Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

129 her came flesh nor wine in my mouth. or 2, Wholly, as D. Luke 5. 33. The Difciples of John fast often, but thine eat and drink. And thefe, 3, Wholly, an Artificial or civil Day, as 2 Dam. 1. 12. They mourned and wept and fafted untill even. or 4. A natural Day. as 2 Dam. 12. 16. David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the earth. or 5, Di. vers daies, as Esth. 4 16. Fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. Cornelius four days, Act. 10. 30. The men of Fabesh Gilead, in part, feven days, I Sam. 31. 13. Thofe in the fhip with S. Paul fourteen days, Act. 27. 33. Daniel three weeks, Dan, 10. 2. Mofes, Elijah, and our Savior wholly, forty days. Exod. 34. 28. 1 Kings 19, S. S. Mat. 4. 2. Of these the three first only concern this Subject, and of the first and fecond that is to be chofen which, according to my prefent Temper and Conftitution, will really beft tend to, and most effectually accomplish the true end of this Day's Abftinence, as ch. 2, §. 14, and ch. 4, §. 2. which I muft now again peruse for my regulation.

§. 2, THERE arc Five forts of whole Fafts, 1, Religious, publick, Neh. 9. 1. and private 2 Sam. 12. 16. 2dly, Natural, A. 10.30. 3dly, Supernatural or Miraculous, Exod : 34.28.1 Kings 19. S. S. Mat. 4. 2. 4thly Hypocriticall S. Mat. 6. 16. and sly,Devilish, 1 Kings 21. 12. Act. 23. 12. From the two laft forts Good Lord deliver me.

BEFORE NOON.

§. 3. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not confumed, because his compaffions fail not, Lam. 3. 22.

I acknowledge &c. as ch. 2. §. 15.

ני

§. 4. A Penitential Confeffion, & Prayer for Pardon.

O Bleffed Lamb of God, who haft Redeemed me with the Bloud, I am utterly afhamed to look Thee in the face, confidering all the cruel Ufage which I have brought upon Thee, I fcarce know how to think of Feafting on thy most precious Bloud, now [when] I am most carneftly invited to it, fince mine own Sins have fhed it. I am, alas! a moft polluted creature, who have daily offended both in Thought, Word, and Deed against thy Divine Majefty.

My

[ocr errors]

My Pride and Contempt of God, and my Senfual lufts, and Covetous defires, and Uncha- *Here I menritable practices have cried aloud to Thee for tion particu vengeance on-me, and that Cry wou'd not be filenced, unlefs Thou, my dearest Savior, wou'dit Dy instead of me. Of all thefe Offences I am guilty, and the horror of That would fright me from Thee, were it not that Thou freely calleft me to accept of Mercy. I come, Lord, in obedience to thy Word, with an humble and penitent heart, I earnestly intreat Thee to have pity on me, I am fenfible of these and other Errors of my life, and am utter. ly afhamed that ever I committed them, and fully purpo ied, by thy Grace, to become a New Man, or elfe I durft not ask to be forgiven. My heart fhall never more joyn with them, nor will I ever hereafter yield to live in fuch Ungrateful and wicked ways again. They nail'd thy tender Hands and Feet, O Bleffed Fefu! to th' accurfed Tree, and thruft the fpear into thy fide, and can I then indure to fee, or any longer fide with 'em? They made God, who is th' Author of all I have and hope t'injoy, to become my utter Enemy; and fhall I then be still a friend to 'em. They would bring me t'eternal Destruction both of Body and foul; and whilft I confider this, is it poffible that I fhou'd have any more to do with 'em? No, Blef fed Lord, I hate 'em, and am utterly refolv'd from this time forth for ever to abandon 'em. They have been the fhame of my Life, and are now the Sorrow of my Heart, as, alas! when Thou induredft fuch Anguifh for 'em on the Cross, once they were of thine. I loath my felf by reafon of 'em, and will never confent any more to live in 'em; and with an humble and contrite heart, I mot humbly befeech Thee, my heavenly Father, that, thro' the Merits of thy Son's Bloud, I may be forgiven. And wilt rot Thou, O God, who fenteft to feek after me whilft I was an open Rebel, now meet me graciously, as Thou dieft the Prodigal fon, when I return again to y Duty? Wilt not Thou, my fweetest Savior, who Diedit for me whilft I was thine unrelenting Foe, now intercede for me, when I come to ferve Thee? O fpeak Peace to my poor heart, and let me know and feel that Thou forgiveft me! fend thy Holy Spirit to take poffeflion of it, to keep it true unto thy felf, that it may never more start back from Thee. Thou haft promised thy Grace to thofe that askit,

and'

131 and indeavor in expectation thereof; O!I defire it, and will do what I can, in hopes to be thereby affifted in the amend ment of all my Misdoings; and therefore I humbly hope that this Promife fhall be made good unto thy Servant. Whatsoever Thou doft in other things, deny me not this Grace, O Heavenly Father, for Jefus 's fake, who is infinitely dear to Thee, and who Died for me. Amen.

S. 5. Come, let us worship and fall down: and kneel before the Lord our maker. Pial. 95. 6.

Let us repent and turn from our wickedness:and our fins shall beforgiven. Act. 3. 19. §. 11. PROPEK Psalms, the 13, 43

3 and 54.

S. 12. NOTE that the Order of our Church how the Pfalter (which follows the Divifion of the Hebrews) is appointed to be read, is (as in the beginning of the Book of Common Prayer, before the Kalendar, ) At the End of every Plalm, and of every Part of the 119 Pfalm, fhall be repeated this Hymn, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghoft; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

:

§. 13. The first Leffon. Jonah 3 chapter. And the &c. §. 14. PSALM 61. Hear my crying O God, &c. §. 15. THE fecond Leffon. S.Luke.22 Now the Feaft &c. §. 16. PSALM 120. When I was in trouble &c.

Most mighty God, and merciful Father, who hast compaffion upon all men, and hateft nothing that Thou' haft made, who wouldeft not the death of a Sinner, but that he should rather turn from his fin, and be Saved; Mercifully forgive me my trespaffes, receive and comfort me, who am grieved and wearied with the burden of my fins. Thy property is always to have mercy; to Thee only it appertaineth to forgive fins; Spare me therefore, good Lord, and enter not into judgment with thy fervant, who am vile earth, and a miserable finner : but fo turn thine anger from me, who meekly acknowledge my vilenefs, and truly repent of my faults, and fo make hafte to help me in this world, that I may ever live with Thee in the world to come, through Jefus Christ our Lord, Amén.

Litany on the X Commandments, Creed, both Sacraments, and the Lord's Prayer.

§. 18. THE word Litany is of greater antiquity than is commonly obferv'd: for the ancient Greek writers, as well Poets

[ocr errors]

Part. I. as Hiftorians, ufe it for An earneft Supplication to the Gods, especially in adverfe fortune; in which fenfe it is found in Livy; and in Suidas it is expounded by Words fignifying to Befeech earnestly. Nor did it alter its primitive fignification when it was adopted by the Chriftian Church, being ftill used for Solemn Requests appointed for th' intreating the favor, and obtaining the Mercies of God in fome great Exigence, as an old Council defines it; and Simeon Bishop of Theffalonica agrees thereunto, A Litany (faies he) is a Supplication and common Interceffion, unto God, when his wrath lies upon us; finally a Modern, but Indicious Critick of our own fays, it is A publick kind of Supplication whereby the Mercy of God is more ardently and folemnly implored. Spelman Gloffar.

§. 19. NOW tho' the Name be not exprefly to be found in Scripture, yet if we confider the Thing, we have very mauý Precedents of fuch kind of earnest Supplications there,both Private (in imitation whereof 1 have inferted this) as David's in the 51. Pfalm; and Daniel's, th. 9; and our Lord's most earneft Supplication in kis Agony, S. Luke. 22. had all the properties of Litany which could agree to Him, the Posture, Kneeling, v. 41. the Companions, ftrong Crying and Tears, Heb. 5. 7. the Form,repeating the fame words, S. Mat. 26 44. And a Publick and Solemn Litany was inftituted and appointed by God Himself in a time of general Calamity, Joel. 2. and when our Lord Jefus gave a most perfect Pattern for all our Prayers, He laid the foundation of Litanies among the Chriftians in thofe latter Petitions. Forgive us our Tzespasses. and Lead us not into Temptation/ but Deliber us trom Evil. Afterwards S. Paul does manifeftly injoyn feveral kinds of Publick Prayers, the first of which is Supplications, I Tim.

2. I.

§. 20. THE Primitice Churches had their Litanies, of th' antiquity whereof many Proofs might be here given, would my defigned brevity admit of it; And Gregory the Great Anno 6oo. Finding it available to avert Fudgments both in th' East and West and living in a time of univerfal Calamity, by Sickness, Inundation, and the Sword, did review all th’ancient Forms, and compofe that fo famous fevenfold Litany out of 'em all. (Paulus Diacon. lib. 18. Baloeus in vita Gregor. &c.) which all the Weftem Churches have principally imitated ever fince, as being the most full and regular Office of this kind that had been compiled; and it is affirmed that our Church Litany comes

nearer

[ocr errors]

nearer to this, than that of the prefent Roman Church, to which Pape Honorius added th' invocation of all the Saints. which was not in that of S. Gregory, and is expunged by our Reformers. The Lutherans in Germany have a Litany almoft in the fame words with ours; and the Danish Litany differs very little from ours of the Church of England, which is an Extract of the marrow of all the ancient Forms, with an addition of fome ufeful Petitions; fo we may justly esteem it the best in this kind that ever

[ocr errors]

§. 21. Eternal Lord God, I have in a grievous manner finned against Thee, and transgreffed against all thy holy Laws: for I have not always fet Thee before mine eyes; and have been prone to misbelieve and diftruft thy Promiles; and have loy'd, defir'd, and delighted in other things more than Thee; and fear'd Man more than God.

O God be merciful to me a Sinner.

I Have been guilty of framing to my felf divers vain and falfe imaginations of Thee; and have often drawn near to Thee with my Lips when my Heart has been far from Thec; I have defignedly, or carelesly abfented my felf fometimes from the Lord's Supper, or broken the Vows and Promifes I there made, and neglected the Feftivals and Fafts of the Church, & my Private Devotions.

O God be merciful to me a Sinner.

I Have abufed thy Sacred Name, by which only I can expect Salvation, by flightly and irreverently mentioning it;end broken my Baptismal-and other Vows,

O God be merciful to me a Sinner.

I Have often neglected to attend upon thy Holy Word, and the divine Service; and vainly mispent thofe Days which are hallowed to th'honor of thy great Name.

O God be merciful to me a finner.

I Have not given that due obedience and refpect which I ought to thofe whom Thou haft placed over me; nor been fo careful as I fhou'd to inftruct and incourage in Well doing, and to reprove and chaftife for Ill-doing thofe under my Charge; nor admonish'd all others as I had opportunity.

O God be mercifulto me a Sinner.

I Have envied at others health, cafe, and Welfare; and have let loose my Paffion to anger, malice, hatred, or contention; and many ways prejudiced my own health, and indanger'd my life; or other mens.

G

« ElőzőTovább »