An eye to heauen in earth A necessarie watch for the time of death, consisting in meditations and prayers fit for that purpose. With the husbands christian counsell to his wife and children, left poore after his death.

A most necessarie and patheticall ME∣DITATION & CON∣FESSION of mans mi∣serable estate by nature: And of his restauration by the death of Christ; with many necessarie Petitions concerning this life, and a happie death, fit for men of whatsoeuer estate or qualitie often to ruminate.

IDoe acknow∣ledge & con∣fesse vnto thee, most mercifull God, and louing Father, that I am in thy sight, a most miserable and wretched sinner, aswell by the originall corruption of

my nature, as by the con∣tinuall course of my sinfull life, wherein (I cannot but cōfesse) I daily transgresse and breake thy most holy Commandements. The thoughts of my heart are onely euill euermore; The words of my mouth are of∣ten prophane, and all mine actions euill, whereby I ac∣knowledge my selfe, to haue worthily deserued thy fierce and iust indignation, and consequently, mine owne fearefull condemna∣tion. And were it not that thou art a God most merci∣full and truly gracious, full of compassion, forbearing

long to punish sinners, I had perished through thy iust iudgement long agone, euen in my youth; for, as soone as I was able to speake, though vnderstan∣ding little, I indeuoured to excuse my childly errors with vntruths, falshood, & lying; growing to mans estate, and to the abilitie to act greater sinnes, I omit∣ted no one forbidden vani∣tie offered to any of my sences, but greedily imbra∣ced it; and as I increased in yeeres, and in strength to sinne, so did I increase in cōmitting wickednesse; neither reuerencing thee,

nor seeking to know thee, or to obey thee according to my dutie, but rebelled a∣gainst thee and thy Lawes, as if thy threats against sinne and sinners, had been only to terrifie and not to punish them: And thy promises of spirituall com∣forts and future happines, had been only to withdraw mee from my carnall de∣lights (wherein I reposed all my felicitie) perswading my selfe there was no dan∣ger in sin, nor reward for well-doing.

Thus foolish was I, and ignorant by nature, shew∣ing that I had no originall

goodnesse in mee, but cor∣rupt in my conception, sin∣full in my birth, and wic∣ked in my life; and conse∣quently, the childe of wrath.

This masse of miserie befell me by the fall of the first man ADAM, in whom I was first good, and pure, and righteous, and holy, like vnto thee, O God of heauen: And had not A∣dam defaced that Image of sanctitie in himselfe, I should haue remained holy, as thou art holy for euer. But by his disobedience I lost in him all obedience to∣wards thee, and became a

Rebell like vnto him, euen in his loynes, for, in him I was conceiued in sinne, and through the corruption of that my conception, I only bring forth iniquitie.

Beeing thus miserably cast downe from glorie to shame, from light to dark∣nesse, from sanctitie to sin, from Heauen to Hell; to whom shall I appeale for reliefe? whose aide shall I craue for the obtayning of thy fauour & loue againe? for, being depriued of thee, I am dead, being aliue: if I die without thee, I die eternally: But, Lord, now I know thee, and whom

thou hast sent, IESVS CHRIST; and I know, that in thy seuere iustice through him, thou remem∣brest mercie; and in thy fierce wrath, thou shewest compassion, which in no∣thing appeareth so much, as in the performance of thy promise in sending thy Sonne, the Seede of the Woman, who according to thy Couenant hath conque∣red Satan, and trodden downe the Serpent, by whome our first Parents were inuenomed and stung vnto death, and I in them: But now in and by that sacred Seede Iesus Christ,

that poysonous sting is re∣moued, and all beleeuers restored to life: Therefore, Lord Iesu, thou Lambe of God, that takest away the sinnes of the world, haue mercie vpon me, take away my sins, wash me and make mee cleane, through thy bloud, from all my filthinesse, giue me a liuely faith to take hold of thy merits, and to de∣pend vpon thy promises of saluation: And that I may apply thy salutarie death vnto my sicke and diseased soule, wounded by the dart of sinne, and guilt of diso∣bedience; set thy righteous∣nesse

against my sins; and thine obedience, to my dis∣obedience, couer me with the Robe of thine owne In∣nocencie, that the foule∣nesse of my deseruings may be hidden from mine high∣ly-offended God, who by promise will impute thy most absolute integritie to be mine, as he imputed and laid all the sinnes of A∣dams posterity vpon thee, as thine.

Lord, now at the last, lighten mine vnderstand∣ing, purifie my heart, san∣ctifie my will, order all mine affections, and acti∣ons, and rectifie so my con∣uersation,

as I may walke as thy truly adopted sonne, in holinesse and true righ∣teousnesse, and be kept euer blamelesse, vntill the glori∣ous appearing of Christ my Sauiour, in whose name I now come vnto thee, most louing and mercifull Fa∣ther, beseeching thee for his sake, that I, feeling and confessing the hainousnesse of my sinnes past, and gro∣ning vnder the burden of them, may feele the release and ease of them, in that I, through thy holy Spirit am assured and stedfastly doe beleeue, that CHRIST my most louing Redeemer,

hath borne the burden of them, euen for me. Grant, deare Father, that I being assured hereof in my con∣science, may be renewed in the inner man, through thy grace, that I may hate, detest, and abhor sinne, and indeuour to liue according to thy will all the dayes of my life.

And for as much, graci∣ous Lord God, as I must here continue, during thine appointed time, in this dangerous wildernesse of many vanities, subiect to many troubles, tryed with many temptations, and compassed with many

and infinite miseries and dangers: hauing of my selfe no succour, no de∣fence, no safetie, but in thine alone fauour, power, and prouidence, I humbly pray and beseech thee, O mercifull Lord God, to looke downe from heauen vpon me, in mercy and lo∣uing kindnesse: Shew mee thy wayes, teach mee thy pathes, leade mee euer in thy Truth, and instruct me in the things that I ought to learne, and learne mee how to practise, & to leade my life according vnto the same, lest I follow vani∣ties, and delight in sinne;

lest I fall into troubles, and there bee none to deliuer mee; lest Sathan preuaile against me, and I fall from thee; and lest I fall into dangers, and perish in my miseries.

Turne thy face towards me, O Lord, and cheere me with the brightnesse of thine amiable countenance, for when thou turnest thy face from me, I faint; and when thou hidest thy coun∣tenance, I fall fearefully. As long as thou art with me, I am safe; when thou leauest mee, then troubles afflict me, enemies insult me, and triumph ouer me;

I am then subiect to all mi∣series: Satan with his temptations preuaileth, my corrupt affections misleade me, the world with vani∣ties distract me, and I am not able to looke vp, my heart is cast downe, my mind is estranged from all goodnesse, and my will is carried into all forbidden things. So that I am as a dead man, or rather no man, but the meere image of a man, in whom dwel∣leth neither right reason nor humane vnderstāding, a beast in thy sight.

Hide not therefore thy face from me, O Lord, nor

cast thy seruant away in displeasure. Thou hast been euer, and in all things, my succour, leaue me not now, O Lord, nor forsake me, O God of my saluation: But continue thy loue and fa∣uour towards mee, that I may againe recouer my spi∣rituall strength, and be en∣abled to serue thee with a faithfull, constant, and o∣bedient heart, vnto the end.

In my necessitie furnish me, O Lord, with all com∣petent meanes for the maintenāce of my present life and estate here, in plen tie make me truly thanke∣full,

in want patient, in sicknesse be thou my Physi∣cian and heale me, and pre∣uent Satan, that he in the time of my finall visitati∣on ouer charge me not, lay∣ing before the eyes of my weake conscience, my sins past; but arme me with the assurance of thy mercies, and with a liuely hope of future glorie with thee in the heauens. If enemies rise vp against me to take away my life, my goods, or good name, preuc̄t them of their purposes, and make their counsels and practices like Achitophels. If I bee persecuted for the testimo∣nie

of thy Truth, giue mee perfect knowledge, cōstan∣cie, courage, and boldnesse, through a liuely faith, to suffer what it shall please thee shall be laid vpon mee; In captiuitie, banishment, and whatsoeuer other try∣alls, be thou euer neere vn∣to me, and ease me, relieue me and comfort me, and neuer lay more vpon mee then I shalbe able to beare; and in my troubles neuer leaue me, nor for sake me, and let all things worke for my comfort in thee.

Blesse and prosper vnto me my vocation, giue mee wisedome and strength to

execute the same, and that sincerely without corrup∣tion: let thine holy Angels goe with me, take charge of me, and defend and prosper me in all my iourneys, tra∣uailes, labours, enterprises, and endeuours: And let my conuersation be such, so vpright, & vnblameable, that the wicked haue no iust cause to carpe at the course of my life. So will I giue thāks vnto thee, thy praise shall be in my mouth conti∣nually. The godly shall see it and reioyce: and I will pub∣lish thy goodnesse towards me, before the sons of men; and will tell how readie

thou art, to help them that call vpon thee: as for mee I will confesse that before I sought thee, thou offeredst thy selfe to be found of me; when I prayed vnto thee, thou heardest mee; when I came vnto thee, thou reie∣ctedst me not, but pardo∣nedst my sinnes, and deli∣ueredst mee out of all my feare.

Glorie bee to thy Holy Name, O gracious Lord God, in Iesus Christ: and thy Name bee euer glorifi∣ed, my heart in thee com∣forted, my sinnes by thee couered, my necessities by thee truly relieued, a com∣petent

estate vnto mee by thee euer preserued, my hope in thee euer confir∣med, and all mine vnde∣serued enemies conuerted, or confounded.

Make me wise, O Lord, to vnderstand and consi∣der my latter end, let my whole life be a preparation to death; and the medita∣tion of death, the rule of my life: let mee studie to bring forth good fruits in mine age, and let my latter dayes bee the dayes of my chiefe spirituall comfort, and mine obedience vnto thee, more at the last then at the first, enable me so to

walke in mine old age, as I may increase from strength to strength, that at the length I may appear with the rest of thy Saints, in that Kingdom of glorie, which thou hast prepared for all them that loue the appearing of thy Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ, whose comming grant to be quickly, to finish these dayes of sinne.

AMEN.

Lord euermore increase my faith, and multiply thy blessings vpon mee vnto the end.