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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
rest_n	day_n	eternal_a	sabbath_n	2,775	5	9.2182	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30305	The poor man's help and young mans guide containing I. Doctrinal instructions for the right informing of his judgment, II. Practical directions for the general course of his life, III. Particular advices for the well-managing of every day : with reference to his [brace] 1. Natural actions, 2. Civil imployments, 3. Necessary recreations, 4. Religious duties : particularly I. Prayer [brace] publick in the congregation, private in the family, secret in the closet, II. Reading the Holy Scriptures, III. Hearing of the Word preached, IV. Receiving of the Lord's Supper : unto which is added an earnest exhortation unto all Christians to the love and practice of universal holiness / by William Burkitt ...	Burkitt, William, 1650-1703.	1694 (1694)	Wing B5738; ESTC R34773	72,112	85

and Service In a humble sense of our unworthiness in a chearful compliance with our Duty and in a thankful Acknowledgment of our Priviledge we desire to go forth this day to worship at they Footstool and to pay our Vows in the great Congregation God Almighty pardon to us all the Errours of our Life past and suffer them not to stand this day as a partition-wall betwixt thy Majesty and our Souls to hinder either the Ascent of our Prayers up to God or the descent of thy Grace and Mercy upon Us. Help us seriously to consider now our faces are towards thy House whose Word it is we are going forth to hear whose work it is we are about and unto whom we must all render a strict and for ought we know a very suddain Account for all Opportunities and seasons of Grace we are entrusted with Let us hear that Word of thine which shall be either read or preached this 〈…〉 deemer not worth rememembring by us Or if we have not wholly neglected that Sacred Ordinance we have not so grown in the Graces and Comforts of thy Holy Spirit by it as we might have done Forgive unto us the Sins of this Day more especially Pardon to us the Iniquities of our Holy Things our unpreparedness for our backwardness to our deadness and dullness in the Performance of those high and Holy Duties we have this Day been Engaging in let our Persons and Performances find a gracious Acceptance with thee in and through our worthy Mediator for his sake receive us and ours into thy Protection this Night may we lie down in thy fear arise in thy favour and our Rest be made refreshing to us and we thereby the better enabled to serve thee in our several Vocations and Callings the Day that is approaching Extend thy Compassions to the whole World pity the deplorable Ruines of Mankind send forth the Light of thy Gospel into the dark Corners of the Earth that perish for want of Vision Especially remember thy Church wheresoever dispersed or however distressed be a perpetual Protection and Defence to ●hat part of thy Church which thine own right hand has planted and hitherto so miraculously preserved in these Nations to which we belong We thank Thee for all the wonderful Appearances of thy Power and Goodness towards us and we beg of God to establish us upon such Foundations of Righteousness and Peace that it may never more be in the Power of our restless Adversaries to disturb us God Almighty guide and guard Bless and Protect thine Anointed Servants our Sovereign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary let their Days on Earth be like the Days of Heaven many and happy and after a long and a religious Reign upon a peaceable and unmolested Throne may God Crown them with the Rewards of a Glorious and Blessed Immortality Bless them and us in all their Royal Relations with all the Nobility the Judges Magistrates Gentry and Commonalty of this Land and Grant them all Wisdom and Grace to Fear God to Honour the King and Love one another But for the sake of all Bless all those that Administer unto thee in Holy Things and let all the Governours and Pastors of thy Church further the Edification of it by Soundness of Doctrine and Holiness of Life but especially Bless the Ministry of thy Servant in this Town and make it successful for the Conversion Edification and Salvation of all that sit under it Remember all the Sons and Daughters of Sorrow and Affliction and dispence thy Mercies suitably to their various Necessities Do good to all our friends Relations and Acquaintance Pardon and Forgive our Enemies and do more abundantly for us ours and all thine above what we are able to ask or worthy to receive for Christs sake in whose Name and Words we farther call upon thee Our Father c. An HYMN or Psalm of Praise for the Lords-day THis is the Day the Lords own Day A Day of Holy Rest Oh Teach our Souls to Rest from Sin That Rest will please thee best This is the Day thy Day Oh Lord On which thou didst Arise For Sinners having made thy self A Sinless Sacrifice Thou Thou alone Redeemed hast Our Souls from deadly Thrall With no less Price than precious Blood The Purchase of us all Hadst thou not dy'd we had not liv'd But dy'd Eternally We 'll live to him that dy'd for us And Paise his Name on high Thou Dy'dst indeed but Rose again And didst Ascend on high That we poor Sinners lost and dead Might live Eternally Thy Blood was shed instead of ours Thy Soul our Guilt did bear Thou took'st our sins gave us thy self Thy Love 's beyond compare Welcome and Dear unto my Soul Is thy most Holy Day But what a Sabbath shall I keep With thee my God for aye I Come I Wait I Hear I Pray Thy Footsteps Lord I trace I joy to think this is the way To see my Saviour's Face These are my preparation-Preparation-Days And when my Soul is Drest These Sabbaths shall deliver me To mine Eternal Rest CHAP. IX Of Glorifying God in Family Worship MAn's cheif Prerogative and Dignity which he hath to Glory of is this that he is the only Creature in the Visible World made to Worship and Enjoy his great Creator All the Creatures are Servants but Man is only a Priest to God they obey their Maker he only Worships him This Worship under the Law was Limitted to a particular place to wit The Tabernacle and the Temple the Tabernacle was an Ambulatory Temple and the Temple was a standing Tabernacle Into which they were of old required to repair and where Almighty God Promised to accept them But under the Gospel Almighty God has declared that it is his Will that Men pray every where lifting up pure hands without Wrath and Doubting So then a Christians private House is his Chappel of Ease in which Almighty God allows him the liberty and enjoyns him the Duty of Worshipping with his Houshold And accordingly we find that Religious Housholders have in all Ages Constantly and Conscientiously performed this Duty Devout Cornelius his Family Religion stands upon Record Acts 10.2 He feared God with all his House that is he Revere'd and Worshipt him It is added that he gave much Alms to the People and prayed to God always Surely he that was so Charitable at his door to refresh the pinched Bowels of his poor Neighbours could not be so cruel to his Relations Souls within his House as to Lock up his Religion in a Closet from them To Convince you of the Equity and Reasonableness of this Duty of Worshipping God daily in and with your Families Consider 1. The Right which Almighty God has to your Family-worship by vertue of that Relation which he stands in to your Families He is the Founder of your Families the continual Preserver of them and a daily Benefactor to them the very Being of your Families as such is from the

thy self tho' never so deserving that 's Vain-glory but Value more a good Conscience than a good Commendation 7. Speak not in high Commendation of any Man to his Face nor Censure any Man behind his back but if thou knowest any thing good of him tell it unto others if any thing ill tell it privately and prudently to himself 8. Speak not well of thy self tho' others do so and yet give no Occasion to others to speak otherwise than well of thee Neither speak thine own Praises nor greedily hear them but when any thing relates to thy own Commendation Watch against the Vanity of Self-Applauding 9. Speak not Censoriously of thy Betters nor Scornfully of thy Inferiors nor Boastingly of thy Self 10. Speak always Truth especially when called forth to speak it and abhor Lying as you abhor the Devil who is the Father of Lyes and the Tormenter of Lyars 11. Sware not falsely before a Magistrate for this is an Appeal to God as your Judge and an Engagement of God to be your Avenger Therefore whenever you take an Oath look that the Cause of it be necessary and weighty the Manner of it grave and solemn and the End of it honest and sincere 12. Swear not rashly in your ordinary Discourse for this will render the Truth of all you say suspected by wise men He that swears vainly ought not to be much credited when he speaks truly because he that Dreads not an Oath will not Tremble at a Lye III. Direction For the Right Ordering of our Actions Our Actions having a far greater Aptitude than our Words to make an Impression upon the Minds and Manners of men whom we converse with it highly concerns us to exercise great Watchfulness over our selves in all Actions of humane Life and to be exactly circumspect in our daily walking performing our Duty to God our Neighbour and our selves in such a manner that God may be glorified Religion adorned our Neighbour edified and our own Souls saved In order to that end the following Rules may be helpful 1. Look carefully that Love to God and Obedience to his Commands be the Principle and Spring from whence the Actions flow and that the glory of God and the Salvation of thy Soul be the End to which all thy Actions tend and that the Word of God be thy Rule and Guide in every Enterprize and Undertaking Gal. 6.16 As many as walk by this Rule peace be on them and mercy 2. Enterprize and undertake no Action without Advice from Heaven asking Counsel of God by Prayer He blesseth or blasteth our Endeavours according as we own our dependency upon him and Engagements to him 3. Then serve the Providence of God in the Use of all lawful and fit Means for attaining thy ends in all honest undertakings having first recommended them to the Divine Blessing For know that the Providence of God ordinarily works in a way of Concurrence with our Endeavours Follow therefore Providence but not run before it 4. Do no Action upon which thou mayst not warrantably pray for Gods Blessing Do nothing for which thou shalt need to ask Gods Pardon Let thy first care be not to Do an ill Action thy next care to Repent of it 5. Offend not either God or thy Neighbour knowingly and deliberately but if thou fallest by Surprize confess it for Confession is some part of satisfaction By denying a little sin thou makest it great but by confessing a great sin to God thou makest it as none at all 6. Be strictly just in all thy Dealings with Man and think not thy self discharged from the Duty of Righteousness towards thy Neighbour by any extraordinary measures of pretended Zeal and Piety towards God For all such Pretences to Piety are but Hypocrisie if men be not really honest as well as seemingly devout And dishonesty and unrighteousness will as certainly shut men out of Heaven as Impiety and Prophaneness 1 Cor. 6.9 7. Think it not sufficient that you do not do an ill thing but you must not do an hard thing to any but be kind and charitable as well as just and honest always endeavouring to do the utmost good you can by a Life of universal Usefulness 8. Deride not any man's Deformities but Bless God that they are not thine Men shall answer at Gods Barr for their Vicious habits but not for their natural Imperfections 9. Never forget the Kindnesses which others do for you Never upbraid others with the Courtesies which you do for them 10. Be covetous of nothing but of doing good and Prodigal of nothing but of Good Counsel 11. Promise nothing which may prejudice thee in the performance but perform what thou hast promised thô it be to thy real prejudice A wise man measures his Promises by his Abilities but he measures his Performances by his Promises 12. Always judge of men by their Conversation towards God Never by Gods Dispensations towards them 13. Let not what is falsly talkt of thee ever trouble thee for an ill Report makes no Body an ill man be careful to do nothing that deserves to be ill spoken of and then let it never Trouble thee to be ill spoken of undeservedly 14. Revenge not an injury thô thou couldest yet shew that thou art able to revenge it if thou wouldest To Revenge a Wrong done unto thee is a greater wrong to thy self than the Injury received by thee Beware when others hurt thee that thou hurt not thy self 15. Unwillingly undertake a suit of Law and most willingly make an end of it Choose rather to buy Quietness with some Loss than to gain much by Strife and Contention for going to Law is one of those lawful things which is very difficultly managed without Sin 'T is rare if a man wrongs not his Soul by Righting his Estate 16. Look upon Obedience to the Authority which God has set over you in all lawful and unforbidden things to be a necessary and indispensable Duty In all such Cases it is not for men of a private Capacity to Dispute but to Obey CHAP. III. Containing particular Advices for the well-managing of every Day 1. BEgin and End every Day with God In the Morning when you awake accustom your self to Think first upon God and let him have your first Awaking Thoughts lift up your Hearts to God reverently and thankfully for the Rest of the Night past and let your first Discourse be agreeable to your Thoughts Psal 139.18 When I awake I am still with thee 2. Spend that Time which must necessarily be allowed for the Dressing your selves in fruitful Meditation of the great Mercy of a Nights Rest and of your renewed Time Think how many spent that Night in Hell how many in a Prison how many Worried out that Night in tormenting Pains and languishing Distempers weary of their Beds and their Lives together Think also how many Souls were the last Night summoned from their Bodies to Appear before the Dreadful God and how soon your last Night may

to refresh both Mind and Body to which purpose the following Cautions may be Necessary 1. Look that your Recreations be lawful and such as have nothing of Sin in them We must not to Recreate our selves do any thing which is dishonourable to God or injurious to our Neighbour as they do who droll upon things that are Sacred and who make Back biting Discourse their Recreation 2. Look that your Recreations answer the End and Design of their first Institution not to pass Time away which we ought above all things to Study to redeem and improve Surely no Man needs to contrive how to drive away his Time which flies so fast of it self and is so impossible to recover But the true End of Recreation is the refreshing of the Mind and recreating of the Body to make them both the fitter for the Service of God in the Duties of our general and particular Callings Therefore 3. Be careful that your Recreations be short and diverting such as may fit you for Business rather than rob you of your Time He that makes Recreation his business will think Business a Toyle The End of Recreation is to fit us for Business not to be it self a Business to us 4. Take Care that Covetousness have nothing to do in your Recreations Let your End be meerly to Recreate your self not to Win Money for that will certainly bring you into a double Danger the one of Covetousness and a greedy desire of Winning the other of Rage and Anger at thy bad Fortune if thou happen to lose Covetousness will occasion thy Cheating and Cozuening and Anger occasion thy Swearing and Cursing and thus thou makest that which is lawful in it self unlawful to thee by making it an Occasion of sin to thee 5. Let not your Recreations be Costly and Expensive Some Persons have spent more in Gaming vainly than would Build and Endow an Hospital and maintain many Families comfortably little considering that they are only God's Stewards and must be severely Accountable to him for every Inch of their Time and every Penny in their Purse which is consumed in Sin and Vanity 6. Take heed that your Sports and Recreations be not Cruel We ought not to refresh our selves with Spectacles of Cruelty in seeing either Men or Beasts needlesly Tormenting each other That Enmity which is among the Creatures is certainly the Effect of our Sin What a Heart then has that Man that can take Delight in seeing the dumb Creatures Torment one another Is it not enough for thee to behold the Antipathies which thy Sin has put into the Natures of the Creatures but thou must barbarously make thy self Merry with their Miseries who in their kind are far more serviceable to the Creator than thy self 7. Remember young Men that God's Eye is in the midst of you when in the midst of your Sports and Recreations therefore be wise and moderate in the pursuit of them Do all things as in God's sight and you will do every thing to God's glory Respect ought to be had to God in all we do not in our Vocations only but in our Recreations also and the Remembrance of God's all-seeing Eye upon us will have an Universal Influence upon all our Actions 8. Take an extraordinary Care that your Recreations do not engross too much of your Precious Time which was given for Nobler Purposes Oh how sadly do some Young Men addict themselves to a Life of Pleasure Ease and Voluptuousness unworthily wasting the Flower of their Youth the Srength of their Body the Vigour of their Minds drowning in a bruitish sensuality the Fair and goodly Hopes of a Vertuous Education together with the Honour of their Families the Expectation of their Countrey and the improvment of their Parts as if Almighty God had placed them on the Earth as Leviathan in the Sea only to take their Sport and Past-time therein such Persons being Lovers of Pleasure more than Lovers of God are certainly in a most deplorable State 9. But above all take heed of making the Lords-day your Day of Sports and Recreation This is a Crime of a tremendous Guilt Woe be to that Man which disturbs God's Holy Rest with his unholy Sports God's Holy Day calls for Holy Delights Isa 58.13 Not doing thy pleasure on my holy day Thou that art a poor Man and stealest Time from thy Family for Unnecessary Recreations on the Week-day this is Theft But to steal Time from thy Maker and Redeemer on his Day is Sacriledge of the two it is better to Plough than to Play to Digg than to Dance upon the Lords-Day CHAP. VII Of Glorifying God in our Religious Duties ALmighty God being more Honoured or Dishonoured by us in our Religious Duties than in all the Actions of our Lives besides it concerns us to be exactly Careful how we manage our Deportment in his Presence when we Worship at his Footstool and bow before his Mercy-seat If it be a Sin not to Aim at the Glory of God when Eating and Drinking at our own Table much more so when Eating and Drinking at his Table when we are performing the most tremendous Acts and Exercises of Religion How superstituously Devout were the Old Heathens in the Service of their Dumb Idols they thought nothing too good for their false Gods for whom the worst was not bad enough the Worshipper being better than the God he worshipped When they were going to offer their Sacrifices their Priests cried out in the Audience of the People Procul Oh procul este prophani Depart all you that are Impure and Prophane from the Holy Sacrifices of the Gods Oh where they so choice and chary in the Service of their dunghill Deities and shall not we exercise a more extraordinary Dread and Caution in the Religious Service of the living and true God Therefore to prevent sinful Miscarriages in Holy Duties the following Advices may be necessary 1. Labour to entertain in thy Mind awful Apprehensions and suitable Conceptions of the Majesty of that God whom thou art Addressing thy self unto Conceive of him in thy Mind as a God of such incomprehensible greatness and majesty of such transcendent Holiness and Purity of such Sanctity and Severity that he cannot behold Iniquity in any of his Worshippers without the greatest Abhorrency and Detestation and for that reason approach thou to him with a holy Fear with an humble Reverence and not without a trembling Veneration 2. Set not about Religious Duties without previous Preparaton In every Work whether Natural or Artificial some Preparation is necessary to bring it to Perfection In Works of Nature the Ground must be digg'd and dress'd plough'd and prepared before the Seed be cast into it In Works of Art the Musitian must string and tune his Instrument before he can play his Lesson melodiously Surely then in Holy and Religious Duties towards which our Hearts are naturally so backward and averse it concerns us to exercise a Preparatory Care to bring our Hearts into

to it Continue thy Loving kindness to this Church and Nation to which we belong pardon our sins avert our Judgments heal our Breaches compose our Unreasonable Divisions Bless our Governours especially thy Servants on the Throne let their Reign over us be long and prosperous Bless all the Governours and Teachers of thy Church particularly him and his Labours who Administers to Thee and us in holy things in this Congregation Let all in an afflicted condition be had in Remembrance of God Give them patience under their sufferings advantage by them and in thy good time a happy Issue and Deliverance out of them Bless all our Relations Friends and Acquaintance Pardon and Forgive our Enemies and enable us to forgive them also And now oh Father Accept we pray thee our thankful Returns for all the instances of thy Goodness towards us particularly for our Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this Life But especially and above all for thy wonderful Love in the Redemption of Mankind by the Son of thy Love the Holy Jesus We bless thee for the means of Grace and for the hope of Glory We thank thee for all the Comforts and Conveniencies of Life afforded to us for thy Good Hand of Providence over us this last Night and for raising us up this Morning to see the light of another day Stand charged with the particular care of every one of us prosper the labour of our hands and bless us in all our lawful Undertakings preserve us from the Evil of Sin and keep us in perpetual peace and safety through Jesus Christ our Lord In whose Name and Words we call on thee Our Father c. A Family-Prayer for the Evening ETernally Glorious and Incomprehensibly great and Gracious Lord God who art infinitely exalted above all the Prayers and Praise of Glorious Angels and Glorified Saints yet such is the condescension of thy Grace and Goodness as not only to invite us into thy presence but also to Account thy self honoured by us when we come before Thee and renew our Acquaintance and Communion with thee in the Duties and Exercises of thy Worship and Service We humbly pray that none of our iniquities may divide or separate betwixt God and us but whereinsoever we have offended be Gracious to us in the pardon and forgiveness of it Pardon Oh Lord unto us Original Guilt the Hereditary Pollution and Universal depravation of our Natures Remember not against us the Follies of our Childhood the Sins of our Youth or the provocations of our Riper years but according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies in Christ Jesus blot our Transgressions Wash us throughly from our Wickedness and cleanse us from all our Sins Create in us a clean heart oh God! and renew a Right Spirit within us purge us with Hyssop and so shall we be clean oh wash us in the Blood of the Immaculate Lamb the Crucified Jesus and so shall we be whiter than the Snow And God Almighty grant that we may never more return to the Love and Practice of our former Sins but proclaim and prosecute an open and Irreconcilable War against them yea enable us by thy Grace to dye daily to them and to live unto Righteousness and True Holiness continually mortifying all our Evil and Corrupt Affections and daily proceeding in all Vertues and Godliness of Living Guide us we pray thee through all the difficult passages of our Lives by the Conduct of thine Vnerring Providence and in all conditions of Life let thy Grace be abundantly sufficient for us Leave us not one Moment to our selves least we become a prey to every Temptation But carry us joyfully through all the Difficulties of Life and Support us powerfully in and under the Agonies of Death Keep us ever mindful of our latter End and from flattering our selves with the hope and expectation of a long continuance of time here in the World But let it be our great Ambition and desire not so much to live long as to live well to be useful and serviceable to Almighty God in our place and generation knowing 't is nothing but a useful and well spent life that can render our Death happy and our Resurrection Glorious And let Almighty God Mercifully Assist and succour us in our last moments in the hour of Death and in the day of Judgment good Lord deliver us Remember all thine all the World over do good in thy Good pleasure unto Sion build thou the Walls of Jerusalem ruin the Kingdom of Sin Satan and Antichrist enlarge the borders of thy Sons Kingdom and give him the Heathen for his Inheritance the utmost parts of the Earth for his Possession Be favourable and Gracious to these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland Humble us for all our provoking sins avert our impending Judgments prevent what we fear remove what we feel and in thy own time establish us upon such foundations of Righteousness and Peace that it may never more be in the power of our restless Adversaries to disturb us Bless our Governours and all that are in Authority over us both in Church and State Especially thine Anointed Servants on the Throne K. William and Q. Mary and grant that under the shaddow of their Governmeot we may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and honesty remember all the Sons and Daughters of Sorrow and Affliction especially any that are near unto us lying under thy hand in bodily Sickness sanctifie we pray thee all thy Fatherly Corections to them and grant that the sense of their weakness may add Strength to their Faith and seriousness to their Repentance raise them up if it be thy Will and give them Wisdom and Grace to lead the Residue of their lives in thy fear and to thy Glory and prepare us for the like adversities Finally we bless and praise thy Holy Name for all thy Mercies vouchsafed to us for the source and fountain of them all the Holy Jesus For all the invaluable Fruits and Benefits of his Incarnation Death Resurrection and Ascension for the present means of Grace and the hopes of future Glory We Praise Thee also for all Temporal Blessings for the use of our Reason for the preservation of our Health and Strength for thy Watchful Care and Good Providence over us this day Pardon to us the Sins of this day whether in thought word or deed comitted against thy Divine Majesty And take us this Night into thy Care and Protection give us Comfortable Rest and Repose defend this Habitation and all about it from Fire from Storm and Tempest and every sad Accident Deliver us from the Power and Malice of Evil Spirits and keep us out of the Hands of Evil Men. And when we awake in the Morning let us be still with Thee and let every one of us in our several vocations serve Thee Faithfully and Painfully to our dying hour All which we humbly Begg in the Name and Mediation of the Infinitely Worthy Jesus who

for the time to come so direct sanctifie and govern both my Heart and Life in the Ways of thy Laws and in the Works of thy Commandments that in all my Thoughts Words and Works I may ever seek thy Honour and Glory and may so Order my Conversation aright that at Death I may see the Salvation of God Prepare me for a sick-bed and fit me for a dying hour let not God be a Stranger nor my Conscience a Terrour to me when I come to die but do thou mercifully assist and succour me in my last Moments In the hour of Death and in the Day of Judement Good Lord deliver me and conduct me safely to thine Everlasting Kingdom I Bless thy Name Oh Lord for that good Providence of thine which has brought me to the Light of another day do thou so prevent me with thy Grace so direct and assist me by thy Holy and Good Spirit that I may not run this day into any Sin or Temptation that I may not follow nor be led by any Worldly and Carnal Lusts but be enabled in my place and station to perform my Duty to thy Self and my Neibour with such Care Fidelity and Chearfulness as may be acceptable both to God and Man I humbly commend this Church and Nation to thy merciful Care and Protection Let our Gracious King and Queen live in thy sight and rule in thy fear and let all their Subjects fear God Honour their Majesties and Love one another Assist all thy Ministers in their hard and difficult work and follow their endeavours with thy Blessing particularly his who labours amongst us in the Word and Doctrine Pity all in an afflicted Condition Pardon their Sins and supply their wants Remember all my Relations for good requite the kindness of my Friends pardon and forgive my Enemies and Enable me to forgive them also These Mercies with whatever else thou knowest to be needful for me and all Mankind I humbly beg in the Name and Words of my Blessed Redeemer saying as he has Taught me Our Father c. An Evening Prayer for a Private Person MOst Holy and ever Blessed Lord God! the Father of Mercies the Fountain of Goodness and the Author of all Grace I desire again this Evening to bow before thy Mercy-Seat to adore and praise thy Glorious Majesty for thy Gracious Care and Providence over me the day past Pardon unto me most Merciful Father I most humby Beseech whatever I have committed or omitted this day contrary to my Resolutions and Obligations Pity my weaknesses and accept my sincere endeavours to serve and glorifie Thee Wherein I have been wont to slip Lord help me to be more Watchful where I have been careless and negligent let me use greater Diligence and Circumspection help me more sensibly to groan under this Body of Sin which I carry about with me and which so interrupts me in thy Service that when I would do Good evil is present with me And oh that the Sense of that Corruption which I find stirring in my Soul may cause me more earnestly to implore the help of thy Blessed Spirit which alone can enable me to Mortifie all Evil and Corrupt Affections to deny all Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Raise up my Heart and my Affections above this World and the things below and place them upon thy Self and the things that are above oh help me to Realize the Things of Eternity and another World to my Mind and to believe them as certainly as if I saw them with my Bodily Eyes Hear Oh Lord and Answer the Supplications and Prayers which have been put up unto Thee by any of thine this day on the behalf of this Church and Nation Oh that Peace and Happiness Truth and Justice Religion and Piety may be established amongst us for all Generations Secure the Persons of thy Servants King William and Queen Mary from all attempts of Violence and let that hand be for ever withered which shall be once stretched forth to hurt the Lords anointed and let all that are in Authority under them execute Judgment and Justice impartially to the Punishment of Wickedness and Vice and to the maintainance of thy True Religion and Godliness Let all that Minister unto Thee in Holy things endeavour both by the Purity of their Doctrine and the Piety of their Lives to win many to a Love of Holiness and Religion that they may shine as Stars for ever and ever Pity all those that are in a worse Condition than my self supply their wants out of thy abundance and work in me a readiness of Disposition to administer to their necessities according to my Ability Accept my Thankful returns to thy Majesty for all thy Mercies for the Fountain of them all the Holy Jesus for all the invaluable Benefits of his Incarnation Death and Passion Resurrection Ascension and Intercession for the Gift of thy Holy Spirit for the Light of thy Glorious Gospel for all the Comforts and Conveniences of Life afforded to me which many Better than my self are deprived of for thy watchful care and good Hand of Providence over me this day Receive me into thy Protection this Night sanctifie my Rest and keep me from sinning against Thee upon my Bed and let the natural repose of my Body put me in Mind that e're long I must sleep in the Bosom of the Grave and awake no more 'till the Morning of the Resurrection for which solemn hour good Lord prepare and sit me and all Mankind by a renewed frame of Heart and a Religious course of Life for thy Mercies sake in Christ Jesus who has both directed and commanded me when I pray to say Our Father c. A short Hymn for the Evening NOw from the Altar of my Heart Let Incense Flames arise Assist me Lord to offer up My Evening Sacrifice Lord Watch and Ward when I shall sleep I humbly Thee implore Thine Angels let my Guardians be Both now and evermore Into thy hands do I commit My Spirit which is thy due For why Thou hast created it Yea didst Redeem it too Lord if I live let me be thine Thine also if I die Come Life come Death let Heaven be mine Amen Amen say I. CHAP. XI Of Reading the Holy Scriptures THE Holy Bible being a Letter wrote unto us by the Finger of God himself what is our Reading of it and daily Conversing with it but a Communing with the Almighty and making an inquiry after that Revelation of his Will which his Wisdom has been pleased to make unto us How stupendious then is the Folly and Impiety of those who either lay the Bible aside as a neglected Book or else read it carelesly irreverently unattentively without an honest simplicity of Mind to be guided instructed and directed by it To prevent the Sin and danger of both which neglects it will be our Wisdom to resolve with our selves to redeem some time every