The Christians Daily Sacrifice, Chapter 15 – Chapter 18
CHAP. XV.Of peace with God, and lying downe therewith…
AND thus beeing prepared, wee are ready for sweete Peace with God either to lay our selues downe therwith in peace to our sweete repose, or to yeeld vp our liues with ioy vntounto the hands of our redeemer. Psal. 4. 8. Acts 7. 59. 1. Cor. 1. 7.
And this is the last duety daily to be performed of vsus: and this peace is principally to be laboured to vsus; Because,
1 We must respect not so much what we hauehave done,1 It necessity. but how the Lord hath accepted it. Rom. 5. 1.
2 Heereby wee shall with courage go forward, and be comforte… in the imperfection of our actio… …2. Cor. 8.
3 We shal obtaine & maintain… that vnspeakeable ioy of the hol… Ghost in our hearts, Phil. 4. 4. & auoyd the contrary sadnes and distraction which proceedes from want of this peace.
4 We shall refresh the graces of God in cōmending them thus with our selues to the peace of God.2 How obtained.
Now this duety is performed and blessing obtained:
1 By performing the daily duties in their former order and with constancy.
2 If by some vrgent occasion or tentation we hauehave bin interrupted, yet to returne to thē, & to redouble what we hauehave omitted the next day
3 And this to be done not superficially with wearisomnes or of custome, but determiately & for conscience sake.
4 Examine thy selfe, how thou couldest one houre well be without one of the former graces, as without the comfort of the remission of thy sinnes, &c.
5 Iudge and earnestly bewaile thy selfe, if thou hast either omitted or sleightly performed any of these.
6 Be sure so to performe these, as that thou doest not neglect thy calling. 2. Thess. 3. 12.
7 If thou hast performed them in some poore measure, yet rest not in it, but labour more earnestly with God for a further grace. Phil. 3. 13.
8 And yet be thankful vntounto God for these small grapes and fruits, acknowledging that it is his great merciemercy, that thou canst doe any thing, and giuing him all the glorie thereof. 1. Corinthians. 15. 10. And duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page thus shalt thou bee sure to obtaine this peace of God.
And hauing obtained it, thou must lie downe therewith, and carie it with thee to thy bed.
1 Because thou knowest not whether thy bed shall be thy graue. 1. Pet. 1. 24.
2 Thy sleepe heereby shall bee much sweeter, and dreames more comfortable. Psal. 4. 8.
3 Thou shalt auoyd nocturnall pollutions and vncleannesses.
4 Thy reines shall teach thee in the night season, and the darkenesse shall be as the noone day. Psa. 16. 7.
And this is performed:
1 By resigning vp our selues into the hands of God.3 How performed
2 Ascribing vntounto him the glorie of all the good we hauehave performed. Psal. 115. 1. Esay 26. 12.
3 Acknowledging our selues to bee vnprofitable seruants, if God should enter into iudgement with vsus. Luke 17. 10.
4 Crauing earnest pardon of our imperfections in I…sus Christ, and laying our selues asleepe in his bosome. 1. Iohn 1. 9.
5 Comforting our selues (if sense of faith be not present) yet with former experience and inward habit thereof. Psal. 22. 10.
6 Yeelding vp our selues in a willingnes to death, in full expectation of the life to come. Phil. 1. 20, 23. And thus guiding our selues by these former rules, we shal lie down in peace, and so shall we comfortably performe the daily sacrifice.
And thus far concerning such necessarie dueties, as we are bound in some measure daily to performe.
CHAP. XVI.
FOR our better encouragement and furtherance heerein;How to profit in this direction. obserue these rules:
1 That being conuinced in conscience with the necessity of these dueties, wee purpose and solemnly vow vntounto the Lord the attempting and prosecuting thereof. Psal. 119. 106. Psal. 119. 7.
2 That God principally respects the purpose of the heart, and if there be a willing mind, accepts according to what we hauehave, and requires not what we hauehave not. 2. Cor. 8. 12.
3 That we giuegive not eare to the flesh pleading noueltie, impossibility, &c. Gal. 1. 16.
4 That we trie the Lord, who is wonderfull in blessing the vnfained endeuours of his children. Hag. 2. Malachi. 3. 10.
5 Then let vsus make triall at first in one of these, and grow readie therein, so shall we with more willingnes and skilfullnes proceed in the rest. Iames 2. 10. Iames 3. 2.
6 Let vsus not faile to meete the Lord with vnsayned thankfulnes, when we see him comming effectually in the weak performance therof. Psal. 81.
7 And so condemne and prouoke thy selfe, as before, and thou shalt see (by Gods merciemercy) a good crease.
Yea, thou shalt not onelyonly be able to performe these duties with comfort, but also thou shalt be able to entertaine each seuerall occasions of the day, to Gods glorie, thy exceeding profit, and benefit of others.
CHAP. XVII.
AND this is the second part of this daily sacrifice:Of right imploying the occasions of the day. Namely to consecrate our daily occasions, as a reasonable sacrifice vntounto God.
Here obserue.
First, That though the occasions of the day are diuers, and so not more necessary, and easily to be directed, yet some principall there are which doe vsually occur. The well ordering whereof will easily informe vsus, in the holy entertayning of the rest:
CHAP. XVIII.
And these Principall are:
FIrst, To arise with God,Of rising with God and awaking in his peace. and as wee layed our selues downe in peace,1 The necessity thereof. so to awake with the comfort thereof. Psal. 23. 6. Lam. 3. 23. The reason whereof is: Because:
1 Wee maintaine hereby conconstancie in wel-doing.
2 Wee renue that soundnesse wherewith we laie downe.
3 We preuent that no roote of bitternes breake out at the first.
4 We prouide for our more setled courses all the day after, and so begin a new to liue the daily life of grace.
5 Wee make our hearts mery in the Lord.
6 Wee are made principally more apt to prayer, which is the next occasion to bee entertayned of vsus.
This is performed:
1 By meditating, of the true life of God,2 How performed. and day of the rresurection. 1. Cor. 1.
2 By magnifying our sweete repose, and resting in the bosome of Gods protection. Psalme 3. 5.
3 Taking occasion by the light that appeareth, to consider of the armour of light; or by the outward darkenesse that compasseth, to blesse God for the inward light and to mourne for the ignorance and blindnes that is yet in vsus, yea to resolue the casting away of the workes of darkenesse. &c. Rom. 13. 12.
4 Praysing the merciemercy and patience of the Lord, that yet wee liue to prayse him, and are spared to make our election more sure▪ and thereto especially meditating on the constancie of Gods louelove toward vsus. Iohn 13. 1. Psalme 19. 2. Psal. 102. 27. Ieremie Lament. 3. 23.
And this is furthered if wee perceiue dulnes.
1 By striuing euen in the night when wee awake,3 How furthered. to sigh for sinne, and hunger after mercy. Psal. 16. 7. Cant. 31.
2 By opening our hearts (if occasion serue) to our chambersellow, if such fellowshippe be enioyed, and so shaming of our selues Iacob 5.
3 By auoyding ouermuch sleep, …ea scanting and stinting our selues thereof, and rowsing vppe our selues from drousines by checking our hearts and complayning of them to our blessed God. Proue. 24. 32. 33.
4 Taking occasion by our dreams or nocturall infirmities, to magnifie Gods merciemercy, that it is not so as we dreamed; or to checke our infidelity, in relying superstiously vponupon dreames; or to condemne our security, and prophanenes in neglecting them vtterly. And if we hauehave beene assaulted, with terrors and corruptions, yet either they hauehave not preuayled, or shall not be imputed vntounto vsus.
5 Calling to mind some place of the word for our better stirring vp, as Rom. 13. 11. 12. 13. 14. Ephes. 5. 14. 1. Thes. 5. 4. 5. &c. And prouoking our selues by the examples of the saints, who hauehave risen early to prayse the Lord. Psal. 5. 34. &c.
And so rising with the Lord, we shall he fitted to entertaine the next speciall occasion of the day: Which is… Prayer.