haue mercy vpon thy poore seruant here and in heauen Amen A Prayer against Periury O Lord God to whoÌ„ vengeance belongeth thou great Iudge of heauen and earth to whom all secrets are knowen I most humbly pray thee that thy feare grace may so assist me that I may neuer swerue from the truth of thy Law thou hast charged mee not to beare false witnes against my neighbour Exod. 20.16 but to speake the truth impartially when I am thereunto called for Lord thou knowest all secrets though man cannot detect them therefore keepe mee from false swearing for as it is great wrong in iudgement so is it odious and abominable before thee for thine infinite wisdome is dishonoured and he that dishonoureth thee in this desperate impudent and damnable manner thou wilt dishonour and condemne him for euer Lord giue me an honest heart and faithfull soule that in all things I may carry my selfe vpright as in thy great and mightie presence now and for euermore Amen A Prayer against Security BLessed and euer-glorious LORD GOD I pray thee most humbly and earnestly in Christ Iesus to keep mee from that dangerous euill of security many are the enemies of my soule the deuill goeth vp and downe seeking whom he may deuoure the world by his allurements seeketh to ouerturne my soule carnall concupiscence and inbred corruption takes all aduantages to betray and ouerthrow mee I beseech thy Maiesty seeing my poore soule is thus dangerously assaulted giue mee all diligence and care to keepe my soule from sinning against thee O giue mee the watch of thy Spirit of grace to preuent these wofull enemies of my soule Matth. 26.41 let mee euer watch and pray and stand vpon my guard lest I fall into temptation let me be lesse carefull for the things of this life more carefull for thy glory and the eternall saluation of my soule that I glorifying thy great Name constantly in this life may in IESVS CHRIST bee euerlastingly glorified of thee in the life to come Amen A Prayer against Desperation O Lord my God most mighty and glorious I most humbly intreat thee to assist me in all assaults of Satan this enemy is strong I poore sinner weake I pray thee then helpe me against all his most desperate and dismall temptations I confesse my sins most odious most damnable yet vpon my true humiliation I am bold to rest vpon thy renowned mercies for forgiuenesse of them To whom wilt thou looke O blessed Lord God but to him that is of a contrite heart Esa 66.2 and trembleth at thy words therfore in the confidence of this thy promise mercy giue mee resolution against all feares and desperate harmes of my soule not to beleeue thy promise who art truth it selfe not to hope in thy performance who art most faithfull and iust it were to deny thy glorious Name it were heauy and fearefull sinning against thee I haue sinned Lord thou knowest too too much alreadie shall I now by despaire adde sinne to sinne O Lord God forbid it though my sinnes bee many yet thy mercies are more though they bee as red as crimson yet in the crimson Blood of Christ thy Sonne Esa 1.18 thou canst make them all as white as snow or wool O Lord my God who art so full of mercy as thou delightest not in the death of the greatest sinner Ezek. 18.32 but rather that hee may conuert and liue giue mee to breake mine heart for sinne but not to despaire of thy mercies for the forgiuenesse of my sinnes for thou giuest grace and saluation to the humble and the Lord Iesus came to call none but bleeding sinners to repentance In hope of which thy truth and mercy I make bold to rest vpon thee O Lord my God and Sauiour for present peace for euerlasting saluation Amen Amen A Prayer against Heresie O LORD and heauenly Father seeing there is but one truth one faith one way laid out for life which is the Lord Iesus Iohn 14.6 for he is the Way the Truth and the Life saue me O Lord from all by-paths and errors all false waies Psal grant with Dauid thy seruant I may vtterly abhorre especially I beseech thee keepe me that I drinke not of the cuppe of fornication which the Whore of Babylon holdeth in her hand wherewith the greatest part of the world is deceiued poisoned drunke a cup pleasing to flesh and blood Reuel 17.4 and therfore called A golden Cup yet within it is full of deadly poison and abomination Lord grant I may not bee misled in iudgment nor obstinate in defending errours against thy truth but giue mee an humble heart 1 Cor. 14.32 and let my spirit be euermore subiect to the iudgment of thy zealous Prophets O Lord giue mee to this end with the Boroans to examine all things Acts. and to conferre Scripture with Scripture that so I may neuer swerue from thy most pure holy and sacred Truth And giue mee my good Father courage and magnanimity to defend and vphold thy glorious Gospell against barking Papists and cauilling Atheists and all malicious opposers of the same to the losse and laying downe of my deâ—rest life and blood Thus grant me gracious God to stand for thy truth against al defacers of the same to my liues end Amen A Prayer against Lying MOST deare and gracious heaueÌ„ly father who art truth it selfe in whom no errour nor falcity can abide or dwell grant me of thy goodnesse that I may abhor that vaine and vile euill of lying let me euermore speake the truth with feare and care in a good conscience The iesting lye is meere vanity the officious lye or lye for profit or aduantage is grosse iniquity the malicious lye or lye to doe hurt is most pernicious and damnable impiety Good Lord keep me from all these abominations giue me to know that thine infinite wisdome and all-seeing knowledge is most grieuously dishonoured herein for Lord thou knowest all secrets nothing hidden from thine all-seeing eye though man may bee deceiued yet thy Maiesty can neuer bee deceiued A lye then is most foolish most odious Lord keepe me from this vanity now and for euermore Amen A Prayer against Sabbath-breaking O Eternall GOD Creator and gouernour of all things seeing thou hast put a principall charge vpon thy fourth commandement Exod. 20.8 Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day O my God grant me thy feare thy grace that that thy day may neuer bee neglected of mee Lord grant I may spend it in prayer publike priuate in hearing and reading of thy holy word in instructing my family Lord vouchsafe me so great a care so heauenly a desire as I may not therein speake mine owne words Esay 58.13 nor think mine owne thoughts and that I may make the exercise of that day my ioy my soules delight No one shall enter thy Sabbath rest of glory but hee that hath been strictly carefull to keepe
may haue the surer hope of happines in heauen for blessed are the pure in heart they shall see thee O God Blesse me then good Father with the blessing of sanctity in this life and of euerlasting felicity in the life to come for the Lord Iesus Christ his sake Amen A Prayer for Knowledge MOst blessed and heauenly Father I confesse by nature I am a creature most miserable so blinded and darkened by sinne as I know not what may make for thy glory or the comfortable saluation of my poore soule the darkness of Aegypt was not so blacke so palpable as the blindnesse and darknesse of my soule O Lord my God my suit vnto thee is with blind Bartimeus that I may receiue my sight Marke 10.51 send mee Lord some or other good Ananias to vnscale mine eies that I may iudge and see the wonders of thy Law Acquaint me good Father by thy Law with my wofull sinnes thy fearefull curses due vnto mee for the same that so I may bee broken hearted for them and made capable of remission and saluation acquaint mee also with thy promise made vnto the hūbled in Iesus Christ for forgiuenesse for thou giuest grace to the humble acquaint mee also with the way of the regenerate affect my soule with holinesse that so I may come to saluation in the end this is life eternall to know thee thus and him whom thou hast sent euen Iesus Christ Iohn Make good vnto me that thy gracious promise Psal 25. thou wilt impart thy secrets to them that feare thee Lord discouer thy glory vnto me that I may answerably feare thy Name reueale thy will O Lord most plentifully vnto mee that I may strictly serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of my life for Iesus sake Amen A Prayer for Humiliation MOst mighty and most glorious Lord God seeing that thine holy Word hath taught mee that the Lord Iesus came to saue none but sinners grieued sinners wounded sinners such sinners as would neuer sinne more and moreouer thou wilt look to none but to such as are of a contrite spirit Esay 66.2 and tremble at thy words O Lord Esay 66.2 breake mine heart for breaking thy commandements and smite my soule for sinning against thee grant I may bee ashamed of the filthinesse of my sinnes grieue for offending so louing a God by them and quake and tremble lest thou shouldst condēne me in thy strict iustice for them for euermore if my sinfull soule bee not thus rent thus tormented for my wicked sinnes in this life I cannot escape at the day of iudgement the damnation of hell better ten thousand times to haue my hell here than hereafter Lord therefore bruise my soule for all my vile transgressions and fearefull abhominations And leaue mee not good Lord I pray thee in these my soule afflictions affrightments but when thou hast sufficiently corrected mee then Lord turne again and reuiue mee Psal say vnto my soule thou art thou wilt bee my saluation for thou hast made this gracious promise that the laden shall bee eased and the wearied shall bee refreshed Lord heare then these my mournfull praiers and let these my groning cries come vp vnto thee for Iesus Christ his sake Amen A Prayer for Faith MOST deare and gracious God I humbly beseech thee to cut mee off from the stocke of corruption and sinne and that by sound humbling and to plant mee who art that heauenly husbandman by the power of thy blessed Spirit into that holy stocke the Lord Iesus and that by effectuall beleeuing Lord giue mee to liue by faith and not by flesh by grace and not by sinne for they that are in Christ Iesus walk not after the flesh Rom. 8.1 but after the Spirit Grant gracious God I may rest vpon thee in thy Son Christ for forgiuenesse of sin and for life euerlasting grant vpon this my deliuerance I may liue to the praise of thee my blessed Redeemer in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of my life grant holy Father I may not onely by faith depend vpon all thy promises for this life and for heauen but likewise by the same faith labor to walke in the obedience of all thy commandements O Lord increase my faith for my heart is full of doubting thou O Lord art faithfull and true yea truth it selfe why should I then wauer My soule is weake through my remaining corruptions in obeying thy holy Word Lord strengthen mee my heart is faint and ready to sink vnder the least triall and affliction Lord for thy mercies support and comfort mee Giue me my deare God to beleeue beyond beleefe when I feele not to rest vpon thee for comfort as thy seruant Iob Iob. resolued Lord if thou killest me yet will I put my trust in thee Lord giue me by faith clearely to see my sinnes pardoned my life reformed my soule reconciled with thee and my name written in the booke of heauen Most louing Father I pray thee grant mee thy grace that I may deny my selfe that I may wholly rest vpon Christ Iesus and follow his heauenly commandements for life grant that my faith Iam. 2.26 may not bee a dead faith but a liuely walking working faith that is a dead and vaine faith that moueth not in the obedience of thy most holy commandements thus I pray thee guide me by thy good Spirit into all truth that thy power of grace possessing me in this life I may haue the better hope of eternall saluation in the life to come and that for the merits of the Lord Iesus Amen A Prayer for Obedience O Lord God most mighty most glorious I most humbly craue thy gracious and louing fauour that I may bee inabled by strength and power receiued from thee to walke in absolute obedience before thee Lord let mee not doe my will but thy will in all things Luke 7.8 as the Centurion said of his seruants He said to one goe and hee goeth to another come and he commeth to another doe this and hee doth it Lord grant me the like obedience and tractability to thy will in all things 1 Sam. 15.22 Lord giue me to vnderstand that obedience is better than sacrifice yea to obey is the best of all sacrifices let mee then obey thee in all thy commandements and submit vnto thee in all thy corrections not my will but thy will most willingly bee yeelded vnto in all things my Lord my God O Lord vouchsafe me sincerity in this my most bounden duty seruice that I may obey thee in one commandement as well as in another let mee with thy godly seruant Dauid Psal 119. euermore haue respect vnto all thy commandements O then that my waies were made so direct that I may neuer sinne more but in all things do thy righteous iudgments O let it bee my meat and drinke the obedience of thy will O that I could finde out the old
man Lord giue mee to bee innocent from all manner of offence innocent to thee innocent to man Psal 37.38 O that I could keepe innocency and doe the thing that is right this would bring me peace at the last Lord grant I may wrong no man neither in body goods nor name grant I may say with Samuel 1 Sam. 12.3 whose Oxe haue I bribed whose Asse haue I taken whom haue I done wrong to giue mee to doe good to all hurt to none giue me to be wise as the Serpent but innocent as the Doue that liuing harmlesly in this world I may liue happily in the next for the merits sake of the Lord Iesus Amen A Praier for mercy and compassion O Lord my GOD most mighty and glorious seeing thou hast commanded mee to weepe with them that weepe Rom. 12.15 and being also the godly practise of my Sauiour for he wept ouer Ierusalem and lamented their destruction grant good Lord I may compassionate the present miseries of thy Church abroad that my heart may melt within me to see thy vine thus stroyed and thy Church thus trodden down by the enemies of thy truth O Lord Psal 80.14 betimes look downe from heauen and visite this vine though thou sufferest it to bee pruned Lord let it neuer bee extinguished I further intreat thee O my God that I may not only mourne ouer the afflictions of my brethren but likewise bee pricked in heart at the falls and sinnes of thy people and let not this my pitty bee in word and shew alone but in deed and in truth to pull them out of their impiety and succour them in their aduersitie to couer the naked to feed the hungry to visit the sicke and imprisoned Matth. 25. to comfort and releeue them if this pitty dwelleth not in me no piety can possesse mee Lord grant I may bee thus mercifull as thou my heauenly Father art mercifull giue mee with thy holy Apostle to cry out Who is afflicted and I mourne not Keepe me from mercilesnesse O Lord of thy goodnesse for iudgement shall bee ministred without mercie Iam. 2.13 to him that hath shewed no mercie Thus I pray thee vouchsafe me a tender heart for thy glory the good of the afflicted and the eternall saluation of my poore soule in the merits of the Lord Iesus Amen A Prayer for peace of Conscience O Almighty and most mercifull God I beseech thee to remoue from my soule all desperate feares all vile corruptions and giue me that great and heauenly blessing namely Prou. The peace of Conscience which passeth all vnderstanding which is a most comfortable and continuall feast And seeing this peace of conscience ariseth from thy reconcilement remission of sins and assurance of life euerlasting good Lord I pray thee be at peace with mee through the Lord Iesus let all my sins in the bloody passions of thy Sonne bee discharged and let my name be found written in the Booke of life And giue me further I beseech thee good Father to preserue this peace of conscience and that by auoiding all but especially knowen sinnes by doing euery duty vprightly though not perfectly and by renewing my humiliation repentance more throughly Lord grant I may not sinne against the light of conscience that I may neuer defile and wound my conscience by wilfull offending that faith and holinesse may dwell therein O helpe me good Lord Act. 4.16 thus to keepe a cleare conscience both toward thee and man Saue mee my God from a benummed conscience a desperate conscience an erroneous conscience a polluted conscience and giue me a pure conscience a peaceable conscience a good conscience that this may minister cōfort vnto me in the greatest afflictions strongest temptations at the houre of death at the day of iudgement and bee a sure seale to my soule of life and saluation euerlasting in the merits of the Lord Iesus Amen A Prayer for ioy in the holy Ghost MOST deare and gracious GOD for as much as thy diuine consolation is a sure marke and euidence of thy loue for life for thy blessed Apostle affirmeth Rom. 14.17 that thy kingdome standeth in righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Lord of thy goodnesse fill mine heart with this thy heauenly ioy let it not be hidden vnto mee as it is vnto those that are lost but I pray thee shed abroad this thy loue in mine heart this sweet and heauenly ioy is thine owne wine laid vp in thine owne seller for thine owne spouse the wicked of the world shall neuer taste thereof This ioy the wise men found when they found the Lord Iesus Matth. 2.10 for they reioyced with an exceeding great ioy This ioy was in the blessed Virgin Luke 1.47 for her spirit reioyced in Christ her Sauiour So good Lord distill some sauing drops of this water of life into my thirsting soule Lord shew me this thy glory Psal 4 6. some craue worldly goods and riches doe imbrace but Lord grant mee thy countenance thy fauour and thy grace for thou thereby shalt make my heart more ioyfull and more glad than they that of their corne and wine full great increase haue had O Lord to this end increase my faith inflame my zeale better my obedience mortifie my corruptions sanctifie my affections that so I may euermore reioyce vnder the hope of saluation in the LORD IESVS yea here and in heauen for euer Amen A Prayer for increase of Grace MOst blessed and heauenly Father I read in thy holy word That thy Kingdome is like a graine of Mustard seede Luk. 13.19 a little seede yet in time it sendeth forth a mightie stalke that the birds of the aire may nestle therein thy Maiestie intimating therby the smalnesse of Grace at the first and the great increase by degrees in the hearts of thy children at last now good Father I pray thee increase thy graces in mee for I may say with that poore beleeuer in the Gospel Lord I beleeue but helpe mine vnbeleefe Lord giue mee to increase in faith in knowledge in obedience in all goodnesse that so I going on from strength to strength may in the end enioy thy face in Sion That tree that groweth not is dead if I grow not better and better and bring not forth more fruit in mine old age I cannot proue my selfe an impe of the Lord Iesus And as it fareth with the naturall birth so doth it also with the spirituall a child new born is weak and small yet in time it groweth to be a tall and strong man so the soule at first is weake and feeble in grace as smoake to fire as a bruised reed to a sturdie oake of Lebanon but in time the conuert groweth to be a perfect man in the Lord Iesus therefore my gracious GOD grant I may as a new borne babe 1 Pet. 2.2 desire the sincere milke of the word that I may grow thereby I