be a Sun shield unto it and crowne it with al the comforts of Heaven as thou hast promised then seale unto it for ever the sure mercies of David the salvations of the life to come And I beseech thee also to be so loving and mercifull to my longing spirit so tender-hearted and kinde to my trembling heart that I may feele in my conscience the sprinkling of the blood of thy Son for the appeasing of it that my poore soule may sensibly know what great things thou hast done for it and that thou art reconciled unto it for ever in Christ Jesus Above all things fill my heart with the joyfull feeling of thy mercies in the pardon of my sins that so my quieted soule may sweetly sleepe and solace it selfe everlastingly in that peace which passeth all understanding and in the bosome of thy compassions And for the time to come I pray thee to help me more and more to renew increase my repeÌ„tance to better inlarge my obedience and put to thine owne holy hand to strengthen every grace thou hast given me O Lord my God I could never yet get neere that hand hatred over my sins as I have infinitely desired I beseech thee now at length let mee feele thy speciall comfortable power mightily assisting me in this holy businesse The sins of my youth have beene most hatefull execrable and abominable both to God and man nay and I have been guilty of many horrible villanies which have beene only knowne to thy All-seeing eye and mine owne corrupt conscience I pray thee blessed Lord for thy Christ his sake to worke in my heart godly sorrow true loathing sound repentance and humiliation for them all in some good measure answerable and proportionable to their heighnousnesse and excesse Oh grant mee that happinesse that I may look back upon all those fowle pollutions and sinfull vanities of my unregenerate time without either sensuall delight or slavish horror even with a sincere hatred and heavie mourning Let me see them without any despairefull feare being assured they are done away with the blood of thy Son as though they had never been without any secret delight lest I renew and multiply their guilt grievousnes upon my poore soule which they have too fearefully wounded already And Lord I pray thee also put quickning life power and feeling into my heart and affections in the performance of every holy duty which is the very heart and soule of a pleasing sacrifice and service unto thee Increase in me an holy feare reverence respect to all thy Commandements Cause and continue in me a sincere universall and constant obedience unto them all that not from any slavish feare private end or by-respect but for conscience sake a soule-like feare of thee and love of thy glory And if at any time as it is ordinary with Gods children it shall please thee to exercise me with any crosse disgrace slander discouÌ„tenance losse of goods disease of body terror of soule or the like I pray thee ever sweeten sanctifie them unto mee by thy blessing grant that I may ever obediently with all peace of heart patience of spirit submit to thy will wisedome therein being fully assured that to me which am in Christ the sting curse and poyson of them is most certainely pulled out by the Passion of thy Son And resting ever upon thy sweet pretious promises that thou having given me Christ Jesus will never deny me any truly needfull and and comfortable thing while the world stands And that all things even the rage of Satan the malice of men the miseries of this life nay even the sins of my soule in an holy sence by thy blessings shall turne unto my everlasting good Add I pray thee daily more and more strength and life and new degrees unto all these graces which it hath pleased thee in some measure to plant in my soule of thy owne free mercy and for the mediation of thy Son Increase my knowledge in the great mystery of grace my reliance and trust in thee as one most powerfull mercifull and true my hope and patient expectation of thy presence and assistance in all things that are to come my love of thee thy Word thy children and all things that belong unto thee my zeale courage for thy glory and truth good causes and good men feare of thy great name humblenesse and lowlinesse of minde The Spirit and power of Prayer Patience and contentednesse in all troubles and trials c. or what other holy virtue thou hast in great mercy vouchsafed unto me Grant I pray thee and give me grace to imploy and improove them all to the utmost for the best advantage in procuring thee glory good unto thy Church and comfort unto mine owne soule Blesse I pray thee and be mercifull to all creatures and to the whole world Draw if it be thy blessed pleasure Turks Infidels Jewes to the light and acknowledgement of thy saving truth and the salvation of their soules Blesse our King specially and principally and all his Dominions Roote out of them wee pray thee all ignorance profanesse popery pride oppressions and all the workes of the divell Purge we humbly and earnestly beseech thee this Church and Kingdome wherein wee live and that mightily and speedily from all disorders sedition faction corruptions which any way dishonour thy Majesty vex thy children or hinder a free and glorious passage of the Gospell of thy Sonne Blesse the people committed to my charge my owne Family my friends my goods house cattell and all things that any waies belong unto mee Remember I beseech thee with speciall love and tender-heartednesse all thy deare children whersoever they be especially those who desire my prayers for them and have made the troubles of their soules knowne unto me I pray thee for thy Christ his sake let them fare the better for the poore prayers of thy weake and unworthy servant Gratious Lord I praise and magnifie from the ground and bottome of my heart thy glorious name and the sweetnesse of thy mercy for that golden chaine of comfortable providence which thy mercifull hand hath linkt together for my good ever since I was borne Thou gavest mee a most loving and kinde Father a very skillfull and learned Schoole-master worthy and ingenuous education c. Thou preservedst me mightily and almost miraculously from mayming or suddaine death Thou followedst mee bountifully with thy favours at the University and didst infinitely above all hope and expectation raise up variety of meanes from time to time for my maintenance there c. Thou broughtst me at length fairely easily and uncorruptly into this place and pastorall charge I now injoy Thou hast given me out of thine own free immediate mercy a deare and loving Wife incomparably the fittest for me that could have beene found upon the face of the whole earth But above all the comforts which thou hast brought unto my poore soule by my Booke have beene most unspeakeable and glorious Blessed for ever be thy glorious name therefore c. In a word I am verily perswaded there was never wretch upon earth that receiv'd so many mercies favours and comforts from thee and return'd so little thankefullnesse service and obedience unto thee O Lord my God forgive I pray thee the infinite disproportion of thine immeasurable bountifullnesse to me and my most weake imperfect and sinfull obedience service unto thee O forgive it forgive it for Christ Jesus his sake c. FINIS 1 Sam. 13. â—4 Acts 13. â—2 Juxta cor â—â—um q. d. Qui praeceptum divini consiâ—â—â— exequiâ—ur virtute devotionis Greg. Mag. Expos lib. 5. in 1 Reg. Cap. 13. Devotio est pius humilia affectus in DEVM humilis ex conscientia infirmitatis pro priae pius ex consideratione divinae clementiae Aug de Spir. Anima Cap 50. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dixit Arist. Rhet lib. 3 cap. 2. â—lloigne quâ— divinitùs ad Altare venerit deinceps custodito omnia erant accendenda quae in tabernaculo accendi oportebaÌ„t Aug. Quest. Super Levit. lib. 3. â— 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX Oratio pro pauâ—ere Tremel â—un Iâ—te Psalmus in principio vocem Prophetae continet ex persona peccatoris Hier. Quod slenâ—es dicaâ—â—s nos qui pro peccatis 〈◊〉 his verâ—iculis â—doâ—emur Arnob.
thy holy Names sake bury them all in the blessed and bloody wounds of our deare SAVIOVR that they never rise up at the dreadfull day of judgement to give testimony against our soules to our utter confusion Hide them all in the bottomelesse Ocean of thy endlesse mercy that they die out of thy remembrance everlastingly And send we beseech thee into every one of our soules that happy and heavenly assurance of the remission of our sinnes whence springeth joy and contentment most precious and unvaluable infinite more worth then ten thousand worlds LORD wee blesse praise and magnifie thy great and glorious name for all those great mercies benefits and comforts which out of thy immeasurable bounty thou hast plentifully bestowed upon us First and chiefly wee humbly thanke thee for that it hath pleased thee of thy meere favour and love to elect us before the foundation of the world to be heires of thy immortall Kingdome for creating us after thine owne image for redeeming us with the precious blood of thy deare Sonne for calling us into the glorious liberty of thy sons for justifying us for sanctifying us with thy holy Spirit for the joyfull hope of glorification in the world to come Confirme unto us we beseech thee these great and incomparable blessings with the sacred testimony of thy holy Spirit Let thy blessed Spirit tell our spirits that we are thy Elect. Let our sweet Saviour CHRIST JESVS say unto our soules I am your salvation Seale our salvation unto our soules with the pledge seale and earnest of thy holy Spirit Furthermore most gratious Father we humbly thanke thee for that extraordinary and universall blessing vouchsafed this Land by our gracious and religious King it is the greatest that ever the face of this earth enjoyed that ever thou bestowedst on thy dearest children For when wicked men and all the world as thou knowest expected that this Land should have beene clothed with fiery persecutions bloody warres and all manner of calamities as with a garment Thou that sittest in Heaven and laughest the vaine plots and devises and wicked men to scorne against all expectation hast covered it with peace joy plenty prosperity the free passage of thy Gospell as the seas are covered with water Put we pray thee into the heart of every one in this Land a true and continuall thankfullnes a godly and religious resolution to serve thee in holines and righteousnes all the daies of their life And LORD we beseech thee continue that good worke that thou hast begun and let him and his posterity in thy feare and true religion if it be thy blessed pleasure sit upon the throne of this Land so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth Let his Scepter long flourish in his hand and set his crowne fast upō his head O mightily preserve him from all the sonnes of violence and mischiefe Let all those that with forraine invasion attempt the destruction of his person and desolation of this Land become like Iabin and Sisera that perished at Endor like Zeba and Zalmunna that became as the dung of the earth Let all unnaturall practises and home-bred conspiracies perish as the untimely fruit of a woman and never see the Sun Inflame his royall heart with true zeale and love of thy blessed truth and as thou hast enlarged his kingdomes so give him a princely and religious courage to enlarge thy Kingdome and utterly to confound all Heresie Schisme and the kingdome of Antichrist Blesse all his privie Counsellors with wisedome from above that they may put these things into his heart which chiefly concerne thy honour and glory the good of thy Church the safety of his Person and quiet of this Land Blesse with severall graces all inferiour Magistrates that they may all faithfully and religiously discharge the severall places wherein they stand Blesse all his people with religion and loyalty the Ministery with learning zeale and sincerity O LORD go out with his Captaines and men of warre that fight thy battels We thanke thee also deare Father for blessings more particularly concerning us for delivering us from Popery Idolatry and Superstition and illightning our understanding with thy blessed truth Confirme it we beseech thee unto us daily more and more that if need require we may confirme it with our dearest bloods We thanke thee for giving us a taste of the powers of the world to come Crucifie we beseech thee unto us continually the lusts and corruptions of our sinnefull flesh that the graces and comforts of regeneration may daily receive in us strength and perfection We thanke thee for remooving from over our heads those heavie judgements and violls of thy wrath that our crying sins have continually called for from Heaven even all diseases and infirmities of body all terrours and vexations of conscience all civill deaths and torments all shame and confusion even that the earth should have opened his mouth and swallowed us quick the water drowned us the fier consumed us vengeance from Heaven overtaken us thy other creatures devoured us Grant we beseech thee that hereafter by sound and undissembled repentance and by agodly life wee may abandon them and the feare of them for evermore An Evening Prayer VVE thanke thee most mercifull Father for our health wealth food raiment preservation from our cradle to this hower for thy releeving us in all our needs and necessities for comforting us so fatherly in all our tribulations and distresses for sparing us so long a time of repentance and for infinite more blessings which neither our hearts can thinke nor tongues expresse Now one thing deare LORD will we beg at thy hands and that will we crave for evermore that thou wouldst give us grace and power by thy blessed Spirit to direct and dispose all these excellent blessings both eternall and temporall chiefly and principally to the honour of thy great Name to the salvation of our soules and the good of thy Church And to this end roote we beseech thee out of our soules all pride malice envy covetousnesse selfe-love hypocrisie take from us all swearing lying vaine and unprofitable talking al thoughts of Atheisme Infidelity uncleanenesse all the menstruous filthinesse of our abhominable nature And plant we beseech thee and ingraft deepely into our soules the true feare of thy glorious Name true humility true zeale and devotion true sorrow and repentance for all our sinnes true spirituall wisdome and heavenly understanding true hope and charity but above all things a true strong and a lively faith truly to apprehend the death and Passion of our deare Saviour and in particular and effectually to apply it to our sinfull soules LORD make it ever powerfull and invincible but especially in all times of our crosses and afflictions but LORD make it most triumphant and glorious even at the hower of death at our last visitation when the divell shall set before the eyes of our soules the blacke and ougly catalogue of all our sins and when
any time since hee had his being he hath either thought or said or done amisse doe it away deare LORD as though it had never beene and drowne it for ever in the bottomelesse sea of thine owne mercy Thou hast promised by thy Prophet Isa. 44. 22. that thou wilt put away the transgressions of thy people like a cloud and their sins as a mist. Now we pray thee let the inflamed heate of thy everlasting love shed thorow the bloody wounds of thy Son and shining through the Sonne of righteousnesse upon his soule disperse and dissolve into nothing all his iniquities transgressions and sins Thou hast promised by thy Prophet Micah 7. 19. That thou wilt cast them all into the bottome of the Sea Now blessed LORD GOD we pray thee as that mighty host of Pharaoh sunke into the red Sea like a stone so that neither Sonne of man nor Sun of Heaven ever saw their faces any more so let all his sins bee swallowed up for ever in the red sea of CHRIST JESVS his blood that they never show their faces againe to his shame discomfort or confusion Thou hast told us with thine owne mouth that thou inhabitest eternity and dwells in the high and holy place and yet with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to give life to them that are of a contrite heart we humbly intreate thee for CHRIST JESUS his sake that thou wouldest make good this promise to this thy servant to the utmost sweetnesse and comfort thereof O blessed LORD GOD let thy glorious presence shine into his heart with all those sweet refreshings with which thou art wont to fill those happy soules which depart in thy favour and at peace with thee Let the pretious deservings and saving blood-shed of CHRIST JESVS appeare fresh unto the eye of his faith And let the blessed Angell ministring Spirits to thy chosen at thy appointed time carry his soule with peace and comfort into the bosome of thy glory O LORD he is now going the way of all flesh and his habitation is remooving from him like a Shepheards tent Helpe now LORD in this time of need Comfort him wee beseech thee with all the strength of Heaven Thou hast within the rich treasury of thy mercy thine own tender hearted bowells of compassions the unvaluable blood shed of thy deare Sonne the unutterable comforts of thy good Spirit the pretious promises of life and all the joyes of Heaven and he hath a poore soule that hungers and thirsts and longs for thy mercy and favour before all the world O LORD our GOD wee humbly pray thee crown that soule of his with them all Let thine own omnipotent hand encompasse him let the strong arme of the Sonne of GOD mightily protect him from all infernall power let the Spirit of all comfort raise in his heart those heavenly raptures and sweet exultations of spirit which are wont to fill the soules of them which are ready to lay hold upon a crowne of life let thy blessed Angels at thine owne time carry his soule into the bosome of Abraham there to raigne with thee in rest and joy thorow all eternity A Prayer in time of Plague O LORD our GOD remember us wee pray thee in mercy concerning that heavie and sore judgement of the Plague of Pestilence that fearefully walketh in darknesse and wasteth at noone day which thy just wrath hath kindled in the chiefe City of this Kingdome Wee pray thee good Father to blesse us with care and wisedome to meete thee now at first with truly remorsefull and repentant hearts both for our own personall sinnes and the crying abhominations of the times Let us seeke thee with fervency and truth in daies of humiliation and fasting and cry mightily unto thee that so turning al unto thee with unfained repentance and sincere resolution to amend thou maist in mercy heale our Kingdome and turne thine indignation away from us A Prayer in time of Plague MOst gratious GOD sith by thy good providence we are met together at this time solemely to humble our selves and afflict our soules in thy glorious presence and before thy pure eye we humbly beseech thee to give unto every one of us spirituall ability and the saving assistance of thy Holy Spirit that we may all doe it unfainedly fruitfully effectually in the name of JESVS CHRIST O Most mighty and blessed LORD GOD our ever loving Father in JESVS CHRIST We poore wretches thy unworthiest servants do heere humbly prostrate our selves our soules and bodies before thy Throne of grace acknowledging from our hearts that we are the vilest of all Thy Creatures by reason of our manifold and hainous sins we are defiled and polluted in every power and part both of body and soule to the very heart roote and from the beginning of our being we laid at first a bloudy foundation with Adam in Paradise which utterly undid all mankinde and had our hands in that horrible rebellion which brought all mischiefs and miseries all sinne and sorrow upon all the sonnes and daughters of Adam from the Creation to the end of the world yea and all those Hellish woes and tortures which shall lie upon damned soules everlastingly O LORD strike our hearts with remorse for This sin of which we take so little notice that we may bee humbled for it all the daies of our life Wee came into this world very sinkes of all impurity concupiscence and filth we brought with us understandings starke blinde in all heavenly things wills stubborne froward rebellious to every good word and worke Memory sinfull and defiled hard and stony hearts raging and bedlam passions earthly and sensuall thoughts and imaginations dead and guilty consciences eyes full of Adultery wantonnesse and wandrings eare open to all rotten and ribald talke tongues set on fire by hell hands full of iniquity feete ready to carry us to all manner of villany and vanity even bodies and soules ingrafted into the cursed communion of the Divell and wicked spirits by reason of that originall corruption and crookednesse which we drew from the loines of our sinfull Parents And this hereditary masse of naturall filth lurkt in our natures like venome and poison which made us odious and abominable in thy sight before wee were able to sin when wee had power to serve the Divell it broke out upon us into as many fearefull transgressions and abominable lusts as could possibly proceed from so empoysoned a fountaine And since that time good Lord thou knowest we have borne our selves like Traytors and rebells against thy holy Majesty we have actually transgrest all thy blessed Lawes and Commandements every manner of way in thought word and deed fearefully wounding our consciences greeving thy good spirit and treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath O Lord wee have grievously sinned against Thee by contempt of thy Word The crying sinne of this place by Atheisme ignorance profanenesse
incomparable Jewel that ever this world had or sons of men enjoyed the Ministery of the Word and meanes of salvation the discovery of the mystery of CHRIST and revelation of all thy blessed counsells By the power whereof so many amongst us as have truly tasted how gratious and glorious thou art in CHRIST doe blesse magnifie and admire the bottomelesse depth and infinite height of thy free grace for our happy conversion from Satan to the living GOD for our change from nature to grace a greater and more glorious work then the Creation of the world wherein thou hast improved thine owne infinite mercie the unvaluable merit of thy Sonne and the mighty worke of the HOLY GHOST to make us of limbs of the divell members of CHRIST O blessed be that happy time that ever we were so new borne Wee thanke thee for pardoning all our sins the least of which would have damned us everlastingly for renewing upon our soules the blessed image of the LORD JESVS the least glimpse whereof is infinitely more worth then the whole world We thank thee for the LORD JESVS and every drop of his pretious blood and all other sweetnesse wee finde in him for thy good Spirit and his gratious presence and residence in our soules for thy blessed selfe and all the sweete Communion we have with thy holy Majesty for the prayers of thy children Communion of Saints and the Intercession of JESVS CHRIST We thanke thee heartily for any power or conquest thou givest us at any time over our sins for all our ability to doe thee any service in any part or kinde of thy worship for all those afflictions and temptations which thou hast sanctified for our spirituall good for all the sweete and heavenly dewes of spirituall joy which thou hast at any time shed into any of our hearts from the throne of grace by the influence of thy holy Spirit Blessed GOD wee thanke thee infinitely for those glorious mansions of rest for our everlasting blessings and peace purchased for us with the blood of CHRIST for every moment of eternity in the highest Heavens where wee shall fully and for ever enjoy pleasures without end and past imagination O blessed Joyes O blessed Eternity O ever-blessed GOD Furthermore gratious Father wee heartily praise thee for all those publique favours and blessings which in great mercy thou hast from time to time vouchsafed unto this Kingdome wherein we have had a large and comfortable part We thanke thee good Father for the happy deliverance of this Kingdome from the fiery and bloudy times of Queene Mary for raising up Queene Elizabeth who raised Religion as it were by a miracle from the dead for all her miraculous deliverances from the cruell conspiracies of the bloody Papists especially that in 88. For all her blessed daies wherein so many Holy Saints were sent to Heaven We thanke thee mercifull GOD for delivering us from the rage and bloud of that day so long looked for by the Papists at Queene Elizabeths death for the quiet and happy succession of King Iames of blessed memory and all the peace and prosperity and freedome from Popery and the destroying sword especially the Powder-plot We thanke thee Father most heartily for the gratious setling of King CHARLES in the Royall Throne for his life and safety and the happy daies we enjoy under his blessed raigne and that thou hast put into his royall heart to give us this blessed liberty and glorious opportunity thus to humble our selves and afflict our soules in publique before thy glorious Majesty We humbly intreate thee in the name of CHRIST let every one of us receive at thy bountifull hands grace and power to doe it unfainedly effectually and savingly For that purpose let thy blessings fall abundantly from Heaven upon every soule here present by the Ministery of thy Word settle fast we pray thee by the finger of thy Holy Spirit in our memories judgement affections hearts and consciences all those points of Holy Truth with which wee have beene acquainted with this day that by thy mercifull blessing they may prove thy arme and power to every one of us for our salvation for the conversion of those who are yet uncalled and the setting forward of those that are already thine in the waies of life all holy conversation and neerer communion with thy blessed Majesty At last we cannot but reflect with compassionare hearts upon the grievous miseries and bleeding sorrowes of all our brethren and sisters afflicted with the plague of Pestilence Thou art a pitifull GOD full of tendernesse meltings and compassions thou art the Father of mercies and GOD of all comforts now we humbly intreate thee for thy deare Sonnes sake for thy infinite mercies sake for thy holy names sake of all thy loves unto the LORD JESVS and that with all the earnestnesse and fervency our poore dull hearts can possibly that thou wouldest bee pleased to cast downe thy compassionate eye upon them all stay the hand of thy destroying Angell spare them good LORD destroy not the people of thine inheritance put up we pray thee thy arrowes into thy quiver and thy sword into the sheath now at the joynt supplications of all thy deare children who are in this Kingdome who are even now wrastling with thee with all fervency of spirit let our poore prayers and all theirs even now meeting at the throne of grace bee mightily strengthened and tendered unto thee by the intercession of the LORD JESVS and pull downe speedily upon us this mercy and gratious deliverance that we may praise thee for evermore Lastly blessed LORD we humbly beseech thee to pardon in mercy all those corruptions infirmities faylings defects and imperfections which have beene mingled with these holy duties sprinkle all our services sacrifices and persons with the blood of that immaculate Lambe JESVS CHRIST the holy and the Righteous accept them and us gratiously in him in whom thou art well pleased in whom thy soule doth infinitely delight And so good Father we put our selves under the wings of thy gratious providence for our safety and preservation and our soules into the hands of the Holy Ghost for our further Sanctification and finall salvation in the name of JESVS CHRIST to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost even to thee holiest Father to thee dearest Saviour to thee sweetest Spirit be ascribed eternity infinitenesse and everlastingnesse of glory and praise world without end The Authors private Prayer O My good and mercifull LORD GOD most holy and deare Father in JESVS CHRIST I the vilest of all thy creatures and the worst that ever thou madest by reason of mine owne horrible sins doe here come unto thee upon the bended knees of my bleeding soule to intreate thee and beg at thy hands with all the instancy and fervency my poore dull cold heart can possibly for pardon grace and mercy for favour compassion and abundant forgivenesse O LORD my GOD thou knowest me full well and
direct we beseech thee and sanctifie all our courses that for a few and evill daies in this vale of teares wee may so store our selves with spirituall comfort with a sound heart with a strong faith and a good conscience that we may stand firme and sure at the day of our visitation and when upon our deaths bed we shall bee set upon by the weakenesse of our owne flesh the terrors of death the fearefullnes of the grave and the firiest darts of Satan we may comfortably passe thorow them all in the name and power of thy Son and be receiv'd with joyfulnes triumph into those sacred mansions which he hath already made ready in Heaven for all those that truly love and feare thee In his blessed name we powre out our soules in thankfullnesse for all those many blessings and comforts which thou hast vouchsafed us both upon our soules and bodies both for this life and a better For our health wealth and liberty our peace plenty and prosperity our food apparell and preservation from our infancy to this very hower and for all the good meanes of all these For the free passage of thy glorious Gospell now so many yeares amongst us But amongst all other temporall blessings of our times let us never forget nor we nor all our posterity for ever how it pleased thee in our daies miraculously to magnifie the glory of thy mercy in our wonderfull deliverance from the most secret bloody and fiery plot of the Gun-powder Treason that great astonishment of men and Angels All these outward comforts both publicke and particular are excellent and pretious yet they are such as wee have common with the reprobates and those that shall never see thy face with comfort but after a short time spent in the miserable pleasures of this vaine world shall bee turn'd to hell and everlasting fire Wee therefore more especially magnifie thy great name for the more speciall pledges and tokens of thy infinite love for that it hath pleased thee to confirme and seale unto us by our effectuall calling and the earnest of thy good Spirit our Election to eternall life from all eternity our particular Redemption from the powers of hell by the death of thy Sonne and an undoubted assurance of the joyes of Heaven in the world to come Increase in us good LORD wee beseech thee daily more and more this blessed assurance which we infinitely esteeme more deare then tenne thousand worlds by making us to grow in repentance and faith and spirituall wisedome and framing us to the obedience of thy Sonne in all knowledge love and obedience Furthermore gracious Father wee humbly intreate thee with the bowels of thy tenderest compassions to be mercifull unto thy whole Church and every member thereof Fence it mightily wee pray thee with the Spirit of truth knowledge and zeale and constancy that in these worst and last daies it may make a strong resistance against the great maine floods of Popery Schisme profanesse and Atheisme Be gracious unto this sinnefull Kingdome and enter not into judgement with the horrible and crying sinnes and the many fearefull provocations thereof In the same looke downe with the speciall eye of providence and protection upon our dread Soveraigne JAMES by thy grace King of great Brittaine France and Ireland Defender of the truly Catholike faith and in all causes and over all persons next and immediatly under thy Sonne CHRIST JESVS in all his Dominions supreme Governour O LORD as thou hast enlarg'd his royall heart even as the sand which is on the sea-shore for understanding learning and wisedome so wee beseech thee to continue unto him a proportionable measure of holinesse zeale and sanctification for the execution of that great place wherin thou hast set him and the enlargement of thy Kingdome here on earth Settle his crowne fast upon his head that he may long and religiously raigne over us in despight of all his enemies both at home and abroad Vouchsafe all the graces of thy good Spirit unto his gracious Queene Plant the true feare of thy great Name in the Princely heart of his Sonne and let thy watchfull providence and thy loving mercies for ever rest upon all that royall family Inspire his Honourable Privie Counsell his Nobility Gentry and Magistracy with spirituall wisedome and heavenly understanding Leade them all into thy Sanctuary and teach them out of thy holy Word first and chiefly those things which concerne thy honour and glory the good of the people which depend upon them and lastly the comfort of their own soules at the dreadfull day of judgement when they shall give an account of their stewardships Enrich we pray thee with thy best graces all the Reverend Bishops and Ministers of this Land Endew them plentifully with knowledge zeale sincerity and discretion that by their faithfullnesse and conscionable discharge of their duties the many multitudes in this Land that lie in darknesse ignorance profanesse Popery and Schisme may be brought to the knowledge of thy truth into a holy obedience to thy heavenly Gospell to their owne everlasting salvation Blesse and be mercifull to both our Universities Oxford and Cambridge Comfort all thy distressed children wheresoever or howsoever afflicted whither with Pestilence Warre Famine banishment sicknesse poverty imprisonment disquietnesse of minde vexation of conscience want of spirituall comfort or what other crosse or calamity soever it pleaseth thee to exercise them with Give them in the meane time a sure faith in thy promises and inward comfort in thy blessed Spirit and in thy good time a happy deliverance whither by life or death as it shall be best for thy glory and the good of their owne soules Lastly gracious Father for this sacred businesse wee have now in hand wee humbly beseech thee to blesse and sanctifie unto us at this time the preaching and hearing of thy holy Word it is the ordinance of thy owne infinite wisedome it is the glorious instrument which thou hast appointed for the conversion and salvation of the soules of men But unto us miserable wretches it hath beene many times thorow the barrennesse of our hearts the secret and deceitfull corruptions of our nature much sleepinesse and drowsinesse but as water spilt on the ground and even the breath of thy Ministers scattered in the aire Forgive us deare Father all our former untowardnesse irreverence and unprofitablenes in these holy exercises and now at length before we goe downe into our graves into black and cruell habitations from whence we must never returne to praise thee upon earth let us feele thy divine finger working in us effectually at the preaching of thy Word Let us have the sence of thine Omnipotency in conquering our corruptions and temptations that we being thorowly sanctified both in our soules and bodies forsaking all our knowne sinnes and labouring with sincerity to please thee in all things may have our fruit in holinesse and the end everlasting life Heare us c. A Morning
Prayer for a Familie O LORD our GOD we pray thee bee mercifull unto us stirre up we beseech thee our dull hearts out of a true sence of our sinnes and miseries and a lively faith in CHRIST JESVS and his pretious deservings to lift up our soules in prayers and praises unto thee O LORD how are we bound to magnifie thy great Name for all the loving kindnesse and great mercies vouchsafed us for preserving us this night past from the ills and dangers which no doubt have befallen many of our brethren as good by nature as our selves for refreshing our fraile bodies with quiet rest and sleepe and bringing us in health in strength and vigour of body to see the light of this day for that it hath pleased thee to reveale unto us the mysteries of godlinesse and some measure of saving truth which thou hast hid from many thousands of the greatest and wisest of the world For that thou hast preserv'd us from many fearefull transgressions and excesses of iniquity to which our corrupt nature would otherwise have led us For giving us the being of reasonable creatures and being borne in this blessed time and part of the world when and where thy glorious Gospell is on foot for the continuance of our health and strength of body for the usefullnesse and vigour of the powers of our soules and sences of which for abusing them we have deserv'd ere this to have beene fearefully deprived For our ingenuous and godly education for our Christian company and good counsell we have many times by thy mercies enjoyed For thy Word and Sacraments the glorious meanes of our conversion and continuance in grace For many gracious mercies by which thou hast laboured gently and fairely to draw us unto thee For those judgements which thou hast sent to humble us and to bring us to repentance For the inlarging of our time for storing our selves with Grace and comfort against the day of our visitation For our freedome from many miseries crosses and vexations which befall other our brethren better then our selves For that it hath pleased thee by thine everlasting decree out of thine owne boundlesse goodnesse and blessed pleasure to save us from many thousand others which perish everlastingly and to make us heires of endlesse happinesse as we are verily perswaded in the world to come For preventing and following us with thy saving graces O LORD we pray thee to open our eyes daily more and more to see and acknowledge these thy great and undeserved mercies upon us and to enlarge our hearts sincerely and feelingly to magnifie thy great Name for the same And as wee humbly intreate thee upon the knees of our soules for pardon and remission of all other sinnes so especially for our monstrous and harefull ingratitude for thy great and many mercies towards us most wicked and sinfull creatures We are ashamed and confounded that so much favour and mercy and long forbearance should bee extended to such rebellious and carnall wretches as we are For besides that naturall pollution we drew from the loines of our sinnefull parents wee have heapt up a great measure of actuall sinnes since we had the use and exercise of reason and power and ability to sinne O LORD our GOD wee humbly beseech thee to give us a full sight of them all and a true sence of thy great wrath indignation against them Let us have remorse and compunction in our hearts and consciences for them all in our affections a perfect hate and detestation of the least corruptions and infirmities And bee thou pleas'd gracious Father thorowly to purge and wash our soules with the precious blood of thy deare Sonne deliver us quite wee beseech thee from the guilt horrour and damnation due unto them And grant that hereafter wee may walke conscionably and carefully in all our waies that we suffer no more our poore soules to bee stained with these foule pollutions we have formerly delighted in Wee confesse and acknowledge to our shame and confusion that wee have many times vowed betwixt thee and our owne soules that wee would watch more carefully over our owne hearts least they should breed and nourish profane idle and wandering thoughts and imaginations over ourtalke least wee should offend with our tongue that wee would be more zealous and faithfull in the duties of our calling in sanctifying thy Sabbaths receiving thy Sacraments hearing thy Word in Christian conference company meditation and all other holy duties but alas all these good purposes have beene but as the morning dew we have even in short time broken our vowes growne cold againe dull and formall to the much greefe of thy good Spirit and discomfort of our owne soules Now LORD wee pray thee deale mercifully with us in this point forgive our many frailties and infirmities herein and at length thorowly sanctifie us draw our affections from the false glory and sinfull pleasures of this vaine world and fasten them there where true sound and lasting comfort is to be enjoyed Give us wise and understanding hearts that we may see and perceive those things that belong to thy glory and the salvation of our own soules and sanctified wills and holy affections to follow and pursue them with all earnestnesse zeale and fervency of spirit Let us even this day get some ground against Satan and forwardnesse in the course of Sanctification Let us store our selves with some new godly purposes and holy resolutions to doe thy will and keepe thy righteous commandements Fill our hearts daily more and more with all saving graces and the virtues of CHRIST JESVS Cause us perpetually to keepe in minde and consider that we are but as pilgrims and strangers here in this world that wee must shortly depart hence and never returne againe but presently come to judgement and receive an everlasting reward according to our workes Weaken wee beseech thee daily more and more the power of sinne in us let us feele it decay and loose its hold and haunt in us and strengthen in us the power of grace the new man and all spirituall comforts Neither pray wee for our selves onely but for all thy deare children fellow heires with us of everlasting happinesse in what part of the world soever they be LORD we pray thee to be continually present with them with all thy comforts and mercies let thy good Spirit leade them into all truth let the wings of thy providence and protection stretch over them all And such as yet lie in profanesse and under the shadow of death hasten their conversion reveale unto them the glorious comforts of grace and let the powers of darknesse hold them no longer LORD be mercifull unto this sinnefull Kingdome wherein we live and enter not into judgement with the horrible rebellions and fearefull abominations thereof Stay the rage of prophanesse that fearefully overflowes in all places to thy great dishonour and griefe of thy children Stop the crying sinnes of the time and recover thine
owne glory out of the hands of thy creatures whosoever they be Glorifie thine owne selfe and refresh and cheere up thy children Prosper thy Gospell amongst us grant it a free and comfortable passage send it where it is not keepe and prosper it where it is let thy blessings ever follow it and thy mighty power uphold it Oppose thy selfe against them that oppose against it and let them know that it is thine owne glory that is in hand and that they set themselves against the mighty GOD of Heaven and Earth Disburden thy Church wee pray thee of all ignorant factious and scandalous Ministers and plant in their roomes men of care and conscience sensible of the great charge they have undertaken truly fearing thee and holding it their greatest comfort in this world to save the soules of men Blesse we pray thee our Prince and people Magistrates and Ministers all degrees and estates from the highest to the lowest Sanctifie and furnish every one of them with all needfull graces fit both for the faithfull discharge of those particular places wherein thou hast set them and that they may doe thee the best and utmost service they can possibly Direct and guide with the Spirit of wisedome all his Counsellors that they may chiefly and principally advise those things which may make for the advancement of thy glory and comfort of thy children Be mercifull to all Christian Families to this familie here present continue thy grace and mercy upon it and let thy loving kindnesse and comforts of salvation never depart from it Remember in mercy and love all mourners in Sion Comfort all those that are any waies afflicted binde up the broken and contrite heart with thy sweetest comforts Give strength and life of grace to those that are babes in CHRIST recover those that are fallen preserve those that stand uphold those that are declining continue all in their first love c. and increase in every one of them daily more and more christian resolution zeale and forwardnesse that they may glorifie thee in all their courses farre more then ever they have done heretofore Lastly we pray thee be mercifull to all those whom thou hast made in more speciall manner the instruments of thy goodnesse and favour unto us all that thou hast bound unto us with any bond of nature of friendship or any way made deare unto us Those who remember us in their prayers or commend themselves to our most unworthy supplications LORD we pray thee bee mercifull unto them let the light of thy countenance shine upon them put Religion thy feare and love every day more and more into their hearts and soules and let the comforts of godlinesse ever rest upon them And grant that wee may all with one minde heart and soule love feare reverence and glorifie thy great Name that so after a few daies spent religiously in this vaine and wretched world wee may live and raigne with thee everlastingly in the glorious and endlesse pleasures of the life to come Heare us c. Another Morning Prayer O LORD we beseech thee gratiously to accept this our Morning sacrifice of prayers and thankes-giving that we poore wretches offer unto thee the GOD of all glory and Majesty LORD take from us all dullnesse of heart all wicked and wandring thoughts put into our soules the spirit of prayer with affection zeale and fervency that wee may rightly and reverently call upon thy great and glorious Name O Eternall GOD most mighty and most fearefull which dwellest in the highest Heavens and with thy wise providence directest all things â—o an excellent end Thou which art to the wicked and rebellious wretches a terrible Judge and consuming fire but to the humble and repentant sinners a strong tower of defence and their everlasting reward We the unworthiest of all thy creatures though the most noble by Creation for they in their kindes and severall conditions doe thee honour and service but wee whom thou hast plac'd in this world for a more excellent glorifying of thee have not onely made our selves more vile then the basest creatures and more sencelesse in thy service then the beasts that perish but have even conspir'd with Hell Satan and all the powers of darknesse to blaspheme and dishonour thy great Name to profane thy Sabbaths to breake all thy holy Lawes and Commandements Wee O LORD thus wretched and unworthy are here ashamed and confounded in thy presence for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasses are growen up unto the heaven and so grievous are they that if thou shouldest require but the least of them at our hands Satan would chalenge us for his and we should never see thy face againe nor the Heavens nor the Earth nor all the goodnesse which thou hast prepared for man The thoughts of our hearts rise up in judgement against us for whereas they should be meditating of thy mercies and goodnesse of honouring thee in our vocations whereas they should be knit fast unto thy blessed Word O LORD they are for the most part idle wicked entising and full of the corruption of our raging concupiscence The vanity of our talke condemneth us for whereas our words should be spent in defending thy honour and truth in reprehending the horrible sinnes of those amongst whom wee live in giving grace to those that heare us they are for the most part full of profanesse worldlinesse and lying The wickednesse of our deeds cry continually for vengeance and curses upon us for besides our many and grosse sins even our best actions are fearefully infected with privy pride and hypocrisie whereas they should wholy and principally bee directed to thy honour and glory they are fouly stained and corrupted with by-respects of credit pleasure or profit In hearing thy blessed Word which wee should count the very crowne and garland of all our delights we feele in our selves great want of due preparation reverent attention meditation and practise In our prayers that inestimable comfort of a regenerate soule wee are grievously vexed with dullnesse wearinesse and by-thoughts In all other good duties of obedience to thy holy Commandements we want that courage zeale and spirituall wisdome which those excellent mercies thou hast vouchsafed us require at our hands O LORD for thy great mercies sake forgive us these great sinnes When we looke upon the vilenesse of our soules by reason of these many transgressions we see nothing before our eyes but thy heavy wrath and everlasting curse the torments of hell and endlesse confusion but yet herein standeth our comfort wee know that to them which truly thirst after thy kingdome which is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the HOLY GHOST which faithfully desire to serve thee in sincerity though they bee encompassed with many weakenesses Thou art a Father of infinite mercies and everlasting compassions and wilt passe by many infirmities of thy deare children Wee humbly therefore beseech thee most gracious Father to bury all our
unbeliefe distrust of thy providence carnall security pride hypocrisie By fearelissnesse and forgetfullnesse of thy great Majesty Love of this world and putting from us the evill day by impatiency discontent inward Idolatry in preferring some Creature before the mighty LORD of Heaven and Earth By the grosse neglect or wicked abuse of all the parts and kinde of thy Divine Worship Pretious and powerfull are those heavenly Ordâ—nances of thine Thy Word preached or read prayer meditation conference vowes fasting use of good bookes good company and the like some of those have been utterly neglected by us others quite mard by formality and sloth We have highly dishonoured thy Majesty by taking thy great name in vaine in want of due esteeme and an holy use of thy Titles Attributes Ordinances Creatures Workes of justice and mercy abroad in the world We have fearefully polluted thy Sabboths and profaned all thy Ordinances upon those blessed daies And as we have thus wickedly neglected thy Worship and Service in the first place so wee have beene justly given over to beare our selves wretchedly and unworthily towards our brethren we have behaved our selves unthankfully to our Superiours proudly to our Equals unmercifully to our Inferiours Though it may bee we have kept our hand from the grosse act of murder yet LORD thou know'st our tongues have beene swords and our hearts full of blood We have beene defiled with all manner of abominable lusts in our inward parts Our noble spirits that can never die have been basely chained downe to the earth and kept in a wicked and dunghill slavery and bondage to the world and worldly things In our tongues we have beene guilty of a world of wickednesse But above all our hearts have beene restlesse fountaines of all ill innumerable litters and swarmes of vaine vile filthy Thoughts affections and desires have continually bred in them very thorough-faires have they beene for Satans impure suggestions to walke up and downe in in regard of malicious thoughts very slaughter-houses in regard of uncleane lusts very stewes and brothel-houses in regard of the heate of boyling concupiscence very hot-houses and as the Prophet Hos. 7. 4. speakes like a bakers Oven And LORD our GOD these are but the heads of our sins The branches streames and particulars are infinite able to sinke us into the bottome of ten thousand hells And that which makes our sinnes a great deale more sinfull wee have wretchedly and stubbornely committed them against many meanes of sanctification against the ministery of thy Word against many Sermons and gratious invitations against the motions of thy Spirit the checks of our conscience the light of our knowledge against our vowes and promises Thy many fatherly corrections great mercies and miraculous patience Good LORD wee beseech thee to open our eyes that wee may see the length and breadth the height and depth of this our wofull misery The least of all our sins without repentance may justly bring upon us all manner of plagues and judgements in this world dispaire and horror upon our beds of death and everlasting misery and torment in the world to come What height of horror then and depth of hell doe all our fearefull pollutions and provocations all our life long deserve at thine hands Now good LORD our GOD helpe us and for the blood of CHRIST give unto every one of us before thee this day true and saving repentance unfained godly sorrow for them all Let them all now come into our mindes and be represented to the eye of our conscience as so many fiery Scorpions out of which except we take as it were the stings by turning from them while it is called to day they will sting hereafter with everlasting horrour Let us looke upon them as upon so many foule feinds sin made the glorious Angels damned spirits how foule then doe they make us who are sons and daughters of Adam Let us behold them as so many foule and bloody instruments of CHRIST his death and cruell cut-throats to our owne soules c. Let us cast our eye also upon thy pure eye and infinite indignation against sin by considering how in thy fierce wrath thou threwest downe so many glorious Creatures from Heaven How thou cast Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit out of Paradise drownedst the whole world Cursedst Sodome and Gomorrah as it were with hellish flame upon earth into ashes cast off thine owne people who had beene so deare unto thee puts sometimes a guilty enraged conscience even into an hell above ground and hast created and provided the never dying worme and unquenchable fire even all the torments in hell for impenitent sinners O LORD let these considerations of the foulenesse of our sinnes and the fearefullnesse of the curse due thereunto but above all the beholding of JESVS CHRIST dying and bleeding upon the crosse make every one of our hearts to breake and burst and bleede within us for them all That wee may heartily and abundantly mourne over him whom wee have pierced with them And then most mercifull Father we humbly beseech thee be graciously pleased to open upon us the blessed fountaine for sin and for uncleanenesse even the blood of that Immaculate Lambe JESVS CHRIST the holy and the Righteous Breake thine own sweete Name which is to forgive iniquity transgression and sin as a sweete perfume upon our broken hearts and let our poore soules cast themselves for ever with a lively and fruitfull faith into the armes of JESVS CHRIST for everlasting safety and for ever cleave to all the promises in thy blessed Booke as to the surest Rocke and let the soundnesse of the Truth of this our cleaving unto Christ be hereafter testified and manifested by an hearty abandoning of all sin by all the workes of piety justice mercy and truth by a sincere respect to all thy Commandements by a fruitfull partaking of all thy Holy Ordinances by a spirituall performance of all Christian Duties by a constant growing in all heavenly graces and comfortable going on in the path that is called Holy unto our dying Day And LORD our GOD we being thus sincerely humbled truly comforted and reconciled unto thee in the face of Christ we humbly beseech thee to enable us by thy might to cry mightily unto thee for pardon and reformation of the sins of this Kingdome which are many and hainous and have provoked thee many a yeare and to prevaile with Thee in Christs Name for favour and mercy upon all our deare brethren and sisters that are now groaning under thy visiting hand Good LORD wee beseech thee upon this occasion and blessed opportunity strike through the heart of every one in this land with a true remorse and godly sorrow both for his owne personall sins and all the crying abominations of the time That so we all turning unto thee with unfained repentance and sincere resolution to amend thou mayest in mercy command thine Angell to cease from striking heale our land and