Household Prayers, Prayer 17
The ſeuenteenth Praier, For the good vſage of mans life.
Thus ſayeth the Lord, let not the wiſeman boaſt of his wiſedome, neither the ſtrong man of his ſtrength, neither the rich man of his riches: but let him that boasteth, doe it becauſe hee hath vnderstanding, and knoweth me, that I am the Lorde who ſhewe merciemercy, iudgement and iustice vponupon the earth.
Ieremie. 9.
O Lord, great & wonderfull in thy works, thou in thy wiſedome haſt made and ordained them all; wherevpon the heauens, without ſpeaking do declare thy glory, and the earth is full of thy riches. But eſpecially vppon man haſt thou powred forth thy moſt aboundaunt treaſures, in that thou haſt created him to thy likeneſſe, excellent in all good things, and eſtabliſhed him the poſſeſſer of the world, Lord of all other creatures, the mirror of thy wiſedome, the beames of thy light, the pattern of thy goodnes, and the moſt noble inſtrument of the ſanctification of thy name: therfore haſt thou endued man with an immortal ſpirit, capable of reaſon, to the end, I ſay, that in beholding here beneath the exquiſite workes of thy handes, and vſing them without interruption, hee might knowe, louelove, feare, and honour thee as his father and benefactor; Yea cleaue vntounto thee for euer, vſing his lif according to the principall end thereof. True it is, that by originall ſinne wee are all fallen from the moſt ſingular qualities, neceſſarie for the holding of our right courſe to ſo great felicitie: Yet hauehave we not ſo put them off as to reſt altogether naked, for all that is re-eſtabliſhed in vsus, and in a farre better condition, by thy grace in our Lord Ieſus Chriſt who cloatheth vsus anewe with the newe man in a quickening ſpirite, and furniſheth vsus with his light, to the end, that in the ſerious meditation of thy viſible workes, & in the right vſe of the benefites which wee taſte therin, we might apprehend the celeſtial inuiſible things, and acknowledge thee the authour and perſection of all that is. That is, how the heauens appearing to our eyes, and the greatneſſe and the beautie, and the motions therof in ſo many ſorts, ſo wel ordered, & ſo profitable, do make vsus, with our inteligence, to penetrate euen vntounto thee, the admirable creator of all things; and in the excellencie of the ſame, to meditate vponupon the height and depth of thy excellency, to the end, to ſing vntounto thee, Pſalms of thankſgiuing, and in the ſelfe ſame, to finde reſt and comforte for our ſouls. Alſo wheras the ſunne lighteth and warmeth vsus, the day reioyceth vsus, the aire quikneth vsus, the earth feedeth vsus, the water moyſteth vsus, and the night miniſters to vsus reſt from our labours: and which is more (O Father of all the world) whereas thou maintaineſt orders and gouernments, that thou pulleſt down the prowd, and exalteſt the humble, that thou extendeſt thy puniſhments vppon the earth, and the inhabitants thereof, that thou viſiteſt them with mercy exerciſing thy iudgements vponupon ſmall families, as well as vponupon great Monarchies, (according as there is nothing in nature that taketh place, more or leſſe, in reſpect of thy infinite glory:) ſurely in all theſe things, O inuiſible GOD, thou makeſt thy ſelfe to bee ſeene, and giueſt vsus cauſe to ſing to thy name, with a moſt excellent inducement to paſſe ouer our life ſoberly. But if wee turne vntounto our ſelues to conſider our owne nature, eſpecially the faculties of the ſoule, and the reaſon thereof, which directeth the body, and giueth diuerſe vertues to all the ſenſes, and that we repreſent to our ſelues the admirable coniunction of the immortall eſſence with the mortall: Indeed ruminating theſe workes of thy hands, and vnable to comprehend the cauſes and ſecrets of the ſame, wee yeeld our ſelues ouercome, that we may preach forth the victory of thy ſoueraigne wiſedome, and ſay with the Prophet (Thy knowledge is too maruelous for vsus, and ſo high, that we cannot approch thereto.) But if proceeding beyond this Booke of Nature, wee come to reade in the Booke of the Lambe ſlaine for our ranſome, and to ſee and meditate vponupon the husbandrie of thy ſheepefold, and the aboundance of celeſtiall bleſſings in the ſame, O Lord what height and depth of wiſedome, of charitie, of mercy of iuſtice, is in the ſame? O the greatneſſe of ioy and peace to the illuminate hearts, that can penetrate into all theſe diuine myſteries, when we come to thy church to learne thy law, to heare the goſpel, to worſhip and call vponupon thee, and to ſound forth thy praiſe, wee are as it were in the ſanctuary of thy kingdome, and before thy face among the Angels to contemplate and celebrate thy glory.
Alſo when wee doe communicate in the ſacred ſignes of thy couenant, we ſee, wee touch, we taſte with our eyes, with our hands, & with the pallat of our ſoules the water of waſhing & regeneration, and the bread of life (the foode of the ſanctified ſpirits) whereof wee liue, and ſhal liue for euer bleſſed. Beſides (O heauenly Father) it pleaſeth thee to giuegive vsus heere belowe in the following of our courſe, a conuenient leiſure, to meditate vppon the moſt wonderfull effects of thy ſpirite in vsus, the ſingular woorke of our new birth, the progreſſe of our faith, the fruites of our louelove, the feeling of our peace in the hope of our ſaluation to come, when wee ſhal, by Chriſt, be wholly vnited vntounto thee alone. I beſeech thee therefore, my GOD, to giuegive mee grace in theſe godly and ſpirituall conſiderations, to acknowlege thy great benignitie in the gift and vſe of this humane life, and to know how I am to cheriſh and nouriſh the ſame, becauſe it is vntounto vsus as a treaſure, abounding in al excellencies, riches, and prerogatiues, which it hath pleaſed thee to impart to our nature, the Image of thy glory. So that remaining conſtant in my vocation, in the pathes of thy Kingdome, and free from the cares of the world, and all the vanities therof, I may ſo louelove this life, that it may bee wholy deare vntounto me, onelyonly to know, worſhip, and ſerue thee, and my neighbours, according to the place whereto thou doſt call mee; and carefully to meditate to the ſame end, how thou doeſt alwayes miniſter iuſtice, iudgement, and mercy, whereby I may learne to liue content in thee onelyonly, and of thy goods, vſing the ſame with acknowledgement and alwayes reioycing in well doing, alwayes aſſured that thus fighting a good fight, and keeping the faith, I ſhal obtaine the crowne of eternall righteouſneſſe in the kingdome of glory. So be it.