of thy mercy I here prostrate my Self before thee begging leave of thee that I may once more worship and adore thee and be admitted into thy Service which is perfect Freedome It is the unfeigned desire of my soul now wholly to attend upon thee and to devote my self entirely to thy Service I am come into thy presence to call my self to an Account for my Sins with Sorrow to bewail them most earnestly to deprecate thy displeasure for them and to renew my Vows and Obligations to thee against them for the time to come to acknowledg my dependance on thee to praise thee for thy Mercies and to make an absolute surrender of my self all the daies of my Life unto thy Service But alas O Lord what am I and what can I do without thee I do not attempt this great Work trusting in any power or strength of my own but in the gracious assistance of thy most holy and blessed Spirit O Gracious God who hast promised to give thy Holy Spirit unto them that ask it send it now down into my Soul and let him bring into my remembrance and convince me of every Sin and every Evil way What I see not teach thou me Search me O God and know my heart O try me and know my thoughts and see what way of Wickedness there is in me and lead me in the way everlasting Make the 〈◊〉 remembrance of my former sins bitter unto my soul Work in me a compleat repentance for them a loathing and abhorrence of them stedfast purposes and resolutions of forsaking them for the time to come and of making an entire resignation of my Self to thy service that so I may obtain the pardon of them in and through Jesus Christ O let not O Lord any of my former great and crying Sins the breach of former vows and promises my impenitency or obduracy or want of suitable Affections for this holy Exercise or any other thing interpose between me and thee this day to stop the current of thy mercy or cause thee to hide thy Face from me in displeasure But gracious God scatter all my Sins which may be as a cloud to hinder my prayers from coming up towards thee and thy mercies from coming down upon me that so in the end of this my Duty I may have an assurance of thy favour which is better than life and all the comforts of it I may have peace with thee and peace in my own Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost and receiving Power and Strength from thee may run with chearfulness the ways of thy Commandments and serve thee by 〈◊〉 sincere impartial uniform obedience all the days of my Life through Jesuâ— Christ Amen Those whose Piety may inlarge their Devotions may here also fitly use thâ— two Prayers of the Author of the wholâ— Duty of Man for Sincerity and Contrition which because all those perhapâ— into whose hands this Manual may fall may not have by them I shall anon insert towards the end of it Then betake your self to a Seriouâ— and Impartial Examination of your seâ—â— concerning your Sins and if you be a person who use your self to those periodical Returns every Week your inquisition need go no farther than the preceding Week unless it be before every Sacrament when it may be necessary to renew your Repentance for the Capital Sins of your whole Life you may begin with reflecting upon the spending every day of the week where you were in what Company and what your Business or the like which will be apt to afford you fresh remembrances of your Sins and then if you please you may first consider and examine what your thoughts have been wherein they have been exorbitant and sinful what the bent and inclinations of your heart have been and how you have endeavoured to suppress the evil and to cherish the good and when you have found them humbly confess them and lift up your Soul to God in this Ejaculation Lord be merciful to me a Sinner Consider next your Words Whether they have been Vain Idle Corrupt Lying Detracting Uncharitable Passionate or the like Whether they have been mix'd with that Grave Discretion tending to Reprehension and Edification c And then after Confession annex the former Ejaculation God be merciful c. Last of all Examine thy self strictly also concerning all thy Actions thy Violations of the First and Second Table thy Sins of Omission and Comission towards God thy Neighbour and thy Self Examine how thou hast spent thy time resisted Temptations or compli'd with them and what the circumstances of aggravation have been then humbly confess them Endeavour to Work your heart to a true Sorrow and Contrition for them Be angry with your self that you should be so basely led away by the corruptions of your Nature and the pleasures of Sin which are but for a Moment by Evil company or the like Temptations then lift up thy Soul in this manner Thus thus O Lord have I sinned against thee yea I know not O Lord how often I have offended many a times more I am sure I have which I have either forgot or not adverted to O clâ—anse cleanse thou me from my secret faults Here make serious Resolutions against every Sin and especially those thou hast by Examination found thy self guilty of After this fall down up on thy knees or perhaps if the Sins be great and thy humility so too thou may'st think it more proper to prostrate thy self on the ground and Petition the Throne of Grace in this or the like Form following O God the Father of Heaven have Mercy upon me a miserable Sinner O God the Son Redeemer of the World have Mercy c. O God the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son have Mercy c. O Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Three Persons and one God have Mercy c. The Prayer taken out of the Whole Duty of Man magna ex parte O Most holy holy holy Lord God who art of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity how shall I who am nothing but Iniquity dare to appear before thee Or take so Sacred a Name into my unhallowed lips but yet O Lord whom shall I invoke but thee whom I have offended Against thee thee only have I sinned and done these evils in thy sight I know that thou alone canst forgive sin and that we might not be discouraged to come unto thee thou hast publish'd thy self to be the Lord gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great goodness a God forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin yea thou hast promised That if we confess our Sins thou wilt be faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness Relying therefore on this thy gracious promise I am now emboldened to postrate my self before thee in all Humility of Soul and Body desiring to be ashamed and to blush when I lift up mine Eyes unto thee for my Iniquities are increased over
let not the Lights of the World any more be put under Bushels but keep them in their Candlesticks that they may give light to all that are in the House Let not Jeroboam's Priests profane thy service but let the seed of Aaron still minister before thee And O thou Father of mercies and God of all comfort succour and relieve all that are in affliction and deliver the outcast and poor help them to right that suffer wrong Let the sorrowful sighing of the Prisoners and the Captives come before thee and according to the greatness of thy Power preserve thou those that are appointed to die Grant easie to those that are in pain health to those that are in Sickness Here mention any that you know in that Condition Give them patience and contentation under this thy Visitation and a happy Issue out of all their Afflictions when and which way it shall seem best to thy godly Wisdom only so preserve them by thy Grace that Christ may be unto them whether in Life or Death advantage Give suitable supplies to all that are in want to all presumptuous sinners give a sense of their sins and to all despairing a sight of thy mercy and do thou O Lord for every one above what they can ask or think forgive my Enemies Persecutors or Slanderers overcome all their evil with thy infinite goodness turn their hearts and draw them powerfully to thy self Pour down thy blessings on all my Friends and Benefactors all that have commended themselves to my prayer or that I am bound to pray for especially c. Here specify thy nearest relations particular Friends and all committed to thy Charge O Lord infuse Grace where it is not and where it is weak do thou strengthen it give them all things necessary for their Souls and Bodies guide them here by thy counsel and afterwards receive them to thy self in glory And grant O merciful Father that through this Blood of the Cross we may all be presented pure and unblamable and unreproveable in thy sight that so we may be admitted into that place of Purity where no unclean thing can enter there together with Saints and Angels to sing eternal Praises Doxologies and Alelujahs to Father Son and holy Ghost for ever Amen Either before or immediately after this Intercession make an oblation unto God of something for the Poor or Pious Uses and if it be the tenth of all thy Acquists thou wilt in the end be no looser by it but 't will prove unto thee a piece of frugal prodigality He that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully 2 Cor. 9.6 We put our money into sure hands it is but lent though it be given We engage God himself and he will pay us again Pro. 19.17 This is the Fast that God hath chosen and delights in Isa 58.7 This stock that you thus lay up is the treasure that you send before you to heaven your Friend of the mammon of unrighteousness that when these earthly things fail will receive you into everlasting habitations 'T is call'd a Sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased Heb. 13.16 and again Phil. 4.18 a Sacrifice acceptable well pleasing to God St. Augustine saith that Jejunium sine Eleemosina Lampas sine Oleo Fasting without Alms is a Lamp without Oyl It may shew beautiful to the Eye but will never lead you by it's light to Heaven When you have separated that portion which you chearfully design for this Charitable Use it may not be amiss if you offer and devote it to God in this or the like manner O Blessed Lord God I know that my goodness extendeth not to thee thou art infinitely happy in and from thy self alone Lucret. and wants nothing of ours to make any addition to thy happiness Yea O Lord all that we have and enjoy is from thy bounty and goodness and I can retribute nothing to thee but what must first come from thee Yet O Lord seeing there are many of thy poor necessitous Servants that stand in need of our Charity and thou hast said that whatsoever we do unto these we do it unto thee in consideration of my duty and thy mercies I here offer and devote unto thee for pious and holy uses this small portion as thou hast been pleased to bless me the week past O let it be a Sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing in thy Sight throughâ— Jesus Christ Amen Put this up in the poor Man's Purse by it self By this course thou wilt have always something in store by thee to give all indigent persons as there is opportunity offered and this great advantage thou wilt have by it also thou wilt not give grudgingly as the Apostle terms it 2 Cor. 9.7 or murmur when a poor Man asks an Almes of thee Deut. 15.10 for thou lookest upon this stock as not thy own and thy self only as Gods Purser and the Hand to dispense it yea thou will rejoyce and give God thanks when thou hast a fit opportunity to distribute do good and refresh the hungry bowels of thy poor Brother After this spend some time in Reading or Meditating or both Then call to mind and consider your Mercies both Spiritual and Temporal which you have in the foregoing Week received at the hands of God and if they have been any way eminent omit not to commit them to your Diary where also you may place your Vows if you have made any the benefit which may accrue from hence I shall hereafter shew you If you have no other mercies but the preservation of you from your own vile-Lusts Lusts and Affections from Presumptuous Sins and from Death and Damnation for the Temporal Mercies of each particular day and the mercies even of this day thou hast Matter enough of thanksgiving therefore you cannot do better than conclude your Fast with Praises and Thanksgiving The Thanksgiving and Conclusion of the Work O Most holy and for ever blessed Lord God thy Name only is excellent and thy praise above Heaven and Earth Heaven is thy Throne and that thou fillest with thy Majesty the Earth is but thy Foot-stool and yet that thou fillest with thy Goodness O how great are thy tender Mercies to us O Lord how large is the Summ of them If I would declare them and speak of them they are more than I am able to express I may as well count the sands upon the Sea Shore or the drops of the Ocean as enumerate thy favours Thou didst at first create me out of nothing instamp thine own Image upon me and gavest me Dominion over the Works of thy hands Thou art he that took me out of my Mothers womb By thee have been holden up ever since I was Born thy Almighty hand hath constantly supported me and thy Providence watched over me and I still acknowledg my dependance on thee When Mankind had departed from thee by Disobedience and erased that Image and Innocency in which he was created and for feited that Right to all thy
of the first Covenant The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Behold thou hast now made my days as it were a span length and mine age is even as nothing in respect of thee and I am altogether vanity The sentence of Death hath passed upon all for that all have sinned And I who have had so great a share in sinning cannot but expect to receive the due Wages of it Death Only I beseech thee blessed God to make me wise now in the time of my Health and Srength to understand this and to consider my latter end Grant O Lord that by departing from every known sin by keeping Innocency and always taking heed to the thing that is right I may be in an habitual preparation for Death and find peace at the last Wean my heart daily more and more from the love of the World and worldly things and place my affections upon their right and more deserving Objects Heaven and Heavenly things that my heart may be where my Treasure is and that whenever I shall be called to part with them I may leave all without any murmuring or reluctancy and be willing and content to die Let every pain and sickness mind me of my last And that Death may not be a surprize unto me furnish my Soul with all those Graces before-hand which I shall have greatest occasions to make use of in my last Conflict Give me Repentance unto life not to be repented of A Stedfast Faith that worketh by Love towards thee my God and Charity to all the World A Firm Hope such as maketh not ashamed but may become an Anchor of my Soul entring even within the Vail True Christian Courage and Patience and a resolvedness of a cheerful submission to thy Fatherly Correction And Grant that in all things I may so put my Soul and House in order that when I come to die I may have nothing else to do but to die Let not my Death be unexpected untimely or violent if it be thy holy will And when it shall please thee to cast me on my last Bed give me Grace to search my Heart to renew my Repentance and Interest in Jesus and to compose my Soul for God Give me the opportunity and refreshment of thy holy Sacrament the Seal of the Divine Love the benefit of Absolution Some irradiations of thy Love and Favour in the assurances of pardon and peace together with a patient and comfortable expectation of the performance of all thy promises Let not the Devil take advantage of my weakness nor any of his Suggestions prevail upon me Let not his Accusations or my Sins distract me in my last hour but do thou interpose thy seasonable Relief O forsake me not when my strength faileth me but in the mid'st of the sorrows and temptations that I have upon my Bed let thy Comforts refresh my Soul O suffer me not for any pains of death to fall from thee And in my last Agonies when my Soul shall quit the ruinous habitation of my Body let thy holy Angels convey it into the Regions of a glorious Eternity where there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying nor pain Grant this O merciful Father for the sake of him who by death hath overcome death even Jesus Christ my High Priest and blessed Redeemer Amen A Prayer for Sincerity out of the Whole Duty of Man O Holy Lord who requirest Truth in the inward parts I humbly beseech thee to purge me from all Hypocrisie and unsincerity The heart O Lord is deceitful above all things and my heart I fear is deceitful above all hearts O thou who searchest the Heart and Reins try me and seek the ground of my heart and suffer not any accursed thing to lurk within me but purifie me even with Fire so thou consume my dross O Lord I cannot deceive thee but I may most easily deceive my self I beseech thee let me not rest in any such deceit but bring me to a sight and hatred of my most hidden Corruptions that I may not cherish any darling Lust but make an utter destruction of every Amalekite O suffer me not to speak peace to my self when there is no peace but grant I may judge of my self as thou judgest of me that I may never be at peace with my self till I am at perfect peace with thee and by purity of haert be qualified to see thee in thy Kingdom through Jesus Christ Amen For Contrition out of the same Author O Holy Lord Who art a merciful Embracer of true Penitents but yet a consuming Fire towards obstinate sinners how shall I approach thee who have so many provoking sins to inflame thy Wrath and so little sincere Repentance to incline thy Mercy O be thou pleased to soften and melt this hard obdurate heart of mine that I may heartily bewail the Iniquities of my life Strike this Rock O Lord that the Waters may flow out even Floods of Tears to wash my polluted Conscience my drowzy Soul hath too long slept securely in sin Lord awake it though it be with Thunder and let me rather feel thy Terrors then not feel my sin Thou sentest thy blessed Son to heal the broken hearted but Lord what will that avail me if my heart be whole O break it that it may be capable of his healing Virtue and grant I beseech thee that having once tasted the bitterness of sin I may fly from it as from the Face of a Serpent and bring forth Fruits of Repentance in amendment of Life to the praise and glory of thy Grace in Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer Amen Those whose Devotions are apt to be assisted by variety or are desirous of Forms for other Graces or more particular occasions may find a plentiful supply in the Books of the aforementioned-Pious Author in Dr. Tailor's holy Living and Dying but more especially in the Book of Devotions composed by the Reverend and Learned Dr. Patrick A Prayer to be used by any Pious Christian in these difficult times O Most just and holy Lord God thou art Righteous in all thy ways and holy in all thy Works I must needs confess that when I seriously consider the multitude and hainousness of my own Sins and those of the whole Nation which cry loudly to Heaven for Vengeance that it is even a miracle of Mercies that we have not long since felt the severities of thy Wrath in some direful Judgments but thou O Lord hast been exceedingly gracious and with much patience and long suffering hast waited for our Repentance and Amendment of Life but yet we have abused this Mercy of thine beyond all the former and have not returned unto thee And now O Lord seeing we would not be allured by thy Mercies thou art pleas'd to threaten us with the approach of thy Judgments which if thou wilt not avert O fit and prepare me for the cheerful Entertainment of whatsoever thy Wisdom shall think fit to
an Oxe to the slaughter to his eternal perdition without some Monition and Advice which for ought we know being given prudently and in season may with the Operation of Gods Spirit concurring work so good an effect upon him as to draw him to a true tho late Repentance and then he hath pull'd him out of the Fire as a Fire-brand ready to be consumed and saved a Soul from Death as St. James saith Chap. 5.20 and then let any one tell me if this be not a sufficient recompence for his pains and amongst all sober and prudent persons salve enough for his Reputation It may be farther urged that Physicians are only to take care of the Body and the Divine of the Soul It is true for that purpose they were consulted and it were to be wished the Divine might never be forgotten but acquainted early with the Diseased's Case and earnestly in treated to visit the Patient as well as the Physician but yet I humbly conceive that the Physician hath many better opportunities than he can have and which is much to be lamented he is seldom so early or so often advised with as the Physician and though the later be not so much obliged by his Profession as the former yet certainly even he cannot be excused in point of Charity The last Caution or Advice is That if it shall please God to make us successful in our Endeavours we do not ascribe the praise of it as is too common unto our selves but unto God to whom alone it is due I have in the former part of this Section shew'd the reasonableness of it and therefore all I shall add by way of Conclusion shall be this That this is the â—eadiest way to find success in our Undertakings By this shall we be more famous than our Neighbours round about â—s This will most advantage both Paâ—ient and Physician and cause God to continue such his Mercies toward us Whilst on the contrary by arrogating the â—ole praise to our selves we rob God of â—he honour due unto him and our selves of the reward of our good Action Therefore let us all unanimously from our hearts â—ay Non nobis Domine non nobis sed â—omini too sit gloria Not unto us not â—nto us but unto God be the praise both â—ow and for evermore Amen The Physicians Prayer O Thou great Creator both of Heaven and Earth and of all things contained therein Thou art the Fountain of all Goodness Mercy and Benediction who by my Education and other Effects of thy Providence hath call'd me to this Profession of Physick that by my industry therein I may in my small proportion be instrumental for the bringing of some good and benefit both to my self and others I humbly begg thy grace to guide me in my intention and in the transaction of my Affairs that I may be diligent studious and faithful and grant me thy Favour that these my Endeavours may be accepted as a part of my necessary Duty and grant me thy Blessing to assist and prosper me in all my Studies and Vndertakings And seeing O Lord I am a Man not God to heal be thou graciously pleased to let thy Wisdom go before me to direct my Judgment for thy good of thy Servant who desires my Assistance Let thy blessing accompany what I shall direct giving unto all things a due and kindly Operation that so a prosperous and happy success come after it And I pray thee O Lord give me and all my Patients who by thy blessing have received benefit by my hands hearts truly thankful unto thee for thy Mercies and Grace to ascribe as is most due all the Praise Honour and Glory unto thy holy Name And grant me O Lord a quiet and cheerful Submission unto thy all-wise Providence when ever it shall please thee to deny me the Blessing of Success Let thy holy Spirit be ever present with me to direct me in all my Vndertakings that I may manage my Affairs with Prudence Honesty and most Christian Sincerity that so my Profession may be sanctifi'd by my Religion and all my Actions by thy Blessing that when I have done that portion of Work thou hast allotted â—ne and improved that Talent thou hast intrusted unto me and served the Common-wealth in my Capacity I may receive the mighty price of my high Calling which I most earnestly beg may be in the portion and inheritance of my ever blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen Those who by reason of the multitude of Patients may not find leisure for the using of the aforesaid or any other set Form of Prayer at the time of their Address to them may yet do it every Morning before they leave their Closet and only use this or the like short Ejaculation at the time when they are to treat with their Patient or to direct for him O Lord the Giver of Health and all good things let thy Wisdom I beseech thee iâ—struct my Judgment in order to the Health and Recovery of thy Sick Servant who now next to thee commits him or her self to my care and succeed my Directions with thy Benediction for Jesus Christ his sake Amen When you enter into the Sick Persons Chamber Ejaculate thus Peace O Lord and Health be unto this Sick Person through Jesus Christ Raise him or her up again O Lord that we may reward thee with Praises and Thanksgivings Amen Finis Partis Prioris The Christian PHYSICIAN The Second PART By H. A. M. D. Non magna loquimur sed vivimus Quanto plus melius scis tanto gravius inde judicaberis nisi sanctius vixeris Gerson De Imitatione Christi LONDON Printed by T. James for William Leach at the Crown in Corn-hill 1683. TO THE Right Honourable the Lady LAETITIA ISABELLA Countess of RADNOR MADAM THis following small Treatise comes to beg your Honours shelter and acceptance which if it be ever safe I am very certain it must be with your Ladyship who without flattery are so generally known to be the Patroness and Protectrix of all that is Pious and Vertuous that I can never in the least doubt of it till even Vertue it self comes to want a Patronage I dare not nay indeed I cannot tell the World how much you deserve that Title it being a Task too difficult far for my undertakings for who can paint the Heavens besides I am so well acquainted with your Ladyships Temper that I know your Noble Mind loves the substance only not the outward shew and delights more in being Vertuous than in appearing or being known to be so which makes me decline those praises which really and deservedly your Vertues call for I cannot in the least think that your Honour stands in need of any of those following Helps and Directions your whole life being indeed nothing else but a Map or Transcript of Piety and had I consulted your Ladyship I know they would have been much more compleat however at least I hope it may
much less can I perform any good Action that might please thee I most humbly beseech thee that as by thy special Grace preventing me thou dost put into my Mind good desires and intentions so by thy continual help I may bring the same to good Effect To that end I beseech thee cleanse the thoughts of my Heart by the Inspiration of thy Holy Spirit and give me such a preparation of Soul as may qualifie me for the Duties of the ensuing day and grant that I may perfectly love thee delight in thy service and worthily magnifie thy holy Name through Christ Jesus our Lord. The Morning being come consider what necessary business you have to do that day and dispose as prudently of it as you can that it may not interfere with your Holy Exercises of Religion when you begin upon it And if any such be you may do well to dispatch it in the Morning In your private Morning Devotions be not unmindful to continue your Requests unto God for his assistance in the Duties of the day in these or the like Expressions which you may find place to insert among your other Petitions O Most gracious God thou hast been pleased to discover unto me my Duty and hast given me an hearty desire to perform the same But O Lord I know without thee I can do nothing but through thine assisting Grace I shall be able to offer up such a Sacrifice this day as may be well pleasing and acceptable in thy sight Let that Grace O Lord be sufficient for me to quicken my Devotions to kindle my Zeal and to work in me a Godly Humiliation for all my past Sins together with stedfast Resolutions of forsaking them for the time to come And tho O Lord I know thou hearest not Sinners wilfully resolved to persevere in their Sins yet thou wilt hear those that confess and abandon them Hear me therefore O Lord in the multitude of thy Mercies even in the Truth of thy Salvation and remove my Sins from before thy sight that they may not hinder good things from me this day but set them full in mine and let them ever be before me that I may not only confess them with an humble lowly penitent and obedient Heart but also actually forsake them that so 〈◊〉 may obtain forgiveness of the same by thy infinite goodness and mercy in and through Jesus Christ Amen Another to this purpose out of the Method of Private Devotions O Lord who seest the purposes of alâ— Hearts and hast been privy to the Intentions of thy Servant touching calling himself this day to an account of his ways and humbling himself before thee for all his Transgressions and rendring thee praise and thanks for all thy Mercies Be thou in Mercy present to mâ— by the preventings and assistings of thy Grace that I may with a true Hearâ— and contrite Spirit perform what I intend Grant that no worldly cares oâ— business may so take off my mind from thee but that I may be able forthwitâ— to return and without distraction to imploy my whole Soul in my designeâ— Devotions to the Glory of thy Name my own amendment and comfort here and everlasting Blessedness hereafter iâ— and through thy Son Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen 1. First abstain from all Food and Sustenance unless thouart of a weak and valetudinary temper until the Solemnity be over If thou art if thou eat and drink sparingly with a design only to strengthen thy self the better for the carrying on of thy Duty I think thou hast not broken thy Fast The Fast it self being not injoyned so much for its own sake but as it is a help and furtherance to other Duties 2. Have a care that you do not only fast from Meat but from Sin also for if you abstain from the former and not from the latter it is a great Argument of your Hypocrisie and that your Righteousness doth not exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees who fasted to be seen of Men Matth. 6.16 and are promised their Reward shall go no farther than that of Men too This is not such a Fast as God hath chosen or will accept 3. Abstain likewise this day from all gratification of your Senses from all Pleasures and Recreations This day you have design'd for condemning your self for your sins for humiliation of your self for them and mourning over them then how inconsistent will this be with Mirth and Jollity Altogether as great a Soloecism as Musick and Dancing at a Funeral to have silence in the Kitchin and the noise of Mirth in the Chamber is a thing very indecent and incongruous 4. Lastly let not Intemperance be either the Preface or Conclusion to your Fast least the Fast be so far from taking off your old sins that it be an occasion to draw on new guilt Thus I have led you through those previous Acts towards this Duty of Fasting we now come more closely to the Exercises of it Being retired to thy Closet about Noon thy mind being as much as possible disburthen'd of Worldly Thoughts cast thy self down upon thy knees and humbly say In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen Prevent me O Lord in all my doings with thy most gracious favour and further me with thy continuual help that in all my Works begun continuued and ended in thee I may glorifie thy holy Name and finally by thy Mercy obtain everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Our Father which art in Heaven c. And then taking Gods Holy Book into thy hands â—ay Sanctifie unto me O Lord my present Reading and Meditations that it may in some measure prepare me for that great Work I am now about Take off my mind from all Vain and Earthly Things and inspire it with a holy Zeal that I may with spiritual desires and affections perform this spiritual Duty and grant that nothing may find admitâ—ance into my heart but what shall reaâ—ilysubmit to thy Laws and Discipline Grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ â—is sake Amen After you have spent half an hour in â—he reading of that portion of Scripture which you have thought fit to select for his purpose or that good practical â—ook which you have made choice of â—pend another half hour in digesting it â—r Meditating upon it and make partiâ—ular applications of it to your self This â—roximate preparation also you will find â—ery necessary in Order to the calling â—f your Mind from Vain and Worldly â—houghts which without it would be too apt to Straggle and be Distracted and to fix and intend them on that Exercise which you are about This being done you begin again with Prayer after this manner O Lord thou High and Holy one whose glory is above the Heavens and hast Thousands of Angels Ministring unto thee and yet are pleas'd to humble thy self to behold the things that are done by us poor wretched Mortals here on Earth In confidence therefore
Amen A Prayer for Grace out of the Whole Duty of Man O Most Gracious God from whom every good and perfect gift commeth I wretched creature that am not able of my self so much as to think a good thought beseech thee to work in me both to will and to do according to thy good pleasure O inlighten my mind that I may know thee and let me not be barren or unfruitful in that Knowledge Lord work in my heart a true faith a purifying hope and an unfeigned love towards thee give me a full trust on thee zeal for thee reverence of all things that relate unto thee make me fearful to offend thee in any thing careful to please thee in all things thankful for thy mercies humble under thy corrections devout in thy service sorrowful for my sins and grant that in all things I may behave my self so as befits a creature to his Creator a servant to his Lord Enable me likewise to perform that duty I owe to my self Give me that meekness humility and contentedness whereby I may always possess my Soul in patience and thankfulness Make me diligent in all my duties watchful against all temptations perfectly pure and temperate and so moderate in my most lawful enjoyments that they never become a snare to me Make me also O Lord to be so affected towards my Neighbour that I never transgress that Royal Law of thine in loving him as my self Grant me exactly to perform all parts of Justice yielding to all whatsoever by any kind of right becomes their due and give me such bowels of mercy and compassion that I may never fail to do all acts of Charity to all Men whether Friends or Enemies according to thy Command and Example Finally I beseech thee O Lord to sanctifie me throughout that my whole Spirit and Soul and Body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory for ever Amen Here you may also pray more particularly for those graces you have found your self most of all to stand in need of better forms for which I can not advise you to thâ—n those contained in the Book of that Excellent Author The whole Duty of Man where you have devout Prayers for all those particular Graces which a Christian can stand in need of These Prayers being over spend some time again in Reading and Meditation afterwards having before prayed for your self you are next in Charity bound to pray for others also being as members of the same mystical body the Church which you may do in this or the like Form A Prayer of Intercession O Most gracious Lord who so tenderly lovedst Mankind as to give thy dear Son out of thy bosome to be a propitiation for the Sins of the whole World grant that the effect of this redemption may be as universal as the design of it that it may be to the Salvation of all O Let no person by impenitence and wilful Sin forfeit his part in it but by the power of thy Grace bring all even the most obstinate sinners to repentance Inlighten all that sit in Darkness all Jews Turks Infidels and Hereticks take from them all blindness hardness of heart and contempt of thy Word and so fetch them home blessed Lord unto thy Fold that they may be saved among the number of the true Israelites And for all those upon whom the Name of thy Son is called grant O Lord that their conversations may be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ that his Name be no longer blasphemed among the Heathens through us O blessed Lord how long shall Christendom continue the vilest part of the World a sink of all those abominable pollutions which even Barbarians detest O let not our profession and our practice be always at so wide a distance Let not the disciples of the holy and immaculate Jesus be of all others the most profane and impure Let not the Subjects of the Prince of Peace be of all others the most contentious and bloody but make us Christians in deed as well as in Name that we may walk worthy of that holy vocation wherewith we are called and may all with one mind and one mouth glorifie thee the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Have mercy on this languishing Church and sinful Nation look down from Heaven the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory Where is thy zeal and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards us Are they restrained Be not wroth very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever but though our backslidings are many and we have grievously rebelled yet according to all thy goodness let thy anger and thy fury be turned away and cause thy Face still to shine upon thy Sanctuary which is in danger to be desolate for the Lord's Sake do thou compose our differences heal the wounds which our unhappy schisms and divisions have made in thy Church and make up the breaches of our Sion and so separate between us and our sins that they may no longer separate between us and our God Avert those heavy judgments which we either fear or feel and our sins cry aloud to Heaven for and deny us not the continuance of those mercies which we yet enjoy and are altogether unworthy of but whatever temporal mercies thou art pleas'd to deny us whatever temporal judgments thou art pleased to bring upon us O remove not thy Candle-stick from us nor quench the light of our Israel but blessed Lord be pleased still to continue unto us the liberty of thy House the freedom of thy Gospel the injoyment of thy Sabbaths Sacraments and Ordinances in their primitive purity and regularity until time shall be no more Save and defend all Christian Kings Princes and Governours especially thy Servant Charles our King and those to whom we owe subjection Plead thou their cause O Lord against those that strive with them and fight thou against those that fight against them and so guide and assist them in the discharge of that Office whereunto thou hast appointed them that under them we may live quiet and peaceable Lives in all godliness and honesty Bless them that wait at thy Altar by what Names or Titles dignified and distinguished whether Arch Bishops Bishops or other inferiour Clergy Grant that they may all speak as the Oracles and live as the Messengers of God that so they may both save themselves and those that hear them More especially be gracious unto thy Servants Here you may insert the Bishop of the Diocese your Parochial Minister the Authors of good Books yet living or any that have been instrumental to your conversation Pour down a double portion of thy Spirit into their hearts make them eminent Instruments for thy glory Let them turn many from their wicked ways unto thee the living God and hereafter let them shine as Stars of the Firmament in thy Kingdom O
glorifie thee here that I may enjoy thee for ever hereafter in thy Kingdom 7. Vpon the sight of a brass piece of Money curiously gilded over THis is like all outward things before you enjoy them they seem to be glorious and promise much of satisfaction but when you have enjoyed â—nd tried them you soon discover that â—t is but a false lustre that Satan and our own exhorbitant Lusts put upon them They have gilded out-sides but when they come to wearing the gilt wears off and you find after a while what they are within Or not unlike the wicked Man who varnishes over his fouler Actions with some specious colour of pious Intentions but as for spiritual things the more you wear them the more you find the beauty and excellency that is in them for there is a dust and a rust that is cast upon them which likewise the wearing takes off and after a while makes it appear what they are not a Counterfeit but a true Coin which bear the stamp of their Prince and Author 8. Vpon the finding of an Adders Skin left behind in a strait passage THis Creature being weary of her old Garment voluntarily forced her self through this narrow passage to be freed of its burthen by which she hath renewed her life and vigor What is this but the lively representation oâ— the good Mans strait passage through the dark and narrow Gates of the Grave to Immortal Life His life was indeed troublesome and wearisome he a long time desired to put off this his Earthly Tabernacle that he might be cloathed with the Robe of Immortality but yet would not be any Volunteer to force his speedier dismission but when God call'd him to it he cheerfully deposited the burden of his Flesh and being found cloathed with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ he is now passed to a state of Bliss and Immortality 9. Vpon a Glow Worm ALthough this Worm looks like a little Star in the night and a Man would think at a distance it were some Glorious body but if you approach near it you will find it hath no more Light than to shew it self to be something and all it's splendor is sure to be benighted with the rising Sun and then nothing appears but an ugly Worm The Hypocrite in the Eyes of the world makes a Gawdy shew of Religion hath such great pretensions of Piety and Holiness that a Man would think him at first Blush to be nothing less than a Saint on Earth but if we come near and throughly view and scan his Actions we shall find no more goodness in him than to discover him to be an Hypocrite and Counterfeit and when the Sun of Righteousness shall appear who shall detect the secret of all hearts then every ones work shall be made manifest and all the Hypocrite's gilded Glory vanish and nothing remain but an empty deformed Caitif 10. Vpon a Rotten Dunghil SEe how the generous Sun casts his enlivening Rayes and Influences upon this most contemptible place and how this again requites that bounty it pertakes of in a Stenchy fume or generation of vermine We ought to imitate the courteous Sun by our diffusive kindness to all persons the poor as well as the rich the bad as well as the good and not be like that vile ungrateful generation of Men who daily participate of the sweet Influences of Heaven and yet requite that Bounty with no other than eructations of Oaths and Execrations and instead of improving God's mercies to his glory turn them into Wantoness make them an occasion of greater loosness and debauchery as if because God hath been exceeding good to them they industriously resolv'd to repay that his goodness with exceeding ingratitude and disappointment We ought rather to emulate the true Chrystal whose property it is either to transmit or reflect those Rays it receives with great advantage of Light to the Darker Objects about it and of a more visible splendor and glory to the Light it self and so proportion our gratitude to the bounty which enrich'd us 11. Vpon seeing of a Shepherd's Dog bringing in the stray Sheep HOw useful is this contemptible Creature and how exactly doth he answer the Commands and Intentions of his Master The Shepherd observing some of his Sheep to stray from the Flock sets on his Dog not to worry them but gently to reduce them to the Herd and as soon as they are come in he rates off the Dog and the Sheep are at quiet I know O Lord that even Afflictions have their use as well as Comforts in the Enjoyment of an uninterrupted Prosperity we are apt to forget thee and to stray from thy Paths and Commandments but then thou the great Shepherd in very faithfulness sendest us some crosses some troubles or afflictions not to consume us but to be only as so many Monitor's to us to return again into thy Fold and when we are come in thou ratest off those Afflictions and they shall no longer rest upon us Give me Grace good God in all thy dispensations towards me to acknowledge the Methods of thy infinite Wisdom and Mercy Eceles 7.14 In time of prosperity make me watchful In time of adversity make me humble and to consider that if I have strayed from thy ways I may speedily return and till then chasten me here O Lord as thou pleasest that I be not condemned with the World 12. Vpon the Sight of a Ship cast away within a little of the Port. THis Ship hath been a long Voyage and run through many Hazards and Difficulties yet now at last even in sight of the Harbour by a secret Leak or a suddain Storm is unfortunately with all it 's Cargo cast away This minds me of the hypocritical or unstable Christian who did run well for a long time had overcome many sinful Habits and inbred Corruptions but still retained one beloved lust which hath ruined his precious Soul or else now at last in a day of Temptation when Persecution ariseth for the Gospel he cannot ride out the Storm but cowardly to avoid suffering betrays his Faith sinks under the pressure and so is cast into Hell when he is just upon the Confines of Heaven The heart I know O Lord is deceitful above all things yet suffer me not O my God to harbourany hypocrisie and unsincerity in mine but make me rather continually the more watchful over it that I do not permit any Dalilah or Darling Lust to have entertainment there but having shaken off my Old Lusts I may no more be the temptation what it will return with the Dog to his vomit or the Sow to the mire to my former pollutions but that as I have received how I ought to walk and to please thee my God so I may abound more and more And if O Lord thou shalt see it fit to try me in the fire to call me to the Cross for thy sake make me readily and chearfully to embrace it I carry always
of Christ As to all our outward concerns here in this life we desire to refer our selves wholly unto thee our good God Thou art infinitely wise and knowest what condition is best for every one of us give us therefore any measure of prosperity or adversity riches or poverty health or sickness whereby we may most of all glorifie thy holy Name and in every condition give us grace to look up unto thee as the author and disposer of it and therein to be really content Together with us we beseech thee to be mindful of all mankind Let thy ways be known upon earth and thy saving health among all nations Bless thy universal Church lead it into all truth and let not the Gates of Hell be ever able to prevail against it Be gracious unto our Soveraign Lord the King the Queen and all the Royal Family to all the Ministers and Magistrates toall that fear thee and call upon thyname Remember all the Sons and Daughters of sorrow and affliction in what case or state soever and relieve them all according to thy Mercies and their several necessities for thou only knowest them all Bless all our Friends Kindred and Benefactors and all that we are under any Obligation to pray for whether Friends or Enemies infuse Grace where it is not and where it is weak do thou strengthen it give them all things necessary for their Souls and Bodies guide them here by thy Counsel and at length receive them to thy self in Glory And now O Lord because it is very meet right and our bounden duty at all times and in all places to give thanks unto thee we desire at this time to praise and magnifie thy holy Name for all the freeness and fulness of thy Mercy and loving kindness towards us and others Thou daily loadest us with thy benefits spiritual and temporal who art the God of our Salvation thou hast given a fresh Testimony of thy Goodness and Mercy to us in our preservation this Night past from those many sad Casualties and Accidents which might justly by reason of our sins fall upon us and brought us safe unto another day O Lord thou mightest have made our Beds our Graves our Sheets our Winding Sheets and our rising again this Morning a rising unto judgment What is man that thou art mindful of him Or the Son of Man that thou visitest him Praise the Lord O our Souls and all that is within us praise his holy Name Praise the Lord O our Souls and forget not all his benefits and grant that we may render thee not only the fruit of our Lips but the obedience of our Lives by consecrating our selves entirely to thy Service and walking before thee in a sincere and impartial observance of thy holy Commandments all the days of our lives And seeing thou hast been graciously pleased to add another day unto our Lives so we beseech thee to give us Grace to add more Wariness Repentance and Circumspection unto our days Make us O Lord carefully to watch against all Sin especially those that do so easily beset us and that we have been so often conquered by Teach us by the Strength of thy holy Spirit to deny our selves to pluck out even our right Eyes to cut off even our right hands to undergo the severest afflictions rather than to offend so Sacred a Majesty Let our thoughts be always holy and heavenly and when we are about our Studies and Employments let them be often carried up unto thee by holy Meditations and Divine Ejaculations Let our words be seasoned with Salt with prudence and discretion not stained with filthiness and vanity lying detraction or any other sin but such as may tend to the use of Edifying and minister Grace unto the hearer Set a watch O Lord before our Mouths and keep the doors of our Lips Let our Actions O Lord be always holy and just or at least innocent and unblameable give us grace to walk as in thy sight and evermore to set thee before our Eyes Make us careful in the well spending of our time so as we may best prevent or resist Temptations and by discharging our Duties in our places and callings may glorifie thy holy Name Take from us O Lord all slothfulness and give us diligent and active Spirits that when the Devil assaults us he may not find us idle but improving those Talents intrusted to every one of us that we may at length receive from our great Lord and Master Jesus Christ that blessed Sentence Of Well done ye good and faithful Servants enter ye into your Masters Joy Do thou O Lord be with us in our labours and employments this day and bless us bless and prosper O Lord the works of our hands upon us yea prosper thou our handy-work Give thy holy Angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways that we rush not into any Temptation nor fall into any kind of bodily danger which our sins may justly expose us to but preserve us as the Apples of thine Eye and hide us under the shadow of thy Wings that in our going out and in our coming in we may be blessed and have always thy watchful protection over us These and whatever other Mercies thou knowest needful and requisite for us for all thine and thy whole Church we humbly begg in the Name and for the sake of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and in whose words we shut up our imperfect Petitions saying as he hath taught us Our Father which art in Heaven c. A Prayer at Noon Morning and Evening and at Noon will I praise thee and thou wilt hear my Voice Open thou my Lips O Lord and my Mouth shall shew forth thy praise O Father of Mercies and God of all Comfort and Consolation Thou art to be Worshipped and Adored with my continual Praises and Thanksgivings for thou continually followest me with thy Goodness and thy Mercies are renewed upon me every moment In thee I live and move and have my being and without thy succour and support I should quickly return to my first Principle of no being at all Thou hast created me redeemed me and by thy Fatherly care and providence constantly provided for me Thou art the God of my life and the Author of all those Mercies I enjoy whether Spiritual or Temporal and therefore thou alone deservest my praises and unto thee I ascribe as is most due all honour praise and glory both now and for evermore More especially I desire to bless and praise thy holy Name for thy particular Mercies towards me at this time that thou hast so plentifully refreshed my Body with thy good Creatures and filled me with the Flower of Wheat Blessed be the Lord God who daily loadeth me with his benefits even the God of my Salvation O Lord refresh my Soul also with the Spiritual Manna of thy Heavenly Grace and grant my pursuiâ— may not be after the Meat that perisheth but after that
which endureth to Everlasting Life Pardon I beseech thee O Lord as all my sins in general so especially whatever amiss hath passed from me this day and for Jesus Christ his sake do thou become unto me a reconciled Father own me for thy Child and continually preservr me by thy providence keep in me always a Religious Sense of thee and of thy goodness towards me and sanctifie my heart with thy holy Spirit that I may walk before thee the remaining part of this day and all the days of my life to thy honour and glâ—ry through Jesus Christ my blessed Lord and Saviour in whose Name and Words I continuâ— to implore thy Mercies saying Our Father c. A Prayer for the Evening in private O Most holy holy Lord God Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Thou art a God of purer Eyes then to behold the least Iniquity with the least Approbation thou chargest thine Angels with folly yea the Heavens are not pure in thy sight How shall I then so sinful and impure a Wretch dare to appear before thee or to take so holy a Name into my sinful and unhallowed Lips But O Lord thou art God and not Man thy ways are not as our ways nor thy thoughts as our thoughts but as high as the Heavens are above the Earth so are thy thoughts of Love and Peace higher than our thoughts and therefore relying on thy Mercies and gracious Promises I am bold at this time to prostrate my self before thee humbly confessing that I am corrupt in my very Nature having an inability and aversness to that which is good and an aptitude and proneness to all that is evil but I have corrupted my self yet much worse by many vicious Customs and sinful Habits I have transgressed my duty to thee my Neighbour and my self followed too much the devices and desires of my own wicked heart and not only not obeyed but many times wilfuâ—ly broken thy Commandements which are holy just and good and to my former provocations I have added the sins of the day past of omission and commission of thoughts words and actions Here particularize any sin Yea I know not how often I have offended O cleanse cleanse thou me from my secret faults And now O Lord should'st thou be extream to mark what I have done amiss I could not be justified in thy sight nor be able to answer thee for the sins of this one day but thou O God delightest in Mercy and there is forgiveness with thee that thou may'st be feared O I beseech thee let Repentance and Contrition prepare me for that Mercy of thine and then be thou pleased to take away all mine Iniquity and to receive me graciously into thy favour Neither do I desire thee only for the pardon of my past sins but do most bumbly beg for a Divine Power that I may be able to subdue them for the time to come and get a compleat Victory over all the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil To that end let thy Grace and goodness and tender mercies prevent and follow me all the days of my life and bring into obedience whatsoever exalteth it self against thy blessed will that at last I may come to be such as thou would'st have me to be even holy in all manner of Conversation And as I pray unto thee so I desire likewise from an unseigned heart to praise and to bless thee for thy infinite Mercies for those which relate to this life and a better particularly for the Mercies of the day past Here enumerate them O Lord the least of these deserves my hearty Thanksgivings let not the universality and commonness of thy goodness make me to have the slighter regard of it but fill my Soul with a Sense of thy Love and my Tongue with sincere acknowledgments that as I daily receive blessings from thee so I may daily from an affectionate and devout heart offer up thanks unto thee and let my whole life and all my actions be the verification of my Praises And now I beseech thee O Lord receive me this Night into the Arms of thy providence hide me under the shadow of thy Wings Give thy holy Angels charge over me to pitch their Tents round about me that no evil happen unto me nor any plague come nigh unto my Dwelling but that I and mine and all my Concerns may be safe under thy gracious protection that lying down in thy fear and being refreshed with moderate rest I may be the fitter to serve thee in the duties of the ensuing day And all I beg in the Name and for the sake of Jesus Christ my alone Saviour and Redeemer for whom my Soul hath endless cause to bless and to praise thee to whom with thy self and Holy Spirit of Grace be by me ascribed as is most due and all thy Saints and Servants both in Heaven and in Earth all possible Praise Might Majesty and Dominion both now and for evermore Amen A Prayer in publick with the Family for the Evening HEar us O Lord in the multitude of thy Mercies even in the truth of thy Salvation and let not O let noâ— the loud cry of our sins hinder our Prayers from coming up unto thee or thy Graces and Mercies from coming down upon us but pardon our sins which make us unworthy to appear in thy presence and our services to be accepted by thee and assist us we pray thee with thy holy Spirit which may make us fervent and earnest in our Devotions that so we may obtain our Requests at thy hands in and through Jesus Christ O Eternal and Everliving Lord our God thou art in thy self most glorious and in thy Son most gracious Heaven is thy Throne and that thou fillest with thy Majesty the Earth is but thy Foot-stool and yet that thou fillest with thy Goodness both Heaven and Earth loudly proclaim the exceeding greatness of thy Glory and transcendent Excellencies We thy sinful Creatures who are not worthy to lift up our Eyes unto Heaven for we have sinned against Heaven and before thee are yet bold in the Bowels and Mercies of Jesus Christ to cast our selves down at the Foot-stool of thy Majesty desiring in all humility of Souls and Bodies to acknowledg our own vileness and wretchedness O Lord we brought into the World with us evil and wicked Inclinations and we have since made it our business to improve them into practice As the thoughts and imaginations of our hearts so the very words of our Lips and actions of our Lives have been evil and only evil and that continually Our provocations against thee our God have been very great and hainous and as for their number more than the Sands of the Sea We have lived in an universal disobedience to thy Laws and violated all thy holy Commandments in the keeping of which there is great Reward And this O Lord not only through ignorance and frailty but too many
times knowingly and wilfully against the Motions of thy holy Spirit against the Checks of our own Consciences against those various methods of thy Mercies and thy Judgments which thou hast used to draw us to thy self yea against those many Promises Vows and Resolutions which we have so often made betwixt thee and our own Consciences both in publick and in private of better obedience and amendment of Life And now O Lord what belongeth unto us but shame and confusion of Face And should'st thou abandon and cast us out of thy favour for ever we must needs confess that the Lord our God is Righteous and that we reap but the fruit of our ways but unto thee our God belong Mercies and Forgiveness though we have rebelled against thee Thou hast published thy self to be the Lord Merciful and Gracious slow to Anger and abundant in goodness and in truth A God forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and therefore it is that we yet hope and because we hope we pray Have Mercy therefore upon us O God according to thy loving kindness and according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out all our Transgressions washus throughly from our Iniquities and cleanse us from our Sins for we acknowledg our faults and our sins are ever before us We know O Lord that though our sins are exceeding great and many yet they cannot exceed the multitude of thy Mercies nor the greatness of Christ his Merits O we beseech thee therefore remember thy tender Mercies which have been ever of old and remember the bitter Sufferings of our blessed Redeemer and for the Merits thereof pardon all that is past and become unto us a reconciled Father and own us for thy Children Neither do we desire thee only to forgive unto us our past sins but we pray thee also to sanctifie our Natures to instruct our Understandings that we may know the things that belong to our Peace to regulate our Affections and place them on their right Objects and to dispose and incline our Wills readily to choose and cheerfully to imbrace what relates to thy Glory and our own Eternal Happiness Subdue all our Lusts mortifie all our Corruptions and bring into obedience whatsoever exalteth it self against thy most holy and blessed will that at last we may come to be such as thou wouldest have us and canst delight in Strengthen us O Lord against all the Temptations of the Devil the World and our own corrupt Flesh O Lord thou knowest the Frailties and weaknesses of our Natures and the number and strength of those Temptations we have to struggle with We humbly pray thee leave us not to our selves for then we shall quickly leave thee but assist us with thy Grace perfect thy Strength in our weakness and where thou feest we are either by Nature or Custom Company or Temptation most apt to be drawn aside to sin there do thou more especially magnifie thy power in our preservation Set a watch O Lord before our Mouths and keep the doors of our Lips Turn away our Eyes from beholding Vanity our hearts lest they think on Vanity and our hands lest they at any time act it and quicken thou us in thy way Search us O God and know our hearts O try us and know our thoughts and see what ways of Wickedness there are in us and lead us in the way Everlasting Give us grace to abstain from the very appearance of Evil and to watch and pray that we enter not into Temptation Possess our Souls continually with an holy fear and love of thee our God Make us holy as thou art holy pure as thou art pure and merciful as thou our heavenly Father art Merciful and Crown all thy Graces in us with Patience and Perseverance that notwithstanding all those discouragements and oppositions which we may meet withal here in this sinful World we may go on chearfully and constantly to do and suffer those things which thou requirest of us in order to thy Glory and the Salvation of our precious and immortal Souls O grant that we may not recede from any Christian performance upon the sight of any Obstruction lying in the way but may be willing to resist even unto Blood for the Name and for the sake of Jesus Christ Fit and prepare us O Lord for all Estates and Conditions whatsoever thou in thy Divine Providence hast allotted for us for Adversity as well as prosperity for Sickness as well as health for an Evil as well as a good Report But above all fit and prepare us for the hour of Death and the day of Judgment that so whensoever wheresoever or howsoever it shall please thee to call for us out of this Vale of Tears we may be found prepared for thy coming and may cheerfully and contentedly resign our Souls up into thine hands as into the hands of a faithful Creator But seeing that whilst we are here below we have a continual need of supply of all those outward things for supportance of these Houses of Clay we humbly beseech thee give us such a portion of them as thou knowest may make most for the glory of thy Name and the good of our selves and others Grant that we may seek first thy Kingdom and the Righteousness thereof and then let all those outward things be added unto us in such a measure as thou in thy Divine Wisdom seest best for us and in every condition that it shall please thee to place us give us Grace to be content Take away from us O Lord both the Evil of Sin and the Evil of Punishment O keep thy Servants from presumptuous Sins deliver us from thine Anger from the withdrawing of thy Grace and from Everlasting Damnation and as for all Temporal Afflictions not as we will O Lord but thy holy and blessed will be done in all things only whatsoever thou shalt please to inflict upon us give us patience and contentment under it and then chasten us here O Lord as thou pleasest that we be not condemned with the World With us we humbly beseech thee to be mindful of all thine the World over give thy Enlightning Grace to all that are in darkness Thy Converting Grace to all that are in Sin O be favourable and gracious unto Zion Build thou the Walls of Jerusalem look upon the Tribe of thine own Inheritance and the place where thou hast dwelt Let thy Mercies and Blessings rest upon all people of this Nation from the highest to the lowest more especially bless with thy choicest blessings our Gracious King Charles The Queen and all the Royal Family Bless all our Ministers and Magistrates Grant that they may be Men fearing God and hating Coverousness Charge thy Providence with all our Friends and Relations Let those that are near and dear unto us be near and dear unto thee let their Souls be bound up in the bundle of Life give them all things necessary for their Souls and Bodies guide them here by thy