The daily office of a Christian being the devotions of the most Reverend Father in God Dr. William Laud, late archbishop of Canterbury : wherein several catechetical paraphrases ...

Preparatory Meditations for Death.

O Lord, quicken and comfort my soul, for I have sinned against thee. Lord, I call to mind all the years of my life past in the bitterness of my soul for my sin. My mis∣deeds have prevailed against me, O be thou merciful unto my sin; O for thy Names sake, be merciful unto my sin, for it is great. Amen.

Namely and especially, O Lord, be merciful unto me, &c.

Herein, O Lord, be merciful unto thy servant. O Lord, lay not these, nor the rest unto my charge.

O let the depth of my sin call up the depth of thy mercies, of thy grace. Lord, let it come, that where my sin hath abounded, grace may supera∣bound.

Lord, I believe, help thou my un∣belief.

O Lord, though thou kill me, yet

will I put my trust in thee.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet will I fear no evil. For I hope verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

O let this Cup pass from me; ne∣vertheless, if it may not pass from me, but that I must drink of it, thy will be done.

Thou art the Lord, do what seem∣eth good in thine own eyes.

For I will take it as the Cup of Sal∣vation, and give thanks to thy Name, O Lord.

O Lord, grant that all the daies of my appointed time upon earth, I may wait when my changing shall come.

O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, and keep me secret until thy wrath be past, and appoint me a time in which thou wilt remember me.

Say unto my soul, O say it now, I am thy Salvation.

Command my spirit, whenever thou wilt command it, to be received up to thee in peace.

O bid me come unto thee: say un∣to me, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

Lord, thus, and now let thy ser∣vant depart in peace, that mine eyes may see thy Salvation.

O Lord, thou blessed Trinitie, three Persons and one God, have mercie upon me.

I commend my self into thy hands, as to a faithful Creator.

Lord, receive thine own Creature, not made by any strange God, but by thee the onely living and true God.

Despise not, O Lord, the * 1.1 work of thine own hands.

I am created to thine * 1.2 own Image and likeness; O suffer not thine own Image to be de∣faced, but renew it again in righte∣ousness and true holiness.

I commend my self into thy hands, as to a most gracious Redeemer: for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth.

O Lord, I am the price of thy Bloud, of thy most precious Bloud; O suffer not so great, so unvaluable a price to perish.

O Lord, thou camest down from Heaven to redeem that which was lost; suffer not that to be lost which thou hast redeemed.

I commend my self into thy hands, as to my most blessed Comforter.

O Lord, I am wearie and heavie la∣den, and I come to thee, to be refresh∣ed by thee. Behold, O Lord, I have been the Temple of thy holy Spirit; I have, I confess, strangely polluted it; yet destroy me not, but dedicate me anew, and sanctifie me to thy self yet once again.

O Lord, I wear thy * 1.3 Name: 'tis thy Name that is called upon me. For thy Names sake therefore be merciful unto me. O spare, Lord, if not me, yet thine own Name in me. And do not so remember my sin, O Lord, do not, as that in remembring it, thou forget

thine own Name. I have * 1.4 desired to fear thy Name, to love and to honour thy Name. And I now desire to depart this life, in the Invocation and Confession of thy Name. Lord, I confess it, and call upon it: O come Lord Jesu. A∣men.

O Lord, I have sinned,

1. But I have not denied thee; O never let the Enemie prevail with me to denie thee.

2. But I believe; O Lord, increase my Faith, and let me never be confounded.

3. But I hope; and what is my hope, but in thee alone? receive me, O Lord, according to thy Word, and let me not be disap∣pointed of my hope.

4. But I have prepared and dire∣cted my heart to seek thee; and though [I am] not [purified] ac∣cording to the purification of the Sanctuarie, yet O Lord Jesu,

quench not the smoaking flax, nor break the bruised Reed.

5. But I bear thy correction pati∣ently, and I hold my tongue, because thou Lord hast done it.

6. But I forgive those that have trespassed against me, and thou hast promised forgiveness to him that forgives them.

7. But I cast my self upon thee, [O] withdraw not thy self [from me] and in no wise cast me out when I come unto thee.

8. But I desire to depart confes∣sing unto thee, and calling on thy Name.

Wherefore not for my sake, O Lord, nor for any thing that belongs to me, but for thine own sake, for thy Names sake, for the glorie of thy [great] Name, and for thy Truths [sake], for thy many great [and] won∣derful mercies [sake], for the sake of Christ the Mediator, and of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, receive me that am returned to my self, and returning unto thee. Amen.

And therefore O Lord my God,

I shew forth, I offer, I commemorate, Between thee and me, Christ the Priest, the Lamb, the Sacrifice. Between me and Satan, Christ a King, a Lion, a [trium∣phant] Conqueror. Between me and sin, Christ's Innocencie in his Life. Between the punishment of me and [my] sins, Christ's Satisfaction, Passion, [and] Bloud-[shedding] Between me and [my] want of Righteousness, Christ's Righteousness and unsin∣ning Obedience. Between me and my unwor∣thiness to be rewarded, Christ's Merits. Between me and my want of sorrow for [my] sins, Christ's Tears and [bloudie] sweat.

Between me and my want of fervencie in Prayer, Christ's Intercession. Between me and my own Conscience, or the Accusati∣on of Satan, Christ the Advocate. Between me and [my] Con∣cupiscence, Christ's Love.

Let it be acceptable unto thee, O Lord, for the same Christ's sake. A∣men.

O Lord, I have sinned,

But

• I do not cover my sin.
• I do not excuse [it].
• I willingly confess[it].
• I reflect on it in the bitterness of my soul.
• I abhor my self for the sins I have committed against thee: [O] give me grace, that I may judge and take vengeance on my felf, that I may not depart this most miserable life without for∣giveness.

O Lord, I have not one∣ly * 1.5 sinned, but provoked thee with many and grievous sins; yet, I beseech thee, remember that I am but flesh, even a wind that passeth and cometh not again.

* And the mercie of my [blessed] Sa∣viour can avail more towards the sal∣vation of me a sinner, than my ini∣quitie can do to my destruction. A∣men.

* O Lord Jesus, in thee * 1.6 there was [found] no cause of death, and yet didst thou suf∣fer death for me: I have deserved death; give me grace [O Lord] that I may not fear to die, and that I may be prepared for it. Amen.

* O Lord Jesus, for those bitter pains which thou didst endure on the Cross for me a most miserable Creature, and especially at that hour when thy most pretious soul went forth from thy blessed body, I beseech thee have mercy on my Soul when she takes her flight, and bring her unto life eternal.

Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 138. 8.
• * 1.2

  Gen. 2. Eph. 4.24.
• * 1.3

  Dan. 9.19.
• * 1.4

  Neh. 1.11.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 78.40.
• * 1.6

  S. Aug. T. 3. in S. Johan.