Angles charge over me Forgive my Infirmities and deal with me not according to my Merits but thy Mercies in Jesus thy Son and my alone Saviour in whose Name and Words I conclude my imperfect Prayers saying as he has taught me OVR FATHER c. III. Directions for Evening 1. As in the Morning Enquire what Sin you have committed and how you came to fall into it 2. What Good omitted and for what reasons humbling your self before God making new resolutions to be more upon your guard for the future 3. If no remarkable fault or omission if you have done any Good or received any Mercy or Deliverance or been preserved even from the fear of Evil heartily bless God for it 4. Repeat the Morning Prayer only changing the Words Day or Night as the Sence requires 5. If lying down think upon the Grave and Death and before you go to sleep say I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for 't is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Into thy hands I commend my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of Truth If upon Duty Meditate on good Things If you can read God's Word or any good Book If not read his Works Look into the Heavens the Works of his Fingers the Moon and Stars which he hath ordained and thence argue the Wisdom and Power of their Maker and praise him for them saying with the Psalmist At Midnight will I praise him because of his righteous Judgments IV. After Morning and Evening Devotions always add this Prayer for His MAJESTY and the CONFEDERATE Princes ALmighty and most Gracious God who hast in all ages shown thy Power and Providence in the raising up Pious and Religious Princes to be the Savers and Deliverers of thy People and hast promised that Kings shall be Nursing Fathers and Queens Nursing Mothers to thy Church I yield thee hearty thanks for raising up thy Servant King William to be the happy Instrument of our Deliverance by whom thou hast preserved thy pure Religion amongst us and all besides that is dear unto us Praised be thy Name for thy wonderful Preservation of him from all those great Dangers to which he has been exposed both by Sea and Land And most humbly I beseech thee still to continue him under the merciful Care and Protection of thy good Providence to preserve him from all secret and treacherous Practices and Attempts to stand by him and to cover his Head in the day of Danger and to bless him with Victory and all good Success Visit him as thou didst visit Moses in the Bush Gideon in the Field and Joshua in the Battel and by him be pleased in thy own good time to accomplish that great work which thou hast begun for the Salvation of thy People and Confusion of thy Enemies Be pleased also to Bless all those Princes which are joined together with him in the just Defence of their Countries and the Liberties of Europe and give such success to their Arms that they may humble the Pride of him who is the great Troubler of the World Grant this O Lord for thy Mercies sake in Jesus Christ our blessed Lord and Saviour Amen V. Preparation and Prayer before a Fight and Ejaculations in it 1. Prepare as for Death and think of nothing but that or Victory and in order thereunto first Examine the State the Condition of your Soul for sure you have Souls to be saved as well as others and think not that being of the right Side or very dying for it or your Country and Religion will save you unless you have repented of your Sins and are reconciled to God Since then you mayn't have many moments to live in this World you can't doubt but 't is the highest Wisdom to secure a better In order to which ask your self how you are prepared for 't and take this one short infallible Rule Whosoever continues in the habit of any one wilful Sin be it Swearing Cruelty Impurity or whatever else is not in God's Favour nor can if he so die expect any Mercy at his Hand Now there 's no way to recover from this Condition but Repentance and Faith The first Sorrow for Sin and leaving it the second an humble Trust in God's Mercy for the sake of Christ Jesus with a sincere Obedience to his Commands Without which Faith 't is impossible to please God as without Repentance we must all perish But because these Graces require generally Time and Labour to be produced in the Mind 't is a more desperate hazard to delay the getting 'em till such an Exigence than 't would be to put off your Arming your self 'till the Enemy were just upon you Therefore make this the business of your Lives and then you 'll not want Comfort at the approach or apprehension of Death However if this has been neglected before now begin it if practis'd renew it Humble your self for your Sins and cry for Mercy say God be merciful to me a Sinner and I Believe Lord help my Vnbelief 2. When that 's done consider What you are Fighting for your Country your Religion the Liberties of Europe Whom you are Fighting under King William Whom you are Fighting against the French whom you us'd to beat when the odds was on their side and they never you without it Commend your Soul to God in the following †Prayer and then Fall on in God's Name and May HE be with you But if any of you as is but too much to be fear'd thro' your rude and ignorant manner of Education or thro' your long and daily converse with Debauch'd and Irreligious Comrades wherewith all even the best of Armies swarm or by your own negligence and wilfulness in slighting o◠contemning the Means of better Instruction and the Holy Ordinances Instituted by God for the working in us those Graces of Repentance and Regeneration so necessary to Salvation we have been discoursing of I say if any of you by these or any other depraved disposition of Mind or Body or unlucky circumstances of your Lives have hitherto been so unhappy as to spend your whole time in a continual course and habit of Sin and particularly in those which Men of your Vocation are most guilty of as Oaths Blasphemies Curses Damning your selves or others as likewise Drunkenness Vncleanness Malice Wrathful and Foolish Quarrels Vnjust Rapines Barbarous and Vnmanly Cruelties Rapes and such Bloodshed as is downright Murther and against all the Rules of War as well as the Laws both of Nature and Christianity and in a word have lived all along in all the gross Sins that Prophaness Licenciousness and Atheistical Infidelity can inspire and now are come perhaps within view of a Battel with a fierce and potent Enemy by whose hands you know not how soon God may call you to an Account for all those many Blasphemous Vollies you have formerly shot against Heaven and for all both your open and private Transgressions and
above all for your obstinacy and long impenitence in them Yet let not therefore Despair seize your Hearts nor ' pall your Courage against Men or take off the Point of your Faith towards God but rather increase and add a double Vigour to both T is true the Work of Faith or Repentance and much less of what crowns both a compleat Regeneration and Reformation is not the work of a day and much less of a few moments which a Man who may be killed may have in or before a Battel nor are old Habits of Sin or rooted wicked Customs so soon to be destroyed But tho' this ought to make Men that have time to fear and tremble and be afraid to deferr the work of Repentance to the last or make more work for it than Humane Frailty forces them to yet it ought not however to make them afraid of any thing else but Despair or the Mother of it final Impenitence which only can Damn them at last nor tempt them to throw away all Thoughts of Repentance and Trust in God's Mercy which can and will and does actually Save many Souls how wicked soever they have been before that make good use of those last Moments the short time of the expectation of a Battel gives them in preparing themselves with such Pious Reflections and Resolutions as the effectual Prospect of present Death before them and Retrospection and backward Glances upon their past Life behind them will afford to them that will give themselves leave but to think seriously never so small a while And for their Comfort let me tell them this that Men of sound Reason and none but such can be truly Couragious how mad or hot-brain'd soever they have been at other times or may be in the heat of Fight will always have some Serious Thoughts upon the sight of an approaching Foe which well digested in their Minds will redouble their Courage in Battel fence them against all Surprises which alone can cause Fear in a Valiant Soldier and render their Hearts impenetrable to any Affright or Amazement I say 't is almost impossible that a Man of true Reason and Courage that orders his Thoughts aright before-hand and considers the worst of the dangers he is to encounter before he comes at them or they reach him can fear them at all when he is in them because he can find nothing in them that surprises him nothing worse than he expected and nothing in fine but what he is armed with a most invincible Resolution against And tho' perhaps in Battel you have but one Moment left to Pray in and one Cast for your Lives both in this and the other World yet if you endeavour to Throw that well you may Win both What tho' like Samson you have lived in Debauchery and resisted the Spirit of God yet in Fighting for His Cause as you do and with such Thoughts as I shall direct tho' you like him fall in the Attempt yet may you likewise become Victorious over those Spiritual Philistins that have so oft assaulted your Souls and Conquer them by your Death and by that of your Saviour's tho' you could never Subdue them in your Life It is true our Lord says 't is harder for a Rich Man to enter into Heaven than for a Camel to pass thro' a Needles-eye but yet He tells us 't is not impossible for all that And 't is without doubt at least as hard for an Old Sinner to enter into Heaven as for a Rich Man and questionless very hard for a Death-bed or Momentary Repentance to obtain Salvation because 't is extreamly dubious whether it can be real but yet 't is not impossible for we see the Thief on the Cross was Saved with one single Act of it exerted a moment before he died That Example indeed is but one but yet it shows there may be and is sometimes more or else the Example would be to no purpose And as it evidences on one side that Continuation in Sin is extream dangerous so on the other it demonstrates that Despair is still more so and never to be entertained even at our latest breath But then it ought to be particularly considered in favour of Souldiers that a Late Repentance in them may more justly be accounted true and more likely to be accepted from them by God than from a wicked man that dies on his Bed because their Case every way comes nearer that of the Thief on the Cross and may by God's Grace and their strong Endeavours far exceed it in all acceptable qualifications For a Man that has gone on all his life-time in Sin and Dies in his Bed has no opportunities to give any marks of a true Repentance but meer Wishes and Resolves of the Sincerity of which God only is Judge Whereas a Soldier that will but seriously employ a few moments before a Battel or while he is alive even in a Surprize in such Thoughts and Resolves as he may have by due application to God he may in great measure shew the Truth of his Repentance and repair tho' in a short scantling of time the Errours of his whole Life-past and Entitle himself to all the Advantages of the Blood of his Suffering Saviour For let a Soldier how wild and wicked soever before he has been but thus Think and Resolve when he goes to Fight and if he does it sincerely never let him fear Victory for his Soul tho' the first Bullet that comes next should part it from his Body Let him I say thus Think and Resolve Have I been ignorant by Carelesness or Education hitherto of the Saving Knowledge of Faith and Repentance Lord yet according to my imperfect Notions I Believe and Repent help my Imperfect Repentance and my Vnbelief I will if I out-live this Battel endeavour for better Instruction by frequenting thy Ministers and Holy Ordinances Have I been guilty of Damning Swearing Cursing Blasphemy Intemperance and the rest of the Sins that stick so close to Men of my Profession I will endeavour to abstain from 'em and all thoughts of 'em during the Fight and strive against them with more care hereafter I will not fear my Enemies but my GOD only and tho' I have spent my Life in the Devil's Service I will endeavour to sacrifice the last moments of it to GOD by Fighting for His True Worship and Cause I will with my best Blood endeavour to Purchase a glorious and happy Quiet for His Church and People And tho' my Tongue has been false and injurious to Him with Rash Oaths and Execrations yet my Sword shall prove the Sincerity of my Good Intentions And if Time and the black fortune of this days Action will not permit my future Amendment of Life to speak it yet my willing and resigned Death shall Proclaim it and my Hearts Blood shall Seal the Truth of my Repentance And tho' my Dear Saviour's Dying for me had not power enough 't influence me to Live to him yet
shall it work Love enough in me to Dye for him and for the maintenance of the True Observation of his Gospel by others tho' to my Sorrow and most hearty Grief I never truly observed it my self Lord thou that art able to Save hear my inward Prayers and strong Cries and Tears and deliver me to serve thee or serve thy self of my death and let the Merits and Blood of my Dearest Saviour atone for all my Sins and former Disobedience Let our Prodigal Soldier tho' on the brink of Death thus think and resolve when he Fights and let him fear no Enemy nor dread no Devil no doubt but he will find God a merciful and tender Father to receive him and his blood spent in so Glorious a Cause as for the True Religion and his Country will prove next to a second Baptism to entitle him anew to Christs Benefits and repair the old Pretensions he had forfeited by his wicked life Neither is this a New Sentiment the Old Christians thought the same and believed that the Blood of the Martyrs tho' they had been but a moment before Converted washed away all former Sins by a full application of Christ's Blood and supplied even the want of Baptism it self Let then none of your Brave Hearts despond gratifie not your Enemies the Devils or his Instruments the Papists with any Despair There is no Crime so Black against even an Earthly Prince but an offending Subject may wash off by a Bold Service or by shewing his Repentance by a Sacrifice of his Life for the support or defence of his Sovereign's Crown no doubt of a Pardon for that Man whether he lives or dies And shall we think our Heavenly Prince any less merciful or reconcilable than an earthly one No! He has declared At what soever time a Sinner shall repent he will receive him Be Comforted then all you Military Souls that have so long lain in Sin and let not that thought discourage you because you want time to Repent from Looking up to God or Facing your Enemies and his But be strong and shew your selves Valiant for your People and the Cities of your God and then submit to him and let him do what is good in his eyes as Joab counsels 1 Chron. 1.30 and without all doubt your Souls will be safe and you will have both the Crown and Reward of Martyrs For if they were counted Martyrs that lost their Blood under Persecutors what can you be less if you likewise fall by the Sword of the worst Persecutors of God and his People that ever yet were in Europe The Thief on the Cross suffered indeed with Christ but could not suffer for him but by Sympathy But you if you dye both suffer with him and for him in the most Glorious Cause that ever was contended for since Christianity You Fight and spend your Blood for the Lives Liberties and Properties of all Christians and for the Defence and Safety of the Protestant Religion and the Priviledges of both King and People in your Native Country in which are the Cities and Places inhabited by a People for whom he has so many times and in so many wonderfull manners evidently appeared And therefore you need not doubt if he chuses your Arms and your Blood now again for the Defence of so Glorious a Quarrel that he will accept them and forgive all your Sins Provided you will make but that Pious and Wise Use of the short moments he shall lend you in the intervals before or in an Engagement which I have Advised Angels shall then guard you up with the joyful Sound of Heavenly Trumpets into Paradise your Souls shall live with God and your Memories with your Country-men if left Happy at the Expence of your Blood and Future Histories shall Preserve your Valour to all succeeding Ages And thus you that will but come in tho' at the last hour shall Receive Equal of your Heavenly Master with them that came in at the first †2. Prayer before an Engagement O Lord our God to whom Vengeance belongeth who beholdest ungodliness and wrong and cruelty and oppression thou Lord of Hosts and God of Battels who sittest upon thy Throne and judgest right We make our Address to thee in our Necessity that thou would'st take the Cause into thy own Hand and judge between us and our Enemies Stir up thy Strength Lord and come and help us for thou givest not always the Battel to the strong but canst save by many or by few O let not our Sins now cry against us for Vengeance but hear us thy poor Servants begging Mercy and imploring Help and that thou would'st be a Defence unto us against the face of our Enemy Make it appear that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 3. Ejaculations in the Battel LET us be of Good Courage and play the Men for the House of our God and the City of our God and the Lord do what seemeth him Good Thro' thee O God shall we do great Acts thro' thee shall we tread down our Enemies O Lord arise help us and deliver us for thine Honour and let us not sink under the Weight of our Sins or the Violence of the Enemy O Lord preserve me and my Friends and forgive my Enemies VI. Directions and Prayer after a Victory WHEN it shall please God to Bless our Good King and the Confederates with Success against the Enemy have a care of Attributing it to an Arm of Flesh which is so unbecoming a Christian and avoid Cruelty or Insulting over the Vanquished both which are below the Generosity of an English-man Say Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name be all the Glory And as soon as convenience permits say humbly and devoutly this or the like Prayer unto God Thanksgiving after Victory O Almighty God the Sovereign Commander of all the World in whose hand is Power and Might which none is able to withstand Blessing and Praise be to thy Great and Glorious Name for this happy Victory the whole Glory whereof be ascribed to Thee who art the only Giver of it And we beseech thee give us Grace to improve this great Mercy to thy Glory the Advancement of thy Gospel the Honour of our Sovereign and as much as in us lies the Good of All Mankind And we beseech thee give us such a Sence of this Great Mercy as may engage us to a true Thankfulness such as may appear in our Lives by an humble holy and obedient walking before thee all our days thro' Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit as for all thy Mercies so in particular for this Victory and Deliverance be all Glory and Honour World wiâ—hout end Amen VII Directions in Sickness I. IF possible get your Chaplain to assist you with the Churches Prayers that on your Penitent Confession you may receive the Benefit of his Absolution and Advice 2. In Order to