FIrst you are to remember when you settle to Prayer you then place your self in the presence of God whose eyes are upon all men but especially upon such as call upon him II. Secondly the consideration of his presence is to put you in mind with what humble Reverence both of Soul and Body you ought to appear before so great a Majesty III. Thirdly before you begin to Pray you are to resolve within your self seriously to intend the Duty you are about that your heart may not wander but go along with your Prayers or if through weakness it happen to stray to call it back again and to ask pardon for it in some such short Prayer as this Lord strengthen me and restrain me and lay not this weakness to my charge A Prayer preparative O My dear and blessed Saviour who with so much zeal didst drive out those who turned thy House of Prayer into a Den of Thieves clear at this time the Temple of my Soul from vain and sinful thoughts cast out all wandring Imaginations leave nothing behind that may either disturb or distract me in the performance of this my duty that my Prayers may ascend as Incense and thy Grace and Mercy may descend as Dew to the saving of my Soul and to the glory of thy Name Amen Morning Prayers collected out of the Psalms I. DEfend me O God under thy Wings and keep me safe this day under thy Feathers Give thine Angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways Preserve me as the Apple of thine eye hide me under the shadow of thy Wings That no evil may happen unto me nor no plague come nigh my dwelling Create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me O hold thou up my goings in thy Path that my footsteps slip not Who can tell how oft he offendeth O cleanse thou me from my secret sins but above all keep me from presumptuous sins lest they get the Dominion over me so shall thy Servant be undefiled and innocent from the great offence Amen II. Unto thee O GOD lift I up mine eyes O thou that dwellest in the Heavens Yea unto the Hills will I lift up mine eyes from whence cometh my Salvation For whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee Into thy hands therefore I commend my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth Blessed art thou who hast lightned mine eyes that I sleep not in death Who hast delivered me from the terrors of the night and from the evil that walketh in darkness Who hast driven sleep from mine eyes and slumber from my eye-lids Thou art my God and I will thank thee thou art my God and I will praise thee Amen III. O Lord thou hast searched me out and known me thou seest my down-lying and uprising Thou understandest my thoughts long before For thou art about my path and about my bed and spiest out all my ways Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born thou art he that took me out of my Mothers womb my praise shall be always of thee Lead me then O Lord in thy Righteousness and make thy way plain before my face Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee for thou art my God let thy loving Spirit lead me forth into the ways of Righteousness Shew thy servant the light of thy countenance and save me this day for thy mercies sake Amen IV. My voice shalt thou hear betimes O Lord early in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee For thou art the thing that I long for thou art my hope from my youth O be thou a place to hide me in and compass me about with Songs of Deliverance For all the earth is full of darkness and cruel Habitations Set me up therefore upon the Rock that is higher than I and I will not fear what man can do unto me For thou alone canst deliver my Soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling Osatisfie me therefore with thy mercy and that soon that I may rejoice in thee all the days of my life Lead me forth in thy truth and learn me for thou art the God of my Salvation in thee shall be my hope all the day long Amen V. Set a Watch this day O Lord before my mouth and keep the door of my lips Turn away mine eyes that they behold no vanity and let not mine heart be inclined to any evil thing Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walk in thy truth O knit my heart unto thee that I may fear thy Name Order my steps in thy Word that no wickedness may have dominion over me Hide me privily by thine own presence from the provoking of all men Keep me secretly in thy Tabernacle from the strife of Tongues For I will set thee always before me thou shalt be on my right hand therefore I shall not greatly fall Thou hast been my succour Leave me not neither forsake me O God of my Salvation But let thy merciful kindness be this day upon me like as I do put my trust in thee Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. Amen A Thanksgiving to God for his Protection in the night O Most gracious GOD whose eyes have been open over me when mine were shut and under the shadow of whose wings I have past this night in safety I do with all possible thankfulness humbly acknowledge it as thy great mercy that thou hast not taken away my soul this night as in justice thou mightest have done but hast given me respite and afforded me one day more to call upon thy Name O Lord make me ashamed of my former unthankfulness and wound my heart with the consideration of mine own dulness whom so many favours have not wrought unto more obedience Give me grace to consecrate the rest of my life unto thy service and to redeem the time at least which I cannot recall And O thou who turnest the shadow of Death into the light of the Morning enable me powerfully to cast off all the Works of Darkness and to keep my body and soul spotless and unblameable And as thou hast brought me to the Comforts of this day So go along with me I beseech thee through all the parts and minutes of it that in all my ways being guided by thy counsel here I may hereafter be received into thy glory even for the merits of my dearest Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen A Morning Prayer O My dear Lord and Maker from whom alone I look for blessing continue I beseech thee to be the guide of my life counsel me govern me lead me in the way that I should go or else I shall wander from thee into infinite Errors O possess then all my bodily senses that my sinful affections may find no place Leave me no more to my own weakness
the good name and reputation of another Or hast thou pleased thy self either in inventing or spreading rumors of that kind III. Dost thou willingly give ear to Slanderers and to such as go about with lies or dost thou abhor them both in thy self and others The Examination upon the tenth Commandment I. DOst thou rest contented in that condition or state of life wherein God hath placed thee or hast thou at any time inordinately lusted after that which belongs to others II. Hast thou entertained secret covetings in thy thoughts with any delight or complacency Or hast thou labour'd to restrain them and quench them in their first beginnings When you have consider'd seriously and answered your self in these particulars one by one sum up the Account you have made where you find your self innocent give the glory to God whose Grace hath kept you from falling into those sins but where you find your self guilty humble your self before God in Prayer confessing sadly the evil you have done and imploring mercy in these or such other words as the devotion of your heart shall suggest to you An humble Confession after Examination O The God of my Soul with all humble Reverence I appear this day before thee not as the proud Pharisee to justifie my self but as the poor Publican who striking his breast durst not lift up his eyes towards Heaven nor say any more than this Lord be merciful to me a sinner For I have sinned O Lord I have sinned Wo is me I cannot cast my searching eyes into any corner of thy Commandments but I find my self miserably guilty But in what manner soever I have offended thee O my merciful Lord whether in Thought Word or Deed whether secretly or openly I am now sorry for it from the very root and bottom of my heart beseeching thee to look compassionately upon the frailty and ignorance the wilfulness and presumption of my life and graciously to forgive all that I have done amiss For alas I am neither able to stand thine indignation nor present thee with any thing of mine own but tears and prayers to appease thine anger Be reconciled therefore to me O God in the blood of thy dear Son which was so freely offered up to thee as a full ransom for the sins of the whole World O require not that payment again of me a poor and bankrupt sinner but for his sake for his abundant Satisfactions sake cancel the hand-writings that are against me blot out all my sins past new and old and for the time to come let there be an everlasting tie between my Soul and thee that thou maist be my God and I may live and die thy servant Amen A Protestation to be made after Confession O My great and glorious God I who am less than the grain of dust that hangs upon the balance profess seriously and with the remorse of a wounded spirit that I am not only sorry but ashamed and confounded within my self that I have so many ways sinned against so good a God so gracious a Father But what is past I cannot recal though thy mercy may forgive But for the time to come I call all thy holy Angels to witness that I this day sacrifice my self wholly to thee resolving to break of from all sinful courses and fully purposing never to offend thee more But because thou knowest my failings and my weakness is not hid from thee I beg of thee O my God to shew thy strength in my weakness and to confirm my infirm mind in this holy Resolution That so never repenting of this Repentance nor wavering in those Resolute Purposes which I have now by thy Grace fo deliberately made I may go on constantly in a pure and holy life till in the end of my days I come to everlasting joys which thou hast prepared for them that love thee through Jesus Christ my Lord Amen A Prayer before the receiving the holy Sacrament O My most blessed Saviour who in the bowels of thy Mercy towards Mankind didst not only offer thy self a Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world but didst institute this heavenly and holy Sacrament as the means to convey the Benefits of thy precious death to all such as with humility and repentance come unto thee Accept I beseech thee this my humble Address who here present my self a woful sinner I confess but such a one who am heartily sorry for my sins and penitent for my offences Direct me therefore O my God in this great action with such a reverent and awful fear that all the faculties of my soul may be attentive rightly to apprehend and joyfully to receive this wonderful Mystery of thy Body and Blood O my Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof let thy Holy Spirit therefore before thy coming prepare and dress up a Lodging for thee in my Soul cleansing it from the stains of sin and suffering nothing to abide in it that may keep thee out so that being wholly possest by thee all sinful thoughts and unclean suggestions may not only presently vanish but never find entrance more Grant this O my Jesu and so this day receive me into thy favour that I may with joy receive thee into my soul and being once united with thee thy Grace may never depart from me that so thou maist live in me and I in thee for ever Amen A Thanksgiving after the Receiving of the Sacrament O Lord the only Spring and everlasting Fountain of all good who hast this day revived and quickned my poor Soul by giving thy self unto me after a wonderful way in this Blessed Sacrament I praise and glorifie thy holy Name for this thine infinite mercy beseeching thee to crown what thou hast begun by a continual supply of thy heavenly grace that I may never forget whom or what I have received but being purified by thy Blood and strengthned by thy Body against all future Temptations I may constantly run through all the parts of an holy life to the possession of thy glorious Kingdom World without end Amen Amen Rules of Devotion to be observed toward the Evening or some time of the Afternoon I. THat you fail not unless some extraordinary or unavoidable accidents hinder you to allot some part of the Afternoon or toward the Evening for the advantage of your soul when freeing your self from business and company you may retire into your Closet or private Oratory and there direct your thoughts without disturbance upon God alone II. That being thus retired you constantly make it your business to read some part of the Holy Scripture especially in the Psalms which if all other Books of Devotion were lost are sufficient to supply us in that kind having begun there go on to the reading of some part of the New-Testament not carelesly or in haste as if you had a mind to have done but so attentively as to be able to give some account of what you have read or
to single at least some one passage or more out of it to be laid up in your Memory and to be made use of in the practice of an holy life III. That in this time of retirement you lay all things aside that may divert you from Holy and Heavenly thoughts considering that you set your self in the presence of God that you are to give him an account of what you are doing w ch that you may the better do you may begin with this Prayer A Prayer upon the Entrance into your Closet O My great and gracious God whose infinite mercy it is that I have this minute of my life left me I here appear in thy presence lamenting sadly that so much of my time is already lost either in doing ill or doing nothing or in doing that which hath been unprofitable and vain O grant that I may redeem the hours that are past dispose of those that are to come in serving thee hereafter with a devout heart earnest and passionate affections draw me off more and more from the pleasures and vanities of this life that I may the better settle my wavering and divided Soul upon thee alone and since at this time I have here retired my self that I might the more freely commune with my own heart and meditate on thine only Word let thy Blessed Spirit assist me that I may not only barely remember what I read but digest it into the practice of an holy Life to the comforts of my soul and the Glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ Amen Prayers towards Bed time I. LET my Prayer O Lord be set forth in thy sight as the Incense and let the lifâ—ing up of my hands be as an Evening Sacrifice For thou O Lord hast granted me thy loving kindness in the day-time and therefore in the night-season I will think on thee and make my prayer to the God of my life O thou that saidest Let therebe light and there was light open mine eyes that I sleep not in death Make me to commune with my own heart upon my bed and to search out all my ways That I may lament my sins as thy servant David did and cry unto thee for mercy Consider and hear me O God and hide me under the shadow of thy wings and let my soul rest in thee Amen II. Blessed art thou O God who makest the out-goings of the Morning and Evening to praise thee Who hast not cut off my life this day nor shut me up in the grave where all things are forgotten I will not suffer therefore my eyes to sleep nor my eye-lids to slumber till I have prepared my heart for my God to rest in For thou art my God from my youth thou hast numbred out my days and nights that I might serve thee thou givest thy beloved sleep and makest them that fear thee to rest in safety Thou deliverest me from the terrors of the night and from the evil that walketh in darkness Return then unto thy rest O my soul for God taketh care for thee Amen III. Lord let me make my Prayer unto thee in an acceptable time Teach me to remember thee in my bed and to think of thee when I am waking O thou Watchman of Isreal that neither slumberest nor sleepest watch over me this night Give thy Angels charge over me that the spirits of darkness may not come near me That no evil thoughts may betray me nor any sad or sinful dreams disturb my quiet For into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O keep then what thou hast redeemed and let not thy servant for whom thou hast died perish for ever Amen A short Prayer O GOD my everlasting keeper blessed be thy Name for evermore for thou madest me when I was nothing thou redeemedst me when I was worse than nothing thou hast so multiplied thy mercies on me through all the minutes of my life that the Sun hath never yet rose or set upon me without new Blessings from thee And as thou hast done so much for me already for which I pour out my very Soul in thankfulness so in the same degree of lowest humility I humbly beseech thee to continue thy care of me this night and so to shadow me under the Wings of thy Protection that neither visible nor invisible Enemies neither sin nor danger may approach to hurt me That so when the joyful Light of the day shall return again I may rise in safety with an unspotted Soul and a Body fitted to be the Temple of the Holy Ghost even so Lord Jesu Amen Amen Is any afflicted let him pray The Complaint of an afflicted Soul I. BEhold O Lord I am as a bruised reed before thee O break it not I am as smoaking flax O Lord quench it not Send down from on high and visit me Save me out of many waters that are come into my Soul For I have been left unto thee ever since I was born Thou hast been my God even from my Mothers womb O go not then far from me for trouble is near at hand and there is none to help me The sorrows of my heart are enlarged O bring thou me out of all my troubles Thou hast formerly been my succour leave me not now neither forsake me O God of my salvation For from the ends of the Earth will I call unto thee when my heart is in heaviness O forgive all the offences of thy servant which have justly brought these bitter things upon me Take away at last all thy displeasure and turn away from thy wrathful Indignation Arise and help me and deliver me for thy Mercies sake O God make speed to save me O Lord make hast to help me II. IN the time of my trouble I will call upon thee O God in my heaviness I will cry unto thee and unto thee alone For whom have I in Heaven but thee or whom shall I desire on earth in comparison of thee My flesh and my heart fails me but thou art the strength of my heart and my portion for ever But how long wilt thou forget me Lord for ever How long wilt thou hide away thy face from me How long shall I seek counsel in my soul and my spirit be thus troubled within me In my Prosperity I said I shall never be moved But as soon as thou didst hide away thy face from me I was troubled But will the Lord absent himself for ever Will he be no more intreated Hath God forgotten to be gracious or will he shut up his loving kindness in displeasure Alas innumerable troubles are come upon me They have laid such hold upon me that I am not able to look up There is no strength left in me O my God neither know I what to do but mine eyes are towards thee I am troubled above measure help me O God or else I shall sink under the burthen O consider what thou hast laid upon me forsake
whereof my frequent falls have given me many and sad experiments Restrain rather those inclinations to which my nature is chiefly prone that their violence may never have power over me to make me swerve from thy holy will Let not the corruption of these evil times prevail upon me but keep me from the flattering and the lying lips the profane and blaspheming tongue stop my ears and shut up my heart against them Strike such an awful reverence into my soul that I may watch over all my actions and carefully avoid whatever may be dangerous to my self pernicious to others or any way displeasing unto thee that so living in thy fear I may die in thy favour rest in thy peace and reign with thee in thy glory World without end Amen A Prayer for forgiveness of Sins O My God when I call sadly to mind what I have done and what I have left undone how careless I have been to please thee how diligent to offend thee how passionately I have been transported toward the pleasures of this life how cold and heavy in pursuing my everlasting happiness When I seriously consider the vanity of my affections the folly of my thoughts the idleness of my words and above all the sinfulness of my actions I stand amazed at my self that such a Contemplation as this makes not my flesh to tremble and my heart break at the very thought of it For O my Lord if thou shouldest be extreme to mark what I have done amiss if thou shouldest enter into Judgment with me what would become of me for of so many millions of sins that I have committed alas I cannot answer thee one of a thousand But O my Saviour thou who hast revealed it to me as a faithful saying that thou camest into the World for no other end but to save Sinners thou who hast so solemnly sworn thy delight is not in my death but rather that I should live what shall hinder thee to do that which thou delightest in or what can hinder thee to save the Soul thou camest into the World for O pardon and forgive then all my sins past that nothing may hinder thee Lay them no longer to my charge cast them behind thee bury them drown them scatter them as a mist and as a Morning-cloud let them vanish away And when thou hast done this O my merciful GOD leave not here but go on Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me let me feel once the powerful effects the saving operations of thy Grace in fervency of devotion toward thee in bitterness of repentance for offending thee in holy resolutions never wilfully to sin against thee more and in perseverance in those resolutions till I shall pass out of this valley of tears into those everlasting Joys where no evil can approach me Amen A Prayer against Relapses into sin O My gracious GOD the only stay and comfort of my soul seeing thy will is that in all things I should sincerely serve thee and I through thy grace desire nothing more than to do the same How is it O my Lord that I still offend thee or why fall I so often into my former follies Alas thy Grace is not wanting to me but my ungraciousness and the corruption of my nature my slipperiness and easiness to offend my inconstancy in my best resolutions and my forgetfulness of my former purposes is the cause of it And for this once more I humble my soul before thee beseeching thee to lay aside thy rigour and not to multiply thy anger according to the measure that I have multiplied my sins but rather to remember whereof I am made that I am as a flower a wind a vapour that passeth away nay I am viler than all this even weak and sinful dust and ashes And thou hast visited and considered me in these my despicable and wretched Principles O then shew thy strength in my weakness thy glory in my infirmities increase in me daily thy renewing grace and strengthen me against all future temptations that I may never start aside again like a broken bow but go on from grace to grace though it be with weak and trembling steps till I shall appear before the God of Gods in Sion Amen A Prayer to be prepared for our last End O Eternal GOD my Maker my Redeemer I adore and bless thy Holy Name that thou hast with such admirable patience not only suffered me to live this hour but withal hast multiplied thy daily blessings on me even then when I by my sinful life have most unkindly and treacherously rebelled against thee But who knows O merciful Lord how soon thy abused patience may end or how speedily thou maist call me to a sad account for all my former days so miserably mispent For O how many are they on whom the Morning Sun hath shined that shall not live to see it set And how know I but this may be my last day too the only day which thou O GOD hast left me to set my soul in order and to prepare for that day which never shall have end O my dear Lord suffer me not then to neglect this blessed season but by an hearty repentance speedily even this day this instant to return unto thee that how soon soever thou shalt call me to my Transmigration from this life my accounts may be found audited my sins cancelled and my soul acquitted by the bloud of that Lamb that takes away the sins of the World Grant this O my God for his sake that vouchsafeth to die for me thy only Son Jesus Christ the righteous Amen Advice concerning the Examination of the Conscience THE only Heaven that is afforded us upon Earth is Peace of Conscience the only way to preserve that Peace is to keep our selves unspotted from the World or if we fail of this as who doth not in some degree to call our selves speedily to a strict account for it for upon this depends not only our present Peace but our future Happiness according to that of our Saviour If you judge your selves you shall not be judged The oftner this is done the cleaner and the quieter your Soul will be If you make it not your daily task yet find a time for it at least once a week But especially omit it not when you prepare your self for the blessed Sacrament for as the benefit of it being well managed amounts to no less than the saving of your soul so the danger is as great on the other side if you carelesly or wilfully neglect it St. Paul therefore is punctual and vehement in pressing the Corinthians with it where he lays a peremptory command upon them Let every man examine himself For this is no trivial ordinary Duty no exercise on the by but a work of high concernment wherein the soul of a Christian seriously reflects upon it self and the penitent Sinner laying all the Actions of his life before him arraigns accuseth and condemneth