ceasing to do evil â—nd constantly doing well and we â—ay glorifie thee throughout our whole life in all our actions 1 Pet. 2.9 showâ—ng forth thy praises who â—ast called us out of darkness into thy marvailous light accordâ—ng to thy abundant mercy in Christ Jesus By whom thou hast given us a good hope in thee that thou wilt hear our prayers and do for us above all that we can ask or â—hink which we humbly beg in â—hose holy words which he hath â—aught us saying Our Father c. Another at Night O Most blessed for evermore the Father of Mercies and the God of all Comfort How precious are thy thoughts to us ward how great is the sum of them Thou renewest thy favours continually and art still pouring upon us innumerable benefits of which this is not the least that thou givest us leave to come into thy presence to call thee Father and to make known our requests to thee by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving We accept O Lord with all thankfulness this thy great grace and loving kindness to us and are here again prostrate before thee this evening to acknowledge thy goodness in making us such excellent creatures capable to know thee and acknowledge thee and love thee and by being made like thee to be eternally happy with thee Blessed be thy name that we are now alive and that we have lived so long in health and strength and peace and plenty of all good things whereas our eyes might have been consumed with grief our bones sore vexed and we might have mingled our drink with continual weeping We are bound unto thee for the free use of our understandâ—ngs for the good inclinations we find in our wills for any devout â—ffections which are stirring in our hearts for all the advantages we have had by our education good company and holy examples And more especially for the illuminations of the holy Ghost by thy blessed Gospel the breathings of it frequently into our spirits the importunities thou hast used to draw us to thee and the great and precious promises whereby thy love in Christ Jesus constrains us to resign our selves intirely to the obedience of thy Precepts We ought likewise to admire and praise thee for thy goodness to all thy creatures who live daily upon thy bounteous allowance Psal 145. The eyes of all wait on thee and thou givest them their food in due season Thou diffusest thy blessings in several streams to every one of them according to their needs 104.28 That thou givest them they gather thou openest thy hand they are filled with good We give thee the glory of the plentiful provision thou hast made for them and more particularly admire thy great liberality to the children of men under whose feet thou hast put in subjection all sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the waters O Lord we praise thee for thy goodness to those who praise thee not themselves Be thou adored and acknowledged in thy bounty which bestows so many blessings unasked and unsought and continues them notwithstanding abundance of provocations and most high offence that they have given to thy merciful kindness And let thy goodness to thy Church be never forgotten by us which thou hast in all ages protected and defended in a marvailous manner propagating the Gospel of our Saviour confounding its opposers and spreading it by the power of the holy Ghost over the face of the earth We thank thee for thy singular favour to these Countries wherein we live To whom these glad tydings of Salvation have reached and who have long enjoyed a more glorious light than many other places and been delivered from the darkness of Popish superstition and from sundry attemps that have heen made to bereave us of this happiness and are again settled after many confusions in a peaceable enjoyment of thy true Religion which thou hast also continued to us though we have not brought forth fruit worthy of the Gospel of thy Grace O that all thy undeserved goodness may have this effect upon us to make us heartily love thee and devoutly worship thee and zealously obey thee and steadfastly trust and hope in thee for ever That by a careful improvement of the knowledge of thee our God and our Lord Jesus Christ by whom thou hast given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness we may still enjoy this inestimable treasure and all thy love to us may at last be finished in those eternal joys which he hath promised to the faithful And as we have been taught exhorted and incouraged this day out of thy holy word and have likewise publickly acknowledged our obligations to thee and made profession of love and gratitude and dutifulness to thy Divine Majesty So help us all the week following openly to testifie the truth and honesty of our hearts in all this by a blameless conversation in all humility meekness temperance righteousness charity and peace with all them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart Bless our Soveraign the Defender of the Faith we profess and all imployed under him in their several offices that they may be instruments of continuing to us these holy opportunities with all other good things that may make these Kingdoms happy O that all our Friends may be thine and if we have any enemies Father forgive them Comfort and support the sick the needy and all other distressed persons with an immoveable belief of thy wise and good providence to which give them grace patiently and obediently to resign themselves And when all our senses this night shall be bound up with sleep be thou O Lord our keeper and after the refreshment of that repose and this holy rest from our labours raise us in the morning to return unto them with cheerful minds and ready wills praising still and magnifying thy multiplyed mercies to us in Christ Jesus by whom we present our selves and petitions to thee saying further as he hath taught us Our Father c. Another for the Afternoon or any other time of that day O Most Holy Glorious and Blessed Thy Name is excellent in all the earth and thou art for ever praised by all the host of heaven who are never weary of thy service We thy creatures sinful dust and ashes have many times professed it is our happiness to joyn with those heavenly inhabitants in admiring worshipping blessing and loving thee the great Lord of all with pure hearts in unity of spirit sincere friendship and brotherly accord one with another We have often spoken great things of thee and declared thy service to be the sweetest pleasure and one hour spent in holy meditations devout affections and cheerful thanksgivings to be far better than all the time we spend in other imployments How much then if we mean sincerely and according to our words should our
thee Give us thy grace continually for our seasonable relief and succour that we persevering in well doing may have a solid and lively hope in our death of coming to see thee in that high and holy place where thou livest and reignest for evermore As for all the things of this life we most heartily refer our selves to thy Fatherly Wisdom and Goodness O Lord God Almighty trusting thou wilt order for us that which is most convenient and bless our honest diligence with such a competent portion of them that we may have the more leisure to give continual praise honour blessing and thanksgiving to thee whose mercies endure for ever Accept we pray thee of our thankful acknowledgements at this time for those which this day hath added to the rest of thy benefits which thou hast been continually heaping upon us ever since we were born And let all the people of the earth praise the name of the Lord which is highly exalted above all blessing and praise O that all the Kingdoms of the World would become the Kingdoms of our Saviour Christ and that all they who acknowledge his authority would religiously obey his holy Laws that all wars oppression and cruelty may cease among Christian people and they may live together in brotherly love and unity Make our Soveraign and all his Realms happy by a great increase of true knowledge godliness and vertue every where Bless all our friends forgive our enemies requite all the kindness of our benefactors comfort every one of thy desolate and afflicted servants and turn their mourning and heaviness into joy and gladness at the last And now that we are going to repose our selves keep us we beseech thee and all belonging to us in safety Refresh our wearied spirits with comfortable rest and sleep and when we awaken again in the morning direct our thoughts immediately to thee our merciful preserver and help us to imploy all our renewed strength to thy honour and glory according to thy will declared by Christ Jesus in whose blessed Name and Words we commend our selves to thy infinite Mercies Our Father c. PRAYERS FOR FAMILIES WEDNESDAY MORNING O Most great and mighty Lord the Possessor of heaven and earth All the Angels worship and adore thy incomprehensible Majesty with the humblest reverence and rejoyce in rendring praise blessing and thanksgiving to thee the Father of spirits For thou hast created all things and in wisdom hast thou made them all and spread thy tender mercies over all thy works It is no less our happiness than our duty to joyn our hearts and voices with that heavenly host most gratefully to acknowledge thy bounty to us among the rest of thy creatures and thy particular grace and favour in our Lord Jesus Christ our most merciful Saviour and Redeemer We can never sufficiently admire that love which gave him to dye for us and hath made him the Lord of life and glory that he may be the Author of eternal Salvation to all those that obey him All the love we have is too little to give thee to whom all our services are due by a former title Our highest praises fall infinitely short of thy most excellent Majesty and we are ashamed of the most affectionate thanks we can render to thee for those inestimable benefits which thou hast conferred on us and so long continued to us How much greater reason then have we to be abashed at our shameful ingratitude and disobedience to thy divine Majesty for which we are heartily sorry and do now most earnestly repent our selves of it unfeignedly resolving and protesting to be more faithful to thee for the time to come Pardon us therefore Good Lord and receive us unto thy mercy Accept of our renewed vows to study and do our duties conscientiously towards thee and towards all men And as thou hast excited these holy desires and purposes in our hearts so inable us to perform them constantly in the whole course of our life Our blessed Saviour hath told us thou wilt as readily give thy holy Spirit to them that ask it as a Parent will give bread to his hungry children O Father of mercies let it be unto us according to his Word Cherish these little beginnings of goodness which thou seest in our souls and prosper all our endeavours to attain a greater measure of it And since at the best we are but unprofitable servants and can do no more than was our duty to do inable us to do every thing which thou hast commanded us heartily with good will and true love to thy service We know this is all that can in the least commend us to thy free grace and favour and therefore we most humbly again dovote our selves to do thy Will with a cordial affection to it We would ever approach unto thee with delight and pleasure and feel it the joy of our hearts to think of thee to praise thee to give thee thanks and to offer our selves with absolute resignation to thee O that Mercy may always please us as it pleaseth thee that we may be strictly just and righteous may chearfully pass by injuries freely deny all desires of sinful pleasures willingly submit to thy fatherly corrections and perform the duties of our several relations with singleness of heart Render us so mindful of the great love of our Lord and Master Christ that we may be zealously concerned for his glory and use our utmost diligence to do Him and his Religion some honour in the world delighting to commemorate his Death and Passion making a joyful sacrifice of our souls and bodies to him and desiring most earnestly that his kingdom may come and all mankind submit themselves to his Government Fulfil most merciful Lord all our petitions and as thou hast mightily protected us and our dwellings this last night from fire and thieves and whatsoever might disturb our repose blessed be thy goodness so accompany us all this day with thy blessing that we may please thee in body and soul and be safe under thy defence who art nigh to all those that call upon thee that call upon thee in truth And O that all those who are forgetful of their duty to thee may be awakened to a lively sense of all thy benefits and fill the whole world with thy praises Stir up especially the minds of all Christian people to inquire after and follow the Truth as it is in Jesus abandoning all vice and wickedness and exercising themselves to have consciences void of offence towards thee and towards all men And dispose the hearts of all their Kings and Princes to make themselves the greatest examples of Christian Piety to all others Bless these Kingdoms and indue our Soveraign with such excellent Wisdom and holy Zeal for thy honour and glory that we may see many good days under his Government O that true Religion Justice Mercy Brotherly kindness and all things else that are praise-worthy may so flourish among us that we
lords who only hast immortality and designest by thy Son Jesus to raise us sinful dust and ashes to a kingdom glory honour and immortality in the heavens I most earnestly beseech thee that this sense of thee may accompany me wheresoever I go and in whatsoever I do this day That approving my self to thee in such a godly sober righteous charitable and prudent behaviour as may adorn the Gospel of my Lord and Master Christ Jesus I may have a greater assurance of thy good will towards me and an undoubted hope of thy mercy in him to eternal life In whose most blessed name and words I humbly recommend my self my friends and all thy servants to thy infinite charity saying as he hath taught us Our Father c. Another for the Evening BLessing Glory Honour and Praise be again returned to thee O Father of mercy from a most thankful heart which offers up it self also in holy devotion to thee Who art my Soveraign Lord my most loving Saviour my Deliverer and Benefactor the Fountain of all the good things I enjoy at present and the hope of my soul for ever and ever Blessed be thy renewed kindness to me this day past both to my self and my relations to my soul and my body in my transactions with men and in the liberty thou allowest me of addresses to thy self Pardon good Lord whatsoever hath escaped me in thought word or deed contrary to my duty And accept of those sincere intentions and unfeigned purposes which were and I hope shall always be in my heart to study to approve my self to thee in all well doing It is but just and reasonable that I should follow thy will and not my own and in a grateful sense of what I have received from thee I ought to be moved to imploy all the powers of my soul and body for thee But such is the goodness of thy will that it is for my ease and pleasure and greatest happiness to be absolutely led and governed by it I am sensible O Lord how much I am indebted to thee for teaching me by Christ Jesus and also strongly obliging me to exercise my self to all godliness purity righteousness humility goodness and truth And accordingly I thank thee above all things for his holy instructions and example for the hope thou hast given us by his bloud that thou wilt be so merciful to our sins as not to deny us the power of thy holy Spirit to inable us to follow him and obey his commands and for that exceeding great and precious promise which he hath given us of immortal life to incourage us to follow him willingly and chearfully even to the death O that I may feel a lively and steadfast faith in his Word continually working with great power in my heart exciting me to an unwearied diligence and zeal and love and patient continuance in my duty towards thee and towards all men That so my hope in thee may grow and increase and I may joyfully expect that hour which shall translate me hence to the eternal happiness of the other world And during my stay here I commend my self to thy good providence which hath hitherto been so tender of me I trust thee wholly with my self and all belonging to me and am willing in every thing to be disposed of as thou seest good This night 〈◊〉 fly unto thy Almighty protection hoping thou wilt keep me safely and whether I awake in this or the other life I shall still be praising thee whose Mercy endureth for ever Amen for Christ Jesus his sake by whom thou hast incouraged me to hope in thee and taught me to call thee father saying Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil c. THat time which is wont to be spent in the Church in talking or looking about before Divine Service begin may be better imployed in private Prayer to dispose us to joyn with greater seriousness in the Publick And indeed our business being there with God alone and that place being separated to his service only the custom which now universally prevails of entertaing discourse one with another is very undecent to say no worse and ought to be reformed We have other times and places enow to confer with our neighbours and therefore have no temptation to pervert the use of this which is set apart for devout intercourse with God and none else by speaking to him in Prayer and Praises and hearing him speak to us in his holy Word It is fit to silence all other speech and therefore here follow some helps for that purpose which I hope all good Christians will indeavour to use or imitate and not despise this loving admonition Private PRAYERS IN THE CHVRCH A short Prayer before Divine Service begins BEhold O Lord of heaven and earth a Soul prostrate before thee desirous to be filled with such an awful sense of thy divine Majesty that no other thing may interpose it self while I am in thy presence Fix my inconstant thoughts in a steadfast attention to thy most holy Word Inspire me with devout affections when I set forth thy praise and render thanks for all thy benefits And excite in me such fervent desires for all those things which I ask of thee that I may feel my self better disposed by these addresses to thee to every Christian duty the rest of this day through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour Amen Another IN an humble and thankful sense of thine infinite goodness which honoureth us so much as to speak to us and gives us leave to speak to thee I bow down my self before thee O most high and holy Lord the Creator of the world desiring my mind may be possessed with such great thoughts of thee whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain and who openest thy hand and fillest all things with good that I may most reverently worship thee and affectionately acknowledge thy bounty and set my heart open to receive thy holy Word and my mouth may praise thee with joyful lips Silence all other thoughts and desires in me while I am here in thy presence And lift up my heart so towards heaven that I may feel it united to that glorious company above who perpetually praise thee and rejoyce in thee and do thy Commandments hearkning to the voice of thy Word Which I humbly beg in the name of Christ Jesus which is ever dear unto thee and by whom thou hast promised to hear us Amen Or those words of the Prophet David which you read Psal 5.7 17.1 118.28 119.47,48 c. may be a little altered in this manner IN the multitude of thy mercy I am come into thy house and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy
concernment for him we are bold to recommend him to thy favour as a great object of the bowels of thy mercy which are in Christ Jesus We ought indeed above all things to admire thy most wise goodness which hath set forth him to be a propitiation Rom. 3.25 through faith in his bloud and invited even the greatest sinners to return unto thee and live Blessed eternally blessed be thy great and glorious grace which hath sent us such glad tidings of peace and reconciliation and assured hope that if we obediently believe thy holy Gospel thou wilt be merciful to our sins and remember our iniquities no more Heb. 8.12 O Father of mercies who openest the eyes of the blind Psal 146.8 and raisest them that are bowed down open the eyes of this thy servant that he may see thy marvailous love revealed in Christ Jesus Touch his spirit with such a powerful sense of it that he may both heartily and absolutely consent to be governed by thy Laws and likewise be revived with a comfortable belief of the truth of all thy precious promises Free him from all confusion of thoughts and bestow on him a clear and distinct apprehension of all things belonging to his peace And as thou hast wrought in him a fear of thy Divine Majesty and many holy desires after thee and perswaded him we hope to be willing in all things to live godlily So possess him with an humble belief that thou wilt always inable him to do accordingly and never fail to strengthen him against all the power of the enemy till he hath got the victory and triumphs in hope of thy salvation Raise up his spirit most mighty Lord by the power of a most strong faith in thine Omnipotent Goodness which delights to cherish the least gaspings and pantings in us after true righteousness Bear him up by this above all the clouds wherein he is incompassed into a clear heaven of light and joy Quiet and appease all his tumultuous passions that he may silently listen to thy voice in thy holy Gospel saying Come unto me all ye that labour Matth. 11.28 and are heavy laden and I wilâ— give you rest Thou who searchesâ— the hearts knowest that he unfeignedly submits himself to the yoke oâ— thy Laws It is the present grieâ— and affliction of his soul that he is noâ— more perfectly subject to it O refresh him with the belief that thoâ— art more desirous than he that therâ— should be a perfect reconciliation oâ— his very nature and disposition tâ— thee and that therefore thou wilt nâ— deny him the assistance of thy mightâ— grace to help him to fulfil thy whole good will and pleasure O that he may take courage from this hope to begin to do thy will and continuing in well doing and growing more and more in strength and power to perform his duty he may be delivered from all slavish fears and jealousies and distrust of thy divine goodness Especially keep him from despair of thy mercy as the greatest dishonour to thee and to thy abundant grace in the Lord Jesus O thou who didst invite even those great sinners who by wicked hands took and crucified thy dear Son Act. 2.23,38 to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins Lift up this dejected soul to an humble confidence in thee that thou wilt not deny him the same mercy And as thou hast sworn that thou hast no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he should turn from his evil way and live so be pleased blessed God to make him sensibly feel his soul is turning to thee since he can find no comfort and satisfaction but only in thy love and favour which he esteems better than life it self And that he may obtain thy pardon help him from his heart to forgive every one that hath trespassed against him Matth. 18.35 And if he have taken any thing from any man wrongfully Luk. 19.8 grant him grace to restore it to him 11.41 To give alms likewise of such thing as he hath Dan. 4.27 Job 33.26 and to break off his sins by righteousness his iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor that thou who art rich in mercy mayst be favourable unto him and he may see thy face with joy Hear us good Lord and give every one of us grace to walk exactly and to keep pure consciences void of offence towards thee and towards all men that so we may live and die in peace looking for thy mercy in Christ Jesus unto eternal life Amen Another for a person in the same condition O Lord the Father of spirits the Lover of our souls who â—rt pleased best in our love and hearty affection to thee and wouldst have us delight our selves in the â—houghts of thee and rejoyce conâ—inually in thy holy name Give us â—eave to render our humble thanks â—o thy divine Majesty for this knowâ—edge which thou hast given us of â—hy blessed Nature and in imitation â—f it to recommend with most ferâ—ent charity this desolate and afâ—…icted soul to thy tender Mercies â—…e is filled with trembling thoughts â—…d frightful apprehensions of thee â—he dread and terror of thy displeasure hath overwhelmed his spirit He is troubled Psal 38.6 and bowed down greatly he goeth mourning all the day long O that thou wouldst be pleased so to represent thy self unto him that he may be possessed with the same sense which thou hast wrought in our minds that thou art Love and desirest to be loved and chearfully served by all that worship thee Thou hast graciously wrought in him already a sense of his duty towards thee Great sorrow overflowes his soul for his neglects of thee and offences against thee And out of this depth he sighs and groans and crys unto thee with earnest desires and purposes to live more holily for the time to come Awaken his mind good Lord to very sensible and thankful reflections upon this grace which thou hast begun to show him Bless all the pious counsels instructions which thou likewise vouchsafesâ— unto him to the encouraging of his hope in thee that thou who hast begun a good work in him wilt perfect it even until the day of Jesus Christ Philip. 1.6 Remember him that as thy Majesty is Ecclus 2.18 so is thy mercy and that thy power delights to show it self in doing good unto thy creatures especially to the humble the thankful and the willing persons who are ready to submit themselves to thy blessed Will O that this divine faith may banish all those fears that drive him from thee and that he may rather fear lest he should offend thy Divine Majesty by not confiding in those promises of mercy which thou hast made in thy holy Gospel to all returning sinners O that all his thoughts and care hereafter may only be to make his purpose of pleasing thee in all things serious hearty and unfeigned believing that thou wilt
of the poor Prov. 22.2 with whom there is no respect of persons Look graciously upon me I humbly beseech thee who here cast down my self before thee acknowledging thy Soveraign power over all and thy wise providence which hath disposed all things into several ranks and orders for their mutual help and benefit I humbly submit to the state and condition wherein thou hast been pleased to place me below many others I thank thee that I live and that I live in health and have strength of body great and invaluable blessings and that I have so much liberty as to make my requests unto thee and acknowledge thy mercies and that I have any hope thou wilt never cease to do me good till thou hast crowned all thy mercies in eternal life Good Lord pardon me if I have at any time murmur'd and repin'd at my condition or envied the higher estate of other persons Pardon all my other offences whatsoever they have been and vouchsafe but to deliver me from the bondage of sin and to make me a Servant of Righteousness and I shall not only be contented but perpetually rejoyce in thy Salvation Indue me with a right understanding of my duty in this relation wherein I stand That according to thy command I may account those whom I serve worthy of all honour being careful to please them in all things 1 Tim. 6.1 never contradicting Tit. 2.9,10 nor purloyning Ephes 6.5,7 but showing all good fidelity and with good will and singleness of heart doing service as to the Lord and not to men Help me to demean my self so humbly Collos 3.23,25 and whatsoever I do to do it so heartily that I may obtain favour in their eyes Or if they be froward and hard to please O God preserve me from all unseemly passions and disrespectful behaviour towards them And make me so much the more diligent in their business remembring that I serve the Lord Christ from whom I expect to receive the reward of the inheritance Coloss 3.23,25 If thou art pleased any other way to afflict me with sickness or pains â—n my body which may hinder my â—abour and cast me into poverty Lord still strengthen my faith and confidence in thee And help me to â—ear it with a patient mind looking â—nto Jesus who took upon him the form of a Servant and became poor and suffered much for our sake but how is therefore highly exalted to â—uccour and comfort all those that â—ollow after him contentedly in well-doing In his Name and Words I â—ecommend my self unto thy mercy saying Our Father c. A Prayer of a poor Prisoner for Debt O God who art present to us in all places and hast regard to the sighs and groans of the miserable who humbly implore thy pitty and compassion towards them Vouchsafe to look graciously upon thy afflicted servant in this place which is most desolate and comfortless unless the light of thy countenance shine upon me I confess that I have too much abused the liberty which I formerly enjoyed and did not so carefully improve as I oughâ— to have done those happy opportunities which therewith were puâ— into my hands Many ways I am sensible I have offended thy Divine Majesty * Here acknowledge the particulars for which I am heartily sorry and acknowledgâ— my self infinitely indebted to thy goodness that I am not plunged into the depth of misery to bewail my sins in the bottomless pit I thank thee O Lord with all my soul that I am not shut up in the place of outer darkness and that I have any hope to obtain the benefit of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus In whose Name I beseech thee to pardon me and likewise to sanctifie these straits wherein I lye to the freeing my soul from the bond of all iniquity and the restoring me to the glorious liberty of thy children Help me seriously to follow the direction of thy Providence in this restraint and now that I am so much alone by my self to descend into my own heart to search and try my ways and unfeignedly to turn to thee my God Enlarge my spirit more than ever now that my body is confined in fervent Prayer for thy Divine Grace and in chearful Thanksgivings for the innumerable benefits that I have received from thy bounty and in tender pitty and commiseration of the sad condition of all distressed people And be pleased to touch the hearts of my Creditors also with a sense of my miseries incline them to accept of what I am able to pay and make me willing conscientiously to satisfie them to the utmost of my power In the mean time bestow upon me the blessing of a contented spirit Help me patiently to endure the inconveniences of this place And preserve me from the danger of all the temptations which I meet with in it especially from seeking a remedy of my sorrows in the pleasures of intemperance or evil company or any prophane mirth whatsoever Be thou my comfort O God my exceeding joy and the full satisfaction of my soul in all conditions And when thou art pleased to deliver me from this place and restore me again to my desired freedom O Lord make me ever mindful of the vows wherein I am now forward to bind my self Dispose my heart then to be so sensibly affected with the least of those mercies which formerly I have little regarded that I may never forget to praise thee even for the benefit of a sweeter air than now I enjoy and to acknowledge thee in the night season upon my bed and to thank thee for the coursest food and especially I may rejoyce to go again into the great Congregation to praise thee with the most ardent love for all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus Preserve in me also a grateful remembrance of the kindness of my Friends and Neighbours especially of those persons to whom I stand particularly indebted when by their charity I shall be released And whatsoever loss they sustain by my poverty good Lord make it up abundantly to them and theirs out of thy rich grace and mercy Requite their love with plenty and prosperity in this world and give them the reward of eternal life and glory in the world to come through Christ Jesus Amen A Prayer of a great Malefactor in Prison O Most holy and righteous Judge of the whole world give a sinful and miserable wretch leave to prostrate himself before the Throne of thy Grace and implore that mercy which formerly I have despised or abused I am not worthy I confess to lift up my eyes towards heaven and it becomes me in the greatest dejection of spirit to sigh and groan under the load of my sins which have been so great and many so bold so presumptuous and shameless that when with an awakened mind I reflect upon them I am ready to sink into hell and utterly despair of any mercy O God how have I hated
even for these things O how vile then and odious are all those sins of injustice or unmercifulness of which I may have been guilty IV. Be merciful unto me O Lord be merciful unto me through the blood of that spotless Lamb which was shed for the sins of the world Remember not against me the vanity of my thoughts the errors and mistakes of my judgement the pride of my spirit the greediness of my sensual desires the violence and disorder of any of my passions the unruliness of my tongue the inconstancy of my purposes or the baseness and unworthiness of any of my ends and intentions O holy God and merciful Father enter not into judgement with me for the mispense of my precious time for letting slip any good opportunites or for my ill husbanding the many Talents which thou hast intrusted me withal Let not the abuse of any of thy creatures the ill example that I have given to any of my Neighbours my unthankfulness for a world of mercies my inobservance or forgetfulness of thy fatherly providences and my insensibleness of others miseries be charged upon me at the day of our Lord or incense thy severe displeasure against me in this present life O remember not my immoderate sorrow for worldly losses my excessive pleasure in the abundance of any worldly enjoyments the deadness of my grief and the scarcity of my tears for my own sins and the sins of others and the heartlesness of my joys in thee and in thy Son Christ and for all the good thou hast done to me and to my Brethren or which they do for thy honour and the comfort of thy people Let not any discontent with my condition provoke thee to make it worse nor my want of love to thee deprive me of the love of others nor the breach of any of my resolutions be punished with an indifferency and carelesness of spirit nor the abuse of any of thy blessings or unthankfulness for them move thine offended goodness to strip me naked of them V. But gracious Lord so pardon me as to give me the grace of thy holy Spirit to change and renew me throughout in spirit soul and body and to enable me daily to amend my life according to thy holy word That 's the hearty desire and purpose of my soul which longs for nothing more than a power from above to possess me with more steady and affectionate thoughts of thee and to fill me with a more inflamed love to thee and to all my Brethren and to dispose my will to resign it self in all things to thee and chearfully to comply with thy providence and zealously to imploy all holy opportunities of doing or receiving good O God deny me not this great grace though unworthy of the least but strengthen me with might by thy Spirit in the inner man Let it teach and direct me in the right way let it assist me to walk in it let it constantly incourage my progress chearing and refreshing me when I am ready to faint upholding me when I am ready to fall recovering me when I slip enabling me with fervent desires to implore thy mercy and with resolved watchfulness to strengthen my self against all temptations for the time to come VI. Preserve in me such a serious and deep sense of the worth of my soul of the weight of all eternity of the certainty and greatness of the glory which shall be revealed that they may prevail more with me than all the honours and riches and pleasures of this life Prepossess me with a clear understanding of the Gospel of our Saviour with a strong saith a fervent charity and a lively hope against all other things that press upon me and sollicite my affections that so nothing may find admittance into my heart but what shall submit to thy laws and live under the government and discipline of our Lord Jesus Instruct me how to make all my pleasures discreet moderate and useful to me that they may never take up the best of my time nor devour the strength of my mind Teach me to use the riches of this world aright and to do good to my self and others with them Dispose me to look upon greatness or honours but as greater opportunities to do thee more honour and the world more service Moderate all my passions and subdue them perfectly to the obedience of Reason and Religion O that all my conversation with others may be innocent and profitable and my private retirements more devout and heavenly and all my imployments without inordinate cares and fears or any distrust of thy good providence Help me to look upon long life as desireable only that I may have more time to root out perfectly all evil habits and dispositions to implant and increase all Divine Vertues to do the more good that I may be better sitted for an happy life world without end Amen The same prayer may be used in time of any publick calamity and some of these following prayers added as there shall be occasion A Prayer in time of Plague GReat and many O Lord are the sins whereby we have provoked thee in these Kingdoms to send all thy sore judgements upon us the sword the famine and the pestilence to cut off from them man and beast It is only of thine infinite mercies that we are not utterly consumed and because thy compassions fail not Blessed be thy goodness that we are not yet delivered into the hand of those that hate us but only corrected by thy own hand who art the Father of mercies To them we flee now in our great distress and beseech thee that thou wilt not shut up the bowels of thy tender mercy and compassion towards us in displeasure But punish us that thou maist pardon us and amend us and make us a more devout sober righteous and charitable people zealous of good works Say to thy destroying Angel Hold thy hand it is enough Or if thou art pleased to have it still stretched out against us give grace to us who are yet in health to spend our time in examining our hearts and lives in bewailing our offences in setling our purposes of repentance and new obedience in inuring our selves to delight in Prayer and holy Meditation in giving thanks to thee for thy merciful preservation of us in preparing our selves for whatsoever change thou art pleased to make in our condition and in doing good with compassionate hearts to those poor people that lye under thy heavy visitation And graciously vouchsafe to bestow upon them intire patience and submission to thy Will and enable them with unfeigned repentance and humble hope in thy mercy to resign themselves and theirs into thy hands that howsoever thou shalt dispose of any of us living or dying we may be the Lords Lord have mercy upon us all for Jesus Christ his sake Amen In time of War O God who hast justly punished our carnal security and abuse of that peace and quietness
to live among us to dye for us and to give us an assured hope of immortal life I love thee O Lord. I renew the oblation which I have often made of my soul and body to thee I wait upon thee still for what thou seest good for both I hope in thy everlasting mercies that thou wilt pardon all my forgetfulness of thee and ingratitude unto thee And I most earnestly implore the grace of thy holy Spirit to preserve in my mind a powerful sense of thee an ardent love to thee and an holy care to please and obey thee in all things That the very same mind and spirit may be in me which was in Christ Jesus our Lord the Spirit of wisdom and understanding and the fear of thee the spirit of meekness humility purity and charity and that I may do thy will with such chearfulness zeal constancy patience and perseverance as he did I thank thee O Lord for all helps and assistances of that good Spirit which thou hast already favoured me withal That thou hast so frequently made good motions to my soul inspired me with holy thoughts and devout affections and inclined and disposed my will many ways to the choice of that which is good I thank thee for the many seasonable admonitions which thou hast given me for the happy opportunities which have been afforded me for wisdom and vertue for a good education pious examples faithful friends and all other furtherances in the way of salvation I remember likewise with my most grateful acknowledgements what abundance of good things thou hast bestowed on me from time to time for my better accommodation in this present life Blessed be thy name for my continued health and food and raiment Blessed be thy name that my bones are not broken that I am not groaning under the sorest pains that I dwell in safety night and day and that I still see my friends and acquaintance and many other comforts round about me I thank thee O Lord for these and all blessings whatsoever that thou hast conveyed to me by the Ministry of thy holy Angels unto whom thou hast given the charge of me O bless the Lord together with me ye his angels which excel in strength that do his commandments hearkening to the voice of his word And enable me every day I most humbly beseech thee O Father of mercies to bless thee better with a purer heart and a more lively sense of all thy love and a greater delight in thy divine Service and a forwardness to every good work And as thou hast preserved me hitherto this day so bless me the remaining part of it That indeavouring sincerely in all my designs words desires and actions to approve my self to thee as thy good and faithful servant I may with a good conscience present my self before thee in the conclusion of it and with the greater confidence of thy gracious acceptance renew my praises and acknowledgements and commend my self to thy blessing and hope for the continued protection of thy holy Angels through Christ Jesus To whom be glory for ever Amen A shorter to the same purpose I Prostrate my self before thee O Lord of heaven earth in all humility of soul and body I acknowledge my dependance upon thee and thy constant care and providence over me ever since I was born particularly this day in keeping me hitherto from many dangers and providing for me many good things as well for the comfort and pleasure as for the necessary support of this present life Especially I thank thee for thy exceeding great love in the Lord Jesus through whom thou hast given me good hope of better enjoyments in the life to come by following that blessed example which he hath set us of all well doing and contented suffering It is all reason O Lord that I should love thee and intirely trust in thee and most willingly serve and obey thee Accordingly I here again dedicate my self both soul and body to thee I vow my self ever to thy service I hope still in thy great mercies which have been so tender and so abundant towards me I depend upon thee for what thou seest to be profitable for me I refer my self absolutely to thy wise Will resolving to rest contented and satisfied in that condition wherein thou placest me I believe thou orderest all things in heaven and in earth and takest the greatest care of those that wait upon thee and commit themselves unto thee as I now do in confidence of thy goodness and submission to thy pleasure Especially I rely upon thee for thy holy Spirit to preserve in me these holy purposes and inspire me continually with good thoughts and stir up in me heavenly affections and increase and strengthen my faith and hope in thee and assist my indeavours to do according to my pious resolutions Blessed be thy great goodness for what I have felt already I thank thee for thy many illuminations from above for thy grace so early preventing me for the assistance and furtherance thou hast given me and the happy opportunities I have met withal of improving my self in true wisdom and goodness It is the earnest desire of my soul to grow more in both and to be made perfectly like to my blessed Lord and Saviour By whom all honour and glory be given to thee O Father Almighty world without end Amen A Grace before meat WE acknowledge thy goodness O Lord in making this plentiful provision for us Pardon our ingratitude for thy former mercies And bless us with such a discreet and thankful use of these thy good creatures that they may not hinder us in our duty but better dispose us to do thee all faithful service in our several places through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Or this WE look up unto thee O Lord who givest us life and breath and all things beseeching thee to forgive us all our sins and to make us such thankful partakers of these thy good creatures that by a moderate use of them our bodies may be refreshed and made more fit to accompany our souls in hearty endeavours to do thee all faithful service through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Or this WE renew our thankful acknowledgements unto thee O Lord for making again this merciful provision for us who are unworthy of the least of thy favours Add thy gracious pardon likewise and bless the sober use of these thy creatures to the strengthning of our frail bodies And endue our souls with the grace of thy holy Spirit that we may return back unto thee the strength we receive from them in well doing and it may be as delightful as our meat and drink to do the will of thee our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ c. Amen After Meat WE return unto thee O Lord our hearty thanks for these and all other the like mercies bestowed upon us ever since we had a being especially for the promises thou hast given us of eternal
Gospel of Christ That so our praises being not meerly words but real deeds and all the fruits of righteousness we may be blessed in our deed and at last hear our Lord speaking to us in those gracious words Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world Amen A Prayer for the Morning when there is a Communion O Most holy holy holy Lord God Almighty the Father of mercies the God of peace and comfort by whose power we and all things else were created and by whose good providence we are all preserved and maintain'd Be thou eternally blessed and praised worshipped and served with the most ardent love who hast made mankind so like to thy self and ordered so many of thy creatures to serve us and chosen rather to make us anew and create us again Ephes 2.10 in Christ Jesus unto good works than let us be undone by our shameful disobedience to thee For thou Joh. 3.16 hast sent thy only begotten Son into the world adored be thy inconceiveable love that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting life And he hath laid down his life for that end and redeemed us by his bloud from the hands of our enemies and triumphed over them all most gloriously and in token thereof ascended into heaven and possessed the Crown of immortal Life and sat down at thy right hand and obtained dominion over Angels and Men and all Creatures We have felt the blessed fruits of his Death and Resurrection and Royal Power whereby Heb. 7.25 he is able to save to the uttermost all them that come to thee by him Thy holy Spirit hath breathed often into our hearts we have been instructed in the Gospel of thy grace and thy Servants the Ministers of thy Word have not ceased to call upon us yea to importune us to follow after our Saviour to that heavenly bliss in which he lives And now again thou vouchsafest to us an happy opportunity to improve our selves in Christian Wisdom Devotion and holiness and we have received thy kind invitations to the nearest approaches to thy divine Majesty O fill us we pray thee with a lively and strong sense of thy bounteous goodness which hath been so many ways expressed towards us Fill us with pious dispositions to receive more of it according to thy precious promises in Christ Jesus Stirr up in us such thankful acknowledgements to thee such hearty resolutions to obey thee such earnest desires and longings to partake more and more of thy divine Nature such love delight and joy in well doing that our souls may be lifted up above to that glorious place where our dear Saviour is and we may comfortably expect and be truly prepared for a blessed translation thither at the great day of his appearing Our great unfruitfulness we confess in the knowledge of Christ may justly make thee deny thy gratious influences from heaven upon us But O God of all grace who multiplyest mercy and delightest in doing good pardon us and make us better both at once Quicken our souls to hear thy holy Word with greater fear and reverence to sing thy praises with greater cheerfulness and gladness to pray to thee with more earnest affection and steadiness of mind to approach to thy holy Table with the deepest humility and devotion of spirit and to receive the renewed pledges of thy love to our very great increase in Faith and Hope and Love to thee and to all the world That so this may be a good day to our souls and we may be disposed and enabled to spend the rest of our days better as becomes the redeemed of the Lord who have tasted how gracious he is and who have received the earnest of eternal life O that our conversation may be in heaven by the constant love and exercise of purity righteousness mercy and godliness That we ever studying to glorifie thee our heavenly Father by bearing much of this good fruit may have the more assured hope that thou wilt glorifie us with thy self And inspire we beseech thee the hearts of all others that meet together this day to magnifie thy great and glorious Name with the like religious affections towards thee That we may all Rom. 12.1 present our selves a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto thee which is our reasonable service Help us all to Coloss 3.10,11 c. put on as thy elect children holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave us so incline us also to do And above all these things to put on charity which is the â—ond of perfectness And let the peace â—f thee our God rule in our hearts â—o which we are called in one body and â—ake us ever truly thankful Hear â—s we beseech thee O most merciâ—ul Father and after we have perâ—ected holiness here in thy fear bring â—s all to compleat our praises and â—hanksgivings to thee in the great â—ssembly of Saints and Angels through Christ Jesus our blessed Lord and Saviour 2 Pet. 3. ult To whom be glory both now and for ever Amen Our Father c. A Prayer at Night when there hath been a Communion O Eternally blessed Lord God the Creator of the world the Father of Angels and men the King of infinite Majesty and Power who canst do what thou pleasest every where 2 Chron. 6.18 Thâ—… heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee who art inthroned only in thy own greatness and crowned with the glory of thy own uncommunicated perfections There is nothing can be added to thee by us or any other creatures of whose services thou hast no need seeing thou art absolutely happy in thy self Act. 17.25 and givest to all life and breath and all things But it is our perfection and happiness to admire and praise thee whom we cannot comprehend to love thee as much as we know thee and to obey thee as much as we love thee 1 Chron. 28.9 with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts We praise thee therefore O God we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. We give thee the glory that is due unto thy name and with hearty â—ove offer up our selves again intireâ—y unto thee whose we are and for whom we were made Justice and gratitude fear and love hope and interest whatsoever hath any power to move our hearts do all press and mightily urge us constantly to devote and consecreate our souls and bodies to thy faithful service We cannot neglect thee unless we will cast away our selves nor sin against thee unless we will be our own accusers judges and tormentors and throw our selves into the greatest miseries Thou hast been so good to us that if we should not become
good likewise we must hate and abhorr our selves who cannot but love and delight in those who show us any kindness and bestow any benefits upon us though they are but thy Ministers and Servants that have nothing and can do nothing but what thou hast given them and inclinest them to do By thee we were formed and brought out of our Mothers Womb. And by a greater mercy were early born again and made thy children in Christ Jesus We have been thy care ever since and been instructed in that Covenant of Grace into which at our Baptism we were received by the knowledge thou hast given us of thy blessed Gospel Wherein we read the great love of our Saviour in dying for us and have the promise of his Spirit to sanctifie and govern us his holy Precepts for the rule of our actions his glorious Example to excite and quicken us and the hope of eternal bliss by his Resurrection from the dead to incourage and comfort us in well doing And in the mean time we injoy the society of thy Saints the ministry of thy Angels and the direction and assistance of thy faithful servants the Embassadors of peace and reconciliation with thee All which fruits of thy wonderful love we have long enjoyed and thou hast this day entertained us at thy Table where thou hast refreshed us with the Communion of the body and bloud of Christ Jesus the earnest of a blessed resurrection and the pledge of immortality Besides innumerable good things which thy most tender mercy hath been pleased to bestow upon our bodies to make our passage to that blessedness through all the troubles and dangers of this life the more easie and delightful to us And all this thou hast done for those who have been too idle and useless cold and dull inconstant and soon weary of their duty forgetful of benefits and unfaithful to their own promises But thy infinite goodness still continues to do it to make us more diligent more zealous more steadfast and immoveable more mindful of thee and of our own holy purposes that we may be abundant as there is reason in the work of our Lord knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. And that is the most sincere and fervent desire of our souls likewise who here most humbly beseech thee by the power of thy holy Spirit to preserve in us a perpetual and affectionate remembrance of all thy undeserved kindness to us Stir up all that is within us every morning to bless and praise thy holy Name That by a renewed serious acknowledgement of thy benefits we may be more and more stirred up to love and to all good works O that the Lord Jesus may be always in our thoughts and in our hearts that we may make him our pattern as he is our hope O that nothing may be so dear unto us in this world as his holiness his humility his goodness and charity his meekness and patience his intire trust in thee and resignation to thee his delight to do thy will O God in hope of that Tit. 1.1 eternal life which thou who canst not lye hast promised to us Fix our minds and affections more steadfastly on that glory wherewith he is crowned by his obedient suffering of death that we may never be weary nor faint in our minds under any sufferings for well doing but continuing faithful to the death may also receive the Crown of Life Accept we pray thee of this our bounden duty and service pitty our great weaknesses pardon all our sins and negligences and deny us not the grace of thy holy Spirit which we have implored to inable us to amend our lives according to thy holy Word But after thou hast refreshed us with quiet sleep this night let us feel it moving our hearts to the same holy thoughts acknowledgements desires and resolutions which it now works in us through thy mercy declared to us in Christ Jesus In whose words we conclude our Prayers saying as he hath taught us Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil c. PRAYERS FOR FAMILIES MVNDAY MORNING WE humble our selves O Lord of heaven and earth before thy glorious Majesty we heartily acknowledge thy Sovereign Dominion over us all creatures we praise and magnifie thy eternal Power Wisdom Goodness and Truth and we render thee our most unfeigned thanks for the innumerable benefits which thou in thy bounty hast loaded us withal Above all for the gracious declaration thou hast made of thy good will to us in Christ Jesus by whom thou hast invited and incouraged sinners to return to thee and directed them in the way to everlasting bliss We blush to think of our shameful forgetfulness of thee and ingratitude to thee to whom we owe all that we have in this world and all our hopes in the next We most humbly implore thy tender mercies in the forgiveness of all our sins whereby we have offended either in thought word or deed against thy just and holy Laws For we are truly sorry for all our mis-doings we utterly renounce whatsoever is contrary to thy will and here devote our selves intirely to the obedience thereof Accept O most merciful Father of this renewed Dedication which we make of our whole man body soul and spirit to thee And as thou dost inspire us with holy resolutions so accompany them always with the assistance of thy grace that we may be able every day to offer up our selves more sincerely and more cheerfully to thee with more pure affection and hearty devotion and ready disposition to thy service We adore thy great grace which hath brought salvation to us and Tit. 2.11,12 teaches us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world We will indeavour O Lord to preserve a grateful sense of thy mighty love in our mind and to follow the doctrine and example of thy Son Christ Jesus as becomes those who have such a blessed hope and look for so great Salvation at the day of his glorious appearing We desire above all things to be so pure and undefiled so meek and gentle so humble and lowly so just and merciful so peaceable and patient contented and thankful as our blessed Lord and Master was And we hope that thou wilt fulfil all the gracious promises he hath made to us which we esteem far greater treasure than thousands of gold and silver They are the support the comfort the satisfaction of our hearts We ask nothing but that it may be to thy servants according to his Word Thou hast mercifully kept us the last night blessed be thy continued goodness and raised us again to see
never dye nor languish in our hearts but be kept alive in their vigour and force by the perpetual inspirations of the holy Ghost We wait upon thee for that promise of our Saviour to assist and promote our sincere indeavours to preserve our souls unblameable in the love of thee our God and of all mankind We heartily desire the prosperity and welfare of every one of them as well as our own O that they were all so wise and happy as to acknowledge and submit themselves to thee by obeying thy holy Laws Especially we desire that all Kings and Princes may become our Saviours Subjects and conforming themselves to his will may be rendred thereby most excellent examples to all other men Indue our Soveraign with abundance of the Spirit of counsel and judgement and the fear of our Lord. Make him happy in wise and faithful Ministers in loyal and peaceable Subjects and in the good success of all his enterprises for the honour of Religion and his peoples tranquillity We commend to thy mercies all our friends relations and benefactors desiring that all who have done us good may be requited an hundred fold here and obtain at last eternal life And all that have done evil to us as we heartily forgive them so we earnestly desire they may obtain thy gracious pardon Together with these we remember likewise all that are in affliction whatsoever it be either of soul or body to whom we wish ease and comfort and seasonable relief that they may rejoyce in the end for the days wherein they have seen adversity In these holy thoughts and desires we now are bold to commend our selves to thy protection this night who hast preserved and blessed us we most thankfully acknowledge all the day past We repose our selves in the belief of thy good providence with which we intrust our selves and all belonging to us We would lay down our selves to sleep with hearts full of love to thee and humble faith and hope in thee Desiring we may awake again in the same manner and find that we are still with thee Dispose us good Lord by the rest thou givest us always to serve thee more zealously with our renewed spirits that after the few days and nights we have to pass in this world we may come to thy eternal rest together with Christ Jesus In whose blessed name and words we still recommend our selves to thy mercies Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom â—ome Thy will be done in earth as it â—s in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our â—respasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from â—vil c. PRAYERS FOR FAMILIES FRIDAY MORNING O God most blessed for ever whose the world is and the fulness thereof who needest not any thing that we can give thee for thou givest us whatsoever we injoy We prostrate our selves before thee to make such poor expressions as we are able of the sense we have of thine infinite bounty to us It is but fit and meet that we should acknowledge and praise thee though we can thereby add nothing unto thee It is our happiness to have a grateful remembrance of thy goodness to us and to be knit unto thee in hearty love and dutiful affection all the days of our life We thank thee therefore O Lord of heaven and earth who hast loaded us continually with thy benefits They are great and many more than we can number both towards our bodies and towards our souls for the comfort of this life and our everlasting Salvation in the Life to come For ever adored be thy love in Christ Jesus who hath given us an undoubted testimony of thy fatherly care and providence over us and incouraged us though we have offended thee to address our selves to thee with good hope of thy gracious acceptance of us into friendship with thee again We love thee O Lord above all things We freely offer our spirits souls and bodies to thee with most sincere devotion and the heartiest affection to thy service There is nothing we desire and long for so much as to have a lively sense of thy marvailous love always possessing our hearts that may still constrain us to love thee to obey thee to trust in thee to be content with the portion thy love allots unto us and to rejoyce even in the midst of all the troubles of this life We cannot chuse O Lord when we seriously think of what thou hast done for us but absolutely commit our selves to thee intirely confide in thee for the time to come Since thou hast Rom. 8.32 not spared thy own Son but delivered him up for us all how shalt thou not with him also freely give us all things We depend upon thee especially for the grace of thy holy Spirit for the power of which in our hearts exciting these holy desires and godly resolutions we most humbly thank thy divine Majesty O that we may feel it perpetually bearing us up by the strength of our most holy faith and by the power of love and hope above all the temptations which at any time assault us That we may keep our selves unspotted from the world and no appetite of pleasure of glory or of riches may ever carry us from our duty but we may still cleave to thee in Righteousness Purity Humility Charity and all other divine vertues of which our Lord hath given us so great an example For his sake we hope for a favourable acceptance of these our praises acknowledgements and prayers For we must be still beholden to thine infinite goodness for the least regard to any thing that we can do who are but unprofitable servants And we wait upon the same goodness for thy blessing to accompany us all this day that we may do nothing but what we know is pleasing to thee and may be so prospered protected and assisted by thine Almighty power that we may return with our hearts full of love and thankfulness to thee in the evening again to praise and magnifie thy continued kindness to us Unto which we commend most heartily the rest of mankind desiring that they may all know thee the true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent whom to know is eternal life And O that all Christians would walk worthy of thy high and heavenly Calling that others seeing their good works may be invited thereby to acknowledge and glorifie thee our heavenly Father More particularly we desire the increase of wisdom and goodness to all Christian Kings and Princes and a plentiful portion of the Spirit of thy Grace to all Christian Bishops Priests and Deacons that they may be eminent instruments of thy honour and their peoples good by the authority of their Doctrine and godly Example Make our Soveraign and us all happy in each other by the faithful discharge of our several duties in the places wherein thy
most high wisdom hath set us And we desire the comfort of those that mourn the ease of those who are in pain the health of the sick the release of poor prisoners and captives the quiet and satisfaction of those who are in trouble and anguish of mind and the true content of all men in whatsoever condition they are that we may be all continually giving thanks to thee the Father of mercies for the joy thou hast set before us and the hope we have by running our Christian race with patience to come to that blessed place into which Jesus our fore-runner is already entred for us By whom we continue to desire in his own words that thou mayst be glorified every where in our well doing saying as he hath taught us Our Father c. At Night O Lord the Almighty Creator and Governour of the world Psal 104.24 How great and manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all 74.16 The day is thine the night also is thine thou hast prepared the light and the Sun We thy creatures a small part of mankind prostrate our selves before thee this evening in the humblest adoration of thy divine Majesty praising thy incomprehensible perfections and rendring thee our thanks for all the benefits thou hast bestowed on the whole world especially on us whom thou hast called to the knowledge of thy grace in Christ Jesus It is a marvailous love wherewith thou hast loved us Thou hast not dealt so with all people and as for thy great and precious promises they have not known them We are bound therefore more particularly to offer up unto thee continually spiritual sacrifices by Christ Jesus and to laud and bless thy great and glorious Name in the behalf of our selves and the rest of mankind among whom thou hast left innumerable testimonies of thy careful providence in that Act. 14.17 thou dost them good and givest them rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling their hearts with food and gladness We praise thee we bless thee we magnifie and extol thy wise and powerful goodness we thank thee for thy never ceasing bounty towards us especially that thou hast vouchsafed to send Jesus Christ to restore us by his appearing among us and his humbling himself to the death for us and his glorious Resurrection from the grave and Ascension on high to a blessed hope of thy mercy unto eternal life We can do no less than devote our selves souls and bodies eternally to thee returning what we have received from thee back again with the greatest love and most grateful acknowledgements Accept we pray thee O most gracious and merciful Father of this small oblation we make thee of our most hearty and unfeigned resolutions to worship and serve thee in the constant exercise of righteousness mercy meekness patience humility and purity with whatsoever is lovely and of good report And we humbly beg thy holy Spirit may constantly accompany us inabling us to think of these things to cleave unto them to delight in them and to persevere in a free and willing performance of all our duty towards thee and all men to our lives end And we most heartily desire the rest of mankind may at last be so happy as to come acquainted with the exceeding riches of thy grace in Christ O that Psal 67.2 thy way may be known upon earth and thy saving health among all nations Rom. 15.10.6 that all the Gentiles may rejoyce with thy people and we may with one mind and one mouth glorifie thee our God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ O that all Idolatry and ungodliness all cruelty and filthiness all rapine and violence may be abolished and rooted out of the earth and true piety righteousness holiness and brotherly kindness may flourish in the room thereof For which end we beseech thee indue all Kings and Princes especially those that are Christian with a great sense of thy Soveraign Authority over all that they may humbly obey thee as they desire others should obey them and govern all their people with great wisdom uprightness and a tender compassionate care of their welfare O that no covetousness ambition or revenge may rule in any hearts provoking them to war and bloudshed but there may be great peace in all Lands by observing the holy Laws of the Prince of peace Christ Jesus More particularly we recommend unto thy blessing these Kingdoms wherein we live beseeching thee to be merciful to our sins in giving us grace to repent of them and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance and amendment of life Bless our Soveraign and all that are imployed under him either in Spiritual or Civil affairs with all those graces which are necessary for the right discharge of their duties in such high places Prosper all their pious indeavours for the good either of mens souls or outward estates that true Religion and Vertue increasing and all ungodliness and vice being put to shame we may become a renowned Nation and a praise in the earth We commend to thee also O Father of mercies all those who are in a distressed and sorrowful condition most earnestly desiring their seasonable relief and comfort with their release from those troubles when thou pleasest And now that we are going to lay down our selves to sleep we put our selves and our habitations with all that belong unto us into thy most gracious protection hoping thou wilt take care of us when we cannot so much as think how to secure our selves from any danger that may approach us Thou hast been our helper keeper and defender therefore under the shadow of thy wings will we still rejoyce When we close our eyes let these holy thoughts of thee and affections towards thee still remain in us and possess our hearts that they may awake again with us in the morning and send up our souls in renewed love and thanks and praise to thy divine Majesty by our blessed Saviour and Redeemer Christ Jesus In whose words we continue to implore thy mercies towards us Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil c. PRAYERS FOR FAMILIES SATVRDAY MORNING O Lord all thy works praise thee and declare the greatness of thy Majesty Power Wisdom and Bounty which surpass all understanding Thou art good unto all and thy tender mercies are over all thy works Thou art holy in all thy wayes and righteous in all thy doings and keepest truth for ever Thy Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations We all decay and perish the heavens themselves wax old like a garment but thou art the same and thy years shall have no end We adore thee O Lord
most high and most willingly joyn our hearts and voices this Morning together with all the host of heaven and earth to laud and praise thy glorious Name and give thanks unto thee whose mercy endureth for ever We think our selves happy that we know thee and that we live under the care and providence of thine Almighty and most wise goodness and that we have a good hope not only of thy blessing and favour here but of life for evermore Blessed be thy Name for sending thy Son Jesus to give us these hopes by his Death and Resurrection and Ascension to heaven and the coming of the holy Ghost Blessed be thy Name who hast trained us up in his Religion and given us the means and opportunities to know that love of thine which passes knowledge We thank thee for all the blessed operations and motions of thy holy Spirit in our hearts and that thou hast so early inclined us to fear thee and love thee and place our contentment and satisfaction in thy love and favour which is better than life it self And that thou hast also added a number of other mercies for our comfortable subsistence in this world having granted us so long health peace and plenty a great many friends loving relations and acquaintance and continued the enjoyment of them to this day though we be so unworthy of the least of thy favours We thank thee O God that now thou hast graciously renewed thy kindness unto us in protecting us the last night from all the powers of darkness and every evil accident and raising us up this morning in health and safety to praise thy goodness More especially we praise thee for any sense we have of these thy mercies humbly waiting on thee for the increase of it and for thy gracious pardon of all our unthankfulness and undutiful behaviour towards thee which we most heartily bewail and desire and will endeavour to amend And for that end we implore the help of thy holy Spirit which our Lord hath incouraged us to ask of thee and told us thou wilt not deny to those that earnestly seek it and continue to knock importunately at the gate of Mercy for it We believe all his promises to be faithful and true and therefore humbly depend on thy mighty Power to strengthen and inable us to do our duty towards thee and towards all men with care and diligence and zeal and perseverance to the end Indue us good Lord with a spirit of true and servent devotion to thee our Creator and Redeemer with upright just and charitable hearts to all our Neighbours and with temperate contented and humble minds in every condition and state of life unto which thou shalt please to call us Help us to be meek and gentle in our conversation prudent and discreet in ordering all our affairs good and useful in every relation observant of thy fatherly providence in every thing that befals us grateful for thy benefits patient under thy chastisements and readily disposed to every good word and work Preserve in us a constant remembrance of thine all-seeing eye of the many promises and vows we have made of fidelity to thee of thine inestimable love in Christ Jesus whereof thou hast given us so many pledges and of the great account we must give to him the Judge of all at the day of his appearing That so we may continue steadfast and unmoveable and be abundant in the work of the Lord knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Deliver us we beseech thee from all inordinate cares and desires from vain hopes and causeless fears and so dispose our hearts that death it self may not be dreadful to us but we may welcome it with a chearful countenance when and howsoever it shall approach O that our hearts may be so firmly settled and established in the true Religion and our minds kept so free from all delusions that nothing may afright us or shake our constancie But we may rather chuse to dye than dishonour our Saviour who dyed for us We resign our selves to thy wisdom and goodness who knowest what is best for us hoping thou wilt 1 Corinth 10.13 never suffer us to be tempted above what we are able and wilt with the temptation also make a way to escape that we may be able to bear it We commend unto thee likewise all mankind especially thy Church and chosen people these Kingdoms more particularly of which we are members that we may be all faithful to our Lord Christ and zealous of good works Bless our Soveraign his Councellors his Ministers and all imployed in publick business whether Spiritual or Civil that they may be conscientiously industrious and whatsoever they do may prosper for the good of all those who are committed to their charge Be gracious to all our friends and those who are dear unto us Keep us all in thy fear and love and obedience while we live and make us willing to dye and to be with Christ which is best of all Guide us good Lord and govern us by the same spirit of wisdom and goodness that we may be so united to thee here as not to be eternally separated when thou art pleased to order our departure hence But that we all at last may have an happy meeting in the other and better world to dwell with thee in love and joy that shall never dye through Christ Jesus our blessed Lord and Saviour in whose words we still beseech thee to hear us Our Father c. At Night ALL honour and glory thanks and praise love and service be rendred by us and all other reasonable creatures to thy great and glorious Majesty O Lord who hast brought us into the world and preserved our life most tenderly to this moment and made it easie and comfortable to us by more mercies than we can number And to all the former hast added those of this day which we have passed in peace and health and safety blessed be thy never-ceasing goodness Above all we acknowledge thy unconceiveable love in Christ Jesus by whom thou hast made a gracious provision for our souls and their everlasting happiness in the other world Having sent him to us with the promises of eternal life and to be the Way and Director to it and given him to dye that he might seal his promises with his bloud and raised him again from the dead that our faith and hope might be in thee O God 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye had not seen nor ear heard neither did enter into the heart of man the things which thou hast prepared for them that love thee We love thee O Lord and give our selves both souls and bodies to thee most earnestly desiring to be inspired with such a sense of thy infinite goodness that we may love thee more and serve thee better with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength We confess we have not walked worthy of the great
benefits we have received and therefore may justly fear thou shouldest withhold thy tender mercies and shut up thy loving kindness in displeasure But the desires and holy resolutions thou hast wrought and continuest in our souls to amend and become still more fruitful in all good works incourage us to hope in thee for pardon through the bloud of Jesus Christ and for the assistance of thy holy Spirit to inable us to accomplish that which we intend and purpose to grow more and more in wisdom and knowledge and in righteousness and true holiness O that this Image of thine may appear every day fairer and more beautiful before thee and in the sight of all men That so we may adorn the Religion we profess and be a good Example unto others and have a solid foundation of peace and comfort in our own hearts and be able to hope in thee for thy future mercy in Christ Jesus even unto eternal life We commend our selves to thy wonted grace and in a sense of what thou hast done already for us and what thou hast promised to do depend on thy goodness for what thou seest profitable and conducing to our chiefest good referring our selves wholly to thy wise will and pleasure and resolved contentedly to submit to thy appointments thankfully to receive thy mercies and to rest satisfied with our portion whatsoever it be that thou orderest for us Make us but steadfast in thy faith and love unwearied in well doing patient and constant under all sufferings full of a lively hope in thy mercy and willing to dye when and as thou pleasest and we have enough In confidence that thou hearest us and art every where and never slumberest nor sleepest we commit our selves to the custody of thy watchful providence this night to be secured and protected by thee when we cannot at all attend to our own preservation May it please thy goodness to give this whole family a comfortable rest and repose to defend this habitation and all about us from fire and such like sad accidents to deliver us from the power of evil spirits and of evil men and to raise us in health and chearfulness to praise thee and to glorifie thee both in soul and body the next day Psal 59.16,17 Then will we sing of thy power yea we will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning because thou hast been our defence and our refuge at all times Vnto thee O our strength will we sing for God is our defence and the God of our mercy 111.1 We will praise the Lord with our whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation 92.1,2 For it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name O most High to shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night 24.1 The earth is thine and the fulness thereof the world and they that dwell therein 22.27,28 Let all the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee O that all the ends of the world would remember and turn unto the Lord and all the kindreds of the Nations worship before him For the kingdom is the Lords and he is the governour among the Nations Bless especially all Christian Kings and Princes that it may Prov. 16.12 be an abomination to them to commit wickedness and their thrones may be established by righteousness And incline the hearts of all those who have any authority in these Kingdoms to love and hold fast thy true Religion and to live according to to it that 20.28 by mercy and truth the king may be preserved and his throne be upholden by mercy We heartily desire the ease peace and satisfaction of all those who are in pain trouble and perplexity and that all poor miserable people may find supply of their wants from thy bounty and the charity of those on whom thou hast bestowed plenty and abundance We humbly also wait for thy blessing upon all our Relations and Friends trusting in thee for such a measure of health and all other good things as thou judgest useful for us and especially that the Lord Jesus 1 Tim. 4.8 will deliver us from every evil work and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom To whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Our Father c. A shorter Morning Prayer for any day in the week when there is not time by reason of some extraordinary occasions for the other O Most great and glorious God the Soveraign of the World Upon whom we continually depend to whom we owe all the love the service and the praise that we are able to render to all eternity We adore thy infinite mercy from whence we have received so many blessings for the comfort of this life and by which we have a sure Hope of good things in the life to come Blessed be thy goodness which hath not suffered us to wander without instruction after the foolish desires of our own hearts but hath clearly shown us where our happiness lyes We receive with all thankfulness those holy words which teach us the blessedness of poverty and contentedness of spirit of meekness and humility of mind of hungering and thirsting after righteousness of mercifulness and purity of heart of peaceableness and patient suffering for doing the will of our Lord Christ O that we may have grace to labour alway to be in the number of those blessed Souls that never set their hearts on any thing so much as these heavenly vertues O that we may ever think and feel our selves happy in the comfort of those great and precious promises of being made the children of the highest the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven and at last of seeing thee our God It suffices O Lord that we have these glorious hopes hereafter which make us believe thou wilt not let us want what is necessary for us whilst we continue here We commend our selves with an humble confidence to thy watchful providence this day beseeching thee to guide and assist us that in all our desires words and actions we may keep our selves innocent and undefiled before thee and be disposed to do all good as we have opportunity And we heartily desire that all mankind may be filled with the same devotion to thee and especially that all Christian people may glorifie thy Name and be joyful in thee And the greater any are in Dignity and Power raise their spirits to the greater pitch of Wisdom Mercy and Piety that they may right those that suffer wrong and defend those that have no helper and provide for the ease and comfort of all miserable creatures to the utmost of their power In this ardent charity we commit both souls and bodies to thee beseeching thee to increase our love to thee and to all men till we be fit to be translated to the region of love and joy and perfect satisfaction through Christ Jesus
O God for the good hope which thy infinite charity hath given us by thy great grace in Christ Jesus and the plentiful communication of the holy Ghost O let thy mercy be upon me according as I hope in thee Preserve me alway in thy love through that abundant grace in thy Son Christ and the powerful presence of thy holy Spirit working in me mightily this day and ever Or after The peace of God which passeth all understanding c. you may say as the Apostle St. Paul 2 Thess 3.16 and the Psalmist 115.12,13,18 NOw the Lord of peace himself give me peace always by all means The Lord be with us all The Lord hath been mindful of us he will bless us He will bless them that fear him both small and great And we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore Amen A short Prayer for the Lords-day or any other to be used at home before Morning Service O Lord the Almighty Creator of the world and the merciful Saviour of mankind who art above all our thoughts and excellest the praises of the highest Angels Thou art greatly to be feared in the assembly of thy Saints and to be had in reverence of all those that are about thee I most humbly desire leave to joyn my self with all those holy ones to worship thy most glorious Majesty to express the due sense I have of all thy benefits by paying thee my most thankful acknowledgements for them to make thee the best oblation I am able and devote my self intirely to thy obedience Since thou hast graciously inclined me to go into thy house and there to set forth thy praise to declare thy loving kindness to resign my self to thy Will to recommend my self to thy Wisdom to submit to thy Government to approve the justice and goodness of all thy Laws to profess that I am thy servant to renounce all thy enemies and to testifie my continued purpose to follow thee against all the temptations of the world the flesh and the Devil be pleased good Lord to pardon all my former failings and at this present to accept my holy intentions and to inspire me from above that I may chearfully perform all these acts of devotion to thy Divine Majesty And vouchsafe more fully to inform me in my duty to correct and amend what is amiss in me to incourage and strengthen my good resolutions and to assist me in all well doing Fill me with a great love to thee and to my blessed Saviour to thy holy Word and to all holy duties to Christian people every where and to all mankind Perfect me in Wisdom in Holiness and in Goodness By all thy instructions by all thy mercies by all thy chastisements and by all my prayers praises and thanksgivings to thee the Father of mercies make me such as thou canst love and delight in and reward at the great day of the Lord Jesus Amen A short Prayer at home after we are come from Church before Dinner I Adore thee again O Lord of Life and glory I acknowledge my dependence on thee I thank thee for thy mercies which thou never ceasest to heap upon me Accept I beseech thee of that dedication I have made of soul and body with praises and thanksgivings unto thee in the publick Congregation Be merciful to all my sins and indue me with the grace of thy holy Spirit to inable me to present my self when I appear again before thee a more holy and devout Sacrifice unto thee steadfastly resolved and chearfully disposed in every thing to be ordered by thy Will For which end be pleased to settle and root in my heart a stronger belief of thy holy Gospel and to fix my thoughts and affections upon that unseen happiness and bliss where our Saviour is That nothing here below may either allure or affright me from my duty nor ever make me remiss or negligent in it but I may be zealous of good works fervent in spirit serving my Lord from whom I expect the reward of an immortal inheritance Preserve in me always a Religious sense of thee And make me now so thankful and sober a partaker of the refreshments of my body that they may not damp the devotion of my soul But I may rather return to worship thee with greater chearfulness and gladness of heart after thou hast added the good things of this world to those of the other according to thy abundant love in Christ Jesus Amen A Prayer in private before the Evening Service O God who art rich in mercy to all that call upon thee and hast bid us 1 Thess 5. pray without ceasing and rejoyce evermore In obedience to thy command and incouraged by the goodness of thy Nature thy gracious invitations thy most precious promises and the long experience that I and others have had of thy bounty I am bold again to approach into thy presence to renew my requests unto thee to bless thy holy name to make profession of my love to thee and readiness in all things to obey thee Quicken my thoughts and affections O Lord to a free and joyful attendance on thee in all holy duties that no dulness nor weariness may seize upon my spirit but such a fervent love to thee may possess my heart as may render all the imployments of Religion my delight and the doing thy Will both now and alway my greatest pleasure And pass by I most humbly beseech thee all my unwilling indispositions Accept of such service as I am able to render thee And dispose me by all my addresses to thee to be more circumspect and watchful more diligent and industrious more forward and zealous in the performance of every part of my duty That being led by thy Counsel governed by thy Spirit and preserved by thy gracious Providence I may at last be admitted into the company of the blessed there to perfect my praises and acknowledgements and to receive the reward of patient continuance in well doing through Christ Jesus Whose grace be with my spirit Amen Another after the Evening Service is done as soon as there is opportunity to retire alone I Acknowledge thy manifold blessings O Lord which are renewed upon me every moment I owe my life continually to thee with all the comforts of it If I had no more to thank thee for but the mercies of this day they are so many so great that I could never thank thee enough for them Thou takest care of my body and of my soul Thou feedest me at thy house and at my own Thou lettest me taste the bread of Life which came down from Heaven besides the many supports and refreshments which thou affordest for this natural life Several of thy creatures lose their lives to preserve mine and thy dear Son hath not thought it too much to lay down his precious Life for my sake Thou speakest to me and givest me leave to speak to thee Thou instructest me in my duty and
be â—eared Psal 130.4 Thou hast sworn â—hat thou desirest not â—he death of a sinner Ezek. 18.32 â—ut rather that he should return and â—ve And hast sent thy Son Jesus â—ith the most indearing arguments â—f the greatest love to perswade us â—o return unto our duty Behold O Lord I return with grief and â—ffliction of spirit that I have offendâ—d thee detesting the thoughts of â—oing the like again and resolving â—o be more careful and diligent and â—rcumspect for the time to come â— let me live to the praise of thy â—mnipotent Grace inabling me to â—erform these resolutions in a more â—rict and exact obedience to thy hoâ— commands the rest of my days â—ercy mercy I most earnestly beg â— Father of mercies for the sake of him that dyed for me not meerly for the pardon of my sins but for a Divine Power to enable me to subdue them I desire not thy infinite goodness to bear me out in rebellion against thy righteousness purity and truth but that by thy goodness I may be partaker of them that my repentance may be accepted and that it may be hearty and stedfast never to be repented of I desire no peace quiet and ease in my heart but in a constant and resolute opposition of all the temptation of the world the flesh and the devil and in the hope I have thaâ— through thy gracious assistance iâ— shall be victorious O settle me I beseech thee in thiâ— holy disposition that I may preservâ— an intire friendship with thee hereâ— after by an happy agreement witâ— thy will and pleasure in every thing And for that end makâ— me strong in the Lord Ephes 6.10 anâ— in the power of his might That bâ—ing sensible of my own great weakness I may more earnestly depend upon thy aid from above by an humble and vigorous faith in thy Almighty goodness Maintain such a clear light in my mind that may keep me from being deceived with the vain shadows and empty appearances of satisfactory pleasure in any thing of this world Fortifie my will with the power of thy Divine love that may overcome all sensual affections that arise in me at any time against thy sacred commands And possess me with such a lively hope of those good things which Christ hath promised in the other life that may make me active â—nd zealous stedfast and unmoveable â—lways abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that my labour shall â—ot be in vain in the Lord. Thou knowest the secrets of all â—earts let thy mercy O Lord be â—pon me according as I deliberately and sincerely chuse to cleave unto thee with purpose of heart Act. 11.23 Psal 51.9,10,11 O cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me But hide thy face from my sins Psal 119.80 and blot out all mine iniquities Psal 19.13,14 Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a constant spirit in me Make my heart to be sound in thy Statutes that I may never be ashamed Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me Then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression The words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart shall be accepted in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer Amen Amen A THANKSGIVING To the DIVINE GOODNESS For any hope of a PARDON After such RELAPSE O Eternally most blessed God the Fountain of all good from whence all creatures derive whatsoever they injoy They are all poor and indigent things full of necessities and wants which are continually supplied out of thy fulness But the wants of our souls are the most lamentable because besides the poverty of creatures we have made a great many needs to our selves by our wilful departure from thee in whom we live and move and have our being We stand in need of thy Pardon of thy converting grace and the greater supplies of thy holy Spirit which we know not how with any confidence to expect but that all these wants are not too big for thy infinite goodness to relieve and that thou hast been pleased most compassionately to consider our miserable condition in sending Christ Jesus into the world and filling him with all the treasures of thy grace and mercy that he might dispense them to us according to our several necessities O how excellent is thy loving kindness O God! How surpassing is thy love that will pass by the insolent offences of thy creatures against thy high authority and Soveraign goodness and not let them eternally perish without a remedy in that forlorn condition into which they have brought themselves â— Blessed for ever blessed be thy sparing Mercy which hath delivered Christ Jesus for our offences and testified thy acceptance of his Sacrifice of himself by raising him again for our justification Blessed by thy name for the gracious declaration which thou hast made that if any man sin we have an advocate with thee 1 Joh. 2.1,2 Christ Jesus the righteous who is the propitiation for our sins I most thankfully receive these glad tidings which are worthy of all acceptation 1 Tim. 1.15 that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners Thanks be to thy tender mercy which hath restored us to a possibility of recovering thy grace and favour The smallest hope of it I acknowledge is more valuable than the greatest abundance of all the injoyments and pleasures of this present life What praise therefore what love what obedience am I bound to render unto thee who hast given me such a good hope of peace and reconciliation with thee and thereby delivered me from the horror of my own guilty mind remembring that I have adventured to oppose my will to thine I ought for ever with the most zealous devotion of a grateful and obedient heart to admire and stand amazed at thy inconceiveable Grace which will not strictly mark what is done amiss but accept of our repentance and amendment in stead of an intire and constant performance of our duty to thee O the heighth the depth the length and the breadth of thy love in Christ Jesus which is the satisfaction of our heart and the joy of our lives which would otherwise be intolerably grievous and burdensome to us whilst we remember that we are sinners Fill me O Lord with a most ardent love to thee now that I here offer up my self in truth and sincerity of heart to be wholly disposed by thee Behold O Lord my will lies at thy feet I would have no will of my own but desire only that thy will may be done And fill me with an holy fear of thee that thy indulgent mercy may not make me remiss and negligent and presumptous again to offend thee But a perpetual sense of my new obligations to thee in reviving my hopes which I had forfeited in thee may render me more watchful more
angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways 91.11 When he walks abroad and beholds all things round about him he may say as it is Psal 104.24 O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches c. At Meals O taste and see that the Lord is good He filleth our hearts with food and gladness Psal 24.8 Act. 14.17 Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with his benefits Psal 68.19 At Candle-light Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Psal 4.6 Or God be merciful unto us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us 67.1 When he goes to bed I will both lay me down in peace and sleep for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Psal 4.8 He that keepeth me doth not slumber The Lord is my keeper the Lord is my defence who neither slumbers nor sleeps Psal 121.4,5 In the Night season O happy souls that rest not day nor night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was which is and is to come Rev. 4.8 O great God! the darkness hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee Psal 139.12 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches Because thou hast been my help therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce Psal 63.5,6,7 On a sick-bed or in other affliction It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good 1 Sam. 3.18 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord Lam. 3.26 Blessed be the Lord for my long continued health and all his other benefits Let the remembrance of thy former mercies refresh my soul and incourage my hope and strengthen my patience with quiet resignation of my self to thy good pleasure At the point of Death I have waited for thy salvation O Lord Gen. 49.18 Into thy hand O Father I commend my self who breathedst into me the breath of Life Lord Jesus receive my spirit which thou hast redeemed by thy precious bloud and sanctified by the holy Ghost When he hears a Passing-bell Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity Psal 39.5 O teach me so to number my days that I may apply my heart unto wisdom 90.12 In a time of Plague O Lord correct us but with judgement not in thine anger lest thou bring us to nothing Jer. 10.24 In a time of War O Lord arise help us and deliver us for thy names sake From our enemies defend us O Christ Graciously look upon our affliction King Asa cryed unto God in this manner when he was going to give battle to a million of enemies Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy name go against this multitude 2 Chron. 14.11 In any other publick Calamity Spare thy people O Lord and give not thy heritage to reproach Joel 2.17 A great Offender may often say with the Prodigal Father I have sinned against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son And with the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner After any mercy received What shall I render unto the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done unto me Psal 116.12 Every day will I give thanks unto thee and praise thy name for ever and ever 145.1 I shall mention no more because I would not invite the Reader to make this sort of Prayer too common For by that means it will be in danger to grow cold and lose its force and efficacie by growing fashionable To that purpose I remember a devout Prelate of our own Bishop Hall somewhere delivers his judgement about this matter But if any one find that he can with profit turn his thoughts this way upon all occasions he may easily invent more Ejaculations The measure of them is as that forenamed person speaks to preserve our hearts in a constant tender and godly disposition which shall be further actuated upon all opportunites by the exercise of our more inlarged and fixed devotions A Prayer for Submission to God in case of any great loss in a mans Estate Relations or Friends O Most Holy holy holy the Supreme Lord and Governour of the world who are unsearchable in thy Wisdom unspotâ—ed in thy Justice and irresistable in â—hy Power whose goodness hath no â—ounds but what thy wise and holy Will gives unto it and art immuâ—able in these and all other perfections the great God most blessed for ever It is most reasonable and agreeable to our nature most profitable and convenient to our interest most satisfactory and suitable to our wisest choice by an absolute and â—uiet submission in all things to thy â—overaign Wisdom Justice and Goodness to declare our fear and reverence of thee our unfeigned love to thee and desires to please thee our trust and confidence in thee and ready disposition to obey thee Thou art too great I know to delight in grieving us thy poor creatures and hast other ways of procuring thy own pleasure than by our misery pain and torment And therefore in a full perswasion of thy unerring providence over us and infinite Charity towards us I here most humbly and freely resign all my thoughts and desires unto thee submitting my self intirely to thy Orders and resolving by thy gracious assistance to rest contented with whatsoever thou appointest The Lord gave Job 1.21 and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. Blessed bâ— thy name who hast continued to me so long the enjoyment of so many good things Blessed be thy nameâ— that I had any thing to part withal whereby I may testifie my faith in thee and affection to thee Blessed be thy name that I have any of the comforts of this life still remaining and that they are not all taken away from me I have nothing too great or too dear to be resigned to thee from whose bounty I received all I have and who art my best and my eternal friend O that no repining thoughts may arise in my heart to disorder and discompose my duty towards thee or towards my neighbour But help me rather to think wherein I have offended thee and carefully to amend it to place my affections more stedfastly on those unmoveable things which are above to lay up my treasure and hope in heaven and to prepare my self by perfecting my purity and thankfulness and paâ—ience and all other vertues to be translated thither where our life is â—id in thee with Christ Jesus I â—hank thee O Father of Mercies that thou hast given us such everlasting consolation through thy Grace in him Every day will I bless thee
pains I may endure Lay no more upon me O Father of mercies than I shall be able to bear and lay upon me what thou pleasest Free me for the present from all murmuring and repining thoughts and for the future make the sickness and anguish of my body a blessed instrument to purge my spirit more perfectly from all pride and vanity from all covetousness and worldly-mindedness and from all inordinate love of any of the pleasures of this life I believe O blessed Jesus that thou livest for ever who sufferedst and dyedst for us and that thou hast a great compassion towards those who would gladly follow thee though it be through sufferings Behold Lord I commend my self to thy mighty Love desiring above all things to be made conformable to thee in meekness in humility in patience in intire resignation to Gods holy will and pleasure and in perfect satisfaction in his Fatherly love and kindness whatsoever my condition be I am sensible O God that I have not employed my time to the utmost advantage of my soul and to thy honour glory but have wasted many precious hours and several ways neglected my duty towards thee * Here reckon up the sins you may have committed and been but an unprofitable part of this world so that I am not worthy to continue any longer in it But I hope thou wilt vouchsafe me thy gracious pardon and receive me to mercy if thou callest me hence for into thy hands O Father I commend my spirit who hast redeemed me by the precious bloud of Jesus Christ And that if thou prolongest my days on earth I shall serve thee with greater diligence and strictness and zeal and chearfulness to the end of my life I desire not to live but that I may perfect holiness in thy fear and secure to my self by doing more good an happy entertainment into the society of the blessed in the other world I see already the emptiness and insufficiency of all enjoyments upon earth All flesh is grass and all the goodliness of it as the flower of the field The grass withereth Isa 40.7 the flower fadeth Psal 119.50,81 But thy word standeth fast for ever In thy word therefore O Lord and gracious promises is my hope This is my comfort in my affliction And my perfect contentment I see lyes always in thy love and favour alone which is better than life it self O settle me in a certain and unmoveable possession of it by what means thou pleasest Do but love me and preserve me in a lively sense of thy good will towards me and dispose of me as thou thinkest good In the multitude of my thoughts within me Psal 94.19 thy comforts shall delight my soul Rom. 5.2 8.28 I will rejoyce even in the midst of tribulations Psal 23.3 30.10 and glory in thy holy name who makest all things work together for good to them that love thee Though I walk through the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy power and tender care they shall comfort me Accept Good Lord of these my desires and resolutions Hear me O God and have mercy upon me Lord be thou my helper for Christ Jesus his sake my ever blessed Redeemer Amen IT will be seasonable here to put the Devout Reader in mind that when he is in distress and desires Mercy of God it ought to excite his charity to others that are in misery and dispose him to shew mercy to them For though that be not Canonical Scripture which we read Tob. 12.9 Alms doth deliver from death yet this is With the merciful God will shew himself merciful Psal 18.25 Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble 41.1,2,3 If he do not preserve him and keep him alive yet the Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing he will make all his bed in his sickness Therefore as thou recommendest thy self to God and desirest others to pray with thee so remember that Prayer is good with fasting and alms and righteousness Tob. 12.8 A Prayer to be said by the Family with the Sick person O Lord the Father of our spirits who givest to us and all creatures life and breath and all things We sinful dust and ashes blush to lift up our eyes unto heaven when we consider our vast distance from thee and reflect upon thy unspotted holiness and our impurity thy infinite wisdom and our wretched folly thy power and our weakness thy Eternity of life and our short continuance We are but of yesterday and know nothing Job 8.9 because our days upon earth are a shadow Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity Job 25.6 thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth Surely every man is vanity But so great is thy condescending grace that thou hast assured us thou wilt not despise such worms as we are Nay thou hast incouraged us blessed be thy goodness to approach unto thee with some confidence that thou wilt mercifully receive us though we have highly offended thy Divine Majesty Having sent thy dear Son into the world to save sinners to purifie our natures to indue us with a divine understanding to strengthen our weakness and to comfort us with the hope of an immortal life Behold O Lord the oblation which we make to thee of most thankful hearts devoted to thy service whose love and tender mercies have so exceedingly abounded towards us We will praise thee and glorifie thee as long as we have any being for this great salvation which Christ Jesus hath brought to light by his resurrection from the dead to an eternal Kingdom in the heavens We are humbly bold to hope in thee that thou who hast not spared thy own Son Rom. 8.32 but delivered him up for us all wilt with him also freely give us all things O thou Father of mercies and God of all comfort who hast not thought a Crown of everlasting life and glory too much to promise us we believe that thou wilt not deny us what is needful and fit for us both for our souls and our bodies in our passage through this world to that honour glory and immortality In this confidence we more particularly recommend this thy sick servant to thy infinite and most compassionate mercy Settle in his * Or her soul a stedfast faith that thou dost not willingly grieve the children of men but intendest good to him by this affliction And now that other pleasures and enjoyments fail him represent thy self effectually unto him as his true happiness and satisfaction Wherein soever he hath neglected thee or committed any offence against thee make him deeply sensible of and heartily sorrwful for his folly And as he earnestly desires pardon and forgiveness of thee so work in him a serious resolution to live more circumspectly and exactly in time to come Assist him graciously
him duly in our vocation with thanksgiving Help us so to employ our time in our health prosperity and pleasure that we may have nothing to trouble us in the time of sickness affliction and sorrow But we may quietly and chearfully bear what thou layest upon us looking unto Jesus who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at thy right hand O blessed Lord deny us not the constant assistance of the holy Ghost to cherish confirm and strengthen our holy resolution to succeed our pious endeavours to give us a quick sense of all thy mercies and a lively remembrance of all thy fatherly chastisements whereby we may be more and more excited to diligence watchfulness and zeal in thy service Preserve us from a slothful and negligent spirit and awaken in us such a sense of thee and of our duty to thee that we may search after thy Will diligently and believe it heartily and practise it carefully and watch against all temptations heedfully and pray fervently and frequently and ponder seriously and thoroughly all the instructions we have received from thee and our many and great obligations to thee O that it may be our choice to attend on thee and that our hearts may be still with thee when our necessities require our attendance to other things That so we may not be too deeply ingaged in the affairs of this life to the prejudice of the eternal life of our souls but we may go on to make it our great business to be truly godly according to the pattern which our Lord hath left us till we be fit to be lifted up to that high and holy place where we believe he is and see the glory which thou hast given him Now to him that holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to be moved Psal 66.9 to the God of our salvation 68.20 to whom belong the issues from death 30.11 Jude 25. who hath turned our heaviness into joy and put off our mourning and girded us with gladness to him that doth wondrous things the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and ever Amen A Parents Prayer for a Sick Child O Lord by whose infinite goodness I was brought into this world and by whose indulgent care I have been continued here unto this time in the enjoyment of a great many blessings of the least of which I am unworthy I thank thee that to all other comforts of this life thou hast added the gift of this child whom thou hast preserved in its birth and ever since by a marvellous providence I am sensible that all I have is thine and that I am but intrusted with this as with all other good things which I must return to thee whensoever thou pleasest Lord assist me with the grace of thy holy Spirit which I know thou art more ready to give than any other blessing that I may resign this child to thee if thou art pleased now to call for it with an humble contented patient and thankful mind believing thou knowest what is better for me than I do my self and wilt certainly recompence such meek and quiet submission to thee with as good or better enjoyments than those thou takest away But if thou thinkest good still to prolong its days and continue it with me Behold O Lord the unfeigned purpose of my heart faithfully to discharge my trust and to bring it up in the fear and nurture of our Lord. Endue me with principles of true wisdom and prudence that I may educate it aright Help me to give it a good example and to use all diligence that it may serve its generation according to thy will and at last be returned back to thee wise and pure and just and good fit for the company of the blessed in endless life Unto thee O Lord I most heartily recommend both it and my self whose wisdom knows where it is best to place thy creatures whether in this or in the other world and whose goodness designs to make us happy in both To thee the only wise and good God be all Praise Honour Glory and Thanksgiving with Fear and Reverence Love and chearful Obedience both now and eternally Amen HEre follow Prayers and Thanksgivings on sundry other occasions which we may meet withal in the course of our life In which it will be fit particularly to acknowledge God and implore his mercy towards us And let it be remembred as I said before that it is a part of Christian Piety to take care that alms and acts of Charity to others accompany our addresses to God They are then certainly most seasonable when we desire special favours from him or return thanks for them And hereby as old Tobias said 4.9,11 We lay up a good treasure for our selves against the day of necessity For alms is a good gift unto all them that give it in the sight of the most High A Prayer to be used by one that is going a long Iourney O God who art alike present unto all places who preservest man and beast for thou art good to all Psal 36.6 and thy tender mercies are over all thy works 145.9,10 All thy works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom and declare thy power Blessed be thy name for the knowledge thou hast given me of thy wise and merciful providence incompassing all creatures And more particularly I rejoyce in the revelation which thou hast made of thy Fatherly love and care over us the children of men in Christ Jesus Who makes his Angels Ministring Spirits for them Heb. 1. ult that are heirs of Salvation Psal 18.30 In an hearty belief of thy holy Gospel and a sincere resolution to be obedient unto it in hope of that eternal life I commit both my soul and body to thy most gracious protection who art the defender of all them that put their trust in thee I trust thee O Lord with my self and all belonging to me I intirely depend on thy goodness to be with me and prosper me in the way that I go Give thy good Angels charge of me And especially accompany me with the presence of thy holy Spirit to preserve my soul in safety from all evil thoughts desires or passions that may any way betray me in word or deed to offend thy Divine Majesty Deliver me from the danger of any evil company into which I may fall that I may not frame my self to the humours of profane persons but by a pious and discreet behaviour rather reprove them And give me grace thankfully to embrace the company of those who are good if I be blessed with it that I may rejoyce in their society and improve it to my increase in wisdom or pious affections towards thee Bless this habitation also which I leave and all remaining in
it that at what distance soever we be one from another we may all live and walk in the same spirit of Faith and Love and Holiness Give us an happy meeting together again in this place if it be thy good will and pleasure to pay thee the vows which I make of greater care and diligence in thy service and greater charity towards all my neighbours Howsoever in the end of our pilgrimage bring us all together in that blessed rest which thou hast prepared for thy people after all their travels and labours through thy mercy in Christ Jesus To which I commend my self and all mine both now and ever Amen A short Prayer in ones Inne or at the end of the Iourney BLessed be thy goodness O Lord my Creator and continual Preserver by which I have been led it safety to this place and am not only alive but sound and unmaimed To thee O God will I sing and give praise who hast dealt so bountifully with me For thou hast delivered my soul from death Psal 116.1 7.8,9 mine eyes from tears Gen. 15.1 and my feet from falling 17.1 I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications Because he hath inclined his ear unto me therefore will I call upon him as long as I live I will walk also with a perfect heart before the Lord who is my shield and my exceeding great reward Preserve in me I beseech thee a pious remembrance of all thy mercies and of all those holy resolutions which they excite in me Take me still into thy Almighty protection Continue me in thy fear and love and faithful obedience That having finished this journey in peace I may return to the place from whence I came full of thankful affections to thee and zealously disposed to perform my vows in a careful discharge of all the duties which my place and relations require of me And inable me good Lord ever to perform them with uprightness of heart and good will as becomes the servant of Christ Jesus To the same merciful providence which hath watched over me all this day I commend my self and all my relations and friends every where this night Beseeching thee to awaken in me in the morning the same love and thankfulness and humble confidence which I now find and desire ever to have in my heart towards thee my gracious Father Saviour and Deliverer To whom be glory honour and praise everlasting Amen A Prayer in case of any hurt from Thieves or otherwise O Most merciful Father for so I ought ever to acknowledge thee without whom one of the smallest creatures cannot fall to the ground and to whom we are of more value than many of them Matth. 10.29 I humbly and meekly submit my self to this cross in my way which thou in thy wisdom hast suffeâ—ed to befal me I know that thou â—rt able to make even this with all â—ther things work together for my â—ood And therefore I beseech thee â—ut graciously to pardon my sins which deserve greater punishment â—nd to preserve my soul still in safety â—…om all murmuring and repining at â—y providence by a stedfast faith â—nd trust in thee and an absolute reâ—gnation to thy holy will and pleaâ—ure and I shall not cease to â—less thee and to speak good of thy â—ame Help me to learn by this to live in constant sense of the uncertainty â—f all worldly hopes to set my affeâ—ions more perfectly on unchangeaâ—le enjoyments and to place my â—appiness only in chearful obedience â—nd contented patience in all estates â—nd conditions of life I remember â—…at we are all but pilgrims and stranâ—ers whilst we are here subject to many other changes and chances iâ— this mortal life And thereforâ— whatsoever I or those I have left aâ— home may further suffer before mâ— return Lord assist us all to take thaâ— patiently also And as we have received so many good things froâ— thee to receive likewise that whicâ— is evil giving thanks to thee thâ— Father of mercies who hast give us such a good hope of perfect secâ—rity peace and joy in our heaveâ—ly Country when we have doâ— and endured all thy pleasure 〈◊〉 the expectation of which blesseâ— state I will continually rejoyce praying thee to purifie me more aâ— more that I may be prepared fâ—… it and at last by thy mercy entâ— into it to give thee eternal praise Amen A Prayer to be said for a Friend in a Iourney O God whose Almighty Power and wise Providence and Omnipresent Goodness is the security support and comfort of all those that know thee It is the highest satisfaction of our souls to have a lively hope in thee of eternal life in the other world And to be perswaded that thou lovest us and wilt take care of us and bless us whilst we continue here and that nothing can befal us without the knowledge and consent of thy infinite goodness gives the most solid peace and repose unto our spirits in all the alterations and changes of this life I rejoyce in the belief that I live in a world which is full of thee that I am always under thy eye and have thee near unto me as to observe me so to help protect and defend me And I beseech thee fill the mind of him * Or her who is now gone from me with the same sense of thee that he may carry along with him every where this stedfast faith and hope in thee as the stay the rest and the refreshment of his soul How far soeveâ— he be from me O that he may be nigh to thee in frequent serious thoughts of thee and hearty love to thee and perfect trust in thee and a constant disposition of mind and will to do and be what thou pleasest That travelling under the shadow of the Almighty no harm may come to him but even those things which we account the greatest mischiefs if they shall betide him may be humbly accepted by us all with fear and reverence and chearful submission to thee as becomes those who profess our selves thy friends as well as thy servants No Thieves Murderers or other evil persons or things can approach him I know without thy leave who governest and over-rulest the motions of every creature at thy pleasure to which we ever ought â—o submit our own But if thou â—hinkest good to restore him hither â—gain untouched by any of them Lord help us to be so much the more thankful to thee who dealest with us according to our own hearts desire O that the sense of â—hy goodness then may so powerâ—ully affect our hearts that we may â—e moved thereby to a greater zeal â—nd freedom of spirit in thy service â—nd be the more forward to imitate â—hee in doing good and showing mercy to all men O that thy benefits may never slip out of our minds O that the mediâ—ation of them may be â—weet unto us Psal 104.34 and we may learn
will O Lord be done I commend both my body and my spirit into thy hands who art able to make the Sea give up her dead by thine Almighty Word Help me always to hold fast that hope of eternal life as an anchor of my soul both sure and stedfast Heb. 6.19,20 which may preserve me in unshaken comfort and joy at the hour of death it self And looking up to that quiet place whither Jesus our fore-runner is entred for us I may begin those Praises and Thanksgivings which I hope shall have no end but be continued for ever in the company of the blessed in the other world Unto which I beseech thee of thine infinite mercies to bring me through Christ Jesus who is made an high priest for ever Amen A Thanksgiving after it is finished and the party returned home again O Blessed Lord Thou art great and greatly to be praised for by thy word the heavens were made Psal 48.1 33.6,7 and all the host of them by the breath of thy mouth 135.6 107.24 c. Thou didst gather the waters of the Sea together as an heap and laidst them up in the store-houses of the deeps They are all at thy command and whatsoever thou pleasest that dost thou in heaven and in earth in the Seas and all deep places I have seen thy works O Lord and thy wonders in the deep For thou spakest the word and the stormy wind arose which lifted up the waves thereof And again when we cryed unto thee thou madest the storm a calm so that the waves thereof were still Blessed be thy Almighty Goodness which carried me safe through such great and dreadful dangers Blessed be thy goodness that the deep hath not swallowed me up and that I am not gone down into silence Blessed be thy goodness that neither my body nor my goods became a prey to unreasonable men but that thou broughtest me to the haven where I would be and hast now returned me home in safety O God that I may never forget the vows which I was forward to make when I was in trouble Preserve in me for ever an awful sense and apprehension of thy great power who bringest the wind out of thy treasuries Psal 135.7 89.9 and rulest the raging of the Sea Jer. 5.22 and stillest the noise of its waves Psal 120.11 Who would not fear thee O Lord who would not tremble at thy presence who hast placed the sand for the bound of the Sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it and though the waves thereof toss themselves yet can they not prevail though they roar yet can they not pass over it O possess my heart with a greater reverence of thy divine Majesty that I may ever serve thee with fear and rejoyce before thee with trembling Especially make me fearful of offending thee who art so great and powerful and hast done such great things for me and canst do greater and wilt do them as thou hast promised by Christ Jesus Philip. 3.20 who hath power to subdue all things to himself Heb. 2.3 Blessed be thy infinite grace which hath wrought such a marvellous redemption for us by him How shall I escape if I neglect so great salvation How miserable shall I be if after all the dangers from which I have now been rescued I should for my ingratitude and disobedience be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone O God that all thy mercies and deliverances here may by a thankful remembrance and careful improvement of them only prepare me for that glorious deliverance at the day of the Lord Jesus And as by thy good providence thou hast saved me from the violence of storms and tempests and other hazards so by thy grace deliver me from the power and violence of all temptations and enable me stedfastly to persist in well doing and patient suffering unto the end Endue me with such a right sense of my Religion as may make it to be my delight that so I may be out of all danger of being prevailed withal to forsake that which is so sweet and pleasant to my soul O that it may be my guide in prosperity and my comfort in adversity the rule of my life and my great satisfaction in death Sanctifie every condition unto me that sickness or health poverty or riches honour or disgrace may prove real blessings to me and make me profit in piety and vertue And let a great sense of thee and of Religion intermix it self with all my employments Teach me so to behave my self that I may be acceptable in thy sight not only when I make such addresses as these unto thee But whether I eat or drink or whatsoever I do else I may abide in thy love and be approved by thee for a good and faithful servant All which I most humbly beg of thee and whatsoever thou seest good for me in the name of the Lord Jesus by whom and with whom in the unity of the holy Ghost all honour and glory be unto thee O Father Almighty world without end Amen A Prayer to be used by a woman with Child O God the Author of our being the Fountain of life and all other good who hast begun an excellent work in me which no eye but thine sees and no hand but thy Almighty power can finish I adore thy great and glorious Majesty in this and in all other thy works of wonder Thou dost great things without number but art more particularly to be acknowledged in the formation of mankind who are fearfully and wonderfully made after thy own image and likeness Be pleased O Lord in thy infinite goodness to perfect and compleat that which thou hast begun Preserve the smallest degree of life which thou hast inspired Bestow upon it intireness of all its parts and prepare a convenient habitation for an understanding spirit capable of the best wisdom and inclinable to vertue and goodness Prevent good Lord the miscarriage of my hopes and ripen them to a good issue And the nearer they come to their full growth strengthen the more my humble trust in thee and submission to thee and hearty desires to encrease the number of thy faithful people together with my own Family That ought to be the chiefest desire of my soul to be formed my self in all things according to the mind and will of thee my God that so I may be an instrument of doing good to others O thou who hast wrought many holy purposes and resolutions in my heart preserve and confirm them that they may not prove abortive but bring forth continually the fruit of good living Perfect me in Knowledge in Faith in Love and in Obedience Enable me so discreetly and carefully to discharge the duties of all the Relations wherein I at present or shall hereafter stand that I may be a comfort to them and a credit to Religion And howsoever thou disposest of me or them Lord make me well
contented and in every condition to give thanks unto thee and rejoyce in thy holy Name and in the hope of eternal life through Christ Jesus my most blessed Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer when the time of heâ— Travel draweth near O God the helper and delâ—verer of all those that trust iâ— thee by whose power I was formed in my Mothers Womb by whoâ— care I was brought from thence anâ— by whose merciful kindness I havâ— been preserved in many dangers since I praise and magnifie thy great and glorious Name and am encouraged by the remembrance of thy mercies which have been ever of old to implore thy compassionate help in the approaching time of my need pain and danger Thou art present to all thy creatures and hearest the cryes of the beasts of the earth which all wait upon thee O be not far from me when trouble is near but hearken unto me and save me when I call upon thee Shorten my pains or lengthen my patience which thou pleasest Bear up my spirit in submission to thy will and in some humble hope that I shall forget my anguish for joy that a man is born into the world Joh. 16.21 Psal 138.8 22.4,5 Forsake not the work of thy own hand but in due time perfect it and bring forth that which thou hast wrought in secret into the light that we may all see the wonders of thy wisdom and praise thy goodness and thy power My parents trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them They cryed unto thee and were delivered they cryed unto thee and were not confounded In thee likewise do I humbly put my trust and confidence which nothing disheartens but my own great unworthiness by reason of my forgetfulness of thy benefits and unthankful returns for former mercies bestowed upon me But thou hast taken care that this should not discourage me neither by proclaiming a gracious pardon by him that was born of woman and dyed for us unto contrite and reforming sinners Accept I beseech thee of my sincere resolutions to preserve hereafter a more affectionate remembrance of thy love to me and to dedicate my self and all I have to thy service 1 Tim. 2.15 in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety Or if thou art pleased oâ—herwise to dispose of me I resign â—y self heartily unto thee Lord â—eceive me to a better life where all â—ghing and sorrow shall be done away and eternal joy intirely posâ—ess our hearts Amen for Christ Jeâ—us his sake Amen 〈◊〉 Prayer to the same purpose to be said by her Relations O Most mighty Lord who hast already given us innumerable â—ledges of thy love and many arâ—uments to trust in thee for ever â—nd to expect with quiet and patient â—inds the issue of thy wise and good â—rovidence Thou hast respect to all â—e works of thy hands especially 〈◊〉 the sons of men and to those aâ—ove the rest who seek thy favour â—d give thee the glory of all thy â—ercies and are resolved to devote â—emselves and their children and all they have to do thee honour in the world We most humbly commend thy servant drawing near the time of her Travel to thy care and blessing beseeching thee to give her a gracious deliverance and to ease her of the burden wherewith she labours We our selves are monuments oâ— that mercy which we beg of thee Thou broughtest us into this world and didst unloose the bands wherewith we were swadled in our mothers womb We have had long experience also of thy readiness to succour us and to do us good eveâ— since many times beyond our desires and hopes and always beyond our deservings We dare not buâ— commit our selves and every thing belonging unto us most heartily into thy hands remembring that thou hast the same power and goodnesâ— still by which we came into thâ— light of the living and that thou still exercisest them as thy wisdom thinks most meet We cannot desire to be better provided for than as thy infinite understanding and counsel judges most convenient for us Unto that we refer our selves beseeching thee if it be thy good pleasure that her deliverance may be as speedy as her cryes unto thee or her patience as great and long as her pains Thou who ripenest the fruits of the earth and then givest us to gather them to our comfort blast not our humble hopes of the fruit of the womb But after thou hast brought it to maturity deliver it into our hands as a new pledge of thy goodness to us for which we will ever thankfully acknowledge and praise thy Name Or if thou hast otherwise determined Lord give us grace to submit to thy holy will and to rest satisfied in thy wise appointments and never to distrust thy goodness and care over us Yea help us still to bless thee and to speak good of thy Name saying The Lord gave and tâ—e Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord from henceforth and for ever Amen A Thanksgiving to be used by those present after her safe Deliverance WE thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth for thy long continued goodness to us thy creatures who are unworthy of the least of thy favours In thee we live and move and have our being And it is only of thy mercy that we have not lived in perpetual pain and torment spending our days in sighs and lamentations but have enjoyed much health and ease and had innumerable occasions to praise thee and to rejoyce in thee who loadest us daily with thy benefits Blessed be thy Name O Lord who forgivest all our iniquities and healest all our diseases Who redeemest our life from destruction and crownest us with loving kindness and tender mercies More particularly we thank thee that thou hast heard the humble supplications of this thy servant to whom thou hast now granted a gracious deliverance and turned her sorrow and heaviness into joy and gladness We thank thee that thou hast sent her seasonable helpers and blessed their endeavours for the preservation of her and of the fruit of her womb And that thou likewise vouchsafest her all needful things for her refreshment in this weak condition wherein she lies waiting upon thee for the perfecting of thy mercies towards her Accept we beseech thee of our hearty acknowledgements of thy powerful and good providence over her and over any person here present in the like necessity which we now thankfully call to mind and desire may never be forgotten O that a lively remembrance of this and all other thy mercies may so mightily affect our hearts that we may be moved thereby to fear thee all our days and to love thee and to put our trust in thee and with quiet and resigned minds to cast all our burdens and cares on thee in a constant and chearful obedience to all thy holy commands And since thou hast begun to be so gracious to this thy hand-maid grant
unto her and her relations further favour Tob. 8.16 and finish their life in health with joy and mercy Renew her strength daily and as that increaseth so make her thankfulness and pious affections towards thee and serious resolutions to obey thee faithfully grow up together therewith Refresh her spirit while she lyeth on this bed of weakness with many heavenly thoughts and delightful meditations of all thy mercies towards her and towards mankind especially with a sense of thy wonderful love in Christ Jesus who was pleased to be born of a woman and to become like one of us that we might be assured of thy care over us in every condition and be made thy children and at last be heirs of everlasting life And when she hath recovered her former strength make her to feel this love still more powerful in her heart exciting her to serve thee carefully in all righteousness sobriety modesty devotion and readiness to assist others especially the poor and needy in the same distress wherein she hath been her self We commend likewise this little one which thou hast blessed her withal unto thy tender care and fatherly love beseeching thee that it may live to be dedicated unto thee and to be instructed in the knowledge of thee and to praise thee as we now do for bringing it into the world and for making it partakeâ—… likewise of thy grace in Christ Jesus Or if it shall seem good to thee to let either of them fall into any further danger enable her to endure iâ— with patient submission to thee trusting even in death it self in thy good providence and in thy precious promises who never failest those that faithfully seek thee Hear us O Father of mercies and pardon our offences pitty our infirmities make us more thankful for what we have received and more fit for thy future mercies either in this life or in the next through thy infinite love declared to us in Christ Jesus in whose holy words we conclude our prayers saying as he hath taught us Our Father c. A Thanksgiving to be used by the person her self when she is able UNto thee O God do I give thanks unto thee do I give thanks for that thou art near thy wondrous works declare Psal 75.1 In my distress I called upon thee and my cry came unto thee 18.6 34.4 I sought thee O Lord 138.3 and thou heardest me 30.3 and deliveredst me from all my fears 66.20 56.12 In the day when I cryed 104.33,34 thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit Blessed be God which hath not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me Blessed be God who hath preserved the fruit of my womb and made me the joyful mother of a child Thy vows are upon me O God I will render praise unto thee I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praises unto my God while I have my being My meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord. Accept O most merciful Father of these thankful acknowledgements Psal 17.2 57.2 which go not forth out of fained lips And be pleased graciously to preserve such a lasting and fresh remembrance of thy great mercies in my heart that I may always be joyful in thee and speak good of thy name and trust in thee at all times and still cry unto thee O God most high who performest all things for me Make me studious likewise and forward to bring forth all the fruits of righteousness throughout the whole course oâ— my life which may witness the truth and sincerity of my thankfulness to thee O that I may never be less earnest and fervent in the return of obedience than I have been in desires and prayers to receive thy blessings Dispose me to have a kind and tender care of this infant which thou hast committed to my charge Make me willing to undergo to the utmost of my power the pains that accompany its education Let not the love of ease and pleasure breed in me an aversness to any duty to which both Nature and Religion incline me or give me grace by sober thoughts and a thankful remembrance of the late pain from which thou hast delivered me to overcome it Especially indue me with the greatest love to its precious and immortal soul And help me so to grow and encrease in Christian wisdom and goodness that I may be able to instruct it when it is capable in the fear of our Lord and by meek and gentle admonitions together with a good example in all things to win it to the love of true godliness Or if thou art pleased to take it from me who deserve not the least of thy mercies Lord so moderate my affections and bring them in subjection to thee that I may not undutifully repine at thy providence but in an humble adoration of thy unsearchable wisdom and a stedfast confidence of thy good will towards me resign it unto thee from whom I received it And I also beseech thy Divine goodness when thou shalt restore me to the publick assemblies of thy people again to give me grace to receive that mercy with exceeding joy Prepare my heart with enlarged affection to offer unto thee not only the sacrifice of praise giving thanks unto thy name but all other oblations which ought to accompany such addresses to thy glorious Majesty That they may be but an earnest of my future diligence and zeal in thy Divine Service and oâ— my readiness to do good and communicate unto others whereby I may lay up in store for my self a good foundation against the time to come 1 Tim. 6.19 that I may lay hold on eternal life through Christ Jesus Amen A Prayer for good success in some extraordinary business ALmighty and most merciful father the supreme Governour of the whole world who disposest and orderest all things in heaven and earth with admirable judgement and canst not possibly err in what thou doest nor fail of what thou designest I adore in the humblest reverence of my soul thy most glorious Majesty thy eternal Power Holiness Goodness and Truth which are all beyond my comprehension And more particularly I adore thy unspotted Justice and all-seeing Wisdom which penetrates into the deepest secrets and spies out all the ways of the sons of men and renders to every one of them according to their doings Jer. 10.23 I know O Lord that the way of man is not in himself Prov. 16.9 19.21 it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Tob. 4.19 The success of all our counsels and actions depends on thy pleasure and when we have devised the way we intend to go thou givest it what issue seems good in thine eyes There are many devices in a mans heart
nevertheless thy counsel O Lord that shall stand I will therefore bless thee O Lord my God alway and desire of thee that my ways may be directed and that all my paths and counsels may prosper for thou thy self givest all good things and thou humblest whom thou wilt and as thou wilt Accordingly I now most earnestly recommend my self and all my concerns to thee who hast bid me in all my wayes acknowledge thee Prov. 3.5,6 and thou wilt direct my paths I trust in thy wise and good providence with all my heart and lean not unto mine own understanding I hope in thy mercy that thou wilt so direct assist and prosper all my thoughts designs and endeavours that they may attain their desired end And above all things I desire that I may have grace to design and seek for nothing but what is just and honest pious and charitable praise worthy and of good report Bless me good Lord with that integrity of heart in which thou so much delightest and then bless me with wisdom and good understanding in all my affairs that I may guide them with discretion Wisd 7.15,16 For it is thou that leadest into wisdom 9.10 and directest the wise Ecclus. 23.1,5 In thy hand are both we and our words all wisdom also and knowledge of workmanship Leave me not therefore O Lord Father and Governour of all my whole life leave me not to my self alone but send out thy wisdom from the throne of thy glory that being present she may labour with me And turn away from me vain hopes Indue me also with a patient contented and untroubled spirit that I may wait on thee as long as thou pleasest And whatsoever the event shall be enable me to rejoyce in thee as my portion and to rest perfectly satisfied in thy love and in the assured hope of good things in the other world I humbly recommend likewise to thy merciful guidance all those with whom I have intrusted any of my concerns that they may manage all their undertakings with skill and prudence justice and fidelity and do for me as they would that I or others should do for them Make us all ever mindful that all our works are as the Sun before thee Ecclus. 17.19 Ephes 3.20 and thy eyes are continually upon our ways Rom. 16.25,27 that we may never dare to do any thing but what thou approvest and of which we may give a comfortable account at the great day of judgement Now unto him that is of power to do for me exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think to God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ for ever Amen A Prayer when one intends to live Vnmarried O Lord the lover of souls for whom they were made and in whom alone they can be happy There is none I have in heaven but thee Psal 73.25 nor on earth that I desire besides thee Who art the perfection of wisdom power and goodness and the fountain of all the good that is in us Thou art able to raise us to what degree of wisdom strength and goodness thou pleasest and hast promised us thine assistance to make us like unto thee and assured us we shall be immortally blessed by a glorious participation of thee Thou drawest us so mightily that we have no power to resist thee when our minds turn themselves towards thee and reflect upon thy most excellent Nature which discovers it self in all thy bounty to us and the rest of thy creatures We cannot but love thee when we think of thee and when we love thee we cannot but again think of thee that we may have the pleasure still of loving thee more O fix my mind I beseech thee in a more stedfast contemplation of thee and of all thy gracious communications to me that I may spend my days delightfully in a perpetual meditation of thy mercies which I have received in such abundance from thee There is nothing I know more natural and more easie than to think of the kindnesses of those that love us especially theirs to whom we bear a mutual love O how great how free and undeserved is thy love to us What infinite reason is there that we should love thee with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength Inspire me O God with such a lively sense of thy goodness in my creation and ever since both to my soul and to my body that I may ever preserve a sweet and grateful remembrance of it and may feel it provoking me daily to commemorate thy loving kindness with the most ardent love of thee my most bountiful benefactor O that I could love thee in every thing that I see and enjoy being led by it to the thoughs of thy admirable wisdom which astonishes us in the least of thy creatures and of thy matchless goodness which hath provided such variety of pleasures for all our senses Possess me with a great and strong admiration of the excellency of wisdom that I may be a lover of her beauty Wisd 8.2,3,9 and seek her out from my youth desiring to marry her to my self For thou the Lord of all things thy self lovest her And therefore I purpose to take her to live with me knowing that she will be a counseller of good things and a comfort in cares and grief But especially over-power my heart with a strong and lasting sense of thy exceeding abundant kindness in Christ Jesus in whom thou hast choseâ— me Ephes 1.4,8 that I should be holy and without blame before thee in love Let me never think of that buâ— with such great transports of love and joy and thankfulness unto thee as may make me then forget all other things And make me to understand more and more how thy love in him hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence That so I may be the more moved to admire it and delight to meditate upon it and be still searching into those treasures of thy Wisdom and unsearchable riches of thy Grace till I come to be filled with all the fulness of thee my God Ephes 3.19 Translate all my affections from these lower objects to him that is fairer than the children of men Psal 45.2 who loved me so much as to dye for me who is risen again and sits at thy right-hand in incomparable Majesty and Glory Raise up my thoughts as high as that heavenly place where he is and where I hope one day to be equal to the Angels Luk. 20.36 who neither marry nor are given in marriage Help me to begin that happy state in separating my self frequently from all this world and joyning with that blessed company above in praising thee and giving thanks unto thee whose mercies are great and endure for ever And when I am about any other imployment help me chearfully to attend it and with a willing mind to perform the duties belonging to it Possess
none besides thee Thou art righteous in all thy ways Job 11.7 and holy in all thy works Thou lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity and art excellent in power and in judgement and in plenty of justice The earth is thine and the fulness thereof the world and they that dwell therein The heavens declare the glory of God the firmament sheweth his handy-work The sun moon and stars praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created He hath also established them for ever and ever He hath made a decree which shall not pass I know O Lord that thou canst do every thing and that no thought of thine can be hindred Whatsoever the Lord pleases that doth he in heaven and in earth in the seas and in all deep places For he is great and of great power his understanding is infinite Praised be thy Soveraign goodness and tender mercy which spreads it self over all thy works O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all And they all wait on thee that thou mayst give them their meat in due season That thou givest them they gather thou openest thy hand they are filled with good The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall rejoyce in his works Thou always wast and ever wilt be the most holy powerful wise and good Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations One generation shall â—raise thy works to another and shall deâ—lare thy mighty acts They all pass away like a shadow but thou art the same and thy years shall have no end For ever O Lord thy word is setled in heaven Thy faithfulness is unto all generations While I live there fore will I praise the Lord I wilâ— sing praises to my God while I have any being I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart whose name iâ— exalted above all blessing and praise For we cannot know the Almighty to perfection His wisdom is unsearchable and his ways past finding out His name alone is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven II. O what high dignity is this thaâ— I am admitted into thy presence tâ— speak unto thee the blessed and only Potentate 1 Tim. 6.15 the King oâ— kings and Lord of Lords who only hast immortality O how happy ought I to think my self thaâ— I may draw thus nigh to thee whâ— dwellest in light unapproachable who art so happy in thy own most blessed Nature and who if thou dost but open thy self to any soul and fillest it with a great sense of thee and affection to thee thou lettest heavenly joys into it and makest it happy beyond expression For heaven cannot be separated from thee but wheresoever thou art there is peace and satisfaction joy and gladness and unspeakable bliss Adored be thy divine goodness which hath made me so happy this day as to feel some sense of thee begin to shine in my soul Adored be thy goodness which incourages me still to look up unto thee that I may feel more of thee yea hath ingaged me by innumerable Mercies to continue these addresses to thy divine Majesty O how excellent is thy loving kindness Psal 36.7 O God! 139.17 How precious are thy thoughts unto me how great is the sum of them Psal 46.5 Many O Lord my God 22.9,10 are thy wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to me-ward they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee if I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred By thee I was fearfully and wonderfully made in secret Thou art he that took me out of my mothers womb and didst make me hope upon her breasts I have been cast upon thee ever since and thou hast been my gracious God unto this moment My infancy and childhood was attended with a very careful providence And thou hast blessed my riper years with a continued health and strength of body and mind and abundance of good things to support and refresh me in my pilgrimage through this world to a better life I never have wanted my daily bread even when I was not able to ask it of thee And thou hast bestowed on me many friends and kind benefactors And prevented me likewise by a timely grace and sent me many instructors that I might remember thee my Creator and Jesus Christ my Saviour Into whose family blessed be thy Name I was early adopted and assured of thy fatherly love and tender mercy towards me O how deeply do I stand indebted to thee for all those by whose Counsels or Sermons or Writings or religious Society or godly Examples or charitable Prayers I have been helped forward in my way to heaven Blessed be thy Name for all the means whereby I have been led to the knowledge of thy great love in the Lord Jesus which passeth knowledge For ever blessed be thy Name for sending him into the world born of a woman to be a teacher of righteousness to go before us and leave us a pattern of a most holy life to dye for our sins and to rise again for our justification and then to ascend into the heavens to prepare a place for us where thou hast advanced him above all principalities and powers Phil. 3.10,11 and given him a name above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should how and every tongue confess him to be the Lord to the glory of thee O God the Father Almighty I glorifie thee O heavenly Father with all my heart and soul for inspiring thy holy Apostles and Prophets 2 Cor. 4.6 and shining into their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of thy glory in the face of Jesus Christ I thank thee for calling me to faith in thee for making such great and precious promises to incourage our hope and for disposing me in any measure to be an inheritour of them I thank thee for granting such power to our blessed Lord to fulfil his word for making him a royal high-Priest and appointing him to bless us here and eternally Glory be to thee O Lord most high who hast so often favoured me with the gracious visitations of thy holy Spirit inlightning my mind drawing my will towards thee exciting in me holy desires working many pious purposes and resolutions in my heart giving me a taste how gracious thou art setting before me the hope of eternal life and perswading me by innumerable arguments to entertain those blessings which I should have been forward of my self to have desired Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord Psal 106.2 who can show forth all his praise How often hast thou spared me when I deserved to be punished How many dangers have I escaped From how many assaults of the enemy have I been guarded And how many of his designs have been defeated by an invisible and unobserved goodness which ought for
which we have enjoyed by making us hear the sound of the trumpet and the alarm of war be merciful unto us I most humbly beseech thee and awaken ever one of our souls thereby to search and try our ways and to turn unto thee by a timely repentance and amendment of our lives Though we deserve to be cut off by the sword which is unsheathed as a foolish people that have not known thee sottish children that have no understanding who are wise to do evil but to do good have no knowledge Jer. 4.22 yet spare us good Lord spare thy people and give not thy heritage to reproach Joel 2.17 O thou God of peace who didst send thy own Son among thine enemies to make reconciliation between lost men and thy self inspire our hearts and the hearts of all those with whom we are at difference with a love of peace and incline us to hearken and consent to reasonable terms of reconciliation And for that end root out of every one of our minds and hearts all pride and ambition all inordinate desire of greatness and dominion all covetousness and greediness of wealth all false opinions prejudices and misapprehensions all anger passion and causeless jealousies and especially all study of revenge all rancour and bitterness all hatred and malice with whatsoever else is contrary to the Doctrine and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ Possess us with the Spirit of Truth and love and brotherly affection Make us tender-hearted and to have compassion one towards another to study to be peace-makers to pray for peace to seek those things which will make for peace and not only to seek after it but to pursue it to the utmost of our power Direct to those expedients which will happily unite and tye us fast together Or if these miserable differences continue and cannot otherwise be composed go forth O Lord with our hosts give wisdom and valour to our leaders resolution and undaunted courage to our souldiers and good success to all those enterprises which are undertaken for the common good and safety of these Kingdoms O God let us fall into thy hands for thy mercies are great but not into the hands of men when they are wrathfully displeased at us And if thou art pleased to crown us with victory give us grace to use it with moderation justice and charity O that we may overcome likewise all temptations to bold and presumptuous continuance in our sins against thee and be subdued by thy favour towards us to a serious study and care how to lead a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty for the sake of Christ Jesus the Prince of peace Whose grace be with us all Amen In time of Scarcity O God who turnest a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein pour down upon the sinful inhabitants of these Islands a serious sense of their own undeservings and of thy righteous judgements which thou hast sent upon them That they may humble themselves before thee and repent of their wantonness and riot of their feasting themselves without fear and hardning their hearts against the cryes of the poor of their discontent and repining in the midst of plenty and their loathing the divine food of their souls which thou hast justly punished with scarcity of bread in all places Make us ashamed O Lord and heartily sorry for these and all other our offences against thy Divine Majesty And as an earnest of better obedience for the time to come dispose the hearts of those who are afflicted to submit with meekness to thy punishment and preserve them from all murmuring at thy wise providence Open the hearts likewise of those who are rich to show mercy to them and comfort them in their miseries The greater stores of provision any have treasured up against this time of want encline them so much the more to consider the poor and needy and fear to oppress them Enlarge their hearts in more abundant charity by the advantage they make of this present Scarcity And when thou shalt have turned it into plenty again Lord make us all truly thankful and soberly to use thy blessings and to bring forth plentifully the fruit of good living to the honour and praise of thy Name and the eternal happiness of our souls and bodies in that world where there is no want but fulness of joy for evermore Amen A Thanksgiving for any publick or private mercies O God most high and blessed for evermore who hast bestowed upon us the happiness to know and understand thee that thou art the Lord of all and that thou exercisest loving kindness judgement and righteousness in the earth and that thou hast said in these things thou delightest Jer. 9.24 Thou art to be worshipped and adored with my continual praises and thanksgivings who am here prostrated before the Throne of thy Grace oppressed with the great load of thy mercies and benefits which call upon all that is within me to bless thy holy Name I have often acknowledged that thou art the Author of my being and that it is thy favour which hath made my life not to be a burden to me as it might have been by innumerable miseries And now I heartily renew those acknowledgements and thank thy great goodness for my long continued health ease peace and plenty or that thou hast mercifully relieved and supported me in any sickness pain trouble or loss of worldly goods that hath befaln me Particularly I thank thee for thy late blessings which thou hast conferred upon me notwithstanding my undeservings and high provocations which I have any way given thy divine Majesty to deprive me of all good things Here mention the particulars in which you are privately concern'd and if it be the publick mercy of ceasing a great Contagion proceed thus Blessed be thy goodness which hath preserved so many of us alive in the midst of a great mortality and hath restored health again into the habitations of our Neighbours Blessed be thy sparing mercy which hath delivered us from the noisome pestilence and when a thousand fell at our side and ten thousand at our right hand didst not suffer it to come nigh our dwelling Thou hast been our refuge and our fortress our God in whom we ought to trust for ever Psal 91.2,7 After a War is ended some such words as these may be added Psal 124.1,2 c. 65.7 29. ult If it had not been the Lord who was on our side may we all well say if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us Then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth Blessed be the Lord who hath caused wars to cease and made our enemies to be at peace with us It is the Lord that stilleth the noise of the Seas the noise of their
place Attend unto my cry O Lord and give ear unto my Prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips Thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God and I will exalt thee And I will delight my self in thy Commandments which I have loved My hands also will I lift up to thy commandments which I have loved and I will meditate in thy statutes Let thy tender mercies come also unto me O Lord even thy Salvation according to thy Word Look upon me and be merciful unto me as thou usest to do to those that love thy Name Order my steps in thy Word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me Amen A longer Prayer in the Church when there is time for it before the begining of divine Service I Cast down my self O Lord in an holy fear and humble adoration of thine incomprehensible Majesty who fillest heaven and earth but delightest to make thy self more peculiarly present to those that acknowledge and praise thee and are desirous to be filled with a constant sense of thee and intire love to thee Blessed be thy infinite goodness which hath incouraged such wretches as I am by the declaration of thy good will to us in Christ Jesus by thy most gracious invitations and precious promises and by the long experience I have had of thy kindness to approach unto thee O Lord most High I accept most thankfully of this freedom and liberty of access with confidence by the faith of Jesus and am here to joyn with the rest of thy servants in extolling and magnifying thy eternal Power Wisdom and Goodness in giving thanks to thee for thy innumerable blessings in hearing thy most holy Word and making our humble supplications for the continuance of thy undeserved grace and favour towards us Compose mine and every one of our thoughts to the most silent admiration of thee Strike our Spirits with a reverend apprehension of the surpassing greatness and glory of thy Majesty Raise our affections to the highest pitch of love and gratitude to thee bow our wills to the most chearful submission to all thy holy commands and touch us with an unspeakable joy when we read and hear thy exceeding great and precious promises Vouchsafe most loving Father the power of thy holy Spirit to attend upon me to draw my mind from all other things and to give me such a lively taste of the pleasures of thy house as may make me ever delight to attend upon thee here and walk with thee in every other place with a perfect heart That so my own 1 Joh. 3.21,22 heart not condemning me I may have more and more confidence towards thee that whatsoever I ask I shall receive of thee because I keep thy commandments and do those things which are pleasing in thy sight Psal 62.1 O my God truly my soul waiteth upon thee from thee cometh my salvation 61.1 Hear my cry O God and attend unto my prayer for the honour of our Lord Jesus and the love thou bearest to him who hath bid us ask and we shall receive seek and we shall find knock and it shall be opened unto us Let it be to thy servant I most ardently beseech thee according to his Word Amen Another more large O Lord of heaven and earth who art infinite and incomprehensible in thy being eternal in thy duration and unchangeable in thy Nature who canst do what thou wilt and delightest in doing us good By thy Power I and all creatures were made by thy Wisdom we are govern'd by thy Goodness and Bounty we are provided for under thy Soveraign Dominion we live and unto thy Majesty we owe all reverence service and faithful obedience I adore and humbly worship thee I acknowledge my self bound by innumerable tyes to fear thee to love thee to praise thee and to serve thee with all my heart and soul and strength Blessed be thy Goodness that I have any hope thou wilt accept of such a worthless thing as my love Blessed be thy Goodness I admire at the riches of thy Grace that thou dost not reject all the service that I can tender thee Nay it is to be ascribed to this alone that I am alive to worship thee and have the doors of thy house stand open to me and that I have any heart to enter into it to offer up spiritual Sacrifices by Christ Jesus O God I offer thee here my whole self which is all due to thee because I received it all from thee beseeching thee most earnestly to make me feel that I am not mine own any longer but thine by taking off my thoughts and affections from all other things at this present and filling me with such a reverend apprehension of thee such hearty devotion to thee and heavenly joy in thee that I may every day offer up my self to thee more holy and more pure more meek and merciful more humble and thankful more chearfully disposed to every good work and better prepared to bear a part in the praises and services of the glorious company above Thou knowest the weakness of our nature how soon our thoughts are tyred and apt to start aside when we direct them towards heaven Vouchsafe me therefore the assistance of thy holy Spirit to compose my mind to the most serious the most earnest the most devout and chearful attention in all the parts of thy Divine Service That I may have the liveliest sense of thy glorious perfections when I praise thee and the most delightful remembrance of thy Mercies when I give thee thanks and the most thirsty desires to be conformed to thy Will and to feel more and more the influences of thy Grace when I hear thy holy Word and present my prayers and supplications before thee Accept O blessed God of this good will and sincere affection that I have to thy service though performed with broken and distracted thoughts and with too great listlessness and dulness of spirit And help me continually to out-grow this weakness and to present thee with an heart more quiet calm and fit to receive thee more perfect and intire in ardent love to thee and more setled and fixed in thee as its chiefest joy and happiness That so all the rest of the actions of my life may be a more constant and even performance of my duty according to the command and example of my blessed Lord and Master Christ Jesus In whose name it is that I am bold to approach into thy presence believing the Power and Authority thou hast given him over all to bless us and to do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think By him be glory unto thee O Father Almighty in the Church throughout all ages world without end Amen At the conclusion of Divine Service after these words The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. Say Amen with the heartiest and most earnest affection And add some such words as these BLessed be thy name