Creditors to a free compliance and enable me I beseech thee to make them restitution that when Ever I shall be released I may walk more Circumspectly and redeem that time I have so vainly lost Bless all those whose Charity have extended to my relief or have sought to procure my Liberty and bring us all at last to thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen A Prayer of a Malefactor in Prison O MOST merciful God thou art Holy in all thy ways and righteous in all thy Works vouchsafe thy Grace O Lord to a vile wretch and incorrigible sinner I implore O Lord that Mercy which formerly I have abused I sigh and groan now under the Weight of my sins and they are become a burden too heavy for me to bear my presumptuous and wicked proceedings stick like so many arrows within me and when with an awakened Conscience I remember them I am ready to sink down into the Pit of perdition and utterly despair of any Mercy or Compassion HOW brutish have I been in hating instruction and all manner of reproof I have not obeyed the voice of my Teachers neither did I incline my Ear to them that admonished me but like the Dâ—af adder I stopped my Ears and adhered not to wise Councel thy most holy Laws I have broken thy Sabbath I have prophaned by excess of drunkenness and all manner of riot and debauchery which have been as forerunners of this crime for which I stand now committed and the hand of justice hath overtaken me But O Lord I beseech thee have Mercy upon me even for his sake who redeemed me and all Mankind accept of his atonement for my sins and save my Soul for thy Mercies sake wash away all my sins in his most precious Blood and blot out all my offences out of thy remembrance O shew me some taste of thy tender Mercy whereby the fear of death may be abated give me some assurance of a hope in thee that when my day of dissolution comes my unworthy Soul may be received into thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen A Submission to the sentence of Death O ETERNAL God in all humility of Soul and Body I cast my self at the Feet of thy Divine Majesty thou art the Soveraign Judge of the all the World and hast fully pronounced against me and all sinners that dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return in obedience to thy Divine Justice I wholly resign all the faculties of my Soul and Body to thy sentence pronounced against me acknowledging it most just and due to me for those infinite Sins I have committed against thee O Let it never slip from my Memory that bloody and shameful Death of thy Son Jesus Christ who after he had suffered in his Soul unspeakable sorrows and in his Agony and bloody Sweat offered up himself a Sacrifice for mine and the sins of the whole World Never let me never repine at what the hand of Justice hath decreed to my Body but let me by a sincere repentance seek thy face to preserve my Soul the Death I am to suffer is painful and even a shamefull death but thou O my God canst make my passage Easie. THOU O my God didst remember the Thief upon the Cross O remember me I beseech thee in my last Hour and say unto my Soul this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise keep my heart and mouth from pronouncing words which may be offensive to Christian Ears but let me never be ashamed to confess thy holy Name and to continue thy Soldier and Servant manfully fighting under thy Banner unto my lives end Strengthen me O Lord in this great conflict and shew me the light of thy Countenance for evermore Amen A Preparation for Death MOST gracious God the Fountain of all goodness I bless and magnifie thy holy Name for all thy mercies extended to me and all Mankind I bless thee for my being and well-being from the hour of my Conception to the day of my Nativity from my Minority to my riper Years and age of full strength and even to this present moment I praise thy holy Name for all the means of Grace and for the hope of Glory for my Creation Redemption Preservation and all the blessings of this life I MAGNIFIE thee for all thy mercies in forgiving my infinite Transgressions for all thy patience and long-suffering towards me I have like the Prodigal Son absented my self from thee and at my return thou hast received me graciously Lord I humbly beseech thee raise me up from the death of Sin unto the life of Righteousness that being made a partaker of the death of Christ and a follower of his holy life I may be made a partaker of his Spirit and of his Promises O LET me never charge thee O my God foolishly nor offend thee by my impatience and uneasie Spirit nor weaken the hands and hearts of those that charitably minister to my Necessities but let me pass through this vale of tears and the valley of the shadow of death with peace and safety with a meek spirit and a sense of thy divine mercies grant this eternal God for the merits of thy only Son my ever blessed Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer for Pardon of Sin O MOST merciful God who wouldest not the death of a Sinner but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live have mercy upon me and heal my Soul for I have sinned against thee I have committed Iniquity with greediness and have added unto sin daily and hourly I have made resolutions and purposes of amendment but in a moment I have started aside like a broken Bow and have returned to my former custom like the Dog to his vomit and the Swine to her wallowing in the mire BUT thou art a God gracious and merciful pardoning Iniquity Transgression and Sin and there is forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared therefore to thee O God I come like an ungracious Child but to a gracious Father I come in all humility of Soul and Body and appeal from thy Throne of Justice unto thy Mercy-seat Mercy good Lord I beg at thy fatherly hands for I acknowledge with grief of heart and sorrow of spirit that I have infinitely sinned against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son GIVE unto me O Lord a new heart and a right understanding that I may perceive the evil of my ways and repent of all my transgressions Lord where Iniquity did abound there let thy Grace much more abound hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine Iniquities and receive me graciously and that for his sake who died for Sin and knew no Sin even that Immaculate Lamb thy dear Son Jesus Christ the Righteous my only Saviour and Redeemer Amen ADDITIONAL DEVOTIONS FOR Several Occasions ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY Phil. iv vi Be careful for nothing but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made
malice had laid to destroy the King his Nobles and Commons then assembled in Parliament they had contrived by their barbarous Invention to have blown up the Bodies of that great and wise Councel but thou O God didst defeat their Bloody Enterprise whereof we rejoyce WE likewise praise and extol thy great Name for this second and never to be forgotten Deliverance O let after Ages and the Children that are yet unborn when they come to understand this thy wonderful Mercy let it never slip from their memory Thou O Lord didst raise up thy Servant our Soveraign Lord King William who like Moses stood in the Gap between us and Roman Slavery which like a Torrent was pouring upon us O let us never forget thy double Mercy extended towards us this day thou hast plucked us as a Firebrand out of the burning and hast restored to us those good and wholsome Laws and Liberties which our Ancestors have enjoyed inspire our hearts that we may extol thy Name O Lord for these great Mercies and Deliverances and let all the people with one voice say Amen A Thanksgiving for the happy success of Their Majesties Arms in reducing of Ireland and for His Majesties safe return to England O GOD the great Preserver of the Universe I offer up unto thee all Praise and Thanksgiving for putting an end to those troubles and disorders which were in Their Majesties Kingdom of Ireland thou hast done great things for us O Lord whereof I rejoyce thy Servant and our Dear and Dread Soveraign King William did expose his Person to the danger of the Enemy but thou didst protect him from their Malice gavest Success to his Arms and Royal Undertaking and didst cover his Head in the day of Battel and at last thou hast brought him safe home with Joy and Victory Prosper O Lord I beseech thee both Their Majesties with long Life and Happiness and grant that all their Subjects may be furnished with Loyal and Obedient Hearts towards them and Love and Charity one towards another give Peace in our time O Lord and put an end to all differences amongst us for thy Sons sake our only Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer for Charity GRANT O Lord I beseech thee that I may abound in Charity yeilding up my self first to thy service and then according to thy blessed will to the service and relief of my poor Brethren let me ever remember that thou O Lord madest thy self poor that I might be made rich and he that Soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly but he that Soweth liberally shall also reap liberally for thou lovest a cheerful giver Make me to abound O Lord with thy Grace that I may be plentiful in every good word and work and never let me hide my Face from the poor and needy Thou O Lord givest seed to the Sower and Bread to the Eater encrease my wealth and augment the revenue of my Righteousness whereby I may be enriched in all frankness of liberality Amen A Prayer to renounce the World and affect Spiritual things O GOD the Father who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ who offered up himself a Sacrifice for the sins of the whole World to the end he might withdraw our affections from Temporal and fix them upon that which is Eternal give us hearts to obey thy truth and infuse into us thy Spirit which may produce thy vertues in us And because we are thy Children send the Spirit of thy Son into our hearts whereby we may cry Abba Father that ' being thy Children we may be heirs through Christ and walk according to the Spirit not fulfilling the Lusts of the flesh knowing that what a Man Soweth that shall he reap for he that Soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption but he that Soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life Everlasting LET us glory in nothing save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world may be drucified unto us and we unto the World that in him we may become new Creatures not growing weary of well-doing knowing that we shall reap in due season if we faint not Wherefore while we have time let us do good to all Men but especially unto the Houshold of Faith and all they that shall walk according to this rule peace be upon them and upon the Israel of God A Conclusive Prayer O ALMIGHTY God who hast promised to hear the Petitions of them that ask in thy Sons Name I beseech thee mercifully to incline thing Ears unto me who have now made my Prayers and Supplication unto thee and grant that those things which I have faithfully asked according to thy Will may be effectually obtained to the relief of my Necessity and to the setting forth of thy Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Blessing THE Peace of God which passeth all understanding keep my heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and the blessing of God Almighty the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost with the Virtue of Christs blessed Cross Passion Resurrection and Ascension be with me now at the hour of Death and in the Day of Judgment Amen GRACES A Grace before Meat O GOD who art the giver of every good and perfect Gift sanctifie we beseech thee these thy Creatures now prepared for us maâ—e them wholsome for our Bodies and ouâ— Souls and Bodies serviceable unto thee for them through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Or this MOST merciful Father which openest thy hand and fillest all things with Plenteousness we pray thee sanctifie these thy good Creatures unto us that we may eat to preserve life and living serve thee our God through thine only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen Or this O LORD our God by whose Providence it is that we live move and have our Being send thy Blessing upon us and our Provision and grant that whether we Eat or Drink or whatsoever we do else we may do all to the Glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen After Meat THE Lords most holy Name be now and ever blessed and praised for all his Mercies and for his blessings at this time bestowed upon us Lord as thou hast fed our Bodies with corporal Food so feed our Souls likewise with spiritual Food unto life Eternal Save thine Universal Church these Realms the King the Queen and all the Royal Family and grant us thy Grace Mercy and Peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Or this THE God of all Grace and Goodness who at this time hath fed and plenteously refreshed us his most holy Name be blessed and praised from this time forth and for evermore God save his Universal Church c. Or this WE laud and praise thy Name O Lord for all thy blessings and favours and for feeding us so plentifully at this time desiring thee of thy Grace that our thankfulness may not be in
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
THE Whole Duty OF PRAYER Containing DEVOTIONS FOR Every Day in the Week AND FOR Several Occasions Ordinary and Extraordinary By the Author of The Whole Duty of Man Necessary for all Families Psal. 65. 2. O thou that hearest Prayers unto thee shall all flesh come London Printed for I. P. and sold by Ric. Ianaway in Queens-Head-Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1692. THE Preface I Need not Recommend this small Manual to the World since it hears the Name of so Learned an Author whose Works have given sufficient demonstration of his Worth and Excellency and will to his lasting Honour be venerated in all Ages This Pattern of Piety hath lay concealed for many years and was at first Dedicated to the service of an honourable Lady in whose Cabinet it hath been choicely kept as one of her precious Iewels it was never design'd for the Press by reason the Reverend Authors Modesty should not be offended Upon her Bed of Mortality she was pleased to honour me so far as to commit it to my Care with a particular Charge not to publish it but one of her Mercenary Servants by their vigilant Industry had Plagiary-like got a Transcript and since this Pious and Honourable Persons Decease did design it for the Press being unwilling so much Injustice should be acted against so Worthy a Person I was forced to Cancel my Obligation and to hand with all speed the Original to be Printed that I might prevent any Surreptitious Copy What Alterations I was forced to make was leaving out the Praying for our Royal Ancestors and placing in our Royal Soveraign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary c. Some additional Prayers I thought proper to insert as Thanksgiving for His Majesties Safe Return and the Success of his Royal Navy and Armies a Duty enjoyned on the Church in Publick and ought to be the Duty of every Christian in Private Lastly I have added some few Graces which may be necessary for Minor Christians I shall now conclude with the Words of St. Paul to Timothy 2 Epistle 2 Chapter Verse the 7th Consider what hath been said and the Lord give thee Understanding in all things G. B. THE Whole Duty OF PRAYER What Prayer is and the Parts of it PRayer is the Duty both of Soul and Body it is an humble address unto God for whatsoever we stand in need of either in relation to this Life or that which is to come The First part of this Duty is Confession which is the acknowledging of our Sins in all Humility before the great Author of our Being Now Confession is twofold general and particular the general is when we Confess only we are sinful without naming any particulars which indeed belongs to publick Prayer but the acknowledging our Sins to God is very necessary whether Publick or Private Particular Confession is when we express the several sorts and acts of our Sins and what ill habits we are most prone to this is proper for Private Prayer and ought often to be used for we cannot repeat too often our soulest Sins which we are guilty of nor cannot enough bewail our own unworthiness in committing them THE next part of prayer is by way of Petition which is begging of God whatever we stand most in need of either for our Souls or Bodies first for our Souls we must beg pardon and absolution for all our Sins in the name of Jesus Christ who obtained it with his blood Secondly we must earnestly beseech the grace and assistance of Gods blessed Spirit to enable us to forsake all sin and wickedness and to live in obedience to him then it will be very necessary to beg all these particular graces faith hope Charity love zeal purity and repentance if thou art proud pray for Humility if lustful for Chastity if guilty of gluttony pray for temperance and so for all other vertues thou standest most in need of IN Petitioning for our Bodies we are to beg of God such accommodations of life as are necessary for us but in such a degree and measure as his all-seeing Wisdom Knows is most suitable to our state and Conditions the next duty and Third part of Prayer is deprecation which consists in praying to God to turn away from us either the evil of sin or the evil of punishment to pray against the evil of sin is to beg earnestly of God to preserve us by his Grace from falling into any sin and when we are under any great temptation and even ready to yield then we must Humbly beseech him either to withdraw the temptation or else by the Power of his Grace Strengthen us against it next we are to pray against the evil of Punishment which are two sorts Spiritual and Temporal Spiritula punishments are the wrath of God the with-holding of his Grace and Everlasting Damnation temporal punishments is loss of Friends goods or reputation but in these things we must wholy Submit to the will of God unto whom all we have belongs A Fourth Duty in Prayer is intercession which is praying for all sorts and Conditions of Men as Governours in Church and State our Parents Husband Wife Children or other Relations and Friends for all those in affliction either in Body mind or Estate nay even for our very Enemies according to the example of our Lord and Master who prayed for his very Crucifiers Father forgive them for they know not what they do The fifth Duty of Prayer is thanksgiving praising and blessing God for all his mercies Spiritual and Temporal Spiritual blessings are his sending his Son into the World for our Redemption and his holy Spirit to Sanctifie us that we are born Christians and are made partakers of his holy word and Sacraments We are likewise to return him thanks for his patience and long suffering in not Cutting us off in our Sins and Follies Temporal blessings which we are to give thanks for may be for the prosperity of a Church or Nation and all diliverances which are remarkable Some belongs to our selves as Health Wealth Food Rayment Friends with many other Mercies we daily receive from God which whoever receives the least blessing is indebted all his life time to Praise the author and giver of all good things THESE forementioned parts of our duty in Prayer are to be made use of both in private and publick that is in the Church and in our Closet but more especially in the Church to which place there is a peculiar Blessing belongs which Christ hath promised that where two or three are gathered together in his Name he will be in the midst of them The second Duty of publick Prayer is that in a family and that indeed ought to be the Masters Care to provide for the Souls of those that belong to him as to provide food for their Temporal Nourishment Now if he neglects this Duty and takes no care of his Household in this important affair that Man cannot well be esteemed a Christian but a
Lord I knock at the Door of thy Mercy and tender Compassion with all the Faculties of my Soul and Body for all these Graces and particular favours beseeching thee to continue unto me the right use of them that thy Spirit may witness unto my Spirit that I am thy Son and shall be Heir of thy Kingdom of Glory and that I may be partaker of the inheritance of thy Saints in light where are Pleasures that last for Evermore Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Prayer for Sunday Noon O God thou art great in Majesty and infinite in Mercy wonderful in thy goodness unto thy Church and Children Thou hast Commanded me to offer up my Prayer and supplications for those that shall enter into the Ministry and stand before thee to wait at thine alter the heaviest O Lord is very great and the painful and Conscionable Labourers but few I beseech thee be pleased to send able Ministers into thy Church and place such over particular Congregations as like Iohn the Baptist may be burning lights burning as being zealous in fervency and lights also as being conspicuous and eminent for Charity Sanctity of life and all holy Graces of thy Spirit LET thy Urim and thy Thummim be upon them as upon thy Holy one let them be sound for Doctrine and holy for Life and Conversation Preaching let them practice and by practice let them preach and teach the things which concern thy Kingdom Open wide unto them the Door of utterance that they may deliver thy Word freely and boldly Take away all differences and animosities from amongst them make them examples to those that believe in soundness of Doctrine and integrity of Conversation bless them with all Graces befitting so high a Calling that I may give thanks unto thee for them finding the benefit of thy blessing upon me through their Labours and may praise thy Name for evermore Amen A Prayer for Sunday Evening O Lord look down from Heaven thine holy Habitation and behold with the Eye of thy Love and tender Compassion a wretched Creature who now calls upon thee in the Words of the poor Publican O God be merciful unto me a Sinner Write not bitter things against me neither suffer me to possess the Sins of my Youth O forgive and forget all my Transgressions and cast mine Iniquities as far from thy presence in distance as the East is from the West LORD pardon I humbly beseech thee the faults and frailties which I have escaped this day in the sanctifying of thy Sabbath whether they be Sins of Omission or Commission wash them all away in the Blood of thy Son sanctifie me by the Word thy Word of Truth that this day hath sounded in my Ears Grant that like good Seed sown in good Ground it may take root downward and bring forth Fruit upwards to the Glory and Praise of thy great Name and the Salvation of my Immortal Soul O LET thy Word be ever in my Mind to meditate of it in my Mouth to speak of it and in my Life and Conversation to practice it By it Work in my Heart Faith Hope Charity and all other supernatural Graces which accompany Salvation open mine Eyes that I may see thy Law and incline my Heart that I may love the Truth and loving the same may yield Obedience to it doing thy Will on Earth or at least endeavouring to do it as the Angels in Heaven willingly without murmuring speedily without delaying constantly without ceasing and universally without omitting what thou commandest and commendest in thy Word so shall I not be distracted with Foolish fears nor dispair of thy Mercy but ever Hope and Trust in thee and find Grace to help me in time of need to whom be ascribed all Honour Power and Glory World without end Amen Mondays Meditations O GOD the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth who Created the Evening and the Morning continue I beseech thee unto me as well the Comfortable rest of the Evening to refresh my weariness as the most necessary Light of the Morning to manage my affairs and business make my Conscience serene and clear and let the pure Light of thy Gospel guide my Feet in the way of peace This Light of thine O Lord sheweth what I was in my Birth Slime and Filthiness what I am in my Life Vanity and Folly and what I shall be in the Grave Stench and Corruption LET these ponderous Considerations Lord humble me that Christ may raise me wound me that Christ may heal me load me that Christ may ease me and make me most vile in my own Eyes that I may be most dear and precious in his sight O thou which as upon this day createdst the Clouds to Rain upon the Earth shower down thy Graces plentifully into my hardned heart to mollifie it whereby I may be fruitful in all good Works LORD who this day didst separate the Waters separate I beseech thee and distinguish betwixt the Water of Tears which I shed for my Sins and those which I shed for Worldly crosses and afflictions cast away the one and put the other into thy Bottle This day thou madest the Heavens and the Air without which I cannot breath naturally no not one moment Infuse into my Soul thy blessed Spirit of Grace without which Spiritually I cannot breath forth my Prayers nor sigh nor so much as move any Faculty of Soul and Body unto thee But Lord as oft as I take in or let out the Air which I breath let me receive in Grace from thee and breath out Praise unto thee Amen A Prayer for Monday Morning O GOD as thou hast now rais'd up my Body from Sleep the Image of Death so I beseech thee deliver my mind and affections from the Sleep of Sin and from the Darkness of this World and as thou hast brought me to the beginning of this day be thou present with me and president in me Let thy holy Spirit be my Counsellor and Instructor my God and my Guide to lead me into all Truth help me by assistance of the same Spirit to watch over my Thoughts Words and Works that I may neither think speak nor do any thing which is not agreeable to thy holy Word LET me in all reverence and humility of Soul submit my self unto thy holy Will so that ordering my Conversation aright and walking according to thy Golden Rule peace may be upon me as upon the Israel of God Suffer me not to oppress or defraud my Brother in Bargaining Buying and Selling by using false Weights and Ballances or any other unlawful means but Guide me so by thy Grace that my Conscience may ever cheer me up through a delightful apprehension of thy blessed Favour TO this end order thou my Paths and establish my goings in the way of Peace Grace and Salvation cause thou me to walk upright before thee make me to provide things honest before thee and Men behave my self as in thy
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
evermore let no appalements disturb me keep me from Fire Storms Tempests Thieves sudden Death and Danger cause thine Angels to pitch their Tents round about me my House and Habitation and preserve all that is near and dear unto me Here name your particular Friends REMEMBER thy Church and every Member of it have pity on the poor afflicted Protestants in all parts beyond the Seas who suffer for the Testimony of their Faith and a good Conscience send them help from thy Holy place and evermore mightily defend them be unto them a Sun and a Shield a Sun to Comfort and a Shield to defend them to all Dangers and Tribulations put a period unto all their afflictions and in â—hy good time vouchsafe them a happy Deliverance Lord receive them and me and all that appertain unto me this Night and for ever into thy Gracious protection through the Mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Meditations for Saturday THE great Creator this day rested from all his Work which he had made and blessed it O Lord grant that after this painful life is ended I may enjoy a comfortable rest with thee in Heaven where I may keep an eternal Sabbath and hold a perpetual Feast there will be rest without Labour tranquillity without Molestation and joys without End There my Soul wilt thou behold a Glorious City the Streets of Gold the Gates of Pearl and the Foundations garnished with all sorts of precious Stones I SHALL behold thee the Father in thy Majesty Christ thy Son in his Glory the Spirit in his Sanctity the Arch-Angels and Angels in their Exceilency and the Saints in their Felicity then shall I no more hunger labour nor travel I shall no more fear grieve nor desire I shall want no more an earthly House for the Heaven of Heavens shall be my Habitation God will be my Temple and the Lamb that shineth for ever shall enlighten me LORD let the hope and expectation of this eternal rest and felicity sweeten all my labours and ease my torments let it mitigate my afflictions and comfort my spirits that I faint not in my Journey nor be depressed under my burden but hold on cheerfully and valiantly till I arrive at the Land of Promise and there receive the Lot of mine Inheritance with the Saints in light for evermore Amen A Prayer for Saturday Morning MOST Gracious God sanctifie I humbly beseech thee this day unto me and my self now and ever unto thy service thy Mercies O Lord they are new every Morning and therefore my Thanks ought every day to be a new repeated I praise thy holy Name for keeping me this Night past unto this present hour and moment and hast now brought me unto the last day of the Week grant that I may spend the same soberly righteously and holily BRING me to the knowledge of thy Blessed Will in all things that I may endeavour to perform the same to thy Glory the peace of my Conscience and the preservation of my own Soul purge and cleanse my Heart and Conscience from all dead Works that I may serve thee the living God for evermore Be thou my Guide in all my ways my stay and support in all my necessities put an end to the motions of the Flesh enlarge my Heart for all pious Duties and habitual Graces of thy Spirit that I may bring forth the Fruits of them in my Life and Conversation BLESS the Kingdom wherein I inhabit and thy holy Catholick Church whereof I am an unworthy Member bless thy Servants and our dear Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary as thou hast Crowned them with a Temporal Crown here so in thy due time give them a Crown of Glory hereafter Bless Katherine the Queen Dowager her Royal Highness the Princess Ann of Denmark with the rest of the Royal Family Bless all persons whether dignified or distinguished from the swayer of the Scepter to the drawer of Water have mercy upon all sick persons Women travelling with Child and those who are troubled in Body Mind or Estate O Lord speak peace unto their Consciences and as thou hast laid laid them down with the one hand so raise them up with the other if not to this life to life eternal for the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord Amen A Prayer for Saturday Evening O GOD the maker and preserver of all things look down with thy eye of pity and compassion upon me a miserable sinner I here prostrate my self Soul and Body before thy Divine Majesty beseeching thee in much mercy to pardon my sins to Sanctifie me with thy grace and to bring me to thy glory That so my Soul may be refreshed with such things as Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard nor hath it entered into the heart of Man to conceive ENTER not into Judgment with thy Servant O Lord for in thy sight shall no Flesh living be justified Examine not my wayes this Week past by the strickt rule of thy Law neither reward me in the severity of thy Justice But have Mercy upon me a miserable offender that have deserved the sharpest of thy Judgments but as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so is thy Mert cy over all thy Works of and great exten to poor Sinners SATISFIE my Soul with thy Mercy and that right soon so shall I rejoyce and be-glad in thee and learn to praise thee Evermore And now O Lord as this Week is ended so let my Sins be ended and never be repeated again any more Be pleased to be my merciful protector and preserver from all perils and dangers this Night Refresh my Body with quiet rest that my mind may be chearful and be fit to serve thee in Sanctifying thy Sabbath and keeping it as a glorious day unto thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Meditations on the Lords Supper HOW can I approach so divine a banquet and not by an humble confession wash my hands in innocency holy things must not be given to Dogs nor Pearls cast before Swine What is so holy as the Body and blood of Christ and what Pearl so precious as this Sacrament There is no Dog so filthy or Sow so unclean as I am by Nature but with great detestation of my Rebellious Corruptions I confess that never Dog so often returned to his Vomit nor Sow to her wallowing in the mire as I have to the sink of Sin and mire of sensual filthiness O WASH my hands in purity cleanse my Mouth and purge my Heart that I may take with a pure Hand eat with an undefileth mouth and keep in a faithfull heart this bread of life and food of Angels give me grace throughly and sincerely to examine my self and grant that after Examination I may find my desire fervent my knowledge Competent my Sorrow for Sin unfeigned my purpose of amendment sled fait my love sincere and my Faith lively AND finding my self thus apparelled in a wedding garment let me be found of thee
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 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
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
shalt shew me the Path of Life in thy presence is the fulness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for Evermore WE have had Fathers of the Flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in Subjection to the Father of Spirits and live he draweth the mighty with his power he riseth up and no Man is sure of Life WE have received good at the hands of God and shall we not receive Evil Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither doth Travail come forth of the Ground Let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord for though our outward Man decay our inward Man is renewed WE are chastened of the Lord that we should not be Condemned with the World For we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God that raised the dead who hath delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver And in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us BUT we know that all things work together for good to them that love God Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well doing as unto ae Faithful Creator We that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burdened I KNOW O Lord that thy judgments are just and that thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled O let this lightaffliction which will quickly pass away cause unto me afterward a more excellent and eternal weight of Glory REMEMBER I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the Clay and wilt thou bring me into the Dust again Deliver me O Lord from Eternal Death in that day wherein Heaven and Earth shall be dissolved when thou comest to judge the Earth I know thou wilt bring me to Death and to the House appointed for all Living A Prayer to be used by a sick Person O GOD my Creator and Preserver thou hast made me after thine own Image in Knowledge Holiness and Righteousness but I have sinned most holy Father against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called or reckoned amongst thy Children for this Image of thine I have defaced I have filled my Understanding with Ignorance my Will with Stubbornness my Affections with Perverseness my Heart with Deceitfulness and my whole Life with Disobedience ever since I drew my Breath I have drank Iniquity like Water so that I can expect nothing but Death and to be Arraigned at the Bar of thy Justice there to receive an irrevocable Doom BUT O most merciful God for thy dear Sons sake blot out all my Offences and receive me Graciously enlarge my patience to endure thy Tryal and lay no more upon me than I am able to bear give a happy issue unto all Temptations and make a way for me to escape and in the end grant me a full Deliverance As thou hast made me of Dust so thou canst take from me my breath and cast me forth again to that Earth from whence I was taken but I humbly beseech thee for to spare me a little that I may recover my health and strength before I go hence and be no more seen I CONFESS O Lord there is no soundness in my Flesh because of thy Displeasure nor any rest in my Bones by reason of my sin my heart panteth my strength faileth and my beauty consumeth away like a Moth fretting a Garment O Lord if it be thy holy Will ease my Agonies mitigate my Extremities be mindful of my Sorrows and be merciful unto my Sins redeem my Life from Destruction strengthen my Weakness heal my Malady and cause me again to walk before thee in the Land of the Living but if thou hast determined to call me hence thy Will be done grant me patience under thy Correction and a lively Faith in the All-sufficient and Efficacious Merit of Christ my Saviour seal unto me a free and a full pardon of all my sins in the Blood of thy dear Son and say unto my Soul that thou wilt be my Salvation IN assiance of thy merciful Absolution cause me to confess mine Iniquities and fill my heart with such a Godly sorrow as may work my Repentance unto Salvation never to be repented of sprinkle me with the Blood of Jesus and purifie me from my daily Pollutions that being washed justified and sanctified I may be presented unto thee without spot or wrinkle let nothing separate me from the love of thee grant me thy preserving Grace that dying thine Angels may convey my Soul into Abrahams Bosom there to reign with thee World without end Amen A Prayer to be said by the Friends of the Sick O LORD our God and great Creator thou madest us innocent but by sin we have brought Death and Destruction upon our selves for we have profaned thy Sabbaths contemned thine Ordinances cast thy Word behind our backs lived in all sin and sensuality spiritual slumber and security so that thou mightest justly cut us off from the Land of the Living and give us our Portion with Hypocrites where there is weeping and gnashing of Teeth BUT O Lord for thy Mercy sake and for the Merits of thy Son spare us a little and give us space of amendment before we go hence and be no more seen correct us in thy Mercy and not in thy Justice lest we should be consumed and brought to nothing whilst we live teach us to die daily to mortifie the deeds of the Flesh and to contemn the World with the Vanities thereof wean us from inordinate Self-love that we may not endear our selves too much to these Transitory lives of ours but may be ready and willing to depart when it shall stand with thy good pleasure to call for us take away from us the bitterness of Death and sweeten by the Cross of Christ these Waters of Marah that we may sigh and lament in our selves desiring to be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption into the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God LET our lives and the life of this thy sick Servant be now and ever precious in thy sight look mercifully upon him that is grieved with sickness Lord if thou wilt thou canst make him whole send him therefore help and health from thy holy place and evermore mightily defend him let the Enemy have no advantage against him nor the Wicked approach to hurt him but be thou present with him strengthen his Faith increase his patience under thy Correcting-hand raise him up from his sorrowful Bed and if thou art pleased longer to exercise him lend him strength to endure thy Tryal BUT if thou hast determined to take him hence Lord certifie unto him how long he hath to live make him to know his end and the measure of his days that by Prayer and Repentance he may provide wisely for his last end and be found of thee in peace and enjoy everlasting happiness dispose his
Meditations aright for Mortality and at that last hour make him to deny himself in renouncing his Justification by any inherent worth or righteousness and in all sorrows and sufferings let thy comforts rejoyce his Soul TO this end mortifie in him the Corruption of Nature quicken him with the Soul of new life and establish him with thy free Spirit purge his heart from all worldly thoughts and his mind from carnal desires motions and affections wash his Soul and Body with the Blood of Christ and sanctifie him throughout in Spirit Soul and Body with the Grace of thy holy Spirit that departing in the true Faith not casting away his confidence nor hope of rejoycing in full assurance of a blessed Resurrection he may have boldness in the day of the Lord Jesus and so pass from Death to Life and be ever with thee to behold thy Glory grant this for the sake of thy dear Son our Lord and Saviour Amen Another Prayer to be used by those that are about the Sick O LORD our God thou art the Judge of all the Earth we Dust and Ashes vile and miserable Sinners do here in all humility cast down our selves before thee for our Sins which are the occasion of all the evil of punishment thou inflictest on the Sons and Daughters of Men. Lord hear us and forgive whatsoever is past and grant that we may for ever hereafter serve and please thee through newness of life walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days and because the days are evil give us Grace to redeem the time that numbring our days aright we may apply our hearts unto true Wisdom make us constantly to eschew evil and do good to seek peace and ensue it LOOK with thine Eye of Mercy and Compassion upon this thy Servant who is grieved with Sickness sanctifie this thy Visitation unto him that those Graces which thou hast begun to work in him may be strengthened increased and by degrees perfected restore unto him the voice of joy and health that the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce And seeing we have need of patience send this thy Servant such a degree of patience and consiancy that he may continue thy Faithful Soldier and Servant unto his lives end work in him a sense and seeling of sin and true sorrow for the same which may cause repentance unto Salvation never to be repented of O LORD if it be not thy good pleasure to raise him up from his Bed of languishing prepare his heart for Death and his Soul for Heaven and wash away his Sins in the Blood of Jesus wean his affections from the love of this World and set them on those things which are above that being absent from the Body he may be present with thee O Lord. Repair in this thy Servant thine own Image and renew it in knowledge holiness and righteousness that thou mayest acknowledge him for thine raise him up from the Grave unto the Resurrection of Life and for ever satisfie him with thy likeness and transform him into the same from Glory to Glory Amen A Prayer to recommend the Soul to God when it is departing the Body O MOST Gracious God we commend into thy holy hands the Soul of this thy Servant beseeching thee to defend it from all evil and from thy wrath which he hath deserved let thy holy Angels receive this Soul from this ruinous habitation of Clay and carry it unto the bosom of thy dear Son O say unto this Soul this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and fear not for it is my Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom GIVE unto his decaying Body a blessed and a glorious Resurrection to his weary and afflicted his penitent and redeemed Soul a portion in the blessed sentence of the right hand amongst the happy Children of thy Father who shall receive the Kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of the World let his Soul dwell in heavenly Mansions be supported with thy hope comforted with a holy conscience rejoyce in a confirm'd pardon be recreated with the visitation of Angels and be arrayed in white to follow after the Lamb whither soever he goeth A Prayer for a Soul departing O LORD remember the good things which by thy Grace and by the Inspiration of thy holy Spirit thy Servant hath performed and remember not his evil Deeds nor the frailties of his Youth which by the weakness of the Flesh and the temptations of Satan and the vain contingencies of this World have afflicted and humbled his poor but penitent Soul O God remember thy only Son did die for these and thy blessed Spirit occasioned the other and for whom thou hast given thy Son and to whom thou hast vouchsafed to give thy Spirit give thy eternal Pardon and thy everlasting Glories through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen An Act of Resignation when a Friend is deceas'd O ETERNAL God who bringest good out of evil comfort out of sorrow and after a gentle visitation dost refresh thy Children have mercy upon us and return to us with thy loving kindness exchanging our present sorrow into the advantages of holiness and blessing Thy Judgments O Lord are unsearchable and thy ways past finding out but we will bless thy holy Name at all times for thou O Lord hast given and hast taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. BE thou now and for ever what thou hast so graciously promised a Father of the Fatherless a Husband to the Widow and a God of Comfort to them that mourn in secret Grant that we thy Servants may not weep as them without hope neither murmur at thy dispensation nor complain of any thing but our selves nor desire any thing but that thy Will may be done nor do any thing but what is agreeable to thy holy Word and Commandment GRANT O Lord that when thou smitest any of us it may encrease thy fear in us and when thou dost good to any of us in smiting or forbearing in chastising or Comforting it may encrease thy love in us And let thy holy Spirit so prevail over all our wills and understandings our Affections and the outward Man our interests and our hopes that we may live in this World pleasing to thee and may depart out of this World with the peace of a good Conscience and may attain to a joyful Resurrection in the last day and to a participation of thy Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Meditation after Recovery from Sickness O COME hither and behold the Works of the Lord how wonderful he is in his doings towards the Children of Men O come hither and hearken all ye that fear God and I will tell you what he hath done for my Soul I called unto him with my mouth and gave him praises with my Tongue O Lord my God I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me THOU Lord hast brought my Soul out of Hell Thou hast kept my Life from them that
and Lightning Storms and Tempestuous Weather or any other danger that may dismay me To thee O Lord I commend my Body and Spirit to dispose of me according to thy holy Will and Pleasure if thou art pleased to call for my life upon the surface of the Waters I know thy Almighty Word can command the Sea to give up her Dead at the last and great audit BUT if thou hast determined to bring me safe to my desired Haven give me thy Grace which is sufficient for me to walk according to thy holy Will in all things make me to lay hold of eternal Life which as the Anchor of Hope is both sure and stedfast keep me from all temptations Ghostly and Bodily and from sudden Death and in thy good time bring me to the Land of the Living there to reign with thee for evermore Amen A Thanksgiving after a Voyage O IMMORTAL God I have seen thy Works O Lord and thy Wonders in the Deep thou spakest the Word and the stormy Wind arose which lifted up the Waves thereof but when we cried unto thee thou madest the Storm to cease so that the Waves thereof were still then did we rejoyce because we were at rest and thou broughtest us safe to that Haven where we would be O that men would therefore praise thee O Lord for thy Goodness and declare the Wonders thou dost continually for them I BLESS thy holy Name for conducting me through those many dangers which encompassed me and praise thy Mercy that the Deep hath not swalloyed me up and that I am not gone down into the place of Silence I also praise thy holy Name and admire thy loving Kindness towards me that thou hast not delivered up my Body and Goods as a prey into the hands of unreasonable Men but hast brought me to my desired Haven and at last hath returned me back in safety to my Habitation O LET me never forget to pay those vows I made to thee when I was in trouble but give me an awful sense and apprehension of thy great power and possess my Soul with a true reverence of thy Divine Majesâ—y that I may evermore serve thee in holiness and Righteousness all the dayes of my Life Endue me with thy holy Spirit that I may become acceptable in thy sight and may be fitted at lenght for future Glories this I beg for thy Son Jesus Christ sake my only Saviour Amen A Prayer in a Storm O LORD our God thou hast commanded us in the day of Calamity to call upon thy Name and thou hast promised to hear us Lord I fly unto thee who art a sure refuge thy Flood-gates are opened and the Floods lift up their lofty waves But thou O Lord most high art mightier than the noise of many Waters yea than the mighty Waves of the Sea Thou canst in a moment if it stand with thy Divine will and pleasure rebuke the Winds and the Sea and this Storm into a Calm I KNOW I justly deserve to be cast away and utterly to be rejected by thee but Lord save us or else we perish accept of my unfeigned Sorrow for all my sins and trangressions and endue me with a stedfast resolution to forsake them be merciful unto us O God be merciful unto us and save us from perishing in these deep Waters O refresh us with thy Mercy and that soon lest we go down into the place of silence O comfort us in this great distress that though the Sea rage and swell our hearts may be quiet and still in this time of our disconsolation AND as I earnestly desire to be protected from this great Peril and danger which now terrifies us so I earnestly beseech thee that thou wilt for ever fill my heart with such an awful dread of thy Majesty that I may fear thy Name and praise thy power in the great Congregation awake my dull and drousie Soul from the sloth of Sin and renew a right Spirit within me fill me with the gifts and Graces of thy holy Spirit that I may live the life of the Righteous and never forget thy loving kindness save us now from death I beseech thee from the merciless Waves who are now ready to swallow us up and bring us home in safety for thy Son Jesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour Amen A Thanksgiving after a Storm I PRAISE and glorifie thy holy Name O Lord for all thy mercies and blessings vouchsafed unto me especially for this thy last great Deliverance wherein I was encompassed in that wide Ocean whom thou hast set bounds and limits to if thou O Lord hadst not been on my side the Sea had swallowed me up quick and I had gone down into the deep of silence but thou hast been my God and my deliverer and hast put a new Song into my Mouth even a Song of Praise and Thanksgiving unto my God I ACKNOWLEDG O Lord that thou art the God of all the Earth and of them that remain in the broad Sea Blessed for ever and magnified be thy Name that thou hast not cast me out of thy sight nor turned thy Mercy from me I have escaped thy raging Sea and the noise of the proud Waves have done me no harm if thy Almighty providence had not protected me the Streams had gone over my Soul But the stormy wind and Tempest I have narrowly escaped the storm is ceased and I am safely delivered AND now what shall I render to thee O Lord for this and all other thy great benefits I will offer up unto thee the Sacrifice of thanksgiving and will pay those vows I so solemnly made unto thee when I was in trouble I will evermore remember that my help is in the Lord who made Heaven and Earth and that thou art that God that can and will deliver me let this thy mercy and loving-kindness never depart my memory but let me praise thy goodness and sing of thy power unto my lives end Amen A Prayer in time of Thunder and lightning O MOST mighty and terrible Lord God before whom the Earth shakes and the Heavens drop at thy presence thou overturnest the mountains by the roots and removest them in thy anger thou dost great things and thy wayes are past finding out yea thou dost wonders without number Thy voice O Lord is very powerful full of Majesty that it rends the Air and casts forth flames of Fire Thou canst O Lord at this time tear us in pieces and none can be able to deliver us for there is none but thee alone that delivers after this sort O WHO would not dread thy All-glorious Name O Lord Who would not stand in awe of thy Majesty Who would not fear thy Judgments when thou shoots forth thy Arrows of Thunder and Lightning It is of thy meer Mercy O Lord that we are not at this time consumed but that thy tender compassions fail not toward us poor but miserable Sinners the blast of the breath of thy