Heathen PRIVATE Prayer is a Duty to be used in secret where we can more particularize our sins when alone then is requisite to be done in publick Next we are to be frequent in Prayer and not Complain we want leisure for so doing for he which is most busie may find some time to perform this Duty else how can he expect his Employment should be Sanctified now it is a great advantage for Men to seek God at least Morning and Evening if they expect a Blessing upon their endeavours Next the advantages we reap by Prayer are many First It is a great honour to speak freely to the Almighty Secondly It is a great benifit for it brings down Blessings both Spiritual and Temporal to us Thirdly it is a pleasant Duty it draws us nearer to God which qualifies us for the joys of Heaven where Christ is at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore NEXT we must take care that we ask nothing which is unlawful but whatsoever we stand in need of to ask it in faith and great humility Secondly we must be attentive and mind what we are about Considering that it is the Majesty of Heaven we are to treat withal and that our necessities cannot be supplied without his Divine aid and assistance Thirdly Vigilancy Zeal and Purity of intention must not be omitted for the Sacrifice of the wicked are abomination to the Lord Lastly what we Pray for must be to a good end that is not to Pray for Wealth to Consume it upon our Lusts Or for grandeur to exercise our malice upon our Enemies but whatever we do must be done to the glory of God through whom we have Redemption in his blood even the forgiveness of our Sins Ejaculations at uprising AWake O my Soul and sing unto the Lord. Glory be to the Holy and undivided Trinity for watching and preserving me this Night I laid me down and slept for thou Lord sustainest me Lord arise and lift up the Light of thy Countenance upon me A Prayer for a Private Person in the Morning MOst gracious God whose Mercies are rich and infinite to all thy Servants that call upon thee accept I humbly beseech thee this my morning Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving which I now am to offer up unto thy Divine Majesty O Lord in thee I live move and have my being thou formdst me in the womb and hast writ my name in the Book of Life and that I might not be miserable but happy thou sentest thy only beloved Son to dye for me and to redeem me from all iniquity WHAT shall I render unto thee O Lord for all these thine inestimable benefits pour forth thy Grace upon me I beseech thee that I may abound in Thanksgiving and Praise for them Enlarge my heart with thy Love that I may in some degree Comprehend with all Saints the measure of thine infinite Mercy and goodness manifested to me by thy dear Son and my alone Saviour To whom therefore with thee and thy blessed Spirit be ascribed the whole glory of my Creation Redemption Sanctification and Salvation FORGIVE O Lord the manifold Sins which I commit daily and hourly against thee and grant that for the time to come thy restraining Grace may subdue my unruly inclinations and distempered affections and as I have been a Servant of Sin I may now become an Example of reformation That so I may rejoyce in thee as my only Treasure and rest in thee who art the Center of my felicity and be throughly convinced how good it is to draw nigh unto thee accounting all things but dross and dung in Comparison of the excellency of Jesus Christ and my alone Saviour and Redeemer O LORD as thou in thy tender Mercy and Compassion hast watched over me this Night and defended me from my Ghostly adversary so I beseech thee let thy all-seeing Eye of providence guide me this day in all my Thoughts Words and Actions whereby I may fall into no Sin nor run into any kind of danger But that all my doings may be ordered by thy governance to do alwayes that which is Righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour in whose Blessed name and Words I shut up these my imperfect Prayers in that most absolute form of Prayer which he himself hath taught me saying Our Father c. A Prayer at Departure from Home ALmighty and Everlasting God who art the way the truth and the Life looke down from thy Throne of Mercy to thy scorstcol of Compassion and behold me now betwixt the Assaults of the Devil the allurements of the World and my own vain inclinations I cannot look abroad but they are ever ready to molest me but O thou that leadest Ioseph like a sheep thou most faithful and Almighty guide lend me thy hand open mine Eyes direct my steps and cause me to walk in thy fear THOU that didst go out with Iacob from Beer sheba unto Padan aran guiding him in the wast-plains and watching over him on his pillow of Stones be not now far from me lead me O Lord in thy righteousness make my Paths straight and strengthen my goings that having finished my course here I may sit down in thy Kingdom hereafter an inheritance undefiled purchased for me with the blood of my Saviour and thy beloved Son Jesus Christ Amen Ejaculations for the Evening LET not the Sun go down upon thy Wrath Eph. 4. 6. Watch ye for ye know not when the Master of the House cometh at Even or at Mid-night or at the Cock crowing or in the Morning lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping Mark 13. 35 An Evening Prayer for a Private Person OEternal God full of loving kindness and long suffering whose Mercy is above all thy Works and thy Glory above the Heavens forgive me I beseech thee my transgressions this day my vain thoughts idle words and loose Conversation my exceeding neglect and forgetfulness of thee my headstrong inclinations and lusting after the World preferring this Land of Cabul before the Snow of Lebanon and a broken Cistern before the Well of Life JUSTLY O Lord might'st thou have cut me off this day and cast me into the Lake of thy Displeasure but thou hast had Mercy and not Sacrifice thou hast shed upon me the Light of thy Countenance and removed my sins far out of thy sight I know O Lord it is not in Man to Establish his own Ways it is thy Almighty Arm must do it it is thou alone that hast led me through this day and kept me both from doing and from suffering Evil. AND now O thou Preserver of men What shall I do unto thee What shall I render unto my Lord for all the mercies and loving kindnesses shewed unto thy Servant this day and all the days of my life even to this moment I will offer unto thee the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving and call upon the Name of the Lord I will ever love thee fear thee praise thee
the Children of Men thou hast provided all Creatures the Fowls of the Air Fish in the Sea and Beasts of the Field to furnish his Table cloath his Nakedness and serve his Necessities The Earth thou Createdst to sustain him the Waters to wash and cool him the Air to breath him the Fire to warm him the Flowers to refresh him the Herbs to cure him the Fruits to nourish him the Mines to enrich him the precious Stones to adorn him and the glorious Luminaries of Heaven the Sun and the Moon to light him the one in the Day and the other in the Night and both to measure his time to direct his Husbandry to divert him in his Peregrinations to ripen his Fruits and to encrease his Stores I CANNOT plead Ignorance of thy Deity for the Heavens declare thy Glory and the Firmament sheweth thy Handy-work I cannot pretend Ignorance of thy Law for thou hast put thy Word into my Mouth and written thy Law in my Heart nor I cannot affirm that I never heard of the Light of thy Gospel for the Light came into the World and shined in the Darkness and the Darkness comprehended it not but Men love darkness rather than light because their Deeds are evil FOR which thou mightest most justly have cast us into utter Darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth but there is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared there is Balm in Gilead to cure our deadly Wounds there is Unction in Christ and Salvation in Jesus out of his precious side he opened to all the Inhabitants of the Earth a Fountain for Sin and all Uncleanness whereby we might be Purified even as he is pure A Prayer for Wednesday Morning O ETERNAL God who art of Infinite Majesty look down from Heaven the Habitation of thy Holiness upon me thy unworthy Servant thou art a God of Power and canst relieve me of Goodness and wilt in thy good time mercifully help me O Lord the Fountain of thy Mercy can never be dryed up nor the Merits of my Saviour diminished O therefore Bath my Soul in them that being Sanctified and Justified I may appear in thy sight more pure and white than the Snow in Salmon I BLESS thy Name for keeping me this Night past and bringing me to the beginning of this Day let thy Eyes always attend upon me prosper preserve cherish guide and govern me in all my Studies Actions and Employments so that I may spend this day and the remainder of my life according to thy blessed Will Grant O Lord that whatever I do it may be acceptable in thy sight to the Glory of thy most Holy Name the peace of my Conscience and the Salvation of my own Soul TO this end be thou O Lord my God and my Guide my Protector and Defender Keep me unspotted of the World teach me to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly towards my self Righteously towards my Neighbour and Piously towards thee my God repenting truly of my Sins and serving thee in holiness and righteousness all my daies that in life thou mayst be my God in death my deliverer and after death my Eternal rewarder Amen A Prayer for Wednseday Night O MOST glorious God I do here at this time with the good Samaritan return to give thee thanks for all thy Mercies and Blessings bestowed on my soul and body in things Spiritual and temporal for my Election before all time my Creation in the beginning of time and my Redemption in the fulness of time I praise and glorifie thee for thy preservation of me this day and that thou hast yet spared me and hast given me Liberty and a gracious opportunity once more to call upon thee LORD I acknowledge and confess that thou mightest have taken me away in the midst of my Sins and in the very act of Committing them but thou hast dealt more merciful with me Keep me O Lord this Night from fear and danger and from all noysome Dreams and from all hinderances of sweet repose which thou hast appointed for the refreshing of wearied Nature SEAL unto me a full and a free Pardon of all my Sins of what Nature or quality soever they be whether they be Sins of omission or Commssion of knowledg ignorance weakness or wilfulness O Lord deal not with me according to the magnitude and multitude of them but for thine infinite Mercies blot them out of thy Book of remembrance and Cast them out of thy sight into the bottomless Sea of thy Compassion that they may never rise in this Life to shame me nor in the Life to come to Condemn me Amen Meditations for Thursday LOrd Teach me of what Spirit I am or should be even of that which descended upon thy Son in the likeness of a Dove without gall By this Spirit mortifie in me the Lusts and affections of the Flesh such as envy wrath and revenge by the still small voice in which thou discoursest with Elias let me obâ—erve that thou art not in the fire of my rage nor in the storm of my Passion but in the soft gale of Grace Thou didst on this day replenish the Sea and Rivers with Fish and the Ayr with Fowls in Shapes admirably various and in number almost infinite stir me up by this Consideration to admire thy power and Wisdom in thus enriching this vast and seeming solitude BLESSED Lord who this day madest the Waters fruitful let thy Spirit move upon the waters of my Tears that they may abound in the fruits of Repentance and be blessed in the encrease of Spiritual Consolation This day thou Commandest the Fowls to fly through the Ayre lift up my Soul from ths Earth with the wings of Faith and hope that She may mount up towards Heavenâ— Make me light and cheerful after my heavy Sorrows and afflictions and though I have been as if I had layen among the Pots yet I may be by the Grace of thy Spirit like that Dove whose wings are Silver and her feathers like Gold FOR my light and momentary Afflictions are no way worthy the Glory that shall be revealed unto me hereafter And for the present what are Afflictions or Crosses or Persecutions but the common lot of thy Children when I am thus chastned I am Judged of thee that I may not be Condemned of the World How can I ever forget thee who rememberest me at all times and in all places Amen A Prayer for Thursday Morning O LORD God who dwellest in that light which no mortal Eye can approach yet beholdest in Mercie the Sons and Daughters of Men thou makest the outgoings of the Morning full of thy Glory and causest the Sun to shine upon the just and the unjust mercifully chasing away the darkness of the Night and shadow of Death I praise thy holy Name that thou hast vouchsafed me to pass this Night in rest and quietness and hast brought me safe to the beginning of this day I HUMBLY beseech
go down to the pit O what great troubles and Adversities hast thou shewed me and yet didst thou turn and refresh me yea and broughtest me from the deep of the Earth again Praised be god which 〈◊〉 not cast out my Prayer nor â—â—â—ned his Mercy from me LORD what is Man that thou hast respect unto him Or the Son of Man that thou so regardest him The Lord is Righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his Works The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him yea all such as call upon him faithfully He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him he also will hear their Cry and will help them SING Praises unto the Lord O ye Saints of his and give thanks unto him for a remembrance of his Holiness for his Wrath endureth but the twinkling of Eye and in his pleasure is Life Heaviness may endure for a Night but joy cometh in the Morning Praised be the Lord daily even the God which helpeth us and pouereth his benefits upon us HE is our God even the God of whom cometh Salvation God is the Lord by whom we escape Death I will be glad and rejoyce in thy Mercy For thou hast Considered my trouble and hast known my Soul in adverâ—ity thou hast turned my heaviness into joy thou hast put off my Sackeloth and girded me with gladness PRAISE the Lord O my Soul And all that is within me Praise his holy Name Praise the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Which forgiveth all thy Sin and healeth all thine infirmities Which saveth thy life from destruction and Crowneth thee with Mercy and loving kindness I shall not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord The Lord hath chastned me and corrected me but he hath not given me over unto Death A Thanksgiving after Recovery from Sickness OMNIPOTENT Lord God the Author of Life who bringest down to the Grave and raisest up again I most humbly confess to the Glory of thine infinite Majesty that if thou hadst not out of thy tender Compassion blessed and sustained me in my sickness I should have gone down to the Gates of Death but it was thy goodness and loving kindness to spare and deliver me from all dangers Let me for ever Praise and glorifie thy holy Name for this and all other thy Mercies towards me THOU art gracious when thou smitest me but I cannot express thy infinite sweetness when thou Relievest my necessity when thou sustainest my Sorrows when thou doâ—t deliver me from thy Wrath when thou hearest my prayers and when thou pourest thy Benefits upon me O give unto me thy unworthy Servant a thankful Heart and obedient and loving Spirit a carefulness of my Duty Charity and Humility Zeal of thy Glory and a submission to thy Divine will and Pleasure that serving thee in all things I may be conducted at last to thy Heavenly Kingdom TEACH me alwayes to remember my latter end and that this Life is but a shadow that declineth and withereth like Grass But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever for thou art the same and thy Years shall have no end Bring me by an unchangeable love and obedience to thee in all the changes and chances of this mortal Life for his sake who loved me and gave himself for me even thy Son and my alone Saviour Amen A Prayer before a Iourney O MOST gracious and Merciful Lord God who art a God a far off as well as nigh at hand be pleased to send thy holy Angel before me thy Servant to defend me in this my journey from the heat of the day and the Cold of the night from the Arrow that flies at Noon and the evil Spirits that walk in darkness from errors and falls from precipices and fracture of bones from Robbers evil intentions and bad accidents from violent Weather and violent Fears from all impressions of evil Men and evil Spirits let this Journey be safe and useful to me thy Servant Comfortable to my Relations and holiness to thy great Name THE Lord bless me and keep me the Lord make his Face to shine upon me and be gracious unto me keep me from all evil and lead me into all good by the Conduct of thy good Spirit let thy providence and love be my defence and security thy Grace be my portion and thy Service my Employment do thou O Lord go in and out before me and keep me in all my wayes and lead me in thy Paths bring me back again in peace and safety and prosper all my innocent and holy purposes and when the few and evil daies of my Pilgrimage are ended do thou of thy infinite Mercy bring me to the Regions of holiness and eternal peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Thanksgiving after a Iourney O GOD the great Creator and preserver of all Men I give thee humble and hearty thanks for thy great Mercies shewed unto me all the dayes of my Life how often O Lord hast thou turned away thy Face from my sins and made as if thou perceivest them not How often mightest thou have with-held thy hand of preservation from me and yet thy patience hath extended so far towards me that thou hast suffered no prejudice to befall me And as I owe thee infinite thanks for thy former preservations so now I am further obliged to thee that thou hast at this time not only guided me to the place whither I designed to go but hast also brought me back in safety and in my absence hast preserved all things unto me GIVE me thy Grace O Lord to be alwaies mindful of these and all other thy Mercies towards me and make me truly thankful unto thee for them and grant that as by this thy Mercy I have well finished my affairs abroad and am returned safe to this my Temporal habitation so grant that my Spirit after this Pilgrimage here on Earth may return to thy Heavenly mansion and there dwell with thee for ever and that for the sake and merits of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer before a Voyage OETERNAL God even the God of our Salvation the hope of all the ends of the Earth and of them that remain in the wide Ocean under the shadow of whose Wings we are always secure and without whose protection we cannot expect safety I have been O Lord preserved by thee until this moment from many dangers for which I have not expressed my thankfulness in acknowledging those dayly blessings I have received from thee but O Lord forget and forgive those manifold sins which I have Committed against thee and blot them out of thy Book of remembrance PURGE me O Lord I beseech thee from all vile affections and grant I may bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit go along with me with thy blessed Spirit in this my Voyage preserve me from Pirates Robbers and Enemies defend me from Rocks Sands and Shelves and keep me from Thunder