, let not thy punishing us 
ever cause us to sin against thee. Let not our own follies be 
our scourges, lest we sin against thee, and lose thy blessing 
for ever. 

VII. 

Be pleased, O God, to add this favour unto thy ser- 
vants, that our trouble may not be doubled or increased by 
our own infirmities : take from us all troublesome fancies 
and too quick apprehensions of our sorrows ; blessed be thy 
name, they are finite, and they are temporal sorrows, they 
are less than our sins, and they are less than thy mercies. 
Give us grace to despise the world and all ite interests and 
possessions, that while we set not our affections upon them, 
we may not be too much afflicted when we are crossed in 
them ; but let our great care be to please thee, our greatest 
fears lest we should sin against thee. Let our duty be our 
employment, thy providence our portion, thy Spirit our guide, 
thy law our rule : that when this cloud is passed over, we 
may see the brightness of thy face, and perpetual showers of 
grace and mercy, refreshing our sad and weary spirits : so 
shall thy servants sing praises to the honour of thy name, 



376 A FORM OF PRAYER AGAINST 

when thou shalt have saved our souls from death, our eyes 
from tears, and our feet from falling: grant these mercies, 
O blessed God and Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our dear- 
est Lord and Saviour. Amen. 

A private Prayer to be said by or for a Person (mutatis 
mutandis) apt to be afflicted with fear of Death or God's 
Anger, and the uncertain State of his or her SouL 

O eternal God, most gracious Father, in much mercy and 
compassion behold me thy servant laden with my sins, encom- 
passed with infirmity, assaulted by enemies without, and apt 
to be betrayed by my own weaknesses within. If lam cheer- 
ful, I am apt to be careless of my duty; if lam sad, I am 
timorous and unsafe, too ready to distrust thee, and to sink 
under the burden of those calamities which by my sins / 
have deserved. O God, I confess, with sorrow and shame, 
that I resolve often to give myself entirely to thy service, but 
/ am so perpetually beaten with the violent tempests and 
storms of passion, that all my hopes and all my fears grow 
unactive and useless, and are overcome by them, and sink 
under my own evil customs and infirmities, lust, pride, ambi- 
tion, anger ; and under this state of infelicity / groan and 
labour, and to thee / humbly make my complaint ; for thou 
art my hope and my strength, my rock and my might, my 
Saviour and defender, my support and my deliverer. O hear 
the saddest cries of thy humble and afflicted servant, and give 
me ease from my greatest sorrows ; give me a cheerful heart, 
and a severe spirit ; a love of thy mercies, and a trembling at 
thy judgments ; an infinite desire to please thee, and a great 
fear to offend thee ; and though / humbly desire of thy glo- 
rious goodness, to secure and promote my eternal interest by 
what instruments thou pleasest, yet because thou art my 
Father and my merciful God, / beg of thy infinite goodness 
to take care of my infirmities, and to pity my weaknesses ; 
and make my religion to be to me the pleasantest thing in 
the world ; that nothing may tempt me from thee, and prevail 
in the days of my weaknesses and disadvantage. 

II. 

O blessed God, be pleased to give me a perfect repent- 
ance for all my sins, and admit me to a full pardon ; and not 



SPIRITUAL AFFLICTION. 377 

only so, but, if it be thy gracious will, consign this my 
pardon by some testimony from heaven, by a holy and an 
humble hope, by a strong faith and a cheerful spirit, by joy 
in God, and a command over my passions, by meekness and 
charity, by forgiving every one that troubles me, and every 
one that offends me. O God, my God, give to thy servant 
an excellent religion and a devout spirit, and grant that / 
may take great pleasure in the service of God, in obedience 
to my spiritual superiors, in doing the works of that duty to 
which thou hast called me in my present state of life ; and 
never suffer me to fall into a despairing or an amazed con- 
science, into the evils of a tedious or impatient, a wounded or 
an afflicted spirit: but grant that, rejoicing in thee evermore 
and delighting in doing my duty, in mortifying my passions, 
in loving and serving my dearest relations, / may be pre- 
served in thy fear and thy favour, and nothing may be able 
to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 
Amen. 

III. 

O my dearest Saviour, take from thy servant all inordinate 
fear of death, and give me a great desire after heaven and 
heavenly things : and when thou shalt call me from this 
world, conduct me by the graces and comforts of thy Holy 
Spirit evenly and holily, certainly and cheerfully, to the 
regions of hope and joy, that in thy arms / may expect 
and long for the day of recompenses and of thy glorious 
appearing. O God, hear the prayer and most passionate 
desires of thy servant ; and since thou hast commanded us in 
the time of need to come with boldness to the throne of 
grace, grant that / may be accepted by thy mercies and 
loving-kindness, through the merits and intercession of my 
Lord, in whom / desire to live, and for whom / will not 
refuse to die, our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus; to whom 
with thee, O blessed Father and most Holy Spirit, /humbly 
give all honour, and thanks, and glory, and love, and ser- 
vice ; and desire to do so for ever. Amen. 



378 FORM OF THANKSGIVING AFTER HARVEST. 

A FORM OF PRAYER OR THANKSGIVING. 

The Preface to the following Office. 

SINCE it hath pleased God to hear our prayers, and to give 
us the blessing we now feel and rejoice in, the blessing of 
peace, health, plenty, victory, &c., let us faithfully and de- 
voutly give thanks unto God for his great benefit and grace ; 
and say, 

Psalms Eucharistical, or of Thanksgiving, upon Special Times 

of Festivity, to be added to any of the foregoing Offices; 

or to be said distinctively. 

I. 

After a plentiful Harvest. 
Our Father, which art in heaven, &c. 

O be joyful in God, all ye lands : sing praises unto the 
honour of his name, make his praise to be glorious. 

O come hither and behold the works of God : how won- 
derful he is in his doing towards the children of men. 

Thou visitest the earth, and blessest it : thou makest it 
very plenteous. 

Thou waterest her furrows, thou sendest rain into the 
little valleys thereof: thou makest it soft with the drops of 
rain, and blessest the increase of it. 

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy 
clouds drop fatness. 

They shall drop upon the dwellings of the wilderness, 
and the little hills shall rejoice on every side. 

The folds shall be full of sheep : the valleys also shall 
stand so thick with corn that they shall laugh and sing. 

Praised be God, which hath not cast out our prayer, nor 
turned his mercy from us. 

Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both 
the former and the latter rain in his season. 

He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. 

Lord, what is man, that thou hast respect unto him ! or 
the son of man, that thou so regardest him ! 

The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord : and thou givest 
them their meat in due season. 

Thou openest thy hand : and fillest all things living with 
plenteousness. 



AFTER RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS. 379 

The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his 
works. 

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, yea, 
all such as call upon him faithfully. 

He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him : he also 
will hear their cry, and will help them. 

That our sons may grow up as the young plants : and 
that our daughters may be as the polished corners of the 
temple. 

That our garners may be full and plenteous with all 
manner of store : that our sheep may bring forth thousands 
and ten thousands in our streets. 

That our oxen may be strong to labour : that there be no 
decay ; no leading into captivity, and no complaining in our 
streets. 

Happy are the people that be in such a case: yea, blessed 
be the people which hath the Lord for their God. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

As it was in the beginning, Sec. 

II. 

After Recovery of a City, Family, or single Person, from the 
Plague, or any great Sickness. 

come hither and hearken, all ye that fear God : and I 
will tell you what he hath done for my soul. 

1 called unto him with my mouth, and gave him praises 
with my tongue : O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and 
thou hast healed me. 

Thou, Lord, hast brought my soul out of hell : thou hast 
kept my life from them that go down to the pit. 

O what great troubles and adversities hast thou shewed 
me, and yet didst thou turn and refresh me ! yea, and 
broughtest me from the deep of the earth again ! 

Sing praises unto the Lord, O ye saints of his : and give 
thanks unto him for the remembrance of his holiness. 

For his wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye, and 
in his pleasure is life : heaviness may endure for a night, but 
joy cometh in the morning. 

Praised be the Lord, daily : even the God which helpeth 
us and poureth his benefits upon us. 



380 FORM OF THANKSGIVING 

He is our God, even the God of whom cometh salvation : 
God is the Lord, by whom we escape death. 

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy : for thou hast 
considered my trouble, and hast known my soul in adversity. 

Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy 
but hast set my feet in a large room. 

Thou hast turned my heaviness into joy: thou hast put 
off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness. 

Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praises with- 
out ceasing : O my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

III. 

After a Victory ', or the prosperous Ending of a War. 

Blessed be the Lord my strength: which teacheth my 
hands to war, and my fingers to fight. 

My hope and my fortress, my castle and deliverer : my 
defender in whom I trust, which subdueth my people which 
is under me. 

When my spirit was in heaviness, thou knewest my path : 
in the way wherein I walked, they privily laid a snare forme. 

I cried unto the Lord, and said: Thou art my hope and 
my portion in the land of the living. 

Thou didst send down thine hand from above : thou didst 
deliver me and take me out of the great waters, from the 
hand of strange children. 

Thou hast given victory unto kings : and hast delivered 
David thy servant from the peril of the sword. 

For I know that the Lord is great : and that our Lord is 
above all gods. 

Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and 
in earth : in the sea, and in all deep places. 

The Lord is on my side : I will not fear what man doth 
unto me. 

The Lord taketh my part with them that help me : there- 
fore shall I see my desire upon mine enemies. 

It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence 
in man. 

It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence 
in princes. 



AFTER VICTORY OR WAR. 381 

The Lord is my strength and my song : and is become my 
salvation. 

The voice of joy and health is in the dwellings of the 
righteous : the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things 
to pass. 

The right hand of the Lord hath the pre-eminence: the 
right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass. 

He maketh wars to cease in all the world : he breaketh 
the bow, and snappeth the spear in sunder; and burneth the 
chariots in the fire. 

Behold how good and joyful a thing it is, for brethren to 
dwell together in unity. 

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran 
down unto the beard, even unto Aaron's beard, and went 
down to the skirts of his clothing. 

For there the Lord promised his blessing, and life for 
evermore. 

The Lord liveth : and blessed be my strong helper, and 
praised be the God of my salvation. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

If there be any other occasion, instead of these use Te Deum laudamus, &c. 
After each of these Eucharistical Psalms, shall be added as followeth. 

Minister. Lift up your hearts. 

Answer. We lift them up unto the Lord. 

Minister. Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God. 

Answer. It is meet and right so to do. 

Minister. 

It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we 
should, at all times, and in all places, give thanks and praise, 
honour and adoration, love and duty, to thee, O Lord God, 
the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort ; who hast 
known our soul in adversity, and delivered us from the evil 
we have deserved, and hast given us good things we deserved 
not. We confess, O God, that we are less than the least of 
all thy mercies ; but thy immense, thy unlimited goodness 
and loving-kindness, rejoices in doing us good, in preserving 
us from evil, in heaping thy benefits upon us, in giving to us 
witness from heaven, in feeding our hearts with food and 



382 A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 

gladness: in delivering us from our enemies; in snatching 
us from the power of the grave : in commanding thy destroy- 
ing angel to hurt us not. Holy Jesus, blessed be God. 

II. 

We are thy servants and thy children ; we are all thine ; 
and have no interest but thy service; thou art our God, and 
all our hopes are laid up in thee. Thou art gracious when 
thou smitest us ; but we cannot express thy infinite sweetness 
when thou relievest our necessity, when thou sustainest our 
sorrows, when thou dost deliver us from thy wrath, when 
thou hearest our prayers, when thou pourest thy benefits 
upon us. Ogive unto thy servants thankful hearts, obedient 
and loving spirits, carefulness of duty, charity and humility, 
zeal for thy glory, submission to thy Divine will and pleasure; 
that servingjthee with all our powers, loving thee with all our 
faculties, obeying thee in all instances, delighting in thee in 
all dispensations, we may be conducted through all varieties 
of providence, and defended in all temptations of our enemies, 
and relieved in all the necessities of our life, and assisted in 
all particulars of duty ; that so we may pass through this 
valley of tears in peace and meekness, in faith and charity, 
with the confidence of a holy hope, and in the strength of 
thy righteous promises, to the fruition of those mercies 
which are the portion of willing and obedient souls; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE GREAT PENITENTIAL LITANIES ; 

To be said according to the discretion of him that ministers ; especially in 
the time of Lent, and upon solemn Fasting-days. 

O BLESSED GOD, Father of mercies, who hast sent thy Son 
to redeem us from sin and wrath, have mercy upon us, rebel- 
lious and perishing children, lost and miserable sinners. 

O blessed Saviour Jesus, who wert the price of lost man- 
kind, and gavest thyself a sacrifice for our sins, have mercy 
upon us, miserable and lost, but sorrowful and returning 
sinners. 

O blessed Spirit of the Father, who didst come into the 
world, to sanctify and to teach, to illuminate and to guide it, 



A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 383 

have mercy upon us, foolish and ignorant, lost and miserable 
sinners. 

O most blessed and mysterious Trinity, God the Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us, perishing and 
miserable sinners. 

1. Pardon, O God, the vanities of our childhood, and the 
sins of our youth, our backward and dull ignorance, our for- 
ward and active malice, our early sins and slow repentances, 
our hastiness to all evil, and our unwillingness to all good 
things whatsoever. 

If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done 
amiss, O Lord, who may abide it? 

2. O God of mercy, pardon our want of discipline, our 
averseness to learn good things, our desires of evil, the first 
insinuations of sin, or niorOse delectation in vain thoughts, our 
pleasure in evil remembrances, our entertaining little images 
of sin, our love of the temptation, our fondness after trifles, 
our want of love and want of understanding of the things 
of God. 

Cast us not away from thy presence, and take not thy 
Holy Spirit from us. 

3. O God of mercy, pardon the infinite number of our 
foolish thoughts and voluptuous desires, our proud imagina- 
tions and fantastic pleasures, our secret deliciousness in 
what thou hast forbidden, our desires to die, our contempt 
and neglect of life, our foolish contrivances and trifling pur- 
poses, our ridiculous designs and unreasonable intentions. 

Turn thy face from our sins, O Lord, and put out all 
our misdeeds. 

4. O God of mercy, pardon the infinite omissions of our 
duty, our seldom prayers, and frequent wandering of our 
head and heart ; our foolish arts to cozen ourselves, and to 
cheat our souls of duty and reward; our wicked rejoicings 
when we were forced to omit our devotions, and our listless 
manner of attending to them ; our dulness in hearing, our 
deadness in observing, our excuses and pretences, our weari- 
ness of body and tediousness of spirit, our dulness and 
sleepiness, our seldom reading and more seldom meditating, 
our loss of many opportunities of receiving the holy commu- 
nion, our making use of all opportunities of pleasure and 
vanity. 



384 A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 

But there is mercy with thee ; therefore shalt them be 
feared. 

5. O God of mercy, pardon all the sins of our proud and 
prejudicate understandings, our wilful ignorance and volun- 
tary neglect of the instruments of salvation; the weakness 
and imperfection of our faith, and our trifling notices of 
things; our distrust of thee and our confidence in the crea- 
tures, our superstitious fancies and foolish opinions, our weak 
conjectures and easiness to believe, our suspicions and jealou- 
sies of thee, and our wicked sentences and evil reportings 
concerning thy actions and thy attributes; our relying upon 
dreams, and our not relying upon thy word; our love of 
being abused in our persuasions, and our believing doctrines 
for interest and passion, and weak inquiries and confident 
opinions, our doubtings and trepidations in the day of tempt- 
ations, and our unreasonable confidences, boastings, and 
presumptions, when we are prosperous, easy, and untempted. 

Lord, be merciful to our sins, for they are very many. 

6. O God of mercy, pardon the sins of our will ; our vio- 
lent prosecutions of pleasure, and our hatings of religion; our 
unwillingness to please thee, and our fierceness of desire to 
please ourselves ; our unwillingness to submit to thy laws 
and to the events of thy providence, our disobedience to re- 
velations, to the advices of the wise and the discourses of the 
learned, to the voice of God and the lessons of the Spirit, 
our unreasonable choice and malicious determinations, our 
yieldings to the whispers of the flesh, and our obstinacy 
against the motions of illuminated reason. 

O give us the comfort of thy help again, and establish 
us with thy free Spirit. 

7. O God of mercy, pardon the inordination and irregu- 
larity of our affections; our anger is hasty and quick, unrea- 
sonable and immoderate, a perpetual storm and a perpetual 
folly ; our desires are passionate and great, sensual and in- 
temperate; we fear the fears of men, and our hopes are of 
things that profit not ; we love that which destroys us, and 
do not love that by which we can be made alive ; we rejoice 
in the ways of death, and our sorrow is not unto amendment 
of life ; every sad accident of the world does amaze us, but 
we are not afflicted when we lose thy favour, when we do 
foolish things, and enter into portions of thy displeasure. 



A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 385 

Lord, be merciful unto us, for our sins are very great. 

8. O God of mercy, pardon the hypocrisy of our lives, 
our desires to seem holy, our neglect of being so, our being 
satisfied with shadows and outsides, with an unactive faith, 
with the faith of devils and the hope of hypocrites, with the 
comforts of the presumptuous and the confidence of the 
proud : we have rested in outward works, and have not se- 
cured the truth of the Spirit ; we confess our sins, and still 
commit them ; we pray against them, and yet we love them ; 
we call thee Father, and obey thee not ; we say thou art our 
Lord, and yet we do not fear thee ; we approach thee with 
our lips, and our hearts are far from thee ; we bow our heads 
and lift up our hearts and hands against thee : we humble 
ourselves in flattery, and mortify our affections with deceit ; 
we pretend religion to serve our own worldly ends ; resting 
in forms of godliness, but denying the power of it. 

O God, be merciful unto us, for our state is very 
miserable. 

9. O God of mercy, pardon our impatience and immorti- 
fication,our secret murmurs and open rebellions; ourtempt- 
ings of God, our provocations of thee to anger, our entering 
into needless dangers?, the deferring of our repentance, and 
the hardening of our faces against thy judgments ; our con- 
tempt of thy mercies, and turning thy grace into wanton- 
ness, despising thy long-suffering and thy goodness, and 
trusting boldly where thou hast given us no ground of hope 
or comfort. 

O blessed Jesu, that takest away the sins of the world, 
have mercy upon us. 

10. O God of mercy, pardon the innumerable sins of our 
tongue, our vain and common swearings, our bold affirmatives 
of what we know to be false or know not to be true, our 
crafty and ensnaring talk, our*ecret and injurious whispers, 
our backbiting and detraction, our undervaluing our brother 
and easily reporting evil, our bragging and vainglorious 
words, our laying snares for praise, our flattering some and 
reproaching others, our clamorous revilings and uncharitable 
chidings, and in whatsoever we have spoken against thee or 
against our brother. 

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy upon us. 
VOL. xv. c c 



386 A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 

11. O God of mercy, pardon our abuses of thy sacred 
and venerable name, our unworthy usages of ourselves upon 
whom thy name is called, our profanation of thy word, our 
irreverent using the sacraments, our dishonouring thy houses 
of prayer, our curious inquiries into the secrets of God and 
the secrets of men, our wilful angering and provoking our 
neighbours to cursing, and swearing, and all intemperate 
wrath, our unnecessary troubling them and betraying them 
to folly and indignation. 

O remember not our old sins, but have mercy upon us, 
and that speedily. 

12. O God of mercy, pardon our abuse of holy times and 
holy offices, our neglect of assembling ourselves together, 
our vain recreations and foolish employments, the prodigality 
of our precious time in idle gaming and useless business, our 
being idle servants or cruel masters, false in our trust or 
unreasonable in our commands, our peevish neglect of the 
customs of the Church, and our schismatical behaviour in the 
congregations of the Lord. 

Help us, O God of our salvation, and for the glory of 
thy name, save thy sinful servants. 

13. O God of mercy, pardon all our rebellions against 
thee and against thy representatives our lawful superiors ; 
our irreverence and disobedience, our murmurs and repinings 
against them, our rude words and perverse disputings, our 
neglect of their persons and desires, our publication of their 
faults and rejoicing in their infirmities, our being ashamed 
of their poverty and condition, our boasting of our kindred 
and extraction, our secret cursings or open reviling the 
ministers of justice, our mocking and scorning old and 
aged persons, and whatsoever is irreverent, froward, dis- 
obedient, unjust, or uncharitable towards our betters. 

O deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's 
sake. 

14. O God of mercy, pardon all our cruel thoughts, and 
provoking words, and injurious actions; cleanse our hands 
from violence, and our hearts from blood-guiltiness ; O God, 
forgive us our uncharitable treating of ourselves or others, 
our unjust wranglings and peevish quarrels, our taking things 
and words in an evil sense and to purposes of discord and 
dissension, our threatening and keeping men in fears, our 



A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 387 

not rescuing or not preserving those whom we could and 
ought to have preserved, our embittering the spirit of our 
neighbour, our unpeaceable dispositions, our tempting and 
betraying, our wounding and killing our own souls and the 
souls of our brethren, whom we ought to have snatched from 
the fire, and, according to our powers, withheld from the 
everlasting burning. 

O take away our iniquities from us, and remember our 

sins no more. 

15. O God of mercy, pardon our gluttony and drunken- 
ness, the disorders of our diet and the disorders of our pas- 
sion, our wanton thoughts and wandering eyes, our impure 
desires, and all our actions of uncleanness, our lascivious 
dressings and idle consumptions of our time, our making 
provisions for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it, the dishonour- 
ings of our body, and the pollutions of our spirit, our making 
the members of Christ be the members of a harlot, and de- 
filing the temples of the Holy Ghost by unnatural actions 
and desires, not to be named, and much less to be enter- 
tained, our softness and effeminacy, our sensualities and 
studies of the flesh, and all the excesses and irregularities 
within that state which thou hast blessed and sanctified : 
but we are unclean, we are unclean. 

O cleanse our souls from sin ; take away our iniquities, 

and thou shalt find none. 

15. O God of mercy, pardon our injustices and rapines, 
our open invasion and secret underminings of the rights 
of others, our greedy desires and fierce pursuances of money, 
our love of wealth and our hastiness to be rich, our arts of 
unequal bargaining and deceitful words, our unjust lawsuits 
and the vexatious prosecutions of just or unjust, our detain- 
ing the wages of the hireling and our defalking of his dues ; 
our pressing upon the necessities of the poor, and raising 
prices for their need ; our hard and oppressive contracts, our 
rigours of justice and varieties of injustice, our want of charity 
and tenacious retaining our money, our reception or reten- 
tion of unjust purchases; our sacrilege and simony, our en- 
tering into the fields of the fatherless, wronging the helpless 
widow, who is thy care ; our forwardness to run into debt, 
and our carelessness to come out of it : our improvident 
conduct of our estates and our foolish misperidings, our 



388 A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 

causing diminution to the goods of others, and the avaricious 
increasing of our own. 

Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us 
from our sin. 

17. O God of mercy, forgive us our breach of promise to 
men, and of our holy vows made to thee our God : our wilful 
or careless lying, our false accusation or false witnessing, our 
perverting righteous judgment by bribery or false informa- 
tion, and causing the innocent to suffer ; our leading the 
blind out of his way ; our accusing others, and justifying 
ourselves, our false excuses and feigned pretences, our cause- 
less affirmings and denyings, our jealousies and suspicions, 
and all the iniquity of our hearts and tongues. 

Hide thy face from our sins, and blot out all our 
transgressions. 

18. O God of mercy, pardon our envy and our discon- 
tented hearts, our ambitions and curiosities, our rejoicings 
in the evil of our neighbours, and our repining and displea- 
sure at his advancement, our violent and distracting careful- 
ness for the things of this world, our affrightinents in every 
sad accident, and all our covetous thoughts and degenerous 
and unworthy practices. 

Lord Jesu, be merciful to us miserable, but penitent 
and returning sinners. 

O that our head were waters, and our eyes a fountain of 
tears, that we might weep day and night, till thou wert recon- 
ciled to thy people ! Thy congregation is an assembly of 
adulterous and treacherous men. 

We have bent our tongues like a bow for lies, but we are 
not valiant for the truth upon earth ; we have proceeded 
from evil to evil, and we have not known thee. 

Every one deceives his neighbour, and weary themselves 
to commit iniquity: for these things thou hast visited us in 
anger, thou hast fed us with wormwood, and given us water 
of gall to drink. Thou hast sent the sword upon us to con- 
sume us, and the spirit of division to scatter us abroad. 

But in thee, O Lord, is our confidence and our glory ; for 
thou dost exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteous- 
ness in the earth ; for in these things thou dost delight. 

O Lord, therefore correct us, but with judgment, not in 
thine anger, lest thou bring us to nothing : we pray not 



A PENITENTIAL LITANY. 389 

against sorrow ; but pray thee to multiply our penitential 
sorrows upon us ; that we may truly mourn for our offences 
against thee, and may, with great caution, take care we may 
no more offend thee, and redeem the time which we have 
spent in vanity ; and employ the remaining portion of our 
days in the ways of peace and righteousness, of wisdom and 
the fear of God ; that when thou shalt send thy angels to 
gather the wheat into thy granary, we may be bound up in 
the bundle of life, and dwell in the house of God for ever, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Ka/ <foi rqv do^av 
Tw 



TJ T/, 



Nuc xa/ asi xai 115 TOII$ aiuvai 
ruv 



THE 



WORTHY COMMUNICANT; 

OR, 

A DISCOURSE 

OF THE 

NATURE, EFFECTS, AND BLESSINGS, 

CONSEQUENT TO 

THE WORTHY RECEIVING OF THE 

LORD'S SUPPER, 

AND OF ALL THE DUTIES REQUIRED IN ORDER TO 
A WORTHY PREPARATION: 

TOGETHER WITH 

THE CASES OF CONSCIENCE OCCURRING IN THE DUTY OF HIM THAT 
MINISTERS, AND OF HIM THAT COMMUNICATES; 

AS ALSO 

DEVOTIONS FITTED TO EVERY PART OF THE MINISTRATION. 



TO THE 

MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCESS, 

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS 

MARY, 

PRINCESS OF GREAT BRITAIN, DOWAGER OF ORANGE, &c. 



MADAM, 

ALTHOUGH none of the subjects of these nations 
can, in propriety of speaking, be a stranger to the 
royal family, from whom every single person receives 
the daily emanations of many blessings ; yet 
besides this, there is much in your Royal Highness, 
by which your princely person is related to all 
amongst us, that are or would be excellent. For 
where virtue is in her exaltation, to that excellent 
person, all that are or would be thought virtuous, 
do address themselves either to be directed or 
encouraged, for example 'or for patronage, for the 
similitude of affection or likeness of design ; and, 
therefore, Madam, although it is too great a con- 
fidence in me, something a stranger, to make this 
address to so high-born and great a princess ; yet 
when I consider that you are the sister of my king, 



CCCXC1V EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 

and the servant of my God, 1 know there was 
nothing to be expected but serenity and sweetness, 
gentleness and goodness, royal favours and princely 
graces; and, therefore, in such fruitful showers, I 
have no cause to fear, that my fleece shall be dry, 
when all that is round about it, shall be made irri- 
guous with your princely influence. I shall, there- 
fore, humbly hope, that your Royal Highness will 
first give me pardon, and then accept this humble 
oblation from him who is equally your servant, for 
your great relations, and for your great excellences : 
for I remember with what pleasure I have heard it 
told, that your Royal Highness's Court hath been, 
in all these late days of sorrow, a sanctuary to the 
afflicted, a chapel for the religious, a refectory to 
them that were in need, and the great defensative 
of all men, and all things, that are excellent ; and 
therefore, it is but duty, that, by all the acknow- 
ledgments of religion, that honour should be paid 
to your Royal Highness, which so eminent virtues 
perpetually have deserved. But because you have 
long dwelt in the more secret recesses of religion, 
and that, for a long time, your devotion hath been 
eminent, your obedience to the strictest rules of 
religion hath been humble and diligent, even up to 
a great example, and that the service of God hath 
been your great care and greatest employment ; 



EPISTLE DEDICATORY. CCCXCV 

your name hath been dear and highly honourable 
amongst the sons and daughters of the Church of 
England ; and we no more envy to Hungary the 
great name of St. Elizabeth, to Scotland the glorious 
memory of St. Margaret, to France the triumph of 
the piety of St. Genevieve, nor St. Katharine to 
Italy, since in your royal person we have so great 
an example of our own, one of the family of saints, 
a daughter to such a glorious saint and martyr, a 
sister to such a king, in the arms of whose justice 
and wisdom we lie down in safety, having now 
nothing to employ us, but in holiness and comfort 
to serve God, and, in peace and mutual charity, to 
enjoy the blessings of the government under so 
great, so good a king. 

But, Royal Madam, I have yet some more per- 
sonal ground for the confidence of this address : and 
because I have received the great honour of your 
reading and using divers of my books, I was readily 
invited to hope, that your Royal Highness would 
not reject it, if one of them desired, upon a special 
title, to kiss your princely hand, and to pay thanks 
for the gracious reception of others of the same cog- 
nation. The style of it is fit for closets, plain and 
useful ; the matter is of the greatest concernment, a 
rule for the usage of the greatest solemnity of 
religion : for as the eucharist is, by the venerable 



CCCXCV1 EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 

fathers of the Church, called ' the queen of myste- 
ries;' so the worthy communicating in this, is the 
most princely conjugation of graces in the whole 
rosary of Christian religion ; and, therefore, the 
more proportioned and fitted for the handling of so 
princely a person, whom the beauty of the body, 
and the greatness of birth and excellence of religion, 
do equally contend to represent excellent and illus- 
trious in the eyes of all the world. 

Madam, it is necessary that you be all that, to 
which these excellent graces and dispositions do 
design you: and to this glorious end, this manual 
may, if you please, add some moments ; the effecting 
of which is all my design, except only that it is 
intended, and I humbly pray that it may be looked 
upon, as a testimony of that greatest honour, which 
is paid you by the hearts and voices of all the reli- 
gious of this Church ; and particularly of, 

MADAM, 

Your Highness's 
Most humble and most devoted Servant, 

JEREMY DUNENSIS. 



THE 



INTRODUCTION. 



WHEN St. Joseph and the blessed Virgin-Mother had, for 
a time, lost their most holy Son, they sought him in the 
villages and the highways, in the retinues of their kindred 
and the caravans of the Galilean pilgrims; but there they 
found him not. At last, almost despairing, faint and sick 
with travel and fear, with desires and tedious expectations, 
they came into the temple to pray to God for conduct and 
success ; knowing and believing assuredly, that if they could 
find God, they should not long miss to find the holy Jesus; 
and their faith deceived them not : for they sought God ; 
and found him that was God and man, in the midst and 
circle of the doctors. But being surprised with trouble and 
wonder, they began a little to expostulate w'ith the Divine 
child, why he would be absent so long, and leave them (as 
it must needs be when he is absent from us), in sorrow 
and uncertain thoughts? This question brought forth an 
answer, which will be for ever useful to all, that shall inquire 
after this holy child : for as they complained of his absence, 
so he reproved their ignorance : "How is it that ye have 
so fondly looked for me, as if I were used to wander in 
unknown paths without skill, and without a guide ? why did 
ye inquire after me in highways and village-fields ? Ye 
never knew me wander, or lose my way, or abide but where 
I ought; why, therefore, did ye not come hither to look for 
me 1 Did ye not know that I ought to be in my Father's 
house ?" a that is, there where God is worshipped, where he 

* So the Syriac interpreter renders the Greek lv <ra7; TOV Harris fiov, 'in the 
places of my Father ;' ' In iis quas Patris mei sunt,' so the Arabic version. 
'In negotiis Patris me, in my Father's business,' so Castalio, Piscator, 
and our English Bibles. But the second reddition is more agreeable with 



398 THE INTRODUCTION. 



loves to dwell, where he communicates his blessing and 
holy influences : there, and there only, we are sure to meet 
our dearest Lord. 

For thrs reason, the place of our address to God and 
holy conversation with him, he is pleased to call * his house,' 
that with confidence we may expect to meet him there, 
when we go to worship ; and when the solemnities of 
religion were confined to the tabernacle, he therefore made 
it to be like a house of use and dwelling, that in that figure 
he might tell us where his delight and his abode would 
be ; and, therefore, God furnished the tabernacle with the 
utensils of a prophet's room at least, a table and a candle- 
stick; and the table must have dishes and spoons, bowls 
and covers, belonging to it : the candlesticks must have 
lamps, and the lamps must be continually burning. And 
besides this, the house of God must have in it a continual 
fire, the fire must not go out by night nor day ; and to this 
the prophet alludes : " God hath his fire in Sion, and his 
hearth, or furnace, in Jerusalem :" and after all, there must 
be meat in his house too. And as this was done by the 
sacrifices of old, so by the Lord's supper, in the New Testa- 
ment. So that now it is easy to understand the place and 
the reason of Christ's abode ; even in his Father's house, 
there where his Father dwells; and loves to meet his 
servants ; there we are sure to find the Lord. For as God 
descended and came into the tabernacle invested with a 
cloud, so Christ comes to meet us, clothed with a mystery : 
he hath a house below as well as above ; b here is his dwell- 
ing, and here are his provisions ; here is his fire, and here 
his meat ; hither God sends his Son, and here his Son 
manifests himself; the Church and the holy table of the 
Lord, the assemblies of saints, and the devotions of his 
people ; the word and the sacrament, the oblation of bread 

the words of the Greek, and the first is more consonant to the use of that phrase 
in the New Testament. So John, xix. 27. St. John received the mother of our 
Lord, ii; TO. TSia,, 'recepit earn in domum suam ;' so Bezaand our English translation: 
' he took her to bis own house.' And thus St. Chrysostom uses the same phrase, 
Serm. 52. in Genes. Tlov uToXxvnis rav S/ea/av j aux I-9-a Sri o<xav ay alrat ETjX^siV 
<rufi@it!vy, v riii vou ^if-roTov rou Ixvrev aurat a,ttiyxn \ ' Whither do you drive the 
just man 1 Do you not k now, that wherever he sets his foot, he is within his 
Father's house or territory V 

b O Tarpeie Pater, qui templa secundam Incolis a coelo sedem. 



THE INTRODUCTION. 399 

and wine, and the offering of ourselves, the consecration and 
the communion, are the things of God, and of Jesus Christ ; 
and he that is employed in these, is there where God loves 
to be, and where Christ is to be found ; in the employments 
in which God delights, in the ministries of his own choice, 
in the work of the Gospel, and the methods of grace, in 
the economy of heaven, and the dispensations of eternal 
happiness. 

And now, that we may know where to find him, we must 
be sure to look after him ; he hath told us where he would 
be, behind what pillar, and under what cloud, and covered 
with what veil, and conveyed by what ministry, and present 
in what sacrament ; and we must not look for him in the 
highways of ambition and pride, of wealth and sensual 
pleasures ; these things are not found in the house of his 
Father, neither may they come near his dwelling. But if we 
seek for Christ, we shall find him in the methods of virtue, 
and the paths of God's commandments; in the houses of 
prayer, and the offices of religion ; in the persons of the 
poor, and the retirements of an afflicted soul : we shall find 
him in holy reading and pious meditation ; in our penitential 
sorrows, and in the time of trouble ; in pulpits, and upon 
altars ; in the word, and in the sacraments : if we come 
hither as we ought, we are sure to find our Beloved, him 
whom our soul longeth after. 

Sure enough Christ is here ; but he is not here in every 
manner, and, therefore, is not to be found by every inquirer, 
nor touched by every hand, nor received by all coiners, nor 
entertained by every guest. He that means to take the air, 
must not use his fingers, but his mouth ; and he that receives 
Christ, must have a proper, that is, a spiritual instrument, a 
purified heart, consecrated lips, and a hallowed mouth, a 
tongue that speaks no evil, and a hand that ministers to no 
injustice, and to no uncleanness : for a disproportionate 
instrument is an indecency, and makes the effect impossible 
both in nature and morality. Can a man bind a thought 
with chains, or carry imaginations in the palm of his hand ? 
Can the beauty of the peacock's train, or the ostrich-plume, 
be delicious to the palate and the throat? Does the hand 
intermeddle with the joys of the heart? Or darkness that 
hides the naked, make him warm ? Does the body live as 



400 THE INTRODUCTION. 

does the spirit ? Or can the body of Christ be like to com- 
mon food ? Indeed the sun shines upon the good and bad ; 
and the vines give wine to the drunkard as well as to the 
sober man : pirates have fair winds and a calm sea, at the 
same time when the just and peaceful merchantman hath 
them. But although the things of this world are common 
to good and bad, yet sacraments and spiritual joys, the food 
of the soul, and the blessing of Christ, are the peculiar right 
of saints ; and the rites of our religion are to be handled by 
the measures of religion, and the things of God by the rules 
of the Spirit : and the sacraments are mysteries, and to be 
handled by mystic persons, and to be received by saints ; 
and, therefore, whoever will partake of God's secrets, must 
first look into his own ; he must pare off whatsoever is amiss, 
and not without holiness approach to the holiest of all holies, 
nor eat of this sacrifice with a defiled head, nor come to this 
feast without a nuptial garment, nor take this remedy without 
a just preparative. For though, in the first motions of our 
spiritual life, Christ comes alone and offers his grace, and 
enlivens us by his Spirit, and makes us begin to live, because 
he is good, not because we are, yet this great mysterious 
feast, and magazine of grace and glorious mercies, is for 
those only that are worthy ; for such only, who, by their 
co-operation with the grace of God, are fellow- workers with 
God in the laboratories of salvation. The wrestler that 
Clemens of Alexandria tells us of, addressing himself to his 
contention, and espying the statue of Jupiter Pisaeus, prayed 
aloud : " If all things, O Jupiter, are rightly prepared on my 
part, if I have done all that I could do, then do me justice, 
and give me the victory." And this is a breviate of our 
case : " He that runneth in races," saith the apostle, " he 
that contends for mastery, is temperate in all things ;" and 
this at least must he be that comes to find Christ in these 
mysteries ; he must be prepared by the rules and method of 
the sanctuary : there is very much to be done on his part ; 
there is a heap of duties, there is a state of excellence, 
there are preparations solemn and less solemn, ordinary and 
extraordinary, which must be premised before we can receive 

c Ei waura (trrtu) a Ziu, SiavTwf ftei vgos rot iyutx jra.e-trx.'ua.efi.a.t, 



THE 4NTRODITTION. 401 

the mysterious blessings, which are here not only consigned, 
but collated and promoted, confirmed and perfected. 

The holy communion, or supper of the Lord, is the most 
sacred, mysterious, and useful conjugation of secret and 
holy things and duties in the religion. It is not easy to be 
understood ; it is not lightly to be received : it is not much 
opened in the writings of the New Testament, but still left 
in its mysterious nature : it is too much untwisted and nicely 
handled by the writings of the doctors, and by them made 
more mysterious : and like a doctrine of philosophy, made 
intricate by explications, and difficult by the aperture and 
dissolution of distinctions. So we sometimes espy a bright 
cloud formed into an irregular figure ; when it is observed 
by unskilful and fantastic travellers, it looks like a centaur to 
some, and as a castle to others : some tell that they saw an 
army with banners, and it signifies war ; but another, wiser 
than this fellow, says, it looks for all the world like a flock 
of sheep, and foretells plenty ; and all the while it is nothing 
but a shining cloud, by its own mobility, and the activity of 
a wind cast into a contingent and inartificial shape. So it is 
in this great mystery of our religion, in which some espy 
strange things which God intended not, and others see not 
what God hath plainly told : some call that part of it a 
mystery which is none : and others think all of it nothing 
but a mere ceremony and a sign : some say it signifies, and 
some say it effects : some say it is a sacrifice, and others call 
it a sacrament : some schools of learning make it the instru- 
ment of grace in the hand of God : others say that it is God 
himself in that instrument of grace : some call it venerable, 
and others say, as the vain men in the prophet, that " the 
table of the Lord is contemptible :" some come to it with 
their sins on their head, and Bothers with their sins in their 
mouth: some come to be cured, some to be quickened: 
some to be nourished, and others to be made alive : some, 
out of fear and reverence, take it but seldom ; others, out of 
devotion, take it frequently : some receive it as a means to 
procure great graces and blessings, others as an eucharist, 
and an office of thanksgiving for what they have received : 
some call it an act of obedience merely, others account it an 
excellent devotion, and the exercising of the virtue of 
religion : some take it to strengthen their faith, others to 

VOL. xv. D D 



402 THE INTRODUCTION. 

beget it, and yet many affirm that it does neither, but sup- 
poses faith before hand as a disposition ; faith in all its 
degrees, according to the degree of grace whither the com- 
municant is arrived : some affirm the elements are to be 
blessed by prayers of the bishop or other minister ; others 
say, it is only by the mystical words, the words of insti- 
tution : and when it is blessed, some believe it to be the 
natural body of Christ : others to be nothing of that, but 
the blessings of Christ, his word and his Spirit, his passion 
in representment, and his grace in real exhibition : and all 
these men have something of reason for what they pretend ; 
and yet the words of Scripture from whence they pretend, 
are not so many as are the several pretensions. 

My purpose is not to dispute, but to persuade; not to 
confute any one, but to instruct those that need, not to 
make a noise, but to excite devotion ; not to enter into 
curious, but material inquiries, and to gather together into 
a union all those several portions of truth, and differing 
apprehensions of mysteriousness and various methods and 
rules of preparation, and seemingly opposed doctrines, by 
which even good men stand at distance, and are afraid of 
each other. For since all societies of Christians pretend to 
the greatest esteem of this, above all the rites or external 
parts and ministries of religion, it cannot be otherwise but 
that they will all speak honourable things of it , and suppose 
holy things to be in it, and great blessings, one way or 
other, to come by it; and it is contemptible only among 
the profane and the atheistical. All the innumerable dif- 
ferences which are in the discourses and consequent prac- 
tices relating to it, proceed from some common truths, and 
universal notions, and mysterious or inexplicable words, 
and tend all to reverential thoughts, and pious treatment 
of these rites and holy offices ; and, therefore, it will not be 
impossible to find honey or wholesome dews upon all this 
variety of plants; and the differing opinions, and several 
understandings of this mystery, which (it maybe) no human 
understanding can comprehend, will serve to excellent 
purposes of the Spirit ; if, like men of differing interest, 
they can be reconciled in one communion, at least the ends 
and designs of them all can be conjoined in the design and 
ligatures of the same reverence, and piety, and devotion. 



THE INTRODUCTION. 403 

My purpose, therefore, is to discourse of the nature, 
excellences, uses, anil intention of the holy sacrament of the 
Lord's supper, the blessings and fruits of the sacrament, 
all the advantages of a worthy communion, the public and 
the private, the personal and the ecclesiastical, that we 
may understand what it is that we go about, and how it is 
to be treated. I shall account also concerning all the duties 
of preparation, ordinary and extraordinary, riiore and less 
solemn ; of the rules and manners of deportment in the 
receiving; the gesture and the offering, the measures and 
instances of our duty, our comport and conversation in and 
after it ; together with the cases of conscience that shall 
occur under these titles respectively, relating to the particular 
matters. 

It matters not where we begin ; for if I describe the 
excellences of this sacrament, I find it engages us upon 
matters of duty, and inquiries practical : if I describe our 
duty, it plainly signifies the greatness and excellence of tho 
mystery : the very notion is practical, and the practice is 
information ; we cannot discourse of the secret, but by de- 
scribing our duty ; and we cannot draw all the lines of cfuty, 
but so much duty must needs open a cabinet of mysteries. 
If we understand what we are about, we cannot choose 
but be invested with fear and reverence : and if we look in 
with fear and reverence, it cannot be but we shall under- 
stand many secrets. But because the natural order of 
theology is by faith to build up good life, by a rectified un- 
derstanding to regulate the will and the affections, I shall 
use no other method, but first discourse of the excellent 
mystery, and then of the duty of the communicant, direct and 
collateral. 



THE 



WORTHY COMMUNICANT, 

$c. Sjc. 



CHAPTER I. 

OF THE NATURE, EXCELLENCES, USES, AND INTENTION, OF 
THE HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

SECTION I. 

Of the several Apprehensions of Men concerning it. 

WHEN our blessed Lord was to nail the hand-writing of 
ordinances to his cross, he was pleased to retain two cere- 
monies, baptism and the holy supper ; that Christians may 
first wash, and then eat ; first be made clean, and then eat 
of the supper of the Lamb : and it cannot be imagined but 
that this so signal and peculiar retention of two ceremonies 
is of great purpose and remarkable virtues. The matter 
is evident in the instance of baptism : and as the mystery is 
of the foundation of religion, so the virtue of it is inserted 
into our creed, and we all " believe one baptism for the re- 
mission of our sins ;" and yet the action is external, the very 
mystery is by a ceremony, the allusion is bodily, the element 
is water, the minister a sinful man, and the effect is produced 
out of the sacrament in many persons, and in many instances, 
as well as in it : and yet that it is effected also by it and with 
it, in the conjunction with due dispositions of him that is to 
be baptized, we are plainly taught by Christ's apostles, a and 
the symbols of the Church. 

But concerning the other sacrament, there are more 
divisions and thoughts of heart. For it is never expressly 

Acts, ii. 38. 



THE NATURE AND EXCELLENCES, &C. 405 

joined with a word of promise ; and where mention is made 
of it in the Gospels, it is named only as a duty and a com- 
mandment, and not as a grace or treasure of holy blessings ; 
we are bidden to do it, but promised nothing for a reward ; it 
is commanded to us, but we are not invited to obedience by 
consideration of any consequent blessing ; and when we do 
it, so many holy things are required of us, which as they are 
fit to be done, even when we do not receive the blessed 
sacrament, so they effect salvation to us by virtue of their 1 
proper and proportioned promises in the virtue of Christ's 
death, however apprehended and understood. 

Upon this account, some say that we receive nothing in 
the blessed eucharist, but we commemorate many blessed 
things which we have received ; that it is affirmed in no 
Scripture, that in this mystery we are to call to mind the 
death of Christ ; but because we have it already in our mind, 
we must also have it in our hearts, and publish it in our con- 
fessions and sacramental representment, and therefore it is 
not the memory, but the commemoration of Christ's death ; 
that as the anniversary sacrifices in the law were " a com- 
memoration of sins every year," 6 not a calling them to mind, 
but a confession of their guilt, and of our deserved punish- 
ment ; so this sacrament is a representation of Christ's death 
by such symbolical actions as himself graciously hath ap- 
pointed : but then, excepting that to do too is an act of 
obedience, it exercises no other virtue, it is an act of no other 
grace, it is the instrument of no other good ; it is neither 
virtue nor gain, grace nor profit. And whereas it is said to 
confirm our faith, this also is said to be unreasonable ; for 
this being our own work, cannot be the means of a Divine 
grace ; not naturally, because it is not of the same kind, and 
faith is no more the natural effect of this obedience, than 
chastity can be the product of Christian fortitude ; not by 
Divine appointment, because we find no such order, no 
promise, no intimation of any such event ; and although the 
thing itself, indeed, shall have what reward God please 
to apportion to it as it is obedience, yet of itself it hath no 
other worthiness ; it is not so much as an argument of per- 
suasion; for the pouring forth of wine can no more prove 

b Heb. x. 3. ' Aycifivtiffti a,//ut^nuv uttr luixurif. 



406 THE NATURE AND EXCELLENCES 

or make faith that Christ's blood was poured forth for us, 
than the drinking the wine can effect this persuasion in us, 
that we naturally, though under a veil, drink the natural 
blood of Christ ; which the angels gathered as it run into 
golden phials, and Christ multiplied to a miracle, like the 
loaves and fishes in the Gospel. But because nothing that 
naturally remains the same in all things as it was before ; can 
do any thing that it could not do before ; the bread and 
wine, which have no natural change, can effect none : and 
therefore we are not to look for an egg where there is 
nothing but order ; and a blessing where is nothing but an 
action ; and a real effect where there is nothing but an 
analogy, a sacrament, a mystical representment, and some- 
thing fit to signify, and many things past, but nothing that 
is to come. This is the sense and discourse of some persons 
that call for an express word, or a manifest reason, to the 
contrary, or else resolve that their belief shall be as unactive 
as the Scriptures are silent in the effects of this mystery. 
Only these men will allow the sacraments to be " marks of 
Christianity ; symbols of mutual charity ; testimonies of a 
thankful mind to God ; allegorical admonitions of Christian 
mortification, and spiritual alimony ; symbols of grace con- 
ferred before the sacrament, and rites instituted to stir up 
faith byway of object and representation ;" that is, occasion- 
ally and morally, but neither by any divine or physical, by 
natural or supernatural power, by the work done, or by the 
Divine institution. This, indeed, is something, but very 
much too little. 

But others go as far on the other hand, and affirm that, 
in the blessed sacrament, we receive the body and blood 
of Christ ; we chew his flesh, we drink his blood : " For his 
flesh is meat indeed, his blood is drink indeed :" and this is 
the manna which came down from heaven ; our bodies are 
nourished, our souls united to Christ : and the sacrament is 
the infallible instrument of pardon to all persons that do not 
maliciously hinder it : and it produces all its effects by virtue 
of the sacrament itself so appointed, and that the dispositions 
of the communicants are only for removing obstacles and 
impediments,- but effect nothing; the sumption of the 
mysteries does all in a capable subject, as in infants who do 
nothing, in penitents who take away what can hinder : for it 



OF THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 407 

is nothing but Christ himself; the body that died upon the 
cross, is broken in the hand of him that ministers, and by the 
teeth of him that communicates: and when God gives us his 
Son in this divine and glorious manner, with heaps of 
miracles to verify heaps of blessings, how shall not he with 
him gi\5$ us all things else ? They who teach this doctrine, 
call the holy sacrament " the host ; the unbloody sacrifice ; 
the flesh of God ; the body of Christ ; God himself; the 
mass ; the sacrament of the altar." I cannot say that this is 
too much, but that these things are not true; and although 
all that is here said, that is of any material benefit and real 
blessing, is true, yet the blessing is not so conferred, it is not 
so produced. 

A third sort of Christians speak indefinitely and glori- 
ously of this Divine mystery ; they speak enough, but they 
cannot tell what ; they publish great and glorious effects, but 
such which they gather by similitude and analogy, such 
which they desire, but cannot prove ; which indeed they 
feel, but know not whence they do derive them : they are 
blessings which come in company of the sacraments, but are 
not always to be imputed to them ; they confound spiritual 
senses with mystical expressions, and expound mysteries to 
natural significations ; that is, they mean well, but do not 
always understand that part of Christian philosophy which 
explicates the secret nature of this Divine sacrament. - And 
the effect of it is this, that they sometimes put too great con- 
fidence in the mystery ; and look for impresses which they 
find not ; and are sometimes troubled that their experience 
does not answer to their sermons, and meet with scruples 
instead of comforts, and doubts instead of rest, and anxiety 
of mind in the place of a serene and peaceful conscience. 
But these men, both in their right and in their wrong, enu- 
merate many glories of the holy sacrament, which they 
usually signify in these excellent appellatives, calling it, c 
" The supper of the Lord ; the bread of elect souls, and the 
wine of angels ; the Lord's body ; the new testament, and 
the chalice of benediction; spiritual food ; the great supper; 

c \ti<rovyia,, autaQis, fivirrfifiiov S-i7av, h^ov^y'ici, desiderata, St~ XKI 9-uovoiof 
#J'f, Swgay t^ir^iov, "Sagon Uj/TJiXav, 'upt^mv, pvniirii, $o%ri, Xargs/'a, fiXay/a, ii/%agiffr!x, 
T&XETX TsXenav, hostiu hostiarum, mvsterium mysteriorum, ftvffrayu'yia , 
Dominicum. 



408 THE NATURE AND EXCELLENCES, &C. 

the divinest and archisyrnbolical feast ; the banquet of the 
Church ; the celestial dinner ; the spiritual, the sacred, the 
mystical, the formidable, the rational table ; the supersub- 
stantial bread ; the bread of God ; the bread of life ; the 
Lord's mystery ; the great mystery of salvation ; the Lord's 
sacrament ; the sacrament of piety ; the sign of unity ; the 
contesseration of the Christian communion ; the Divine grace ; 
the Divine making grace ; the holy thing ; the desirable ; the 
communication of good ; the perfection and consummation 
of a Christian ; the holy particles ; the gracious symbols ; 
the holy gifts ; the sacrifice of commemoration ; the intel- 
lectual and mystical good ; the hereditary donative of the 
New Testament; the sacrament of the Lord's body; the 
sacrament of the chalice ; the paschal oblation ; the Christian 
passport ; the mystery of perfection ; the great oblation ; 
the worship of God ; the life of souls ; the sacrament of our 
price and our redemption:" and some few others, much to 
the same purposes : all which are of great and useful signifi- 
cation ; and if the explications and consequent propositions 
were as justifiable, as the titles themselves are sober and 
useful, they would be apt only for edification, and to minister 
to the spirit of devotion. That, therefore, is to be the design 
of the present meditations, to represent the true, and proper, 
and mysterious nature of this Divine nutriment of our souls ; 
to account what are the blessings of God reacheth forth to us 
in the mysteries, and what returns of duty he expects from 
all to whom he gives his most holy Son. 

I shall only here add the names and appellatives which 
the Scripture gives to these mysteries, and place it as a part 
of the foundation of the following doctrines : it is, by the 
Spirit of God, called, d '-' The bread that is broken ; the cup 
of blessing ; the breaking of "bread ; the body and blood 
of the Lord ; the communication of his body ; and the com- 
munication of his blood ; the feast of charity or love ; the 
Lord's table, and the supper of the Lord." Whatsoever is 
consequent to these titles we can safely own, and our faith 
may dwell securely ; and our devotion, like a pure flame, 
with these may feed, as with the spices and gums upon the 
altar of incense. 

d A.ydxn, t Pet. ii. 13. 1 Cor. xi. 20, 29 ; x. 16. Jude, 12. Acts, vi. 2. 



WHAT IT IS WE RECEIVE, &C. 409 

SECTION II. 

What it is, which we receive in the Holy Sacrament. 

IT is strange, that Christians should pertinaciously insist 
upon carnal significations and natural effects in sacraments 
and mysteries, when our blessed Lord hath given us a suf- 
ficient light to conduct and secure us from such misap- 
prehensions. "The flesh profiteth nothing: the words 
which I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life ;" 
that is, the flesh is corruption, and its senses are ministers 
of death : and this one word alone was perpetually sufficient 
for Christ's disciples. For when, upon occasion of the 
gross understanding of their Master's words by the men of 
Capernaum, they had been once clearly taught that the 
meaning of all these words are wholly spiritual ; they rested 
there, and inquired no further : insomuch that when Christ, 
at the institution of the supper, affirmed of the bread and 
wine, ' That they were his body and his blood,' they were 
not at all offended, as being sufficiently before instructed in 
the nature of that mystery. And besides this, they saw 
enough to tell them what they ate was not the natural body 
of their Lord : this was the body which himself did or might 
eat with his body : one body did eat, and the other was 
eaten ; both of them were his body, but after a diverse 
manner. For the case is briefly this : 

We have two lives, a a natural and a spiritual ; and both 
must have bread for their support and maintenance, in pro- 
portion to their needs and to their capacities : and as it 
would be an intolerable charity to give nothing but spiritual 
nutriment to a hungry body, and pour diagrams and wise 
propositions into an empty, stomach ; so it would be as 
useless and impertinent to feed the soul with wheat or flesh, 
unless that were the conveyance of a spiritual delicacy. 



a Duplex vita, duplicem poscit panem. S. Aug. Oportuit autem, non 
solum primitias nostrse naturae in participadonem venire melioris, sed omnes 
quotquot velint homines et secunda nativitate nasci, et nutriri cibo novo, et 
Luic nativitati accommodate, atque ita praevenire mensuram perfectionis. 
Damasc. de Fide. Orthod. 1. c. iv. 14. 

Et quoniam spirituals est Adam, oportuit nativiUituiu sjurituoleiii e>e, 
similiter et cibum. Id. ibid. 



410 WHAT IT IS WE RECEIVE 

In the holy sacrament of the eucharist, the body of Christ, 
according to the proper signification of a human body is 
not at all, but in a sense differing from the proper and 
natural body : that is, in a sense more agreeing to sacra- 
ments; so St. Jerome expressly, 5 " Of the sacrifice which is 
wonderfully done in the commemoration of Christ, we may 
eat ; but of that sacrifice which Christ offered on the altar, 
the cross, by itself, or in its own nature, no man may eat." 
" For it is his flesh, which is under the form of bread, 
and his blood, which is in the form and taste of wine : for 
the flesh is the sacrament of flesh, and blood is the sacra- 
ment of blood : for by flesh and blood that is invisible, 
spiritual, intelligible, the visible and tangible body of our 
Lord Jesus Christ is consigned, full of the grace of all 
virtues, and of Divine majesty;" so St. Austin. "For, 
therefore, ye are not to eat that body which you see, nor to 
drink that blood which my crucifiers shall pour out : it is the 
same, and not the same ; the same invisibly, but not the 
same visibly. For until the world be finished, the Lord is 
above, but the truth of the Lord is with us. The body in 
which he rose again must be in one place, but the truth of it 
is every where diffused." For there is one truth of the body 
in the mystery, and another truth simply and without mystery. 
It is truly Christ's body, both in the sacrament and out of it ; 
but in the sacrament it is not the natural truth, but the 
spiritual and the mystical. d 

" And therefore it was that our blessed Saviour, to them 
who apprehended him, to promise his natural body and blood 
for our meat and drink, spake of his ascension into heaven, 
that we might learn to look from heaven to receive the food 
of our souls, heavenly and spiritual nourishment ; " said St. 
Athanasius. e " For this is the letter which, in the New 
Testament, kills him who understands not spiritually what is 
spoken to him; under the signification of meat and flesh, and 
blood and drink;" so Origen. f "For this bread does not 
go into the body, (for to how many might his body suffice 

b In Levit et Habetur de Consecrat. dist. ii. secundum se. 

c Habet. de Consecrat. dist. ii. Epist. ad Iren. 

d Vide eund. in Joban. tract. 1. 

c In Tract, verb. Quicunque dixerit verbum in Filiuni hominis. 

' In Levit. c. x. bom. 7. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 411 

for meat?) but the bread of eternal life supports the sub- 
stance of our spirit; and, therefore, it is not touched by the 
body nor seen with the eyes, but by faith it is seen and 
touched;" so St. Ambrose. g "And all this whole mystery 
hath in it neither carnal sense nor carnal consequence ; " saith 
St. Chrysostom.' 1 " But to believe in Christ is to eat the 
bread ; and, therefore, why do you prepare your teeth and 
stomach ? Believe him, and you have eaten him : " they are 
the words of St. Austin. For faith is that ' intellectual 
mouth,' as St. Basil 1 calls it, which is within the man, by 
which he takes in nourishment. 

But what need we to draw this water from the lesser 
cisterns ? We see this truth reflected from the spring itself, 
the fountains of our blessed Saviour: "I am the bread of 
life ; he that cometh unto me shall not hunger, and he that 
believeth on me shall not thirst:" and again, " He that eats 
my flesh, hath life abiding in him, and I will raise him up at 
the last day." 1 The plain consequent of which words is 
this, That, therefore, this eating and drinking of Christ's 
flesh and blood, can only be done by the ministries of life and 
of the Spirit, which is opposed to nature, and flesh, and 
death. And when we consider, that he who is not a spiritual 
and a holy person does not feed upon Christ, who brings 
life eternal to them that feed on him, it is apparent that 
our manducation must be spiritual, and, therefore, so must 
the food ; and, consequently, it cannot be natural flesh, 
however altered in circumstances and visibilities, and impos- 
sible or incredible changes. For it is not in this spiritual 
food, as it was in manna, of which our fathers did eat, and 
died; but whosoever eats this Divine nutriment, shall never 
die." 1 The sacraments, indeed, and symbols, the exterior 
part and ministries, may be t taken unto condemnation, but 
the food itself never. For an unworthy person cannot feed 
on this food, because here to eat Christ's flesh is to do our 



8 De Sacram. lib. v. c. 4. et in Luc. lib. v. c. 8. 

h In Johan. vi. horn 47, tract. 26, in Joban. 

' 'Srofta vanrov j'vBav rou unS^aTou. 

1 John, vi. ;5.~>, .')i-o(j. 

111 Res ipsa, cujus siicramentum est, omni homini ad vitam, nulli ad exitium, 
quicunque ejus partieeps fuerit. S. Aug. tract, xvi. in Jolu de Resur. Car, 
c. 37. 



412 WHAT IT IS WE RECEIVE 

duty, and to be established in our title to the possession of 
the eternal promises. For so " Christ disposed the way of 
salvation, not by flesh, but by the Spirit," saith Tertullian ; 
that is, according to his own exposition, Christ is to be 
desired for life, and to be devoured by hearing, to be chewed 
by the understanding, and to be digested by faith ; and all 
this is the method and economy of heaven, which whosoever 
uses and abides in it, hath life abiding in him. He that in 
this world does any other way look for Christ, shall never 
find him ; and, therefore, " if men say, Lo, here is Christ, or 
lo, there he is in the desert, or he is sv raptiois, in the cupboards 
[or pantries, where bread or fish is laid], believe it not:" 
Christ's body is in heaven, and it is not upon earth : "The 
heavens must contain him till the time of restitution of all 
things ; " and " so long as we are present in the body, we are 
absent from the Lord."" 

In the meantime, we can taste and see that the Lord is 
gracious, that he is sweet : but Christ is so to be tasted as he 
is to be seen, and no otherwise ; but here we walk by faith, 
and not by sight ; and here ako we live by faith, and not by 
mere or only bread, but from that word which proceedeth out 
from God ; that as meat is to the body, so is Christ to the 
soul, the food of the soul, by which the souls of the just do 
live. He is the bread which came down from heaven ; the 
bread which was born at Bethlehem ; the house of bread was 
given to us, to be the food of our souls for ever. 

The meaning of which mysterious and sacramental ex- 
pressions, when they are reduced to easy and intelligible 
significations, is plainly this : By Christ we live and move 
and have our spiritual being in the life of grace, and in the 
hopes of glory. He took our life, that we might partake of 
his ; he gave his life for us, that he might give life to us : he 
is the author and finisher of our faith, the beginning arid 
perfection of our spiritual life. Every good thought we 
think, we have it from him ; every good word we speak, we 
speak it by his Spirit ; "for no man can say that ' Jesus is 

n Annon av^^u-rotfityia,^. Hoc mysterium pronunciat [Nestorius] et irreli- 
giose fidelium mentes in sensus adulterines detrudit, ac humanis cogitationibus 
aggreditur, qus sola pura et in exquisita fide accipiuntur. S. Cyril, lib. ad 
Euopbium Anathem. xi. 

Quod esca est carni,Iioc animae fides. S. Cypr. id. de Ccena Dom. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 4J3 

the Lord,' but by the Holy Ghost:" and all our prayers are 
by the aids and communications of the Spirit of Christ, ' who 
helpeth our infirmities,' and ' by unutterable groans,' and in- 
expressible representment of most passionate desires, ' maketh 
intercession for us.' In fine, all the principles and parts, all 
the actions and progressions of our spiritual life, are deriva- 
tions from the Son of God, by whom we are born and 
nourished up to life eternal. 

2. Christ being the food of our souls, he is pleased to 
signify this food to us by such symbols and similitudes as 
his present state could furnish us \vithal. p He had nothing 
about him but flesh and blood, which are like to meat and 
drink ; and, therefore, what he calls himself, saying, " I am 
the bread of life," he afterwards calls "his flesh and his 
blood," saying, " My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is 
drink indeed ;" that is, that you may perceive me to be indeed 
the food of your souls, see, here is meat and drink for you, 
my flesh and my blood ; so to represent himself in a way 
that was nearest to our capacity, and in a more intelligible 
manner, not further from a mystery, but nearer to our manner 
of understanding ; and yet so involved in figure, q that it is 
never to be drawn nearer than a mystery, till it comes to 
experience, and spiritual relish and perception. But because 
we are not in darkness, but within the fringes and circles of 
a bright cloud, let us search as far into it as we are guided 
by the light of God, and where we are forbidden by the 
thicker part of the cloud, step back and worship. 

3. For we have yet one further degree of charity and 
manifestation of this mystery. The flesh of Christ is his 
word ; the blood of Christ is his Spirit ; and by believing in 
his word, and being assisted and conducted by his Spirit, we 
are nourished up to life ; and so Christ is our food, so he 
becomes life unto our souls. 

Thus St. Clemens of Alexandria and Tertullian affirm the 
Church, in their days, r to have understood this mystery, 



P "A-vavra. T^ITKI TOI; avroTs i% fa.^.s'rtt. Arist. DH 1 ? apud Arabes et 
Hebraeos significat panem et corpus. 

1 Ka^KTig 01 liuy^a.^oi \i aurea irtvocxi TJJV trxiav yt>ti(Qi>ufiv xxi Ton a,\^6tta,i Tut 
Xg&iftdriuv. 5. Chrysost. 

r Pedag. i. lib. de Resur. Car. O.VTX tivcti TO, pv/*a.r<z xctl ri>u; Aoyav? nurtu xeu 
TW ffd^ita,, KO.} rauJfAaEuseb. lib. iii. Eccles. Theol. M. S. Pro. 9. 5. 



414 WHAT IT IS WE RECEIVE 

saying, " The word of God is called flesh and blood :" for so 
the Eternal Wisdom of the Father calls " to every simple soul 
that wanteth understanding, Come, eat of the bread, and 
drink of the wine which I have mingled :" and that we may 
know what is this bread and wine, he adds, " forsake the 
foolish and live, and go in the way of understanding." Our 
life is wisdom ; our food is understanding. The rabbins 8 
have an observation, that whenever mention is made in the 
Book of the Proverbs of eating and drinking, there is meant 
nothing but wisdom and the law ; and when the doctors, 
using the words of Scripture, say, " Come and eat flesh, in 
which there is much fatness," they would be understood to 
say, " Come and hear wisdom, and learn the fear of God, 
in which there is great nourishment and advantage to our 
souls." Thus ' wisdom' is called ' water,' and * understand- 
ing;' 'bread,' by the son of Sirach ;* "With the bread 
of understanding shall she feed him, and give him the water 
of wisdom to drink." It is by the prophet Isaiah" called 
" water and wine ;" arid the desires of righteousness are 
called "hunger and thirst" by our blessed Saviour, in his 
sermon on the niount. x And in pursuance of this mysteri- 
ous truth we find that God, y in his anger, threatens a 
" famine of hearing the words of the Lord :" when we want 
God's word, we die with hunger, we want that bread on 
which our souls do feed. It was an excellent commentary 
which the Jewish doctors make upon those words of the 
prophet, 55 " With joy shall ye draw waters from the wells of 
salvation ;" that is, "from the choicest or wisest of the just 
men," saith Rabbi Jonathan ; R from the chief ministers of 
religion, the heads of the people, and the rulers of the 
congregation ; because they preach the word of God ; they 
open the wells of salvation, from the fountains of our 
Saviour, giving drink and refreshment to all the people. 
Thus the prophet Jeremiah b expresses his spiritual joy, and 
the sense of this mystery : " Thy words were found and I 
did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and 

* Moreh Nevoch. lib. i. c. 30. * Ecclus. xv. 3. 
" Isaiah, Iv. 1, 2. * Matt. v. 6. 

y Amos, viii. 11. z Isaiah, xii, 3. 

* A selectis justorum, a capitibus et primariis ccetus. 
b Cap. xv. 16. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 415 

rejoicing of my heart ; for I am called by tliy name, O Lord 
God of hosts :" the same with that of our blessed Saviour, 
" My words are spirit, and they are life," they give life and 
comfort, they relish our souls, and feed them up to immor- 
tality. 

As the body or flesh of Christ is his word, so the blood 
of Christ is his Spirit in real effect and signification. For 
as the body without blood is a dead and lifeless trunk, so is 
the word of God without the Spirit, a dead and ineffective 
letter : and this mystery we are taught in that incomparable 
epistle to the Hebrews : c for ' by the blood of Christ' we are 
sanctified ; and yet that which sanctifies us is the Spirit of 
grace, and both these are one : for so saith the apostle ; 
" the blood of Christ was offered up for us, for the purifi- 
cation of our consciences from dead works ;" but this offer- 
ing was made ' through the eternal Spirit ;' and, therefore, he 
is equally guilty, and does the same impiety, he who does 
" despite to the Spirit of grace, and he who accounts the 
blood of the covenant an unholy thing ;" d for by this Spirit 
and by this blood we are sanctified ; by ' this Spirit,' and by 
the ' blood of the everlasting covenant,' e Jesus Christ does 
perfect him in every good work, so that these are the same 
ministry of salvation, and but one and the same economy of 
God. Thus St. Peter affirms, that by the ' precious blood 
of Christ/ we are redeemed from our vain conversation, and 
it is every where affirmed, that we are ' purified and cleansed 
by the blood of Christ,' and yet these are the express effects 
of his Spirit : for ' by the Spirit we mortify the deeds of the 
body,' and we ' are justified and sanctified in the name of 
our Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God.' By which ex- 
pressions we are taught to distinguish the natural blood of 
Christ from the spiritual.; the blood that he gave for us, 
from the blood which he gives to us: that was indeed by 
the Spirit ; but was not the same thing, but this is the Spirit 
of grace, and the Spirit of wisdom. And, therefore, 'as our 
fathers were made to drink in one spirit, when they drank of 
the water of the rock,' so we also partake of the Spirit when 
we drink of Christ's blood, which came from the spiritual 
rock when it was smitten : for thus according to the doctrine 

c Heb. ix. 14. d x. 29. e xiii. 20. 



416 WHAT IT IS WE RECEIVE 

of St. John, ' the water, and the blood, and the Spirit, aro 
one' and the same glorious purposes. 

As it was with our fathers in the beginning, so it is now 
with us, and so it ever shall be, world without end : for they 
fed upon Christ, that is, they believed in Christ, they ex- 
pected his day, they lived upon his promises, they lived by 
faith in him : and the same meat and drink is set upon our 
tables : and more than all this, as Christ is the Lamb slain 
from the beginning of the world, so he shall be the food of 
our souls in heaven, where they " who are accounted worthy 
shall sit down and be feasted in the eternal supper of the 
Lamb;" concerning which blessedness, our blessed Saviour 
saith/ " Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of 
God :" for he hath appointed to his chosen ones, ' to eat 
and drink at his table in his kingdom :' plainly teaching us, 
that by eating and drinking Christ, is meant in this world to 
live the life of the Spirit, and in the other world it is to live 
the life of glory : here we feed upon duty, and there we feed 
upon reward : our wine is here mingled with water and with 
myrrh, there it is mere and unmixed : but still it is called 
meat and drink, and still is meant grace and glory, the fruits 
of the Spirit and the joy of the Spirit ; that is, by Christ 
we here live a spiritual life, and hereafter shall live a life 
eternal. 8 

Thus are sensible things the sacrament and representa- 
tion of the spiritual and eternal, 11 and spiritual things are the 
fulfillings of the sensible.' But the consequent of these 
things is this : that since Christ always was, is, and shall be, 
the food of the faithful, and is that bread which came down 

f Luke, xiv. 15. 

( Oi SE 6tov TifMavrif aX9-;vov divxevrl, 
Zurit x^ti^ayofinfovir aluvo; ^poini, tturai 
OixavTi; jra.^a^iumi, opa; \<>&r<Xia, xtjvrev, 
Aaivvftivai yi-uxv* agret d-r ovytiov dfrt^otvro;. 

Sibyl. Erythr. Orac. Luke, xxii. 30. 

b Ea forma qua semper carnalia in figuram spiritualium antecedunt. Tertul. 
de Baplis. 

1 T T xt.m^u/Aa.'ra, TUV airSuruv' <ra ya/> <p,<yi7v -ty*/Ja>.v IfTi rgiQqs $t>%txii;. 
rgiQirai yag ^A;>i avaXji^s/ <rui xa*.uv xa.} tr^ei^ii <rtai xareftapei-rvv. Phil. Al. 

In ratione sacrorum, par est animae et corporis causa, nam plerumque, quae 
non possunt circa animam fieri, fiunt circa corpus. Servius in illud Virgilii 
' vittasque resolvit,' etlib. iv. 512. ' In sacris quae exbiberi nonpoterunt, simu- 
labantur et erant pro veris.' 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 417 

from heaven : since we eat him here and shall eat him there, 
our eating both here and there is spiritual: only the word of 
teaching shall be changed into the word of glorification, and 
our faith into charity, and, all the way, our souls live a new 
life by Christ, of which eating and drinking is the symbol 
and the sacrament. And this is not done to make this 
mystery obscure, but intelligible and easy. For so the pains 
of hell are expressed by fire, which to our flesh is most 
painful, and the joys of God, by that which brings us greatest 
pleasure, by meat and drink, and the growth in grace, by 
the natural instruments of nutrition, and the work of the 
soul, by the ministries of the body, and the graces of God, 
by the blessings of nature: for these we know, and we know 
nothing else ; and but by phantasms and ideas of what we see 
and feel, we understand nothing at all. 

Now this is so far from being a diminution of the 
glorious mystery of our communion, that the changing all 
into spirituality is the greatest increase of blessing in the 
world : and when he gives us his body and his blood, he does 
not fill our stomachs with good things : for of whatsoever 
goes in thither, it is affirmed by the apostle, that " God will 
destroy both it and them ;" but our hearts are to be re- 
plenished, and by receiving his Spirit we receive the best 
thing that God gives : not his lifeless body, but his flesh 
with life in it ; that is, his doctrine and his Spirit to imprint 
it, so to beget a living faith, and a lively hope, that we may 
live, and live for ever. 

4. St. John, k having thus explicated this mystery in 
general, of our eating the flesh and drinking the blood of 
Christ, added nothing in particular concerning any sacra- 
ments, these being but particular instances of the general 
mystery and communion with Christ. But what is the 
advantage we receive by the sacraments, besides that which 
we get by the other and distinct ministries of faith, I thus 
account in general. 

The word and the Spirit are the flesh and the blood of 
Christ, that is the ground of all. Now, because there are 
two great sermons of the Gospel, which are the sum total 
and abbreviature of the whole word of God, the great 

k John, vi. 
VOL. XV. E K 



418 WHAT IT IS WE RECEIVE 

messages of the Word incarnate, Christ was pleased to invest 
these two words with two sacraments, and assist those two 
sacraments, as he did the whole word of God, with the 
presence of his Spirit, that in them we might do more sig- 
nally and solemnly what was in the ordinary ministrations 
done plainly and without extraordinary regards. 

" Believe and repent," is the word in baptism, and there 
solemnly consigned : and here it is that by faith we feed on 
Christ : for faith as it is opposed to works, that is, the new 
covenant of faith as it is opposed to the old covenant of 
works, is the covenant of repentance: repentance is expressly 
included in the new covenant, but was not in the old : but 
by faith in Christ we are admitted to the pardon of our sins, 
if we repent and forsake them utterly. Now this is the 
word of faith ; and this is that which is called the flesh or 
body of Christ, for this is that which the soul feeds on, this 
is that by which the just do live : and when, by the opera- 
tion of the Holy Spirit, the waters are reformed to a Divine 
nature or efficacy, the baptized are made clean, they are 
sanctified and presented pure and spotless unto God. This 
mystery 1 St. Austin rightly understood when he affirmed, 
that " we are made partakers of the body and blood of Christ, 
when we are in baptism incorporated into his body ;" " we 
are baptized in the passion of our Lord ;" so Tertullian, 
to the same sense with that of St. Paul, '* we are buried 
with him by baptism into his death :" that is, by baptism 
are conveyed to us all the effects of Christ's death : the flesh 
and blood of Christ crucified are, in baptism, reached to us 
by the hand of God, by his Holy Spirit, and received by the 
hand of man, the ministry of a holy faith. So that it can, 
without difficulty, be understood that as in receiving the 
word, and the Spirit illuminating us in our first conversion, 
we do truly feed on the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, 
who is the bread that came down from heaven ; so we do it 
also, and do it much more in baptism, because in this, be- 
sides all that was before, there was superadded a rite of 
God's appointment. The difference is only this, that out of 



1 Ad infantes apud Bed am. 

m Tingimur in passione Domini Tertul. lib. de Bapt. 
v, S. Cyril, vocat baptismum, Catech. xi. 



IN THR HOLY SACRAMENT. 419 

the sacrament, the Spirit operates with the word in the 
ministry of man ; in baptism, the Spirit operates with the 
word in the ministry of God. For here God is the preacher, 
the sacrament is God's sign, and by it he ministers life to us 
by the flesh and blood of his Son, that is, by the death of 
Christ into which we are baptized. 

And in the same Divine method the word and the Spirit 
are ministered to us in the sacrament of the Lord's supper. 
For as in baptism, so here also there is a word proper to the 
ministry. " So often as ye eat this bread, and drink this 
cup, ye declare the Lord's death till he come." This, indeed, 
is a word of comfort. ' Christ died for our sins;' that is, our 
repentance which was consigned in baptism, shall be to pur- 
pose ; we shall be washed white and clean in the blood of 
the sacrificed Lamb." This is ' verbum visibile ;' the same 
word read to the eye and to the ear. Here the word of God 
is made our food, in a manner so near to our understanding, 
that our tongues and palates feel the metaphor and the 
sacramental signification : here faith is in triumph and 
exaltation : but as in all the other ministries evangelical, 
we eat Christ by faith, here we have faith also by eating 
Christ : thus eating and drinking is faith, it is faith in mys- 
tery, and faith in ceremony : it is faith in act, and faith in 
habit : it is exercised, and it is advanced : and, therefore, it 
is certain that here we eat the flesh and drink the blood of 
Christ, with much eminence and advantage. 

The sum is this. Christ's body, his flesh and his blood, 
are, therefore, called our meat and our drink, because by his 
incarnation and manifestation in the flesh he became life 
unto us : so that it is mysterious, indeed, in the expression, 
but very proper and intelligible in the event, to say that we 
eat his flesh and drink his blood, since by these it is that we 
have and preserve life. -But because what Christ began in 
his incarnation, he finished in his body on the cross, and all 
the whole progression of mysteries in his body was still an 
operatory of life and spiritual being to us, the sacrament of 
the Lord's supper being a commemoration and exhibition of 
this death, which was the consummation of our redemption 

n St. Aug. torn. vi. cont Faustum, lib. xix. c. 19; et torn. ix. in Erang. 
Joban. tract. 80. 



420 WHAT IT IS WE RECEIVE 

by his body and blood, does contain in it a visible word, the 
word in symbol and visibility, and special manifestation. 
Consonant to which doctrine, the fathers, by an elegant ex- 
pression, called the blessed sacrament, ' the extension of the 
incarnation.* 

So that here are two things highly to be remarked: 

1 . That by whatsoever way Christ is taken out of the 
sacrament, by the same he is taken in the sacrament : and by 
some ways here more than there. 

2. That the eating and drinking the consecrated symbols 
is but the body and lesser part of the sacrament : the life and 
the spirit is believing greatly, and doing all the actions of 
that believing, direct and consequent. So that there are in 
this, two manducations, the sacramental and the spiritual: 
that does but declare and exercise this ; and of the sacra- 
mental manducation, as it is alone, as it is a ceremony, as it 
does only consign or express the internal, it is true to affirm 
that it is only an act of obedience : but all the blessings and 
conjugations of joy, which come to a worthy communicant, 
proceed from that spiritual eating of Christ, which, as it is 
done out of the sacrament very well, so in it and with it 
much better. For here being, as in baptism, a double signi- 
ficatory of the Spirit, a word and a sign of his own appoint- 
ment, it is certain he will join in this ministration. Here we 
have bread and driuk, flesh and blood, the word and the 
Spirit, Christ in all his effects and most gracious com- 
munications. 

This is the general account of the nature and purpose of 
this great mystery. Christians are spiritual men, faith is 
their mouth, and wisdom is their food, and believing is man- 
ducation, and Christ is their life, and truth is the air they 
breathe, and their bread is the word of God, and God's Spirit 
is their drink, and righteousness is their robe, and God's laws 
are their light, and the apostles are their salt, and Christ is 
to them all in all, for we must put on Christ, and we must 
eat Christ, and we must drink Christ : we must have him 
within us, and we must be in him : he is our vine, and we are 
his branches : he is a door, and by him we must enter : he is 
our shepherd, and we his sheep : ' Deus meus et omnia, he 
is our God, and he is all things to us :' that is, plainly, he is 
our Redeemer, and he is our Lord : he is our Saviour and our 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 421 

teacher: by his word and by his Spirit he brings us to God, 
and to felicities eternal, and that is the sum of all. For 
greater things than these we can neither receive nor expect: 
but these things are not consequent to the reception of the 
natural body of Christ, which is now in heaven; but of his 
word and of his Spirit, which are, therefore, indeed his body 
and his blood, because by these we feed on him to life 
eternal. Now these are, indeed, conveyed to us by the 
several ministries of the Gospel, but especially in the sacra- 
ments, where the word is preached and consigned, and the 
Spirit is the teacher, and the feeder, and makes the table 
full, and the cup to overflow with blessing. 



SECTION III. 

That in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper there are repre- 
sented and exhibited many great Blessings, vpon the special 
account of that sacred Ministry, proved in general. 

IN explicating the nature of this Divine mystery in general, 
as I have manifested the nature, and operations, and the whole 
ministry to be spiritual, and that not the natural body and 
blood of Christ is received by the mouth, but the word and 
the Spirit of Christ, by faith and a spiritual hand, and, upon 
this account, have discovered their mistake, who think the 
secret lies in the outside, and suppose we tear the natural 
flesh of Christ with our mouths : so I have, by consequent, 
explicated the secret which others, indefinitely and by con- 
jecture and zeal, do spea.k of, and know not what to say, but 
resolve to speak things great enough. It remains now that I 
consider for the satisfaction of those that speak things too 
contemptible of these holy mysteries ; who say, ' it is nothing 
but a commemoration of Christ's death, an act of obedience, 
a ceremony of memorial, but of no spiritual effect, and of 
no proper advantage to the soul of the receiver.' Against 
this, besides the preceding discourse convincing their fancy 
of weakness and derogation, the consideration of the proper 
excellences of this mystery, in its own separate nature, will 



422 MANY GREAT BLESSINGS 

be very useful. For now we are to consider how his natural 
body enters into this economy and dispensation. 

For the understanding of which we are to consider, that 
Christ, besides his spiritual body and blood, did also give us 
his natural, and we receive that by the means of this. For 
this he gave us but once, then when upon the cross he was 
broken for our sins ; this body could die but once, and it 
could be but at one place at once, and heaven was the place 
appointed for it, and at once all was sufficiently effected 
by it, which was designed in the counsel of God. For by 
the virtue of that death, Christ is become the author of life 
unto us and of salvation ; he is our Lord and our lawgiver ; 
by it he received all power in heaven and in earth, and by it 
he reconciled his Father to the world, and in virtue of that 
he intercedes for us in heaven, and sends his Spirit upon 
earth, and feeds our souls by his word ; he instructs us to 
wisdom, and admits us to repentance, and gives us pardon, 
and, by means of his own appointment, nourishes us up by 
holiness to life eternal. 

This body being carried from us into heaven, cannot be 
touched or tasted by us on earth ; but yet Christ left to us 
symbols and sacraments of this natural body ; not to be, or 
to convey that natural body to us, but to do more and better 
for us; to convey all the blessings and graces procured for 
us by the breaking of that body, and the effusion of that 
blood : which blessings, being spiritual, are therefore called 
his body spiritually, because procured by that body which 
died for us; and are therefore called our food, because by 
them we live a new life is the Spirit, and Christ is our bread 
and our life, a because by him, after this manner, we are 
nourished up to life eternal. That is, plainly thus : Therefore 
we eat Christ's spiritual body, because he hath given us his 
natural body to be broken, and his natural blood to be shed, 
for the remission of our sins, and for the obtaining the grace 
and acceptability of repentance. For by this gift and by 
this death he hath obtained this favour from God, that by 
faith in him and repentance from dead works, by repentance 
towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we may be 
saved. 

To this sense of the mystery are those excellent words of 

John, vi. 51. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 423 

the apostle : b "He bare our sins upon his own body on the 
tree, that he might deliver us from the present evil world, 
and sanctify and purge us from all pollution of flesh and 
spirit; that he might destroy the works of the devil ; that he 
might redeem us from all iniquity ; that he might purchase to 
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works ; and that 
we, being dead unto sin, might live unto righteousness." 
"Totum Christian! nominis et pondus et fructus mors 
Christi; c All that we are, or do, or have, is produced 
and effected by the death of Christ." 

Now, because our life depends upon this death, the mi- 
nistry of this life must relate to the ministry of this death, 
and we have nothing to glory in but in the cross of Christ : 
the word preached is nothing but Jesus Christ crucified : 
and the sacraments are the most eminent way of declaring 
this word: for ' by baptism we are buried into his death,' 
and by the Lord's supper we are partakers of his death : we 
communicate with the Lord Jesus as he is crucified ; d but 
now since all belong to this, that word and that mystery that 
is highest and nearest in this relation, is the principal and 
chief of all the rest; and that the sacrament of the Lord's 
supper is so, is evident beyond all necessity of inquiry, it 
being instituted in the vespers of the passion, it being the 
sacrament of the passion, a sensible representation of the 
breaking Christ's body, of the effusion of Christ's blood; 
it being by Christ himself entitled the passion, and the 
symbols invested with the names of his broken body, and 
his blood poured forth, and the whole ministry being a great 
declaration of this death of Christ, and commanded to be 
continued until his second coming. Certainly by all these 
it appears, that this sacrament is the great ministry of life 
and salvation : here is the publication of the great word of 
salvation, here is set .forth most illustriously the body and 
blood of Christ, the food of our souls ; much more clearly 
than in baptism, much more effectually than in simple enun- 

b Rom. v. 10. Col. i. 21, 22. Tit. ii. 12. Heb. ii. 14. Heb. ix. 1 Pet. 
i. 18 ; ii. 24. 

c Tertul. lib. iii. c. 8, cont. Marcion. 

d Figura est ergo praecipiens, passione Domini esse communicandum, et 
suaviter atque utiliter recondendum in memoria, quod pro uobis c.iro ejus cruci- 
fixa et vulnerata sit S. Aug. de Doctr. Christ, lib. iii. 



424 MANY GREAT BLESSINGS 

ciation, or preaching and declaration by words : for this 
preaching is?, in infants and strangers to Christ, to produce 
faith; but this sacramental enunciation is the declaration 
and confession of it by men in Christ; a glorying in it, giving 
praise for it, a declaring it to be done, and owned, and ac- 
cepted, and prevailing. 

The consequent of these things is this, that if any mys- 
tery, rite, or sacrament, be effective of any spiritual blessings, 
then this is much more, 6 as having the prerogative and illus- 
trious principality above every thing else in its own kind, or 
of any other kind in exterior or interior religion. I name 
them both, because as in baptism the water alone does one 
thing, but the inward co-operation with the outward oblation 
does save us, yet to baptism the Scriptures attribute the 
effect, so it is in the sacred solemnity : the external act is, 
indeed, nothing but obedience, and of itself only declares 
Christ's death in rite and ceremony; yet the worthy commu- 
nicating of it does, indeed, make us feed upon Christ, and 
unites him to the soul, and makes us to become one spirit, ac- 
cording to the words of St. Ambrose ; f "Ideo in similitudinem 
qnidein accipis sacramentum, sed verae naturae gratiam virtu- 
temque consequeris; Thou receivest the sacrament as the 
similitude of Christ's body, but thou shalt receive the grace 
and .the virtue of the true nature." 

1 shall not enter into so useless a discourse, as to inquire 
whether the sacraments confer grace by their own excellence 
and power, with which they are endued from above, because 
they who affirm they do, require so much duty on our parts, 
as they also do who attribute the effect to our moral disposi- 
tion : but neither one nor the other say true : for neither the 
external act, nor the internal grace and morality, does effect 
our pardon and salvation; but the Spirit of God, who blesses 
the symbols, and assists the duty, makes them holy, and this 

* Et tu qui accipis panem Divinae ejus substantial, in illo participas ali- 
munto. S. Ambros. lib. Ixvi. de Sacr. Hie umbra, Lie imago, illic veritas: umbra 
in lege, imago in evangelic, veritas in coelestibus Idem de Offic. lib. iv. c. 48. 
Si quis vero transire potuerit ab hac umbra, venial ad imaginem rerum, et videat 
adventum Christi in carne factutn, videat eum pontificem, offerentem quidem et 
nunc patri hostias, et postmudum oblaturum, etintelligat haec omnia imagines esse 
spiritualium rerum, et corporalibus officiis ccelestia designari. Orig. in 1'sal. 
x.\.\ viii. Vide eund. horn. vii. in Levit. et Epiphanium in Ancborata. 

1 De Sacrain. lib. vi. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 425 

acceptable: only they that attribute the efficacy to the mi- 
nistration of the sacrament, choose to magnify the immediate 
work of man, rather than the immediate work of God, and 
prefer the external, at least in glorious appellations, before 
the internal ; and they that deny efficacy to the external 
work, and wholly attribute the blessing and grace to the 
moral co-operation, make too open a way for despisers to 
neglect the Divine institution, and to lay aside or lightly 
esteem the sacraments of the Church. It is in the sacraments 
as it is in the word preached, in which not the sound, or the 
letters, or syllables, that is, not the material part, but the 
formal, the sense and signification, prepare the mind of the 
hearer to receive the impresses of the Holy Spirit of God, 
without which all preaching and all sacraments are inef- 
fectual : so does the internal and formal part, the significa- 
tion and sense of the sacrament, dispose the spirit of the 
receiver the rather to admit and entertain the grace of the 
Spirit of God there consigned, and there exhibited, and there 
collated. But neither the outward nor the inward part does 
effect it, neither the sacrament nor the moral disposition; 
only the Spirit operates by the sacrament, and the commu- 
nicant receives it by his moral dispositions, by the hand of 
faith. And what have we to do to inquire into the philo- 
sophy of sacraments? these things do not work by the 
methods of nature: but here the effect is imputed to this 
cause, and yet can be produced without this cause, because 
this cause is but a sign in the hand of God, by which he tells 
the soul when he is willing to work. 

Thus baptism was the instrument and sign in the hands of 
God to confer the Holy Spirit upon believers, but the Holy 
Ghost sometimes comes like lightning, and will not stay the 
period of usual expectation. For when Cornelius had heard 
St. Peter preach, he re'ceived the Holy Ghost ; and as some- 
times the Holy Ghost was given because they had been bap- 
tized, now he and his company were to be baptized because 
they had received the Holy Ghost. And it is no good argu- 
ment to say, the graces of God are given to believers out of 
the sacrament, ergo, not by or in the sacrament; but rather 
thus, if God's grace overflows sometimes, and goes without 
his own instruments, much more shall he give it in the use 



426 MAN* GREAT BLESSINGS 

of them: if God gives pardon without the sacrament, then 
rather also with the sacrament. For supposing the sacraments, 
in their design and institution, to be nothing hut signs and 
ceremonies, yet they cannot hinder the work of God: and, 
therefore, holiness in the reception of them will do more 
than holiness alone : for God does nothing in vain ; the sa- 
craments do something in the hand of God, at least, they are 
God's proper and accustomed time of grace ; they are his 
seasons, and our opportunity ; when the angel stirs the pool, 
when the Spirit moves upon the waters, then there is a minis- 
try healing. 

For consider we the nature of a sacrament in general, 
and then pass on to a particular enumeration of the most 
excellent blessings of this. When God appointed the bow g 
in the clouds to be a sacrament, and the memorial of a pro- 
mise, he made it our comfort, but his own sign : " I will 
remember my covenant between me and the earth, and the 
waters shall be no more a flood to destroy all flesh." This 
is but a token of the covenant ; and yet, at the appearing of 
it, God had thoughts of truth and mercy to mankind ; " The 
bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may 
remember the everlasting covenant between me and every 
creature." 11 Thus when Elisha 1 threw the wood into the 
waters of Jordan, * sacramentum ligni, the sacrament of 
the wood,' Tertullian k calls it, that chip made the iron swim, 
not by any natural or infused power, but that was the sacra- 
ment or sign, at which the Divine power then passed on to 
effect an emanation. When Elisha talked with the king of 
Israel about the war with Syria, he commanded him to smite 
upon the ground, and he smote thrice, and stayed. This 
was ' sacramentum victoria, the sacrament of his future 
victory:' for the man of God was wroth with him, and said, 1 
"Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then thou 
hadst smitten Syria, until thou hadst consumed it ; whereas 
now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." In which it is 
remarkable, that though it was not that smiting that bent 
the Syrians, but the ground ; yet God would effect the 
beating of the Syrians by the proportion of that sacramental 
smiting. The sacraments are God's signs, the opportunities 

8 Gen. ix. 15. h Verse 16. ' 2 Kings, vi. 6. k Advers. Judaeos. 
1 2 Kings, xiii. 18, 19. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 427 

of grace and action. " Be baptized, and wash away thy 
sins," said Ananias'" to Saul: and, therefore, it is called " the 
laver of regeneration, and of the renewing of the Holy Ghost;"" 
that is, in that sacrament, and at that corporal ablution, the 
work of the Spirit is done. For although it is not that 
washing of itself, yet God does so do it at that ablution, 
which is but the similitude of Christ's death, that is, the 
sacrament and symbolical representation of it, that to that 
very similitude a very glorious effect is imputed; " for if we 
have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we 
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." For the 
mystery is this; by immersion in baptism, and emersion, we 
are configured to Christ's burial, and to his resurrection: 
that is the outward part; to which if we add the inward, 
which is there intended, and is expressed by the apostle p in 
the following words : " knowing that our old man is crucified 
with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that 
henceforth we should not serve sin :" that is our spiritual 
death, which answers to our configuration with the death of 
Christ in baptism : " that like as Christ was raised up from 
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should 
walk in newness of life:" q there is the correspondent of our 
configuration to the resurrection of Christ : that is, if we do 
that duty of baptism, we shall receive that grace: God offers 
us the mercy at that time, when we promise the duty, and do 
our present portion. This St. Peter r calls ' the stipulation 
of a good conscience,' the postulate and bargain which man 
then makes with God, who promises us pardon and immor- 
tality, resurrection from the dead, and life eternal, if we 
repent toward God, and have faith in the Lord Jesus, and if 
we promise we have, and will so abide. 

The same 3 is the case in the other most glorious sacra- 
ment: it is the same "thing in nearer representation : only 
what is begun in baptism, proceeds on to perfection in the 
holy communion. Baptism is the antitype of the passion 
of Christ; and the Lord's supper ff^avnxbs ruv ffotiwaruv, that 
also ' represents Christ's passion.' Baptism is the union of 

"Acts, ix. 17. Tit. iii. 5. Rom. vi. 5. 

P Verse 6. q Verse 4. ' 1 Pet. iii. 16. 

8 Et institutio paria, et significatio similia, et finis facit aequalia_S. Aug. 

apud Bedam in 1 Cor. x. So Cyril. Hieron. Catecli. ii. 



428 MANY GREAT BLESSINGS 

the members of Christ, and the admission of them under one 
head into one body, as the apostle' affirms, " we are all bap- 
tized into one body ; " and so it is the communion, " the 
bread which we break; it is the communion of the body of 
Christ, for we, being many, are one body and one bread;"" 
in baptism we partake of the death of Christ, and in the 
Lord's supper we do the same, in that, as babes ; in this, 
as men in Christ ; so that what effects are affirmed of one, the 
same are, in greater measure, true of the other; they are but 
several rounds of Jacob's ladder reaching up to heaven, upon 
which the angels ascend and descend, and the Lord sits upon 
the top. 

' And because the sacraments evangelical be of the like 
kind of mystery with the sacraments of old, from them we 
can understand, that even signs of secret graces do exhibit as 
well as signify. For beside's that there is a natural analogy 
between the ablution of the body and the purification of the 
soul, between eating the-holy bread and drinking the sacred 
chalice, and a participation of the body and blood of Christ ; 
it is also in the method of the Divine economy to dispense 
the grace which himself signifies, in a ceremony of his own 
institution. Thus at the unction of kings, priests, and of pro- 
phets, the sacred power was bestowed ; and " as a canon is 
invested in his dignity by the tradition of a book, and an 
abbot by his staff, a bishop by a ring (they are the words of 
St. Bernard"), so are divisions of graces imparted to the 
diverse sacraments." And therefore, although it ought not 
to be denied that when, in Scripture and the writings of the 
holy doctors of the Church, the collation of grace is attributed 
to the sign, it is by a metonymy, and a sacramental manner 
of speaking, yet it is also a synecdoche of the part for the 
whole; because both the sacrament and the grace are joined 
in the lawful and holy use of them, by sacramental union, or 
rather by a confederation of the parts of the holy covenant. 
" Our hearts are purified by faith, " y and so our consciences 2 
are also made clean in the cistern of water. " By faith we 
are saved;" 3 and yet " he hath saved us by the laver b of rege- 
neration ;" and they are both joined together by St. Paul, c 

1 Cor. xii. 13. u 1 Cor. x. 16, 17. * Serm. de Coena Domini. 

y Acts, xv. 9. * Ephes. v. 26. Rom. iii. 28. Luke, vii. 50. 

b Tit. iii. 5. c Epbes. v. 26. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 429 

" Christ gave himself for his Church that he might sanctify 
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word ;" that 
is, plainly, by the sacrament ; according to the famous com- 
mentary of St. Austin, " accedat verbum ad elementum et 
turn fit sacramentum, when the word and the element 
are joined, then it is a perfect sacrament," and then it does 
effect all its purposes and intentions. Thus we find that the 
grace of God is given by the imposition* 1 of hands : and yet 
as St. Austin e rightly affirms, "God alone can give his Holy 
Spirit, and the apostles f did not give the Holy Ghost to them 
upon whom they laid their hands, but prayed that God would 
give it, and he did so at the imposition of their hands." 
Thus God sanctified Aaron ; and yet he said to Moses, 
* Thou shalt sanctify Aaron ;' that is, not that Moses did it 
instead of God, but Moses did it by his ministry, and by visible 
sacraments and rites of God's appointment. And though we 
"are born of an immortal seed, by the word of the living 
God," 8 yet St. Paul said to the Corinthians, " I have begotten, 
you through the Gospel." And thus it is in the greatest 
as well as in the least ; he that drinks Christ's blood, and 
eats his body, ' hath life abiding in him :' it is true of the 
sacrament, and true of the spiritual manducation, and may 
be indifferently affirmed of either, when the other is not 
excluded ; for as the sacrament operates only by virtue of 
the Spirit of God, so the Spirit ordinarily works by the instru- 
mentality of the sacraments. And we may as well say that 
faith is not by hearing, as that grace is not by the sacra- 
ments : for as, without the Spirit, the word is but a dead 
letter; so with the Spirit, the sacrament is the means of life 
and grace: and the meditation of St. Chrysostom h is very 
pious and reasonable: " If we were wholly incorporeal, God 
would have given us graces unclothed with signs and sacra- 
ments; but because our spirits are in earthen vessels, God 
conveys his graces to us by sensible ministrations." The 
word of God operates as secretly as the sacraments, and the 
sacraments as powerfully as the word ; nay, the word is 
always joined in the worthy administration of the sacrament, 
which, therefore, operates both as word and sign by the 

d 2 Tim. i. 6. e Lib. xv. de Trinit. c.26. ' Acts, yiii. 18. 

s St. Aug. lib. iii. in Levit. q. 81. h Homil. in Mat. 



430 MANY GREAT BLESSINGS 

ear, and by the eyes, and by both in the hand of God, and is 
the conduct of the Spirit, all the effect that God intends, 
and that a faithful receiver can require and pray for. 

For justification and sanctification are continued acts : 
they are like the issues of a fountain into its receptacles ; 
God is always giving, and we are always receiving, and the 
signal effects of God's Holy Spirit sometimes give great 
indications, but most commonly come without observation ; 
and, therefore, in these things we must not discourse as in 
the conduct of other causes and operations natural : for 
although, in natural effects, we can argue from the cause to 
the event, yet, in spiritual things, we are to reckon only 
from the sign to the event. And the signs of grace we are 
to place instead of natural causes, because a sacrament in 
the hand of God is a proclamation of his graces ; he then 
gives us notice that the springs of heaven are opened ; and 
then is the time to draw living waters from the fountains of 
salvation. When Jonathan shot his arrows beyond the boy, 
he then, by a sacrament, sent salvation unto David ; he bade 
him be gone and fly from his father's wrath ; and although 
Jonathan did do his business for him by a continual care and 
observation, yet that symbol brought it unto David ; for 
so we are conducted to the joys of God, by the methods and 
possibilities of men. 

In conclusion, the sum is this : The sacraments and 
symbols, if they be considered in their own nature, are just 
such as they seem, water, and bread, and wine ; they retain 
the names proper to their own natures : but because they 
are made to be signs of a secret mystery, and water is the 
symbol of purification of the soul from sin, and bread and 
wine, of Christ's body and blood ; therefore the symbols and 
sacraments receive the names of what themselves do sign : 
they' are the body and they are the blood of Christ : they 
are metonymically such. But because yet further they are 
instruments of grace in the hand of God, and by these his 
Holy Spirit changes our hearts, and translates us into a 
Divine nature; therefore the whole work is attributed to 
them by a synecdoche : that is, they do in their manner 

1 St. Austin in Levit. q. 57. Solet autem res qiue significat, ejus rei nomine, 
quam significat, nuncupari. Theodoret, Dial. i. c. 8. Tu p,l> ffuftan re rtv fu/t- 
CaJut; ri9-i;*iv tvtfta.' rta" Ji <rvfj.(iKu, re rau ra/Mtrff. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMRNT. 431 

the work for which God ordained them, and they are placed 
there for our sakes, and speak God's language in our accent, 
and they appear in the outside : we receive the benefit of 
their ministry, and God receives the glory. 



SECTION IV. 

The Blessings and Graces of the Holy Sacrament enumerated 
and proved particularly. 

IN the reception of the blessed sacrament, there are many 
blessings which proceed from our own actions, the conjuga- 
tions of moral duties, the offices of preparation and reception, 
the reverence and the devotion ; of which I shall give an 
account in the following chapters : here I am to enumerate 
those graces which are intended to descend upon us from the 
Spirit of God in the use of the sacrament itself precisely. 

But, first , I consider, that it must be infinitely certain, 
that great spiritual blessings are consequent to the worthy 
receiving of this Divine sacrament; because it is not at all 
received but by a spiritual hand ; for it is either to be under- 
stood in a carnal sense that Christ's body is there eaten, or 
in a spiritual sense : if in a carnal, it profits nothing ; if in a 
spiritual he be eaten, let the meaning of that be considered, 
and it will convince us that innumerable blessings are in the 
very reception and communion. Now what the meaning of 
this spiritual eating is, I have already declared in this chap- 
ter, and shall yet more fully explicate in the sequel/ 1 In the 
sacrament we do not receive Christ carnally, but we receive 
him spiritually ; and that of itself is a conjugation of bless- 
ings and spiritual graces. The very understanding what we 
do, tells us also whaf we receive. But I descend to par- 
ticulars. 

1. And, first ; I reckon that the sacrament is intended to 
increase our faith : for although it is with us in the holy 
sacrament, as it was with Abraham in the sacrament of 
circumcision : he had the grace of faith before he was cir- 
cumcised, and received the sacrament after he had the 

Chap. iii. sect. 5. 



432 MANY GREAT BLESSINGS 

purpose and the grace ; and we are to believe before we 
receive these symbols of Christ's death ; yet as by loving 
we love more, and by the acts of patience we increase in the 
spirit of mortification, so by believing we believe more; 
and by publication 6 of our confession we are made confident, 
and by seeing the signs of what we believe, our very senses 
are incorporated into the article: 'and he that hath, shall 
have more.' And when we concorporate the sign with the 
signification, we conjoin the word and the spirit; and faith 
passes on from believing to an imaginary seeing, and from 
thence to a greater earnestness of believing, and we shall 
believe more abundantly : this increase of faith not being 
only a natural and proper production of the exercise of its 
own acts, but a blessing and an effect of the grace of God 
in that sacrament : it being certain that the sacrament, 
being of Divine institution, could not be to no purpose 
[for " in spiritualibus sacramentis ubi praecepit virtus, servit 
eflfectus :" c " where the commandment comes from him that 
hath all power, the action cannot be destitute of an excellent 
event"]: and, therefore, that the representing of the death of 
Christ, being an act of faith, and commanded by God, must 
needs, in the hands of God, be more effectual than it is in its 
own nature; that faith shall then increase, not only by the 
way of nature, but by God blessing his own instruments, 
can never be denied but by them that neither have faith nor 
experience. For this is the proper sense and the very exalt- 
ation of faith: the Latin Church, for a long time, into the 
very words of consecration of the chalice, hath put words 
relating to this purpose: " For this is the cup of my blood of the 
new and eternal testament, the mystery of faith, which for 
you, and for many, shall be shed for the remission of sins." 
And if by faith we eat the flesh of Christ, as it is confessed 
by all the schools of Christians, then it is certain, that 
when so manifestly and solemnly, according to the Divine 
appointment, we publish this great confession of the death 

b Ante communicationem corporis Christ! et sanguinis, juxta orientalium 
parti urn morem, unanimiter clara voce sacratissimum fidei recenseant symbol urn, 
ut primum populi quam credulitatem teneant, fateantur. Condi. Tulet. it. c. ?. 
Et St. Anibros. Quibus (symbolis; vescentes, confessionem fidei susc adilebaut: 
respondebant Amen. Idem etiam sancitum in Concil. Agath. 

-' Euseb. Kinis. kabetur de coosecrat. dist. 2. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 433 

of Christ, we do, in all senses of spiritual blessing, eat the 
flesh and drink the blood of Christ. And let that be 
expounded how we list, we are not in this world capable of, 
and we do not need, a greater blessing ; and God may say in 
the words of Isaac to his son Esau, " With corn and wine 
have I sustained thee ; and what is there left, that I can do 
unto thee, my son ?" To eat the flesh and to drink the 
blood of Christ sacramentally, is an act of faith ; and every 
act of faith, joined with the sacrament, does grow by the 
nature of grace, and the measures of a blessing ; and, there- 
fore, is eating of Christ spiritually ; and this reflection of 
acts, like circles of a glorious and eternal fire, passes on in 
the uni vocal production of its own parts, till it pass from 
grace to glory. 

2. Of the same consideration it is, that all the graces, 
which we do exercise by the nature of the sacrament re- 
quiring them, or by the necessity of the commandment of 
preparation, do here receive increase upon the account of 
the same reason ; but I instance only in that of charity, of 
which this is, signally and by an especial remark, the sacra- 
ment ; and, therefore, these holy conventions are called by 
St. Jude, d " feasts of charity," which were Christian festi- 
vals, in which also they had the sacrament adjoined. But 
whether that doth effect this persuasion or no, yet the thing 
itself is dogmatically affirmed in St. Paul's explication of 
that mystery, 6 " We are one body, because we partake of 
one bread ;" that is, plainly, Christ is our head, and we the 
members of his body, and are united in this mystical union 
by the holy sacrament ; not only because it symbolically 
does teach our duty, and promotes the grace of charity by a 
real signature, and a sensible sermon ; nor yet only because 
it calls upon Christians by the public sermons of the Gospel, 
and the duties of preparation, and the usual expectations of 
conscience and religion ; but even by the blessing of God, 
and the operation of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament, which 

d Jude 12. 

' 'Ex Si ftiais f%r,s agrov K'OQO; (trfftrai avbouv. 

Corpus sumus de conscientia religionis, et discipline imitate, et spei fcedere. 
Coimus ad Deuin, et quasi manu facta, precationibus ambimus. Haec vis Deo 
grata est Teitul. Apol. c. 39. Idem (Advers. Ha>ret., c. 20) ait sacrameutum 
esse contesserationem inutuse dilectionis in membris ecclesis inter se. 

VOL. XV. p F 



434 THE BLESSINGS AND GRACES 

(as appears plainly by the words of the apostle) is designed 
to this very end, to be a reconciler and an atonement in the 
hand of God ; a band of charity, and the instrument of 
Christian communion ; that we may be one body, because 
we partake of one bread ; that is, we may be mystically 
united by the sacramental participation ; and, therefore, it 
was not without mystery, that the congregation of all Christ's 
servants, his Church, and this sacramental bread, are both in 
Scripture called by the same name. This bread is the body 
of Christ, and the Church is Christ's body too ; for, by the 
communion of this bread, all faithful people are confederated 
into one body, the body of our Lord. Now it is to be 
observed, that, although the expression is tropical f and 
figurative, that * we are made one body,' because it is meant 
in a spiritual sense, yet that spiritual sense means the most 
real event in the world : we are really joined to one common 
Divine principle, Jesus Christ our Lord ; and from him we 
do communicate in all the blessings of his grace, and the 
fruits of his passion ; and we shall, if we abide in this union, 
be all one body of a spiritual church in heaven, there to 
reign with Christ for ever. Now, unless we think nothing 
good but what goes in at our eyes or mouth ; if we think 
there is any thing good beyond what our senses perceive, we 
must conceive this to be a real and eminent benefit ; and yet 
whatever it be, it is therefore effected upon us by this sacra- 
ment, ' because we eat of one bread.' The very repeating 
the words of St. Paul is a satisfaction in this inquiry ; they 
are plain and easy; and whatever interpretation can be put 
upon them, it can only vary the manner of effecting the 
blessing, and the way of the sacramental efficacy; but it 
cannot evacuate the blessing, or confute the thing. Only it 
is to be observed in this, as in all other instances of the like 
nature, that the grace of God in the sacrament usually is a 
blessing upon our endeavours ; for spiritual graces, and the 
blessings of sanctification, do not grow like grass, but like 
corn ; not whether we do any husbandry or no, but if we 
cultivate the ground, then, by God's blessing, the fruits will 
spring and make the farmer rich ; if we be disposed to 
receive the sacrament worthily, we shall receive this fruit 

' A/a rr, fvyxu,<rn KKI onxfroi^tiuffn^hid. Pelusiot. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 435 

also. Which fruit is thus expressed, saying, " This sacra- 
ment is therefore given unto us, that the body of the Church 
of Christ in the earth may be joined or united with our head 
which is in the heavens. " g 

3. The blessed sacrament is of great efficacy for the 
remission of sins ; not that it hath any formal efficacy, or 
any inherent virtue to procure pardon, but that it is the 
ministry of the death of Christ, and the application of his 
blood, which blood was shed for the remission of sins, and is 
the great means of impetration, and, as the schools use to 
speak, is the meritorious cause of it. For there are but two 
ways of applying the death of Christ, an internal grace and 
an external ministry. Faith is the inward applicatory ; and 
if there be any outward at all, it must be the sacraments ; 
and both of them are of remarkable virtue in this particular ; 
for by baptism we are baptized into the death of Christ, and 
the Lord's supper is an appointed enunciation and declara- 
tion of Christ's death, and it is a sacramental participation 
of it. Now to partake of it sacramentally, is by a sacrament 
to receive it ; that is, so to apply it to us, as that can be 
applied ; it brings it to our spirit ; it propounds it to our 
faith ; it represents it as the matter of eucharist ; it gives it 
as meat and drink to our souls ; and rejoices in it, in that 
very formality in which it does receive it, viz. as broken for, 
as shed for, the remission of our sins. Now, then, what can 
any man suppose a sacrament to be, and what can be meant 
by sacramental participation ? for unless the sacraments do 
communicate what they relate to, they are no communion or 
communication at all. For it is true, that our mouth eats 
the material signs ; but, at the same time, faith eats too, 
and therefore must eat ; that is, must partake of the thing 
signified ; faith is not maintained by ceremonies : the body 
receives the body of the mystery ; we eat and drink the 
symbols with our mouths, but faith is not corporeal, but 
feeds upon the mystery itself; it entertains the grace, and 

8 Serm. viii. ad fratres in erem. Hoc sacramentum ideo nobis datum est, ut 
corpus Ecclesise Christ! in terris cum capite, quod est in ccelis, coadunetur. 
Itaque, petendo pauem nostrum quotidianum, perpetuitatem postulamus in Christo, 
et individuitatem a corpore ejus. Tertul. de Orat. Et ideo panem nostrum, i. e. 
Christum, dari nobis quotidie petimus ; et, qui in Christo manemus, a sanctifica- 
tione ejus et corpore non recedamus. St. Cyprian, de Orat. Domin. 



436 THE BLESSINGS AND GRACES 

enters into that secret, which the Spirit of God conveys under 
that signature. Now, since the mystery is perfectly and 
openly expressed to be the remission of sins, jf the soul does 
the work of the soul, as the body the work of the body, the 
soul receives remission of sins, as the body does the symbols 
of it and the sacrament. 

3. (2.) But we must be infinitely careful to remember, that 
even the death of Christ brings no pardon to the impenitent 
persevering sinner, but to him that repents truly : and so does 
the sacrament 11 of Christ's death ; this can do no more than 
that : and, therefore, let no man come with his guilt about 
him, and in the heat and in the affections of his sin, and 
hope to find his pardon by this ministry. He that thinks so, 
will but deceive, will but ruin himself. They are excellent, 
but very severe, words which God spake to the Jews, and 
which are a prophetical reproof of all unworthy communi- 
cants in these Divine mysteries : " What hath my beloved 
to do in my house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with 
many ? The holy flesh hath passed from thee, when thou 
dost evil ;" that is, ' this holy sacrifice, the flesh and blood of 
thy Lord, shall slip from thee without doing thee any good, 
if thou hast not ceased from doing evil.' But the vulgar 
Latin read these words much more emphatically to our 
purpose : " Shall the holy flesh take from thee thy wicked- 
ness, in which thou rejoicest?" Deceive not thyself, thou 
hast no part nor portion in this matter. For the holy sacra- 
ment operates indeed, and consigns our pardon, but not 
alone ; but in conjunction with all that Christ requires as 
conditions of pardon. But when the conditions are present, 
the sacrament ministers pardon, as pardon is ministered in 
this world, that is, by parts, and in order to several purposes, 
and with power of revocation, by suspending the Divine 
wrath, by procuring more graces, by obtaining time of 
repentance, and powers and possibilities of working out 
our salvation, and by setting forward the method and eco- 
nomy of our salvation. For, in the usual methods of God, 

h Qui scelerate viyunt in Ecclesia, et communicate non desinunt, putantes se 
tali communione mundari, discant nihil ad emundationem proficere, dicente pro- 
ji he ta, ' Quid est, quod dilectus meus facit in domo mea scelera mult a? nunquid 
carnes sanctae auferent a te malitias tuas ?' Jer. xi. 15. hidor. Hispal. de 
Summo Bono, lib. i. c. 24. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 437 

pardon of sins is proportionable to our repentance ; which 
because it is all that state of piety we have in this whole life 
after our first sin, pardon of sins is all that effect of grace 
which is consequent to that repentance ; and the worthy 
receiving of the holy communion is but one conjugation of 
holy actions and parts of repentance, but indeed it is the 
best and the noblest, and such in which man does but best 
co-operate towards pardon, and the grace of God does the 
most illustriously consign it. But of these particulars I 
shall give full account when I shall discourse of the 
preparations of repentance. 

4. It is the greatest solemnity of prayer, the most 
powerful liturgy and means of impetration, in this world. 
For when Christ' was consecrated on the cross, and became 
our High-Priest, having reconciled us to God by the death 
of the cross, he became infinitely gracious in the eyes of 
God, and was admitted to the celestial and eternal priesthood 
in heaven ; where, in the virtue of the cross, he intercedes 
for us, and represents an eternal sacrifice in the heavens on 
our behalf. That he is a priest in heaven, appears in the 
large discourses and direct affirmatives of St. Paul. k That 
there is no other sacrifice to be offered, but that on the cross, 
it is evident, because " he hath but once appeared in the end 
of the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself;" 
and, therefore, since it is necessary that he hath something 
to offer so long as he is a priest, and there is no other sacrifice 
but that of himself offered upon the cross, 1 it follows, that 
Christ, in heaven, perpetually offers and represents that 
sacrifice to his heavenly Father, and, in virtue of that, obtains 
all good things for his Church. 

4. (2.) Now what Christ does in heaven, he hath com- 
manded us to do on earth ; that is, to represent his death, to 
commemorate this sacrifice," 1 by humble prayer and thankful 

Onus a Kvgiif a 6f ri/^uv e #geff$i%iift,iiiof avroy it; <ro a.yiov, xa} <ro vvrigiugtiviav, 
tetfov, xeci x-vtuftanxe* aurcv Svfiaffrri^ttv tl; IffuJnv tvca^itts fvivpanxiis, &C. 

k Heb. vii. 24. i Heb. viii. 3. 

Nonne semel immolatus est Cbristus in seipso 1 et tamen in sacramento, 
non solum per omnes paschsc solennitates, sed omni die, populis immolatur. 
Nee utique mentitur qui interrogatus, eum respondent ' immolari :' si enim 
Bacramenta quandam similitudinem earnm rerum, quarum sacramenta sunt, 
non habeant, omnino Bacramenta non essent. St. Aug. Epist. ad Bonifac. 23. 
Quia corpus assumptum ablaturus erat ab oculis, et illaturus sideribus, 
necessarium erat, ut, die coena?, sacramentum nobis corporis et sanguinis 



438 THE BLESSINGS AND GRACES 

record ; and, by faithful manifestation and joyful eucharist, to 
lay it before the eyes of our heavenly Father, so ministering 
in his priesthood, and doing according to his commandment 
and his example ; the Church being the image of heaven ; 
the priest, the minister of Christ ; the holy table being a 
copy of the celestial altar ; and the eternal sacrifice of the 
Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, being always 
the same ; it bleeds no more after the finishing of it on the 
cross; but it is wonderfully represented in heaven, and 
graciously represented here; by Christ's action there, by his 
commandment here. And the event of it is plainly this ; 
that as Christ, in virtue of his sacrifice on the cross, inter- 
cedes for us with his Father, so does the minister of Christ's 
priesthood here ; that the virtue of the eternal sacrifice may 
be salutary and effectual to all the needs of the Church, both 
for things temporal and eternal. And, therefore, it was not 
without great mystery and clear signification, that our blessed 
Lord was pleased to command the representation of his death 
and sacrifice on the cross should be made by breaking bread, 
and effusion of wine ; to signify to us the nature and sacred- 
ness of the liturgy we are about, and that we minister in the 
priesthood of Christ, who is a priest for ever after the order 
of Melchisedec ; that is, we are ministers in that unchange- 
able priesthood, imitating, in the external ministry, the pro- 
totype Melchisedec : of whom it was said, " He brought 
forth bread and wine, and was the priest of the most high 
God ;" n and, in the internal, imitating the antitype, or the 

consecraretur, ut coleretur jugiter per mysterium, quod semel offerebatur in pre- 
tium; ut, quia quotidiana et indefessa currebat pro omnium salute redemptio, per- 
petua esset redemptionis oblatio, et perennis victima ilia viveret in memoria, et 
semper praesens esset in gratia, vera.unica, etperfecta hostia,fide sestimanda, non 
specie, iieque exteriori censenda visu, sed interiori affectu. Unde coelestis 
confirmat autoritas, quia ' caro mea vere est cibus,' et ' sanguis meus vere est 
potus.' Recedat ergo omne infidelitatis ambiguum; quoniam, qui autor est 
muneris, idem testis est veritatis. Euseb. Emiss. 

n Non sine mysterio, sine re, vel panis ad aram 

Vel vinum fertur, cui superaddis aquam. 
Utraque sub typico ritu, formaque futuri, 

Melchisedec Domino sacrificasse ferunt Hildebert. Cenoman. 
Melchisedec Domino panem vinumque litavit ; 
Christus idem faciens, pactum vetus evacuavit. Hugo Card. 

Rex ille Salem, qui,munere tali, 
Mystica praeorisit summi libamina Christi. 

Claud. Marian. Victor, lib. iii. in Genes. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 439 

substance, Christ himself; who offered up his body and 
blood for atonement for us ; and, by the sacraments of 
bread and wine, and the prayers of oblation and intercession, 
commands us to officiate in his priesthood, in the external 
ministering like Melchisedec, in the internal after the 
manner of Christ himself. 

4. (3.) This is a great and a mysterious truth, which as it 
is plainly manifested in the Epistle to the Hebrews, so it is 
understood by the ancient and holy doctors of the Church. 
So St. Ambrose : " Now Christ is offered, but he is offered 
as a man, as if he received his passion, but he offers himself 
as a priest, that he may pardon our sins ; here, in image or 
representation, there, in truth, as an advocate interceding 
with his Father for us." So St. Chrysostom : " In Christ 
once the sacrifice was offered, which is powerful to our 
eternal salvation ; but what then do we ? do not we offer 
every day ? what we daily offer is at the memorial of his 
death ; and the sacrifice is one, not many ; because Christ 
was once offered, but this sacrifice is the example or repre- 
sentation of that." And another : " Christ is not impiously 
slain by us, but piously sacrificed ; and by this means we 
1 declare the Lord's death till he come :' for here through him 
we humbly do in earth, which he, as a Son, who is heard 
according to his reverence, does powerfully for us in heaven : 
where, as an advocate, he intercedes with his Father, whose 
office or work it is ; for us to exhibit and interpose his flesh 
which he took of us, and for us, and, as it were, to press it 
upon his Father." To the same sense is the meditation of 
St. Austin :P " By this he is the priest and the oblation, the 
sacrament of which he would have the daily sacrifice of the 
Church to be : which because it is the body of that head, she 
learns from him to offer herself to God by him, who offered 
himself to God for he*r." And, therefore, this whole office is 
called by St. Basil, sv^ xgoexopidris, 'the prayer of oblation,' 
the great Christian sacrifice and oblation in which we 
present our prayers and the needs of ourselves and of our 
brethren unto God, in virtue of the great sacrifice, Christ 
upon the cross, whose memorial we then celebrate in a 
Divine manner, by Divine appointment. 

In x. ad Heb. habetur de consecr. dist. ii. 
P De Civit. Dei, lib. x. c. 20. 



440 THE BLESSINGS AND GRACES 

4. (4.) The effect of this I represent in the words of Lyra :^ 
" That which does purge and cleanse our sins, must be 
celestial and spiritual ; and that which is such, hath a per- 
petual efficacy, and needs not to be done again : but that 
which is daily offered in the Church, is a daily commemora- 
tion of that one sacrifice which was offered on the cross, 
according to the command of Christ, * Do this in comme- 
moration of me.'" 

4. (5.) Now this holy ministry and sacrament of this death, 
being according to Christ's commandment, and, in our 
manner, a representation of that eternal sacrifice, an imita- 
tion of Christ's intercession in heaven in virtue of that 
sacrifice, must be after the pattern in the Mount ; it must be 
as that is, ' pura prece,' as Tertullian's phrase is, * by pure 
prayer;' it is an intercession for the whole Church, present 
and absent, in the virtue of that sacrifice. I need add no 
more, but leave it to the meditation, to the joy and admira- 
tion of all Christian people, to think and to enumerate the 
blessings of this sacrament, which is so excellent a repre- 
sentation of Christ's death, by Christ's commandment ; and 
so glorious an imitation of that intercession which Christ 
makes in heaven for us all ; it is all but the representation of 
his death, in the way of prayer and interpellation ; Christ as 
head, and we as members ; he as High-Priest, and we as 
servants, his ministers. And, therefore, I shall stop here, 
and leave the rest for wonder and eucharist : we may pray 
here with all the solemnity and advantages imaginable ; we 
may, with hope and comfort, use the words of David/ " I 
will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the 
Lord." We are here very likely to prevail for all blessings/ 
for this is by way of eminence, glory, arid singularity, ' calix 
benedictionis, the cup of blessing,' which we bless, and by 
which God will bless us ; and for which he is to be blessed 
for evermore. 

5. By the means of this sacrament our bodies are made 
capable of the resurrection to life and eternal glory. For 

* In Epist. x. ad Hebr. r Psalm cxvi. 

Ilinc ergo pensemus quale sit boo sacramentum, quod pro absolutione 
nostril passionem unigeniti filii imitetur. Quis enim fidelium liabere dubium 
posset, in ipsa immolationis bora ad sacerdotis vocem coelos aperiri, in illo Jesu 
CLristi mysterio aogelorum chores adesse. S. Gregor. in bomil. Pascbali. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 441 

when we are externally and symbolically in the sacrament, 
and by faith and the Spirit of God internally united to Christ, 
and made partakers of his body and blood, we are joined 
and made one with him, who did rise again ; and when the 
head is risen, the members shall not see corruption for ever, 
but rise again after the pattern of our Lord. If, by the 
sacrament, we are really united and made one with Christ, 
then it shall be to us in our proportion, as it was to him : we 
shall rise again, and we shall enter into glory. But it is 
certain we are united to Christ by it ; we eat his body and 
drink his blood sacramentally by our mouths, and, therefore, 
really and spiritually by our spirits and by spiritual actions 
co-operating. For what good will it do us to partake of his 
body, if we do not also partake of his spirit 1 but certain it 
is, if we do one, we do both; 4 "cum naturalis per sacra- 
mentum proprietas perfectae sacramentum sit unitatis," as 
St. Hilary's expression is ; " the natural propriety," viz. the 
outward elements, " by the sacrament," that is, by the institu- 
tion and blessing of God, " becomes the sacrament of a perfect 
unity :" which, beside all the premises, is distinctly affirmed 
in the words of the apostle ; " we which are sanctified, and 
he which sanctifies, are all of one ;" and again, " the bread 
which we break, is it not the communication of the body of 
Christ? and the cup which we drink, is it not the communi- 
cation of the blood of Christ ?" plainly saying, that, by this 
holy ministry, we are joined and partake of Christ's body 
and blood, and then we become spiritually one body, and, 
therefore, shall receive in our bodies all the effects of that 
spiritual union ; the chief of which, in relation to our bodies, 
is resurrection from the grave. And this is expressly taught 
by the ancient Church. So St. Irenaeus" teaches us: "As 



1 Humana enim caro, quae erat peccato mortua, carni mundae unita, incorpo- 
rata, unum cum ilia affecta, vivit de spiritu ejus, sicut unum corpus de suo 
spiritu. St. Aug. Epist. ad Iren. 

Condescendens Deus nostris fragilitatibus influit, oblntis vim vitae convertens 
ea in veritatem proprise carnis, ut corpus vitae quasi quoddam semen vivificativum 
inveniatur in nobis St. Cyril, ad Ccelosyrium. 

Christus suo corpora per communionem mysticam benedicens credentibus et 
secum et inter nos unum corpus efficit. St. Cyril, in Joban. lib. xi. c. 26. De 
Trinit. lib. viii. 

* Lib. iv. c. 34. S. Clem. Alex. lib. ii. Paedag. c. 2. Bibere Jesu sanguiiiem 
est participem esse incorruptionis Domini. Lib. v. 



442 THE BLESSINGS AND GRACES 

the bread which grows from the earth, receiving the calling 
of God, that is, blessed by prayer and the word of God, is 
not now common bread, but the eucharist, consisting of two 
things, an earthly and a heavenly ; so also our bodies re- 
ceiving the eucharist, are not now corruptible, but have the 
hope of resurrection." And again : " When the mingled 
chalice and the made bread receives the word of God, viz. is 
consecrated and blessed, it is made the eucharist of the 
body and blood of Christ out of those things by which our 
body is nourished, and our substance does consist : and how 
shall any one deny that the flesh is capable of the gift of 
God, which is eternal life, which is nourished by the body 
and blood of Christ?" And St. Ignatius* calls the blessed 
eucharist, dSavafftas <pdgfj,axov, ' the medicine of immortality :' 
for the drink is his blood, who is dydvii dpSagrog xai a'twaog wfl, 
" incorruptible love and eternal life ;" evftfioXa, rfc Jipir'zgas 
dvaardffsug, so the fathers of the Nicene Council, " the sym- 
bols of our resurrection;" " the meat nourishing to immor- 
tality and eternal life," so St. Cyril of Alexandria ; " for 
this is to drink the blood of Jesus, to be partakers of the 
Lord's incorruptibility," said St. Clement. y " For bread is 
food, and blood is life, but we drink the blood of Christ, 
himself commanding us, that, together with him, we may, by 
him, be partakers of eternal life;" so St. Cyprian. 2 

6. Because this is a ministry of grace by bodily ceremo- 
nies, and conveys spiritual blessings by temporal ministra- 
tions, there is something also of temporal regard directly 
provided for our bodies by the holy sacrament. It some- 
times is a means in the hand of God for the restoring and 
preserving respectively of our bodily health and secular 
advantages. I will not insist upon that of St. Gorgonia, 
who, being oppressed with a violent headach, threw herself 
down before the holy table, where the sacrament was placed, 
and prayed with passion and pertinacy, till she obtained 
relief and ease in that very place : nor that of St. Ambrose,* 
who, having trod upon a gentleman's foot afflicted with the 

* 'Aifiiavei TOV f&ri a-raS-avtJV. 

y Tay-r* JW/ VIM TO aifta, rou 'lufov, rijf xu^iaxtji p.iret*.aSi7v if$*ffimt. Epist. 
ad Ephes. 

Aut quicunque sit auctor Sermon, de Coena Domini. 

* Vide St. Ambros. in Orat. Funebri Satyri fratris, et St. Aug. lib. xxii. de 
Civitat Dei, c. 8. 



IN THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 443 

gout, in the time of ministration, gave him the holy symhols, 
and told him it was good for his sickness also, and that he 
presently found his cure. I myself knew a person of great 
sanctity, who was afflicted to death's door with a vomiting, 
and preparing herself to death by her ' viaticum,' the holy 
sacrament, to which she always bore a great reverence ; she 
was infinitely desirous, and yet equally fearful, to receive it, 
lest by her infirmity she should reject that which, in her 
spirit, she passionately longed for : but her desire was the 
greater passion, and prevailed ; she received it, and swal- 
lowed it ; and, after great and earnest reluctancy, being 
forced to cast it up, in zeal , and with a new passion, took it 
in again, and then retained it, and from that instant speedily 
recovered, against the hope of her physician, and the ex- 
pectation of all her friends. God does miracles every day ; 
and he who, with spittle and clay, cured the blind man's 
eyes, may well be supposed to glorify himself by the extra- 
ordinary contingencies and sacramental contacts of his own 
body. But that which is most famous and remarked, is, 
that the Austrian family do attribute the rise of their house 
to the present grandeur, to William, earl of Hapsburgh, and 
do acknowledge it to be a reward of his piety in the venerable 
treatment and usage of these Divines mysteries. It were easier 
to heap together many rare contingencies, and miraculous 
effects of the holy sacrament, than to find faith to believe 
them nowadays; and, therefore, for this whole affair I rely 
upon the words of St. Paul, 6 affirming that ' God sent sick- 
nesses, and sundry kinds of death, to punish the Corinthian 
irreverent treatment of the blessed sacrament ;' and, therefore, 
it is not to be deemed, but that life and health will be the 
consequent of our holy usages of it : for if by our fault it is 
a savour of death, it is certain, by the blessing and intention 
of God, a savour of life. But of these things in particular 
we have no promise ; and, therefore, such events as these 
cannot, upon this account of faith and certain expectations, 
be designed by us in our communions. If God please to 
send any of them, as sometimes he hath done, it is to pro- 
mote his own glory, and our value of the blessed sacrament, 
the great ministry of salvation. 

b 1 Cor. xi. 26. 



444 THE BLESSINGS AND GRACES, &C. 

7. The sum of all I represent in these few words of St. 
Hilary. 6 ** These holy mysteries, being taken, cause that 
Christ shall be in us, and we in Christ." And if this be 
more than words, we need no further inquiry into the par- 
ticulars of blessing consequent to a worthy communion ; for 
"if God hath given his Son unto us, how shall not he, with 
him, give us all things else?" "Nay, all things that we 
need, are effected by this," said St. Clement of Alexandria, 
one t>f the most ancient fathers of the Church of Christ : 
" Eucharistiae qui per fidem sunt participes, sanctificantur et 
corpore et anima ; d They, who by faith are partakers of 
the eucharist, are sanctified both in body and in soul." 

Fonte renascentes, membris et sanguine Christi 
Vescimur, atque ideo templum Deitatis habemur.SeduL 

" How great, therefore, and how illustrious benefits" 
(it is the meditation of St. Eusebius Emissenus) " does the 
power of the Divine blessing produce ! you ought not to 
esteem it strange and impossible ; for how earthly and mortal 
things are converted into the substance of Christ, ask thy- 
self, who art regenerated in Christ. Not long since, thou 
wast a stranger from life, a pilgrim and a wanderer from 
mercy, and, being inwardly dead, thou wert banished from 
the way of life. On a sudden, being initiated into the laws 
of Christ, and renewed by the ministries of salvation, thou 
didst pass suddenly into the body of the Church, not by 
seeing, but by believing ; and, from a son of perdition, thou 
hast obtained to be adopted a son of God, by a secret 
purity ; remaining in a visible measure, thou art invisibly 
made greater than thyself, without any increase of quantity ; 
thou art the same thou wert, and yet very much another 
person in the progression of faith ; to the outward nothing 
is added, but the inward is wholly changed ; and so a man 
is made the son of Christ, and Christ is formed in the mind 
of a man. As therefore suddenly, without any bodily per- 
ception, the former vileness being laid down, on the sudden 
thou hast put on a new dignity, and this that God hath done, 
that he hath cured thy wounds, washed off thy stains, wiped 

c Ha;c, sumpta et hausta, faciunt ut nos in Christo et Christus in nobis sit. 
Lib. viii. de Trinit. babetur de consecrat dist. 
d Lib. ii. peed. c. 2. 



PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS, &C. 445 

away thy spots, is trusted to thy discerning, not thy eyes ; 
so when thou ascendest the reverend altar to be satisfied 
with spiritual food, by faith regard, honour, admire the 
holy body of God ; touch it with thy mind ; take it with the 
hand of thy heart, even with the draught of the whole inward 
man." 



SECTION V. 

Practical Conclusions from the preceding Discourses. 

THE first I represent in the words of St. Austin,* who 
reduces this whole doctrine to practice in these excellent 
words : " Let this whole affair thus far prevail with us, that 
we may eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, not only 
in the sacrament, which many evil persons do, but let us 
eat and drink unto the participation of the Spirit ; that, as 
members, we may abide in the Lord's body ; that we may 
be quickened by his Spirit; and let us not be scandalized, 
because many do temporally eat and drink with us, who yet, 
in the end, shall find eternal torments:" that is, let us 
remember, that the exterior ministry is the least part of it : 
and externally and alone it hath in it nothing excellent, as 
being destitute of the sanctity that God requires, and the 
grace that he does promise, and it is common to wicked men 
and good. But when the signs and the thing signified, 
when the prayers of the Church and the Spirit of God, the 
word and the meaning, the sacrament and the grace, do 
concur ; then it is sroXAjjj y'sftov Swdpeus, " it is a venerable 
cup, b and full of power," and more honourable than all our 
possessions ; " it is a holy thing," saith Origen, c " and ap- 
pointed for our sanctification." For Christ in the sacra- 
ment is Christ under'a veil : as without the hand of faith we 
cannot take Christ, so we must be sure to look here with an 
eye of faith ; and whatsoever glorious thing is said of the holy 
sacrament, it must be understood of the whole sacrament, 
body and spirit, that is, the sacramental and the spiritual 
communion. 

* Tract, xvii. in Johan. Content! sint ad venerationem figuris defendentibus 
a vilitate secretum. Macrob. in Somn. Scip. lib. i. c. 2. 

ro <pgixrot,Chrysostom. e "Aytai n KOU ayiafrt rout % ftieus. 



446 PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS FROM 

2. Let no man be less confident in his holy faith and 
persuasion concerning the great blessings and glorious effects, 
which God designs to every faithful and obedient soul in the 
communication of these Divine mysteries, by reason of any 
difference of judgment, which is in the several schools of 
Christians concerning the effects and consequent blessings of 
this sacrament. For all men speak honourable things of it, 
except wicked persons and the scorners of religion : and 
though of several persons, like the beholders of a dove 
walking in the sun, as they stand in several aspects and 
distances, some see red, and others purple, and yet some 
perceive nothing but green, but all allow and love the 
beauties ; so do the several forms of Christians, according as 
they are instructed by their first teachers, or their own ex- 
perience, conducted by their fancy and proper principles, 
look upon these glorious mysteries, some as virtually con- 
taining the reward of obedience, some as solemnities of 
thanksgiving and records of blessings, some as the objective 
increases of faith, others as the sacramental participations of 
Christ, others as the acts and instruments of natural union ; 
yet all affirm some great things or other of it, and, by their 
differences, confess the immensity and the glory. For thus 
manna represented to every man the taste that himself did 
like ; but it had in its own potentiality all those tastes and 
dispositions eminently ; and altogether, those feasters could 
speak of great and many excellences, and all confessed it to 
be enough, and to be the food of angels : so it is here, it is 
that to every man's faith, which his faith wisely apprehends ; 
and though there are some .who are of little faith, and such 
receive but a less proportion of nourishment, yet by the very 
use of this sacrament, the appetite will increase, and the 
apprehensions grow greater, and the faith will be more con- 
fident and instructed ; and then we shall see more, and feel 
more. For this holy nutriment is not only food, but physic 
too ; and although to him who believes great things of his 
physician and of his medicine, it is apt to do the more 
advantage ; yet it will do its main work even when we 
understand it not, and nothing can hinder it but direct 
infidelity, or some of its foul and deformed ministers. 

3. They who receive the blessed sacrament, must not 
suppose that the blessings of it are effected as health is by 



THE PRECEDING DISCOURSES. 447 

physic, or warmth by the contact and neighbourhood of fire ; 
but as music one way affects the soul, and witty discourses 
another, and joyful tidings a way differing from both the 
former, so the operations of the sacrament are produced by 
an energy of a nature entirely differing from all things else. 
But however it is done, the thing that is done, is this ; no 
grace is there improved, but what we bring along with us ; 
no increases but what we exercise. We must bring faith 
along with us, and God will increase our faith : we must 
come with charity, and we shall go away with more ; we 
must come with truly penitential hearts ; and to him that 
hath, shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly: 
he shall be a better penitent, when he hath eaten the sacri- 
fice that was slain for our sins, and died in the body, that 
we might live in the spirit, and die no more. For he is the 
bread from heaven ; he is " the grain of wheat, which falling 
into the earth, unless it dies it remains alone ; but if it dies, 
it brings forth fruit, and brings it forth abundantly." 

4. Although the words, the names, and sayings con- 
cerning the blessed sacrament, are mysterious and inexpli- 
cable, yet they do, nay, therefore we are sure, they signify 
some great things ; they are in the very expression beyond 
our understandings, and, therefore, much more are the 
things themselves too high for us : but, therefore, we are 
taught three things. 1. To walk humbly with our God; 
that is, in all intercourses with him to acknowledge the 
infinite distance between his immensity and our nothing, his 
wisdom and our ignorance, his secrets and our apprehen- 
sions : he does more for us than we can understand. It 
was an excellent saying of Aristotle, which Seneca d reports 
of him, " Nunquam nos verecundiores esse debere, quam 
quum de Diis agitur ; we ought never to be more bashful 
and recollect, than when we are to speak any thing of God." 
"Timide de potestate deorum, et pauca dicenda sunt," said 
Cicero ; e " We must speak of his power and glory timorously 
and sparingly," 'with joyfulness and singleness,' or simplicity 
' of heart : ' so the first Christians ate their bread, their eucha- 
rist ; so we understand the words of St. Luke. 2. To walk 

* Nat. Q. lib. rii. c. 30. Ruhkopf. vol. v. p. 414. 

De Nat, Deor. 



448 PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS FROM 

charitably with our disagreeing brother, that this may be 
indeed a sacrament of charity, and not to wonder if he be 
mistaken in his discourses of that which neither he nor you 
can understand. 3. Though it be hard to be understood, 
yet we must be careful, that with simplicity we admire the 
secret, and accept the mystery ; but at no hand, by pride 
or ignorance, by interest or vanity, to wrest this mystery to 
ignoble senses, or to evil events, or to dangerous propo- 
sitions, or to our own damnation. 

5. Whatever propositions any man shall entertain in his 
manner of discoursing of these mysteries, let him be sure to 
take into his notice and memory those great appellatives 
with which the purest ages of the Church, the most ancient 
liturgies, and the most eminent saints of God, use to adorn 
and invest this great mysteriousness. In the Greek liturgy 
attributed to St. James, the sacramental symbols are called 
" sanctified, honourable, precious, celestial, unspeakable, in- 
corruptible, glorious, fearful, formidable, Divine. " f In the 
use of which epithets, as we have the warranty and consent of 
all the Greek churches, since they ever had a liturgy, so we 
are taught only to have reverend usages and religious ap- 
prehensions of the Divine mysteries ; but if, by any appel- 
lative, we can leafn a duty, it is one of the best ways of 
entering into the secret. To which purpose the ages primi- 
tive and apostolical did use the word * eucharist ; ' the name 
and the use we learn from Origen ; g " the bread, which is 
called the eucharist, is the symbol of our thanksgiving 
towards God." But it is the great and most usual appel- 
lative for the holy Supper ; 6 ugros svxagidrtag, and aerov U%a- 
gusrrft'zvra, we find in Ignatius,* 1 St. Clemens, Justin Martyr, 
the Syrian paraphrast, Origen, and ever after amongst the 
Greeks, and afterwards amongst the Latins. By him we 
understand that then we receive great blessings, since the 
very mystery itself obliges us to great thankfulness. I have 
instanced in this, as an example to the use of the other 

1 'T<rt TUI a.yia.tr\v<rui. rifi'iui, 'aesvoatiut, afpxrtiv, i^jTai 
(poiKTa*, Stiur, Saigiay. 

S'Ern 5; xet,} ffv[if>o\oi iifui frit a*; rat Bin tu%<toiff-Tia;' agrtf, 
ptims. Lib. viii. cont. Celsum. 

b Epist ad Smjrn. Sect. i. of this chap. 



THE PRECEDING DISCOURSES. 449 

epithets and appellatives, which from antiquity I have 
enumerated. 

6. He that desires to enter furthest into the secrets of 
this mystery, and to understand more than others, can hetter 
learn by love than by inquiry. 1 " He that keepeth the law 
of the Lord, getteth the understanding thereof," saith the 
wise Bensirach; k if he will prepare himself diligently, and 
carefully observe the dispensations of the Spirit, and receive 
it humbly, and treat it with great reverence, and dwell in the 
communion of saints, and pass through the mystery with 
great devotion and purest simplicity, and converse with the 
purities of the sacrament frequently, and with holy intention, 
this man shall understand more by his experience, than 
the greatest clerks can by all their subtilties, the comment- 
aries of the doctors, and the glosses of inquisitive men : 
" Obey and ye shall understand," said the prophet : and our 
blessed Saviour assured us, 1 " that if we continue in his 
word, then we shall know the truth ; and if any man will do 
his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God 
or no." " For we have not turned from our iniquities that 
we might understand the truth," said Daniel. "For the 
love of the Lord," saith the wise man, " passeth all things 
for illumination." 

7. Let no man advance the preaching of the word of 
God to the disparagement, or to occasion the neglect, of the 
sacraments. For, though it be true that * faith comes by 
hearing,' yet it is not intended that, by hearing alone, faith is 
engendered ; for the faith of the apostles came by seeing; 11 
and St. Paul's faith did not come by hearing, but by intuition 
and revelation; and 'hearing,' in those words of St. Paul, 
does not signify the manner of ministration, but the whole 
economy of the word of God, the whole office of preaching ; 
which is done most usually to babes and strangers by sermon 
or homily, but more gloriously and illustriously to men by 

' Nam animalis homo, hoc est, qui sequitur cogitationes humanas et 
animates sive naturales, non est capax eorum, qu<e sunt supra naturam et 
spiritualium, atqua ita et spiritualem esum carnis Dominica? non intelligit; 
cujus qui non sunt participes, non eiunt participes aeterna? vita3. Theophylact. 
in c. vi. Job. 

k Ecclus. xxi. 11. ' i John, viii. 31, 32. 

m Ecclus. xxv. 11. i John, i. 1. 

VOL. XV. G G 



450 PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS FROM 

sacraments. But however, be it so or otherwise, yet one 
ordinance ought not to exclude the other, much less to dis- 
parage the other, and least of all to undervalue that which is 
the most eminent : but rather let every Christian man and 
woman think, that if the word ministered by the Spirit is so 
mighty, it must be more when the word and the Spirit join 
with the sacrament, which is their proper significatory. He 
that is zealous for the word of God, does well ; but let him 
remember, that the word of God is a goodly ring, and leads 
us into the circles of a blessed eternity ; but because the 
sacrament is not without the word, they are a jewel enchased 
in gold when they are together. The ministries of the Gospel 
are all of a piece ; they, though in several manners, work 
the same salvation by the conduct of the same Spirit. 

8. Let no man, in the reception of the sacrament, and in 
his expectation of blessings and events from it, limit his 
hopes and belief to any one particular ; for that will occasion 
a littleness of faith, and may make it curious, scrupulous, 
and fantastical : rather let us adore the secret of God, and 
with simple expectations receive it ; disposing ourselves to 
all the effects that may come, rather with fear and indefinite 
apprehensions, than with dogmatical and confident limit- 
ations ; for this may beget scruples and diminution of value ; 
but that hinders nothing, but advances the reverential treat- 
ments and opinion. 

9. He that guesses at the excellence and power of the 
sacrament by the events that himself feels, must be sure to 
look for no other than what are eminently or virtually con- 
tained in it ; that is, he must not expect that the sacrament 
will make him rich, or discover to him stolen goods, or cure 
the toothach, or countercharm witches, or appease a tempest, 
if it be thrown into the sea. These are such events that God 
hath not made the effects of religion, but are the hopes and 
expectations of vain and superstitious people. And I 
remember that Pope Alexander III., in the Council of 
Lateran, wrote to the bishop of St. Agatha for advice how 
to treat a woman who took the holy sacrament into her 
mouth, and ran with it to kiss her husband, hoping by that 
means to procure her husband's more intense affection. 

Concil. Lat. part. 1. c. 30. 



THE PRECEDING DISCOURSES. 451 

But the story tells, that she was chastised by a miracle, 
and was not cured but by a long and severe repentance. 

10. He that watches for the effects and blessings of the 
sacrament, must look for them in no other manner than what 
is agreeable to the usual dispensation. We must not look for 
them by measures of nature, and usual expectation : not that 
as soon as we have received the symbols, we shall have our 
doubts answered ; or be comforted in our spirit as soon as 
we have given thanks for the holy blood ; or be satisfied in 
the inquiries of faith, as soon as the prayers of consecration 
and the whole ministry is ended ; or prevail in our most 
passionate desires, as soon as we rise from our knees ; for we 
enter into the blessings of the sacrament by prayer, and the 
exercise of proper graces ; both which, being spiritual instru- 
ments of virtues, work after the manner of spiritual things ; 
that is, not by any measure we have, but as God pleases ; 
only that in the last event of things, and when they are 
necessary, we shall find them there : God's time is best, but 
we must not judge his manner by our measures, nor measure 
eternity by time, or the issues of the Spirit by a measuring 
line. The effects of the sacrament are to be expected as the 
effect of prayers : not one prayer, or one solemn meeting, 
but persevering and passionate, fervent and lasting prayers ; 
and continual desire, and a daily address, is the way of pre- 
vailing. " In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening 
withhold not thy hand, for thou knowest not whether shall 
prosper, either this or that, or whether they shall be both 
alike good." p 

11. He that looks for the effects and blessings told of to 
be appendant to the sacrament, must expect them upon no. 
other terms but such as are the conditions of a worthy com- 
munion. If thou dost find thy faith as dead after the recep- 
tion as it was before, it may be, it is because thy faith was 
not only little, but reprovable ; or thou didst not pray 
vehemently, or thou art indisposed by some secret disad- 
vantage, or thou hast not done thy duty ; and he shall 
imprudently accuse that physic for useless and unfit that is 
not suffered to work by the incapacity, the ill diet, the weak 
stomach, or some evil accident of the patient. 

? Eccles. xi. 



452 PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS FROM 

12. Let no man judge of himself, or of the blessings and 
efficacy of the sacrament itself, or of the prosperity and 
acceptation of his service in this ministry, by any sensible 
relish, by the gust and deliciousness, which he sometimes 
perceives, and other times does not perceive. For these are 
fine accidents, and given to some persons often, to others, 
very seldom, to all, irregularly, as God pleases; and 
sometimes are the effects of natural and accidental dis- 
positions, and sometimes are illusions. But that no man 
may fall into inconvenience for want of them, we are to con- 
sider that the want of them proceeds from divers causes. 
1. It may be the palate of the soul is indisposed by listless- 
ness or sorrow, anxiety or weariness. 2. It may be we are 
too much immerged in secular affairs and earthly affections. 
3. Or we have been unthankful to God when we have 
received some of these spiritual pleasures, and he, therefore, 
withdraws those pleasant entertainments. 4. Or, it may be, 
we are therefore without relish and gust, because the sacra- 
ment is too great for our weakness, like the bright sun to a 
mortal eye, the object is too big for our perceptions and our 
little faculties. 5. Sometimes God takes them away, lest we 
be lifted up and made vain. 6. Sometimes for the confirm- 
ation and exercise of our faith, that we may live by faith and 
not by sense. 7. Or, it maybe, that by this dryness of spirit 
God intends to make us the more fervent and resigned in 
our direct and solemn devotions, by the perceiving of our 
wants and weakness, and in the infinite inability and insuf- 
ficiency of ourselves. 8. Or else it happens to us irremedi- 
ably and inevitably, that we may perceive these accidents 
are not the fruits of our labour, but gifts of God, dis- 
pensed wholly by the measures of his own choice. 9. The 
want of just and severe dispositions to the holy sacrament 
may, possibly, occasion this uncomfortableness. 10. Or we do 
not relish the Divine nutriment now, so as at other times, for 
want of spiritual mastication ; that is, because we have not 
considered deeply, and meditated wisely and holily. 11. Or 
there is in us too much self-love, and delight in, and ad- 
herence to, the comforts we find in other objects. 12. Or we 
are careless of little sins, and give too much way to the 
daily incursions of the smaller irregularities of our lives. If, 
upon the occasion of the want of these sensible comforts and 



THE PRECEDING DISCOURSES. 453 

delightful relishes, we examine the causes of the want, and 
suspect ourselves in these things, where our own faults may 
be the causes, and there make amends, or if we submit our- 
selves in those particulars where the causes may relate to 
God, we shall do well, and receive profit. But unless our 
own sin be the cause of it, we are not to make any evil 
judgment of ourselves by reason of any such defect; much 
less diminish our great value of the blessings consequent to 
a worthy communion. 

13. But because the pardon of sins is intended to be the 
great effect of a worthy communion, and of this men are 
more solicitous, and for this they pray passionately, and 
labour earnestly, and almost all their lives, and, it may be, 
in the day of their death have uncertain souls : and, there- 
fore, of this, men are most desirous to be satisfied if they 
apprehend themselves in danger ; that is, if they be con- 
vinced of their sin, and be truly penitent, although this 
effect seems to be least discernible, and to be a secret 
reserved for the publication and trumpet of the archangel at 
the day of doom ; yet in this we can best be satisfied. For 
because when our sins are unpardoned, we are under the 
wrath of God, to be expressed as he pleases, and in the 
method of eternal death ; now if God intends not to pardon 
us, he will not bless the means of pardon ; if we shall not 
return to his final pardon, if we shall not pass through the 
intermedial, if he will never give us glory, he will never give 
us the increase of grace. If, therefore, we repent of our 
sins, and pray for pardon, if we confess them and forsake 
them, if we fear God and love him, if we find that our 
desires to please him do increase, that we are more watchful 
against sin and hate it more, that we are thirsty after 
righteousness, if wje find that we increase in duty; then 
we may look upon the tradition of the holy sacramental 
symbols as a direct consignation of pardon. Not that it 
is then completed, for it is a work of time ; it is as long in 
doing as repentance is in perfecting ; it is the effect of that, 
depending on its cause in a perpetual operation, but it is 
then working ; and if we go on in duty, God will proceed to 
finish methods of his grace, and snatch us from eternal death, 
which we have deserved, and bring us unto glory. And 



454 EJACULATIONS. 

this he is pleased by the sacrament all the way to consign : 
God speaks not more articulately in any voice from heaven, 
than in such real indications of his love and favour. 

14. Lastly : Since the sacrament is the great solemnity 
of prayer, and imitation of Christ's intercession in heaven, 
let us here be both charitable and religious in our prayers, 
interceding for all states of men and women in the 
Christian Church, and representing to God all the needs of 
ourselves and of our relatives. For then we pray with all the 
advantages of the Spirit when we pray in the faith of Christ 
crucified, hi the love of God and of our neighbour, in the 
advantages of solemn piety, in the communion of saints, 
in the imitation of Christ's intercession, and in the union 
with Christ himself, spiritual and sacramental ; and to such 
prayers as these nothing can be added but that which will 
certainly come, that is, a blessed hearing and a gracious 
answer. 



SECTION VI. 

DEVOTIONS PREPARATORY TO THIS MYSTERY. 

Ejaculations. 

I. 

1 . I WILL praise thee with my whole heart ; before the 
angels will I sing praise unto thee. 

2. I will worship towards thy holy temple, and praise thy 
name for thy loving-kindness, and for thy truth ; for thou 
hast magnified, above all thy name, the word of thy praise. 

3. In the day when I call upon thee, thou shalt answer, 
and shalt multiply strength in my soul. 

4. How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God ! how 
great is the sum of them ! The Lord will perfect that which 
concerneth me : thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever. 

5. I wait for the Lord : my soul doth wait, and in his 
word do I hope. 

6. My soul doth wait for the Lord more than they that 
keep the morning watches, that they may observe the time 
of offering the morning sacrifices. 



EJACULATIONS. 455 

7. O let my soul hope in the Lord, for with the Lord 
there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption : he 
shall redeem his people from all iniquity. 

II. 

1. Our Lord is gentle and just : our God is merciful. 

2. The Lord keepeth the simple : I was humbled, but 
the Lord looked after my redemption. 

3. O my soul, return thou unto thy rest ; because the 
Lord hath restored his good things unto thee. 

4. He hath snatched my soul from death, mine eyes from 
tears, and my feet from falling : I will therefore walk 
before the Lord in the land of the living. 

5. I have believed ; therefore will I speak : in the as- 
semblies of just men, I will greatly praise the Lord. 

6. What shall I return unto the Lord ? all his retributions 
are repaid upon me. 

7. I will bear the chalice of redemption in the kingdom 
of God : and in the name of the Lord I will call upon my 
God. 

III. 

1. I will pay my vows unto the Lord : I will then shew 
forth his sacraments unto all the people. 

2. Honourable before the Lord is the death of his holy 
one : and thereby thou hast broken all my chains. 

3. I have sworn, and I will perform it ; that I will keep 
thy righteous judgments. 

4. I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth ; yea, I 
will praise him among the multitude. 

5. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor : to 
save him from them that condemn his soul. 

6. His work is honourable and glorious, and his righteous- 
ness remaineth for ever : he hath made his wonderful works 
to be remembered. 

7. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion : he hath 
given meat unto them that fear him : he will be ever mindful 
of his covenant : he hath shewed his people the power of his 
works : blessed be God. 



456 PRAYERS TO BE USED IN 

Prayers to be used in any Day or Time of Preparation to the 
Holy Sacrament. 

I. 

THOU Shepherd of Israel, thou that feedest us like sheep ; 
thou makest us to lie down in pleasant pastures, and leadest 
us by the still waters running from the clefts of the rock, 
from the wounds of our Lord, from the fountains of salvation ; 
thou preparest a table for us, and anointest our heads with 
the unction from above, and our cup runneth over : let the 
blood of thy wounds, and the water of thy side, wash me 
clean, that I may, with a pure clean soul, come to eat of the 
purest sacrifice, the Lamb slain from the beginning of the 
world . 

II. 

Thou givest thyself to be the food of our souls in the 
wonders of the sacrament, in the faith of thy word, in the 
blessings and graces of thy Spirit. Perform that in thy ser- 
vant, which thou hast prepared and effected in thy Son ; 
strengthen my infirmities; heal my sicknesses; give me 
strength to subdue my passions, to mortify my inordinations, 
to kill all my sins : increase thy graces in my soul ; enkindle 
a bright devotion ; extinguish all the fires of hell, my lust 
and my pride, my envy and all my spiritual wickednesses ; 
pardon all my sins ; and fill me with thy Spirit, that by thy 
Spirit thou mayest dwell in me, and, by obedience and love, 

1 may dwell in thee, and live in the life of grace, till it pass 
on to glory and immensity, by the power and the blessings, 
by the passion and intercession of the Word incarnate ; whom 
I adore, and whom I love, and whom I will serve for ever 
and ever. 

III. 

O mysterious God, ineffable and glorious Majesty ; what 
is this thou hast done to the sons of men ? thou hast from 
thy bosom sent thy Son to take upon him our nature ; in him 
thou hast opened the fountains of thy mercy, and hast invited 
all penitent sinners to come to be pardoned, all the oppressed 
to be eased, all the sorrowful to be comforted, all the sick to 
be cured, all the hungry to be filled ; and the thirsty to be 
refreshed with the waters of life, and sustained with the wine 
of select souls. Admit me, O God, to this great effusion of 



PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY SACRAMENT. 457 

loving-kindness, that I may partake of the Lord Jesus, that 
by him I may be comforted in all my griefs, satisfied in all 
my doubts; healed of all the wounds of my soul, and the 
bruises of my spirit ; and being filled with the bread of 
heaven, and armed with the strength of the Spirit, I may 
begin, continue, and finish, my journey through this valley 
of tears, unto my portion of thy heavenly kingdom, whither 
our Lord is gone before to prepare a place for every lovino- 
and obedient soul. Grant this, O eternal God, for his sake, 
who died for us, and intercedes for us, and gives himself 
daily to us, our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus. Amen. 



CHAPTER II. 

OF OUR GENERAL PREPARATION TO THE WORTHY RECEP- 
TION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND THE PARTICIPA- 
TION OF THE MYSTERIES. 

IN all the Scriptures of the New Testament, there are no 
words of particular duty relating to the blessed sacrament, 
and expressing the manner of our address to the mysteries, 
but those few words of St. Paul, 3 " Let a man examine him- 
self; and so let him eat." The apostle expresses one duty, 
and intimates another. The duty of preparation is expressed ; 
but because this is a relative duty, and is not for itself, but 
for something beyond, he implies the other to be the great 
duty, to which this preparation does but minister. 1. A man 
must examine himself. 2. And a man must eat. A man 
must not eat of these mysteries, till he be examined ; for that 
were dangerous, and may prove fatal : but when a man is 
examined, he must eat ; for else that examination were to no 
purpose. 

SECTION I. 

Of Examination of ourselves in order to the Holy Communion. 

THERE is no duty in Christianity, that is partly solemn 
and partly moral, that hath in it more solemnity and 

1 Cor. xi. 28. 



458 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 

more morality than this one duty ; and, in the greatest de- 
clension of religion, still men have fear, when they come to 
receive this holy sacrament. They that have no religion 
will fear when they come to die ; and they who have but a 
little will fear when they come to communicate. But al- 
though men who believe this to be the greatest secret and 
sacredness of our religion, do more in their addresses to this 
than to any thing else, yet many of them that do come 
consider that they are only commanded to examine them- 
selves ; and that, according to the ordinary methods, is 
easily done. It is nothing but asking ourselves a few ques- 
tions : ' Do I believe? Do I repent? And am I in charity?' 
To these the answers are ready enough ; * I do believe that 
Christ gave his body and blood for me, as for all mankind ; 
and that Christ is mystically present in the sacrament ; I 
have been taught so all my life, and I have no reason to 
doubt it. 2. I do also repent according to the measures I 
am taught : I am sorry I have sinned, I wish I had not done 
it ; and I promise to do so no more ; and this I do constantly 
before every communion, and before the next comes 1 have 
reason enough to renew my vows ; I was never so good as 
my word yet, but now I will. 3. I am also in charity with all 
the world ; and against this good time, I pray to God to 
forgive them ; for I do.' This is the usual examination of 
consciences ; to which we add a fasting day ; and on that 
we say more prayers than usual, and read some good dis- 
courses of the sacrament ; and then we are dressed like the 
friends of the bridegroom, and with confidence come to the 
marriage-supper of the Lamb. But this examination hath, 
itself, need to be examined. Noah laboured a hundred 
years together, in making the ark, that he and a few more 
might be saved ; and can we think, in an hour, to prepare 
our souls for the entertainment of him that made all the 
world ? This will very hardly be done : for although our 
duty of preparation is contained in this one word of ' Try,' or 
* Examine,' it being, after the manner of mysteries, mysteri- 
ously and secretly described, yet there is great reason to 
believe, that there is in it very much duty; and, therefore, 
we search into the secret of the word, and to what purposes 
it is used in the New Testament. 

1 . It signifies to try and search, to enter into the depths 



BEFORE THE COMMUNION. 459 

and secrets, the varieties, and separations, and divisibilities 
of things. The word is taken from the triers of gold, 8 which 
is tried by the touchstone, and, in great cases, is tried by the 
fire. And, in this sense, St. Paul might relate to the present 
condition of the Christians, who were often under a fiery 
trial. b For the holy communion, being used by the primitive 
Christians according to its intention, was, indeed, a great 
consolation to the martyrs and confessors, as appears often 
in St. Cyprian . c And this blessing and design was mystically 
represented to the Church in the circumstance of the institu- 
tion, it being done immediately before the passion: they 
who were to pass through this fiery trial, ought to examine 
themselves against this solemnity, in order to that last trial, 
and see whether or no they were vessels of sanctification and 
honour ; for none else were fit to communicate, but they also 
that were fit to die ; Christ would give himself to none but 
to them who are ready to give themselves for him : according 
to that saying of Christ, " If any man hear my voice and 
open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and 
he with me. To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit 
with me," d &c. That is, " those who are tried by the expe- 
riments of great love, and a great patience, that out of love 
are willing to suffer, and with patience do suffer unto the 
end ; these are the guests at my heavenly table : " for labour 
and affrightment put a price 6 upon the martyr's crown, while 
his virtue grows in danger, and like the water-plants ever 
grow higher than the floods. Now the use that we can make 

a AoxiftK^ir&i' xtti rov -ggvffov fatagnvfe.lv xai ^ajtif^ti^ofisy, Irt^a iragaSs/Jsvyavrsy. 
b Non Israel edit sine amaris caulibus agnum ; 

Tolle tuarn, Christ! qui cupis esse, crucem ; 
Quos amat, aerumnis etenim Deus angit ; at illia 

Laetior exhausto palma labore venit. 

c Nunc non infirmis, eed fortibus, pax necessaria est; nee morientibus, sed 
virentibus, communicatio a nobis danda est ; ut quos excitamus et hortamur 
ad prtelium, non inermes et nudos relinquamus, sed protectione sanguinis et 
corporis Christi muniamus ; et cum ad hoc fiat eucharistia, ut possit accipientibus 
esse tutela, quos tutos esse contra adversarium volumus, munimento Dominicae 
saturitatis armemus. Lib. de Lapsis, et Epist. 54. 
d Rev. iii. 20, 21. 

e Sit laurea justis 

Ex pretio quod terror agit ; mansuraque virtus 
Crescit in adversis, quse, testibus usa periclis, 
Ad meritum discrimen habet 

Arat. Diacon. lib. ii. in acta. 



460 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 

of this sense of the word, is, that we also are to examine 
what we are likely to be, or what we have been, in the day of 
persecution ; how we have passed through the fire. Did we 
contract the smell of fire, or the pollution of smoke? Or are 
we improved by the purification of the discerning flames? 
Did we do our duties then, and then learn to do them better? 
Or did we then, only, like glass, bend in all the flexures and 
mobilities of the flame, and then mingle with the ashes, 
incorporating with the interests and foulest pollutions of the 
world ? Or were we like gold, patient of the hammer, and 
approved by the stone of trial ? Like gold in the fire, did 
we untwist ourselves from all complications and mixtures 
with impurer dross? Certain it is, that by persecution and by 
money/ men are, in all capacities and relations, best exa- 
mined how they are in their religion and their justice. 

Sometimes God tries his friends as we try one another, 
by the infelicities of our lives ; g when we are unhappy in our 
affliction, if we be not unhappy in our friend too, he is a right 
good one ; and God will esteem of us so, if we can say with 
David, " Though thou hast smitten us into the place of 
dragons, yet have we not forgotten thee ; " and " my soul is 
alway in my hand," that is, I am always in danger and 
trouble, and I bear death about me, " yet do I not forsake 
thy commandments." This, indeed, is God's way of exami- 
nation of us ; but that is all one ; for we must examine 
ourselves here in order to our duty and state of being, as God 
will examine us hereafter, in order to what we have been 
and done. And there is no greater testimony of our being 
fit to receive Christ, than when we are ready to die for him. 
But this is a final trial ; we must have some steps of pro- 
gression, before we come thus far. 

2. There is a way something less than this. Lycurgus 
instituted among the Spartans, that the princes, the magis- 
trates, the soldiers, and every citizen that was capable of 
dignity, should be tried ; h they examined their lives whether 
they had lived according to 'the rate of their employment or 
pretension: and those who were so examined, were called 
doxi{j,afft)si/rig, ' tried and examined men ; ' and if they were 

f Ecclus. xxxi. 9. 8 ^.ox.'ifia.'^i revs <f!^evs tx, <rns *tt rev fiiev a,Tv%ia.s. 

'EvioTi St avrur xcu iZfroH^iro o fiias' }oxtfta<rirts , atri rau its afyas 
Qsfitvti. Suidas. 'EirJ ruv x^u.'^iui rut %g nffifiui rovf tv ifgoinvreti $<ixiftciii 



BEFORE THE COMMUNION. 461 

persons quitting themselves like men, they were ascribed in 
the number of the good citizens. That is our way to try 
whether we be instructed and rightly prepared to this good 
work, and that is, to be examined by a course and order of 
good works; that was the old and true way of examining. 

For examination is but a relative duty, and nothing of 
itself; for no man is the better for being examined, if, being 
examined, there follows notbing after it. He that is exa- 
mined, either must be approved ; or else, in St. Paul's phrase, 
he is ad6xi/j,og, ' a reprobate.' And to what purpose is it, that 
every man should examine himself, but, in case that he find 
himself unfit, to abstain and forbear to come ? For if he 
comes unworthy, he dies for it ; and, therefore, to ' examine' 
must signify, ' let every man examine himself, so that he be 
approved :' and so the word is used by St. Paul, 1 happy is 
he that doth not condemn himself " in that which he ap- 
proveth." The word signifies both to examine and to prove ; 
that is indeed to examine as Avise men should ; do/.i^dca: dvr/' 
ro\J -/.>r,a:, saith Suidas ; it is all one as to judge righteous 
judgment after due examination ; and that is expressly added 
by the apostle, in the same chapter, after the precept of exa- 
mination, " Judge yourselves, that ye be not judged of the 
Lord ;" that is, ' your examination of yourselves will prevent 
the horrors of the eternal scrutiny ; your condemnation of 
your sins will prevent God's condemnation of you for them ; 
and then, when you examine so as to judge, and so condemn 
your sins that you approve yourselves to God and your own 
consciences, then you have examined rightly.' 

The sense then is this : let a man examine and prove 
himself, whether he be fit to come to the holy communion, 
and so let him eat ; not so, if, upon examination, he be found 
unfit : but because \t is intended he should come, and yet 
must not come without due and just preparations, let him 
who conies to the holy communion, be sure that he worthily 
prepare himself. 

These then are the great inquiries : 1. How a man shall 
so examine himself, as to kno\v whether he be fit or no? 
2. What are those necessary dispositions, without which a 
man cannot be worthily prepared ? The first will represent 

'Rom. riv. 22. U Z t,x,{t*r<,. Phil. i. 4. 10. Gal. vi. 4. Ephes. v. 10. 



462 OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 

the general rules of preparation. The second inquiry will 
consider the more particular. 



SECTION II. 

Of the Examination of our Desires. 

EVERY one that comes to the holy sacrament, must have 
earnest affections and desires towards God and religion, and 
particularly towards these Divine mysteries ; and, therefore, 
he must examine accordingly, whether or no he be willing 
and passionately desirous to do all his duty. His saying 
that he is so, I do not suppose to be a sufficient satisfaction 
to a serious inquiry, unless he really feels himself to be so. 
For we find that all men pretend that they have earnest 
desires to be saved ; and very many, espying the beauties of 
wisdom, the brightness of chastity, the health of temperance, 
the peace of meek persons, and the reputation and joy of 
the charitable, wish that they were such excellent persons. 
But they consider not, that it is the splendour, not the 
virtue; the reputation, not the usefulness; the reward, and 
not the duty, that they are in love withal. Our desires of 
holiness are too often like our desires of being cut of the 
stone, or suffering caustics or cupping-classes, an unwilling 
willingness, a hard and a fatal necessity, and, therefore, 
something of a consequent choice ; since it can be no better, 
it must be no worse. But this can never make our duty 
pleasant ; we can never be heartily reconciled for the things 
of God as long as we feel smart and pain in the ministries of 
religion: we suffer religion, and endure the laws of God; but 
we love them not. He that comes to God, whether he will 
or no, confesses the greatness of God and the demonstrations 
of religion, but sees no amability and comeliness in it ; and 
shall find as little of the reward. 

It is true that force and fear may bring us in to God ; 
and *' the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ;" and 
Christ said, " Compel them to enter;" and our natural needs, 
or our superinduced calamities, may force us to run to God, 
and affright us into religion as into a sanctuary. But then 
if we enter at this door, we must examine whether we be 



OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 463 

taken with the beauties of the interior house : does fear 
make us look, and does looking make us like ? If holy 
desires and love be not in the beginning or the progression, 
we shall do the work of grace pitifully, and our preparations 
coldly, and our attentions distractedly, and receive the sacra- 
ments without effect. 

Now concerning our desires, we shall best judge of them 
by the proper effects and significations of desire. 

Signs and Indications of the Sincerity and Heartiness of 
our Desires. 

Are his affections warm and earnest, inquisitive and 
longing, interested and concerned in the things of God ? I 
do not say it is necessary that he find those passions and 
degrees of fierceness, which passionate persons find in sensual 
objects : but yet it is very fit that we inquire concerning 
those degrees and excesses of desire. Not that he is unfit 
who finds them not ; but that they who have them, can also 
receive comfort in their inquiry, and become examples to 
others, and invite them forwards by the argument of amabi- 
lity which they feel. 

But our passions and desires are so to be inquired of, 
that we find no rest in our souls concerning this question, 
unless we do, indeed, set a high value upon these mysteries ; 
and love to partake of them," and desire them reasonably, 
and, without very great cause, not to omit the opportunities 
which the Church gives and requires us to use, and to exceed 
the lowest measure of the law ; for he that only communicates 
when he is commanded, communicates in obedience, but 
not in love. For though obedience to God is love, yet our 
obedience to man is most commonly fear ; at least we cannot 
so well be sure that we are passionate enough, and have love 
enough to these mysteries, when the law of men, that is, 
when something ' without,' is our measure. For ecclesias- 
tical laws have necessity most commonly for their limit ; and 

* Ut perdunt propriam mortalia corpora vitam, 

Si nequeunt escas sumere corporeas ; 
Sic animae nisi deliciis rationis alantur, 

Dum verbi seterni pane carent, pereunt. 
Nam quid erit, quod dira procul fastidia pellat, 

Cum se ipso refugit mens saturare Deo ? Prosper. Epigr. 



464 OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 

that is the least of all holy measures, less than their deter- 
mination we cannot go and be innocent. But if we will 
make judgment concerning our love and our desires, we 
must frequent these holy mysteries by the measures and 
suggestions of something that is within : if it be love, it will 
have no measures but itself; and nothing can give it limits 
but the circumstances of things themselves and the possibi- 
lities of our persons and affairs. 

2. Besides this coming upon necessity, our desires are 
very much to be suspected, if compliance and custom or 
reputation be the ingredients, and prevail above any better 
motive that can be observed. As force makes hypocrites, 
so favour and secular advantages make flatterers in religion ; 
and when a prince or ruler, a master of a family, or any one 
that hath power to oblige, is heartily religious, religion will 
quickly be in fashion. Those persons which come upon 
such inducements, are, by our blessed Saviour, signified by 
the parable of the corn that fell by the highway ; they 
presently receive it with joy ; and it springs quickly if the 
sun shines : but when persecution comes, they hang the 
head, and slack their pace, and appear seldom, and shew that 
they had no depth of root. These men serve God when 
religion is rich and prosperous ; they come to Christ for the 
loaves, but care but little for the mystery. As long as the 
religion stays at this port, it is good for nothing ; and the 
very entry itself is suspicious. Fear is better than this ; but 
if it pass on to create an effective and material love, it will be 
well at last. 

3. They that are easily diverted from communicating, and 
apt to be excused from the solemnity, these men have just 
cause to suspect their desires to be too cold to kindle the 
fires upon this altar, and to consume this sacrifice ; they 
have not love, and come against their will. Some men are 
hindered by every thing; if a stranger come to the house, 
if they be indisposed with a little headach, if they have 
an affair of the world, if a neighbour be angry with them, 
if a merry meeting be appointed the day before ; this is a 
suspicious indifference and lukewarmness. They that are 
not desirous to use all opportunities and to take all advan- 
tages, and long for all the benefits, want very much of that 
* hunger and thirst after the righteousness' of God, which is 



OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 465 

fulfilled in those mysteries, and to which Christ hath pro- 
mised such ample satisfaction. I do not say, that every man 
is hound to communicate every time that he can have it, and 
that it is lukewarmness not to desire it so often as it is in our 
power; but he that refuses it, when it is in his opportunity, 
when his circumstances are fitted, when, by the measures of 
piety and religion, it is decent and useful to him to do it (of 
which I shall afterwards give an account), that man is 
guilty of a criminal indifference; and when he does come, may 
fear that he hath not spiritual hunger enough for so Divine 
a banquet. 

4. They that, in their preparation, take the least measures 
that are practised or allowed, and rest there and increase 
not, have neither value for the sacrament, nor desires of 
the blessing, nor expectations of any fruit ; and, therefore, 
cannot have this holy appetite in due proportion, because 
they see no sufficient moving cause, and they look for little, 
and find less, and, therefore, can never be true desirers. 
For he that thinks there is no great matter in it, will have no 
great stomach for it ; and he that will do no great matter for 
it, certainly expects no great excellence in it; and such are 
all they that take the least measures of preparation; who, 
therefore, shall find the least measures of blessing, and, in 
spiritual things, that which is called positively the least, is 
just none at all; he that 'shall be called least in the king- 
dom,' shall be quite shut out. This is an indifference, both 
in the cause and in the effect : they feel no great blessings 
consequent to their reception; and, therefore, their affections 
are cold : and because they are so, they shall for ever be 
without the blessing:. 

O 

5. They only can be confident that their desires are right, 
who feel sharpnesses and zeal in their acts of love. For, in 
spiritual things, eveVy abatement is by the mixture of the 
contrary ; and therefore, when things are indifferent, we 
cannot tell which shall be accepted or accounted of. And 
when there is as much evil as good, the evil is only abated, 
but the good destroyed, and is not accepted; and therefore, 
till the victory be clear and evident, we cannot have much 
comfort; but the strong desire is only certain and comfort- 
able to the spirit. Great desires are a great pain: and the 
spouse, in the Canticles, complains that she is ' sick of love,' 

VOL. xv. H H 



466 OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 

and then calls upon Christ to ' comfort her with flagons' of 
wine. Less desires than the greatest, if they be real and 
effective of the work, are fit for such persons as are not the 
greatest in religion. But in all spiritual progressions we are 
sure that our desires shall never cease growing till they be 
full of God, and are swelled up to immensity; and till they 
come to some greatness, that they are like hunger and thirst, 
or like the breasts of a fruitful nurse, full and in pain till they 
be eased, we cannot be so confident that things are well with 
us in this particular. Are we in trouble till we converse with 
our Lord in all the ways of spiritual intercourse? Do we 
rejoice when a communion-day comes? And is our joy 
fixed upon consideration of that holy necessity of doing good 
works at that time especially, and receiving the aids of grace, 
and the helps of the sacrament liberally ? When it is thus, it 
is well ; that we can be sure of: all measures of desire which 
are so little, thatwe can compare them to no natural similitude 
of earnestness and appetite, we can only say that they are 
yet very uncomfortable ; and if we come often and pray that 
we may have lively relish and appetite to the mysteries, 
it may be well in time ; but as yet we cannot be sure that it 
is so. 

There is only in this case one help to our examination 
and our confidence: he that comes because God commands 
him, in a direct and certain obedience to the words of Christ, 
or in a deep sorrow for his sins, coming either in hopes of 
remedy, or in a great apprehension of his infirmity, address- 
ing himself either for support and strength ; this man, although 
he feels no sensual punctures and natural sharpnesses of 
desire, yet he comes well, and upon a right principle. For 
St. Austin, reckoning what predisposition is necessary by 
way of preparation to the holy sacrament, reckons " hunger 
and the sense of our sins and our infirmities;" but if he wants 
the pleasure of these passionate indications, he must be 
careful that he be sure in the intellectual and religious 
choice ; for that is the thing which is intended to be signified 
by all the exterior passions. But when he hath no sign, he 
must be the more careful he have the thing signified, and 
then all is right again. 

But happy is that soul which comes to these springs of 
salvation as * the hart to the water-brooks,' panting and 



OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 467 

thirsty, longing and passionate, weary of sin, and hating 
vanity, and reaching out the heart and hands to Christ. And 
this we are taught by the same mystery represented under 
other sacraments; the waters of the spiritual rock of which 
our fathers drank in the wilderness; the rock was Christ, 
and those waters were his blood in the sacrament ; and with 
the same appetite they drank those sacramental waters withal, 
we are to receive these Divine mysteries evangelical. 

Now let us, by the aids of memory and fancy, consider 
the children of Israel in the wilderness, in a barren and dry 
land where no water was, marching in dust and fire, not wet 
with the dew of heaven, wholly without moisture, save only 
what dropped from their own brows : the air was fire, and 
the vermin was fire : the flying serpents were of the same 
cognation with the firmament, their sting was a flame, 
their venom was a fever, and the fever a calenture : and their 
whole state of abode and travel was a little image of the day 
of judgment, when the elements shall melt with fervent heat. 
These men, like salamanders walking in fire, dry with heat, 
and scorched with thirst, and made yet more thirsty by call- 
ing upon God for water; suppose, I say, these thirsty souls 
hearing Moses to promise that he will smite the rock, and 
that a river should break forth from thence, observe how 
presently they ran to the foot of the springing stone, 
thrusting forth their heads and tongues to meet the water, 
impatient of delay, crying out that ' the water did not move 
like light, all at once:' and then suppose the pleasure of 
their drink, the unsatiableness of their desire, the immensity 
of their appetite ; they took in as much as they could, and 
they desired much more. This was their sacrament of the 
same mystery, and this was their manner of receiving it; and 
this teaches us to cpme to the same Christ with the same 
desires. For if that water was a type of our sacrament, or a 
sacrament of the same secret blessing, then that thirst is a 
signification of our duty, that we come to receive Christ in 
all the ways of reception with longing appetites, preferring 
him before all the interests of the world ; as birds do corn 
above jewels, or hungry men, meat before long orations. 

For it is worth observing, that, there being in the Old 
Testament thirteen types and umbrages of this holy sacra- 
ment, eleven of them are of meat and drink: such are, 1. The 



468 OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 

tree of life in the midst of Paradise ; 2. The bread and wine 
of Melchisedec ; 3. The fine meal that Sarah kneaded for 
the angels' entertainment; 4. The manna; 5. The roasted 
paschal lamb; b 6. The springing rock; 7. The bread of 
proposition to be eaten by the priests ; 8. The barley-cake in 
the host of Midian: 9. Samson's father's oblation upon the 
rock; 10. The honey-comb that opened the eyes of Jonathan ; 
11. And the bread which the angel brought to Elijah, in the 
strength of which he was to live forty days. All this is to 
shew, that the sacrament is the life of the spiritual man, and 
the food of his soul, the light of his eyes, and the strength of 
his heart; and not only all this, and very much more of this 
nature, but to represent our duty also, and the great prin- 
ciple of preparation : meat is the object, and hunger is the 
address. The wine is the wine of angels; but if you desire 
it not, what should you do with it? for the wine that is not 
to satisfy your need, can do nothing but first minister to 
vanity, and then to vice; first to wantonness, and then to 
drunkenness. 

St. Austin, expressing the affections of his mother Mo- 
nicha to the blessed sacrament, says, " That her soul was, by 
the ligatures of faith, united so firmly to the sacrifice, which 
is dispensed in the Lord's supper, that a lion or a dragon 
could not drag her away from thence;" and it was said of 
St. Catharine, " That she went to the sacraments as a suck- 
ing infant to his mother's breasts;" and this similitude St. 
Chrysostom c expresses elegantly; "See you not with what 
pretty earnestness and alacrity infants snatch their nurse's 
breast? how they thrust their lips into the flesh, like the 
sting of a bee ? Let us approach to this table with no less 
desire, and, with no less, suck the nipple of the holy chalice; 
yet with greater desire let us suck the grace of the Holy 
Spirit." And it is reported that our blessed Lord taught 
St. Mechtildis, "When you are to receive the holy com- 
munion, desire and wish to the praise of my name to have 
all desire and all love, that ever was kindled in any heart 

b Sint desiderii post escas pocula magni ; 

Fraesertim, quia carnes assas sumpsimus agni. 

Assa caro nobis facit ora magis sitibunda 

Quam tenerae carnes, quas mollis decoquit unda. Petrus Blesens. 
Homil. Ixxxiii. in 26. Matt. 



OF EXAMINATION OF OUR DESIRES. 469 

towards me, and so come to me; for so will I inflame, 
and so will I accept thy love, not as it is, but as thou 
desirest it should be in thee." d 

" Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden," 
saith Christ; that is, they that groan under the burden of 
their sins, and feel the load of their infirmities, and desire 
pardon and remedy ; they that love the instruments of graces 
as they are channels of salvation ; they that come to the 
sacrament out of earnest desires to receive the blessings of 

O 

Christ's death, and of his intercession; these are the welcome 
guests ; for so saith God, " Open thy mouth wide, and I will 
fill it:" for "he hath filled the hungry with good things," 
said the holy virgin mother ; for Christ is food and refresh- 
ment to none else : for ' the full he hath sent empty away.' 

If, therefore, you understand your danger, and deeply 
resent the evil of your infirmities and sinful state ; if you 
confess yourselves miserable, and have all corresponding 
apprehensions ; if you long for remedy, and would have it 
upon any terms ; if you be hungry at your very heart, and 
would fain have food and physic, health and spiritual ad- 
vantages; if you understand what you need, and desire what 
you understand; if these desires be as great as they are 
reasonable, and as lasting as they are great; if they be as 
inquisitive as they are lasting, and as operative as they are 
inquisitive; that is, if they be just and reasonable pursuances 
of the means of grace ; if they carry you by fresh and active 
appetites to the communion, and, that this may be to pur- 
pose, if they fix you upon such methods as will make the 
communion effect that which God designed, and which we 
need, then we shall perceive the blessings and fruits of 
our holy desires: according to those words of David (as 
it is rendered in the vulgar Latin), "The Lord hath heard 
the desire of the poor: and his ear hath hearkened to the 
preparation of their heart." An earnest desire is a good 
preparation, and God will attend unto it. Concerning this, 
therefore, we are first to examine ourselves. Upon the 

d In actis Lovaniensibus dicitur de B. Ida, ex ore et naribus fluere sanguinem 
solere, qui non sistebatur, donee ad sacram mensam se sisteret ad sedandum vehe. 
mens ejus communicandi cum eo, quern ardenter amaverat, desiderium. c. 9. 

ngtxriup.lv roivvv ftiru ^t^oTttrof aur/y xai Vifu^oif/.i^rn ayatmf, ftii vToftttvupiti 
rifita^ixv. S. Chrys, horn. xxiv. in 1 ad Corinth. 



170 OF EXAMINATION TOUCHING 

account of our earnest desires, it is seasonable to inquire 
whether to communicate frequently, be an instance of that 
holy desire which we ought to have to these sacred mys- 
teries ? and whether all men be bound to communicate fre- 
quently, and what measure is the safest and best in this 
inquiry? But because the answer to this depends upon 
some other propositions of differing matter, I reserve it to 
its proper place, 6 where it will be a consequent of those 
propositions. 



SECTION III. 

Of our Examination concerning Remanent Affections to Sin. 

HE that desires to communicate worthily, must examine 
himself, whether there be not in him any affection to sin 
remaining. This examination is not any part of repentance, 
but a trial of it ; for of preparatory repentance, I shall give 
larger accounts in its own place; but now we are to try 
whether that duty be done, that, if it be, we may come ; if 
not, we may be remanded, and go away till we have per- 
formed it ; for he that comes, must have repented first : but 
now he is to be examined whether he have or no done that 
work so materially, that it is also prosperously; that is, 
whether he have done it, not only solemnly and ritually, but 
effectively ; whether he have so washed, that he is indeed 
clean from any foul and polluting principle. 

When the heathens offered a sacrifice to their false gods, 
they would make a severe search to see if there were any 
crookedness or spot, any uncleanness or deformity, in their 
sacrifice. The priest was wont to handle the liver, and 
search the throbbing* heart; he inquires if the blood springs 
right, and if the lungs be sound; he thrusts his hand into the 
region of the lower belly, and looks if there be an ulcer, or 
a scirrhus, a stone, or a bed of gravel. Now the observation 
which Tertullian b makes upon these sacrificial rites, is 

* Chap. v. sect. 4. 

a Et fibras pecudum et spirantia consulit exta. Virg. 

b Miror, cum hostize probantur penes vos a vitiosissimis sacerdotibus, cur 
praecordia potius victimarum, quam ipsorum sacrificaiitium, examinantur? . 
Apolog. c. xxx. 



REMANENT AFFECTIONS TO SIN. 171 

pertinent to this rule: " When your impure priests look after 
a pure sacrifice, why do they not rather inquire into their 
own heart, than into the lamb's appurtenance? Why do 
they not ask after the lust of the sacrificers, more than the 
little spot upon the bull's liver?" The rites of sacrifices 
were but the monitions of duty; and the priest's inquiry 
into the purity of the beast was but a precept represented in 
ceremony and hieroglyphic, commanding- us to take care that 
the man be not less pure and perfect than the beast. For if 
an unclean man brings a clean sacrifice, the sacrifice shall 
not cleanse the man, but the man will pollute the sacrifice; 
let them bring to God a soul pure d and spotless, lest God 
espying a soul humbly lying before the altar, and finding it 
to be polluted with a remaining filthiness, or the reproaches 
of a sin, he turns away his head and hates the sacrifice. 
And God, who taught the sons of Israel in figures and 
shadows, and required of the Levitical priests to come to 
God clean and whole, straight and with perfect bodies, 
meant to tell us, that this bodily precept, in a carnal law, 
does, in a spiritual religion, signify a spiritual purity. For 
God is never called the lover of bodies, but the great lover 
of souls; and he that comes to redeem our souls from sin 
and death, from shame and reproach, would have our souls 
brought to him as he loves them : an unclean soul is a defor- 
mity in the eyes of God ; it is indeed spiritually discerned, 
but God hath no other eyes but what are spirits and flames 
of fire. 

Here, therefore, it concerns us to examine ourselves 
strictly and severely, always remembering, that to examine 
ourselves (as is here intended) is not a duty completed by 
examining; for this carries us on to the sacrament, or re- 
turns us to the mortifications of repentance. 6 

c Submonentur in his symbolis, ut, quoties accedunt ad altaria, vel nun- 
cupaturi vota vel reddituri, nullum vitium, nullumque morbum afferent in 
aniiua Philo. 

d Conentur omnino nitidam et immaculatam animam in conspectum Dei 
producere, rie visam aversetur Phih. Si inortale corpus, multo magis iinraor- 
talem anitnam Idem. 

* Salvatorem nostrum, fratres charissimi, suscepturi, totis viribus debomus 
nos cum ipsius adjutorio pneparare, et oiniies latebras anim;c nostrai diligenter 
aspicere, ne forte sit in nobis aliquod peccatum absconditum, quod et con.scit'ii- 

tia;n nostram confimdat et mordeat, ut oculos Uivin;e niiiju^tutis oflbiulai 

S. /liiibms. de Sacrum. 



472 OF EXAMINATION TOUCHING 

But sometimes our sins are so notorious, that they go 
before unto judgment and condemnation, and they need no 
examining; and whatsoever is not done against our wills, 
cannot be besides our knowledge, and so cannot need exami- 
nation, but remembering only. And, therefore, I do not call 
upon the drunkard to examine himself concerning temper- 
ance, or the wanton concerning his uncleanness, or the 
oppressor concerning his cruel covetousness, or the custom- 
ary swearer concerning his profaneness. No man needs 
much inquiry to know whether a man be alive or dead, when 
he hath lost a vital part. 

But this caution is given to the returning sinner, to the 
repenting man, to him that weeps for his sins, and leaves 
what was the shame of his face, and the reproach of his 
heart. For we are quickly apt to think we are washed 
enough : and having remembered our shameful falls, we 
groan in method, and weep at certain times ; we bid our- 
selves be sorrowful, and tune our heart-strings to the accent 
and key of the present solemnity ; and as sorrow enters in a 
dress and imagery when we bid her, so she goes away when 
the scene is done. Here, here it is that we are to examine 
whether shows do make a real change; whether shadows 
can be substances, and whether to begin a good work splen- 
didly can effect all the purposes of its designation. Have 
you wept for your sin, so that you were indeed sorrowful 
and afflicted in your spirit? Are you so sorrowful, that you 
hate it ? Do you so hate it, that you have left it ? And have 
you so left it, that you have left it all, and will you do so for 
ever? These are particulars worth the inquiring after. 
How then shall we know ? 

Signs by which we may examine and tell t whether our 
Affections to Sin remain. 

1. Because, in examining ourselves concerning this, we 
can never be sure but by the event of things ; and the heart 
being ' deceitful above all things,' we secretly love what we 
profess to hate, we deny our lovers, and desire they should 
still press us ; we command away the sin from our presence, 
for which we die if it stays away. Therefore, while we 
are in this preparatory duty of examination, the best sign 
whereby we can reasonably suppose all affection to sin be 



REMANENT AFFECTIONS TO SIN. 473 

gone away, is, if we really believe that we shall never any 
more commit that sin to which we are most tempted, and 
most inclined, and by which we most frequently fall. Here 
is a copious matter for examination. 

2. When thou dost examine thyself, thou canst not but 
remember how often thou hast sinned by wantonness, per- 
haps, or by intemperance ; but now thou sayest thou wilt do 
so no more. If thou hadst never said so, and failed, it might 
have been likely enough ; but the sun does not rise and set 
so often, as thou hast sinned and broken all thy holy vows ; 
and thy resolution to put away thy sin is but like Amnon 
thrusting out his sister, after he had enjoyed her and was 
weary : sin looks ugly, after it hath been handled ; and 
having lost thy innocence and thy peace for nothing but the 
exchange of shame and indignation, thou art vexed, peevish, 
and unsatisfied, and then thou resolvest thou wilt sin no 
more. But thou wilt find this to be no great matter, but a 
great deception; for thou only desirest it not, because for the 
present the appetite is gone ; thou hast no fondness for it, 
because the pleasure is gone ; and like him who having 
scratched the skin till the blood comes, to satisfy a disease of 
pleasure and uncleanness, feeling the smart, thou resolvest 
to scratch no more. 

3. But consider, I pray, and examine better; is the disease 
cured, because the skin is broken ? will the appetite return 
no more? and canst not thou again be tempted? is it not 
likely that the sin will look prettily, and talk flattering 
words, and entice thee with softnesses and easy fallacies? 
and wilt not thou then lay thy foolish head upon the lap of 
the Philistine damsel, and sleep till thy locks be cut, and all 
thy strength is gone? wilt not thou forget thy shame and 
thy repentance, thy sick stomach and thy aching head, thy 
troubled conscience and thy holy vows, when thy friend 
calls thee to go and sin with him, to walk aside with him in 
the regions of foolish mirth, and an unperceived death? 
Place thyself, by consideration and imaginative represent- 
inent, in the circumstances of thy former temptation ; and 
consider when thou canst be made to desire, and are invited 
to desire, and naturally dost desire, can thy resolution hold 
out against such a battery? 

4. In order to this, examine whether there be in thee any 



474 OF EXAMINATION TOUCHING 

good principle stronger than all the arguments and flatteries 
of thy sin : but above all things, examine whether there be 
not in thee this principle, that if thou dost sin again in great 
temptation, thou wilt and mayest repent again : take heed 
of that, for it is certain, no man lives in the regions of 
temptation, to whom sin can seem pleasant, but he will fall 
when the temptation comes strongly, if he have this principle 
within him, that though he do commit that sin, he may and 
will repent. For then sin hath got a paranymph and a soli- 
citor, a warrant and an advocate : if you think that you can 
so order it, that you shall be as sure of heaven, though you 
do this sin, as though you doit not, you can have no security: 
your resolutions are but glass ; they may look like diamonds 
to an undiscerning eye ; but they will last no longer than till 
the next rude temptation falls upon them. 

5. Examine yet further : is your case so, that you have 
no reserves of cases in which your sin shall prevail? you 
resolve to leave the partner of your follies, and you go from 
her lest you be tempted : it is well, it is very well : but is 
not your heart false as water? and, if you should see her 
again, do not you perceive, that your resolution hath brought 
you to a little shame, because it will upbraid thy falsehood 
and inconstancy? You resolve against all intemperate anger, 
and you deny the importunity of many trifling occurrences : 
but consider, if you be provoked, and if you be despised, can 
your flesh and blood endure it then ? It may be, Calphurnius 
and Tucca shall not persuade thee to go to the baths of 
Lucrinus ; but if Mecaenas calls thee, or the consul desires 
thy company, thou canst resist no longer. Thou didst play 
the fool with poor Calenia, and thou art troubled at thy folly, 
and art ashamed when thou dost remember how often thou 
wentest into the Summcenium, and peeped into the titles of 
those unhappy women, whose bodies were the price of a 
Roman penny; but art thou so severe and chaste, that 
thou wilt die rather than serve the imperious lust of Julia ? 
or wilt thou never be scorched with the flames of Corinna's 
beauty? It is nothing to despise a cheap sin and a common 
temptation; but art thou strong enough to overcome the 
strongest argument that thy sin hath ? Examine thyself here 
wisely and severely. It is not thy part, saying, * I will sin 
no more.' He that hath new dined, can easily resolve to fast 



REMANENT AFFECTIONS TO SIN. 475 

at night; but when thou art hungry and invited, and there 
is rare meat on the table, and thy company stays for thee, 
and importunes thee, canst thou then go on with thy fasting- 
day? if thou canst, it is as it should be; but let not thy 
resolution be judged by short sayings, but first by great 
considerations, and then by proportionable events. If nei- 
ther the biggest temptation, nor thy trifling hopes, nor thy 
foolish principles, nor weak propositions, can betray thee, 
then thou mayest with reason say, that you have no affection 
so strong as the love of God, no passion so great as thy 
repentance, no pleasure equal to that of a holy conscience ; 
and then thou mayest reasonably believe that there is in thee 
no affection to sin remaining. But something more is to be 
added. 

6. In the examination of this particular, take no account 
of yourself by the present circumstances, and by your 
thoughts and resolutions in the days of religion and solem- 
nity ; but examine how it is with you in the days of ordi- 
nary conversation, and in the circumstances of secular em- 
ployments. For it is with us in our preparations to the 
holy communion, as it is with women that sit to have their 
pictures drawn, they make themselves brave and adorned, 
and put on circumstances of beauty to represent themselves 
to their friends and to their posterity with all the advantages 
of art and dressing. But he that loves his friend's picture 
because it is like her, and desires to see in image what 
he had in daily conversation, would willingly see her in 
picture as he sees her every day; and that is most like 
her, not which resembles her in extraordinary, and by the 
sophistry of dressing, but as she looked when she went about 
in the government of her family ; so must we look upon our- 
selves in the dresses- of every day in the week, and not take 
accounts of ourselves as we trick up our souls against a 
communion-day. For he that puts on fine clothes for one 
day or two, must not suppose himself to be that prince 
which he only personates. We dress ourselves upon a day 
of religion, and then we cannot endure to think on sin; and if 
we do, we sigh; and when we sigh, we pray, and suppose 
that if we might die upon that day, it would be a good day's 
work, for we could not die in a better time. But let us not 
deceive ourselves. That is our picture that is like us every 



476 OF EXAMINATION TOUCHING 

day in the week; and if you are as just in your buying and 
selling as you are when you are saying your prayers; if you 
are as chaste in your conversation as you are in your reli- 
gious retirement ; if your temperance be the same every day 
as it is in your thoughts upon a fasting-day ; if you wear the 
same habits of virtue every day in the week as you put on 
upon a communion-day, you have more reason to think your- 
selves prepared, than by all the extempore piety and solemn 
religion that rises at the sound of a bell, and keeps her time 
by the calendar of the Church more than by the laws of 
God. 

This is not so to be understood as if it were not fit that 
against a solemn time, and against a communion-day, our 
souls should be more adorned, and our lamps better dressed, 
and our lights snuffed, and our religion more active, and the 
habits of grace should exercise more acts; but this is meant 
only, that though the acts of virtue are not so frequent on 
ordinary days, yet there must be no act of vice upon them 
at all, and the habits of grace must be the same, and the 
inclinations regular, and the disposition ready, and the 
desires pressed; and you shall better know the estate of your 
soul, by examining how you converse with your merchant, 
than by considering how cautiously you converse with your 
priest. He that talks to a prince will talk as wisely as he 
can ; but if you will know what the man is, inquire after him 
in his house, and how he is with all his relations. For no 
man stands upon his guard always as he does sometimes. 
If, therefore, upon examining, you would understand what 
you are, examine yourself, not by your clothes, but by your 
body ; not by the extraordinaries of a solemn religion, but by 
the ordinaries of a daily conversation. 

These are the best Signs I can tell of; but they are to be made 
use of with the following Cautions. 

1 . Although, in trying whether your resolutions are 
likely to hold and your affections to sin are gone, you 
must not rely upon words, but place yourself in the scene 
and circumstances of your temptation, and try whether you 
be likely to hold out when sin comes with all the offers of 
advantage ; yet be careful that this examination of your own 



REMANENT AFFECTIONS TO SIN. 477 

strength against temptation become not a temptation to you ; 
and this is especially to be attended to in the matter of lust 
and fear. 

For the very imaginations of a lustful object are of them- 
selves a direct temptation ; and he that dresses his fancy with 
remembrances of this vanity, opens a door to let the sin in. 
Murenia's little boy, being afraid of the wolf at the door, 
opened the door to see if he were gone, and let the beast in ; 
and since the fancy is the proper scene of lust, he that brings 
the temptation there, brings it where it can best prevail. 
Therefore, in our examination concerning this evil, and 
whether we be likely to stand in this war, we are to examine 
ourselves only, w r hether we are perfectly resolved to fly and 
not to fight : that is, whether we will secure ourselves by the 
proper arts of the spirit of prudence ; for if any thing can 
make us come near this devil, we are lost without remedy. 

The temptations in the matter of fear are something like 
it ; if you will examine whether you love God so well that 
you would die for him, inquire as well and wisely as you 
can, but be not too particular. Satisfy yourself with a general 
answer, and rest in this, if you find that the apprehension of 
death is not so great as the apprehension of sin ; if you pray 
against fear, and heap up arguments to confirm your courage 
and your hope ; if you find that you despise those instances 
of persecution that you meet with ; for the rest, believe in 
God, who, it may be, will not give strengths before you need 
them: and, therefore, be satisfied with thus much, that your 
present strength is sufficient for any present trial ; and when 
a greater comes, God hath promised to give you more 
strength, when you shall have need of more. But examine 
yourself by what is likely to fall upon you actually. It may 
be, you have cause to fear that you shall be made poor for a 
good conscience, or imprisoned for your duty, or banished for 
religion ; consider if you love God so well that you are likely 
to suffer that which is likely to happen to you, but do not 
dress your examination with rare contingencies, and unlikely 
accidents, and impossible cases. Do not ask yourself whether 
you would endure the rack for God, or the application of 
burning basins to the eyes, or the torment of a slow fire, or 
whether you had rather go to hell than commit a sin ; this is 
too fantastic a trial ; and when God, it may be, knowing 



478 OF EXAMINATION TOUCHING 

your weakness, will never put you to it really, do you not 
tempt yourself by fancy, and an afflictive representment. 

Domitian was a cruel man, false and bloody; and to be 
near him was a perpetual danger, enough to try the con- 
stancy of the bravest Roman. But once, that he might be 
wanton in his cruelty, he invited the chiefest of the Patricii 
to supper, who, coming in obedience and fear enough, 
entered into a court all hanged with blacks, and from thence 
were conducted into dining-rooms by the pollinctores, who 
used to dress the bodies unto funerals : the lights of heaven 
(we may suppose) were quite shut out by the approaching 
night and arts of obscurity : when they were in those charnel- 
houses (for so they seemed), every one was placed in order, 
a black pillar or coffin set by him, and in it a dim taper 
besmeared with brimstone, that it might burn faint, and blue, 
and solemn : where when they had stood awhile, like designed 
sacrifices, or as if the prince were sending them on solemn 
embassy to his brother, the prince of darkness ; on a sudden 
entered so many naked blackamoors, or children besmeared 
with the horrid juice of the sepia, who, having danced a 
little in fantastic and devils' postures, retired awhile, and 
then returned serving up a banquet as at solemn funerals, 
and wine brought to them in urns instead of goblets, with 
deepest silence, now and then interrupted with fearful groans 
and shriekings. Here the senators, who possibly could have 
struggled with the abstracted thoughts of death, seeing it 
dressed in all the fearful imagery and ceremonies of the 
grave, had no powers of philosophy or Roman courage ; but 
falling into a lipothymy, or deep swooning, made up this 
pageantry of death with a representing of it unto the life. 
This scene of sorrows was overacted ; and it was a witty 
cruelty to kill a wise man by making him too imaginative 
and fantastical. It is not good to break a staff by too much 
trying the strength of it, or to undo a man's soul by a useless 
and so fantastic a temptation. For he that tries himself 
further than he hath need of is like Palaemon's shepherd, 
who, fearing the foot-bridge was not strong enough, to try it, 
loaded it so long, till, by his unequal trial, he broke that 
which would have borne a bigger burden than he had to carry 
over it. Some things will better suffer a long usage than an 
unequal trial. 



REMANENT AFFECTIONS TO SIN. 479 

2. When any man hath, by the former measures, exa- 
mined himself, how his affections do stand to sin and folly, 
by whatsoever signs he is usually made confident, let him 
be sure to make abatements of his confidence, if he have 
found that he hath failed already in despite of all his arts, 
and all his purposes. If we have often fallen back from our 
resolutions, there is then no sign left for us but the thing 
signified ; nothing can tell us how our affections are but by 
observing what they do. For he that hath broken his word 
with me when it was in his power to keep it, hath destroyed 
my confidence in him ; but if he hath deceived me twice or 
thrice in the same thing, for shame and prudence sake I 
will venture no more, if I can be disobliged. If we there- 
fore have failed of our promises to God for many times, that 
we can speak nothing reasonably of our proceedings, nor 
imagine what thoughts God hath concerning us, but the 
hardest and the worst ; though we have great reason to 
rejoice in God's long-suffering and infinite patience, yet, by 
any signs which can be given, we have no reason to trust 
ourselves. 

For if we shall now examine, we can tell no more than 
we could do before; we were always deceived in our con- 
jectures and pretences ; and it is more likely now, because 
sin hath so long prevailed ; and, by our frequent relapses, we 
must at least learn this truth, that our hearts are false, and 
our promises are not to be trusted. In this case, no testi- 
mony is credible but an eye-witness. Therefore let us leave 
all artificial examinations, and betake ourselves to the solid 
and material practices of a religious life. We must do some- 
thing really, before we can, by inquiring, tell how it is with 
us. When we have resolved, and in some measure per- 
formed our resolution. ; when we have stood the shock of a 
temptation, and found our heart firm as in a day of religion ; 
when we perceive sin to be weaker, and the kingdom of 
grace to grow in power ; when we feel that all our holy vows 
are more than words, and that we are not the same easy 
fools, always giving God good words, but never performing 
them ; but that now we have set foot upon the enemy, and 
are not infallibly carried away when our temptation comes ; 
then we may inquire further, and look after the former signs 
and indications of spiritual life, and the just measures of 



480 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 

preparation. Till then let us not trouble ourselves with the 
particulars of spiritual arts, and the artificial methods of 
religion ; for things are not so well with us as we suppose. 



SECTION IV. 

Of Examination of ourselves in the Matter of our Prayers, in 
order to a holy Communion. 

THE holy sacrament is, in its nature and design, a solemn 
prayer, and the imitation of the intercession which our glorious 
High-Priest continually makes for us in heaven ; and as it is 
our ministry, and contains our duty, it is nothing else but the 
solemnity and great economy of prayer, for the whole, and 
for every member, and for all and every particular necessity 
of the Church ; and all the whole conjugation of offices, and 
union of hearts, and conjunction of ministers, is nothing but 
the advantages, and solemnity, and sanctification of prayer; 
and, therefore, in order to do this work in solemnity as we 
ought, it were very fit that we examine ourselves, how we do 
it in ordinary and daily offices. 

For since there are so many excellent promises made to 
prayer, and that nothing more disposes us to receive the 
grace of the sacraments, and the blessings of communion, 
than holy prayer ; since prayer can obtain every thing, it 
can open the windows of heaven, and shut the gates of hell ; 
it can put a holy constraint upon God, and detain an 
angel till he leave a blessing ; it can open the treasures of 
rain, and soften the iron ribs of rocks, till they melt into tears 
and a flowing river: prayer can unclasp the girdles of the 
north, saying to a mountain of ice, ' Be thou removed hence, 
and cast into the bottom of the sea ;' it can arrest the sun in 
the midst of his course, and send the swift-winged winds 
upon our errand ; and all those strange things, and secret 
decrees, and unrevealed transactions, which are above the 
clouds, and far beyond the regions of the stars, shall com- 
bine in ministry and advantages for the praying man : it 
cannot be but we should feel less evil and much more good 
than we do, if our prayers were right. But the state of 



IN MATTER OF OUR PRAYERS. 481 

things is thus : it is an easy duty, and there are many 
promises, and we do it often, and yet we prevail but little. 
Is it not a strange thing that our friends die round about us, 
and, in every family, some great evil often happens, and a 
church shall suffer persecution for many years together 
\vithout remedy, and a poor man groans under his oppressor, 
who is still prosperous, and we cannot rescue the life of a 
servant from his fatal grave ; and still we pray, and do not 
change the course of providence in a single instance many 
times, whether the instance be of little or great concern- 
ment : What is the matter? we patiently suffer our prayers 
to be rejected, and comfort ourselves by saying, that, ' it 
may be, the thing is not fit for us, it is against the decree of 
God, or against our good, or to be denied is better; and 
there is a secret order of things and events, to which a denial 
does better minister than a concession.' This is very true, 
but not always when we are denied ; for it is not always in 
mercy, but in anger very often, we are denied, because our 
duty is ill performed. For if our prayers were right, the pro- 
vidence of God would often find out ways to reconcile his 
great ends with our great desires : and we might be saved 
hereafter, and yet delivered here besides ; and sometimes we 
should have heaven and prosperity too, and the cross should 
be sweetened, and the days of affliction should, for our sakes, 
be shortened, and death would not come so hastily : and yet 
we should be preserved innocent in the midst of an evil 
generation, though it waited for the periods and usual deter- 
minations of nature : let us rectify our prayers, and try what 
the event will be ; it is worth so much at least ; but however, 
as to the present case, if we perform this duty pitifully and 
culpably, it is not to be expected we should communicate 
holily. The gradation and correspondences of this holy 
ministry will demonstrate this truth. 

For what Christ did once upon the cross in real sacri- 
fice, that he always does in heaven, by perpetual represent- 
rnent and intercession ; what Christ does by his supreme 
priesthood, that the Church doth by her ministerial ; what he 
does in heaven, we do upon earth ; what is performed at the 
right-hand of God, is also represented, and, in one manner, 
exhibited upon the holy table of the Lord : and what is done 

VOL. XV. I I 



482 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 

on altars upon solemn days, is done in our closets in our 
daily offices; that is, God is invocated, and God is appeased, 
and God is reconciled, and God gives us blessings and the 
fruits of Christ's passion in the virtue of the sacrificed Lamb ; 
that is, we, believing and praying, are blessed, and sanctified, 
and saved through Jesus Christ. So that as we pray, so we 
communicate ; if we pray well, we may communicate well, 
else at no hand. Now in this, besides that we are to take 
account of our prayers by all those measures of the Spirit 
which we have learned in the Holy Scriptures, there are two 
great lines of duty by which we can well examine ourselves 
in this particular. 

1 . That our prayers must be the work of our hearts, not 
of our lips ; that is, that we heartily desire what we so care- 
fully pray for : and God knows this is not very ordinary. 
For besides that we are not in love with the things of God, 
and have no worthy value for religion, there are many things 
in our prayer which we ask for, and do not know what to do 
with, if we had them ; and we do not feel any want of them, 
and we care not whether we have them or no. We ask for 
the Spirit of God, for wisdom, and for a right judgment in 
all things; and yet there are not many in our Christian 
assemblies who use to trouble themselves at all with judging 
concerning the mysteries of godliness. Men pray for, humi- 
lity, and yet at the same time think that all that which is 
indeed humility is a pitiful poorness of spirit, pusillanimity, 
and want of good breeding. We pray for a contrition and a 
broken heart ; and yet, if we chance to be melancholy, we 
long to be comforted, and think that the lectures of the 
cross bring death, and therefore are not the way of eternal 
life. We pray sometimes that God may be first and last in 
all our thoughts; and yet we conceive it no great matter 
whether he be or no ; but we are sure that he is not, but the 
things of the world do take up the place of God, and yet we 
hope to be saved for all that, and, consequently, are very 
indifferent concerning the return of that prayer. We fre- 
quently call upon God for his grace, that we may never fall 
into sin ; now, in this, besides that we have no hopes to be 
heard, and think it impossible to arrive to a state of life in 
which we shall not commit sins, yet if we do sin we know 



IN MATTER OF OUR PRAYERS. 183 

there is a remedy so ready, that we believe we are not much 
the worse if we do. Here are prayers enough : but where are 
the desires all this while ? We pray against covetousness, 
and pride, and gluttony; but nothing that we do but is 
either covetousness or pride ; so that our prayers are termi- 
nated upon a word, not upon a thing. We do covetous 
actions, and speak proud words, and have high thoughts, 
and do not passionately desire to have affections contrary 
to them, but onlv to such notions of the sin as we have 
entertained, which are such as will do no real prejudice or 
mortification to the sin : and whatever our prayers are, yet 
it is certain our desires are so little, and so content witli any 
thing of this nature, that, for very many spiritual petitions, 
we are indifferent whether they be granted or not. 

But if we are poor or persecuted, if we be in fear or 
danger, if we be heart-sick or atilicted witli an uncertain 
soul, then we are true desirers of relief and mercy ; we long 
for health, and desire earnestly to be safe; our hearts are 
pinched with the desire, and the sharpness of the appetite is 
a pain ; then we pray, and mind what we do. He that is in 
fear of death, does not, when he prays for life, think upon 
his money and his sheep ; the entering of a fair woman into 
the room does not bend his neck, and make him look off 
from the prince's face, of whom he sues for pardon. And if 
we had desires as strong as our needs, and apprehensions 
answerable to our duty, it were not possible that a man 
should say his prayers and never think of what he speaks : 
but as our attention is, so is our desire, trifling and imperti- 
nent ; it is frighted away like a bird, which fears as much 
when you come to give it meat, as if you came with a design 
of death. 

When, therefore,, you are to give sentence concerning 
your prayers, your prayer-book is the least thing that is to 
be examined, your desires are the principal, for they are 
fountains both of action and passion. Desire what you pray 
for, for certain it is, you will pray passionately if you desire 
fervently. Prayers are but the body of the bird ; desires 
are its angel's wings. 

*2. If you will know how it is with you in the matter of 
your prayers, examine whether or no the form of your prayer 
bp the rule of your life. Every petition to God is a precept 



484 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 

to man ; and when in your litanies you pray to be delivered 
from malice and hypocrisy, from pride and envy, from forni- 
cation and every deadly sin ; all that is but a line of duty, 
and tells us that we must never consent to an act of pride 
or a thought of envy, to a temptation of uncleanness, or the 
besmearings and evil paintings of hypocrisy. But we, when 
we pray against a sin, think we have done enough, and if 
we ask for a grace, suppose there is no more required. Now 
prayer is an instrument of help, a procuring auxiliaries of 
God, that we may do our duty ; and why should we ask for 
help, if we be not ourselves bound to do the thing? Look 
not, therefore, upon your prayers as a short method of ease 
and salvation, but as a perpetual monition of duty ; and by 
what we require of God, we see what he requires of us; and 
if you want a system or collective body of holy precepts, 
you need no more but your prayer-book ; and if you look 
upon them first as duties, then as prayers, that is, things fit 
to be desired, and fit to be laboured for, your prayers will be 
much more useful; not so often vain, not so subject to 
illusion, not so destitute of effect, or so failing of the pro- 
mises. The prayers of a Christian must be like the devotions 
of the husbandman, ' God speed the plough ; ' that is, 
labour and prayer together; a prayer to bless our labour. 
Thus, then, we must examine : 

Is desire the measure of our prayer? and is labour the 
fruit of our desire ? if so, then what we ask we shall receive 
as the gift of God, and the reward of our labour ; but unless 
this be the state of our prayer, we shall find that the 
receiving of the sacrament will be as ineffective, because it 
will be as imperfect, as our prayer. For prayer and com- 
munion differ but as creat and little in the same kind of 

o 

duty. Communion is but a great, public, and solemn address 
and prayer to God through Jesus Christ : and if we be not 
faithful in a little, we shall not be intrusted in a greater ; he 
that does not pray holily and prosperously, can never com- 
municate acceptably. This, therefore, must be severely and 
prudently examined. 

But let us remember this, that there is nothing fit to be 
presented to God but what is great and excellent ; for 
nothing comes from him but what is great and best, and 
nothing should be returned to him that is little and con- 



IN MATTER OF OUR PRAYERS. 485 

temptible in its kind. It is a mysterious elegance tliat is in 
the Hebrew of the Old Testament, 3 when the Spirit of God 
would call any thing very great or very excellent, he calls it 
" of the Lord : " so ' the affrightment of the Lord ; ' that is, 
a great affrightment fell upon them. And the fearful fire 
that fell upon the shepherds and sheep of Job, b is called the 
"fire of God;" and when David took the spear and water- 
pot from the head of Saul while he and his guards were 
sleeping, it is said that "the sleep of the Lord," that is, a 
very great sleep, was fallen upon them. Thus we read of the 
"flames of God," and "a land of darkness of God, " d that 
is, vehement flames, and a land of exceeding darkness ; 
and the reason is, because when God strikes, he strikes 
vehemently; so that ' it is a fearful thing to fall into the 
hands of the living God.' And on the other side, when he 
blesses, he blesses excellently ; and, therefore, when Naomi 
blessed Boaz, she said, "Let him be blessed of the Lord," 
that is, according to the Hebrew manner of speaking, " Let 
him be exceedingly blessed." In proportion to all this, 
whatsoever is offered, to God should be of the best; it 
should be a devout prayer, a fervent, humble, passionate 
supplication. He that prays otherwise, must expect the 
curses and contempt of lukewannness, and will be infinitely 
unworthy to come to the holy communion, whither they that 
come intend to present their prayers to God in the union of 
Christ's intercession, which is then solemnly imitated and 
represented. An indevout prayer can never be joined with 
Christ's prayers. Fire will easily combine with fire, and 
flame marries flame ; but a cold devotion and the fire of this 
altar can never be friendly and unite in one pyramid, to 
ascend together to the regions of God and the element of 
love. If it be a prayer of God, that is, fit to be entitled, fit 
to be presented unto him, it must be most vehement and 
holy. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man" 
only can be confident to prevail ; nothing else can ever be 
sanctified by a conjunction with this sacrifice of prayer, 
which must be consumed by a heavenly fire. There is not, 
indeed, any greater indication of our worthiness or un worthi- 
ness to receive the holy communion, than to examine and 
understand the state of our daily prayer. 

a Gen. xxxv. 15. b Job, i. 16. c Cant. viii. 6. A Jerem. 



486 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 



SECTION V. 

Of preparatory Examination of ourselves in some other 
Instances. 

HE that comes to the holy communion, must examine him- 
self concerning his passions ; whether that which usually 
transports him to indecency and shame, to sin and folly, be 
brought under the dominion of grace, under the command of 
reason, under the empire of the Spirit. For the passions of 
the soul are the violences and storms of reason ; neither 
reason nor grace can be heard to speak when they are loud ; 
and in vain it is that you tell a passionate person of the 
interests of wisdom and religion. We see it in fools, who 

O ' 

have no allay of reason ; their anger is rage, their jealousy is 
madness, their desires are ravenous, their loves are trouble- 
some and unseasonable, their hopes are groundless, but ever 
confident ; their fears are by chance, but always without 
measure : and a fool, when his belly is full, may as soon be 
persuaded into temperate discourses, as he that is passionate* 
to be obedient to God and to the rules of his own felicity. 

A great fear and a constant virtue are seldom found in 
one man ; and a coward is virtuous by chance, and so long 
as he is let alone ; but unless the fear of God be greater than 
the fear of man, it is in the power of his enemy whether that 
man shall be happy or wise. And so it is in a great or easy 
anger; every man and every thing can put a peevish person 
out of his religion. It cannot in these and all the like cases 
be well, unless by examining we find that our spirit is more 
meek, our passion easier overcome, and the paroxysms or 
fits return less frequently, and the symptoms be less ma- 
lignant. In this instance we must be quick and severe ; and 
begin betimes to take a course with these vermin and vipers 
of the soul. Suetonius 8 tells, that when the witty flatterers 
of Csesar had observed that no frogs did breed in his grand- 
father's villa, which was in the suburbs of Rome, they set 
themselves to invent a reason which should flatter the prince, 
and boldly told abroad, that when young Octavius was a 

a Quum primum fari coepisset, in avito suburbano obstrepentes forte 
ranas silere jussit : atque ex eo negantur ibi ranae coaxal e. Octav. 94. 
B. Crus. vol. i. p. 360. (J. R. P.) 



IN SOME OTHER INSTANCES. 487 

child, he once, in sport, forbade them to make a noise, and 
for ever after they were silent and left their pools ; ever 
since Octavius began to speak, they left off to make their 
noises and their dwellings there. If we suppress our passions 
that make inarticulate noises in the soul, if betimes and in 
their infancy we make them silent, we shall find peace in all 
our days. But an old passion, an inveterate peevishness, an 
habitual impotency of lust and vile desires, are like an old 
lion ; he will by no means be made tame, and taught to eat 
the meat of peace and gentleness. 

If thy passion be lasting and violent, thou art in a state 
of evil : if it be sudden and frequent, transient and volatile, 
thou wilt often fall into sin ; and though every passion be 
not a sin, yet every excess of passion is a diminution of 
reason and religion ; and when the acts are so frequent that 
none can number them, what effects they leave behind, and 
how much they disorder the state of grace, none can tell. 
Either, therefore, suffer no passion to transport and govern 
you, or no examination can signify any thing. For no man 
can say, that a very passionate man is a very good man ; or 
how much he is beloved of God, who plays the fool so 
frequently ; nor how long God will love him, who is at the 
mercy of his imperious passion, which gives him laws, and 
can every day change his state from good to bad. It was 
well said of one, ' If you give the reins to grief, every thing 
that crosses thee can produce the biggest grief ;' b and the 
causes of passions are as they are made within. He that 
checks at every word, and is jealous of every look, and 
disturbed at every accident, and takes all things by the 
wrong .handle, and reflects upon all disturbances, switches 
and spurs his passion, and strives to overtake sin, and to be 
tied unto infelicity ; .but nothing can secure our religion, but 
binding our passions in chains, and doubling our guards 
upon them, lest, like mad folks, they break their locks and 
bolts, arid do all the mischief of which they can have in- 
struments and opportunity. 

Concerning some sort of passionate persons, it may be truly said that 
they are very unfit to communicate ; but that they are fit, it can be 
confidently said of none. 

b Dolori si fncna remiseris, nulla materia non est maxima. 



488 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 

Here, therefore, let us thus examine ourselves. 

Are your desires unreasonable, passionate, impotent, and 
transporting ? If God refuses to give you what you desire, 
can you lay your head softly down upon the lap of provi- 
dence,- and rest content without it? Do you thankfully 
receive what he gives, and, when he gives you not what 
you covet, can you still confess his goodness, and glorify his 
will and wisdom, without any amazement, dissatisfaction, or 
secret murmurs? Gan you be at peace within, when your 
purposes are defeated ; and at peace abroad with him that 
stands in the way between you and your desires ? And how 
is it with you in your anger ? Does it last so long, or return 
so frequently, as before ? Have you the same malice, or have 
you the same peevishness? For one long anger, and twenty 
short ones, have no very great difference, save only, that in 
short and sudden angers we are surprised, and not so in the 
other: but it is an intolerable thing always to be surprised, 
and a thousand times to say, ' I was not aware,' or ' I was 
mistaken.' But let us without excuses examine ourselves in 
this matter, for this is the great magazine of virtue or vice; 
here dwells obedience or licentiousness, a close knot or an 
open liberty, little pleasures and great disturbances, loss of 
time and breach of vows.* 1 But if, that we may come to 
Christ, we have stopped so many avenues of sin, and 
fountains of temptation, it may be very well ; but, without 
it, it can never. 

2. He that comes to the holy communion, must examine 
himself whether his lusts be mortified, or whether they be 
only changed. For, many times, we have seeming peace, 
when our open enemies are changed into false friends: and 
we think ourselves holy persons, because we are quit of 
carnal crimes, and yet, in exchange for them, we are dying 
with spiritual. It is an easy thing to reprove a murderer, 
and to chicle a foolish drunkard, to make a liar blush, and a 

c Haec brevis est, ilia perennis, aqua. 

d Hie habitat nullo constricta Licentia nodo, 

Et flecti faciles Irae, vinoque madentes 

Excubia? 

Jucundique Metus, et non secura Voluptas, 

Et lasciva volant levibus Perjuria pennis. 

Claud, de Nupliis Honorii. 78. Gesner. vol. i. p. 138. 



IN SOME OTHER INSTANCES. 489 

thief to run away. But you may be secretly proud, when 
no man shall dare tell you so ; and have a secret envy, 
and yet keep company with the best and most religious 
persons. A little examination will serve your turn to know 
whether you have committed adultery, or be a swearer ; but 
to know whether your intentions be holy, whether you love 
the praise of men more than the praise of God, whether 
religious or secular interest be the dearer, whether there be 
any hypocrisy or secret malice in your heart, hath some- 
thing of more secret consideration. Do not you sometimes 
secretly rejoice in the diminution or disparagement of your 
brother ? Do not you tell his sad and shameful story with 
some pleasure? Are you not quick in telling it, and willing 
enough it should be believed? Would you not fain have 
him less than yourself; not so eminent, not so well esteemed ; 
and, therefore, do not you love to tell a true story of him, 
that is not so very much for his commendation ? 

These things must be examined, not that it can be 
thought that a man must be without fault when he comes, 
but that he must cherish none, he must leave none unex- 
amined, he must discover as much as he can, and crucify 
all that he can discover. He that hath mortified his carnal 
appetite, and is proud of his conquest ; or prays often, and 
reproaches him that does not; and gives alms, and secretly 
undervalues him that cannot ; or is of a right opinion, but 
curses him that is of the wrong; or leaves his ambitious 
pursuits and vainglorious purposes, but sits at home and is 
idle ; is like a man who stands by a fire in a wide and a 
cold room ; he scorches on one side, and freezes on the 
other; whereas the habits of virtue are like a great mantle, 
and the man is warm and well all over. But it is an ill cure 
for the ague to fall into a fever, or to be eased of sore eyes 
by a diversion of the rheum upon the lungs. And that soul 
that turns her back upon one sin, and her face to another, is, 
it may be, weary of the instance, but not of the iniquity ; 
and, rolling upon an uneasy bed of thorns, chooses only to 
be tormented in another part : but finding the same sense 
there, because the part is informed by the same spirit, and 
no difference between the thorn in the side and the thorn in 
the hand, perceives herself miserable and encircled with 
calamity. But when from carnal crimes, which bring shame, 



4-90 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES 

a man falls into spiritual crimes, which most men let alone ; 
from those sins which every thing can reprove, to a secret 
venom and an undiscerned ulcer ; a man may come to the 
communion, and the holy man that ministers cannot reject 
him ; but he causes no joy before the angels ; and because 
he does not examine wisely and judge severely, he is dis- 
cerned by God, and shall be judged, when to be 'judged' 
means all one with * being condemned.' 

3. When we examine ourselves in order to receiving of 
the blessed sacrament, we must be careful that we do not 
limit our examination, and confine it to the time since our 
last receiving. For some persons who think themselves 
spiritual, usually examine how they have comported them- 
selves since the last communion only, and accordingly make 
judgment upon themselves. And these men possibly may 
do well enough, if they be of the number of them of whom 
our blessed Saviour affirms, that ' they need no repentance,' 
that is, no change of life, no inquiry but into the measures 
of progression : but there are but few who live at that rate ; 
and they that do, it may be, have not that confidence. But 
to them, and all men else, it were safe advice, that the 
inquiry how they have lived since the last communion, 
should be but one part of their examination. 

1 . Because they who so limit their inquiries, must needs 
suppose that till then all was well, and that then they com- 
municated worthily ; and consequently, that all the whole 
work and economy of salvation was then performed ; every 
one of which supposals hath an uncertain truth, but a very 
certain danger. 

2. They who so limit their examination, suppose that 
at every communion they begin the world anew ; whereas 
our future life is to be a progression upon the old stock, and 
judgment is to be made of this that comes after by that 
which went before ; and, therefore, these limited examina- 
tions must needs be of less use and purpose. True it is, 
that at every communion we are to begin a new life; and 
so we ought every day ; that is, we ought to be as zealous 
and as penitent, as resolute and affectionate, as if we never 
had begun before : we ought so to suspect the imperfection 
of what is past, that we are to look upon ourselves but as 
new beginners ; that, by apprehending the same necessity, 



IN SOME OTHER INSTANCES. 491 

we may have the same passion, the same fervour and holy 
fires. But in this matter of examining we must consider 
how much hath been pardoned, that we may examine how- 
thankful we have been, and what returns we have made : we 
must observe all our usual failings, that we may now set our 
guards accordingly : we must remember in what weak part 
we are smitten, that we may still pray against it ; and we 
must renew our sad remembrances, that we may continue 
our sad repentances ; and we must look upon our whole life, 
that we may be truly humbled. He that only examines how 
it is with him since the last communion, will think too well 
of himself if he spies his bills of accusation to be small ; but 
every man will find cause enough to hide his face in the 
dust, and to come with fear and trembling, when he views 
the sum total of his life, which certainly will appear to be 
full of shame and of dishonour. 

3. We are not to limit our examination to the interval 
since the last communion, because much of our present duty 
is relative to the first parts of our life. For all the former 
vows of obedience, though we have broken them a thousand 
times, yet have still an obliging power ; and there are many 
contingencies of our life which require peculiar usages and 
treatments of ourselves, and there are many follies which we 
leave by degrees, and many obligations which are of con- 
tinual duty. And it may be that our passion did once carry 
us to so extreme, so intolerable a violence, perhaps twenty 
years ago, that we are still to keep our fears and tremblings 
about us, lest the same principle produce the same evil event. 
When Horatius Cocles e had won that glorious victory over 
the three Sabine brothers, and, entering gloriously into Rome, 
he espied his sister wetting his laurel with her unseasonable 
tears for the death of.one of them whom she loved with the 
honour of a wife and the passion of a lover ; and being mad 
with rage and pride because her sorrow allayed his joys and 
glory, he killed her with that sword by which her servant 
died. Sometimes passion makes a prodigious excursion, and 
passes on to the greatest violence and the most prodigious 
follies : and though it be usually so restrained by reason and 
religion, that such transvolutions are not frequent, yet one 

c Liv. lib. i. c. 26. 



492 OF EXAMINATION OF OURSELVES, &C. 

such act is an eternal testimony how weak we are, and how 
mischievous a passion can be. It is a miracle of Providence 
that, in the midst of all the rudenesses and accidents of the 
world, a man preserves his eyes, which every thing can ex- 
tinguish and put out : and it is no less a miracle of grace 
that, in the midst of so many dishonourable loves, there are 
no more horrid tragedies; and so many brutish angers do 
not produce more cruel sudden murders ; and that so much 
envy does not oftener break out into open hostilities. It is 
indeed a mighty grace that pares the nails of these wild 
beasts, and makes them more innocent in their effects than 
they are in their nature : but still the principle remains ; there 
is in us the same evil nature, and the same unruly passion : 
and, therefore, as there ought to be continual guards upon 
them, so there must be continual inquiries made concerning 
them; and every thing is to be examined, lest all be lost 
upon a sudden. 

4. We must not limit our examination to the interval to 
the last communion, because our first repentances must still 
proceed, and must never be at an end. For no man was so 
pardoned at the last communion, but that he is still obliged 
to beg pardon for those sins he then repented of. He must 
always repent, and always pray, and never be at peace with 
the first sins of his youth ; and the sorrows of the first day 
must be the duty of every day : and that examination must 
come into this account ; and when we inquire after our own 
state, we must not view the little finger, but the whole man. 
For, in all the forest, the ape is the handsomest beast, so 
long as he shews nothing but his hand ; but when the in- 
quiring and envious beasts looked round about them, they 
quickly espied a foul deformity. 

There are in the state of man's soul some good propor- 
tions, and some well days, and some fortunate periods ; but 
he that is contented with beholding them alone, cares more 

O * 

to please himself than to please God, and thinks him to be 
happy whom man, not whom God, approves. By this way 
twenty deceptions and impostures may abuse a man. See 
therefore what you are from head to foot, from the begin- 
ning to the end, from the first entry to your last progression : 
and although it be not necessary that we always actually 
consider all, yet it will be necessary that we always truly 



DEVOTIONS TO BE USED, &C. 493 

know it all, that our relative duties, and our imperfect 
actions, and our collateral obligations, and the direct mea- 
sures of the increase of grace, may be justly discerned and 
understood. 

4. He that examines himself and would make right judg- 
ment of his state and of his duty, must not do it by single 
actions, but by states of life and habits of religion. If we 
can say truly that neither prosperity nor adversity, neither 
cross nor crown, employment nor retirement, public offices nor 
household cares, do disorder us in our duty to God and our 
relations, that is, if we safely and wisely passed through, or 
converse in, any one of these states of life, it is very likely 
that things are well with us. But the consideration of single 
actions will do but little. Some acts of charity and many 
prayers, and the doing one noble action, or being once or 
twice very bountiful, or the struggling with one danger, and 
the speaking for God in one contestation ; these are excellent 
things, and good significations of life, but not always of 
health and strength not of a state of grace. Now because, 
in the holy communion, we are growing up to the measures 
of the fulness of Christ, we can no otherwise be fitted to it, 
but by the progressions and increase of a man, that is, by 
habits of grace, and states and permanencies of religion ; and 
therefore our examinations must be accordingly. 



SECTION VI. 

Devotions to be used upon the Days of our Examination, 
relative to that Duty. 

The Hymn. 

THE Lord is in his holy temple ; the Lord's throne is in 
heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of 
men. 

The Lord trieth the righteous : but the wicked, and him 
that loveth violence, his soul hateth. 

For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness ; his coun- 
tenance doth behold the upright. 

The words of the Lord are pure words : as silver tried in 
a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 



494 DEVOTIONS TO BE USED 

Thou hast proved mine heart ; thou hast visited me in the 
night ; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing ; I am pur- 
posed, that my mouth shall not transgress. 

Hold up my goings in thy paths : that my footsteps slide 
not. 

As for God, his way is perfect : the word of the Lord is 
tried ; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 

For who is God save the Lord ? and who is a rock save 
our God ? 

Judge me, O Lord ; for I have walked in mine integrity : 
but I trust in the Lord ; therefore I shall not slide. 

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me ; try my reins and 
my heart : for thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes, and 
I will walk in thy truth. 

I will not sit with vain persons : neither will I go in with 
dissemblers. 

I hate the congregation of evil-doers : and I will not sit 
with the wicked. 

I will wash my hands in innocence : so will I compass 
thine altar, O Lord, 

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 
tell of all thy wondrous works. 

But, as for me, I will walk in my integrity : redeem me 
and be merciful to me. 

So shall my foot stand in an even place : and in the 
congregation will I bless the Lord. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. 
As it was in the beginning, &c. 

THE PRAYERS. 

O ETERNAL and most glorious God, who sittest in heaven, 
ruling over all things from the beginning ; thou dwellest on 
high, and yet humblest thyself to behold the things that 
are in heaven and earth. Thou hast searched me, O Lord, 
and known me ; thou understandest my thoughts afar off, and 
art acquainted with all my ways ; for there is not a word in 
my tongue, but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether. Be 
pleased to impart unto thy servant a ray of thy heavenly 
light, a beam of the Sun of Righteousness ; open mine eyes 
that I may see the wondrous things of thy law, that I may 
walk in them all my days. Set all my sins before my face, 



RELATIVE TO OUR DUTY. 495 

that I may speedily, and earnestly, and perfectly repent and 
forsake them all. Give me a sight of my infirmities, that I 
may watch against them ; discover to me all my evil and 
weak principles, that I may reform them. And whatsoever 
is wanting in me towards the understanding of any thing, 
whereby I may please thee and perfect my duty, I beg of 
thee to reveal that also unto me ; that my duty may not be 
undiscerned, and my faith may not be reproved, and my 
affections may not be perverse, and hardened in their foolish 
pursuance, and a secret sin may not lie undiscovered and 
corrupting my soul. 

II. 

Give me an ingenious and a severe spirit, that whatever 
judgment of charity I make concerning others, I may give a 
right judgment concerning my own state and actions, con- 
demning the criminal, censuring the suspicious, suspecting 
what seems allowable, and watchful even over the best ; that 
I may, in the spirit of repentance and mortification, correct 
all my irregularities, and reform my errors, and improve the 
good things which thou hast given me ; that endeavouring 
to approve my actions to my conscience, and my conscience 
to thy law, I may not be a reprobate, but approved by thee 
in the great day of examination of all the world, and be 
reckoned amongst thy elect, the secret ones ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

A short form of Humiliation, after our Examination. 

I. 

Thy judgments, O Lord God, are declared in thunder, 
and with fear and with dread ; thou shakest all my bones, 
and my soul trembles when I consider that great day, in 
which thou shalt judge all the world; and that infinite jus- 
tice, which will not spare the mighty for his greatness, nor 
the poor for his poverty ; and thy unlimited power, which 
can mightily destroy all them that will not have thee to 
reign over them. 

II. 

O most dreadful Judge, I stand in amazement when I 
consider that the heavens are not pure in thine eyes ; and if 
thou foundest perverseness in thy angels, and didst not spare 



496 DEVOTIONS TO BE USED 

them, what shall become of me ? The stars fell from heaven ; 
and what can I presume, who am but dust and ashes ? They 
whose life hath seemed holy, are fallen into an evil portion ; 
and after they have eaten the bread of angels, they have 
been delighted with carob-nuts, with husks and draff of 
swine. 

III. 

There is no holiness, O God, if thou withdrawest thy 
hand ; no wisdom profits if thy government does cease. No 
courage can abide, no chastity can remain pure, no watch- 
fulness keep us safe, unless thou dost continue to strengthen 
us, to purify us, to make us stand. When thou leavest us, 
we drown and perish ; when thy grace and mercy visits us, 
we are lifted up and stand upright. We are unstable and 
unsecure, unless we be confirmed by thee : but we seek to 
thee for thy help, and yet depart from the ways of thy 
commandments. 

IV. 

how meanly and contemptibly do I deserve to be 
thought of! how little and inconsiderable is the good which 
I do! and how vast, how innumerable, how intolerable are 
the evils which I have done! I submit, O God, I submit to 
the abysses of thy righteous and unsearchable judgment ; for 
I have been searching for a little, some little good in me ; 
but I find nothing. Much indeed of good I have received ; 
but I have abused it : thou hast given me thy grace ; but I 
have turned it into wantonness : thou hast enabled me to 
serve thee ; but I have served myself; but never but when 
I was thy enemy : so that * in me/ that is, in my flesh, 
' dwelleth no good thing.' 

V. 

1 am a deep abyss, O God, of folly and calamity ; I have 
been searching my heart, and can find no good thing ; I have 
been searching, and I cannot find out all the evil. Thou 
didst create in me a hope of glory, but I have lost my con- 
fidence : and men have sometimes spoken good things of me, 
but I know not where they are : and who shall raise me up, 
when I fall down before thy face in thy eternal judgment ? 

VI. 

I will no more desire, I will no more suffer, I will no more 



RELATIVE TO THAT DUTY. 497 

seek, I will no more be moved by, the praises of men; for 
behold, they speak, but they know nothing : thou art silent, 
but thou knowest all things, and I increase the number of 
my sins. What shall I do, O thou preserver of men ! I will 
lay my face in the dust, and confess myself to be nothing. 

VII. 

Pity my shame, O God ; bind up my wounds ; lift me up 
from the dust ; raise me up from this nothing, and make me 
something ; what thou wilt, what thou wilt delight in. Take 
away the partition wall, the hinderarice, the sin that so easily 
besets me ; and bring me unto Jesus, to my sweetest Saviour 
Jesus; unite me unto him ; and then, although in myself I 
am nothing, yet in him I shall be what I ought to be, and 
what thou canst not choose but love. Amen, Amen. 

A Prayer for holy and fervent Desires of Religion, and 
particularly of the blessed Sacrament. 

O MOST blessed, most glorious Lord and Saviour Jesus ; 
thou that waterest the furrows of the earth, and refreshest 
her weariness, and makest it very plenteous ; behold, O God, 
my desert and unfruitful soul ; I have already a parched 
ground, give me a land of rivers of waters; my soul is dry, 
but not thirsty ; it hath no water, nor it desires none ; I have 
been like a dead man to all the desires of heaven. I am 
earnest and concerned in the things of the world; but very 
indifferent, or rather not well enduring the severities and 
excellences of religion. I have not been greedy of thy 
word, nor longed for thy sacraments. The worst of thy fol- 
lowers came running after thee for loaves, though they 
cared not for the miracle ; but thou offerest me loaves and 
miracles together, and I have cared for neither. Thou 
offerest me thyself, and all thy infinite sweetnesses ; I have 
needed even the compulsion of laws to drive me to thee ; 
and then indeed I lost the sweetness of thy presence, and 
reaped no fruit. These things, O God, are not well; they 
are infinitely amiss. But thou that providest meat, thou 
also givest appetite ; for the desire and the meat, the neces- 
sity and the relief, are all from thee. 

VOL. xv. K K 



498 DEVOTIONS TO BE USED. 

II. 

Be pleased, therefore, O my dearest Lord, to create in 
thy servant a great hunger and thirst after the things of thy 
kingdom and the righteousness of it, all thy holy graces, 
and all the holy ministries of grace ; that I may long for the 
bread of heaven, thirst after the fountain of salvation, and, 
as the hart panteth after the brooks of water, so my soul 
may desire thee, O Lord. O kindle such a holy flame in my 
soul, that it may consume all that is before me ; that it may 
be meat and drink to me to do thy will . 

III. 

Grant, O blessed Jesus, that I may omit no opportunity 
of serving thee, of conversing with thee, of receiving thee ; 
let me not rest in the least and lowest measures of necessity, 
but pass on to the excellences of love, and the transporta- 
tions of an excellent religion, that there may remain in me 
no appetite for any thing but what thou lovest ; that I may 
have no satisfaction but in a holy conscience, no pleasure 
but in religion, no joy but in God ; and, with sincerity and 
zeal, heartiness and ingenuity, I may follow after righteous- 
ness, and the things that belong unto my peace, until I shall 
arrive in the land of eternal peace and praises, where thou 
livest and reijmest for ever, world without end. Amen. 

O ' 



CHAPTER III. 

OF FAITH, AS IT IS A NECESSARY DISPOSITION TO THE 
BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

EXAMINATION of ourselves is an inquiry, Whether we have 
those dispositions which are necessary to a worthy commu- 
nion ? Our next inquiry is after the dispositions themselves, 
What they ought to be, and what they ought to effect ? that 
we may really be that which we desire to be found when we 
are examined. I have yet only described the ways of exa- 
mining; now I am to set down those things whereby we 
can be approved, and without which we can never approach 
to these Divine mysteries with worthiness, or depart with joy. 
These are three : 1. Faith ; 2. Charity ; 3. Repentance. 



OF CATECHUMENS. % 499 

SECTION I. 

Of Catechumens ) or unbaptized persons. 

THE blessed sacrament, before bim that hath no faith, is like 
messes of meat set upon the graves of the dead ; a they smell 
not that nidour which quickens the hungry belly ; they feel 
not the warmth, and taste not the juice ; for these are pro- 
vided for them that are alive, and the dead have no portion 
in them. This is the first great line of introduction, and ne- 
cessary to be examined : we have the rule from the apostle ; b 
" Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith ; prove your 
ownselves. Know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus 
Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates ?" As if he had 
said, * Ye are reprobates ; and Jesus Christ shall never dwell 
in you, except by faith ; without this, you can never receive 
him ; and, therefore, examine strictly yourselves concerning 
your faith.' 

But the necessity of this preparation by faith hath a 
double sense, and a proportionable necessity. 1. It means, 
that no unbaptized person can come to the holy communion. 
2. It means that those that are baptized have an actual and 
an operative faith, properly relative to these Divine mysteries, 
and really effective of all the works of faith. Of this we 
have the most ancient and indubitable records of the Primi- 
tive Church : for in the apology, which Justin Martyr made 
for the Christians, he gives this account of the manner of 
dispensing the holy eucharist: " It is lawful for none to par- 
ticipate of this eucharistical bread and wine, but to him who 
believes those things to be true which are taught by us, and 
to him that is washed in the laver of regeneration, which is 
to the remission of sins, and who lives as Christ hath com- 



a Te sine dulce nihil, Domine, 
Nee juvat ore quid appetere, 
Pocula ni prius atque cibos, 
Christe, tuus favor imbuerit, 
Omnes sanctificante fide. 

Prudeniius, hymno 3. ante cibum. 
b 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 

c OuSivt ^ovXta fitrair^Tv i'i-av Irri /i TM yfur-Ttuavri aX^>5 wa,i TK $t$i$aypivit vif ' 
j-eav, X.K} Z.ovirccfiiiiu v-ria atfiffiuf a,jAtx,<riuv xa,} w; dvKyivv^tf'.ui Xavrgay, KOU iHras 
tuvTi ut o Xgirros va^fSaxir. 



500 CATECHUMEN'S NOT ADMITTED 

inanded." " Shut the profane and the unhallowed people 
out of doors," so Orpheus d sang. None comes to this holy 
feast but they whose sins are cleansed in baptism, who are 
sanctified in those holy waters of regeneration, who have 
obedient souls, ears attentive to the sermons of the Gospel, 
and hearts open to the words of Christ. These are they 
who see by a brighter light, and walk in the warmth of a 
more refreshing sun ; they live in a better air, and are irra- 
diated with a purer beam, the glories of the Sun of Right- 
eousness ; and they only are to eat the precious food of the 
sacrificed Lamb : for, by baptism, we are admitted to the 
spiritual life ; and, by the holy communion, we nourish and 
preserve it. 

But although baptism be always necessary, yet alone it 
is not a sufficient qualification to the holy communion, but 
there must be an actual faith also in every communicant. Nei- 
ther faith alone, nor baptism alone, can suffice ; but it must 
be the actual faith of baptized persons, which disposes us to 
this sacred feast ; for the Church gives the communion neither 
to catechumens, nor to infants, nor to madmen, nor to natural 
fools. 

Catechumens not admitted to the Holy Communion. 

Of this, besides the testimony of Justin Martyr, St. Cyril 
of Alexandria gives this full account : " We refuse to give 
the sacraments to catechumens, although they already know 
the truth, and, with a loud voice, confess the faith of Christ ; 
because they are not yet enriched with the Holy Ghost, who 
dwells in them, who are consummated and perfected by bap- 
tism. But when they have been baptized, because it is 
believed that the Holy Ghost does dwell within them, they 
are not prohibited from the contact and communion of the 
body of Christ. And, therefore, to them who come to the 
mystical benediction, the ministers of the mystery cry with 
a loud voice, ' Sancta sanctis, Let holy things be given to 
sanctified persons,' signifying, that the contact and sanctifi- 
cation of Christ's body does agree with them only who, in 



- Purior ilium 
Solis Terror alit, ventosaque pabula libat. 

Idyl. i. Claud. Gesner, vol. ii. p. 635. 



TO THE HOLY COMMUNION. 501 

their spirits, are sanctified by the Holy Ghost." And this 
was the certain and perpetual doctrine and custom of the 
Church ; insomuch, that in the primitive churches, they 
would not suffer unbaptized persons so much as to see the 
consecration of the holy mysteries, as is to be seen in many 
ecclesiastical records/ The reason of this is nothing but 
the nature and analogy of the thing itself. For we first 
come to Christ by faith, and we first come to Christ by bap- 
tism ; they are the two doors of the tabernacle, which our 
Lord hath pitched, and not man. By faith we desire to go 
in ; and by baptism we are admitted. Faith knocks at the 
door ; and baptism sets it open : but until we are in the house, 
we cannot be entertained at the master's table : they that are 
in the highways and hedges, must be called in, and come in 
at the doors, and they shall be feasted. The one is the moral 
entrance, and the other is the ritual. Faith is the door of 
the soul, and baptism is the door of the man. Faith is the 
spiritual address to God, and baptism is the sacramental. 
Baptism is like the pool of Siloam, appointed for healing: 
it is salutary and medicinal : but the Spirit of God is that 
great angel that descends thither, and makes them virtual ; 
and faith is the hand that puts us in. So that faith alone 
does not do it; and, therefore, as the unbaptized must not 
communicate, so neither will baptism alone admit us; and 
therefore, infants and innocents are yet uncapable. But 
that is the next inquiry. 



SECTION II. 

Of communicating Infants. 



Question. Whether infants are to be admitted to the 
* holy communion? 

WHETHER the holy communion may be given to infants, 
hath been a great question in the Church of God ; which, in 

1 Dion vs. Eccles. Hierarch. Microlog. observ. Eccles. c. 51. in Bibliotli. 
Pair. Cabas. Exposit. Liturg. c. 15, 16. Germanus Patr. Const, in Rerum 
Eccles. Theoria. Duraudus ration. Divin. offic. 1. ir. et vi. Albertus Magnus de 
officio Missx, tract, iii. c. 23. Alcuinus de Divin. Offic. Aquinas Suuim. iii. 
q. 80, art. 4. 



502 OF COMMUNICATING INFANTS. 

this instance, hath not been, as in others, divided by parties 
and single persons, but by whole ages ; for from some of the 
earliest ages of the Church down to the time of Charles the 
Great, that is, for above six hundred years, the Church of 
God did give the holy communion to newly baptized infants. 
St. Cyprian a recounts a miracle of an infant, into whose 
mouth, when the parents had ignorantly and carelessly left 
the babe, the Gentile priests had forced some of their idol 
sacrifice : but when the minister of the Church came to pour 
into the mouth the chalice of our Lord, it resisted, and, being 
overpowered, grew sick, and fell into convulsions. By which 
narrative the practice of the Church of that age is sufficiently 
declared. Of the matter of fact there is no question : but 
they went further. 

The Primitive Church did believe it necessary to the sal- 
vation of infants. St. Austin believed that this doctrine and 
practice descended from the apostles ; that without both the 
sacraments no person could come to life, or partake of the 
kingdom of heaven : which when he had endeavoured to 
prove largely, he infers this conclusion : " It is in vain to 
promise salvation and life eternal to little children, unless 
they be baptized, and receive the body and blood of Christ ; 
since the necessity of them both is attested by so many, so 
great, and so Divine testimonies. " b And that this practice 
continued to the time of Charlemagne, appears by a consti- 
tution in his Capitular, saying, " That the priest should always 
have the eucharist ready : that, when any one is sick, or when 
a child is weak, he may presently give him the communion, 
lest he die without it." And Alcuinus recites a canon, ex- 
pressly charging, that " as soon as ever the infants are bap- 
tized, they should receive the holy communion before they 



a Lib. de Lapsis. 

b Si ergo, ut tot et tanta Divina testimonia concimint, nee salus nee vita 
aeterna baptismo et corpore et sanguine Domini cuiquam expectanda sunt, frustra 
sine bis promittitur parvulis. Lib. i. de Peccat. Merit, et Remis. c. 20. et 24. 
Vide eundem de verbis Apostoli, ad Bonif. Epist.23. ad Vitalem, Epist. 106. cont. 
duas epistol. Pelagian, lib. i. c. 22 ; et lib. iv. c. 4. lib. cont. Julian, c. 2 ; et S. 
Cyprian, lib. iii. ; Test ad Quirin. c. 25. Autor Hypognost. in operibusS. August. 
Idem ait expresse S. Pauliuus Epist. Nolanus Epist 12. ad Severum. S. Cyril. 
Hieros. Catecb. iii. c. 1. Idem dixit P. Innocentius. Capit. Caroli Mag. lib. i. 
c. 161. Alcuin. lib. de Divinis Offic. Idem videre est in Ordine Romano, quern 
edidit Michael Hittorpius. 



OF COMMUNICATING INFANTS. 503 

suck, or receive any other nourishment." The same also is 
used by the Greeks, by the Ethiopians, by the Bohemians 
and Moravians : and it is confessed by Maldonate, c that the 
opinion of St. Austin and Innocentius, that the eucharist is 
necessary even to infants, prevailed in the Church for six 
hundred years together. 

But since the time of Charles the Great, that is, for above 
eight hundred years, this practice hath been omitted d in the 
Western churches generally ; and in the Council of Trent it 
was condemned as unfit, and all men commanded to believe, 
that though the ancient churches did do it upon some pro- 
bable reasons, yet they did not believe it necessary. Con- 
cerning which, I shall not interrupt the usefulness which I 
intend in this discourse, by confuting the canon ; though it 
be intolerable to command men to believe in a matter of fact 
contrary to their evidence, 6 and to say that the fathers did 
not believe it to be necessary, when they say it is, and used 
it accordingly : yet because it relates to the use of this Divine 
sacrament, I shall give this short account of it. 

The Church of Rome, and some few others, are the only 
refusers and condeuaners of this ancient and catholic practice; 
but, upon their grounds, they cannot reasonably deny it. 
1. Because infants are, by them, affirmed to be capable of 
the grace and benefits of the eucharist ; for to them who 
put no bar (as infants put none), the sacraments, by their 
inherent virtue, confer grace : and, therefore, particularly, it 
is affirmed/ that if infants did now receive the eucharist, 
they should also receive grace with it: and, therefore, it is 
not unreasonable to give it to them, who, therefore, are 
capable of it, because it will do them benefit ; and it is, 
consequently, upon these grounds, uncharitable to deny 
it : for, 

2. They allow the ground, upon the supposition of which 
the fathers did most reasonably proceed ; and they only deny 

c Maklonatus in Johan. vi. Num. 116. 

d Vide Hierem. Petr. C. P. doctor, exhor. ad Gennanos. Alvarez in Itin. 
jEthiop. Joachimum Vadianum in notat. lib. i. fol. 14. de Sacram. Eucharistiae. 
Concil. Trid. sess. 21. can. 4. 

e Motou ya. tturov xoci Qtof ffrngiffxtrai' 
A.yivnra. tfoitTv *f r i JUfpa.yfj.tva, 

Agatho, cpud Ari$tot. ethic, vi. c. 3. Wilkinson, p. 23-1. 
1 Franc, a Victor, de Euchar. n. 75. 



504 OF COMMUNICATING INFANTS. 

the conclusion. For, by the words of Christ^ it is absolutely 
necessary " to eat his flesh and drink his blood :" and if 
those words be understood of sacramental manducation (in 
which interpretation both the ancients and the Church of 
Rome do consent), then it is absolutely necessary to commu- 
nicate. For although there are other ways of ' eating his 
flesh, and drinking of his blood,' besides the sacramental 
manducation, yet Christ, in this place, meant no other ; and 
if of this he spake when he said, ' Without doing this, we 
have no life in us,' then it will not be sufficient to baptize 
them, though, in baptism, they should receive the same grace, 
as in the eucharist : because, abstracting from the benefit and 
grace of it, it is made necessary by the commandment ; and, 
by the will of God, it is become a means indispensably 
necessary to salvation. It is necessary by a necessity of the 
means, and a necessity of precept. True it is, that, in each 
of the sacraments, there is a proportion of the same effect, as 
I have already discoursed ; h yet this cannot lessen the neces- 
sity that is upon them both ; for so Pharaoh's dream was 
doubled, not to signify divers events, but a double certainty. 
And, therefore, although children, even in baptism, are par- 
takers of the death of Christ, and are incorporated into, and 
made partakers of, his body, yet because Christ hath made 
one as necessary as the other, and both for several propor- 
tions of the same reason, the Church of Rome must either 
quit the principle, or retain the consequent ; for they have 
digged a ditch on both sides, and on either hand they are 
fallen into inconvenience. But it will be more material to 
consider the question as it is in itself, and without relation 
to any schools of learning. Therefore, 

3. It is certain that in Scripture there is nothing which 
directly forbids the giving the holy communion to infants. 
For though we are commanded to examine, and so to eat, 
yet this precept is not of itself necessary, but by reason of an 
introduced cause ; just as they are commanded to believe 
and repent, who are to be baptized ; that is, persons that need 
it, and that can do it, they must : and infants, without exa- 
mination, can as well receive the effect of the eucharist, as, 
without repentance, they can have the effect of baptism. 

t John, vi. 53 ; iii. 5. h Chap. i. gect. 5. 



OF COMMUNICATING INFANTS. 505 

For if they be communicated, they and the whole assembly 
do declare the Lord's death ;' for that is done by virtue of the 
whole solemnity, and it is done by the conjunct devotion of 
the whole community : it is done by the prayers and offices 
of the priest, and it is done by the action of every one that 
communicates : it is done in baptism, and yet they are bap- 
tized who cannot, with their voices, publish the confession. 
Infants, indeed, cannot * discern' the Lord's body ; so neither 
can they discern truth from falsehood ; an article of faith from 
a heretical doctrine : and yet to discern the one is as much 
required as to discern the other ; but in both the case is 
equal ; for they must discern when they can confound or 
dishonour ; but till they can do evil, they cannot be tied to 
do good. And it were hard to suppose the whole Church of 
God, in her best and earliest times, to have continued, for 
above six hundred years, in a practical error ; it will not well 
become our modesty to judge them without further inquiry 
and greater evidence. 

4. But as there is no prohibition of it, so no command for 
it. For as for the words of our blessed Lord recited by 
St. John, 1 upon which the holy fathers did principally rely; 
they were spoken before the institution of both the sacra- 
ments, and indifferently relate to either ; that is, indeed, to 
them both, as they are the ministries of faith ; but to neither 
in themselves directly, or in any other proportion, or for any 
other cause. For faith is the principal that is there intended ; 
for the whole analogy of the discourse, drawn forth of its 
clouds and allegory, infers only the necessity of being Christ's 
disciples, of living the life of grace, of feeding in our 
hearts on Christ, of living in him, and by him, and for 
him, and to him ; which is the work of faith, and believing in 
Christ, as faith signifies the being of Christ's disciple. k 

5. The thing itself, then, being left in the midst, and 
undetermined, it is in the power of the Church to give it or 
to deny it. For, in all things where Christ hath made no law, 
the Church hath liberty to do that which is most for the 
glory of God, and the edification of all Christian people. 
And, therefore, although the Primitive Church did confirm 
newly baptized persons, and communicate them, yet as with 

' John, vi. J3. k See chap. i. sect. 2 and 3. 



506 OF COMMUNICATING INFANTS. 

great reason she did change the time of confirmation 
from their first baptism, till they could give an account of 
their faith, so with equal authority, when she hath an equal 
reason, she may change and limit the time ofministering the 
communion. The Church is tied to nothing but to the laws 
of the sacrament, and the laws of reason, and the laws of 
charity : but that either of them is reasonable enough, may 
appear in the following considerations. 

For the Primitive Church had all this to justify their 
practice : that the sacraments of the Gospel are the great 
channels of the grace of God : that this grace always descends 
upon them that do not hinder it, and, therefore, certainly to 
infants ; and some do expressly affirm it, and none can with 
certainty deny, but that infants, if they did receive the com- 
munion, should also, in so doing, receive the fruits of it : that 
to baptism there are many acts of predisposition required, as 
well as to the communion ; and yet the Church, who very 
well understands the obligation of these precepts, supposes 
no children to be obliged to those predispositions to either 
sacrament, but fits every commandment to a capable subject : 
that there is something done on God's part, and something 
on ours; that what belongs to us, obliges us then when we 
can hear and understand, but not before ; but that what is 
on God's part, is always ready to them that can receive it : 
that infants, although they cannot alone come to Christ, yet 
the Church, their mother, can bring them in her arms : 
that they who are capable of the grace of the sacrament, 
may also receive the sign ; and, therefore, the same grace, 
being conveyed to them in one sacrament, may also be im- 
parted to them in the other : that as they can be born 
again without their own consent, so they can be fed by the 
hands of others ; and what begins without their own actual 
choice, may be renewed without their own actual desire ; 
and that, therefore, it might be feared, lest, if upon the 
pretence of figurative speeches, allegories, and allusions, and 
the injunction of certain dispositions, the holy communion be 
denied them, a gap be opened upon equal pretences to deny 
them baptism : that since the Jewish infants being circum- 
cised is used as an argument that they might be baptized, 
their eating of the paschal lamb may also be a competent 
warrant to eat of that sacrament, in which also, as in the 



OF COMMUNICATING INFANTS. 507 

other, the sacrificed Lamb is represented as offered and slain 
for them. Now the Church having such fair probabilities 
and prudential motives, and no prohibition, if she shall use 
her power to the purposes of kindnesses and charity, she is 
not easily to be reproved, lest without necessity we condemn 
all the Primitive Catholic Church , and all the modern churches 
of the east and south to this day : especially since without 
all dispositions infants are baptized, there is less reason why 
they may not be communicated, having already received 
some real dispositions towards this, even all the grace of the 
sacrament of baptism, which is certainly something towards 
the other. And after all, the refusing to communicate infants 
entered into the Church upon an unwarrantable ground. 
For though it was confessed that the communion would do 
them benefit, yet it was denied to them then when the 
doctrine of transubstantiation entered, 1 upon pretence lest 
by puking up the holy symbols the sacrament should be 
dishonoured ; which indeed, though that doctrine were true, 
were infinitely unreasonable ; as supposing that Christ, who 
suffered his body to be broken upon the cross that he might 
convey grace to them and us, would refuse to expose the 
symbols to the accidents of a child's stomach, and rather 
deny them that grace, than endure that sight, who yet does 
daily suffer mice and mouldiness to do worse unto it. 

But on the other side, they that, without interest and 
partiality, deny to communicate infants, can consider that 
infants, being in baptism admitted to the promises of the 
Gospel, and their portion in the kingdom of Christ, can 
have upon them no necessity to be communicated. For by 
their first sacrament they are drawn from their mere natural 
state, and lifted up to the adoption of sons ; and by the 
second sacrament alone they can go no further : that 
although the first grace which is given in baptism, be given 
them as their first being, yet the second graces are given to 
us upon other accounts, even for well using the first free 
grace : that in baptism there were promises made, which 
are to be personally accepted and verified, before any new 
grace can be sacramentally imparted : that it was necessity 
which gave them baptism before their reason, and that 

1 Victoria. Relict, de Eucharist, ubi supra. 



508 WHETHER FOOLS, &C. MAY BE 

necessity being served, there can be no profit in proceeding 
upon the same method without the same reason : that 
baptism is the sacrament of the new-born, the beginning, the 
gate of the Church, the entry of the kingdom, the birth of a 
Christian ; but the holy eucharist is the sacrament of them 
that grow in grace, of them that are perfect in Christ Jesus : 
and, lastly, to him that lists to be contentious, we are to 
say, as St. Paul did, " We have no such custom, nor the 
churches of God." 

Now these probabilities on both sides may both of them 
be heard, and both of them prevail in the sense of the former 
determination : for, by the first, it may appear, that to com- 
municate infants is lawful ; but the second proves that it is 
not necessary ; for having in baptism received sufficient title 
to the kingdom of heaven, they, who before the use of reason 
cannot sin, and cannot fall from the grace they have received, 
cannot be obliged to the use of that sacrament which is for 
their reparation and security ; and therefore, in this case, the 
present practice of the Church is to be our rule and measure 
of peace and determination of the article. 



SECTION III. 

Whether Innocents, Fools, and Madmen, may be admitted to 
the Holy Communion ? 

To this I answer, that if fools can desire it, and can be kept 
innocent, the Church did never deny it to them ; but unless 
they be capable of love and obedience in some degree, they 
must in no case be admitted. A vicious fool is intolerable ; 
and he that knows nothing of it, nor can be taught any 
thing, must be permitted to the mercies of God and the 
prayers of the Church ; but he that is not capable of laws, 
can be no part of a society, and, therefore, hath nothing to 
do with communion. If he can but learn so much that it is 
good for his soul ; if he can desire to go to God, and if he 
can in any degree believe in Christ, he will be judged ac- 
cording to what he hath, and not according to what he hath 
not: but if he cannot discern between good and 'evil, but 
indifferently likes and does one and the other, though mercy 



ADMITTED TO THE HOLY COMMUNION. 509 

is to be hoped for him in the last account, yet because he 
does that which is materially evil, and cannot discern what 
is spiritually good, he must not be admitted so much as to 
the symbols of the Divine mysteries. 

But concerning madmen, the case is otherwise ; and, 
therefore, I am to answer with a distinction. If, from a state 
of sin and debauchery, they entered into their madness, their 
case is sad, and infinitely to be deplored ; but their debt- 
books are sealed up ; they are like dead men ; until they 
be restored to reason they cannot be restored to grace, and 
therefore not admitted to the sacrament. But if they were 
men of a good life, they may, in their intervals, that is, when 
they can desire it, and when they will not use the sacrament 
irreverently, be communicated. For the seed of God abides 
within them, and no accident of nature can destroy the 
work of God and the impresses of the Spirit ; nothing but 
their own wills can do that. 

For, in these cases, it is a good rule, and of great use in 
the practice of the sacrament : ' Whoever can communicate 
spiritually, may be admitted to communicate sacramentally ;' 
that is, they who are in a state of grace, and can desire it, 
must not be rejected : and, therefore, good men falling into 
this calamity, when they have any ease from their sadness, 
and that they can return to words of order, and composed 
thoughts, though but for awhile, though but in order to that 
ministry, are not to be rejected. 

But, on the other side, whoever can hinder the effect of 
the sacrament, they are not to be admitted to it, unless they 
do not only not hinder it, but actually dispose themselves to 
it. For if they can do evil, they can and ought to do good ; 
and, therefore, vicious madmen having been, and still 
remaining, in a state of evil, cannot be admitted till they do 
good ; and therefore never while their madness remains. 
The godly man that is so afflicted may, but yet not till the 
fire that was hidden makes some actual and bright emis- 
sions. 

But, then, lastly : For others who are of'a probable life, 
concerning whom no man can tell whether they be in the 
state of grace or no, because no man can tell whether he 
that comes with that sadness be capable or no, no man can 
tell whether he does well or ill : and, therefore, he must 



510 OF ACTUAL FAITH, AS IT IS 

determine himself by accidents, and circumstances, and pru- 
dential considerations, having one eye upon the designs and 
compliances of charity, and the other upon the reverence of 
the sacrament. And the case is in all things alike with 
dying persons, past the use of speech and reason. 



SECTION IV. 

Of actual Faith, as it is a necessary Disposition to the 
Sacrament. 

BESIDES the faith that is previous to baptism, or is wrapped 
up in the offices of that sacrament, the Church of God 
admitted only such persons to the sacrament, whom she 
called * fideles/ or ' faithful,' by a propriety or singularity 
and eminence of appellation. They accounted it not enough 
barely to believe, or to be professors ; for the penitents, and 
the lapsed, and the catechumens, were so : but they meant 
such persons whose faith was operative, and alive, and justi- 
fying ; such men whose faith had overcome the world, and 
overcome their lusts, and conquered their spiritual enemy ; 
such who by faith were real servants of Christ, disciples of 
his doctrine, subjects of his kingdom, and obedient to his 
institutions. Such a faith as this, is, indeed, necessary to 
every worthy communicant ; because, without such a faith, 
a Christian is no more but a name ; but the man is dead ; 
and dead men eat not. Of this, therefore, we are to take 
strict and severe accounts ; which we shall best do by the 
following measures. 

1. Every true Christian believer must consent to the 
articles of his belief by an assent firmer than can be naturally 
produced from the ordinary arguments of his persuasion. 
Men believe the resurrection; but it is because they are 
taught it in their childhood, and they inquire fio further in 
their age : their parents and their priests, the laws of the 
Church and the religion of the country, make up the demon- 
stration ; but because their faith is no stronger than to be 
the daughter of such arguments, we find they commonly live 
at such a rate, as if they did neither believe, nor care 
whether it were so or no. The confidence of the article 
makes them not to leave off violently to pursue the interests 



NECESSARY TO THE SACRAMENT. 511 

of this world, and to love and labour for the other. Before 
this faith can enable them to resist a temptation, they must 
derive their assent from principles of another nature; and, 
therefore, because few men can dispute it with arguments 
invincible and demonstrative, and such as are naturally apt 
to produce the more perfect assent, it is necessary that these 
men, of all other, should believe, because it is said to coine 
from God, and rely upon it, because it brings to God, 
trust it, because it is good, acknowledge it certain, because 
it is excellent ; that there may be an act of the will in it, as 
well as of the understanding, and as much love in it as 
discourse. 

For he that only consents to an article because it is 
evident, is, indeed, convinced, but hath no excellence in 
his faith, but what is natural, nothing that is gracious and 
moral : true Christian faith must have in it something of 
obscurity, something that must be made up by duty and by 
obedience ; but it is nothing but this, we must trust the 
evidence of God in the obscurity of the thing. God's testi- 
mony must be clear to him, and the thing, in all other senses, 
not clear ; and then to trust the article, because God hath 
said it, it must have in it an excellence which God loves, 
and that he will reward. In order to this, it is highly con- 
siderable, that the greatest argument to prove our religion is 
the goodness and the holiness of it ; it is that which makes 
peace and friendships, content and comfort ; which unites all 
relations, and endears the relatives ; it relieves the needy, 
and defends the widow ; it ends strife, and makes love end- 
less. All other arguments can be opposed and tempted by 
wit and malice ; but against the goodness of the religion no 
man can speak : by which it appears, that the greatest argu- 
ment is that which moves love, intending, by love, to convince 
the understanding. 

But then for others who can inquire better : their 
inquiries also must be modest and humble, according to the 
nature of the things, and to the designs of God. They must 
not disbelieve an article in Christianity, which is not proved 
like a conclusion in geometry ; they must not be witty to 
object, and curious to inquire beyond their limit. For some 
are so ingeniously miserable, that they will never believe a 
proposition in divinity, if any thing can be said against it : 



512 OF ACTUAL FAITH, AS IT IS 

they will be credulous enough in all the affairs of their life, 
but impenetrable by a sermon of the Gospel : they will 
believe the word of a man, and the promise of their neigh- 
bour ; but a promise of Scripture signifies nothing, unless 
it can be proved like a proposition in the metaphysics. If 
Sempronius tells them a story, it is sufficient if he be a just 
man, and the narrative be probable : but though religion be 
taught by many excellent men, who gave their lives for a 
testimony, this shall not pass for truth, till there is no 
objection left to stand against it. The reason of these things 
is plain : they do not love the thing ; their interest is against 
it : they have no joy in religion : they are not willing and 
desirous that the things shall appear true. When love is 
the principle, the thing is easy to the understanding ; the 
objections are nothing, the arguments are good, and the 
preachers are in the right. Faith assents to the revelations 
of the Gospel, not only because they are well proved, but 
because they are excellent things ; not only because my 
reason is convinced, but my reason yields upon the fairer 
terms, because my affections are gained. For if faith were 
an assent to an article but just so far as it is demonstrated, 
then faith were no virtue, and infidelity were no sin : because 
in this there is no choice, and no refusal. But where that 
which is probable is also naturally indemonstrable, and yet 
the conclusion is that in which we must rejoice, and that for 
which we must earnestly contend, and that in the belief of 
which we serve God, and that for which we must be ready 
to die : it is certain, that the understanding observing the 
credibility, and the will being pleased with the excellence, 
they produce a zeal of belief, because they together make up 
the demonstration. For a reason can be opposed by a reason, 
and an argument by an argument : but if I love my religion, 
nothing can take me from it, unless it can pretend to be 
more useful and more amiable, more perfective and more 
excellent, than heaven and immortality, and a kingdom and 
a crown of peace, and all the things and all the glories of 
the eternal God. 

2. That faith which disposes to the holy communion, 
must have in it a fulness of confidence and relying upon 
God, a trusting in, and a real expectation of, the event of all 
the promises of the Gospel. God hath promised sufficient 



NECESSARY TO THE SACRAMENT. 513 

for the things of this life to them that serve him. They 
who have great revenues and full bags, can easily trust this 
promise : but if thou hast neither money nor friends, if the 
labour of thy hands and the success of thy labour fails thee, 
how is it then ? Can you then rely upon the promise ? 
What means your melancholy and your fear, your frequent 
sighs, and your calling yourself miserable and undone? Can 
God only help with means ? or cannot he also make the 
means, or help without them ? or see them when you see 
them not? or is it that you fear whether he will or no ? He 
that hath promised, if he be just, is always willing, whether 
he be able or no; and, therefore, if you do not doubt of his 
power, why should you at all doubt of his willingness ? For, 
if he were not able, he were not almighty: if he were not 
willing to perform his promise, then he were not just; and 
he that suspects that, hath neither faith nor love for God : of 
all things in the world, faith never distrusts the good-will of 
God, in which he most glories to communicate himself to 
mankind. If yet your fear objects and says, that ' all is well 
on God's part; but you have provoked him by your sins, and 
have lost all title to the promise :' I can say nothing against 
that, but that you must speedily repent and amend your 
fault ; and then all will be quickly well on your part also ; 
and your faith will have no objection, and your fears will 
have no excuse. When the glutton Apicius had spent a vast 
revenue in his prodigious feastings, he killed himself for fear 
of starving : but if Ceesar had promised to give him all Sicily, 
or the revenues of Egypt, the beast would have lived and 
eaten. But the promises of God give to many of us no 
security, not so much as the promise of our rich friend, who 
yet may be disabled, or may break his word or die. But let 
us try again. 

God hath promised that " all things should work toge- 
ther for good to them that fear him." Do we believe that 
our present affliction will do so? Will the loss of our goods, 
the diminution of our revenue, the amission of our honour, 
the death of our eldest son, the unkindness of a husband, 
the frown of our prince, the defeating of our secular hopes, 
the unprosperous event of our employment? Do we find 
that our faith is right enough really to be satisfied in these 
things so much as to be pleased with God's order and method 

VOL. xv. L L 



514 OF ACTUAL FAITH, AS IT IS 

of doing good to us by these unpleasant instruments ? Can 
we rejoice under the mercy by joys of believing at the same 
time, when we groan under the affliction by the passion of 
sense? Do we observe the design of cure, when we feel the 
pain and the smart ? Are we patient under the evil, being 
supported by expectation of the good which is promised 
to follow ? a This is the proper work of faith, and its best 
indication. 

Plutarch tells, that when the cowards of Lacedemon b de- 
picted upon their shields the most terrible beasts they could 
imagine, their design was to affright their enemies that they 
might not come to a close fight ; they would fain have made 
their enemies afraid, because themselves were so: which 
when Lacon espied, he painted upon a great shield, nothing 
but a little fly for his device : and to them who said he did it 
that he might not be noted in the battle, he answered, * Yea, 
but I mean to come so near the enemy, that he shall see the 
little fly.' This is our case : our afflictions seem to us like 
gorgons' heads, lions and tigers, things terrible in picture, 
but intolerable in their fury : but if we come near and con- 
sider them in all the circumstances, they are nothing but a 
fly upon a shield, they cannot hurt us; and they ought not 
to affright us, if we remember that they are conducted by 
God, that they are the effect of his care, and the impress of 
his love, that they are the method and order of a blessing, 
that they are sanctified and eased by a promise ; and that a 
present ease, it may be, would prove a future infelicity. If 
our faith did rely upon the promise, all this were nothing ; 
but our want of faith does cause all the excess of trouble. 
For the question is not whether or no we be afflicted, whe- 
ther we be sick, or crossed in our designs, or deprived of our 
children, this we feel and mourn for; but the question 
is whether all this may not, or be not intended to, bring good 
to us ? Not whether God smiles or no, but to what purpose 

* Si qua latent, meliora puta. Ov. M. i. 502. 

b The cowards of Lacedemon.] Plutarch does not mention these cowards: 
he merely states, that a Lacedemonian (Lacon) painted a fly upon his shield. 
Aaxwv i<ri rns cur<ri$o; fivTav t%uv r/<r/ttov, xtti raurtiv al ftiit>> Ttis aXS/v>js, us 
xa<raiyt)Mirif rni; sXtyev vtrsg <rov Xasv3-auv ravfa fi<fmnxii,"\ta. fn.lv our (iHn) Qscttga; 



$*,. LUCOB. Apoph. Xyland. torn. ii. p. 234. D. (J. R. P.) 
c Putnam, Phaeton, pro munere poscis. 



NECESSARY TO THE SACRAMENT. 515 

he smiles? not whether this be not evil, but whether this evil 
will not bring good to us ? If we do believe, why are we 
without comfort and without patience? If we do not believe 
it, where is our faith ? 

And why do any of us come to the holy communion, if 
we do not believe it will be for our good ? but if we do think 
it will, why do we not think so of our cross? for the promise 
is that every thing shall. Cannot the rod of God do good as 
well as the bread of God ? and is not he as good in his dis- 
cipline as in his provision ? is not he the same in his school 
as at his table ? is not his physic as wholesome as his food ? 
It is not reason, but plainly our want of faith, that makes us 
think otherwise. Faith is the great magazine of all the 
graces and all the comforts of a Christian : and, therefore, 
the devil endeavours to corrupt the truth of it, by inter- 
mingling errors, the sincerity of it by hypocrisy, the in- 
genuity of it by interest, the comforts of it by doubting, the 
confidence of it by objections, and secular experiences, and 
present considerations; by adherence to human confidences, 
and little sanctuaries, and the pleasures of the world, and 
the fallibilities of men. When Xerxes had a great army to 
conduct, and great successes to desire, and various contin- 
gencies to expect, he left off to sacrifice to his country 
gods, forsook Jupiter and the sun: and, in Lydia, espying a 
goodly platan-tree, tall, and straight, and spread, he encamped 
all his army in the fields about it, hung up bracelets and 
coronets upon the branches, and, with costly offerings, made 
his petitions d to the beauteous tree : and when he marched 
away, he left a guard upon his god, lest any thing should do 
injury to the plant, of which he begged to be defended from 
all injury. By such follies as these does the devil endeavour 
to deflower our holy, faith and confidences in God ; we trust 
in man, who cannot trust himself; we rely upon riches, that 
rely upon nothing ; for they have no stabiliment, and they 
have no foundation, but are like atoms in the air; the things 
themselves can bear no weight, and the foundation cannot 
bear them. In our afflictions, we look for comfort from wine 

d Herodotus does not say, that Xerxes made any petitions to the plane-tree 
EUJE (o E{j|f) a'Xara'wa'Tay, TJJV, xa,\\ias iiv'xa, S/ugvtruftivof xofff&u ^vffita, KOJ [ti\i- 
3avM uvSouvu a3-aTw av5^ Imrai^a;, &c. Po/i/m. C. 31. Schweigh. vol. iii. 
p. 191. (J. R. P.) 



516 OF ACTUAL FAITH, AS IT IS 

or company, from a friend that talks well, or from any thing 
that brings us present ease, but, in the meantime, we look 
not into the promises of God, which are the storehouses of 
comfort : and, like the dogs at Hippocrene, we lick the water- 
drops that fall upon the ground, and take no notice of the 
fountain and the full vessels. These things are so necessary 
to be considered, in order to our preparation to the commu- 
nion, as they are necessary to be reduced to practice, in order 
to a Christian conversation. For the holy communion is the 
summary and compendium of the religion and duty of a 
whole life ; and as faith cannot be holy, material, and ac- 
ceptable, without it contain in it a real trust in the promises 
of God, so neither can it be a sufficient disposition to the 
receiving the Divine mysteries, unless upon this ground it be 
holy, acceptable, and material. 

3. That faith which is a worthy preparatory to the hoi}' 
communion, must be the actual principle and effective of a 
good life; a faith in the threatenings and in the command- 
ments of God. Who can pretend to be a Christian, and yet 
not believe those words of St. Paul?" " Follow after peace, 
with all men, and holiness ; without which, no man shall see 
God." And yet if we do believe it, what do we think will 
become of us, who neither ' follow peace nor holiness,' but 
follow our anger, and pursue our lust ? If we do believe 
this, we had need look about us, and live at another rate 
than men commonly do. But we still remain peevish and 
angry, malicious and implacable, apt to quarrel and hard to 
be reconciled, lovers of money and lovers of pleasures, but 
careless of holiness and religion ; as if they were things fit 
only to be talked on, and to be the subject of theological 
discourses, but not the rule of our lives, and the matter of 
our care. It is expressly said by St. Pauljf "He that 
eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damna- 
tion to himself." Now if we observe what crowds of people, 
in great cities, come to the holy communion, good and bad, 
penitent and impenitent, the covetous and the proud, the 
crafty merchant from yesterday's fraud, and the wanton fool 
from his last night's lust, we may easily perceive, that not 
many men believe these words. He that says to me, ' Drink 

Heb. jcii. 14. f 1 Cor. xi. 29. 



NECESSARY TO THE SACRAMENT. 517 

not this, for it is poison,' hath given me a law and an affright- 
ment, and I dare not disobey him, if I believe him ; and if 
we did believe St. Paul, I suppose we should as little dare to 
be damned, as to be poisoned. Our blessed Saviour g told 
us, that " with what measures we mete to others, it shall be 
measured to us again;" but who almost believes this, and 
considers what it means? Will you be content, that God 
should despise you as you despise your brother? that he 
should be as soon angry with you, as you are with him ? that 
he should strike you as hastily, and as seldom pardon you, 
and never bear with your infirmities, and as seldom interpret 
fairly what you say or do, and be revenged as frequently as 
you would be? And what think we of these sayings, h " Into 
the heavenly Jerusalem there shall, in no wise, enter any 
thing that defileth, or profaneth ; neither whatsoever worketh 
abomination, or maketh a lie?" Do men believe God, and 
yet, doing these things, hope to be saved for all these terrible 
sayings ? ' ' Now the works of the flesh are manifest ; adultery, 
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, &c., of which I tell 
you before, that they which do such things, shall not inherit 
the kingdom of God."' Certainly if we did believe that 
these things are spoken in earnest, we should not account 
fornication such a decent crime, so fashionable and harmless ; 
or make such a may-game of the fearful lectures of damna- 
tion. For, if these words be true, will men leave their sins, 
or are they resolved to suffer damnation, as being less trou- 
blesome than to quit their vain mistresses ? surely that is not 
it ; but they have some little subterfuges and illusions to 
trust to. They say, ' they will rely upon God's mercy.' 
Well they may ; if, " in well-doing, they commit their souls 
to him as to a faithful Creator :" but will they make God 
their enemy, and than trust in him, while he remains so? 
That will prove an intolerable experiment ; for so said God, 
when he caused his name to be proclaimed to the host of 
Israel ; " The Lord God, merciful and gracious :" he caused to 
be added, " and that will by no means quit the guilty." By 
no means? No, by no means ; let us believe that as well as 
the other. For the passion of our Redeemer, the intercession 
of our High-Priest, the sacraments of the Church, the body 

K Matt. vii. 2. h Rev. xxi. 27. ' Gal. v. 21. 



518 OF ACTUAL FAITH, AS IT IS 

and blood of Christ, the mercies of God, the saying, ' Lord, 
Lord,' the privileges of Christians, and the absolution of the 
priest, none of all this, and all this together, shall do him no 
good that remains guilty ; that is, who is impenitent, and 
does not forsake his sin. If we had faith, we should believe 
this, and should not dare to come to the holy communion 
with an actual guiltiness of many crimes, and in confidence 
of pardon, against all the truth of Divine revelations, and 
therefore without faith. 

But then here we may consider, that no man, in this case, 
can hope to be excused from the necessities of a holy life 
upon pretence of being saved by his faith. For if the case 
be thus, these men have it not. For he that believes in God, 
believes his words, and they are very terrible to all evil per- 
sons ; for " in Christ Jesus nothing can avail but a new 
creature, nothing but keeping the commandments of God, 
nothing but faith working by charity;" they are the words of 
God. Wicked men, therefore, can never hope to be saved 
by their faith, or by their faith to be worthy communicants, 
for they have it not. Who then can ? 

He only, by his faith, is worthily disposed to the com- 
munion, and by his faith can be saved, who, by his faith, 
lives a life of grace, whose faith is to him a magazine of holy 
principles, whose faith endears obedience, and is the nurse 
of a holy hope, and the mother of a never-failing charity. 
He shall be saved by his faith, who by his faith is more than 
conqueror, who resists the devil, and makes him fly, and 
gives laws to his passions, and makes them obedient : who, 
by his faith, overcomes the world, and removes mountains, 
the mountains of pride and vanity, ambition, and secular 
designs, and whose faith casteth out devils, the devil of lust, 
and the devil of intemperance, the spirit that appears like a 
goat, and the spirit that comes in the shape of a swine : he 
whose faith opens the blind man's eyes, and makes him to 
see the things of God, and cures the lame hypocrite, and 
makes him to walk uprightly. " For these signs shall fol- 
low them that believe," said our blessed Saviour ; k and by 
these, as by the wedding garment, we are fitted to this hea- 
venly supper of the king. In short, for whatever end faith is 

k Mark, xvi. 17, 18. 



NECESSARY TO THE SACRAMENT. 519 

designed, whatever propositions it tends to persuade, to what 
duties soever it does engage, to what state of things soever 
it ought to efform us, and whithersoever the nature and 
intention of the grace does drive us, thither we must go, 
that we must do, all those things we must believe, and to 
that end we must direct all our actions and designs. For the 
nature of faith discovers itself in the affairs of our religion as 
in all things : if we believe any thing to be good, we shall 
labour for it ; if we think so, we shall do so. And if we run 
after the vanities of the world, and neglect our interest of 
heaven, there is no other account to be given of it, but be- 
cause we do not believe the threatenings and the laws of God; 
or