THE FATHER'S LEGACY. With precepts Moral, and prayers Divine▪ Fitted for all sorts, both young and old, times and seasons: Morning, Noon, and Night. LONDON, Printed for john Marriot, in Saint Dunstan's Churchyard in Fleetstreet. 1625. The Father's Receipt to cure the Son's soul's sickness. TAke early in the morning of thy life a Quart of true and unfeigned Repentance of Niniveh, and put to it both your hands full of fervent Faith in Christ's blood, which was shed for you; with as much Hope and Charity of the purest that you can purchase with tears unfeigned, from the Garden of God's Word, of each of these a like quantity, and put them into the vessel of a clear and unspotted conscience, and let them boil well in the fiery flames of true and hearty love, till you see by the perfect eye of your faith, and feel by your zeal illuminated, the black foam of the love of the world to stink in your stomach. Then scum it off with the spoon of faithful prayer: that done, take the immaculate cloth of Christ's pure innocency, and cover you warm with as many clothes of the Amendment of life as God shall strengthen you to bear: And then lie down on your bed, joined with the peace of God, and sweat out all the vile poison of covetousness, Idolatry, and the participation thereof, with alkind of pride, oppression, extortion, deceit, sedition, sects, envy, swearing, adultery, theft, drunkenness, sloth, and the like, let this be distilled through the limbeck of a clean heart: then apply the sweet ointment of a good conversation, and lay it to your nose, for fear you smell after your neighbour's goods: And when you feel yourself cleansed from all these forenamed diseases, then take the powder of Saywell, and lay it on your tongue to savour your mouth, and the ears of the hearers; but drink three times as much Doe-well. And anoint your hands with the oil of gladness, to do good works, that they may be supple and ready to minister to the poor distressed members of Christ as you see good occasion and are able: but beware of taking the wind of vainglory in the giving, lest the daily gusts thereof do you much harm, let these be incorporated all into one body with the juice of the Herb of Grace, of which if thou fail, all the rest will do thee little pleasure, neither can they be operative to either soul or body. And then arise from sin willingly, & walk out your course worthily: and take up Christ's cross patiently and bear it thankfully: observe these precepts carefully, and be mindful of them daily, and pray these prayers following zealously, and God will bless thee continually, and so shalt thou live everlastingly: which God grant, Amen say I. Probatum est, By thy Father. The Father's Legacy. In certain Moral precepts for the better ordering of his life. Concerning thyself. 1 BEgin the day in the service of God, continue it in his fear, that thou mayest end it in his favour. 2 When thou canst not spend the day in honourable actions, thou mayest in virtuous Contemplations, but be sure to put thy knowledge into practice. 3 In all things show a noble mind, and above all things avoid baseness; if thy birth be noble shame it not, if mean, let thy virtues raise it. 4 Never strive to please all men, or indeed any man whom thou needst not fear, since whatever thou dost will displease some body, if thou canst please thyself and not offend God, it is no matter whether others be pleased or no. 5 Be neither servile, nor officious to any (though greater than thyself) from whom thou neither regardest favour, nor fearest wrath: give them no occasion of offence, nor take injury at their hands. 6 With thy superior in degree show thyself neither too awful nor familiar, with thy equal be both courteous and familiar, with thy inferior though courteous yet not too familiar. 7 Bee sparing to praise or dispraise thyself in any quality: the first savour of vainglory, the other of folly, neither meddle with others actions either in way of approbation, or contumely; for as the one will get thee never the more love, so the other, will will get thee much more hatred. 8 Avoid rather those that flatter thee, than those that reprove thee: one loves thy purse, the other thy person. Intrude not thyself into any company where the place is private, nor enter into counsel vnrequired, and let thy advice savour rather of wisdom, than wit, for so thou shalt save thy credit and thy friends. 10 Let thy company where thou mayest have welcome be ways of the best sort, but shun all those that shall entice thee to any base action. 11 Mary not till thou be'st thy own man, to dispose of thy estate thyself, neither marry till thou hast a competent estate to defray that charge which marriage of necessity brings with it. 12 If thou be poor marry late and far off, if rich, quickly and near home, let thy wife be either virtuous, noble, rich, or fair, for without these or one of these, there can be no love. Nobility and riches may be a means to advance posterity, virtue and beauty will add to thyself pleasure and content, but never marry for beauty only, lest time or sickness show thee thy folly. 13 As near as thou canst choose one better qualified in mind then body, whose soul is fair as her face, handsome and neat in her apparel, not gay, nor sluttish; silent, yet not dumb when occasion serves to speak, with a blushing cheek, rather than a brazen forehead, mild and gentle spirited, and one that cannot be angry, freehearted, yet not lavish, loving to all, familiar to few, always merry, seldom wanton. 14 If thou hast children bring them up in all noble qualities, to make them worthy instruments either for Church or Commonwealth: but constrain none of them to apply themselves to any thing against nature, and win them rather by love and gentleness, then harsh severity. 15 Let thy house be rather necessary and neat, then large and rude, yet if thy estate and calling be great, let thy house be answerable without and within. 16 Let thy house-keeping be always bountiful, never prodigal, rather abounding then wanting, but never to win credit stretch thy purse beyond its bounds, nor let thy charge be greater than thy revenues, and take heed of paying use-money. 17 Let all thy house funiture be of the best, not only to show but for use also, so shalt thou not only content but pleasure thy friends, whose love if thou wilt gain, let thy house be to him always as his own, freely, without grudging, the sign of a base nature. 18 Invite not any man, especially great men) to thy house, unless thou have exercise to recreate them abroad aswell as within, hunting, hawking, bowling, etc. for without these he will quickly be weary; and let me advise thee, if thou be able, always to keep a stable of good horses, excellent for some quality, which will not only please all men, but shall get thee the name of generous. 19 Let thy servants be so many as thou mayest employ in honest offices, such as will neither be idle nor ill employed: for thy house affairs choose aged & well experienced men, rather profitable then handsome, but such as wait on thy person or thy friends, gentlemen-like in body or mind, neither let drudges, as horse-keepers or labourers, or such like come near thy person, or thy table, for either their rude behaviour or ill smell will be offensive. For thy maidservants take this rule, let thy house be well decked with them (such I mean as be handsome) for they grace a house more than all thy other furniture, and let thy wife have always a couple of Gentlewomen to attend her person at the least, and remember that sluts and foul sows will have always sluttish conditions. 20 Finally, banish from thy house all rude and ruffianlike fellows, with ignorant and hypocritical puritans. A Morning Prayer. O LORD God, our most gracious, loving and merciful FATHER in Christ jesus, we thy poor and most unworthy servants do here prostrate ourselves, both souls and bodies, before the Throne of thy heavenly Majesty, humbly acknowledging and confessing from the bottom of our hearts, that we are most vile, miserable, and sinful wretches, conceived in sin, brought forth in iniquity, and so have continued all our life time: Not worthy O Lord, of the least of all thy blessings, but deserve justly for our sins eternal death and damnation, and to be cast for ever from thy presence. Heavenly Father, we confess freely against our own souls, that our sins are more in number then the hairs of our heads, or the sands of the sea, or the stars of heaven; and that we have broken and transgressed all thy holy Commandments, both in thought, word, and deed, from our infancy to our youth, from our youth to our riper age, from the day of our birth to this present day. The evil, O Lord, which we should not do, we have done, and the good which we should have done, we have omitted. We have made no conscience of our ways, no regard of thy promises, no fear of thy threatenings. We have made us other gods in thy sight, a god of our gold, a god of our belly, a god of every affection: we have blasphemed thy holy name: we have profaned thy Sabbaths: we have polluted thy Sanctuary: we have despised thy Word: we have done all manner of evil in thy sight, and the fear of thy Majesty hath not been before us. Thy mercy hath not alured us, thy judgements have not terrified us; but with a high hand we have heaped sin upon sin, and gone on still in all manner of wickedness, until we have made it too heavy a burden for us to bear. What then belongs unto us thou just judge of all the world, but eternal confusion both of soul and body. Nevertheless, appealing from thy justice, we implore thy mercy, and entreat thee in jesus Christ to be reconciled unto us; for his sake to pardon and forgive us all our sins, to nail them on his Cross, to bury them in his grave, and to warn them away in his most precious blood. Wash us O Lord, and we shall be clean: cleanse us, and we shall pass the snow in whiteness: Good Lord be merciful unto us, pardon and forgive us all that is past, and give us grace to lead a more holy life than we have done hitherto. And to this end, O blessed Lord God, because our hearts are the sinks of all our sins, and the fountains of all our uncleanness, sanctify our unclean hearts, mortify our sinful affections, pacify our impure thoughts, cleanse our wicked cogitations: O Lord renew a right spirit within us, O Lord give us grace to conceive aright of the wonderful things of thy Law, & to practise the things that concern thy glory. And because O Lord we should be the more unworthy to receive any good thing from thee, if we should not be truly thankful for those many good things which we have already received, we render unto thy divine Majesty all possible praise and thanks for all those blessings which thou hast so mercifully from time to time bestowed upon us. We thank thee O Lord for our election before we were: for our creation and what we are: for our redemption when we were lost: for our justification, and sanctification in this life, and for our assured hope of glorification in the life to come. We thank thee dear Father, for whatsoever good concerns either soul or body: for our lives, and for our liberty: for our peace, & for our plenty: for our health, and our prosperity: and above all, for the sweet and inestimable jewel of thy holy Word. Thou hast been more gracious to us, then to other Nations. O Lord we were a people that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, but thou hast opened our eyes, and given us a lantern for our feet, and a light for our paths: let not our sins we beseech thee, remove this candlestick from us. We thank thee O Lord, that thou hast sealed unto our consciences the free, and full remission of all our sins in Christ jesus. We thank thee that thou hast kept us from many sins which our frail nature might have committed, and for saving us from many dangers whereinto we might have fallen: Lord keep us both from sin and danger. And because both of the weakness of our nature, and the number of our enemies, how busy they are to tempt, & how ready we are to yield, Lord shield us with thy grace, and protect us with thy Spirit against all the assaults & temptations both of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Let not the flesh allure us, let not the world bewitch us, let not the devil vanquish us; but grant good God, that by the mediation of Christ, and the assistance of thy blessed Spirit, against all these we may be more than conquerors. We thank thee O Lord that thou hast preserved us to this present hour; and because the time of our pilgrimage here on earth is but short, Lord give us grace to spend it in thy fear: teach us to number our days, and that little time we have to live to bestow it wisely. And for as much as thy Kingdom O Christ is not of this world, neither consisteth in meat, or drink, but in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost, grant O heavenly Father, that we renouncing this world, and crucifying the lusts of this sinful life, and being borne anew by thy Word and holy Spirit, setting our affections upon things above, and having our conversation in heaven, may after this life ended obtain the inheritance of eternal life, and rest with thee and thy Son Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven for ever and ever. Amen. Our Father which art etc. An Evening Prayer. OH eternal and everliving God; most holy, and just; most omnipotent, gracious, merciful, and loving Father, and my only Lord and Saviour; I a wretched and sinful creature, thy unworthy servant, yea, rather the servant of sin, and bondslave of iniquity, the son of Adam, yet through Christ my Saviour and his righteousness, thy adopted child, and a member of his mystical body: Do here humbly prostrate my soul, and cast down myself before thy footstool & mercy-seat (oh everliving Redeemer) acknowledging and confessing from the bottom of my heart mine own unrighteousness, and manifold sins and transgressions, my disobedience and rebellion this day committed against thy holy and sacred Majesty, my contempt of thy Word & Commandments, my vain conversation and corrupt affections, my continual breach of thy most holy and revealed Will, in thought, word, and deed, whereby I have deserved thy just judgements and wrathful indignation to be poured down upon me, vile and wretched sinner, and utterly to be cast out of thy sight, and to be delivered to Satan my deadly enemy, who daily and hourly laboureth to win me from thee, and to cast me into utter darkness, where there is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth. O Lord my deservings do astonish my heart, and dazzle mine eyes, that I dare not look up to heaven; my sins do press me down to the depth and bottomless pit of hell; my conscience doth challenge me a thousand ways, for offending thee so good and so gracious a God: My ghostly enemy is a roareing and a ramping Lion, ready every minute to devour me, is busy with me day and night, he casteth a mist before mine eyes, that I cannot see thy holy Will revealed in thy Word, and still urgeth my sins unto my conscience, driving me into despair of thy mercy in Christ jesus, and feedeth my fantasy with manifold visions, he troubleth my mind with dangerous assaults, deludeth my senses, and striveth to draw me aside from every good exercise, and from the fellowship of thy Saints here militant upon earth. Oh Lord my God, just are thy judgements, great are my sins, but thy mercy is far above all thy works: for thou desirest not the death of a sinner, nor takest pleasure in the damnation of Souls; thou hast ordained life, and health, and all salvation is from thee. Oh God most high, thou hast given us thy dear beloved Son jesus Christ, that who soever believeth in him, should not perish, but have life everlasting. And how can it be, but with him thou shouldest give us all things necessary for this life, and the life to come? In him, and for his sake, I thy poor afflicted creature groaning under the burden of my sins, and altogether tired through the manifold temptations of Satan and this wicked world, do most humbly entreat thee to forgive and pardon all my iniquities and sins whatsoever, committed against thy divine Majesty; Most merciful Father, for Christ's sake, lay them no longer to my charge; for I am not able to bear thy threatening hand against me. Suffer not Satan to delude me any longer, nor abuse my weakness, not to deceive my senses and fantasy; suffer him not (O Lord) to devour my soul. Oh sweet Saviour Christ, thou fountain of living waters, and that true brazen Serpent that healest all infirmities, and the sting of that fiery Serpent that hath wounded my conscience: thou which callest unto thee all those that travel and are heavy loaden with the burden of their sins and feeling of their infirmities, promising them ease in Conscience, and Rest unto their souls: I most wretched and vile sinner, meekly beseech thee, even for thy promise sake, that thou wilt receive me, and ease my burden which is too heavy upon me day and night. Oh thou sweet Samaritan, pour thy Wine and Oil of gladness into my wounded heart; give me to drink of the water of life, that whoso drinketh freely shall never thirst again, even of the fountain of everliving waters. (Oh sweet jesus) thou Lion of the Tribe of juda, preserve my soul, and deliver it from the mouth of the rouring Lyon. Oh holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son; thou Comforter of God's Elect, work in my heart a true and livaly faith, whereby I may quench all the fiery darts of the devil, and may withstand all his assaults. (Oh Lord) I do confess it is my weakness that maketh him so strong; my cowardliness that maketh him so venturous; my bashfulness that maketh him bold. And therefore (O Lord) I humbly pour out my soul before thee this night, praying thee to increase my faith, to strengthen me in the inward man, to arm me with thy spiritual armour; give me strength and power I beseech thee most blessed Trinity, to fight valiantly against Satan, and wisely to prevent all his practices against me. And here (O Lord) according as I am bound, I render unto thee all possible praise and thanks for all those blessings and benefits which thou so graciously and plentifully hast bestowed on my soul and body, for this life, and that which is to come; namely, for my Election, Creation, Redemption, Vocation, justification, Sanctification, and continual preservation until this present day and hour, and for the firm hope of Glorification; and likewise, for my health, wealth, food, raiment and prosperity: more especially, for that thou hast defended me this day now past from all dangers both of soul and body; defend me, O Lord, this night, and likewise all the rest of my days and nights, I have to live in the pilgrimage of this sinful world, that so having victory through Christ I may sing unto thee the blessed Trinity, All Honour, Praise, Glory, Power, Might and Majesty, be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, both now and for ever. Amen. Our father which art in heaven, etc. And so my soul, this night, into thy hands I commit. The Father's Repentant tears. 1 IF that a sinners sighs be Angels food, Or that repentant tears be Angels wine: Accept O Lord in this most pensive mood, These hearty sighs and faithful tears of mine, That went with Peter forth most sinfully. But not as Peter wept most bitterly. 2 If I had David's Crown to me betide, Or all his purpled clothes that I might wear. I would lay then such honour all aside. And only seek a sackcloth weed to bear: His Palace would I leave that I might show With him in cell for such offence my woe. 3 There should these hands beat on my pensive breast, And sad to death for sorrow rend my hair. My voice to call on thee should never rest, Whose grace I seek, whose judgements I do fear: Upon the ground all grovelling on my face. I would beseech thy favour, and thy grace. 4 But sith I have no mean to make the show Of my repentant mind, and yet I see, My sins to greater heaps than his do grow, Whereby the danger more it is to me; I put my trust in his most precious blood, Whose life was sold to purchase all our good. 5 Thy mercy greater is then any sin: Thy greatness none can ever comprehend: Wherefore O Lord let me thy mercies win, Whose glorious name no time shall ever end. Wherefore I say, all praise belongs to thee: Whom I beseech be merciful to me. FINIS.