me by thy Mighty Power that my heart may be treacherous no more O let me remember what Mercies I expect at thy hands and let me not forfeit my Right to thy Favour When I binde my Soul let me think that nothing can untie it but thy self O preserve in my mind a just sense of my Duty and of the necessity of pleasing thee Let me abhor every thought that would prompt me to violate this Sacred Bond. O let me look upon it as a most holy thing and let me dread all prophanation of it As I designe O Lord by these Vows to bring up my Will to thy Will so be thou entreated to second my designes and to keep my Soul that I yield not to Temptations of perfidiousness but may Triumph over my Corruptions and be more than a Conquerour thorough him that loved me the Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit be all Honour and Glory World without end Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise extraordinary 2. viz. To subdue the Body by Fasting O Holy and most Merciful Saviour who hast given us the best Religion the wholesomest Rules of living the most equitable Precepts that were ever given to the children of men while I admire thy Mercy I cannot but bewail mine own Misery While I wonder at thy goodness and tenderness to my Soul I cannot but deplore my backwardness to the stricter Duties of Christianity How loth am I to curb this Body How loth to bring my Flesh in subjection How apt am I to flatter my self that Heaven will come cheaper than at the price of Mortification O when will these vain Imaginations leave me When shall I get the temper of thy dearest Servants How slavishly do I serve thee How apt am I to make Bargains with thee and to limit my obedience I want that free that Princely Spirit that fervent love which may think nothing too good for Heaven Lord shew me the vanity of my over tenderness to this dying Body I am sensible that when I feed it high it teaches my Soul to rebel against thee O let me not be afraid of the Arguments it gives me to spare my self These are but pretences the designe is to preserve its own ease and quiet in Sin and Vanity Let me see through all these Cobwebs and perswade me to keep under my Body lest I become a cast away Let my Fasts have those good effects upon me which they have had upon thy Saints of old Let my Lusts dye my Corruptions decay my Vanities become odious to me Let Holiness become sweet the Light of thy Countenance pleasant and the Influences of thy Grace ravishing to my Soul Let my abstinence from Food work in me abstinence from evil Let it prove a means to make my Prayers fervent my Devotion quick my Mind clear my Affections lively that I may at last enjoy the Festivals of Angels and eat and drink with my blessed Master at his Table in his Kingdom then shall I fast from sin for ever then shall I fast from all Temptations Then shall I hunger no more after the meat that perisheth Then shall I thirst no more after the muddy Streams of sensual Satisfactions Then my hunger shall be refined into fruition my thirst exalted into Enjoyments such as Abana and Pharpar cannot give and the Rivers of Damascus and of Jordan too fall short of then I shall need no Provision for this Body Then my Flesh will long no more after forbidden fruit then I shall feed on thy love for ever that will be my Meat and Drink that will be better tome than all the Trees of a terrestrial Paradise that will nourish me more than Milk and Honey that will give me a more cheerful Countenance than the bloud of the Grape then I shall need to take care no more about what I shall eat or what I shall drink or wherewithal I shall be cloathed Righteousness will be my Garment then and Holiness everlasting Holiness my Robe of Glory Amen Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise extraordinary 3. viz. To use Watching or Abstinence from Sleep O God incomprehensible and glorious whose Providence watches over me day and night O Shepherd of Israel who neither slumberest nor sleepest and whose Eyes are always open for my good What hard thoughts have I had of thy service How unwieldy have I been under thy stricter Precepts How afraid have I been to hurt my self What pains have I taken for the World and how irk some have thy Precepts been to my Soul O let it suffice that I have so long followed mine own will and for the future let even thy severest Laws be my delight and comfort Thou hast given me thine onely Son to die for my sins and can I after this mercy think much of denying my self in mine ease for thy service O teach me to use moderation in all things and even in my sleep to express my self-denial I know O Lord that without the assistance of thy Spirit my Nature is slothful and my Temper backward to such mortifications To thee I come therefore with humble Desires with fervent Affections and with earnest Entreaties that thou wouldest conquer the Flesh in me and crush that Rebel by thy power Since I can use self-denial in sleep upon a Temporal account O let it not be said of me that upon a Spiritual account I could not watch O let my actions shew that thou art dearer to me than the World and that I love thee better than Father or Mother and my self too When all I have is thine how shall I not part with something that 's dear to me for thy sake O let me not lose my life while I seek to save it but be confident that if I lose my life for thy sake I shall finde it Thou art the Resurrection and the Life if I sincerely believe in thee though I were dead yet shall I live O let me live that I may praise thy Name and whether I live or whether I die let me live and die in the Lord Jesus Give me a sight of the Eternal watchfulness of Angels They sleep not They are never oppressed with drowsiness They sing Eternally and slumber not That 's the Company that 's the glorious Society I would fain be in O happy day O blessed time when I shall watch in thy House for ever When I shall watch in the Quire where nothing is known nothing is loved nothing is delighted in but God blessed for evermore O my God as the Eyes of Servants look unto the Hand of their Master and as the Eyes of a Maiden look unto the Hand of her Mistress so mine Eyes waite upon Thee O Lord until thou have mercy upon me and bring me into the Regions of eternal Brightness thorough Jesus Christ. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise extraordinary 4. viz. To apply our selves to Self-Revenge O God to whom Vengeance belongs shew thy self My sins are mine Enemies my Corruptions the Foes
Amen A Prayer for Tuesday-Morning relating to the Meditation prescribed for Tuesday Exercise 3. OLord how wonderful are all thy Works in wisdom hast thou made them ill the Earth is full of thy riches What a Monument am I of thy Mercy How kind hast thou been to this miserable Creature How am I bound to magnifie thy goodness How excellent how great how vast how large how diffusive is it not confin'd to a day not restrain'd to a place not limited to an hour From my Cradle unto this moment I have seen and tasted how sweet and how gracious thou art Thou hast carried me on thy Wings as the Eagle doth her young thorough the various stages of my life what Miracles of Providences have mine Eyes beheld How hath thy Providence been at work for me while I have been asleep while I have been thinking and contriving something else even how to derogate from thy honour and glory Truly Lord thy Mercy and Patience ought to be my Song in the house of my Pilgrimage This I have reason to boast of to speak of to meditate of day and night by that I subsist by that I am supported fed maintain'd and preserv'd from the clutches of the Devil O let thy Mercy melt my Heart O let Mercy prevail with me to give up my Heart to thee Let mercy and goodness force me to love thee Give me that ingenuity that generous temper that noble Spirit that thy goodness may do more with me than Threatnings and Hell and everlasting Torments Let thy Love and Charity and constant Murificence oblige me to run in the way of thy Commandments Let these be greater motives with me to do thy Will than all the terrours of the burning Lake O let thy Love be of that force in my Soul that I may not be able to resist its motions but by the strength of that may hope believe endure deny my self love and obey thee to the end of my days through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Tudsday-Evening GReat Governour and Disposer of the world who hast promised to them that love thee so to order all things that they shall all conspire to their good I am sensible of the good thou hast intended and dost intend me by the various Dispensations mine eyes have seen The various Spiritual and Temporal Blessings that have been conferred upon me what have they been but motives to be enamou'rd with the best of Beings Thou knowest if I depart from thee or love any thing better than thee I run away from mine own happiness and go to undo my self therefore so many various Tokens and Expressions of thy Love are sent to me to unite my Heart to thee to preserve me in thy Fear and to uphold my goings in thy Paths O wise O gracious O bountiful Master kinder to me than I am or have been to my self Let me find the good thou designest for me in thy numberless Blessings even the good of my Soul let that grow stronger under thy Favours warmer in thy Sunshine more fervent under these Beams more flaming with love under these enforcives The very afflictions thou sendest upon me are intended for my good I have found it I have seen it I have known it by experience I have learned Repentance Humility Submission fear of sinning by Afflictions which I should never have learned by Prosperity when I have thought I had great wrong done me by the contempt reproach trouble misery others have thrown upon me thou hast let me see that this was to make me reflect on the affronts and indignities I have put upon thee my best and greatest friend O let me never mistrust thy Providence Whatever befals me let me believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and let me not be disappointed of my hope through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Wednesday-Morning relating to the Meditation prescribed Exercise 3 for Wednesday O Thou in whose hand is the power of Life and Death who art immortal invisible Blessed for evermore Before the Mountains were brought forth or ever the Earth and the World were made thou art God from Everlasting to Everlasting thou art he I am a frail dying creature and though I carry an immortal Soul about me yet the Vessel in which that glorious guest abides will soon grow leaky and decay and that must turn to dust and how soon I know not I admire thy wisdom in concealing the Day and Hour of my Death from me I am sensible it 's done to hasten my Repentance to keep me from adding sin unto sin to restrain me from the Vanities of this world to make me think of a better and to secure that happy Life which shall be after Death And O that my death might be ever before me How great are the things that depend upon it Two great Eternities whereof one of them will certainly fall to my share O let my death be my daily Meditation that I may prevent my everlasting death What a miserable creature should I be if my Soul should leave this Body to go into a more dismal Prison from whence there is no returning O make me wise O let me understand what preparation is necessary for that hour teach me to undervalue the World and to mind the things which are above that when I come to die I may die with joy and cheerfully resigne my Soul into the hands of my Creator Let Lust and Pride and Envy and Anger die in me before I die that they may not endanger my Soul after death Let me converse with Death more that I may die to sin more and live more to him that died for me Let the thoughts of death mortifie in me whatever is offensive to thy Holiness In all my actions let me remember my latter end that my death may be my gain and my departure out of the world an entrance into a better through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Wednesday Evening O My God to whom belong the issues of Life and Death naked came I from my mothers Womb naked shall I return thither What is my life but a Vapour which appears for a while and then vanishes away O Lord thou hast made this life transitory dangerous short full of misery subject to vanity and as it were a span long and all to make me desire to be dissolv'd and to be with Christ yet how dreadful is death to me How do I tremble at the thoughts of it What should make me so deeply enamour'd with this Life At the best it is a Warfare within are Tumults without are Fightings I am in a continual state of War here with Covetousness with Passion with Pride with Ambition with carnal Lusts with Allurements of the world with suggestions of the Devil when one sin is beaten away another rises when I think I have mortified one Corruption another starts up The Discontents and Vexations the Troubles and the
strong in the behalf of those whose Heart is upright before thee I have deserved that no eye should pity me because I have not used my sight with that Moderation Modesty Decency and Piety thou justly requirest of me I have had Eyes and have not seen those things I should have taken notice of it were just with thee to strike me blind and to deprive me of that mercy which I have so often turned into wantonness I have stared upon objects that have inflamed my Lusts irritated my Passions and kindled Hell fire in my Breast Ah! what impure what disorderly thoughts have I let in through these windows Wonder O my Soul that Vengeance hath not pulled them out or that darkness hath not yet seized on them What discontent what mistrust of thy Providence what Pride what Envy what Malice what Revenge hath crept into my Soul through these Glasses How ill a use have I made of the gift of God! How have I dishonoured my Creator with these eyes How covetous how vain how sensual hath my sight of the riches and pleasures of the world made me O look upon me and have mercy on me Open thou mine eyes that I may see wondrous things out of thy Law O let nothing be so pleasant to mine eyes as thy marvellous works Teach me to see thee in thy Providence and in thy works of Grace and Nature O let me remember that where-ever I am I am before the eye of thy glory and let mine eyes be ever toward the Lord. If my right eye offend me let me pull it out Give me courage to turn away mine eyes from beholding Vanity when that Vanity would make me enamoured with the world Quicken the eyes of my mind that I may behold thy Power and Glory as I have seen it in the Sanctuary Shew me the danger of walking in the fight of mine Eyes and guide me by thine Eye Destroy in me all lofty looks and the Lust of the eye do thou remove far from me See O Lord and consider my wants and teach me to offer unto thee my reasonable service Let my outward as well as inward man be thy servant O let me see and taste how sweet and how gracious thou art Thou hast given me my Eye-sight Cause me to see thy Salvation and let me see that I walk circumspectly as wise men and not as Fools redeeming the time because the days are evil Consider and hear me O Lord my God lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death Keep me as the apple of thine eye hide me under the shadow of thy Wings Then shall I behold thy Face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness O glorious sight when I shall see thee as thou art how ravishing will that prospect be How transporting that Vision O let me not miss of it O let me not lose that charming spectacle I will look upon thee here I will behold thee in the blessings I enjoy I will see thee in thy Mercies and admire thee I will look to my self that I may not erre from thy Commandments I will look for the new Heavens and the new Earth wherein dwells righteousness I will look up and please my self with the thoughts of Mount Sion which fades not away I will look unto the Lord that I may be enlightened and my face may not be ashamed thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 8. viz. To make good use of the Virtues Vices of our Neighbours MOst Merciful Father Creator of Heaven and Earth who hast given me a Soul apt to be led by Examples and hast set most excellent Patterns before me that I might follow their steps encline my Heart I beseech thee to consider the large provision thou hast made for my better part and let me not stand in mine own light and continue blind in the midst of so many shining and burning lights Arise O Lord and deliver me from the wicked from the men which are thy hand O Lord from the men of the world who have their portion in this Life and whose Bellies thou fillest with thy hid Treasure O let me see with other eyes than carnal men do see O raise my Mind and carry it up to the holy Mount to the Mount of God and from thence let me behold the portion of thy Children of those excellent souls that despise the world and labour for honour and immortality Discover to me the comforts and satisfactions they enjoy in thy Bosom and how thou makest them drink of the Rivers of thy pleasures Let their Faith encourage me to believe in hope against hope that as they are made perfect in love so I may be perfect too and may be one with thee even as thou and they are one I cannot have a better example than thy self O make me partaker of thy divine Nature Give me a holy ambition to be like thee Make me merciful as my Father in Heaven is merciful O let that mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus O Jesu attract my Soul with thy beauty Teach me to tread in thy steps Let thy example be ever before me and where-ever I am let me do nothing unworthy of it If I follow thee I cannot erre Thou art the way the truth and the life Lord do thou appear very amiable to my Soul that this sight may constrain me to learn of thee Transcribe thy Graces on my Soul and Life that my Conversation may shew that I am thy Disciple indeed resolved to live and die and rise with thee to eternal Glory Give me the Spirit of St. Paul Give me the excellent temper of those Saints who through Faith subdued Kingdoms wrought Righteousness obtained Promises stopped the mouths of Lyons quenched the violence of the Fire out of weakness were made strong and were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection O deny me not the same Spirit of Faith that at last I may obtain the end of my Faith the salvation of my Soul through Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 9. viz. To put a charitable interpretation upon what we see or hear O God who art infinitely compassionate and charitable Love it self and Goodness it self Ah! how selfish is my Heart To whom shall I complain but to thee who alone canst heal me Thou hast Balm thou hast Plaisters for all Sores Medicines for all Diseases Thy Store-house is full of Blessings How uncharitable are my Thoughts sometimes How censorious my Tongue How apt am I to think and speak ill of my Neighbour How doth my Blood boyl with revengeful desires when either a real or an imaginary injury is offered me O thou God of Peace O Father of mercy melt melt this stubborn Heart how loth is it to yield to thy injunctions I am encompassed with all the rays of Gods charity imaginable Thou bearest with me when I deserve punishment thou dealest not
When I faint Lord support me when I grow weary furnish me with fresh motives to hold on when I would go back perswade me to press toward the mark when I fall let thy Angels bear me up in their hands O thou that hast done great things for me marvellous things on this side Heaven strengthen my Faith that I may endure temptation and being tried may receive the Crown of righteousness which thou hast promised to them that love thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 12. viz. To stand in awe of God when we are alone and no Creature sees us O Lord thou hast searched me and known me thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising thou understandest my thoughts afar off thou compassest my Path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my ways I beseech thee overaw me with thy presence O that thou wert in all my thoughts O how sweet how delightful how glorious art thou Could I always think of thee how poor would the World and all things in it seem in mine eyes For truly thou art fairer than the Children of men and all the Excellencies and Perfections that are found in the Creature are most eminently concentred in thee for thou madest them thou maintainest them thou preservest them and thou art the Spring the Fountain from which all those lesser Rivers flow Thou art bright amiable charming to a miracle and in thee is all that Reason can wish and the Understanding can desire And did I look upon thee more I should be so delighted with thy Beauty that sin would be loathsome to me I sin against thee because I lose the sight of thee The eye of my understanding was given me on purpose to look upon thee O let me use it to that end When I am loth to look upon thee Lord press thou into my thoughts that I may not be able to shake off thy presence If I see thee I shall not dare to offend thee Who would offend so dear a friend if he look upon him When any sin would insinuate into my affections O call to me and say Thy God is here and that charming Name will withold me from those crooked ways I remember Lord when my flesh hath sometimes prevailed with me to transgress thy known Laws I have been forced to banish thee from my mind before I could act against thee Hence forward be thou ever with me Let no base objects intervene betwixt my sight and thy glorious self or if they do help me to look off and to return to my center Make strong impressions of thy omniscience and omnipresence upon my heart that no sensual object no pleasing Temptation no Deceit no Flattery may rob me of my integrity At the brightness of thy presence let all mine Enemies vanish and be thou my Conquerour my Triumph my Beauty and my Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 13 viz. To do all things to Gods glory O God who is like unto thee glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders Thy glory is the end of all created Beings Thou art deckt with Beauty and Glory glorious is thy Name and to glorifie thee is not onely our duty but our glory and interest too O let my heart be toucht with a sense of thy glory O let me admire the glory of thy Kingdom If thou wouldest vouchsafe to display thy glory in my benighted Soul how should I despise this miserable world How should I scorn the lust of the Eye and the lust of the Flesh and the pride of Life I have talked of thy Glory but O how little have I almed at it in my actions What base and sinister ends and designs have I had even in my Devotions and religious Services O Father of mercy purifie my intentions rectifie my designs give me a right aim in all things I am sent into the world to advance thy Glory O let it not be said that I sought mine own glory How great is thy goodness that thou wilt employ so wretched a creature in promoting thy Glory who can'st live without me and be happy and glorious without me O glorifie my Soul that I may glorifie thee In all the Blessings in all the Mercies I enjoy let me give thee all the glory What have I that I have not received Why then should I glory as if I had not received it O let me study how I may do good in my Generation Let the Spirit of Glory and of Christ rest upon me O Father of Glory let me see what is the glory of thine inheritance Open thou my Lips O Lord and my Mouth shall shew forth thy Praise Guide me by thy Counsel here and hereafter receive me into glory O that this Heart of mine were more spirituallized It is carnal sensual taken with the gayeties of this life It admires thee not It doth not esteem thee above all Treasures and therefore I do not seek thy Glory as I ought to do Therefore I evade the Obligation and pretend that I have no Parts no Abilities to advance thy Glory in this present world O wretched Creature that I am Who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death Lord speak the word and deliver me from my self Assure me that the degrees of future Glory will be proportioned to the degrees of my advancing thy Glory here O let me abound in good Works and let doing good be my greatest delight for as much as I know my labour is not in vain in the Lord. It cannot be in vain Thou hast promised it and thou wilt do it I believe Lord help mine Unbelief thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 14 viz. To stir up and exercise the Graces God hath given us O God thou art a strong Rock and a strong Habitation How excellent is thy loving kindness therefore the Children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy Wings O my God how have I contented my self with very low degrees of Vertue I have been afraid of doing too much for Heaven and satisfied my self too often with shadows of Goodness Thou art not wanting to us if we are not wanting to our selves Thou art ready to quicken us ready to enlighten us ready to succour us in all our distresses and necessities O thou that art a strong Tower to all them that run unto thee Take care of my immortal Soul if thou wilt charge thy self with her welfare I shall be safe I have been very slothful hitherto I have lost much time many opportunities many advantages of a Spiritual life I know I must grow on to a perfect man in Christ Jesus Thou doest not allow me to stand still Thou biddest me work like a man that knows what an endless Glory means O purifie me from all sin Lord Jesu give me the fervour of thy Spirit that I may bee filled with spiritual Wisdom and Understanding and for the glory