32. 4, 5; 106. 23; 52.6.7 73. 26; 73. 1; 34.19; 73. 19. 23. 46. 1. thou hast kept him alive, that he should not go Isa. 38. 11. down into the pit, thou hast forgiven his iniquity, Psal. 27. 13; and healed his diseases, thou hast redeemed his life from destruction, and hast crowned him with lovingkindness and tender mercies, thou hast not deprived him of the residue of his years, thou hast repented thee of the evil: his age is not departed; thou hast renewed his youth, and given him to see man, with the inhabitants of the world; and to see the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living. Day and night thy hand was heavy upon him, but thou hast turned away thy wrath, and hast forgiven the iniquity of his sin; for this every one that is godly Psal. 60. 11; shall pray unto thee in a time of trouble; thou art Psal. 116. 1. 12. a hiding-place, thou preservest us from trouble: 18. 13, 14. when our flesh and our heart faileth us, thou art the Isa. 38. 20. strength of our heart, and our portion for ever; in- 1 Cor. 6. 20. deed, Lord, thou art good unto thine Israel; even 1 to such as are clean of heart; many are the afflictions of the righteous, but thou deliverest them out of all; though all the day long they be afflicted, and chastened every morning, yet are they continually with thee; thou holdest them by thy right hand, thou art a present help in trouble, when all the help of man is vain. Let thy servant love thee, because thou hast heard his voice and supplication, let him offer unto thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving; and pay his vows to the Most High; and take the cup of salvation, and call upon thee all his days: let him be wholly devoted to thy praise, and glorify thee in soul and body, as being thine, and seasonably depart in peace unto thy glory: through Jesus Christ, our Life and Righteousness. Amen. A Thanksgiving for the Deliverance of Luke 2. 29. 1 Cor. 1. 30. 127.3; 42.4; W E return thee thanks, most gracious God, that Psal. 34. 3, 4. thou hast heard our prayers for this thy handmaid; Rev. 1. 18. and hast been her help in the time of her necessity, Psal. 113. 9; and delivered her from her fears and sorrows: death and life are in thy power, thou killest and thou makest alive, thou bringest down to the grave, and thou bringest up; thou makest the barren to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. We thank thee, that thou hast given thy servant to see 110.4; 115.9. 20. 14. Psal. 19. Deut. 28. 8. Psal. 13. 3. Isa. 44. 3. Psal. 116. Zech. 14. 20, 21. the fruit of her womb, and that thou hast brought her again to thy holy assembly, to go with the multitude to thy house, and worship thee with the voice of joy and praise, that she may enter into thy gates with thanksgiving, and into thy courts with praise, and we may all be thankful to thee on her behalf, and speak good of thy name. Thou art good, O Lord, to all, and thy tender mercies are over all thy Deut. 8.11.14. works; thou preservest them that love thee; thou raisest up them that are bowed down; thou fulfillest the desire of them that fear thee, thou also dost hear their cry, and save them, command thy blessing yet upon thy servant and her offspring; let her not forget thee and thy mercies, but let her devote the life which thou hast given her to thy service, and educate her offspring, as a holy seed, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and as thou hast said, that thy curse is in the house of the wicked, but thou blessest the habitation of the just; let her and her house serve thee, and let holiness to the Lord be written upon all wherewith thou blessest her; let her make thee her refuge and habitation; give her the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in thy sight is of great price, let her not love the world, nor mind earthly things, but use the world as not abusing of it: seeing the time is short, and the fashion of this world passeth away restore her soul, and lead her in the paths of righteousness; though she must walk through the valley of the shadow of death, let her fear no evil; let thy goodness and mercy follow her all the days of her life, and let her dwell for ever in thy glorious presence, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 1 John 2. 15. Phil. 3. 1. 18. 30. Psal. 23. 3, 4. 6. Jude 24. 1 Cor. 7.31. 29, If the Child be dead, those passages which imply its living must be omitted, and if the Woman be such as the Church hath cause to judge ungodly, the Thanksgiving must be in words more agreeable to her condition, if any be used. Of Pastoral Discipline, Public Confession, THE recital of the curses are said in the Book of of the primitive church, till it can be restored again, which is much to be wished, which is the putting of notorious sinners to open penitence: His Majesty's declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs, determineth that all public diligence be used for the instruction and reformation of scandalous offenders, whom the Minister shall not suffer to partake of the Lord's-table, until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty lives, provided there be place for due appeals to superior powers. And the law of Christ commandeth, that if thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his faults between him and thee alone, if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother, but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established, and if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church, but if he shall neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man, or as a publican. 17. And it is the Matt. 18. 15office of the Pastors, of the several congregations, not only to teach the people in general, and guide them in the celebration of the public worship, but also to oversee them, and watch over each member of their flock particularly, to preserve them from errors, heresies, divisions, and other sins, defending the Truth, confuting gainsayers and seducers, instructing the ignorant, exciting the negligent, encouraging the despondent, comforting the afflicted, confirming the weak, rebuking and admonishing the disorderly and scandalous, and directing all according to their needs in the matters of their salvation; and the people in such needs should have ordinary recourse to them, as the officers of Christ, for guidance, and resolution of their doubts, and for assistance in making their salvation sure; and in proving, maintaining, or restoring the peace of their consciences, and spiritual comfort. If therefore any member of the Church be a scandalous sinner, and the crime be either notorious or fully proved, let the Pastor admonish him, and set before him the particular command of God which he transgresseth, the supreme authority of God which he despiseth, the promises and mercies which he treadeth under foot, and the curse and dreadful condemnation, which he draweth upon himself, let this be done with great compassion and ténder love to the offender's soul, and with gravity, reverent and serious importunity, as beseemeth men employed on the behalf of God, for the saving of a soul; and yet with judgment, and cautelous prudence, not taking that for sin which is no sin, nor that for a gross and scandalous sin, which is but an ordinary human frailty; not dealing as unreverently with a superior as with an inferior; not making that public which should be concealed; nor reproving before others when it should be done more secretly, nor unreasonably speaking to those who through drink or passion are incapable of the benefit; nor yet offending by bashfulness, or the fear of man, or lukewarmness, negligence, or slighting over great offences, on the other extreme. Prudence also requireth them to be cautelous of overmeddling, where the Magistrate's honour, or concernment, or the Church's unity, or peace, or the reputation of others, or the interest of their ministry requireth them to forbear. These cautions observed, if the scandalous offender continue impenitent, or unreformed, after due admonitions and patience, let the Pastor in the congregation when he is present rebuke him before all, that the Church may sufficiently disown the crime, and others may see the odiousness and danger of the sin. But let this also be with the love and prudence, before mentioned. If the offender in obstinacy will not be there, the Pastor may open the crime before the congregation: and present or absent (in case he remain impenitent), if the case will bear so long a delay, it is convenient, that the Pastor publicly pray for his conviction and repentance, that he may be saved. And this he may do one, or two, or three, or more days, as the nature of the case, and prudence shall direct him. If during these means for his recovery (after the proof of the crime) there be a Communion of the Church in the Lord's-supper, let the Pastor require him to forbear, and not suffer him to partake of the Lord's-table. If yet the offender remain impenitent, let the Pastor openly declare him unmeet for the Communion of the Church, and require him to abstain from it, and require the Church to avoid communion with him. And let him bind him by the denunciations of the threatenings of God, against the impenitent. But before this is done, let no necessary consultation, with other Pastors, or concurrence of the Church be neglected: and after let there be place for due appeals, and let Ministers consent to give account when they are accused of mal-administration. But if after private admonition (while the offence is such, as requireth not public confession) the sinner be penitent, let the Minister privately apply to his consolation the promises of the Gospel, with such cautelous prudence, as is most suitable to his condition. And if he repent not till after public admonition, or that the scandal be so great and notorious, as that a public confession is necessary, let him, at a seasonable time appointed by the Pastor, with remorse of conscience, and true contrition, confess his sin before the congregation, and heartily lament it, and clear the honour of his Christian profession which he had stained, and crave the prayers of the Church to God for pardon, and reconciliation through Christ, and also crave the Ministerial absolution and restoration to the communion of the Church, and profess his resolution to do so no more; but to live in new obedience to God, desiring also their prayers for corroborating and preserving grace. It is only a credible professsion of repentance, that is to be accepted by the Church. The foregoing cautions must be carefully observed in such confessions, that they be not made to the injuring of the Magistrate, or of the Church, or of the reputation of others, or of the life, estate, or liberty of the offender, or to any other shame than is necessary to the manifesting of his repentance, and the clearing of his profession, and the righting of any that he hath wronged, and the honour and preservation of the Church. When he hath made a credible profession of repentance, it is the Pastor's duty, ministerially to declare him pardoned by Christ, but in conditional terms. [If his repentance be sincere.] And to ab1 solve him from the censure of non-communion with the Church, if he was under such a censure before his penitence, and to declare him meet for their communion, and to encourage him to come and require |