spirit and the severity of a Christian. Let me in all accidents and circumstances be severe in my duty towards Thee, affectionate and dear to my Wife, [or Husband,] a guide and good example to my family, and in all quietness, fobriety, prudence and peace, a Follower of those holy pairs who have served Thee with godliness and a good testimony. And the bleffings of the eternal God, blessings of the right hand and of the left, be upon the body and foul of thy fer vant my Wife, (or Husband,) and abide upon her [or him] till the end of a holy and happy life; and grant that both of us may live together for ever in the embraces of the holy and eternal Jefus, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. A Prayer for the Grace of Humility. Holy and most gracious Master and Saviour Jefus, who by thy example and by thy precept, by the practice of a whole life and frequent discourses, didst, command us to be meek and humble, in imitation of thy incomparable sweetness and great humility; be pleased to give me the grace as thou hast given me the commandment: enable me to do whatsoever thou commandest, and command whatsoever thou pleasest. O mortifie in me all proud thoughts and vain opinions of my felf: let me return to Thee the acknowledgment and the fruits of all those. good things thou hast given me, that by confessing I am wholly in debt to Thee for them, I may not boast my self for what I have received, and for what I am highly accountable: and for what is my own, teach me to be ashamed and humbled, it being nothing but sin and misery, weakness and uncleanness. Let me go before my bre thren in nothing but in striving to do them honour and Thee glory, never to feek my own praise, never to delight in it when it is offered; that, despising my self, I may be accepted by Thee in the honours with which thou shalt crown thy humble and despised ser vants, for Jesus his fake, in the kingdom of eternal glory. Amen. Alts Acts of Humility and Modesty, by way of I. Lord, I know that my spirit is light and frothy, my body is brutish and exposed to sickness; I am constant to folly, and inconstant to holy purposes. My labours are vain and fruitless; my fortune full of change and trouble, seldom pleasing, never perfect; my wisdom is folly: being ignorant even of the parts and paffions of my own body: And what am I, O Lord, before thee, but a miferable person hugely in debt, not able to pay? II. Lord, I am nothing, and I have nothing of my self: I am less than the least of thy mercies.. What was I before my birth? First, nothing, and then uncleanness. What during my childhood? weakness and folly. What in my youth? folly still and paffion, lust and wildness. What in my whole life? a great finner, a deceived and an abused person. Lord, pity me, for it is thy goodness that I am kept from confufion and amazement, when I consider the misery and thame of my person, and the defilements of my nature. IV. Lord, what am I? and, Lord, what art thou ? What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that thou so regardest him ? How can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the Moon, and it shineth not, yea, the Stars are not pure in his fight: How much less man that is a worm, and the son of man which is a worm? Job 25. 4, c. A 1 A Prayer for a contented Spirit, and the Grace of Almighty God, Father and Lord of all the crea tures, who hast disposed all things and all chan ces so as may best glorifie thy Wisdom, and serve the ends of thy Justice, and magnifie thy Mercy, thy secret and undifcernable ways bringing good out of evil; I most humbly beseech thee to give me wisdom from above, that I may adore thee and admire thy ways and footsteps, which are in the great Deep, and not to be searched out: teach me to submit to thy providence in all things, to be content in all changes of person and condition, to be temperate in profperity, and to read my duty in the lines of thy mercy, and in adversity to be meek, patient and resigned, and to look through the cloud, that I may wait for the consolation of the Lord, and the day of Redemption; in the mean time doing my duty with an unwearied diligence, and an undisturbed resolution, having no fondness for the vanities and possessions of this world, but laying up my hopes in Heaven and the rewards of holy living, and being strengthened with the spirit of the inner Man, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. CHAP 1 J CHAP. III. Of Christian Justice. Ustice is by the Christian Religion enjoined in all its parts by these two propositions in Scripture: [Whatsoever you would that men should do to you, e ven so do to them.] This is the measure of Com- mutative Justice, or of that Justice which supposes exchange of things profitable for things profitable: that as I supply your need, you may fsupply mine: as I do a benefit to you, I may receive one by you: and because every man may be injured by another, therefore his security shall depend upon mine: if he will not let me be safe, he shall not be safe himself: (only the manner of his being punished is upon great reason both by God and all the World taken from particulars, and committed to a publick disinterested person, who will do Justice without paffion both to him and to me) if he refuses to do me advantage, he shall receive none when his needs require it. And thus God gave neceffities to men, that all men might need; and feveral abilities to several persons, that each man might help to fupply the publick needs, and by joining to fill up all wants, they may be knit together by Justice, as the parts of the World are by Nature: and he hath made all obnoxious to injuries, and made every little thing strong enough to do us hurt by some instrument or other; and hath given us all a sufficient stock of felf-love, and defire of self preservation, to be as the chain to tie together all the parts of society, and to restrain us from doing violence, lest we be violently dealt withall our selves. The other part of Justice is commonly called DistriRom. 137. butive, and is commanded in this Rule, [Render to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom boOwe no man any thing, but to love one another.] This Justice is distinguished from the first, because the obligation depends not upon contractor express bargain, but passes upon us by virtue of fome command of God, or of our Superiour, by nature or by grace, by Piety or Religion, by trust or by office, according to that commandment, [As every man hath received the 1 Pet. 4. 10) gift, fo let him minister the same one to another, as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God.] And as the first considers an equality of persons in respect of the con. tract or particular neceffity: this supposes a difference of persons, and no particular bargains, but such ne cessary intercourses as by the Laws of God or man are introduced. But I shall reduce all the particulars of both kinds to these four heads; 1. Obedience. 2. Provision. 3. Negotiation. 4. Restitution. nour. SECT. I. Of Obedience to our Superiours. OUR Superiours are fet over us in affairs of the World, or the affairs of the Soul and things pertaining to Religion, and are called accordingly, Ecclesiastical or Civil. Towards whom our duty is thus generally defcribed in the New Testament. For Temporal or Civil Governours the Commands are these: [Render to Cæfar the things that are Cefar's] and [Let Rom. 13. 1 every foul be fubject to the higher Powers: For there is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation] and [Put them in mind to be Tit. 3. 1. Subject to principalities and powers, and to obey magistrates] and [Submit your selves to every ordinance of 1 Pet. 2. 13. man, for the Lord's fake; whether it be to the King, as Supreme, or unto Governours, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and the praise of them that do well.] For Spiritual or Ecclefiaftical Governouts thus we are commanded: [Obey them that have the rule over you, Heb. 13. 17. and submit your selves, for they watch for your fouts, as they that must give an account] and [Hold Juch in reputa- Phil. 2. 29. L2 tion] |