among all that Profess thy Name As they have but one Head let them be but one Body as they are but one Body let them have but one Spirit The Spirit of Truth and Holiness in Doctrine and Life be in all Cease Schisms and Wars in the Christian World Let them not Spill one anothers Blood for whom thy Son shed his Let there not be many Hearts under one Head nor more Heads with it least they make a Massacre in thy Body or a Monster of it O let thy Scepter have Obedience and thine Orders Observance every where Suffer none by Delusion or Depravation of Mind or Ambition of Spirit to pull down thy Throne whilst they pretend for thy Scepter and take down thy House to set up thy Glory and let Confusion and Tyranny into thy Church whilst they profess to bring in Liberty and Order From Violence Avarice Sacriledge Schism Herefie Anarchy and Tyranny O thou King of the Church do thou keep us Do thou Govern us and let us Obey thee Do thou save us and let us serve thee Even all Christian Souls save throughout the World Dear Jesus Amen A Charitable Prayer for Times of Affliction O Lord that do'st not willingly afflict the Children of Men Behold from thy holy Habitation of Heaven the multitude of Miserable and Afflicted Souls and Lives amongst us and have Mercy upon us HAVE Mercy on all Ignorant Souls and instruct them on all Deluded Minds and Enlighten them on all Seducing and Seduced Spirits and Convert them Have Mercy on all broken Hearts and heal them all strugling with Temptation and Rescue them All languishing in spiritual Desertion and receive them Have mercy on all that stagger in Faith and Establish them That are fallen from thee and Raise them That stand with thee and Confirm them Have Mercy on all that groan under their Sins and Ease them That bless themselves and go on in their Wickedness and Curb and stop them Iesus That did'st shed thy Blood for all Souls to save them shed thy holy Spirit on all and heal them AND Lord have Mercy on all Miserable Bodies Those that are ready to famish for want Feed them Those that are bound to Beds of Pain loose them Those that are in Prison and Bonds Release them Those that are under the Fury of Persecution and Cry under the Yoke of Oppression Relieve them Those that lie smarting in their Pain and Wounds Cure them Those that are distracted in their Thoughts and Wits Settle them Those that are in Perils of their Estates and Lives Preserve them Iesus That didst freely distribute thy Comforts and Cures to all Miseries and Maladies of Men when thou wast on Earth have Mercy on all and help them far or near with us or from us Lord have Mercy on all even every Son and Daughter of Adam at this time in Pain and Anguish upon the face of the Earth where-ever they are whosoever they be what Help I would pray for my self from Thee or Comfort from Man in their Condition I beseech Thee the GOD of all Help and Comfort to give it them Take them to thy Care and Tender them supply them and Succour them Have Compassion on them and heal them Iesus That didst give thy Blood for them deny not thy Bowels to them Thou that didst Redeem them all Preserve them Even all Miserable Souls and Bodies I beseech Thee for thine infinite Mercies sake Amen A Prayer against the Temptations of Troublesome Times O God who wilt not suffer us to be Tempted above what we are able to bear succour me that the Temptations of this Time of Trouble does not over-whelm me Discover to me the ways of thy Providence so far that I may see why I shou'd neither Deny it nor Doubt it And make me know thy Judgments to be so unsearchable and thy ways past finding out that I may humbly submit my Will to thy Wisdom and admire and adore that Justice which I cannot Comprehend Let me not be of so narrow a Mind as to confine thy Work to one World which Thou do'st not finish but in Two Nor let me be such a Creature of Sense as to believe thou hast no other Reward or Punishment than what I See and Feel O let my Eyes look to the End of all which is Heaven or Hell And let me Envy no Ill Mans Happiness which shall end in Hell Nor bewail any Good Mans Wretchedness who shall have Heaven for his End And let me understand that the Prosperity of Sinners is a heavy Plague because it spurs them on to Hell which is the greatest Punishment And that the Adversity of the Saints is to them a Mercy because it is thy Rod to whip them into Heaven the best Reward Mean while let me not give a Brest full of thy Peace for an Armful of that Wealth which breeds Nests of Vipers and Adders in their Hearts and continual Stings in their Bosoms But let me Prefer the Sufferings of Innocence before the Spoils and Triumphs of Violence O God since a guilty Conscience is the greatest Punishment on Earth because next to Hell and Accusing and Condemning thy Providence and Forsaking my Innocence the greatest Guilt To that Extremity let no Temptation ever lead me JESUS keep me from it by thy Grace and Mercy Amen The Concluding Prayer O Lord it is thy Promise to grant whatsoever I ask in thy Sons Name and thou wilt not perform less because I ask so in his Words In his Blessed Breviary therefore I sum and offer up these my Imperfect Prayers saying as he hath taught me Our Father which art in Heaven c. The Blessing GOD the Father Bless me GOD the Son Defend me GOD the Spirit Preserve Me and all Mine and His now and Evermore Amen EVENING PRAYER Psal. XLIV LXXVII LXXVIII or LXX LXXXIII XCVIII or CXXXVII CXL CXLI Proper Lessons 2 Chron. XIII or XX 1 Cor. X. or Iudes Eistle A Collect or Prayer against Revenge O Thou to whom Vengeance belongeth Keep me from a Revengeful Spirit that I fall not into the hands of thy Vengeance And since it is thy Will that I should exercise Pity and Patience and Pardon let me not study Revenge and Returns of Injuries What tho' I have lost my Estate wrongfully and been turn'd out of my Place for my Loyalty to the King yet have I not justly deserved it for my Rebellion against thee my God why shou'd I then Meditate Revenge against the Instruments whom thou O Lord hast made the just Executioners of thy will for my Deserts O help me rather to look unto thee who hast justly suffered these things to befal me for my sins than to study Revenge against those that have Injur'd me Thou O most Meek and Merciful Saviour didst pray for thy bloody Enemies O let me then forgive my greatest Foes Committing my Cause to thee who wilt do Justice for me on them if I seek not to revenge my self and for thy self upon me
Cities of Refuge for Sins To see thy Passion made the Nurse of Presumption and thy Mercy the Milk of all Abominations When Indignation kindles in thy poor Servants Soul at so great Indignities how is it that Wrath flames not out in Thine How is it Even so it is because thou art Jesus Lovest to save and art loth to destroy Waitest our Repentance and Wavest thy Vengeance I am Ravish'd with that good Spirit of thine O Christ Thou hadst it on the Cross and keepest it on the Throne Where it appears it doth Ravish me In thy Lips Thou Prayest their Pardons that are shedding thy Blood And thirstest for their Salvation that are Butchering thy Body In thy Arms Stretch'd out to Embrace all on Earth and therefore strike not tho' in all the Power of Heaven In thy Eyes As Thou wast with one of my Mothers I am with one of Thine Thy Fury frights me O Lord Thy Favour is that One The Eye with which thou didst look at the poor Thief and give him both thy Pardon and thy Paradise The Eye by which thou didst look at thy dear Mother and amidst all thy Wounds chuse her a Guardian and have her in thy Cares The Eye with which thou did'st look at the dear Disciple and Adopt him of thy Servant thy Mothers Son The Eye by which thou didst look at poor Sinners to be saved a Church to be bought and World to be Ransom'd But in thy Heart O Lord O what an Apparition see I there Through the bloody Door of thy Wounded Breast a House full of Nothing but Goodness Pity Patience Mercy O what a Perspective is there by the way of the Spear To see the Prospect of a poor Sinners sole delight a Heart full of Grace and Favour in the Brest of a Jesus A Saviours Heart From that Heart with that Eye O Christ behold the Afflicted Mother thy Church and thy dear Disciple her Child Breathe Comfort to her for whom thou gavest Blood And to him who is the Son of her Comfort Make Peace between Mother and Children where there should be Love Let them live by one Spirit that are bought with one Blood And no longer be one anothers Cross but bear one anothers Burdens Dart Lord from that blessed Eye of Pity these Favours on the Face of that bleeding Body and with thy Arms Nail'd once to a Cross now extended on a Throne Embrace her and uphold her in Life Advance her Throne for whom thou did'st endure thy Cross O Thou who didst with thy Fingers work Heaven and Earth and upholdest all things by the Word of thy Power those whom the World treads under foot take thou into thy Arms In thy blessed Arms O thou Omnipotent and All Merciful Maker and Saviour of the World in thy blessed Arms I leave the Wounded Mother and at thy Feet I lay the bleeding Child JESUS nourish these holy Passions in me which my Heart hath conceived and my Tongue now brought forth before Thee Let thy holy Passion ever breed them in me and thy Spirit Nurse them for thee even by the Merits of thy bloody Passion I beseech Thee Amen! Amen A Prayer before Coming to the holy Communion Acknowledging and Deprecating our Vnworthiness O Lord I am every where in thy Presence and under thy Eye and therefore shou'd be prophane no where but thy special Presence and Face is in thy Temple There therefore I should be more holy and thy Chair and Seat is at thy Table and therefore there I should be yet more so Even the Angels are not pure enough for such a Heavenly Presence how then shall a poor mortal Man appear at so high and holy a Service How shall I dare to Communicate with Thee that deserve not to come before Thee Lord since I cannot come as I should pure I will endeavour by thy Grace to come as I may Penitent I will be more humble because less holy and more Wash'd because so Filthy And O Lord give me Grace so to come Let me look over my Life in the Glass of thy Law and make me wash with my Tears what is polluted in my Ways and Cleanse in Christ's Blood what I wash with my Tears O Lord in a Bath of this Water warm'd in that Blood flowing from a Sinners bleeding heart and Saviour's bloody side shall I not be clean if I wash Pierce my heart O Lord that I may repent open my heart that I may believe that so I may wash and be clean Tho' I did not live let me believe aright and let me love whom I do believe even thee O God Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who didst send thy Son to shed his Blood and Redeem me and Thee O Son of God who didst come and shed thy Blood to make a Bath and heal me and also Thee O holy Spirit of God by whose Grace and Work upon my heart I come to have the Benefits of that Blood And whom I love let me not grieve Lord let me no more offend thee Let my heart be set to serve thee resolved to please thee And do thou accept me Father Son and holy Ghost Amen A Prayer before the holy Communion to be Pardon'd and Prepar'd for it DEAR Saviour that hast given thy Flesh and Blood to be my Meat and Drink and now invitest me to those Heavenly Dainties Who am I woful and wicked Wretch that I am that I should dare with my unworthy hands to receive those high and holy Mysteries Originally Vnclean Actually Defiled and even since my last Coming and Communicating for all my Vows and Protestations before thee again and again polluted In these straits and stresses of Spirit how shall my Soul be satisfied If I come not at thy call I rebel against thy Mercy If I come I trespass upon thy Purity O my God I will not stand out a Rebel but rather fall down an humble Suppliant before thee I am guilty Lord Pardon me I am polluted Lord purge me Tho' guilty tho' polluted I am thy Ransomed Soul Dear Redeemer save me Let the Merits of thy precious Blood cleanse me from the guilts upon me Let the Graces of thy holy Spirit Sanctifie me from the stains within me Let the Sighs and Tears which come from my bleeding Heart wash off those Blots by Vertue of that Pretious Blood Let the Cries and Prayers which now come from my Believing Soul obtain those Graces from thy holy Spirit True Repentance and Humility a lively Faith and Charity with all those holy and heavenly Thoughts and Affections which may dispose and prepare me for Thee By these fit my Soul for thy Self and my Body with my Soul to be an holy House and Habitation for thee Let thy holy Spirit and Body enter into me Come dear Redemer come to the price of thy Blood seiz thine own and save me Possess my Soul Feed me and Preserve me Hereafter let me have more Grace than to grieve thee Give me care to keep my
unhappy in it And especially since they profess that Happiness consists in being Lesser and not Greater In a word whatever Happiness Honour and Ambiton promiseth it is nothing else but suffering of much Evil to get more Men think by daily climbing higher to make themselves happy and yet the height whereunto they so painfully aspire is the height of Misery it self BUT having thus consider'd both the Uncertainty and Vanity of Worldly Honour it is necessary to see what use is to be made of it before we proceed any further The Soul's Expostulation AND now O my Soul why shou'dst thou Disquiet thy self for the loss of that which is not worth the keeping If the Possession of it cou'd add nothing to thy Happiness what hast thou to complain of now 't is lost Is it not better to enquire what just Title thou hadst to it than to repine at the loss of it If thy Honour was the Reward of Vertue it is still thy own for whilst the Cause continues which is Vertue the Effect cann't cease and then thou hast no reason to complain But if thy Honour came from any other Cause thou truly never hadst any real Honour it only was an empty Name and nothing else For it is Vertue is the Life and Soul of Honour Thou oughtest therefore O my Soul to look well before thou leap'st into the Chair of Honour or else the higher thou climbest the lower thou fallest If Vertue prefer thee then Vertue will preserve thee But if Gold or Favour do advance thee thy Honour is but pinn'd upon the Wheel of Fortune and when that Wheel shall turn thy Honour falls and thou remain'st an everlasting monument of thy own Ambitious Folly If therefore thou desire O my Soul to purchase Honour with thy Wealth consider first how that became thine If thy Labour got it let thy Wisdom keep it if Oppression found it let Repentance restore it and if thy Parents left it let thy Vertues deserve it For if thou art a Palace Honour like the Sun-beams will make thee more Glorious but if thou art a Dunghil the Sun may shine upon thee but it cannot sweeten thee Thy Prince may give thee honour but not make thee honourable The best way therefore O my Soul is to despise that empty Nothing which the World calls Honour and seek after that Honour which none can Rob thee of or take away and that is in a word to seek the Honour which GOD gives For they that honour Him He has promis'd to honour whereas they that despise Him shall be lightly esteemed A PRAYER O Almighty and most gracious Lord God who alone rulest in the Kingdoms of Men and sufferest one to be plucked down and another to be set up as best seemeth good in thy sight Thou givest and thou takest away blessed be thy holy Name for ever O Lord be pleased in Mercy to look down upon an unworthy Sinner now before thee and graciously Support me under the present Dispensation of thy Providence and quiet my Soul under thy Wise and Soveraign Disposal of 〈◊〉 Affairs and make me willing to suffer whatever it shall please thee to inflict upon me O Lord make me sensible that thou hast dealt favourably with me and hast punish'd me less than mine Iniquities deserved I do confess I have been too much puffed up with that Honour which comes from Man which therefore I am justly deprived of and O that now thou wouldst help me to take shame to my self and henceforth to see after that Honour which comes from God only That so unfainedly turning to thee by true Contrition and Amendment of Life Thou also mayst graciously return unto me with Mercy and with Loving-kindness Hear O Lord and help and Answer for the sake of Iesus Christ thy blessed Son and my alone Saviour To whom with thee O Father and the holy Spirit be ascribed all Honour and Glory and Power henceforth and for ever more Amen Our Father c. Meditation II. On the Vncertainty of Riches THERE is nothing in the World more certain than the Uncertainty of Riches therefore it is that the Apostle St. Paul calls 'em Vncertain Riches bidding us not to trust in Vncertain Riches but in the Living GOD. And tho' there be many in the World that make Wings for Riches I mean that Study and Contrive how to spend it as thinkthey shall never be poor yet they need not be so much concern'd about that and might well save themselves that Labour for whether they make them Wings or no Solomon tells us that Riches will make themselves Wings and fly away yes says he they will fly so far as never to return any more for they will fly as an Eagle towards Heaven Riches are such Volatile things as he compares them to Non-Entities Wilt thou says he set thy Heart on that which is not Riches are like Quicksilver so Volatile there 's no fixing of 'em for they fly away when their Possessors think themselves as sure of 'em having them close Prisoners in Bags and Bolts under Lock and Key as the Romans thought themselves of the Goddess Victoria when they clipt her Wings and Wall'd her within their City And tho' in this respect also our own Experience is more convincing than a Thousand Witnesses yet will it not be amiss to recite some Examples of the Uncertainty and Emptiness of Worldly Riches and the rather that we may see there is nothing has befallen us in the late Revolution but what has befallen others in former times who have been better than we Now that we are Try'd in the Furnace of Affliction we may have good hopes of coming forth like Gold refined and made better but if we faint in this Day of our Adversity it will argue our Strength is but small AND first The Example of Iob is Illustrious who was not more Eminent for his Riches than his Piety which was so very remarkable that he was the Nonsuch of his Age the very boast of Heaven Hast thou considered my Servant Job says the Almighty that there is none like him a Perfect and an Vpright Man one that Feareth God and Escheweth Evil What Man cou'd have a fairer Character especially considering who it was that gave it And yet this holy Iob this Favourite of Heaven was deprived in one Day Nay in one Hour of such an Estate besides his Children which were more dear to him than all the rest in Oxen Camels Sheep and Moveables as the greatest Man in the East did not possess the like And yet Iob never murmur'd at his Loss but only made this Inference from it Naked we came into the World and Naked shall we go out again The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away and blessed be the Name of the Lord. There is at this Day an Illustrious Instance in the World that has well near Equaliz'd Iob in his Afflictions God grant that he may do it in his Patience and his Piety and then we
of Mercy by the great Physician of my Soul that they may purge out all those sinful Distempers and Evil Habits that Prosperity and Ease has caus'd me to contract that so being purged from my Sins and refined in the Furnace of Affliction I may come forth like Gold And seeing my Foolish and Deceitful Heart is so ready to run after Lying Vanities let thy Chastisements be as so many Thorns to hedge up my Way that so being stopt from running into the Paths of the Destroyer my Soul may be like a Garden inclosed a Spring shut up and a Fountain sealed And blessed Lord grant also that by my Patient continuance in well doing under thy Afflicting hand I may Evidence the sincerity of my Love to-towards thee which the Waters of Affliction can never quench nor all the Floods of Tribulation drown And tho' former Prosperity has caus'd me to forget thee yet let this storm that it has pleased thee in thy Righteous Iudgment to bring upon me cause me to fly unto thee for shelter who art a Covert from the Storm and from the Rain and my only Refuge and Rock of Defence where I can be safe against the fear of Evil. And as the depressing of a Palm-tree makes it grow the Straighter and the treading of Cammomile makes it smell the Sweeter so let my present Afflictions cause the Graces of thy holy Spirit in me to send forth the greater Fragrancy and to appear more Eminently And further be pleased to grant O Lord through thy Wise and all-Disposing Providence these light Afflictions that are but for a moment may work out for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory And that when thou shalt graciously please to accomplish all the purposes of thy Grace towards me by thy Afflicting hand and caused thine Anger towards me to cease that my Mouth may be filled with Songs of Diliverance That I may say with thy Servant of Old Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his Benefits who forgiveth all thine Iniquities who healeth all thy Diseases who redeemeth thy Life from Destruction and Crowneth thee with loving Kindness and tender Mercies Grant this O Lord for the sake of Iesus Christ thy blessed and only Son who for the Ioy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the Shame and is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high To whom with thee O Father and the Eternal Spirit be ascribed all Honour Glory Power and Praise World without End Amen Meditation VI. Of our Resignation to the Will of God OUR Blessed Saviour in that most Excellent Form of Prayer he has taught us has made this one Principal Petition in it Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven And tho' I hope we all make use of this Prayer yet how few of us are there that understand what we ask Tho' there is nothing more pleasing to God nor nothing that tends more to the Establishment of our own quiet than this Resignation of our Wills to the Will of God which we therein pray for For could we in times of greatest Trouble and at the lowest Ebb of Affliction consider that it is the Will of God without whom nothing comes to pass and whose alone Will is the Rule of all Righteousness that consideration would soon allay all those storms of Passion and Discontent which are so ready to arise in our Souls under such Dispensations of Providence and make all calm and quiet there And this was that which silenc'd all the Complaints of Gods People in the Days of Old when they were even cover'd with the Cloud of his Anger Of which tho' many Instances might be given I shall confine my self to a few AND the first shall be that of old Eli the Priest who was a good Man but too indulgent a Father his wicked Children who thereby took Encouragement to sin by which God was so provok'd that he sent Samuel to Eli with such a Message as was enough to make his Ears to tingle importing no less than the destruction of him and his house and that the Iniquity of his house should not be purged with Sacrifice nor Offering for Ever because his Sons had made themselves Vile and he restrained them not And yet even under so heavy a Message as this was the good old Man resigns himself up to the Will of God saying It is the LORD let him do what seemeth him good A Second Instance shall be that of King David when he was forced to fly from the Rebellion which Absalom his own Son had rais'd against him Absalom having aspir'd to the Kingdom and wheedled the People out of their Loyalty and Allegiance upon a Pretence of the Mismanagement of his Father telling those that came to the King for Judgment in any Cause That there was no Man deputed of the King to hear them and then wishing he was made Iudge in the Land that he might do them Iustice By which sly Insinuations he had stolen away the hearts of the Isralites from his Father And when by these ill Practices things were ripe for an Open Rebellion Religion too must be brought in for a Part and a Vow to the Lord is pretended to be paid at Hebron on which pretence Absalom having obtain'd leave to depart from the King blows the Trumpet of Rebellion throughout all Israel and makes himself King in Hebron This News being brought to David he finds himself in Danger from his Rebellious Son and thereupon resolves to Abdicate the Royal City of Ierusalem to which Absalom was hastening as fast as he could In this flight of the King he had several of his Loyal Subjects to attend him and among them were Zadok and Abiathar the Priests and the honest Levites with the Ark of God But the good King who was more concern'd for the Ark of God than for himself knowing that God had chosen the Gates of Zion before all the Dwellings of Iacob would by no means suffer the Ark to be carried after him but sends it back again into the City not knowing how God might deal with him with this Noble Resignation of himself to the Will of God Carry back says he to Zadock the Ark of God into the City if I shall find Favour with the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him This is a truly Royal Example and well worthy Imitation A Third Instance of this Resignation of our Wills to the Will of God shall be that of King Hezekiah who after his Recovery from Sickness having Received the Congratulatory Ambassadors of Merodach Baladan the King of Babylon was so pleas'd with the Honour which he thought was thereby done him that he shewed the Ambassadors the
in Oblivion and the Voice of True Peace and Joy be heard again in our Land Lord let us have that Religion which may make us happy in Heaven and that True Peace which may give Time and Leave to Enjoy that Religion And to that end let Power be Establish'd upon Righteousness and Employ'd for the Preservation of thy Church and People and then maintain that Power and them O Thou by whom Kings Reign who hast promised to make them Nursing Fathers to thy Church Grant us these Blessings to the Glory of thy Name the Quiet of our Lives and the Saving of our Souls Even for thy dear Son our Saviour's Sake Amen A Prayer for Mercy to the Nation O Lord we are a Nation not to be beloved a Nation ready to be ruined for our Iniquities and for our Sins thou may'st justly destroy us both Prince and People But spare us good Lord spare us for thy Mercy sake Let the Blood of Jesus Expiate all our Guilts and the Spirit of Jesus amend our Misdoings O thou who wouldst not have one Sinner Dye suffer not Millions of poor Souls to perish Be reconciled to us in a Meditators Blood and be the Reconciler of us in a firm and blessed Peace God of Pity and Peace be at Peace with us and make it for us Even that Peace which none can take from us do thou make us Partakers of O thou holy One of God who camest into the World to take away the Sins of it O thou Prince of Peace pity a poor Church and Nation ready to Perish Pity that Church that hath so long maintain'd thy Truth and Worship in the Nation Pity them who are ready to perish for seeking to maintain thy holy Truth and Worship in thy Church And do thou from Heaven Preserve It and Us and Them O thou that hast the Power of Heaven and Earth in thy hand who stillest the raging of the Sea when the Waves thereof roar and lift up themselves make bare thy holy Arm for our Deliverance O God make haste to help us for we are brought very low stir up thy strength and come and save us and make no long tarying O our God but deliver us for thy Mercy sake Amen A Prayer for those that are in great Distress and Danger O God of Power and Pity who hast promis'd to regard the Prayer of the destitute and not to despise their Cry Look down O Lord from thy Sanctuary from the Heavens do thou behold the Earth to hear the groaning of the Prisoners and to loose those that are in danger of Death Rescue them from the rage of Violence and shew thy self Merciful to them in this time of their distress O thou Preserver of Men And grant them all Graces and Mercies needful for the saving of their Souls And let them glorifie thee both in Life and Death and do thou glorifie them with Life Eternal through the Merits and Righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord. In whose blessed Name I further beg for Mercy for all that suffer in these Times of Trouble Chiefly for those that are Destitute for the Widows and the Fatherless Let thy Mercy be extended to them in the daily supplying of their several Wants and Necessities Take them into thy peculiar Care O thou Father of the Fatherless and Judge of the Widow And be thou their Comfort Help and Succour for Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Collect for Grace O God I can ask no greater Gift than thy Glory and therefore beg no better Gift than thy Grace yea even this perfect is nothing else but that Nor can I come at it but by the way of Grace I do therefore for Jesus Christ his sake beseech thee bestow on me this blessed Gift Grace to do thee Service on Earth that thou may'st give me thy Salvation in Heaven through the Merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Collect for Peace O God my poor Soul is an humble Suitor for Peace the Blood of Jesus is my Plea thy Spirit my Advocate I deserve by my Sins Eternal Enmity but for thy dear Sons sake have Favour for me By whom the World is Attoned O let me be Reconciled to thee I know not how to pray this as I ought but thy Spirit can make Effectual Intercession for me Lord let thy Spirit move and thy Son make my Peace Subdue my Lusts Conquer Satan for me that my Conscience may have Peace with thee and I in it by thy Grace through the Mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Collect for Health O Lord when I am Sick let me think I may Die when I am in Health that I may be Sick that I may not mis-spend the stock of my Life but do thee Honour with my Health and thou mayst give me Comfort for it in my Sickness Even this that Sin hath not bound me to my Bed but thy Providence hath cast me down which can and will lift me up or to Health in this World or to Happiness in a better Such an Enjoyment of Health give me I beseech Thee for Iesus Christ his sake Amen A Collect for Safety O Lord so many days as I live so many Lives I owe Thee Thou renewest my Lease every day A poor Tenant at thy Will I am and a frail Cottage of Clay by thy Power I keep Lord thou hast hitherto spar'd me still preserve me and let me pay as I can what I owe of Service the only Rent thou requiest for Tenement and Appurtenances Life Health Wealth and all the good things I have of thee for which thou both grantest Term of Life and givest Eternity This to that continue I beseech thee for his sake who was Surety and is sole Purchaser for me Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Collect for Friends O Lord graciously accept my Prayers for all my Kindred and Friends Do thou good unto them all O God To those that Err shew thy Truth and those that see it keep from Error To those that do amiss give Grace to do better and those that do well continue in so doing To those that are Afflicted give Comfort and Deliverance to those that Prosper Humility and Temperance Bless the Sick with Health and the Healthy from Sickness Supply those that want and let those that want not give Supply To all grant thy Grace O God and shew thy Mercy Let Love bind us one to another and Religion knit us all to Thee that all who are of Natural Kindred may meet in Heavenly Consanguinity Even so Lord let the Blood of Jesus run through all the Veins and the Spirit of Jesus go along with the Blood that the Glory of Jesus may be the End of us all And that hower we suffer and scatter on Earth we may Live and Joy together in the Bliss and Felicity of Heaven by the Union of that holy Spirit and Communion of that blessed Blood Amen and Amen A Collect for the Catholick Church O God of Peace send Unity
Thou ever art a Merciful Father Forget not thy Fatherly Goodness to me who pray thy Pardon for offending Thee Thy Grace to serve Thee and Thy Providence to preserve me this Night and Evermore through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for one in Affliction O Lord That Affliction which is now my Lot is the Result of thy good Pleasure and as such let me Eye it and improve it to Reclaim me from Evil Ways and to direct my course into those that are Good If it be so grievous to bear it for a Time what is it O God to suffer it and ten thousand times more misery than it for Ever Then if it be ill let it be thy Rod to reclaim me and if Good thy Staff to make me stand better in Grace and advance me to thy Glory Thy Fan to Purge me Thy Furnace to Prove me So Adversity to my Body be the Prosperity of my Soul let it come and Welcome O Lord that my Soul may at last everlastingly Prosper with Thee in that Day of Bliss which knows no Cloud of Ill nor end of Good to Eternity Since Affliction is a sign of thy Mercy a Badge of thy Favour and a means of Glory let me not be Impatient under it lest I perpetuate my Woes to two Worlds and whom Thou hast but for a Time make my self miserable for ever Blessed Jesus who didst go from a Cross to a Crown and doest Cross me to Crown me let me carry mine Patiently that I may come to thy Throne and not cast my self from a Cross of Woe into a Gulph of Confusion From such Miscarriages under my Present Afflictions O Lord deliver me Dear Jesus By the Merits and Example of thy holy Cross and by the Vertues and Works of thy holy Spirit Do it for me and Sanctifie it to me Amen A Concluding Prayer BEhold O Lord what I have Prayed unto thee for and grant I humbly beseech thee the Requests that I have put up unto Thee this Evening and hear the Petitions of thy Servant And do for me for the Nation for thy Church and for all Estates and Conditions therein not only according to what I have Prayed but according to what I should and ought to have Prayed and what any else have prayed with me for Jesus Christ his sake in whose Name I have presented them with whose Words I desire to Perfume and Perfect my Prayers Beseeching Thee That his Spirit may breathe in those Words in which I know I Pray both what and as I ought And therefore as Devoutly Confidently say Our Father which art in Heaven c. The Blessing BLESSED are the Afflicted and Troubled and those that mourn under those Calamities we feel and fear The Blessing and Comfort of God the Father and the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the Consolations of the holy Spirit be upon me and upon all such sad and sorrowful Souls with me this Night and Evermore Amen Meditations and Prayers FOR THE NOLY COMMUNION BOTH Before At and After Receiving A Meditation before the Receiving the holy Communion O My dear Lord Thy Passion makes me full of all Passions I am in Love and yet I Hate I have my Longings and my Loathings I both Rejoyce and Grieve and Cherish Hope and Fear I am Incens'd and Ravish'd I am in Love with Thee O blessed Jesus I am Enamour'd of thy Person O Thou God-Man The Son of God! The Beauty of Heaven and Earth The Center of all Created and Uncreated Excellency The Mirror of the Godhead The Wonder of Angels The Glory of Mankind I am Inflamed with thy Love Thou mad'st thy Love to Lazarus legible in thy Tears See how he loved him said the Jews and shall not I read it in thy Wounds They saw Love in thy driping Eye and shall not I in thy Bleeding Side They in the Hot-water thou didst bestow on his Dead Body and shall not I see it in that reaking Blood thou sheddest for my lost and Dying Soul O let not my heart be so hard to see those Wounds of so great Love to me and yet to have no Woundings of Affection for Thee For thee Lord Yes and all in Heaven and Earth that have Relation to Thee I am also in Love with the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ who would give his Son his only Son the Son of his Love so to suffer on Earth for a Time that I might not suffer for Ever in Hell I am also in Love with Thee O Thou Blessed and Holy Spirit of GOD who didst anoint Jesus to be my Christ and thereby Inaugurate him to his Crown of Thorns and Blessed tho' most Bloody Passion which he suffered for me I am in Love with the whole Blessed Trinity whose glorious Essence and Ineffable Unity I Adore tho' I cannot comprehend and whose Counsels fill my Soul with the highest Admiration tho' I am never able to search out their Unfathomable depth I have also Love for the Sons of Men for them especially for whom my Lord Jesus shed his precious Blood thereby to make them the Sons of God and Brothers of Christ Thy Cross O Jesus shall make all Mankind my Friends for where thou gavest thy Blood why shou'd not I give my Heart THUS Lord I love all for thee and thee in all And now I will love my self for thy sake amongst them O Lord I am one in whom is thy Flesh a Man I am one in whom is thy Spirit a Christian I am one for whom thou didst shed thy Blood on whom thou hast shed thy Spirit A redeemed esteemed Man by Thee and shall I be so poor as to Value Dirt to thy Blood Shall I be tempted to give my self from Thee to the Flesh and to the World O Lord I will Value thy Blood more I will keep the Spirit better I will set a higher price on my self than to sell thy Blessed Purchase to the Devil for a base Piece of Flesh and a small portion of the World So am I and let me ever be in love with Thee O Lord. BUT O Sin I am in Hate with Thee for my own and for my Saviour's sake O thou Enemy of God and Man how execrable art thou More than heart can think That madest him lamentable more than Eye saw AND O Devil I hate Thee who didst tempt Man out of Paradise and so draw Christ to a Cross And could thy Temptations have prevail'd and thy Power been equal to thy Malice wouldst have cast the second Adam out too that so nor the First nor his Seed might ever have come in again AND O World I abhor thee as the Imp of the Devil who of his Jews and Gentiles couldst find hands for such horrid Acts and Sins that made those Bloody Passions So Sin Devil World for the Death of my King and Lord and Christ you have my Hate I have also my Longings too I Long for the Lord My Soul Longeth for God even the