Part I. fit to lay upon me: and is nothing eife but an Effect of fincere and cordial Love, and is made very Neceffary by shefe important Points; 1, Hereby the Glory of God is fignally advanced, and thereby my Honor, as being the Means. 2, The not conforming my Will to his Will is a tacit Denial of his Providence, and Self refignation is the way to fee a happy fue of my Afflictions. IF I chearfally fubrit, God will Treat me as his Child, if not He will Use me as bis Slave: for He is Almighty, and will do his Will upon me whether I will or no. 3, I can give no better, no greater Demonftration of my Wisdom, than in denying my own Judgment and Will, and fubmitting them to the Wifdom of God. As the whole World is govern'd by th infinite Wisdom of God, so Man in a particular manner, and efpecially those that fear Him; and whether God Commands me any thing, or will have me fuffer any thing, it is ftill for the Nobleft Ends, even his Glory, and my

eternal Salvation.

§ 5: IT is now particularly to be exercised and prac tifed, becaufer, This is to imitate my Bleffed Savior, who before He went to Dy, refign'd his Will to his Father's Will, D. Luke 22. 42. Not my Will but thine be done. and to Imitate Him in all his Actions, except the Miraculous, is my Duty and Glory: and if I do not, He will not own me for his Difciple. LEG. of me. (S. Mat. 1, 29. contains the whole Duty of a Chriftian. 2, Without this, one great End for which I pretend to come to this Sacrament, is not to be obtain'd, which is to learn to Imitate Chrift Jefus, in his Patience under all forts of Sufferings, and 3, The coming with this Self refignation, would not only prevent Difcontents, fretfulness, repinings, and Melancholy, but be a preparative for greater Gifts, for larger Effufions of the Holy Ghoft, and richer Communications of Inward Comforts.

§. 6. VII Commandment.

IF I have escaped the groffer Acts of Adultery and Fornication; Yet, Have I not neglected to use the Means to preferve my own and others Chastity? Have I not, by Gluttony, or Drunkenefs, paniper'd my Body, or by cherithing Unclean thoughts, purposes, and defires, defiled my Soul? Have I not run into any Occafions, or ufed

1

any

Lif any Provocations to Wantonnefs? Have I not used, or liffened to Filthy talking, or been guilty of Immodeft garbs, or Unchafte behavior? Lord have mercy &c.

§. 6. VIII Commandment.

IF I have not been guilty of notorious Stealing, or Robbery; Yet, Have I not, by Negligence in my partic ular Calling, run into Debt, without hopes or purposes of Repayment? Have not Wafted my own eftate, and Ruined my Family, by Idlenefs, or Prodigality? Have I nat cheated my Neighbor in buying or felling, breaking my covenants, fraudulent Writings, or falfifying my Word? Have I not by violeuce or Oppreflion Exacted of my Inferiors, or by unreasonable Ufury taken Advantage of others Neceffity? Have I not Wafted or Imbezell'd that which was Committed to my Trust; Refufed to Restore the Pledge; Abufed what was Lent; or Deny'd that which was found by me? Lord, have mercy upon me, And incline Love.

§. 8. A Prayer for Self-Refgnation.

O Almighty Lord, who never faileft them that trust on Thee; give me grace, I befeech Thee, in all my Diff culties and Diureffes to have recourfe to Thee; Thou shalt keep him, Ɑ Lord in perfect peace, whose mind is staied on Thee. O let me always reft on this firm pillar, and never exchange it for the broken reeds of Worldly fuccours fuffer not my heart to be overcharged with the cares of this life, taking thought what I fhall eat, or what I shall drink, or wherewithal I fhall be clothed, but grant that, having by honeft Labor and Indruftry done my part, I may chearfully Commit my felf to thy Providence, Cafting all my care upon Thee, and be careful for nothing but to be of the number of those Thou owneft and careft for, even fuch as keep thy Teftimonies, and think upon thy Commandments to do them. That feeking first thy Kingdom, and the Righteousness thereof, all these Outward things may be added unto me in fuch a measure as thy Wisdom knows best for me. Thy Wisdom is infinite to chufe, and thy Love forward to difpenfe Good things to us. O let me alivaies fully and intirely Refign my Self to thy Difpofals, have no defires of my own, but a perfect fatisfaction in thy choices for me; that fo in whatsoever flate Lam, I may be

therein

therein content. Lord, grant I may never look with 'mur, muring on my own condition, nor with envy on other mens; and to that End, I beseech Thee, purge my heart of all covetous Affections; O let me never yield up any corner of my heart to Mammon; but give me such a contempt of thefe fading Riches, that whether they increase or decrease, I may never fet my heart upon 'em, but that all my care may be to be rich towards God, to lay up my Treasure in heaven; that I may fo fet my affections on things above, that when Christ, who is my Life, shall appear, I may also appear with Him in Glory, Grant this, O Lord, for the Merits of the fame Jefus Chrift. Amen.

§. 9. VI Penitential Pfalm, 130.

Out of the deep have I called unto Thee, O LORD: LORD hear my voice. O let thine ears confider well: the voice of my complaint. If Thou, LORD, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss : O LORD, who may abide it? For there is mercy with Thee: therefore fhalt Thou be feared. I look for the LORD, my foul doth wait for Him: in his word is my truft. My foul fleeth unto the LORD before the morning watch, I fay, before the moning watch. O Ifrael trust in the LORD, for with the LORD there is mercy and with Him is plenteous Redemption. And He shall redeem Ifrael: from all his fins. Glory be the Father c. As it was &c.

:

§. 10. V Divine Colloquy. Soul. WHBREFORE, Lord, waft Thou condemn'd, feeing nothing could be prov'd against Thee? Chrift. That thou might know that it was not for my fault but thine that I fuffer'd, Sou. Lord, wherefore waft Thou led to fuffer out of the City? Chr. That I might bring thee to thy Reft in the heavenly City. So. Lord, why did the Jews compel Simon of Cyrene coming out of the field, to carry thy Crofs? Ch. To fhow the weakness whereunto the burden of thy Sin brought Me; and what must be every Chriftian's cafe which goes out of the field of this World towards the heavenly Jerufalem. So. But why, Lord. waft Thou ftripe of thy Garments? Ch. That thou mightft fee how I forfook all to Redeem thee. S. Lord. wherefore wouldft Thou be lifted upon a Ciofs? C. That I might lift thee up with me to Heaven. S. Lord, why didft Thou hang upon a curfed Tree ? C.

That

117 That I might fatisfy for thy Sin, committed in eating the forbidden fruit of a Tree. s. Wherefore, Lord, wou'dit Thou hang between two Thieves? Ch. That thou, my dear foul mightft have place in the midst of heavenly Angels. S. Lord, wherefore were thy Hands and Feet raild to the Crofs? C. To inlarge thy Hands to do the Works of righteousnefs, and to fet thy Feet at liberty, to Walk in the Way of Peace. S. Lord, why did they crucify Thee in Golgotha the place of dead men's fculis? C. To affure thee that my Death is life unto the Dead. S. Why, Lord, did not the Soldiers divide thy Seamless-coat? C. To fhow that my Church is One, without Rent of Schism. S. Wherefore, Lord, didft Thou tifte Vinegar and Gall? . That thou mighteft cat the Bread of Angels, and drink the water of Lite. S. Lord, why faidft Thou upon the Crofs, it is finished? C. That thou might know that by my Death the Law was faifhed, and thy Redemption effected. s. Lord, wherefore didft Thou cry out on the Crofs, g God, my God, why haft Thon forsaken Me? C. Left thou, being forfaken of God, fhouldft have been driven to cry in the pains of hell, Wo and alas, for evermore. S. Lord, why was there fuch a general Darkness when Thou didst fuffer, and cry out on the Crofs? C. That thou might st fee an Image of thofe hellifh pains which I fuffer'd to de liver thee from th' endless pains of Hell, and everlafting chains of Darknefs. 8. But why, Lord, wouldt Thou have thine Arms nail'd abroad? C. That I might imbrace thee more lovingly, my fweet Soul. S. Lord, wherefore did the Thief, that never wrought Good before, obtain Paradife upon fo hort Repentance? C. That thou mayst fee the Power of my Death to forgive them that Repent," that no finner needs Defpair. S. But why, Lord, did not th' other Thief, which hanged as near Thee, obtain the like mercy? C. Becaufe I leave whom I will to harden themselves in their Lewdnefs to destruction, that all shoulde fear, and none Prefume. S. Lord, wherefore didft Thou cry with fuch a loud and ftrong voice in yielding up the Ghoft? C. That it might appear that no man took my Life from Me, but that I laid it down my felf. s. Where fore, Lord, didt Thou commend thy Soul into thy Fathers hands? C. To teach thee what Thou fhou'dft do being to depart this Life, S. Lord, why did the Veil of

F S

the

Part. I. the Temple rend in twain at thy Death? C. To show that the Levitical Law fhould be no longer a Partition-wall be tween Jews and Gentiles, and that the way to Heaven is open to all Believers. s. Lord, wherefore did the Earth quake, and the ftones cleave at thy Death? C. For horror to hear their Lord dying; and to upbraid the cruel hardnefs of Sinners. S. Lord, why did not the Soldiers break thy Legs, as they did the Thieves who hanged at thy right hand and left? G. That thou mayft know that they had no power to do any more unto Me than the Scripture had foretold that they fhou'd do, and I fhou'd fuffer to fave thee. S. Wherefore, O Chrift, was thy fide opened with a pear? C. That thou mightst have a way to come nearer my heart. S. Lord, wherefore ran there out of thy precious fide bloud and water? C. To affure thee that I was flain indeed, feeing my heart bloud gufhed out, and the water which compaffed my heart flowed forth after it, which once spilt, man muft needs dy. S. Lord, why ran the bloud by it felf, and the water afterwards by it felf out of thy bleffed Wound? C. To aflure thee of two things; 1. That by my Bloud-fhedding Juftification and Sanctification were effected to fave thee. 2, That my Spirit, by the confcientious ufe of the Water in Baptism,and Bloud in th' Eucharift, will effect in thee Righteousness and Holinefs, by which thou fhalt glorify Me.

§. 11. A Prayer on Chrift's Paffion.

O My God and Savior, I am very fenfible that I have great Obligations to love Thee upon Account of my Creation, Prefervation, and daily Bleffings which I receive from thy liberal hand; but that which even forces me,. works upon me powerfully, and, as it were, pushes me forward, and compels me to love Thee, is the bitterCop of thy Sufferings, which, for my fake, Thou did ft drink off, and the mighty Work of Redemption, which renders Thee altogether lovely to my Soul. That admirable and incomparable Teftimony of thy Love is a ftrongers attractive, makes a greater impulfe, and is a fweeter and fofter Cord to bind my heart to thy Service. To ef fect this Work Thou haft taken more than ordinary Pains when Thou didst first Create me, it coft Thee no more than a Word Speaking; but to re-inftate me in that Blifs I

had