The Plain Man's Guide to Heaven containing first his Duty towards God secondly towards his Neighbour with proper Prayers Meditations and Ejaculations designed chiefly for the Country-man Trades-man Labourer and such like in Twelves 1692. Pr. 1 s. A Sermon conterning Publick Worship preached before the Queen at Whiteball on Wednesday the 23d of March 1692. By Thomas Manningham D.D. Chaplain in Ordinary to their Majesties and Rector of St. Andrew Holborn A Sermon preached at the Consecration of the Right Reverend Father in God Thomas Lord Bishop of Lincoln In Lambeth Chappel Jan. 10. 1692. By Willam Stanley D. D. Clerk of the Closet to her Majesty THE Plain Man's GUIDE TO HEAVEN CHAP. I. The Country-Man and Trades-Man's daily Duty and Devotion I Will not here set down any Hour for your rising but suppose you allow no more time for sleep then serves to preserve your health and refresh your weariness otherwise your Temporal as well as Spiritual Duties will be ill performed and suffer great prejudice Only consider how to serve God first and to that end forecast to rise so early as to have time both for your self and Family to worship God before you begin your days work and be assured that this loss of sleep shall neither hurt your health nor on the other hand be a hindrance to your Labours So soon as you wake and while you are rising entertain your self with good thoughts call to mind the mercies of God to you your being kept in safety the past Night and your Family from sudden Death Fire Robbers and the like Think what Temptations you may that day meet with especially to drinking or over-reaching your Neighbour in buying and selling and arm your self against them and what opportunities of doing good and encourage your self to do it cheerfully out of obedience and love to God who will certainly reward you for it as well in this Life as that to come As soon as you have put on your Clothes kneel down and make your private Prayer to God to thank him for his mercies beg pardon for your sins with the continuance of his Grace and Protection that day which you may do in the following words or what other you like better But let not your inability to read or any other consideration cause the neglect of your worshipping God Psal 5.3 Rom. 8.26 27. Hebr. 7.25 Luk. 11.2 Chron. 29.30 Prov. 15.8 Mark 11.24 Psal 145.18 19 20. Acts 17.25 Hebr. 4.16 Prov. 28.13 John 1.1 8 9. Jer. 33.3 Psal 50.15 Numb 22.4 Psal 92.2 Mark 2.35 Matth. 6.6 Psal 55.17 Dan. 6.10 Psal 10.19 122.6 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3. Thess 3.1 Ephes 4.2 but the rather make you more diligent to seek Instruction that so you may be able to offer up your Prayers from an honest heart truly sorrowful for your sins with an ardent love to God and a desire to please him and then he will except those desires and pardon such imperfections as are not wilful or through negligence always saying the Lord's Prayer which endeavour to understand in its fullest sense as you may learn from some good Catechism or Exposition A PRAYER to be used in private every Morning ALmighty God the Creator and Preserver of Mankind I worship and adore thy incomprehensible Majesty and desire that my Soul may be always filled with a devout awe and reverence for thee I acknowledge that 't is thou only who causest me to dwell in safety To thee alone I owe the supports and comforts of this Life and the hopes of a better for all which my Soul blesses thee And I thank thee O my God that thou dost cause the light of thy Sun to arise once more upon me O grant me thy Grace that I may so spend this day that it may bring me comfort in the day of the Resurrection Pardon and deliver me O merciful Father from all my sins establish and strengthen my heart in thy Faith Fear and Love Enable me to trust in thee and resign up my self to thy holy will Make me humble and contented thankful and industrious in my Calling diligent to instruct my Children and Family in the Knowledge of thee and careful to be an Example to them of Obedience to thy Commandments guide and direct me in my way bless and prosper the works of my hands prevent and restrain me from all sin this day and give me if it be thy will a quiet Life but above all a peaceful and comfortable Death through Jesus Christ our Lord. So soon as your Wife Children or what Family you have is ready call them together and so often as you can possibly spare time you will do very well to read Joh. 5.36 Rev. 1.3 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Gen. 18.19 Josh 24.1 Acts 10.2 Matth. 11.2 or cause to be read a Chapter Choose those Chapters to be read oftenest that are easie to be understood and most practical then stand up and say the Creed which is the Sum of a Christian's Faith Then all kneeling down adore and worship God in these or the like words as you best approve A Morning Family PRAYER O Gracious God and merciful Father we bless thee that thou hast refreshed and preserved us this last Night and thereby fitted us for the labour and service of this day 't is of thy goodness O Lord 't is of thy goodness that we are on this side the Grave and that the bottomless Pit has not closed her mouth upon us for we acknowledge that we have often sinned against thee provoked thee either through sottish ignorance or presumption or through neglect or contempt of thy Words and Commandments the Ox knows his owner and the Ass his Master's Crib but we have forgot thee and been unthankful to thee and in many things have acted as though we knew thee not nor considered thy goodness and the works of thy hands O pardon pardon us thou who delightest not in the death but conversion of sinners pardon us thou who hast given thy Son to be a Propitiation for our sins and sow in our hearts we beseech thee the Seed of everlasting life and grant that whatsoever we learn from thy word to be our duty we may carefully and diligently fulfil keep us this day from the commission of any thing that may wound our Consciences wrong others or provoke thee Bless the Children of this Family granting that they may grow up in thy fear increasing in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and Man Teach every Member of this Family to do their duty humbly and cheerfully as out of Conscience towards God from whom they shall receive their Reward Let Peace and Charity rule our hearts let thy Providence protect and provide for us and when thou hast carried us through the labours hardships and temptations of this life bring us into the rest and glory of a better through Jesus Christ our Lord. Take care that both your private and family Devotion be performed with reverence and
other in worldly business therefore to those who are willing to follow my directions I recommend the doing of no more work then is needful not that the obligation is the same as on the Lord's day but only on an advantage of your growing in grace Therefore those that cannot read after the Family and Private Devotions is over had much better work themselves or find any innocent imployment then loose their time in idleness and sloth After your necessary business is done spend the rest of the Morning in reading to your Family who may at the same time do any quiet or sitting work or else catechise your Children and Servants but be sure if there is any Service in the Church to attend on that with willingness and devotion and cause your Family to do the like The rest of the day if you are able to afford so much time you may spend in seeing an honest Neighbour or Relation your Minister or Landlord but be sure on these days as on no other you eat nor drink not to excess for by that you make what was designed for God's Service and your good the cause of God's dishonour and your perdition the Devil's work ought to be done on no day and less on a day called holy and designed for holy uses therefore avoid such Company as will tempt you to excess 't is better work at home then go abroad for such purposes Come home early if you go abroad that you may have time to enlarge your Devotions by reading or praying something longer or singing Psalms but whatever part of these Devotions you want time for be sure that nothing but very great necessity hinders your going to Church on such days but when Harvest or other unavoidable business hinders read the same Scriptures you should hear at Church at home and at your work be much in singing Psalms good discourse on holy Meditations praying that God will accept your desires to worship him more solemnly and give you a share of those blessings others pray for But take care whenever you plead necessity to omit God's Worship that it be not a pretended necessity for that will be a great aggravation of your neglect if you can loose time in idleness and vanity and yet fancy you have none for God's Service this is plainly because you want a true love to God For we like to converse with those we love and are very ready to contrive means to do it if you will but try to be in the first place careful to serve God in the next industrious in your business dare promise that the time you so spend shall not be lost but be abundantly rewarded and is most likely to obtain the blessing of God on your labours a contented mind and sure hope of eternal happiness CHAP. III. Of preparation to the holy Sacrament SUpposing you live an honest holy life and sincerely endeavour to do your duty to God Of the Sacrament 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25 26. Luke 22.17 18 19 20. 1 Cor. 5.7 8. 11.27 28 29 30 your Neighbour and your self I would advise you to receive the holy Sacrament as often as it is administred in your Parish Church If your life is wicked you must not come at all till you reform and are prepared by repentance and good works So that there is no excuse for seldom receiving If you are unfit for the Sacrament you are unfit to die and then there is no time for delay but you must speedily mend and beg pardon and grace that you may be prepared for both But forasmuch as this Book is directed only to such as are ingaged in a holy life or resolve to be so for others will hardly submit to these Rules I shall suppose my Reader is in a state of grace and resolved to be God's faithful Soldier and Servant all the days of his life as he engaged in his Baptism But to avoid all scruple in judging of your right to this holy Ordinance take the advice of your Pastors and submit to it and if he admits you once you ought not after to neglect repeating of this Duty except you fall into some wilful sin temptation or doubt in which case 't is safest being advised by your Minister who will resolve your doubt and advise you how to overcome your temptation and in case of wilful sin will assist your repentance and judge when it is such as will admit your return to the holy Communion then you must deal sincerely else you deceive him and so are the cause of his deceiving you which will be your own misfortune When the warning is given rejoyce at the glad Tidings and hearken with reverence and attentention to the Exhortation and Instructions contained in it during the whole week have it often in your mind and as you are at work think how you are prepared what it is makes you most afraid or unwilling to come to this blessed Feast if it is any remaining love to sin if you find any beloved lust you are still loth to part with rest not in this dangerous state for your Salvation is in great hazard when your love to sin is greater then your love of God or Heaven or fear of Hell which it must needs be so long as you cannot resolve to part with it though you know that the wages of sin is death and that no unclean wicked man so long as he continues so can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven therefore if you live in Fornication Drunkenness Swearing Cheating Malice Lying Covetousness Unmercifulness the neglect of God's Worship reading and hearing his holy Word frequent Prayer breach of the Sabbath or any other known wilful sin come not to the holy Sacrament not only not frequently but not at all till you amend your ways nor immediately so soon as you think you repent but try your sincerity But the safest way in this case is as I said before to be advised and examined by some honest sober Minister both before your first admission and after in case of relapse into your old sins or doubts of sincerity in your spiritual state if your sins are only of infirmity and defects of doing good be not discouraged nor keep from this great means of strengthening your weak graces which the Enemy of your Soul will tempt you to that being without this spiritual Armour he may with the more ease overcome but in the days of your Preparation often call to mind and observe what imperfections you find most prevail and what temptations to them and think what may be the best means for the overcoming of them also think what is most apt to draw you from the Service of God and your Neighbour and fortifie your self against such temptations and by meditation of the Joys of Heaven and the Torments of Hell certainty of Death and uncertainty of Life quicken your Resolutions of sincere Obedience to all God's Commandments Fasting Matth. 6.16 17 18. Acts 10.30 What time
over the Exhortations before the Sacrament and as you read consider if you be so prepared as they require Indeed the whole Communion Service is an excellent direction for our preparation to and meditations at the holy Sacrament for which cause I would have you read it over and make it your Rule endeavouring to understand it well and where you are ignorant go to your Minister to be more clearly informed which will be a means of your joyning in it in publick with the greater Devotion A short Example of applying the Communion Service the better to prevent the wandring of your Mind YE that do truly and earnestly repent Lord I repent perfect my repentance And are in Love and Charity with your Neighbour Encrease my Charity I forgive and desire to be forgiven by others And intend to lead a new Life c. Assisted by thy grace I resolve to keep thy Commandments and walk in thy holy ways Draw near with faith Confirm my faith that I may receive the holy Sacrament to my comfort as I humbly confess so graciously pardon all my sins After this manner you may apply the larger Exhortation before which I leave to your own devotion Then follows the Confession and other Prayers which you are to joyn in and the Prayer of Consecration to these words Who in the same night c. the rest being proper only to the Minister who is appointed alone to consecrate the Bread and Wine for this holy use Observe in the Prayer that Christ is said to be but once offered which was when he suffered on the Cross by which Sacrifice he made a full perfect and sufficient Oblation and Satisfaction for the sins of the whole World that is whoever shall repent and believe Observe also that he commands us to continue the remembrance of his Death till his coming again which ought to convince you of the duty of the frequent coming to the holy Table The reason of kneeling is only this being the most solemn time of Prayer that posture is most proper therefore ought not to be a cause of division As for your private devotion observe the following Rules Imploy some time in the Morning to consider how you must behave your self at the holy Table how to order your Meditations and renuing your Baptismal Covenant meditating on and applying the benefits of Christ's Death for your pardon and reconciliation with God what sin to be most humbled for what grace to beg most earnestly pray also that no temptation of the World the Devil or your own corrupt Nature may rob you of the fruit of this Communion no sinful worldly or wandring thoughts trouble you but that God would remove whatever may obstruct the operation of his grace When any of your Family go along with you to the Sacrament as you ought to endeavour they should when they are of years and throughly instructed say some Prayer relating to the Sacrament besides your ordinary Morning Prayer Take care to be at the Church in good time after Sermon till the Communion Service begins spend your time in humble confessing your sins and unworthiness of so great a favour So soon as the Minister begins leave off all private Prayer and joyn with him with all the attention and zeal you can possibly Attend to the Exhortation and apply it to your self as before observed for the Prayers you must joyn in them with Devotion After Consecration while the Minister is receiving and till he comes to you say your private Prayer first pray that God would except all present and make them partakers of the benefit of his holy Sacrament Secondly confess your sins and acknowledge that your due desert is death and destruction Look on Christ as the only propitiation for your sins believe that his Death was a full perfect and alsufficient Sacrifice for them present them to God as such desiring that the merits of his Sufferings may be imputed for your pardon and his Righteousness for your justification and acceptance with God believe firmly that God now offers to renew his Covenant and grants you pardon grace and glory if you are faithful on your part which is forsaking every sin and obeying all the commands of God to the utmost of your Power desiring to receive it according to the Institution of Christ Perplex not your self with nice definitions believe whatever God has promised his power is able to perform and that Christ and the benefits of his Death are communicated and given to the worthy receivers in such a manner as 't is best for him and his spiritual union with Christ most advanced In the act of receiving let your Soul be bowed down with a sense of its unworthiness Adore the mercy of God in Christ desire you may receive the holy Spirit love God for his goodness believe his promises and resolve to obey his holy commands After you have communicated let the rest of your time till publick Prayers again be imployed in Prayer for grace to keep your holy Resolutions for without God's assistance you can do nothing that is good praise God for the great mercy of this Communion and make earnest Intercession for all Mankind especially for their conversion and spiritual welfare for the destruction of the power of Sin and Satan and chastening the Kingdom of Christ and also for your Governours in Church and State for your Friends and Relations at least so many of these as time will give you leave to use saying the rest at home Short Prayers or rather Ejaculations according to the past Rules O God thou sawest me in my blood and saidst unto me live thou sawest me in my pollutions and thine eye pitied me and didst open the fountain for my uncleanness Glory be to thee O Lord most good and most high O holy and meek Jesus thou art the Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World thou who knewest no sin didst become sin for us O may we be cleansed from all unrighteousness through thy Blood O Saviour of the World may all the ends of the Earth look up unto God through thee and be saved may the Kingdom of Darkness be broken down and thy Kingdom O Christ be enlarged and established through the whole Earth O Lord I believe that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Light and therefore I come unto thee through him O cast me not off my Soul thirsteth after thy Salvation I come to thee in Faith Repentance and Charity O receive me and fill me with grace and comfort Amen blessed Jesus I come O my God to renew my Covenant with thee in the blood of Jesus O receive me a poor penitent Prodigal I have wandred from thee I have hewed out to my self Cisterns broken Cisterns that will hold no water but now my Soul gaspeth for thee O thou Fountain of living waters O give me thy Spirit that it may cleanse and refresh me that it may satisfie the desires of my Soul I will be
blessing such Maids need not fear getting an honest Service and are fitted to make good Wives when their Parents think fit be especially careful to prevent fondness in your Daughters and Maids and often set before them the monstrous deformity of an immodest Woman and the great Beauty and Prudence of a chast modest humble Maid As your Daughter ought not to marry without your consent so do not constrain her where she has an aversion nor cross her Affection too much if the Man is sober and honest While at your work in the House or Field be often saying some profitable thing causing your Children to repeat what they have learnt by heart and instead of idle Ballads let them learn Psalms to sing at their work so shall your House be a little Temple of God and a Blessing accompany all your Labour and make you both happy and contented here and dispose you for Eternal Happiness in the World to come which is so great a Hope that nothing but sad Experience could make one think it possible that they that pretend to believe the Truth of Eternal Glory and Happiness can be so miserably negligent in the pursuit of and endeavours after it Having in the fore-going Directions often Exhorted you to think of God and entertain holy Meditations and Ejaculations at your work I will here give you some few Examples not to use in a set formal manner but for the direction and quickning to inlarge as your Devotion directs Meditations and Ejaculations proper for several Occasions IN a Morning when you find your Cattle well or have hopes of seasonable Weather admire God's goodness and look not on these Blessings as the Course of Nature or what you have a right to but as the immediate gift of God and as if they were newly bestowed on you and say in your heart Lord I thank thee for all thy gifts it is thy bounty that first gave them and the same bounty preserve them O give me grace to use them to thy glory that I may never abuse them to sin or vanity to dishonour thee or hurt my Neighbour but be a faithful Steward of all those Talents committed to my charge that so I may find Mercy in the Day of our Lord. If your Cattle is sick or die or the Weather unseasonable consider it is the Mercy of God that you lose not all or that you had not such losses sooner for should he withdraw his protection you might be by the malice of the Devil who hates all those that serve God reduced to the condition of Job and let such Accidents convince you of the great necessity of God's Blessing and how vain all your labour or care is without it not being able to cause a fair day when you want it or restore a poor Beast to health here you may thus meditate Lord thy will be done giving or taking what thou hast given thy Name be blest I thank thee for all thy past Mercies and submit to my present losses sanctifie them to my profit my sins deserve worse punishments whatever thou recallest let it not be any degree of grace or thy favour for so long as I am thy reconcil'd Child I cannot be miserable but without thy love I am most wretched could I possess the whole World for what shall it profit to gain the whole World and lose my Soul When you begin a new work dedicate it to God and say Lord I desire to do all to thy glory all for thy love and in obedience to thy will bless this my labour that it may prosper and grant that I may first seek thy Kingdom and its Righteousness and have such a portion of Temporal Blessings as thou seest best for me If you are sick or in pain look on it as sent from God and submit to it saying Lord keep me from sin the worst of evils the more the Outward man is afflicted the more I beg thy grace to support my Spirit with Faith and Patience When you hear talk of Wars and Trouble in Church or State or are sad at the thoughts of Divisions among Christians Remember that God is infinite in goodness wisdom and power and will bring good out of all When you find your self affected with these Thoughts retire to pray for your fellow Creatures or at least at your work sometimes lift up your heart to God to pray that he would enlighten all Mankind that they may both believe and obey the Gospel that he would unite the Divisions among Christians and reform whatever he found amiss in their Belief and Practice that all Christian People might have a true Christian Spirit a Spirit of Love and Charity proving their Discipleship by their Love to one another that so God might be worshipped in Spirit and Truth to his glory and their salvation When you lye under any Temptations say to this effect Lord let thy power be magnified in my weakness suffer me not to be tempted above my strength take away the Temptation or enable me to resist and overcome it Before you read the holy Scripture pray that God would assist you with his enlightning grace that so your Faith may rest not on the Wisdom of Men but on the Power of God that you may rightly understand and faithfully practise what you know that so obeying the Commands you may inherit the Promises of the Gospel and that the steadfast belief of God's Word may be your Comfort and Support against all Temptations of the World the Devil or your own Corruptions Before you go into company or before you reprove or advise any think how you may do most good and best please God say Lord be present with me sanctifie my Heart and Tongue which I dedicate to thee and give me both courage and wisdom to speak in due season for thy glory and my Neighbours good and let thy Spirit both assist me and supply my defects by its powerful working on the heart of my Neighbour As you sow your Ground you may from thence draw a Meditation of Death and Resurrection of the necessity of grace and good works for as you must do your part to manure the Grounds and sow the Seed and you expect seasonable Weather to make it bring forth so must you do your endeavours to prepare your heart to receive the grace of God and by Prayer to procure his blessed Spirit by which aid alone you are enabled to do the will of God Lord as without thy blessing all my labour is in vain so if thy grace does not assist me I am all weakness O pity thy poor Creature the work of thy hands and both sow the Seed of true Faith in my heart and water it with thy grace that it may bring forth the Fruits of a Holy Life When you see Harvest getting in you may meditate to this effect O Lord grant that I may be as a fruitful Field ready for Harvest that so when Death or Judgment comes I may rejoyce and not mourn that my work being done I shall ever rest not only from labour but from sin and be perfect in loving and serving God If you hear profane People talk or are tempted to doubt in any point of Faith say Lord I believe help my unbelief I believe and am sure that thy Word is most true and that my doubts are only the effects of my own weakness Lord I believe whatever thou hast revealed I renounce all my Errours and beg thou wilt either pardon my ignorant Mistakes or give me light to discover and forsake them thy Word is perfect I believe and desire to obey it If you see any in a mean or miserable condition think of God's goodness to you and say Who is it that made me to differ and what have I that I have not received and if I have received it why do I glory as if I had not received it let my Brother's misery make me thankful to God and charitable to him that he be not tempted to envy my Prosperity If you find your self inclined to discontent say Lord it is enough for me that I may but love thee and be loved by thee Shall I complain of an ill Nights lodging in an Inn when I shall soon be at my Fathers House and have there as large a share of glory and happiness as my Soul is capable of How can I be more honourable than to be a Child of God who is Lord of Heaven and Earth How can I be richer than to have peace here and glory hereafter Let me instead of murmuring admire the great goodness of my heavenly Father and rejoice in my Neighbour's Happiness for in Heaven no one envies another but is made more happy by the Felicity of the rest FINIS
you can spare imploy in reading good Books Prayer and Meditation the Friday or Saturday before the Communion keep as a Fast but if by reason of your labour you find your strength will not hold out eat a piece of bread and drink a cup of beer in the Morning or at Noon and eat your Supper with thankfulness as at other times and on the day imploy an hour or two in Examination and humble Confession of all your sins with earnest Supplication for Pardon through the Merits of Christ Jesus to which purpose use the following Form or the like enlarging according to your own particular case A general Confession of Sin O God who art light and in whom is no darkness at all with whom we can maintain no communion unless we walk in the light as thou art in the light O God who though thou art merciful and gracious to Penitents art a holy and a just God too and would by no means acquit the guilty and impenitent I present my self before thee at this time with an earnest desire to confess and bewail my past sins and to renew my Vows and Resolutions of forsaking them that I may find mercy When I look back upon all the parts of my past life Ah how do I find it defil'd and polluted by negligence and folly by wilfulness and presumption Ah how often hast thou called and I have refused how often have I set at nought thy counsel and would none of thy reproof Ah how long have I resisted thy Spirit slighted thy Promises and hardned my self against all the terrours of God Ah how often have I broke my solemn Vows and Covenant and returned to the same pollutions which I had before endeavoured to wash off by tears and prayers Lord when I call to mind Here mention your particular sin such especially as are most provoking my heart would fail me and I should sink under the weight of shame and despair did not thy Gospel raise and revive me I believe thy mercy infinite as thy Majesty O extend that mercy to me a miserable sinner who stand in need of mercy not less then infinite I believe that thine only Son the Son of thy bosom offered up himself a Sacrifice for sin O let my Soul be cleansed by his most precious Blood and let not my sins be imputed to me I repent O my God and do heartily wish that these my sins had never been committed But ah that cannot be I am ready therefore to do all that I can and this is that thou hast promised to accept through our Mediator to be sorry for and renounce my sin To thee belongs the glory of mercy and forgiveness to me belongs humility and sorrow And O! may this be my business and my delight too during the time of my pilgrimage I will no more hereafter seek my profit or my pleasure my ease or my revenge poverty of spirit meekness purity of heart mourning for sin hunger and thirst after righteousness charity and self-denial these are the things I will follow after practise and delight in this is that I will account my blessedness And whatever I have done to any by word or deed by example or any other way if there remain yet any restitution or reparation to be made I am ready and willing O my God to do it the business of my following life shall be by all the ways and means I can to blot out the remembrance of my past Offences and to advance the glory of God and the good of Man and after all I desire to glory only in the Lord to be clothed with humility and acknowledge my self an unprofitable servant and great sinner and O do thou pardon and deliver me from my sins and confirm and strengthen me in all goodness and bring me to everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. On Saturday be very careful of your Conversation that you quench not the Spirit by vain pleasures or too much wordly care Be much in singing Psalms at your work with devout Meditations If you go to Market come home as soon as you can possibly and be sure not to loose your time in an Ale-house If you work at home leave off two hours sooner then you are wont to do spend that time in reading and prayer for the assistance of God's grace and holy Spirit to enable you to subdue your sins and perfect your graces especially those you find most defective and that you may be led unto the ways of holiness and eternal happiness also that you may be a worthy partaker of the holy Sacrament and that God would make it effectual to those ends Then look over your Examination and if you find your Conscience troubled go to the Minister or some pious Friend and rest not under Doubts that may be so easily cured A Prayer for Grace according to the foregoing Heads O Eternal God the giver of all spiritual grace and the Author of everlasting life thou art pleased to call and invite me by thy Word and by thy Ministers to the Communion of the most holy and comfortable Sacrament of the Body and Blood of my dear Lord I come therefore but I come with reverence and humility not trusting in my own righteousness but thy mercy I am unworthy of any Temporal blessing how much more of the gift of thy Son and thy Spirit but 't is thy good will 't is thy free bounty to bestow grace and everlasting life upon all those that seek it through the merits and mediation of thy Son Jesus grant therefore to me most gracious God that I may be made partaker of all the benefits of his Passion let me be strengthned in Faith let my love of thee and of my dear Lord be inlarged and let the love of my Neighbour dwell plentifully in me give me humility and patience enable me more and more to mortifie all the remains of my Corruption and make me more fervent and stedfast in thy Service Especially grant that I may diligently labour after Here mention such particular Vertues as you need above others and never give over till I find my Soul possessed by them and transformed from glory And O blessed God who has begun a good work in me do thou finish and compleat it and preserve me by thy power through faith unto salvation that I cleaving constantly unto thee and never stray from the faith and obedience of the Gospel unto my lives end may be filled with peace and joy in the holy Ghost and at last obtain remission of my sins and an inheritance of glory with all those that are sanctified through faith in Jesus All which I beg through the Agonies and Passion through the Merits and Intercession of our Eternal High Priest Christ Jesus On Sunday rise as early or earlier then on other days add to your usual or private Prayers Petitions for the Spirit of God spiritual union and communion with Christ a new Nature and sincere Obedience Read