us we beseech thee let the eye of thy providence which never slumbereth nor sleepeth watch over us and let the hand of thy power Protect and defend us Cover us this Night under the Shadow of thy Wings that no evil happen unto us Grant that our bodies may be refreshed this night with such moderate rest that we may be the fitter for the works of our vocation and thy service the next morning Hear us we beseech thee for Jesus Christ his sake our Lord and only Saviour in whose Name and Words we call upon thee further Praying Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Thursday Morning GLorious Lord God and in Jesus Christ our merciful and loving Father we thine unworthy creatures sinful dust and ashes are here in all humility of souls and bodies prostrate as the lowest footstool of thy glorious Majesty beseeching thee to bow down thine ears unto our prayers to open thine eyes to our Supplications who from the very bottom of our hearts do acknowledg and confess that we have been unprofitable servants prodigal Children and bad stewards of that time which thou hast afforded us for repentance and good works and of those tallents which thou hast committed to our improvement we are Children of rebellious and disobedient parents our hearts are cages of unclean birds of noisome lusts and the thoughts thereof have been evil and only evil and that continually And if we look O Lord unto the actions of our lives there are few sins we have not committed no Commandement which we have not broken These eyes which now look up unto heaven have beheld vanity these tongues which now call upon thee have dishonoured thee and these hands which we now lift up unto thee have been many times lifted up against thee and thy statutes so that we have made our selves unworthy of the east of thy mercies but worthy of the greatest of thy Judgments but deal not with us after our sins neiâ—her reward us according to our â—niquities Spare us O Lord Spare thy people whom thou hast creatâ—d after thine own Image and redeemed with thy own blood And â—ccording to the multitude of thy tender compassions which have ever been of old to us blot out the multitude of our transgressions pardon our sins and receive us again into thy favour for his sake and Suffering who hath Satisfied thy Justice to the utmost farthing And for the short residue and remainder of our days give us grace O Lord to consecrate the remainder of them to thy service to redeem that time which we cannot recall and to make our calling and election sure before we go home and be seen no more And bâ—cause the corruption of our nature are too many and too strong for us and the Devil like a roaring Lyon goes about continually to devour us leave us not to our selves but assist us by thy grace perfed thy strength in our weakness and preserve both our bodies and souls blameless and spotless that wheâ— we shall have finished our course and run the race of our natural Pilâ—grimage we may receive that crown of righteousness which thou the righteous and just Judge hast laid up for all them that love and expect the day of thy appearing And together with us we intreat thee for a blessing upon our King Queen Duke and the rest of the Royal Family upon our Counsellours Ministers and Magistrates upon our friends Kindred and acquaintance upon the whole Church and every afflicted member of it Eccept of our Morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for all the mercies and favours comforts and deliverances which from time to time thou hast afforded and continued to us we thank thee for thy last mercy in preserving us from the dangers of this night past for refreshing our bodies with seasonable rest and bringing us safe to the beginning of this day Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him and the son of man that thou shouldest thus visit and remember him give us grace O Lord to remember thee and to be mindful of thy mercies that we may praise thee for all thee truth and faithfulness which thou shewest to us in the land of the living that as thou hast brought us to the comforts of this day so thou mayst go along with us in the same to enable us for the Duties of those callings wherein we are placed and to deliver us from those dangers to which we are exposed ever for Jesus Christ his sake in whose most blessed name and words we conclude these our weak and imperfect prayers saying as he himself hath taught us in his holy Gospel Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Thursday Evening O Eternal God and most merciful Father in Jesus Christ in whom thou hast made a Covenant of Grace and Mercy with all those that come unto thee in him in his Name and Mediation we humbly prostrate our selves before the throne of thy mercy-seat acknowledging that by the breach of all thy holy Laws and Commandements we are become wild Olive Branches strangers to thy Covenant of Grace we have defaced in our selves thy sacred Image imprinted in us by Creation we have sinned against Heaven and before thee and are no more worthy to be called thy children O admit us into the place of hired servants Lord thou hast formed us in ouâ— Mothers Wombs thy Providence hath hitherto watched over us and preserved us to this present time O stay not the course of thy Mercies and loving kindness toward us Have mercy upon us O Lord for thy dear Son Jesus Christ his sake who is the way the truth and the Life In him O Lord we appeal from thy Justice to thy Mercy beseeching thee in his Name and for his sake only that thou wilt be graciously pleased freely to pardon us all our sins and disobedience whether in thought word or deed committed against thy divine Majesty and in his precious Bloodsheding Death and perfect obedience free us from all the guilt the stain the punishment and dominion of all our sins and cloth us with his perfect Righteousness there is mercy with thee O Lord that thou mayest be feared yea thy mercyes swallow up the greatness of our sins speak peace to our souls and consciences make us happy in the free Remission of all our sins and be reconciled to thy poor servants in Jesus Christ in whom thou art well pleased Suffer not the works of thine own Hands to Perish thou art not delighted in the death of sinners but in their Conversion turn our hearts and we shall be turned convert us and we shall be converted Illuminate the eyes of our minds and understandings with the bright beams of thy holy Spirit that we may dayly grow in the saving knowledg of the heavenly mystery of our Redemption wrought by our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sanctifie our wills and affections by the same Spirit the most sacred fountain of all
in the firmament for number we have broken thy Commandements we have prophaned thy Sabbaths we have dishonour thy name we have abused thy creatures we have neglected the day of our Visitation and turned thy grace into wantonness whereby we have most justly provoked thy wrath and everlasting displeasure we have wounded our own consciences weakned our assurance of salvation and greived thy good Spirit which sealeth us up unto the day of our redemption And now O Lord if thou shouldst deal with us after our deservings thou mightest pour upon us the deluge of thy wrath and sury to sweep us out of the land of the living into that place of torment prepared for the Devil and his Angels But thou hast revealed thy self to the sons of men to be the Lord the Lord Merciful and Gracious Long-suffering and of great Goodness who pardonest Sinnes and passest by the transgressions of thy people this is thy Name for ever and thy Memorial throughout all generations we beseech therefore for Jesus Christ his sake to be merciful unto us in the free pardon and forgiveness of all our sins that we have ever committed against thee Accept of his obedience for our disobedience of his righteousness for our unrighteousness of his Sufferings for all our sins wash them away in his blood nail them to his cross hide them in his wounds and bury them in his grave that they may never rise up for our confusion here or for our condemnation hereafter O Lord be unto us a Father of Mercy and a God of Consolation Speak peace unto our souls and consciences and say unto us that thou art the God of our salvation And give us grace for the time to come to dye dayly unto sin by vertue of thy sons death and to rise up to newness of life by the power of his resurrection wean our hearts and take off our affections from the things of this world which endure but for a season and raise them up unto those things which are at thy right hand for evermore enlighten the darkness of our understandings subdue the stubbornness of our wills rectify the disorder of our affections and bring into obedience whatsoever exalteth it self against thy will that at last we may become such as thou would'st have us to be Continue and enlarge thy blessings upon the Church and Land wherein we live upon the person and government of our King bless all the Royal Family together with his Majesties councel the Nobility Magistracy Clergy and Gentry of the land Be merciful to all those who are afflicted with any cross or calamity all our relations and acquaintance and all others whom we are bound to pray for O Lord accept our Thanksgiving this Evening for all the mercys and favours which thou hast afforded for our souls or bodies for this life or a better more especially that thou hast preserved us and our Family this day in health and happiness Now holy Father seeing the night is upon us and we are ready to take our rest in thy hands we commit our souls and bodies and all that we have beseeching thee who art the keeper of Israel that neither sleepest nor slumberest to take care of us for if thou protect us not Satan will devour us yea we shall sleep a prepetual sleep and never arise up to praise thee we praise thee therefore be good to us this night deâ—eâ—d us from danger refresh us with comfortable rest and raise us up to glorify thee in the duties of the day following that thou mayst still be our God and we may be thy people hear us and graciously answer us in these our requests and what else thou knowest needful and expedient for us and that for Jesus Christ his sake in whose most blessed name and words we conclude these our imperfect Prayers saying as he himself hath taughts us Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Saturday Morning GRacious Lord God thou art the great Creator of Heaven and Earth we confess our selves unworthy to come into thy presence or to speak a word before thee wretched sinful Creatures that we are full of all iniquity and uncleanness and who can make that clean which is taken out of an unclean thing the thoughts and imaginations of our hearts are evil and only evil and that continually Yet O Lord seeing thou hast commanded us to call upon thee and hast mercifully promised to be present with thy Children to hear their prayers and to grant their requests which they put up in faith unto thee O Lord this doth give us boldness to come before thee and in confidence of thy goodness that thou wilt make good the same promises unto us at this time we here offer up unto thee this morning Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving humbly acknowledging and confessing from the bottom of our hearts our manifold transgressions and offences which we have continually multiplied against thee in thought word and deed from the beginning of our dayes unto this present time we acknowledge O Lord our Original corruption in the which we were at the first conceived and born and from which there hath sprung the most bitter and unsavoury fruit of sin apostacy and Rebellion to the great dishonour of thy Name and wounding of our poor souls and consciences and the evil example of others amongst whom we have lived by the which O God we confess that we have justly deserved that thy Wrath and indignation should be poured out upon us both in this life and in the life to come And therefore O God we come not here before thee in our own worthiness but in the worthiness and mediation of Jesus Christ beseeching thy gracious goodness for his sake to forgive all our offences our open sins our secret sins our sins of Presumption sins against Knowledg against Conscience against thee or against our Brethren either in our younger years or in the days of our knowledge as we must needs confess that in many things we offend all we beseech thee O Lord for Christ his sake to forgive the same unto us and perswade our Souls and Consciences more and more that thou art at peace with us and that all our sins are done away in the blood of thy Son And grant O Lord that by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit we may serve thee with more freedom of mind and liberty of will in Righteousness and true Holiness unto the end of our days And good Lord begin not only repentance and true conversion in us but of thy great mercy perfect the same O lead us forward more and more to perfection increase in us the saving knowledge of thee and of thy Son Jesus Christ. And now O Lord we magnify and praise thy Holy Name for thy Blessings and Mercies bestowed upon us both Spiritual and Temporal for our Health Peace Food Rayment and all the comforts of this life O Lord let us make a right use of them that we may not
increase our faith confirm our hope inflame our Charity teach us to imitate the life of Christ the true pattern of perfect Obedience and only true rule of a Godly life Teach us Humility Patience Meekness Gentleness Chastity Temperance Teach us to contemn earthly things to deny our selves to overcome the world grant us consolation in adversity and true tranquillity of mind grant us victory in temptations and deliverance from the devils treacheries grant us in thine appointed time a blessed departure of this life and a blessâ—â— resurrection unto life everlâ—sting And we pray not for our selves alone but in obedience to thy Command we make our supplication unto thee for all men save and defend thy universal Church enlarge thou her borders propagate thy Kingdom Bless thy servant Charles our most gracious King and governour Bless together with him our gracious Q. Katharine James Duke of York and the rest of the Royal Family Bless we beseech thee the Lords of his Majestys most Honourable Privy Council the Nobles Judges Ministers and Magistrates of this Realm Be thou a Father to the Fatherless a Comforter to the Comfortless a Deliverer to the Captives a Physitian to the Sick Grant that the Sickness of their Bodies may be for the good of their souls Hear us likewise O Lord for the sake of Christ and accept our thanksgiving we thank thee for preserving us ever since we were born and for defending us this night from all perils and dangers for the quiet rest wherewith thou hast refreshed our bodies for thy mercy renewed unto us this morning let thy mercy be continued unto us this day let thy Spirit direct us in all our ways that we may walk before thee as Children of the light doing those things that are pleasing in thy sight Let the dew of thy blessing descend upon our labours for without thy blessing all our labour is in vain Prosper thou the works of our hands upon us and grant that we may so conscionably seek after things temporal in our callings that we do not finally lose the things which are eternal we are unworthy O Lord we confess to obtain any thing at thy hand either for our selves or any other even for the sinfulness of these our prayers But since thou hast promised to hear all those that call upon thee in thy sons name make good we beseech thee thy promise unto us now calling upon thee in thy Sons name and praying as he hath taught us in his holy Gospel Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Wednesday Evening MOst Glorious Lord God whose dwelling is in the highest heavens And yet beholdest the lowly and the humble upon earth we blush and are ashamed to lift up our eyes unto heaven because we have sinned against thee which dwellest in the heavens But look down we beseech thee from heaven thy dwelling place and behold the humility of thy servants here on earth which prostrate themselves at the foot-stool of thy mercy confessing their own guiltiness begging pardon for our sins we confess O Almighty Creator that thou madest us at the first after thine own Images thou cloathedst us with Innocency as with a Garment thou seatest us in Paradice a place of all delight and Pâ—easure But we have defaced thine Image we have cast off our first Covering we have thrust our selves out of that pleasant place we ran away from thee and were not obedient to thy Voice And we do still shut our Eyes O Lord that we might not see and we have refused to be ruled by thy Law The law of sin in our flesh doth dayly captâ—vate us The root of sin which lyeth hidden in us doth every day put forth new branches all the parts and faculties of our bodies and souls are as so many Instruments of unrighteousness to fight against thy Divine Majesty Our hearts imagine wicked things our mouths utter them and our hands put them in practise Thy Mercys are every day renewed unto us and our sins are every day multiplyed against thee in the day of health and prosperity we forget thee and we never think upon thee in the day of sickness and adversity Thy benefits heaped upon us do not allure us to obey thee neither do thy Judgments inflicted upon others make us afraid to offend thee what couldst thou have done O Lord more for us or what could we have done more against thee Thou didst send thy Son in the fulness of time to take our nature upon him to fulfil thy Law for us and to be Crucified for our sins but we have not followed the example of his Holy Life but have every day afresh Crucified him by our sins and now O Lord if we should become our own Judges we cannot but confess that we have deserved everlasting torments in Hell fire but there is mercy with thee O Lord therefore will we not despair our sins are many in number but thy mercys are without number the weight of our sins is great but the weight of thy Sons Cross was greater our sins press us down to hell but thy mercy in Christ Jesus raiseth us up by Satan we are accused but by Jesus Christ we are defended By our own Consciences we are condemned but by Jesus Christ we are absolved and pardoned in us there is nothing but Sin Death and Damnation in him there is treasured up for us Righteousness Life and Salvation we are poor Christ is our Riches we are naked he is our covering We are exposed to thy fury pursuing of us he is the buckler of our defence and our refuge he is the Rock of our Salvation and in him do we trust Guide us O Lord by thy holy Spirit to amend what is amiss in us increase all gifts and graces which thou hast already given and give unto us what thou best knowest to be wanting Be gracious and favourable to thy whole Church especially to that part of it among us Bless thy Servant and our soveraign Lord King Charles our gracious Queen Katharine and all the Royal Family we beseech thee also to be gracious to the Kings Council the Nobility the Magistracy the Ministry the Gentry the Commonalty Forget not O Lord all those that are under the Cross and affliction Cloth the Naked feed the Hungry visit the Sick deliver the Captives defend the Fatherless and Widow releive the Oppressed confirm and strengthen those that suffer Persecution for Righteousness sake cure those that are broken in heart speak peace unto their consciences that are tormented with the sence of their sins stand by those that are ready to depart out of this life and when the house of their earthly Tabernacle shall be destroyed then Lord receive their Souls And now O Lord we bless and praise thy Name for our Health Maintenance and Liberty for preserving us ever since we were born for blessing us in all that we have put our hands unto this day Let thy mercy still be continued unto
him for these thy great and unspeakable mercys we render thee most humble thanks from the bottom of our hearts beseeching thee still to continue thy gracious protection over him and to grant him a long and happy reign over us so we will give thee thanks for ever and will always be shewing forth thy praise from generation to generation through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Vpon the Twenty Nineth of May the Day of his Majesties Birth and happy Return NO voice more soft then Thunder can express Our present joy our past heaviness None can the largeness of this Joy set out Unless at once he make three Kingdomes shout O therefore let us jointly all proclaim The praise of this great Act due to the Name Of Him by whom Kings Reign and Oh that we Could make our souls Wing'd with Devotion flee To God on High in Thankfulness and Praise Who without Blood has Crown'd our King with Bays Brought from three conquered Nations which he Holds in Subjection but to keep them free From the hard Yoke of Bondage which of late So gaul'd our necks whilest that we called a State Was nought but mad-men sitting at the Helm T was a great Bedlam which is now a Realm But those bad times are past this day we were Even rescu'd from the Sword without a War Without a War Great Charles his Kingdomes wone Thus strait when God Will hav 't the thing is done O may we thankful be and sing his praise Who for our Cypress now has given us Bayes May we give God and Caesar all their due And always Peace and Loyalty Pursue A Thanksgiving for the 29th of May being the day of his Majesties Birth and happy Return O Lord God who by thy divine providence and goodness didst this day bring into the world and didst this day also bring Back and restore unto us and to his own just and undoubted right our most gracious Soveraign Lord thy Servant KING CHARLES preserve his life establish his throne we beseech thee be unto him a helmet of salvation against the face of his enemies and a strong tower of defence in the time of trouble Let his reign be prospeâ—ous and his days many and let him so duly serve thee on earth that he may hereafter everlastingly reign with thee in heaven and let us thine unworthy servants make an oblation of our selves unto thee vowing all holy obedience in thought word and work unto thy divine Majesty promising in thee and for thee all loyall and dutiful Allegiance to thine anointed servant and to his heirs after him whom we beseech thee to bless with all encrease of grace honour and happiness And together with him bless the whole Royal Family with the dew of thy heavenly Spirit that they ever trusting in thy goodness protected by thy power and Crowned with thy gracious and endless favour may continue before thee in health peace joy and honour a long and happy life upon earth and after death obtain everlasting life and glory in the Kingdome of Heaven by the merits and mediation of Christ Jesus our Saviour who with the Father The â—Pestilence 〈◊〉 1665 and the holy Spirit liveth and reigneth for ever world without end Amen Vpon the Dreadful Pestilence in 1665. ON the great City of this Sinful Land London with Wealth and Folk abounding and With sin the cause of woe too God first pour'd The brim full Vial of his wrath and showr'd His ireful Judgments There his Angel drew The sword of Vengeance and that people slew At first by Tens which soon to Hundreds come Then Thousands weekly sent to their long home The frighted Citizens begin to fly From house and habitation lest they dye A wrathful day a dismal time wherein Thousands receive the wages of their sin Now might you see Red Crosses there great store And Lord have Mercy upon many a door The Knells of death continually do ring And that same doleful sound of Buryers Bring Your dead out Mortal ears with Terror Pierce And now a Cart becomes too many a Hearse Now might you see all faces blackness gather The son lamenting for his dying Father The wife for her deceased husband crying And parents mourning for their Children dying And some who did in stately houses dwell Now gladly creep into a Country Cell And others wandering up and down the Fields No Town or Village them admittance yeilds Thus from the Rod of God poor sinners fly Not from their Crimes for which they smart and dye Had you your selves forsaken when at home You need not thus about the countrey rome Had you fled from your sins before as fast You need not from the Plague have made such hast There have been three great Plagues in London within these sixty years and how much greater this last was then the former may appear by this Comparison In the year 1625. Buried of all Diseases 54265 Whereof of the Plague 35417 In the year 1636. Buried of all Diseases 23359 Whereof of the Plague 10400 In the year 1665. Buried of all Diseases 97301 Whereof of the Plague 68586 A Prayer in time of Pestilence OMnipotent Lord thou sin revenging God who for disobedience didst threaten thine own people Israel to smite them in the knees and in the legs with a sore botch that could not be healed be pleased O thou great offended Lord in the bowels of thy compassion to let thine anger cease and to bow down thine ear to thy sorrowful servants we turn unto thee our weeping eyes our dejected countenances our wringing hands our bended Knees our mournful voices and our groaning hearts O Merciful God behold our tears and view our countenances and look upon our hands and strengthen our Knees and hearken to our voices and comfort our hearts Give us a fight of our sins O Lord which have thus provoked thee to enter into Judgment with thy Servants and make us more to loath and tremble at our wickedness then at these Messengers of death wean us from the love of sin from the consideration both of thy displeasure and our own mortality and speak peace and health unto our souls which do every moment expect our dissolution to come O Lord thou art a God who canst not abide to behold unrighteousness look not therefore with thy wrathful eye upon us who are full of sin and pollution but look upon thy Son and his righteousness or if thou wilt look upon us first cloth us with the righteousness of that immaculate Lamb and so shalt thou see us with love and delight and we shall behold thee with unspeakable joy Seal unto our souls the remission of our offences and then make us willing to resigne our bodies to thy disposing yet we know O Lord if thou dost but Speak the word we shall be made whole if thou say'st the Plague shall not come near our habitations we then know we shall be safe if it be thy blessed will O Lord let us praise thee in the
afflicted and needy Supply all my wants and confer upon me all necessary blessings O be reconciled unto me in the blood of thy Son that I may â—ere depend upon thy fatherly protection and may hereafter be received into thy heavenly Kingdom there to reign with thee world without end through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour in whose blessed name and words I conclude my imperfect Prayers saying as he himself hath taught me Our Father c. The Prayer of a Marriner MOst glorious and eternal God whose power and wisdome is infinite and whose dominion is without end thou canst order and dispose of thy poor creatures to thy own praise and to their souls comfort Be pleased to look down from heaven the habitation of thy dwelling place and take notice of the broken requests of a poor worm in thy presence that is not worthy to take thy name into his lips Lord I may well say What is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou shouldst visit him that thou shouldst compass him about with loving kindness as with a garment The divine Architecture of this goodly fabrick of heaven and earth raysed out of nothing to this admirable perfection is beyond the apprehension of poor sinful dust and ashes but to behold thy glorious works upon the deep waters is much more admirable these declare thy glorious power O blessed Lord vouchsafe thy presence with a poor sinful creature in this undertaking that I may praise thee in the vast Ocean be a preserve from the danger of the Sea and prosper what is lawfully undertaken but especially preserve me from the danger of sin Oh let the gales of thy gracious spirit blow my soul at last to its desired harbour Oh thou that carriest the winds in thy fist so take care of me that the waves of the sea or of worldly desires may not swallow me up and return me home in safety that I may bless the land of the living and in the congregation of thy people and all this and whatsoever else is needful I aske for the sake of Jesus Christ my Lord to whom with the holy Spirit of grace be glory and honour now and ever Ameâ— The Thanksgiving of a Mariner after a prosperous voyage EVerlasting God the powerful preserver of men there are no bounds to be set to thy bounty for besides the great work of thy Creation thy continued Preservations and wonderful works of Providence declare thee to be a God of mighty power so also of wisdom goodness justice and truth oh never to be enough magnified is thy mercy for the continuance of thy favours thou never leavest nor forsakest those that put their trust in thee Oh holy Lord what shall I render unto thee that so aboundest in love and mercy in the deep the Lord hath been seen and every morning thou preventest me with thy loving kindness and though sin hath abounded yet thy grace hath superabounded Thou dost fulfil the desires of them that fear thee oh now as thou hast given me a new life and delivered me from the dangers and terrors of the deep waters so be graciously pleased to give me a thankful heart let there be found in me hungring and thirsting after righteousness that I may be brought home at last to that land of promised blessedness Good Lord do this and what else thou seest needful for thy Son Jesus Christ his sake our Lord in whose most holy name and words I further pray Our Father c. A Prayer to be used by all Christians O Almighty everlasting God and most gracious and dear loving Father I beseech thee for Jesus Christ his sake thy most dear and only Son to have mercy pitty and compassion upon a most vile wretched and miserable sinner whose innumerable offâ—nces both old and new are grievous and great by which I have justly deserved thy grievous wrath and everlasting damnation But now good Lord I do only appeal to thy great mercy which far surmounteth all thy works and thou hast promised in thy holy Word yea and sworn as truly as thou livest that thou desirest not the death of a sinner but ratheâ— that he should repent and live O gracious Lord I do confess that I am a great and grievous Sinner yet O Lord let me not perish nor suffer that everlasting death of my Soul which I have so deeply deserved but make me a vessel of thy great mercy that I may live and praise thy name amongst thy chosen Children for ever O let not my great sins separate me from the sight of thy holy Majesty but let thy great power and mercy be magnified in me as it was in David and Peter and Mary Magdalen and the Thief upon the cross O Lord I put my whole trust and confidence in thee who hast taken away the sins of the World who camest not to condemn the World but to save it that none which truly believe in thee should perish but should have everlasting life who camest noâ— to call the righteous but sinners to repentance O gracious God give me true hearty earnest and unseigned repentance that I may from the very bottom of my heart continually lament my manifold sins and wickednesses and so assist me with thy grace that I may never trespass against thy divine Majesty any more but that I may gladly serve thee in true holiness and righteousness all the days of my life Guide me O Lord by thy holy Spirit in all my ways works words and thoughts that I may gloriâ—y thy holy name which livest and reignest for ever through Jesus Christ my blessed Lord and Saviour in whose name and words I further pray Our Father c. A Prayer of a sick person FAithful Creator and preserver of all men look down I beseech thee upon thy poor servant who is punisht and afflicted in body with the smart of my pain and sickness and who is also troubled with the fear of thy heavy displeasuâ—e for my many sins and iniquities wherewith I have provoked thy holy Majesty in the time of my health I confess that of very faithfulness and goodness to me thou hast laid this scourge upon me to the end that by the stripes of my fleâ—h my spirit might be healed and saved in the day of the Lord Jesus I valued not the benefit of health as I should have done and therefore thou hast made me sensible of it by the want of it in my prosperity I remembred not the afflictions of my brethren and therefore thou hast afflicted me like unto them I was in a kind of spiritual lethargy till thou didst awake me with the strâ—â—ke of thy hand and because I know that it is good for me to be thus disciplined by thee I humble my self under thy mighty hand kiss this thy rod which I trust through thy grace shall make my Soul appear fair beautiful in thine eyes Comfort O Lord my fainting spirit and strengthen my
Christ is Rich though we be sinners he is Righteous though we be impure yet he is Pure and Holy for his sake therefore O Lord have mercy upon us and Write thy Law in our Hearts engrave it in our Minds we heartily beseech thee And let us this Morning of thy Holy Day wholly turn unto thee with all our Hearts Minds Thoughts Deeds and Meditations that we may joyn in Praises to thy holy Name for thy preservation of us the night past and refreshing us with sweet sleep and let us declare thy loving kindness in the Morning on thy Holy and Blessed Sabbath-Day for it is thy Will and Commandement that we should Sanctifie this thy Day unto thy Service and in Praise unto thee and offer up unto thee a morning Sacrifice of Praises and Thanksgiving and to hear what thy Spirit by the preaching of thy Word shall speak unto us thy Servants O let not our sins stand as a cloud to stop our Prayers from Ascending up unto thee or to keep back thy Grace from Descending by thy Word into our hearts that we may cease from the works of sin as well as from the works of our ordinary calling and that we may feel in our hearts the beginning of that Eternal Sabbath which brings unspeakable Joy and Glory and filling us with the Spirit of Prayer make us diligent and ready in the performance of thy will And take us O Lord into thy custody and governance for ever both our Souls and Bodies yea our Lives and all that ever we have so that our Lives may please thee and our Deaths may praise thee through Jesus Christ our Lord for whose sake we heartily Pray thee to grant these things thus asked and all other things necessary for soul and body and that not only to us but to all others also for whom thou wouldest we should pray Grant unto us all true hearty Repentance that we may turn from our evil ways that thou mayest turn from us the evils that we have so highly deserved And with us O Lord bless thy whole Church especially that part of it in these Kingdomes Be Gracious to thy servant and our Soveraign Lord King Charles Bless him in his Government and in his Royal Relations our Gracious Queen Katherine James Duke of York and all the Royal Family bless the Nobility Clergy Magistracy Gentry and the whole People of this Land be merciful to all our Kindsfolks and Families Neighbours and to all such as are any other way Related to us and we beseech thee to grant us all thy Blessings and thy holy Spirit to sanctifie us and to keep us this day and for Evermore from all Evil to thy Eternal Glory and our everlasting comfort through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour in whose Blessed Name and Words we further Pray Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Sunday Evening O Eternal God our most loving and merciful Father in Jesus Christ it is thine own commandment that we should call upon thy name and it is thy gracious and merciful promise that where two or three are gathered together in thy name there thou wilt be present among them we thy poor and unworthy servants Dust and Ashes yet the Workmanship of thine own Hand are more bold to come before thee to offer unto thee this Evening sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving O Lord we beseech thee to sanctifie unto us thy word which we have heard and read this day make it the seed of life unto our souls that it may fructifie grow and increase and get such strength by thy good providence that neither the burning heat of affliction or persecution cause it to wither but that as seed sown in good ground it may bring forth thirty sixty and a hundred fold as thy heavenly wisdom hath appointed And now O Lord being here before thee we cannot but acknowledg and confess ever from the bottom of our Hearts against our selves our own Unworthiness that we are greivous sinners Conceived in sin and born in iniquity whereof we have brought forth most vile fruits in our lives to the great dishonour of thy Name the utter dismaying of our own Consciences and the evil example of our Brethren by which we have deserved likewise thy wrath and heavy indignation to be poured upon us both in this life and that which is to come in such sort that no creature in heaven or earth is able to reconcile us again to thy Majesty but only thy Son Jesus Christ we intreat thee therefore O Lord to be merciful unto us and as we acknowledg our sins unto thee so be thou faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness wash us thorowly from our wickedness and cleanse us from our sins for we acknowledg O Lord against thee we have sinned and done evil in thy sight To thee therefore O Lord do we come to crave the pardon of our sins both â—or the guilt and punishment of the same that so they may not draw down upon us our deserved Judgment And good Lord we pray thee accept of our Thanksgiving unto thy Majesty for all thy mercies and blessings from time to time bestowed upon us for this life and for a better we praise thee for our Election Vocation Justification Sanctification continual Preservation and the assurance thou hast given us of a better Life when this is ended as also for all temporal blessings health peace and prosperity for thy goodness extended toward us for this day past that thou hast goâ— in and out before us and freed us from many dangers of soul and body and hast brought us with peace and comfort to the beginning of this night Lord Watch over us by thy Spitit and Presence give us a holy and sanctified use of our rest and sleep and fit us for the Duties of the next day especially O Lord fit us for that day which shall never give place to night And grant unto us all good things that thou in thy Wisdome knowest more expedient to give than we to ask and all we beg for Jesus Christ His sake in whose Name and Words we conclude these our imperfect Prayers saying as he hath taught us Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Munday Morning MOst Merciful and Gracious Lord God we do not present our selves here before thy Majesty trusting in our own merits or worthiness but in thy manifold Mercies which hast Promised to hear our Prayers and grant our Requests which we shall make unto thee in the Name of thy Dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord who hath also commanded us to assemble our selves together in his Name with full assurance that He will not only be amongst us but also be our Mediator and Advocate toward thy Majesty that we may obtain all things which shall seem expedient to thy blessed Will for our necessities Therefore we beseech thee most Merciful Father to turn thy loving Countenance
feeble knees and support my weak hands and revive my deaded heart and so powerfully assist me with the spirit of strength that I may with confidence call upon thee with patience endure this trial with hope expect thy good pleasure with wisdom make use of this thy Visitation and with thankfulness ever praise thy goodness and mercy for my safe recovery if it may fland with thy will whereunto I submit and wholly resign now and for ever through Jesus Christ my blessed Lord and Saviour in whose most holy words I further pray Our Father A Thanksgiving after recovery O Lord God of my health and salvation who hast known my Soul in trouble and didst make my bed in my painful and dangerous sickness and hast now raised me out of it to stand before thee I offer now unto thee a sacrifice of praise because I emplyed not the saculties of my Soul and members of my body as I should have done thou didst bereave me of the strength and vigour and use of them for a season but now because thy compassion fails not thou hast returned them to me again wherefore I consecrate and devote them perpetually to thy sâ—rvice and as I am in the state of my body so by the power of thy renewing grace I will become in the estate of my Soul a new man My broken heart which thou hast healed shall now entirely love thee my feeble knees and weak bones which thou hast settled shall night and day bow to thee my weak hands which tâ—ou hast strengthned shall continually be lifted up unto thee I confess unto thee O Lord that in my health I often read and heard that worldly delights and comforts were vain and much like flags and bulrushes which men in danger of drowning câ—tch to bear them up but they sink doâ—â—â— under water with them yet did I not learn till I suffered till thy rod had imprinted it even in my flesh Now O Lord I beseech thee to knit my heart unto thee that I may fear thy name create in me a new heart renew a right spirit within me I asked life of thee thou gavest it me I now desire and crave thy Salvation O my God withhold it not make me to repent of my sins the cause of my sickness and to depend upon thee the giver of all good things and make me in the time of prosperity to think of adversity in health to think of sickness in sickness to think of death and at all times so to think of judgment that whither I wake or sleep eat or drink or whatsoever I do else I may ever have this voice sounding in mine ears Arise ye dead and come to judgment Give me grace O Lord to make this use of mine affliction past and to cleave and stick fast unto thee in all holiness for the time to come through my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in whose name and words I further pray Our Father c. The Prayer of the Sick now ready to depart this World ETernal and Omnipotent infinite incomprehensible God Lord of my life and determiner of my days my body now is returning into dust and my soul returning to thee that gavest it O Lord most holy O most mighty draw near unto me who make hast to come unto thee give me a clearer sight of thee by how much the nearer I am out of the dark prison of my body Give me also a quicker tast of the powers of the life to come that I may the more comfortably pass over these last troubles of this present life O Father of mercy and God of all consolation let not the guilt of my sâ—â—s or horror of thy judgments or Satans suggestions or the fear of death or terrors of hell drive me to desperation I confess that for my unmindfulness of thee and ungratefulness to thee all my life I deserve that thou shouldest utterly abandon and forsake me now at my death but thy thoughts are not like our thoughts nor thy affections like ours Dear Father shew thy strength in my greatest weakness confirm thy mercy to me in my greatest need apply thy comforts to me in this my last extremity asswage the pains of my body with spiritual Comforts and diminish the fear of death by the assured hope of a better life O let me that am now returning to dust and ashes speak but this once to my Lord and Maker with ill my heart soul and strength I beseech thee by all that my Saviour Jesus Christ hath done and Suffered for me I entreat thee to speak peace unto my soul at its departing and say unto it I am thyâ— Salvation Make my election sure by my true repentance fervent charity assured confidence constant patience and comfortable perseverance to the end and in the end Amen At the Hour of death WElcome blessed hour the period of my pilgrimage the term of my bondage the end of my cares the close of my sighs the bound of my tarvels the goal of my race and the heaven of my hopes I have fought a long fight in much weakness I have finished my course though in great faintness and the crown of my joy is that through the strength of thy grace I have kept the true faith and now I dye in it I willingly resign my flesh I despise the world and I defie the Devil who hath no part nor share in me And now what is my hope my hope Lord Jesus is even in thee for I know that thou my Redeemer livest and thou wilt immediately receive my soul and rayse up my body at the last day and I shall see thee in my flesh with these eyes and no other my heart â—ainteth my strength faileth my tongue faltereth Lord let thy spirit of comfort help mine insâ—â—mities and make Supplication for me with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered I submit my self wholly to thy will I commit my soul to thee as my faithful Redeemer who hast bought it with thy most precious bloud I profess to all the world I know no name under heaven by which I may be saved but thine my Jesus my Saviour I renounce all confidence in any merits save thine I thankfully acknowledg all thy blessings I unfainedly bewail all my sins I steadfastly believe all thy promises I heartily forgive all mine enemies I willingly leave all my friends I utterly loath all earthly comforts I entirely long for thy coming Come Lord Jesus come quickly Lord Jesus receive my spirit SACRED POEMS UPON SELECT SUBJECTS WITH Divine Meditations OF THE Vanity of Mans Life and the World And also of the Four Last Things Death Judgment Heaven and Hell With Graces Speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs singing and making melody with your Heart to the Lord Eph. 5. 19. The Souls Breathing after Her Heavenly Country 1. JErusalem my happy home O that I were in thee Oh would my Woes were at an end thy joys that I might see
land of the living cleanse us from our sin and take away our iniquities and then we need not question but thou wilt take away thy hand from off us Hear us O Lord for our selves and also for thy distressed people and hear them for us and hear thy Christ for us all that to him and thee and thy blessed Spirit we may render as is most due all praise and glory and Thanksgiving and obedience for evermore Amen Vpon the Lamentable fire in London begun Sept. 2. 1666. O Let us ne'r forget that dreadful day That in sad ruins did our City lay When as that blazing and prodigious Fire Without remorse or pitty did conspire To lay it all in ashes which to some Did represent the dreadful day of doom When all the world with fire consum'd shall be And time shall give place to eternity Those mighty flames that were our Conquering foes Were far too great for Mortals to oppose The furious Flames ride on with full carreer London in Flames And no repulse do either feel or fear Fling down strong structures both of stone and wood And proudly scorn their power should be withstood Th' fire marches on roars murmurs rends and raves Burying in ruins Sepulchers and Graves And with a perverse envious mind is bent Not to leave standing one fair Monument That angry Majesty which in the year Six hundred sixty five by death did clear So many Thousands by the Pestilence And from their habitations sent them thence In sixty six a woe as great did make And did the Houses from the dwellers take So this most ancient City ruined fell And scarce can any story parallel In any Age or Country Town or Nation So sudden and so great a Devastation As in three fatal days to ruinate To spoil consume destroy depopulate A Place so Famous so renouned for Glory That 't was the Mirrour both of Age and Story THis lamentable Fire began Sept. 2. 1666. about one a clock in the morning in a Bakers house in Puddâ—ng-Lane near Fish-street Hill London which raged extreamly being blown with a strong North-East wind so that despising all means used for its extinguishing it spread far and wide sometimes with and against the Wind and so continued for the space of near four days till it had burnt down thirteen thousand two hundred houses which stood upon 337 acres of ground within the walls and 63 acres and 3 rod without besides 89 Parish Churches the most spacioâ—s Cathedral of St. Paul six consecrated Chappels the Royal Exchange the great Guild-Hall the Custom-house many magnificent Halls of Companys several principal City-gates and other publick Edifices which was accompanied with the loss of vast quantities of rich household-stuff and goods of all sorts but especially of 4 or 5 sorts of commodities viz. Books of which alone were lost near the value of 150 thousand pounds Tobacco Sugar Wines and Plumbs being heavy goods so that the whole loss is computed by an ingenious person to be nine millions and nine hundred thousand pounds and yet by Gods providence not above six or eight persons were burnt in this vast Incendy A Prayer for Septemb. 2d the begining of that lamentable fire in London 1666. HOly Lord God we must confess thou hast found out the iniquity of thy servants and hast discovered our nakedness and pollution in a vengeance suited and answerable to our grievous crying sin our pride oppression and fulness of bread had made us like unto Sodom and thou hast afflicted us like Gomorrha we would not be reclaimed by thy exemplary punishments upon others or our selves and therefore thou hast made us a terror and an astonishment to all that are round about us yet O Lord we must needs acknowledge that thou art just in all that is come upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly yet consider O Lord we are thy people though a rebellious and unthanâ—ful people suffer us therefore to implore thy pitty and the sounding of thy bowels and for thy names sake and mercies sake incline thine ear to us and save us and above all we beseech thee leave us not to our selves but by what method soever it shall please thee to reduce us though to this cup of trembling thou shalt add more and more grievous afflictions by any the severest course subdue us unto thy self and make us see the things belonging to our peace before they be hid from our eyes that being duly humbled under thy mighty hand we may be capable of being relieved and exalted in thy due time And now we bless and magnify thy name O Lord for that wonderful mercy thou hast vouchsafed us in the midst of thy just and dreadful judgments It is of thy goodness that we are not consumed that when we had proâ—oked thee to give us all up to utter ruin and desolation and thy hand was stretched out to execute thy whole displeasure upon us yet thou hast preserved a remnant and pluck'd us as a brand out of the fire that we should not utterly periâ—h in our sins add we beseeeh thee one mercy more to all that thou hast hitherto so unsuccesfully cast away upon us and by thy convincing Spirit awaken our sleepy Consciences soften and melt our hard hearts that being humbled by thy chastisements we may by thy goodness be led to repentance and sin no more lest a worse thing come unto us therefore let us faithfully improve this respite and relief with all its precious advantages and opportunities to a thankful humble and profitable walking before thee that so thy name may be glorified the Gospel credited and our Souls saved in the day of the Lord. Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ his sake our only Mediator and Redeemer Amen Vpon a Sea-fight MEthinks I see the swelling billows boyl Heat by the fire that doth from guns recoil The roaring guns which pierce the parting Air With terror we on land far distant hear They shake the massy Earth Thunder like Houses windows into trembling strike And each broad-side which strikes my ear I think Now a brave shipwith braver men dothsink Enraged mortals striving to outvy Thundring and Lightning in the lofty sky Bloud from the reeking decks into the Main Pours down like water in a showr of rain Discolouring the Ocean by its fall As if t would turn it to a Red sea all Fire ships set all on flames make a show As subterranean fires were from below Broke through the waves and one would think no doubt Fire strove to drink up sea sea to put out The fire and men by their contentious action Put all the Elements into distraction Now on the deck some shriek with painful wounds And others sinking are in deadly swounds Here a Commander falls the opponents hollow The souldiers soon in death their Leader follow Here from torn shoulder flyes an arm and there From shatterd thigh a leg the bullets tear Here flies a head off one
mans brains are dasht Full in the next mans face his bowels pasht On his next neighbour a third is found Groaning his Soul out in a wide-mouth'd wound There bullets fierce drive a heart out which dies To mortals rage a bloody Sacrifice Good Lord how will Heaven quietly hold those Souls who just now wert here such deadly Foes A Prayer in the Time of War ALmighty Lord God Thou art he only which givest victory to thee it is all one to save by many or by few thou canst make one to chase a thousand thou canst cause the hearts even of the most valiant to melt their hands to be weak their minds to faint and their knees to fall a way like Water if thou fight for us we cannot miscarry if thou favour us not we must needs be discomfited O be gracious unto us and be on our side now that men are risen up against us Go out O Lord with our Navys and Armies give wisdom and courage to our Captains gird them with strength unto the battel be with our Sea-men and Souldiers teaching their hands to war and their fingers to fight Assist their consultations prosper their policies crown their enterprizes with good success which are undertaken for the common good and comfort of the State Doubtless O Lord we deserved thine anger and our Sins do cry aloud in thine ears for vengeance it were but just with thee it thou shouldst make us a prey and spoil unto our enemies but O gracious God let us now fall into thy hands for thy mercies are great and let us not fall into the hands of men let it appear that thou art in the midst of us and that we shall not be moved that thou wilt help us and that very early and in thy due time set thou peace in our borders and make strong the bars of our Gates especially let the Gospel of thy Son sound yet louder among us that by it many Souls may be gathered unto thee So we thy people and the sheep of thy pasture shall praise thee for ever and from generation to generation we will set forth thy glory through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen A Prayer in time of Prosperity HEavenly Father Lord of plenty thou who hast created the world by thy power and continuest thy love in thy providence and protection to thee do I render thanks for my plenty and to thee do I offer the service of my store what I have is thine for the Earth is thine and all that therein is the Compass of the World and they that dwell therein it is thou only that givest a blessing to the fruits of the Land to the Corn to the Wine and to the Oyl It is thou only that commandest thy blessing in the store-houses and in all that thy servants do set their hands unto Lord make me one of thy faithful servants that what thou hast sent me may be a Testimony of thy love and not of thy hatred make me allways to magnify thee in the time of plenty and not to be high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in thee the living God who givest me all things richly to enjoy O suffer me not to treasure up the deceitful riches of this sinful world as thereby forgeting to be rich toward thee but as from thy bounty I receive these temporal blessings so in thy mercy make me abound in grace that allways having Sufficiency in all things I may abound to every good work In this my prosperity prepare me for adversity if it shall please thee at any time to send it unto me give me a sence of the afflictions of many of thy saints and distressed servants and enlarge my heart that I may be ready and forward to contribute to their necessities make me to shew mercy with cheerfulness and to possess with thankfulness what thou sendest unto me that I may neither â—orget thee in thy poor members nor deny thee to be the giver let me never stop mine ears at the cries of the distressed who beg for relief in the name oâ— thy self Thou Christ who wert rich didst for my sake become poor that so through thy poverty thou mightest make me rich Lord make me as willing to the poor for thy sake always considering that the Vanities of the earth are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed Make me labour for heavenly riches and for the ornament of the hidden man in the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in thy sight of great price make me O heavenly Father rich in thy self rich unto liberality rich in good works and in faith make me to buy of thee gold tryed in the fire that I may be rich and white rayment that I may be clothed that the shame of my nakedness may not appear let me always remember that great account which one day I must render to thee the Lord of Heaven earth that so I may serve thee here with my substance in my body and in my Soul with zeal and devotion and hereafter be received to thine everlasting glory through the merits of thy Son in thy bosom Jesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer in time of adversity FAther of pitty and Lord of comfort thou that hearest the cry of the afflicted look down in mercy on a distressed Sinner thy hand O God is heavy upon me for thou hast taken from me what I called mine by reason that I did not call it thine O Lord thou knowest my bleeding heart my sorrowful eyes and my mourning tears thou seest how poor I am and what miseries I suffer I am a scorn to my neighbours and a derision to those that are round about me my life is become a burden unto me because thou hast deprived me of the comforts thereof my lovers and my acquaintance stand looking upon my misery and my â—insmen stand asar off Lord if it be thy pleasure thus to humble me let it be thy goodness to give me patience to endure it the pride of my heart my forgetfulness of thee in the time of plenty did cry aloud for thy severest punishments now O now I feel thy just displeasure and groan under the burden and weight thereof yet thou O Lord canst ease me thou canst restore me hear Lord and have mercy Lord be thou my helper suffer me no more to rely upon the arm of flesh or to put my trust in uncertain riches but make me forever to depend upon thy bounty forgive me O Father the sins which I have committed when I lived in prosperity for I am sensible that they are a cause why at this time thou hidest thy face from me and causest me to be troubled O give me a sight and sence of the greatness of them and true contrition and sorrow for them that so though the world forsake me I may yet find favour