Christian Churches in succeeding ages had their particular formes Never had any age or countrey more pious pithy formes then ours some for publick others for private use among which the forme here tendered unto thee hath its excellency As it is lawfull to have such helpe so may such an helpe be very usefull W. GOVGE The Contents A Prayer upon a solemne occasion Page 1. A morning Prayer for a Family p. 30. Another morning Prayer p. 53. A generall forme of Prayer and praise p. 88. An evening Prayer p. 105. A Prayer before a Sermon p. 116. A Prayer before Sermon p. 122. A Grace before meate p. 134. A Prayer before Sermon p. 135. A Prayer after Sermon p. 137. An Evening Prayer most usefull in time of warre or invasion p. 139. The Preachers Prayer p. 159. A Thankesgiving for the Kings returne from Spaine and a Prayer for his prosperity p. 163. A Prayer for wholesome and seasonable weather p. 168. In visitation of the sicke p. 170. A Prayer when any drawes neare unto death p. 176. A Prayer in time of Plague p. 184. 186. A Prayer for confession of sin p. 215. A Thankesgiving p. 233. The Authors private Prayer p. 256. Errata Page 80. line 1. 〈…〉 reade stirring pag 155. l. 5. for bodies reade soules A Prayer upon a solemne occasion O Eternall God most holy and most Glorious which dwellest in the highest heavens and with righteousnesse and truth swayest the Scepter of the whole world thou that art unto the wicked and rebellious wretches a terrible Judge and a consuming fire but to the humble and repentant sinners a strong tower of defence and their exceeding great reward We the most miserable and wretched of all thy creatures though the most noble by creation for they in their kinds and severall conditions doe thee honour and service but we whom thou hast plac'd in this world for a more singular and extraordinary 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 combin'd with Satan with hell and with all the powers of darknesse to blaspheme and dishonour thy great name to profane thy Sabbaths to breake all thy holy Lawes Commandements O LORD wee thus sinfull and unworthy are here ashamed and confounded in thy presence for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasses are growne up unto the heavens so that if now in thy just judgement thou shouldst come against us as wee have many times and doe daily most justly provoke thee it had beene farre better for us wee had never beene borne Satan would challenge us for his we should never see thy face againe nor the heavens nor the earth nor all the goodnesse which thou hast prepared for man From the foule pollution of Originall sinne which hath universally infected and possest all the powers and parts both of our soules and bodies as from a filthy puddle have issued all kindes of impurities many workes of darknesse and fearefull transgressions both in our thoughts words and actions Much profanesse and hardnesse of heart pride and hypocrisie contempt of the power of godlinesse and godly men a sencelesse neglect of thy word and judgements of the way to Heaven and the salvation of our owne soules Even the best of us before our calling wearied our selves in the vaine pleasures and sinnefull fashions of this wretched world being detain'd by the policies of hell either in notorious sinnefullnesse or onely formall hypocrisie Wee walked with boldnesse in the way of darknesse and of death after the devices and desires of our owne wicked hearts in much bitternesse and malice against thy children and their sincerity Nay and since it hath pleased thee to illighten our understandings with saving knowledge and to pull us by the power of thy good Spirit out of the slaverie of sinne and Satan into the glorious liberty of thy children Our best actions and thy good graces in us have beene fouly stain'd by privie pride and secret hypocrisie wee many times stay thy blessings from us by our dullnesse and untowardnesse at religious exercises and by reason wee doe not faithfully those good things which wee know wee have the knowledge of many evill things kept from us which wee unadvisedly commit And whereas heretofore in our new birth the sins of our unregeneration have wofully vext and disquieted our consciences yet such is the wretchednesse of our corrupted nature that wee have sometimes looked back upon them even with delight if we have escap'd relapse and backsliding we doe not with that thankfullnesse and cheerefullnesse as we ought embrace in this happy time of grace and peace those good meanes which thou hast ordained for our comfort and salvation So that indeed wee walke not worthy of that blessed vocation whereunto wee are called but by our many slips imperfections and carelesnesse wee bring much discomfort upon our soules disgrace to our Christian profession dishonour to thy Majesty and offence to our brethren O LORD wee beseech thee for thy holy names sake and for thy rich mercies in CHRIST JESVS to pardon us all these our offences and to forgive us all our sinnes knowne and unknowne howsoever or whensoever committed since or before our calling and to bury them in the death and Passion of our blessed SAVIOVR and to hide them in His righteousnesse for evermore There is no comfort to be expected to our conscience wounded with the terrour of sinne either in Heaven or in Earth in Angell Saint or mortall man but onely in the spotlesse justice of thy deare Sonne Perswade therefore we beseech thee upon a good ground with plentifull assurance every one of our soules that his precious blood was shed for our sins in particular that wee may sensibly feele the forgivenesse of our sinnes and rejoyce in the hope of eternall life And for the time to come wee humbly intreate thee to mortifie in us all sinfull affections unruly lusts and unlawfull desires to subdue in us the power of sinne and every corruption whereby Satan keepes us any way in his slaverie or at any time gets the dominion over us Save us we beseech thee from idlenesse worldlinesse profanesse security and all occasions whereby thy good Spirit is grieved in us our graces weakned and thy great Name dishonoured Vouchsafe us the Spirit of judgement that wee may discerne betwixt the short span of this wretched life and the length and breadth of immortality that we never preferre the pleasures of sinne for a moment and a little glory and preferment in this world before the testimony of a good conscience and that excellent waight of glory laid up in Heaven for all thy children Make us faithfull and conscionable in our Callings zealous and sincere in all religious duties and services and wisely resolute to stand for thy honour and truth against all opposition either by divels or wicked men And so
as those whom the Plague hath consumed Wee beseech thee make us wise by their afflictions and so informe us in thy feare that we may frame the rest of our life in all holy obedience according to thy will Lastly most gracious LORD wee humbly beseech thee to take us this day under the shadow of thy wings Let thy Omnipotency be a brazen wall unto us let thy mighty hand and stretched out arme encompasse us let thy carefull providence watch over us and thy blessed Angels pitch about us And sith wee now enter into the affaires of this day let not we beseech thee the delights benefits and honours of this life ensnare our soules or make a breach into our consciences for these weake and carnall comforts will never follow us unto the darke places but when wee shall sit downe in the dust and say unto corruption thou art our father and to the worme thou art our mother and sister then they will all leave us nay they will turne to worme-wood and bitternesse Sanctifie we beseech thee our thoughts knit them fast unto thy holy Word and the necessary businesses of our vocation Keepe we pray thee in a sanctified moderation all the affections of our hearts and stirre our passions that none of them breake out upon us either to dishonour thy Majesty disquiet our owne consciences or disgrace our Christian carriage Let all our words be seasoned with grace religion and charity Let every action into which we shall enter this day or ever hereafter be just and lawfull and in them blesse us with sincerity of heart with a godly end and good meanes O LORD we beseech thee give us the spirit of judgement that wee may discerne betweene the short span of this wretched life and the length and breadth of immortality that wee never esteeme the pleasures of sinne for a moment before eternall and everlasting joyes but even count the best things of this world as dung as vanity and nothing nay as worse then vanity and lesse then nothing for the winning of CHRIST JESVS and that excellent waight of glory laid up in Heaven for all thy servants Worke in our hearts wee beseech thee a perfect detestation even of our sweetest and lest sinnes let us ever looke upon them in their true nature and greatest ouglinesse as accompanied with thy heavie displeasure and fearefullest judgements that wee may loath them as a Serpent and so cease for ever to offend thee in them And whereas wee are every day afresh to enter combat not with flesh and blood but with the Prince of darknesse the rulers of the ayer the spirituall craftinesse and pollicies of hell vouchsafe us wee beseech thee the compleate armour of true Christians The brest-plate of righteousnesse the helmet of salvation the sword of the Spirit but above all the shield of faith that wee may manfully fight against our corruptions that we may quench all the fiery darts of Satan tread the malicious Serpent under our feete and at our last and greatest fight in godly triumph and through the might and merits of our Captaine JESVS CHRIST may say with gladnesse and joy O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victory And in the meane time for as much as every day wee step neerer our grave and approach neerer unto thy presence and that great and fearefull judgement before thy throne even for our idle words and wandring thoughts give unto us we beseech thee every day a new grace a new strength in the course of regeneration more full assurance of the remission of our sins till with a wise heart we have such a feeling of the glory of GOD and of eternall life that wee make up our account with the world and bee at a point with all that is under the Sun And sith at that day we must answer not onely for the sinnes of our owne persons but for many sins of those that depend upon us if we labour not to bring them unto GOD for sinnes committed by our ill example for sinnes that we have seene and heard in others and have not grieved religiously reprehended them LORD we beseech thee give us an exact and precise care over all our waies over our generall calling of Christianity and those particular callings wherein thou hast placed us And let us never be hindered or discouraged in any good thing by the profane and malicious reproaches of wicked and carnall men and the many oppositions of Satan and the rather because to us it is a blessed marke that we are translated out of darknesse into light and that we will not runne with them unto the same excesse of ryot but to them it is a token of perdition For why should we good LORD for the vaine and unjust censures of mortall wretches turne from thee for this little inch of time and hereafter receive everlasting confusion A Generall forme of Prayers and praise LORD prepare our dull and unprepared soules to powre out our petitions with humility zeale and reverence unto thy great Majesty LORD make our hearts as mountaines of myrrhe and Incense to send up prayses and thankes-giving to the Sanctuary where thy honour dwelleth MOst mighty and most glorious God thou that inhabitest eternity and dwellest in the light that no man can attaine unto at whose terrible presence the mountaines melt away and the Angels hide their faces yet our most gracious and mercifull Father in CHRIST JESVS vouchsafing from the height of Heaven to looke upon us vile wormes and dust with the eye of tender compassion wee thy wretched and sinnefull servants heires of corruption children of wrath sonnes of disobedience doe in the name and mediation of thy deare Sonne our blessed Saviour prostrate our selves before thy throne of grace and mercy-seate begging and craving at thy hands pardon and remission for all our sins LORD they are most grievous and manifold most horrible and intollerable To the originall corruption of our sinfull nature wherein we were conceived we have added all kindes of actuall transgressions All the time before our calling wee gave our selves to wantonnesse to worke all uncleannesse even with greedinesse we drunke up sinnes like water and fed upon iniquity as the horse-leach on corrupt bloods we drew iniquitie with cords of vanity and sinne as with cart-ropes All our thoughts words and deeds were menstruous filthy and abhominable nothing but a slavish service of the world the flesh and the divell since our calling when we should have beene most pure sincere and sanctified we have sinned grievously although not notorious to the world yet horribly before thine eyes in privy pride hypocrisie dullnesse security want of zeale and forwardnesse in thy service nay LORD we have had many fearefull backslidings into our grossest sinnes c. so that now they are become as many in number as the Starres in Heaven as great as the mountaines as red as scarlet for CHRIST JESVS his sake for thy infinite mercies sake and for
hee shall prepare his firiest darts to wound our soules to death O then let the light of thy heavenly countenance shine upon us O then let thy blessed Spirit comfort us with his sweetest comforts let the fresh bleeding wounds of our deare Saviour appeare gracious and effectuall to our distressed soules Blesse good LORD protect and defend thy Church wandring farre and wide over the face of the whole earth Let thy mighty hand and stretched out arme encompasse it let thy Omnipotency bee a brazen wall about it leade it we beseech thee into all truth concord and sincerity save it from all schismes errors and heresies mightily fence it from bloody Tyrants hellish Atheists and mercilesse Polititians Comfort we beseech thee all those that bee comfortlesse and distressed with sorrow need sicknesse imprisonment banishment slanderous tongues or any other crosse or calamity Especially good LORD speake comfortably unto them in whose soules are the arrowes of thine indignation and the venome thereof drinkes up their spirit those that groane under the burthen of a vexed conscience and those that suffer persecution for the testimony of thy truth LORD give them faith patience and constancy to abide their triall and a joyfull issue to all their temptations And as at this time we are bound wee humbly intreate thy tender mercies and loving kindnesse for all those in this Land that thou hast heavily visited with the Plague of Pestilence For CHRIST JESUS sake if it be thy blessed pleasure command thy Angell to cease from striking put up the sword of judgement which in great wrath and indignation thou hast drawne out against them And LORD in the meane time give them joy and comfort in thy holy Spirit that howsoever they be strangely and fearefully tormented in their body in this life yet they may be assured of eternall happinesse in the life to come And teach we beseech thee both them and us by thy holy Spirit to take a right view of all our sins the true causes of thy wrathfull displeasure and faithfully to repent for the same And so much the rather O LORD because the reprobate and such as thou forsakest cannot praise thee nor call upon thy Name but the broken heart the sorrowfull mind and a conscience hungring after righteousness shall ever set forth thy praise and glory Lastly most loving Father we beseech thee take us into thy defence and protection this night let thy carefull providence watch over us let thy blessed Angels pitch about us preserve us from all perills and dangers from all the assaults of Satan from vaine idle and wicked dreames Grant unto our bodies comfortable rest and quiet sleepe but let our soules continually watch for the comming of our Saviour in the clouds to end these last and worst daies Amen even so come LORD JESVS that we with thee and the rest of thy Elect may joyfully and triumphantly ascend unto the heavenly Jerusalem there to enjoy fullnesse of joy and pleasures at thy right hand for evermore Our Father which art in Heaven c. A Prayer before a Sermon O LORD prepare our dull and unprepared hearts with feare and humility to enter the presence of thy great and glorious Majesty O Most gracious God our loving and mercifull Father in CHRIST JESVS We thy poore and sinfull servants most humbly beseech thee at this time to blesse and sanctifie unto us the hearing of thy holy Word it is the glorious instrument which thou hast appointed for the conversion and salvation of the soules of men But unto us miserable wretches and full of pollution it hath beene many times through the barrennesse of our hearts the secret and deceitfull corruptions of our nature but even the breath of thy Ministers scattered in the ayre and as water spilt upon the ground Whereas it might be unto some being humbly and reverently received as a two edged sword that would enter through even unto the dividing asunder of the soule and the spirit and of the joynts and the marrow that would breake in peeces their hard hearts and strike their conscience with terrour and remorse for their sinnes a necessary step to regeneration And whereas it might be unto others a pretious restorative to repaire the ruines of their conscience and to put life into their dead zeale and affections graciously to enforme them in all the parts of their callings it is but even as a witnesse of our coldnesse sencelessenesse and unthankefullnesse registred in the booke of our conscience against the day of our visitation LORD wee beseech thee out of thy tender compassions to forgive us all our former untowardnesse irreverence and unprofitablenesse in these holy exercises And now at length before wee goe downe into our graves into black and cruell habitations from whence wee must never returne to praise thee upon earth let us feele thy divine power working in us effectually at the preaching of thy Word let us have a sence of thy Omnipotency in in conquering our corruptions and temptations let thy powerfull Spirit stirre up our hearts and quicken our affections to embrace the power of religion and true godlinesse that so being freed from sinne by the blood of CHRIST and forsaking all our knowne sinnes and labouring sincerely to please thee in all things wee may have our fruit in holinesse and the end everlasting happinesse A Prayer before Sermon MOst mercifull Father we humbly beseech thee to give every one of us grace to let these things sink deeply into our hearts Blesse we beseech thee our wills and affections with sanctified desires to entertaine them our memories with faithfullnesse to retaine them our mindes with serious meditations to digest them our hearts with fervency and prayer for thy blessings upon them our lives with practise and piety to profit by them LORD we see clearely that all our pleasures shall die and perish that our honours shall be laid in the dust that our gold and silver shall canker and the rust of of them shall be a witnesse against us at the last day that outward performances of religious duties without inward sanctification shall have their portion with Hypocrites in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstrone Where then shall appeare the lyar the swearer the drunkard the profaner of the Sabbath the uncleane person the proud the idle the malicious the carelesse in his calling even without timely and sound repentance in the bottomelesse pit of the lowest hell O then we beseech thee gracious Father to vouchsafe us in time wise and understanding hearts the spirit of judgement to discerne betweene the short span of this miserable life and the length and breadth of eternity Let us now at length make a through and deepe search into the state of our soules and consciences and if wee find that we be not yet possest of that inward sincerity and true happinesse let us for ever hereafter with greatest fervency earnestnesse and contention of spirit hunger and thirst labour and
turne thine indignation away from us It is a heavy judgement and horrible sicknesse which devoures now and eates up thy people in our chiefe City And is fearefully scattered in many places abroad It is called thine hand thy sword the stroake of thine Angell the snare of the Fowler the noysome Pestilence the terrour by night the arrow that flieth by day the destruction that wasteth by noone-day and walketh in the darknesse O Lord our God let us be humbled proportionably to the extraordinary terror of thy heavie hand Thou Lord art acquainted with the anguish of all hearts with the griefes and groanes the necessities and wants of all distressed ones And all those poore soules that are still afflicted under thy mighty hand with the grievous Pestilence in any part of this Kingdome lie in a most rufull comfortlesse and desolate state ordinarily they are destitute of all outward comforts they want the Physitions both of soule and body the presence and comforts of their friends neighbours and all those who are dearest unto them They are vexed with the rage of a horrible disease assaulted with the fearefull sight of all their sinnes the pangs of death and terrour of thy dreadfull Tribunall we humbly beseech thee most mercifull Lord to ease comfort succour and relieve them all farre above that which we can either thinke or speake in their behalfe Especially Holy Father we pray thee blesse every one of them with a right and holy use of this thine heavy hand upon them give them saving sorrow and true repentance the blood of thy Sonne pardon of all their sins perswasion of thy love peace of conscience patience to endure their great extremities and a full recompence of all their outward desolations with the sweete and inward consolations of thy blessed Spirit And so sanctifie good LORD this sore judgement to the whole Kingdome that we may all come from under thy visiting hand as gold out of the furnace refined from the drosse of our corruptions and filth of sin and so fitted and sanctified for the more sincere and glorious service of thy great Majesty unto our dying day O LORD our GOD thou beholdest now from Heaven what hearts we bring now into thy glorious presence how full of deadnesse earthly-mindednesse listlesnesse and unfitnesse to performe any holy duty with heavenly minds and spirituall affections we pray thee to stirre them up and quicken them by thy Holy Spirit that they may bee ever feeling and fruitfull in the use of all the Ordinances give every one of us spirituall ability and helpe from Heaven to goe through it with life and power effectually and pleasingly to thy great Majesty in the name of CHRIST An other Prayer for confession of sinne O Eternall GOD great and fearefull strong and mighty yet mercifull and gratious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousand forgiving iniquity transgression and sin we poore wretches vilest creatures doe heere humbly cast downe our selves at the foot of thy great and glorious Majesty acknowledging from our hearts that we are most unworthy to come into thy presence or to call upon thy dreadfull and Holy Name For thou art a GOD of infinite Majesty and glory and dwellest in light that no man can attaine unto and we are vile wormes dust and ashes dwelling in houses of flesh and Tabernacles of clay wherein we can doe nothing but sin Thou art a consuming fire and we are even as stubble before thee ready to bee devoured by thy fierce wrath if thou shouldest deale with us as we have deserved Thou art a GOD of pure eyes and canst not behold iniquity and we are encompassed and laden with all manner of pollutions and sinfullnesse Beside that bloudy rebellion with Adam in Paradise and cursed Leprosy of Originall sin which hath universally corrupted all the faculties and powers of body and soule filling them with all Hellish poyson confusion and pronenesse to ill The whole world hath beene worse for us since wee came into it There is nothing in Heaven or in Earth but so farre as in us lay we have polluted wronged dishonoured and abused it one way or other 1. We have villanously stroke at the Apple of thy pure eye Holy Father many and many a time with filthy thoughts abominable lusts and fearefull provocations we have pressed thy mercies even as a cart is pressed which is full of sheaves we have shamefully abused the riches of thy goodnesse forbearance and long-suffering leading us to repentance 2. We have dishonoured thy deare Sonne by despising him in his Ministery neglecting his many gratious invitations persecuting him in his members and shedding his bloud in the Sacrament 3. We have grieved thy good Spirit by putting backe his holy motions or smoothering them by worldlinesse lusts and earthly delights 4. We have vexed thy blessed Angels so much as in us lies besides many other waies even in this house of thine with unreverence drowsinesse sleepinesse and the like where they are beholding with delight the misteries revealed in the Gospell 5. We have wofully abused all thy creatures they should have ministred to us continuall matter of heavenly meditation upon thy greatnesse and goodnesse power and providence c. but our earthly minds have made no such holy use of them but wee have covetously and sensually abused them to our owne ends and carnall contentments 6. Even this Kingdome gratious Father wherein we have beene borne and bread and enjoyed many good things hath beene much worse for us For we have had our hands LORD thou knowest in pulling downe upon us this horrible sicknesse of the plague of Pestilence and other judgements both temporall and spirituall and without true and timely repentance are likely enough to hasten the destroying sword and besome of destruction to make an end of us 7. We have abused all thy fatherly corrections and chastisements laid upon us in love and for our good they should have brought forth in us the peaceable and glorious fruits of Righteousnesse but they have rather begot murmuring impatiency and discontentment 8. We have abused thy mercies which have beene heaped abundantly upon us above measure and without number even to increase our security and presumption and forgetfullnesse of the evill day 9. We have abused the most gracious and glorious day of visitation that ever any people enjoyed upon earth passing over it very unprofitably like sons and daughters of confusion not gathering any such stock and store of grace against our ending houre as we might plentifully have done 10. We have abused all thy blessed Ordinances those heavenly conduits of all spirituall blessings grace and comfort By our unpreparednesse before irreverence in the use of them fruitlesnesse and want of practise afterward 11. We have wretchedly abused our owne bodies and soules by abandoning them to the service of Satan and making all our members instruments of unrighteousnesse to sin Fearefully were they infected with Originall sin at first but we
and retaine them in our mindes with full purpose of heart to put them in practise c. O LORD bee mercifull unto us pardon and forgive us all our sinnes our many abuses of thy great benefits and mercies especially of thy holy Word passe by we beseech thee our many infirmities and weaknesses Sanctifie unto us at this time our hearing reading and conferring of thy sacred Word Blesse our conceptions and memories that we may rightly conceive it and reteine it in our minds with full purpose of heart to practise it in our lives and conversations Range into order our worldly and wandring thoughts that we may with reverence and attention receive it meditate of it and lay it close unto our hearts that so by thy good blessing wee may bring forth much and good fruit A thankesgiving for the Kings returne out of Spaine and a prayer for his prosperitie ANd as we are specially and extraordinarily bound at this time wee humbly and heartily thanke thee for the safe and comfortable returne of our gracious Prince CHARLES It hath beene from thy great mercy and goodnesse that thou hast gone in and out before him and walkt by him in his most dangerous journey and kept him in all his waies That thou hast beene a brazen wall and fiery pillar about him both by Land and Sea and preserv'd him from every hurtfull snare both of soule and body and broughtst him with peace and comfort againe unto his Fathers house Blessed and bountifull LORD GOD we heartily praise and magnifie we humbly admire and adore the length and breadth and height and depth of thy free grace and love therein to thy Church and Gospell and all that are true of heart Enlarge our hearts we pray thee with all heartinesse and truth to blesse thy great and holy Name the fountaine of all blisse the author of all our good the well-spring of immortality and life wherein we live and move and have our being both naturall spirituall and eternall And good LORD goe on with that glorious and happy worke of blessing him still so settle and establish the feare of thy great Name and truth of our blessed Religion in his Princely heart that he may stand therein like Mount Sion and never be removed So guide and direct by thine own mercifull hand all those great affaires which any waies concerne him and with wisdome from the brest of the everlasting counsell of the LORD JESVS that hee may hereafter prove a glorious and renowned Instrument for the advancement of the Gospel of JESVS CHRIST that the heavenly lampe of thy blessed truth may shine faire and pure upon us all our daies and afterwards upon our children and childrens children to the worlds end and the comming of JESVS CHRIST the second time A Prayer for wholesome and seasonable weather STay thy wrath most gratious Father wee humbly intreate thee in this heavie judgement that is growing upon us by this unseasonable weather Thou hast richly loaden and crowned the earth with abundance of thy goodnesse and bounty Add this mercy we pray thee to give a convenient season season to gather it in comfortably We confesse and acknowledge before thee we farre rather deserve that thou shouldst raine downe fire and brimstone upon our heads for our many horrible sinnes that great one the contempt of thy Word which makes us worse then Sodomites then that thou shouldest answer us in this our desire But wee beseech thee in mercy make us first sensible of thy just displeasure to be humbled to the heart root to part from all our evill waies and to seeke thy face and favour extraordinarily and then returne unto us in thy wonted compassion and love In visitation of the sicke WE confesse unto thee mercifull LORD GOD that out of the consideration of our owne many pollutions and imperfections and the glorious purity of thy holy nature wee finde and feele our selves most unworthy and very fearefull to speake unto thy Majesty either for our selves or others yet because it hath pleased thee to give us a commandement and charge to performe this duty of praying one for another and having a gracious promise annexed of prevailing with thee if our prayers be faithfull and fervent We are bold here upon the knees of our soules with all the instancy and fervency our poore dull hearts can possibly to intreate thy favour and mercy for thy servant our deare Christian Brother that lies here amongst us upon his bed of sicknesse under thy visiting hand Oh blessed LORD we humbly beseech thee for thy CHRIST his sake thy holy Names sake thy infinite mercies sake thy covenant sake to looke downe from Heaven upon him with the eye and affection of tender-heartednesse love Let the loving countenance and cheerefull face of JESVS CHRIST shine comfortably upon him let the powerfull presence of thy sanctifying spirit possesse his heart wholy with all the graces of salvation and blessings of Heaven let the word of thy grace put quickning life and sanctifying power into his soule that it may be rais'd from earth and sin to rest and peace in the bosome of thy compassions Deale with him we pray thee as thou usest to deale with those whom thou fashions and frames for the joyes and pleasures of the life to come Sanctifie O LORD unto him this present sicknesse let it by thy blessings upon it breake and plow up his heart soundly and thorowly to search and to try his waies that so out of the abundance of his feeling he may powre out a most plentifull and sincere confession of his sinnes before thee and groanes and sighs and desires unutterable for pardon and remission of them all in the blood of thy Sonne Let it we pray thee beget and bring forth in him those blessed effects and happy ends which in such cases thou art wont to worke upon the soules of holy men and women Let him upon this occasion bee truly humbled under thy mighty hand with sight of his owne vilenesse frailty and sinfull miseries that from thence may spring in him an unfained and longing desire after CHRIST and comforts of salvation Let him shake off all carnall security dependance or confidence upon the arme of flesh or upon any glory and vanity in this life Let his repentance upon this occasion be performed unto thee with more sincerity universality and thorownesse then ever heretofore A Prayer when any drawes neere unto death O Mercifull LORD GOD upon the knees of our soules and from the ground and bottome of our hearts we humbly beseech thee that wherein soever Satan hath any waies blinded him or his own heart deceived him or how farre soever the image of CHRIST hath beene defaced and decayed in him All his omissions of good duties all his defects and wants in faith repentance prayer obedience c. or whatsoever I say wee most humbly beseech thee to forgive and pardon them all for the passions sake of thine onely Sonne Whatsoever at