Christian praiers and holie medtations as wel for priuate as publique exercise: gathered out of the most godly learned in our time, by Henrie Bull. Wherevnto are added the praiers, commonly called Lidleys praiers.

An other meditation of the blessed state and felicitie of the life to come.

THis body is but a prison, where∣in the soule is kept, and that ve∣rily not beautilfull nor bright, but most foule and darke, disquiet, fraile, & filled vp with much vermine & venomous vipers (I mean it con∣cerning our affections) standing in an aire most vnwholsome, & prospect most lothsome, if a man consider the excrements of it by the eyes, nose, mouth, eares, handes feete, and al the other partes. So that no Bocardo, no Little ease, no Dungeon, no Bishops pri¦son, no Gatehowse, no sinke, no pit, may be compared in any poynt to be so euill a prison for the body, as the

bodie is for and of the soule: where∣through the children of GOD haue bene occasioned to cry & lament their long being in it. Oh saith Dauid, Howe long shall I lye in this prison? Oh wretch y^t I am (saith Paule) who shall deliuer me out of this bodie of sinne? which is an heauie burden to the soule, as the wiseman saith. And the godly cry: now let thy seruant de∣part in peace. O y^e I were dissolued, & had put off this earthly and frayle tabernacle. Take me vnto thee, and bring my soul out of this prison, that it may giue thanks vnto thee, O Lord. For so long as we be in this bodie, we can not see the Lord: yea, it is as an heauie habitation, and depresseth downe sore the spirit from the famili∣aritie which it else should haue with God. This world & life is an exile, a vale of miserie, a wildernesse of it selfe, being voyde of all vertues and

necessaries for eternall life, full of e∣nimies, sorrowes, sighings, sobbings, gronings, miseries, &c. In daunger to hunger, colde, heate, thirst, sores, sicknesse, tentations, trouble, death and innumerable calamities, being momentanie, short, vnstable, and no∣thing but vaine, and therfore is com∣pared to a warfare, a womans tra∣uell, a shaddowe, a smoke, a vapour, a word, a storme, a tempest, in y^e which Gods people feele great molestatiōs, griefes, & troubles, now of satan him selfe, nowe of the world, now of their owne flesh, & that so wonderfully, di∣uersly, daungerously, and contrarily, that they are inforced to cry: O Lord, when shall we come and appeare be∣fore thee? when shall this miserie end? when shall we be deliuered out of this vale of miserie? out of this wildernes? out of these continuall afflictions and most perillous seas?

But where thou art (Lorde and deare Father of mercie) there is not onely no prison, no doloures, no sor∣rowe, no sighings, no teares, no sick∣nesse, no hunger, no heate, no colde, no paine, no tentations, no displea∣sure, no malice, no pride, no vnclean∣sure, no contention, no torments, no horror, no sinne, no filth, no stinche, no dearth, no death, no weeping, no teares, no miserie, no mischeefe: there is (I say) not onely no such thing, or any euill, noysom, or displea∣sant thing, but all libertie, all light, all pleasantnesse, all ioye, reioycing, mirth, pleasure, health, welth, riches, glorie, power, treasure, honour, tri∣umphe, comfort, solace, loue, vni∣tie, peace, concorde wisedome, ver∣tue, melodie, meeknesse, felicitie, beatitude, and all that euer can bee wished or desired in most securitie, eternitie, and perpetuitie, that may

be thought not onely of man, but of Angels an Archangels, yea aboue al thoughtes. The eye hath not seene the like, the eare hath not heard, nor no heart is able to conceiue in any point, any part of the blissefull bea∣titude which is with thee most deare Lorde and Sauiour, most gratious God and comforter.

Where thou art, O blessed God, the Archangels, Angels, Thrones, Powers, Dominatiōs, Cherubines, Seraphines, Patriarches, Pro∣phets, Apostles, Martyrs, Uirgins, Confessours, and righteous spirites cease not to sing night and day: Ho∣ly, Holy, Holy, Lorde God of Hostes, Honour, maiestie, glorie, power, em∣pire, and dominion, be vnto thee, Oh God the creator, O Lord Iesu the Re∣deemer, Oh holy spirit the comforter.

In recordation of this, O howe thy children reioyce? howe contemne

they the pleasures of this worlde? Howe little esteeme they any corpo∣rall griefe or shame? howe desire they to be with thee? Howe amiable are thy tabernacles, Oh Lorde GOD of hoastes, say they? My soule hath a de∣sire to enter into the Courtes of the Lord: my heart and my soule reioy∣ceth in the liuing GOD: blessed are they that dwell in thy house, that they may be alwayes praising thee. For one day in thy Courtes, is better then a thousand elsewhere. I had rather be a doore keeper in the house of my God, then to dwell in the tentes of vngod∣linesse, for the Lord God is a light and defence. And againe, Like as the Hart desireth the water brookes, so longeth my soule after thee, O God. My soule is a thirst for God, yea, euen for the li∣uing God. When shall I come to ap∣peare before the presence of God? My soule thirsteth for thee, my flesh also

longeth after thee, in a barren and dry land, where no water is.

They (thy children I meane O Lorde) desire the day of that their redemption. Still they cry, Let thy kingdome come. They cry, Come Lord Iesus. They lift vp their heads, looking for thy appearing, Oh Lord, which will make their vile bodies, like to thine owne glorious and im∣mortall bodie. For when thou shalt appeare, they shallbe like vnto thee. Thy Angels wil gather them toge∣ther, and they shall meete thee in the cloudes, and be alwayes with thee. They shall heare this ioyfull voyce••: Come ye blessed of my father, possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning.

Then shal they be like to thy An∣gels. Then shall they be like vnto the Sonne in thy kingdome. Then shall they haue crownes of glorie,

and be indued with white garments of innocencie and righteousnesse, ha∣uing palmes of victorie in their han∣des. Oh happy is he that may but see that immortall and incorruptible in∣heritance which they shall inioy for euermore. Amen.

I. B.

Notes

• Rom. 7.
• Luke 2.
• Psal. 143.
• 1. Cor. 2.
• Apoc. 4.
• Apoc. 5.
• Psal. 84.
• Psal. 42.
• Psal. 63.
• Rom. ••.
• Apoc. 22▪ Phil. 3.
• Matt. 24.
• Matt. 13. Apoc. 7.