the Children of Men thou hast provided all Creatures the Fowls of the Air Fish in the Sea and Beasts of the Field to furnish his Table cloath his Nakedness and serve his Necessities The Earth thou Createdst to sustain him the Waters to wash and cool him the Air to breath him the Fire to warm him the Flowers to refresh him the Herbs to cure him the Fruits to nourish him the Mines to enrich him the precious Stones to adorn him and the glorious Luminaries of Heaven the Sun and the Moon to light him the one in the Day and the other in the Night and both to measure his time to direct his Husbandry to divert him in his Peregrinations to ripen his Fruits and to encrease his Stores I CANNOT plead Ignorance of thy Deity for the Heavens declare thy Glory and the Firmament sheweth thy Handy-work I cannot pretend Ignorance of thy Law for thou hast put thy Word into my Mouth and written thy Law in my Heart nor I cannot affirm that I never heard of the Light of thy Gospel for the Light came into the World and shined in the Darkness and the Darkness comprehended it not but Men love darkness rather than light because their Deeds are evil FOR which thou mightest most justly have cast us into utter Darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth but there is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared there is Balm in Gilead to cure our deadly Wounds there is Unction in Christ and Salvation in Jesus out of his precious side he opened to all the Inhabitants of the Earth a Fountain for Sin and all Uncleanness whereby we might be Purified even as he is pure A Prayer for Wednesday Morning O ETERNAL God who art of Infinite Majesty look down from Heaven the Habitation of thy Holiness upon me thy unworthy Servant thou art a God of Power and canst relieve me of Goodness and wilt in thy good time mercifully help me O Lord the Fountain of thy Mercy can never be dryed up nor the Merits of my Saviour diminished O therefore Bath my Soul in them that being Sanctified and Justified I may appear in thy sight more pure and white than the Snow in Salmon I BLESS thy Name for keeping me this Night past and bringing me to the beginning of this Day let thy Eyes always attend upon me prosper preserve cherish guide and govern me in all my Studies Actions and Employments so that I may spend this day and the remainder of my life according to thy blessed Will Grant O Lord that whatever I do it may be acceptable in thy sight to the Glory of thy most Holy Name the peace of my Conscience and the Salvation of my own Soul TO this end be thou O Lord my God and my Guide my Protector and Defender Keep me unspotted of the World teach me to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly towards my self Righteously towards my Neighbour and Piously towards thee my God repenting truly of my Sins and serving thee in holiness and righteousness all my daies that in life thou mayst be my God in death my deliverer and after death my Eternal rewarder Amen A Prayer for Wednseday Night O MOST glorious God I do here at this time with the good Samaritan return to give thee thanks for all thy Mercies and Blessings bestowed on my soul and body in things Spiritual and temporal for my Election before all time my Creation in the beginning of time and my Redemption in the fulness of time I praise and glorifie thee for thy preservation of me this day and that thou hast yet spared me and hast given me Liberty and a gracious opportunity once more to call upon thee LORD I acknowledge and confess that thou mightest have taken me away in the midst of my Sins and in the very act of Committing them but thou hast dealt more merciful with me Keep me O Lord this Night from fear and danger and from all noysome Dreams and from all hinderances of sweet repose which thou hast appointed for the refreshing of wearied Nature SEAL unto me a full and a free Pardon of all my Sins of what Nature or quality soever they be whether they be Sins of omission or Commssion of knowledg ignorance weakness or wilfulness O Lord deal not with me according to the magnitude and multitude of them but for thine infinite Mercies blot them out of thy Book of remembrance and Cast them out of thy sight into the bottomless Sea of thy Compassion that they may never rise in this Life to shame me nor in the Life to come to Condemn me Amen Meditations for Thursday LOrd Teach me of what Spirit I am or should be even of that which descended upon thy Son in the likeness of a Dove without gall By this Spirit mortifie in me the Lusts and affections of the Flesh such as envy wrath and revenge by the still small voice in which thou discoursest with Elias let me obâ—erve that thou art not in the fire of my rage nor in the storm of my Passion but in the soft gale of Grace Thou didst on this day replenish the Sea and Rivers with Fish and the Ayr with Fowls in Shapes admirably various and in number almost infinite stir me up by this Consideration to admire thy power and Wisdom in thus enriching this vast and seeming solitude BLESSED Lord who this day madest the Waters fruitful let thy Spirit move upon the waters of my Tears that they may abound in the fruits of Repentance and be blessed in the encrease of Spiritual Consolation This day thou Commandest the Fowls to fly through the Ayre lift up my Soul from ths Earth with the wings of Faith and hope that She may mount up towards Heavenâ— Make me light and cheerful after my heavy Sorrows and afflictions and though I have been as if I had layen among the Pots yet I may be by the Grace of thy Spirit like that Dove whose wings are Silver and her feathers like Gold FOR my light and momentary Afflictions are no way worthy the Glory that shall be revealed unto me hereafter And for the present what are Afflictions or Crosses or Persecutions but the common lot of thy Children when I am thus chastned I am Judged of thee that I may not be Condemned of the World How can I ever forget thee who rememberest me at all times and in all places Amen A Prayer for Thursday Morning O LORD God who dwellest in that light which no mortal Eye can approach yet beholdest in Mercie the Sons and Daughters of Men thou makest the outgoings of the Morning full of thy Glory and causest the Sun to shine upon the just and the unjust mercifully chasing away the darkness of the Night and shadow of Death I praise thy holy Name that thou hast vouchsafed me to pass this Night in rest and quietness and hast brought me safe to the beginning of this day I HUMBLY beseech
thee by the holy incarnation and blessed Nativity of thy Son Jesus Christ the thrice happy day Star that appeared to the World let thy Mercy this day rest upon me and the bright beames of thy heavenly light shine forth in the dark corners of my heart that I may not be transported either through the Corruption of my Nature or the power of darkness to spend this day after my own perverse will and pleasure but carefully perform thy holy will willingly speedily and constantly INCREASE in me O Lord the gift of faith and hope that I may believe thee and relie on thy merciful promises made unto me in Christ Jesus bless my Body and Soul that no evil happen to them and preserve my memory and senses that they pass not the limits of reason and understanding Enlighten my mind O Lord to look upon good things inflame my heart with the love of them and conduct me with thy Grace that as thou hast raised my Body from sleep so my Soul may daily be raised from Sin and Soul and Body and Spirit may be renewed in Righteousness to serve thee the Living God for evermore Amen A Prayer for Thursday Night O Lord God great in Mercy and constant in truth I acknowledge and do here in all humility offer unto thy Divine Majesty my duty of praise and thanksgiving for all thy manifold Graces and benefits bestowed upon me and though I am unable to recount them and much unworthy to be a partaker of them yet in full assurance of thine unspeakable love I presume to come unto thee and now again commit to thy almighty protection this night my Soul and Body with all its Faculties beseeching thee to keep them day and night blameless and undefiled against the day of thy coming LORD pardon and forgive whatever Sins I have wretchedly effected or wickedly imagined against thee or my Neighbour O lay not the faults and frailties of my Youth unto my charge but forget O Lord and forgive and cancel the hand writing that is upon the wall which will be ready to witness against me strike my Heart with an awe of thy fear that I may labour to escape thy threatnings and give me the comfort once more of thy Salvation GRANT O Lord that I may this night quietly rest under the shadow of thy Wings free from fears dangers and Spiritual darkness and when the dark end of this mortal life is approached grant me O Lord a vigilant Heart freely disposed to abandon all transitory things and depart hence in the Peace of a good Conscience into thine everlasting rest through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour Amen Meditations for Friday THIS day the first Man Adam was made a living Soul and Christ the second Adam was made a quickening Spirit this day he Sinned in a garden and this day the Saviour of the World sorrowed in a Garden he took upon this day the fruit of the forbidden Tree and thou O Blessed redeemer wert hung upon the accursed Tree this day Adam was cast into a deep sleep and his Wife Eve was formed of his rib flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone likewise was the Son of God cast into a deadly sleep and his Side was pierced with a Spear from whence sprung out two blessed Sacraments the water of regeneration and the blood of Expiation and Sanctification THIS day our first parent borught the curse upon himself and all his posterity but thou O God hast provided an everlasting Blessing for thy self and all thy Members thy Law O God is just holy and pure but I am wicked profane and impure That Medicine is for the most part the best which the Patient least approves of because it exasperates the pain for a time Have I the less affection for the most holy Faith because it restraineth my carnal Liberty and abridgeth me of Worldly Contentments Have not I a Law in my mind which opposeth the Law of my members And is it not much better to Sow unto the Spirit thereunto the flesh which produces only Corruption IS it not as easie for thee to raise me out of ashes as at the first to raise me out of the dust To send back my Spirit into my Body as at the first to breath it in I behold the Seed in the Earth the plants in the Garden dye before they spring forth I see Wormes and insects that spend the Winter season in a kind of death yet revive in the Spring I know I am my self dead in sleep every Night but alive in the Morning Why then should I call in question any one Article of my Belief but humbly say Lord I believe help thou my unbelief A Prayer for Friday Morning O LORD God maker and governour of all things both in Heaven and Earth I come unto thee with a broken and a contrite Heart lamenting my Sins and seeking to find Comfort at thy merciful hands Lord thou knowest my grief my anxity and care Oh let me feel thy comforts to refresh my Soul Be with me this day in all my worldly affairs and let thy holy Spirit evermore defend me and preserve my integrity that I may be acknowledged thine at the last day I YEILD thee all laud and praise for thy preservation of me this night past and for safely bringing me to behold the glorious light of this day Lord excite my heart that I may express my thankfulness by my serviceable obedience preserve and keep me from Sin and all irregularities both of Soul and Body Mortifie all my Corruptions and sensual Appetites and purge me throughly from filthiness both of flesh and Spirit that I may perfect holiness in thy fear STRENGTHEN me against all the vanities of the world the lusts of the Flesh the lusts of the Eyes and the Pride of life and give me Grace to employ this day and the remainder of my Life in all peace and purity sanctity and sobriety to thy Glory the good Example of others and finally the Salvation of my own Soul This and whatsoever for want of memory I have omitted I humbly beg in the Name of thy dear Son and my alone Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Prayer for Friday Night O GOD thou camest into the World to save Sinners behold me I beseech thee the vileâ— of them but wash oh wash away all my sins in the Blood of thy Son sanctifie my Nature abolish my Corruptions guide me here by thy Councel and after that receive me into Glory Keep me now and ever send me a quiet repose and grant that lying down to rest I may rise again in thy peace and walk in thy fear that so the succeeding day may learn me to grow Wise and for ever Glorifie thy Holy Name INSPIRE me O Lord with the Spirit of sweet Consolation and though sleep is the Image of Death and my Bed as the Grave yet suffer me not to perish suddenly or unprepared but watch over me for good guide me now and
beseech thee that as I have heard thy word at this time by thy Minister and messenger so grant that I and all that have heard may Know understand the same retain and practice it according to thy Heavenly will that I may thereby grow in knowledge increase in Grace and be a lively instrument of thy Glory unto my lives end Amen A Prayer for Necessary Blessings of this Life O LORD thou hast promised never to fail those that depend upon thee thou openest thine hands and fillest all things living with plenteousness never suffering any of thine to perish that carefully seek relief from thy most gracious bounty I humbly beseech thee dermit me not to want necessaries for this present Life enable me to live without distracting cares to this end bless my labours that I may have a sufficiency for me and mine and not be burdensome unto any but rather be able to administer unto others whatsoever refreshing Comforts they shall stand in need of GIVE me neither Poverty nor Riches but feed me with Food convenient for me lest I be full and deny thee and say who is the Lord or lest I be poor and Steal and take the name of my God in vain afford me such a portion of Health and Wealth as thou in thy Divine Wisdom shalt think most convenient for me succour all such as be in want relieve the oppressed comfort the Afflicted raise the lowly and aid the needy AND O Lord I humbly beseech thee never let me want thy favourable assistance but bless my Basket and encrease my Store with thy never failing blessings that I may be able to live in thy Faith Fear and Love and out of the Depth of misery and danger of all Men through Jesusus Christ my only Lord and Saviour Amen A Thanks giving for Gods Benefits O GOD Almighty the giver of all good things thou art my stay my Comfort and only guide direct me I pray thee to employ that talent which thou hast allotted me for the advancement of thy Glory Lord thou hast been abundantly gracious and bountiful unto me and hast blest my Store insomuch that I have not only what satisfieth my own occasions but have also sufficient to Relieve others in the time of their necessity GIVE me therefore a free Heart to cast my Bread upon the waters and to Relieve my poor distressed Brethren according to the utmost of my ability to feed the hungry to cloth the naked and minister unto thy distressed Saints that I may not live unto my self but for the help of all those that want my assistance that I may lay up in Store a good foundation against the time to come and be found of thee in peace enjoying Life and Salvation through Jesus Christ Amen A Prayer for Wisdom O MOST great and glorious Lord God I confess that whilst I bear about me this Body of sin imprisoning the Soul my Nature corrupted and depraved with Iniquity original and actual seeks by all means possible to oppose the spirit and do those things which are dissonant and contrary to the motions inspirations gracious influences and working thereof my Flesh lusteth against the Spirit so that the things I would do I cannot and the things which I suppose to be done in much knowledge and wisdom will be found not only ignorance and erroneous but sinful wickedness in thy sight WHEREFORE I humbly beseech thee O holy Father to send out thy Light and Truth thy spirit of Wisdom and Revelation to Teach and Instruct me to be my God and Guide to lead me into all Truth Lord send down that Wisdom that waiteth about thy Throne and plant the same in my Heart that all my sayings and doings being always ordered by this Wisdom from on high I may do that which is pleasing in thy sight and profitable for my own Salvation and shun the contrary in all things through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer for Defence against our Enemies O LORD my God be not far from me in trouble and in all dangers Ghostly and Bodily draw near and make haste to help me I am I confess a most sinful Creature and have justly deserved thy Wrath and Indignation against me yet O Lord for thy mercy sake turn thee unto me and have compassion on me let mine Enemies prevail not in their mischievous devises lest they be too proud in thy Mercy convert them or in thy Justice consound them make them as stubble before the Wind and thine Angel scattering them LORD I am in thy hand and they are within the compass of thy power stay and allay their fury let them not take effect in their wicked Imaginations and Attempts against me but put them to confusion rid me and deliver me in thy Righteousness and be thou a Sun and a Shield unto me to comfort and protect me TO this end cause thine Angels to pitch their Tents round about me that being defended under the shadow of thy Wings and armed with the power of thy Might I may not fear what Man can do unto me Lord regard me with the eye of thy Grace and guard me with the hand of thy power that being preserved both in Soul and Body I may live in Piety Peace and Godliness unto my lives end Amen A Morning Prayer for a Family O ETERNAL and All-seeing God wonderful in thy Majesty and Infinite in thy Mercy who hast the Heavens for thy Throne and the Earth for thy Footstool the Heavens are full of the Majesty of thy Glory and cannot contain the same look down therefore from thence upon us thy Servants who now prostrate our selves before the Footstool of thy Throne of Grace humbly beseeching thee for thy dear Sons sake to be merciful unto us miserable sinners one deep calleth upon another the depth of Misery unto the depth of Mercy have Mercy therefore upon us O Lord and in the multitude of thy Mercies do away all our Offences WE Confess we are not worthy to think of thee much less speak unto thee we being so vile and miserable thou so glorious and admirable yet being assured that in forgiving of Sins and helping afflicted Souls thy fountain of Mercy is never dryed up we thine unprofitable Servants are emboldned to present our selves this Morning before thee to offer up unto thee a lively Sacrifice of Prayer and thanksgiving who didst offer up thy Son upon the Cross to be a propitiation for our Sins O let this lifting up of our hearts and hands be a morning Sacrifice pure and acceptable in thy sight Let not the greatness of our Sins with-hold thy emplored Mercy but wash us from all uncleanness and remove thy judgments due unto us for them as far from thy presence as the East is from the West O BURY them in the Grave with Christ raise us up by the power of thy Spirit unto newness of Life that we may walk in all holy obedience before thee this day and that endeavouring
to keep our Faith and a good Conscience void of offence we may now and in the hour of death be and remain alwayes thine Defend us from all evil and sence us against the assaluts of Satan watch over us by the Eye of thy good providence and cause thy Angels to pitch their tents about us for our safety and continual preservation INTO thy hands we now commit our Souls and Bodies guide our thoughts words and actions and if we forget thee our God at any time O! do thou in mercy remember us and forgive us our trespasses make us to see our Sins in the glass of thy Law to mourn for them in the Closet of our hearts and Confess them in the bitterness of our Souls teach us to cast off the rags of iniquity and by Faith put on the Robes of Righteousness Help us to manage the Sword of the Spirit and the Helmet of Salvation that we may be able to fight against the Wiles of the Devil the vanitics of the World the Lusts of the flesh and the pride of Life BE favourable to Sion build up the walls of Ierusalem more particularly preserve and enlarge these Churches of great Britain and Ireland feed them as thy flock and Family Dress them as thy Vineyard and adorn them as thy Spouse Defend our Soveraign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary from all Enemies at home and abroad preserve their Bodies in Health the Hearts and Souls in soundness and truth their lives in honour and their honour from underminers Bless Katherine the Queen Dowager her Royal Highness the Princess Ann of Denmark with the rest of the Royal Family Bless those which rule in Church and State all Schools of good Education and sound Learning all thy Ministers and Magistrates with all our Relations in the Flesh and Friends in the Spirit to whom thou hast any ways made us bounden O Lord enable us to requite them or lay it on thine own account to restore it unto them and their Posterities And here we yield thee all laud and praise for Creating us when we were nothing for Predestinating us unto the Adoption and choosing us in Christ before the Foundation of the World We thank thee for our Preservation this Night past and for bringing of us this day to behold thy glorious light Lord awake our Souls from Sin and Carnal Security that we may be prepared like wise Virgins with Oyl in our Lamps to meet the sweet Bridegroom of our Souls whether at the hour of Death or the Day of Judgment These and all other Graces which for blindness we cannot and for our unworthiness we dare not ask we beseech thee to give us for the worthiness of thy dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord in whose most holy Name and Words we conclude these our imperfect Prayers in that most perfect Form of Prayer which he himself hath further taught us in his holy Gospel saying Our Father c. A Collect for the Day LORD bless us and make thy Face to shine upon us keep us from Sin and Satan sickness and sorrow shame and servitude loss of Goods and good Names or of any thing more near and dear unto us if it be thy good pleasure preserve us evermore in thy Faith and holy Fear guide us constantly by thy Councel and after that receive us to Glory Amen An Evening Prayer for a Family O GOD the God of the Spirits of all Flesh the high and lofty one that Inhabitest Eternity who hast made the Earth by thy power Establish'd the World by thy Wisdom and stretched out the Heavens by thy discretion the Father of Eternity and Fountain of Mercy the giver of all good things the forgiver of all sins and the comforter of all such as fly unto thee Lord we are here present before thee be thou present with us and President amongst us we appeal from the Seat of thy Justice to the Throne of thy Mercy beseeching thee to give us a sense of our own Miseries and an assurance of thy Mercies let us not be possess'd with over much fear but that with a holy confidence of thy goodness we may with joy appear in thy presence in an humble acknowledgment of our sins TO this end we confess that we have sinned against Heaven and before thee and are no more worthy to be called thy Children we have transgressed thy holy Laws and Commandments not only by our Thoughts and Words but by our Deeds and Actions our Iniquities are more in number than the hairs of our Head and make us seem vile in our own Eyes but much more in thy sight Lord unto thee we confess our sins O grant us Pardon and Absolution for them open unto us Penitents that ever streaming Fountain of thy Sons Blood that our sins being Bathed therein we may appear without blemish in thy sight by his Death mortifie our sinful Corruptions hide them in his Wounds and bury them in his Grave that they may neither rise in this life to shame us nor in the World to come to condemn us GIVE us thy holy Spirit let him purge our Consciences heal our Corruptions illuminate our Understandings confirm our Memories and consecrate our Souls and Bodies that they may be fit Temples for thy holy Ghost to dwell in Be merciful to thy Church and enlarge her borders shower down the choicest of thy blessings upon the heads and hearts of thy Servants our Soveraign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary bless them with length of days here and with a Crown of Glory hereafter bless Katherine the Queen Dowager her Royal Highness the Princess Ann of Denmark with all the rest of the Royal Family Bless the Nobility Gentry Ministry Magistracy and Commonalty our Relations in the Flesh and Friends in the Spirit protect all that stand up for thy Truth but as for thy Foes let them be ashamed and confounded AND now seeing thou hast brought the Night upon us wherein thou hast ordained man to rest in we humbly beseech thee who art the Keeper of Israel who never slumberest nor sleepest to watch over us by thy Providence cause thy holy Angels to pitch their Tents round about us that being freed from the terrors of the Night and refreshed with moderate rest and sleep we may the better be enabled to praise thy Name and to walk before thee in all good Works and holiness of Conversation all the days of our lives Let our Bed O Lord put us in mind of our Grave and our rising from thence of our Resurrection that whether we wake or sleep we may be always thine AND knowing that thy Name O Lord is a strong To ver of Defence we here commend our selves this Night to thy most holy protection if it be thy Divine Will to call any of us hence in our sleep O Lord for thy Sons sake have mercy upon us and receive our Souls into thy most blessed Kingdom but if it be thy heavenly pleasure
and holy Spirit my Comfort and Consolation THE peace of God which passeth all Understanding keep my Heart and Mind in the love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and the blessing of God Almighty the Father Son and Holy Ghost be with me and remain with me and mine and with the whole Church of God from this time forth and for evermore GOD be merciful unto me and bless me the Lord lift up the light of his Countenance upon me and be merciful unto me and grant me his everlasting peace Amen A Prayer for one afflicted in Mind O FATHER of Mercy and God of all Consolation vouchsafe I beseech thee relief and succour unto me a wretched Sinner who am much tormented in Mind and afflicted in Conscience Lord I am afraid of thy Judgments and the severe Threatnings written in thy Law against those sins I have committed but O Lord break not the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax wound not my humble and contrite Heart but revive my Spirit that goes mourning all the day long though Satan thinks thou hast smitten and forsaken me yet frustrate his hopes and expectations leave me not destitute of thy Grace as a prey unto the Enemy of my Soul but mightily preserve and evermore defend me AND though my Conscience accuses me my Memory witnesses against me and my Reason condemns me though I am overwhelmed in discomfort and have lost the voice of joy and gladness and have neither worth to appease thy wrath nor patience to endure thy tryal yet send me O Lord the comfort of thy holy Spirit into my heart that I may not be swallowed up with overmuch heaviness but may rejoyce in thee with joy unspeakable and full of Glory Open and set open the Gate of thy Mercy to the greatness of my Misery for my mind is sorrowful my heart heavy my spirit is oppressed my words are stopt with sighs and my complaints watered with tears IN executing thy Judgments Lord remember Mercy try me not least I be condemned weigh not my offences but pardon my offences sanctifie all those means unto me which may afford me relief as Prayer Conference Meditation reading and hearing of thy Word and receiving the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of thy Son and my alone Saviour and Redeemer mitigate my extremities abate my fears and moderate my afflictions let not Night Visions like Nebuchadnezzar's make me affraid but when I awake stay me with Flaggons and comfort me with Apples thy precious promises which are pleasant to the Soul RECTIFIE my Understanding as in the days of Old and Drink no longer unto me in the Cup of Affliction but in the Chalice of refreshing that I may pay my Vows unto thee and call upon thy Name in the sight of all thy Congregation but if it be thy good pleasure to try me and not take away this Cup from me confirm my Faith and continue unto me that Hope which is to be revealed to this end cause me with the Eye of Faith to look up to thee who chastisest me and wait for the appointed time of my delivery out of all my Troubles LORD suffer me not to be swallowed up with despair but vouchsafe me a full assurance of thy Mercy that thou wilt never leave me nor forsake me but wilt be in life my God in death my Deliverer and after death my Eternal Rewarder Lord hearken and incline thine Ear unto these my Requests for thy Sons sake my only Lord and Saviour Our Father c. THE Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God the Father and the most comfortable Fellowship of God the holy Ghost be with me bless preserve and keep me both in Soul and Body in Goods and good Name in Life Health Peace and Godliness together with thy whole Church and all that appertain unto me now and for evermore Amen A Prayer to be used in behalf of one troubled in Mind ALMIGHTY God the only Guide and Comfort of our Souls and to whom alone we fly for succour in all afflictions O Lord we presume now to appear before thee in behalf of this thy afflicted Servant Support him I beseech thee in his greatest conflicts silence and appease his troubled Spirit that he may quietly hearken to thy blessed Words of Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest THOU hast solemnly proclaimed O Lord in thy holy Scripture that thou dost not delight in the death of a Sinner but rather that he should turn from his Wickedness and live O make him with joy feel his Soul turning to thee since no satisfactory Comfort can be acquired but only in thy love and favour which to all thy Servants is better than life it self We beseech thee speak peace to his Conscience and say unto him and all that are here present that thou art our Salvation ENDUE him with thy Grace give him peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost O give him the Comfort of thy help again and Establish him with thy free Spirit quicken him O Lord for thy Names sake and for thy Righteousness sake bring his Soul out of this trouble Put gladness into his heart and restore him again if it be thy Blessed will that he and we may Evermore rejoyce in thee who art the Father of all Mercies and the God of all Consolation to whom be Glory and Praise now and for Evermore Amen Meditations for the Sick O GOD thou dost what thou pleasest in Heaven and in Earth in the Sea and in all deep places thou art full of Compassion and tender Mercy long suffering and aboundest in goodness and truth thou alone forgivest Sins and savest all those that trust in thee in time of affliction I KNOW that all Flesh is Grass and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field the grass withereth the flower fadeth but the Word of thee our God shall stand for Ever In thy word therefore and gracious promises is my hope which is my greatest Comfort in my affliction IN the multitude of thy thoughts within me thy Comforts shall delight my Soul I will rejoyce even in the midst of my tribulation and glory in thy Holy Name who makest all things work together for good to them that love thee Though I walk through the vally of the shadow of Death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff doth Comfort me WE are but of Yesterday and know nothing because our dayes upon Earth are as a shadow When thou with rebukes dost correct Man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to Consume away like a Moth Surely every Man is vanity my time is in thy hand Make thy face to shine upon thy Servant Save me for thy Mercies sake HIDE not thy face from me put not thy Servant away in thine anger Thou hadst been my help leave me not neither forsake me O God my of salvation Thou
to add more days unto our lives add more amendment unto our days that living we may live in thy Fear and dying we may dye in thy Favour and in the end Reign with thee in Glory Amen A Collect for the Night INTO thy hands O Father we commend our Spirits for thou hast redeemed us O thou God of Truth into thy most merciful Tuition and gracious Preservation do we commend our selves our Souls and Bodies our Relations our Goods and good Names all ours and all that call upon thy Name Lord be thou present with them and us and about our Beds unto our lives end let not our fantasies be troubled with vain Imaginations nor the Dreams and Visions of our heads like Nebuchadnezzar's make us affraid but give us quiet and comfortable rest that our Souls and Bodies being refreshed we may when we awake laud and praise thee and joyfully perform the business of the next day in our particular Callings LET our whole life be a serving and glorifying of thee that we may live in thy Fear dye in thy Favour and rest from all our Labours and be blest with thy glorious Vision enjoying the presence of our blessed Saviour the comfort of thy holy Spirit and the Communion of thy most holy Saints and Angels that we together with them may ascribe unto thee the Glory of our Redemption from Sin Satan Hell and Death World without end Amen Prayers for several Persons The Husbands Prayer MOST gracious God have mercy upon me and upon all those which appertain unto me in the beginning thou didst Institute Marriage for the propagation of Mankind a remedy to avoid unlawful Lust and for the mutual Comfort and Consolation of thy Children give me O heavenly Father I humbly beseech thee the assistance of thy Grace that I may according to thy Commandments love and cherish her whom thou hast allotted for my help and comfort in this life MORTIFIE in me all fleshly Lusts and let not the heat of unlawful Concupiscence take possession of me but grant that we may live in Peace and Unity and equally praise thy holy Name If any Children Bless O Lord those Children thou hast bestowed upon us give us understanding hearts and minds to bring them up in thy Faith and Fear and give them obedient hearts to thee and to all thy Commandments grant that they may not prove a Curse but a Blessing to us and thereby attain that reward which thou hast promised to those which honour and obey their Parents TEACH me O Lord to Govern and Instruct my Family whereby they may walk in thy Fear and grant that I may according to my ability provide what is necessary as well for their Bodies as their Souls And do thou O Lord endue them with thy Grace that they may perform their Duties in Fear and Obedience not with Eye-service but in singleness of Heart as in thy presence Give me O Lord I beseech thee a competency to maintain that which thou hast committed to my Charge and grant that we may in all humility rely upon thy blessed Will who knowest what is fitter for us then we do for our selves To whom be all Honour and Glory Amen The Wives Prayer O LORD I give thee humble thanks for calling me to the Honourable State of Matrimony give me O Lord thy heavenly Grace that I may fear thee and love reverence and obey him whom thou hast appointed to be my head in all good things to live peaceably and quietly with him suffer me not to be puft up with the Vanities of the World but grant that I may frame my mind and habit suitable to the Estate of my Husband and adorn my self with that which may become a modest Woman to wear Assist me O Lord that I may with his Consent prudently and with discretion Govern his Family and carefully mind that nothing be wasted norpermit any evil to be committed in his House FURNISH me O Lord with those Gifts and Graces which the Royal Preacher described in a good Woman and endue me with such a Care in the Education of my Children as belongeth unto my part to perform that I may live and rejoyce to see the prosperity of them in this life and after this life is ended grant that we all may be received to thy eternal Kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Childs Prayer MOST gracious God to whom the Childs obedience to the Parents is always acceptable but their disobedience most displeasing I humbly beseech thee to remove far from me the horrid sin of Disobedience and Rebellion against my Parents O give me Grace to observe them with all diligence in Duty obey them in all lawful Commands and aid and assist them in all their Necessities give me Grace to receive all their reproofs patiently and not to perplex them by Stubbornness and bad Courses SUFFER me not to scoff or deride at their Age or Infirmity but rather supply their Wants and cover their Weaknesses Forgive O Lord the many offences I have committed against them increase their days and preserve them sound in Body and Mind let them see their Childrens Children to their Comfort and thy Glory let them Govern me and the rest of their Family with Prudence and good Example that when this life is ended they may depart hence in peace and come to thy Kingdom unspotted through Jesus Christ. Amen The Widows Prayer O ALMIGHTY God who hast promised to be a Father to the Fatherless and a Husband to the Widow let thy tender Eye of Compassion look down upon me and my Children preserve me and them from all Oppression and Wrong and relieve us we beseech thee in all our Necessities BLESS O Lord that small portion thou hast lent me for a competent maintenance of me and mine O let it be like the Widows Barrel of Meal never to waste and like the Cruse of Oyl never to fail Dispose our hearts to all Obedience and give us Grace to walk worthy of thee and thy Mercies which we daily and hourly receive And lastly in all our Afflictions let me put my whole trust and confidence in thee and praise thy Name for evermore Amen The Orphans Prayer O ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father thou hast promised that when my Father and my Mother forsaketh me thou O God wilt take me up O Lord I am now by thy appointment deprived of my Parents who under thee were the only stay I had in this World Be thou O Lord my God my Father and my Deliverer teach me to seek thee early and endue me with thy Grace that I may be obedient to those whom thou art pleased to place over me MAKE me to remember thee my Creator in the days of my Youth that I may lead my life according to the rule of true Godliness Govern and Guide I beseech thee all my Actions preserve my Body in health and my Soul â—â—om all evil thoughts which may molest it add unto me length of
known unto God LONDON Printed in the Year 1692 ADDITIONAL DEVOTIONS A Prayer for Christmass Day O BLESSED Lord who as upon this day took our Nature upon thee and wast born of a pure Virgin keep me from defiling my self with sinful pollutions or abasing or enthralling it to Satan let thy Spirit quicken me thy Flesh nourish me thy Wisdom guide me thy Grace sanctifie me Let thy holy Ghost of whom thou wast conceived beget thee in me by the Immortal Seed of thy Word let my Faith conceive thee my Profession bring thee forth my Love embrace thee and Devotion entertain and continually keep thee with me un-thy second coming Amen A Prayer for New Years Day O Lord who this day wast Circumcised and Bleddest for my sins have pity and compassion who with weeping Eyes and a bleeding heart come unto thee beseeching thee that those drops of blood which fell from thee this day may satisfie for the sin of my unworthy Birth and as thou hast begun a new Year begin in me a new reformation make me I beseech thee a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me let me now cast off the old Man and put on the new and from this day to the end of my life walk in newness of life that I may become a fit guest to be admitted into the new Heaven where dwelleth Righteousness and to be entertained at thy Table and drink new Wine with thee in thy Heavenly Kingdom for evermore A Prayer for Twelfe Day O GOD thou light of all the World who guidedst the Heathen Sages by a Star to seek after thee give me Grace to hearken to the more sure Word of Prophesy in thy holy Scripture till the day dawn and the day-star arise in my heart the Star guided them till they approached thy presence so O Lord let the light of Faith guide me in all the Paths of this Life even till I come to behold thee not in a poor Stable littered with straw and dung but in a celestial Palace founded upon Pearls and built with Saphyrs not receiving a present of Gold which fades away but wearing a never fading Crown of Glory not having a quantity of Frankingense or Myrh in thy hand but a golden Censor full of Sweet odours which are the praises of thy Saints and Angels amongst which I beseech thee offer up the Prayers of me a Sinner that I may become a Saint thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen A Prayer for Ash-wednesday O ETERNAL God who dist fast forty dayes in the wilderness accept of my humiliation these forty days and grant that I may not only fast from accustomed Meats but that all my senses may be restrained from their usual affections of this World let no object delight me till I behold my sins removed like a mist and the light of thy Countenance shine upon me Let no sound or voice delight my Ear till I hear thee by thy Spirit speak peace to my Conscience and say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation Let no other pleasures take hold of me till with the lower Herbs of Sorrow and anguish I have Eaten the Christian passover the flesh of thee that Immaculate lamb slain from the beginning of the World Hear me O belssed redeemer and as thou wrotest in dust when thou tookest the woman in a adultery So I beseech thee write my sins in dustand bury them all in the ashes of oblivion Amen A Prayer on good Friday O MOST Merciful and Gracious Lord God who by thy obedience unto Death even the Death of the Cross didst become the Sacrifice of the whole universe the magnificent example of patience the Lord of Life the good shepherd laying down thy Life for thy sheep and the only Mediator between God and Man let thy bleeding wounds heal thy precious blood cleanse thy shameful death make me to live and thy holy Spirit make me to work righteousness all my dayes that I may by thy aid and example obey my Heavenly father with all my powers and faculties reason and affections with my Soul and Body time and Estate in prosperity and in adversity that I may bear my Cross patiently do thy work cheerfully and be ready to benefit mankind with great Charity and industry that being a follower of thy Life and a partaker of thy death I may receive a part in the Resurrection of the just in thy inheritance for evermore Amen A Prayer on Easter Day O MOST glorious redeemer thou didst pass from a painful life to an Ignominious death and from the bitterness of it to the darkness of the Grave and by thy Divine power didst raise thy self from thence to Life I give thee thanks for thy infinite love to me and all Mankind I acknowledg thee to be my Lord and confess thee to be my God I adore thy Majesty and rejoyce in thy Mercies I humbly pray thee to enable me with thy Spirit to believe all thy Doctrines and obey all thy Commandments that after a holy and religious life spent in doing honour to thy holy Name I may be a partaker of thy holy Resurrection passing from death to life from the darkness of the Grave to the light of Heaven from an imperfect duty to the perfection of holiness in the fruition of the joyes of God in thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen A Prayer upon Ascension Day O BLESSED Jesus thou didst ascend to thy holy Father and didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers thou hast espoused thy Church unto thy self with the Everlasting circles of thy providence with thy Love and with thy Care with thy Word and with thy Spirit thy promises and thy holy intercession thou hadst a feeling of my infirmiteis and art my Merciful high Priest making intercession for me for ever O be thou pleased to represent all my wants and supply them and excuse all my infirmities pity all my Calamities pardon my Sins and send down thy holy Spirit of Grace into my heart that though I wander here upon Earth yet my Conversation may be in Heaven where let my inheritance be for ever Amen A Prayer on Whitsunday O GOD the Father of all Spirits who didst send thy holy Spirit upon thy Church in the day of pentecost and hast promised that he shall abide with thy Church for ever let thy holy Spirit lead me into all truth defend me from all Sins enrich me with his gifâ—s refresh me with his Comforts rule in my heart for ever Conduct me with his truth and lead me in the way Everlasting that living by thy Spirit and walking in him I may by him be Sealed up to the day of my redemption O let thy Spirit witness to my Spirit that I am thy Child and make me to be so for ever through Jesus Christ my Redeemer who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Spirit one God world without end Amen A Prayer upon Trinity Sunday O HOLY Blessed and glorious Trinity the Angels are amazed in the