in righteousnesse Pro. 25. 5. VVE render and yéelde vnto thée all possible thanks O Lord of mercy King of all Kings and Kingdomes of the Earth for as a great blessing vnto vs thou hast placed ouer vs in this Realme so â—ure a guide of true Religion IAMES by thy heauenly prouidence our gracious King vnder whom enioying frée liberty of the true seruice of thée wée rest in a quiet estate both of body and minde wée humbly beséech thée to behold with thy eyes of mercy the same thy Seruant our Soueraigne Lord and Gouernour to replenish his heart with the grace of thy holy Spirit that hee by the working thereof being inclined to the setting forth of thy Word may walke according to the truth of the same sincerely that wée thy Seruants and vnder thée his Subiects séeing his godly examples may be ashamed to fall from that true forme of honoring thy Name which for thy glory through thy grace by the rule of thy holy Word is prescribed vnto vs and vouchsafe to stir vp in him zeale of thy glory a desire to establish whatsoeuer wanteth in this Church of England for the increase of true and sincere Discipline Let no ignorance abide in his Royall heart but inrich him with diuine and heauenly Knowledge giue him an obedient minde abounding with all humility towards thy diuine Maiestie saue and defend him from the tyranny of forraigne Powrr and Authoritie and from all such as professe not inwardly vnfaigned zeale of thy Gospell giue him godly Counsellors and such zealous and true hearted Ministers of thy Will that hee and wée may sincerely serue thée in this life and in the end for euermore raigne with thée in thy heauenly Kingdome for Jesus Christ his sake our onely Aduocate Amen A Prayer for obedience vnto God Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as when his voyâ—e is obayed Behold to obay is better then sacrifice to harken is better then the fat of Rams 1 Sam. 15. 22. Paul commendeth the obedience of the Romans Rom. 16. 19. Obay my voyce saith God and I will be your God and ye shall be my people Ier. 7. 23. O God the Gouernour of Heauen and Earth thou that rulest in the highest that only canst doe all things and raignest for euer at whose becke the Pillers of Heauen shake and all Creatures tremble I miserable creature framed of the earth do with great feare and trembling prostrate my selfe before the â—hrone of thy Maiesty acknowledging and confessing my wickednesse and wayes abhominable in thy sight Without thée I thinke not a good thought without thée I doe no good worke without thée I am worse then a worme of the earth yea a beast in thy sight I render vnto thée thanks O God that thou hast vouchsafed mée that knowledge that I may sée and know that I am nothing and vnable to doe any thing without thée Thou art the Potter I the Clay such as thou pleasest to haue me be such canst thou form and fashion me if thou makest me blessed thou shewest thy mercy and grace if thou cast me into hell thou shewest thy iustice executest thy iudgement neither is it my duty to contradict thée why or for what reason thou doest it for thou hast mercy vpon him whom thou louest These things I consider with my selfe O Lord and I feare thy iudgmeÌ„ts depend only on thy mercy Forasmuch therefore as all my safetie and saluation relieth wholy on thee and consisteth in thy hand and power and thou hast shewed thy selfe a mercifull long-suffering God to the whole world hast testified the same indéede in that thou wouldest thy onely Sonne Christ Jesus the innocent should die for our offences should wipe away our sins with his bloud on the Crosse and since thou hast taught vs in al our perturbations and afflictions to call vpon thée craue thy grace and mercy for that thou wilt giue vs althings which we shall aske in the name of thy Sonne I come vnto thée being drosse and clay O mercifull and celestial Father humbly beséeching thée that thou wilt in thy mercy make of this vnworthy carkasse of mine an habitation for thy holy spirit that though I line in the earth I may haue my conuersation holy as in the Heauens O mercifull and most louing Father grant me forgiuenesse of all my sinnes through the death of thy beloued Sâ—n Jesus Christ make me to please thée increase in mee all heauenly vertues and grant that I may perseuere in the same to the end increase in mee that faith and loue towards thée which thou hast begun in me kindle my affections towards thée more and more in liuely obedience that by thy helpe and presence of thy grace I may obtaine euerlasting life which thou hast promised vs of thy méere goodnesse to the end I may praise thée and giue thée thanks in thy celestiall Kingdome for euer and euer Amen O Lord increase my Faith A Prayer to be confirmed in the way of Righteousnesse God is the fountaine of righteousnesse and he that giueth himselfe to righteousnesse is knowne to be borne of him 1 Iohn 2. 29. O Gracious Lord God louing in Jesus Christ Redéemer of mankinde who is the Way the Truth and the Life I humbly begge at thy hands that I may neuer wander nor goe astray from thée who art the way neither at any time to distrust thy promises who art the truth performest whatsoeuer thou dost promise thou art eternall Life more to be destred then any thing in heauen or in earth by thée wée haue learned the true and direct way to eternall saluation thou diddest instruct and teach vs readily how to beléeue what to doe what to hope and in whom we ought to trust by thée we haue learned how vnhappy wée were borne through our first Father Adam by thée we are taught that there is no hope of saluation except by faith in thée we take hold of our frée redemption and adoption in Christ. Thou art the onely light that shâ—nest to all Creatures in the Desert of this World conduding them through the ignorance of their minds from the Egyptian darknes to that blessed Land which thou promisest vnto the méeke and such as follow thée in humility For in vs was nothing but vtter darknesse who neither could discerne our calamitie neither knew from whence to séek the remedy of our misery Thou didst enter into the World in the shape of a Seruant and didst take vpon thée our nature that thy brightnesse might disperse the cloud of our ignorance that by thy precepts thou mightst directour féet in the way of peace by the examples of thy life in thy humility thou didst limit out a path for vs to immortality making it easie for vs to tread in by thy heauenly way so becamest thou vnto vs a way that leadeth to Life in which lest we should be wearied thou hast assured vs by
so to walke before thée in this present life as becommeth thy Saints O continue thy word of truth amongst vs euer to our comfort Let the séede thereof now sowne in our hearts take such déepe roote that neither the burning heate of persecntion cause it to wither nor the thorny cares of this world riches or voluptuous liuing choake it but as séede sowne in good ground it may bring forth fruit according to thy pleasure O Father giue vs grace that when we heare or â—â—nde by thy word any sinne that is in vs we may striue and study without delay willingly to reforme it Kéepe vs good God that wée neuer swarue for the feare of man from our owne true knowledge becomming seruers of time and deuiers of thée Kéepe vs from all hardnesse of heart contempt of thy word and from all dissembling of sinceritie Increase true loue amongst vs more and more Blesse thy whole Church O God with graces necessary this parcell of it our natiue Land and Country deare Father blesse it still with continuance of thy truth Iessen in it daily the number of blinde and ignorant Papists prophane Atheists and increase the number of thy true children Preserue vnto vs long aliue good Lord if it please thée our gracious King and Gouernour multiply thy Spirit vpon him and all his that still more and more he and they may séeke and set forth thy glory in maintaining Christian religion in all purity suppressing all vice superstition and Idolatry with all seuerity Giue vnto him an honourable Counsell giue them graces necessary for such a calling Blesse all other Nobles Magistrates and the whole body of this Realme with true hearts to thée and to this Countrey Increase in this our Israel the number of true Watchmen whose hearts may séeke thée and thy people and not their owne glory and commodity Bring to thy fold by them such wandring remnants as are thine And O Lord be gracious to our kindred and friends in the flesh lighten their hearts with the Sunne of vnderstanding that they and wée acknowledgeing one truth may glorifie thée in the true and constant profession of the same all the dayes of our life Comfort O Christ thy afflicted members wheresoeuer or howsoeuer troubled and grant vs peace in our dayes if it be thy pleasure Finally because the night is now vpon vs and we ready to take our rest let the bed O Lord strike into our hearts a consideration that the graue is almost ready for vs. Which of vs can tell whether these eies of ours once closed vp shall euer open any more againe or no Lord therefore receiue vs into thy hands we all here now commend our selues bodies soules vnto thy holy protection and prouidence kéepe vs this night and euermore ready for thée when thou shalt call vs. Heare vs O Lord O God and Father mercifull in these our petitions for thy Sonne Jesus Christ his sake our Sauiour in whose name we altogether begge these mercies saying as Christ our Sauiour hath taught vs Our Father which art in heauen hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome come Thy Will be done in earth as it is in Heauen Giue vs this day our daily Bread And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs and lead vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for euer and euer Amen Let thy mighty hand and out-stretched arme O Lord be still our defence thy mercy louing kindnesse in Iesus Christ our saluation thy true and holy word our instruction thy grace and holy Spirit our comfort and consolation vnto the end and in the end Amen The Lord blesse vs and saue vs and make his face to shine vpon vs and be mercifull vnto vs the Lord turne his fauourable countenance towards vs this night and euermore Amen A Prayer to be vsed in priuate Families Morning and Euening Leuit. 26. 6. If yee truely serue God yee shall sleepe and none shall make you afraid Lord prepare our hearts open our lips sanctifie our prayers and increase our Faith O Most mighty Lord God and our most mercifull and louing Father in Jesus Christ we thy poore creatures and vnworthy children humbly present our selues in his name before thy glorious maiesty acknowledging that we be most vnworthy to appeare in thy presence by reason not onely of our originall but also of our continuall actuall sinnes and déepe disobedienee being originally borne the children of wrath and the least of our actuall transgressions is sufficient to cast vs into hell and vtter perdition if thou shouldest deale with vs according to the measure of our manifold iniquities We therefore doe humbly beséech thée O mercifull Father in the merits of Jesus Christ fréely to pardon and forgiue our manifold offences both in that wée haue committed and done those things thou hast forbidden and left vndone the things thou hast commanded Lord forgiue vs and remember our sinnes no more let them neuer good and gracious Father rise vp in Judgement to our condemnation Giue vs a full assurance of thy mercies and frée forgiuenesse in Jesus Christ and let thy holy Spirit from henceforth euermore so sanctifie our hearts minds and bodies that wée neuer hereafter giue consent to the corrupt motions of our fleshly affections and vnclean desires and let the liuely light of thy continuall presence so illuminate our dark vnderstandings that we may still search for thy will in thy word reuealed and giue vs will and power to practise and performe all godly seruice duties and obedience to thée giue vs féeling hearts that we may finde out our own weakenesse and confesse vnto thée our infirmities and that we may boldly in the Name of thy Sonne Christ Jesus fall downe before thée calling faithfully and sincerely vpon thy holy name for pardon for our former euils for grace to reforme so the rest of our wicked liues that thou maist be pleased to accept vs anew into thy fauour and fatherly protection Grant that we may continually féele in our hearts and consciences more and more the virtue and power of the death resurrection of our Lord and Sauior Jesus Christ that we may continually striue against and mortifie our grosse sins and foule corruptions and grow more strong against all euill motions and temptations in thought word and déede and be more and more renewed in the spirit of our mind and féele a continuall increase of ioy and comfort in the reading hearing and meditating of thy holy and heauenly word and a feruency of true zeale to séekethy glory by encreasing more and more in knowledge and in the hatred of sinne in our selues rebuking it in others especially in those of whom we haue charge and in a happy and faithfull going forward in all godly obedience vnto thy will all the dayes of our liues Direct and strengthen vs that we may with all faithfulnesse labour to
them there will be much required and that our sinnes will be the greater and our iudgement the more heauy if we make not right vse of this thy mercy And concerning the Watch-man whom thou hast appointed ouer our soules wée beséech thée to inlarge his heart to increase his gifts and to replenish him yet with a fuller measure of thy Graces Giue him O Lord the true zeale and spirit of Paul that he may with all boldnesse of spéech giue vnto vs thy Gospell and publish euen the secrets thereof for the edifying and comfort of our soules Make him powerfull in the holy Scriptures like Apolloes that by the power thereof hée may both conuict our consciences and stoppe the mouthes of all gaine-sayers Powre into him thy holy Spirit the word of wisedome and knowledge that he may rightly iudge of our estates and vnderstand what things are most expedient and necessary for vs and so may speake to our consciences finding vs out in our speciall sinnes and directing vs in those holy courses from which wée haue chiefely strayed Let his words pricke our hearts forward that wée may not be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Make him firme and constant in the best courses that he may not be as a Réede shaken with the winde but as a sure foundation that by his perseuerance in good workes our hearts may be the better established And wée beséech thée O Christ who commandest the Starres and holdest them in thy right hand to defend him from vnreasonable and euill men and from the wrongs and iniuries of the wicked enemies of thy truth for doubtlesse men of corrupt mindes will resist the Truth with all their power Therefore good Lord blesse his labour to the calling and conuerting of those which are elected vnto saluation Make our hearts flexible to yéelde true obedience to thy Word deliuered from his mouth that wée may receiue it not as the word of a man but as it is indéede thy Word and make it also effectuall in vs that wée may not onely be professors and hearers of thy holy will but also practisers and continuall performers of the same And teach vs to reuerence him wée beséech thée and to loue him for his profession and workes sake not sparing our goods to relieue him knowing it is a small thing for him to â—eape our earthly things who soweth amongst vs spiritual food for our soules In all our Supplications make vs mindefull of him without ceasing that his studies may be directed his endeauours guided and his labours in thy worke blessed to the glory of thy holy name and the saluation both of him and of vs which heare him All which we humbly and earnestly begge at thy fatherly hands for thy deare Sonnes sake who hath ordained Pastors and Teachers for the gathering together of his Saints and who is the supreme and soueraigne Bishop of all our soules to whom be all praise honour and glory now and for euermore Amen O Lord increase our Faith A Prayer for the true obseruation of the Commandements of the Lord. O Omnipotent and euerlasting God maker of heauen and earth who hast froÌ„ the very beginning promised to be our Lord and our God our fortresse our buckler and defence our castle refuge who hast brought vs with a mighty and strong hand with an out-stretched arme out of the land wherein we were strangers and liued in bondage vnder the yoake and tyranny of Antichrist and Satan into the land that floweth with milke and hony and of true Religion wherewith thou feédest the Soules of the faithfull ones to their vnspeakeable comfort grant that as through thy mercy and loue thou vouchsafest to bring vs into this world and to frame vs to thine owne image and likenesse so wée may account thée as our onely God worshipping none other besides thée making our selues none image of any likenesse either of things aboue or things beneath nor to séeke helpe at the hands of any as a God beside thée who as by thy mighty power thou broughtest the children of Israel out of Egypt by the hands of Moses and Aaron where they were in bondage and were continually oppressed with sundry kinds of vexations both of body and minde so thou hast vouchsafed to bring vs and deliuer vs from a greater bondage and slauery euenfrom the power of Sathan vnder whose tyranny wée rested and now escaped not by any other pollicie strength or power but by the bloud-shedding of thine only Sonne Jesus Christ who tooke vpon him the death of the Crosse for our sakes to bring vs from darkenesse wherein we walked according to the wil of the flesh vnto the true knowledge of thée againe and to redéeme vs out of the bondage of sin into the land of righteousnes from blind ignorance to the bright shining day-starre of thy heauenly will who art not onely a most louing and most gentle Father but also a most sharpe punisher and reuenger who art not onely desirous that we should come vnto thée but art also most iealous ouer vs lest wée should séeke or follow any other gods besides thée yea in all our afflictions and troubles thou wilt that wée séeke onely thée and being relieued to attribute the onely meane thereof vnto thy selfe whereby thou hast promised to be mercifull vnto thousands that â—oue thée feare thée séeke thée and truely take hold of thée as their onely God and againe threatnest vengeance on the third and fourth generation of them that hate thee and follow strange gods neglecting thy Commandements O God vouchsafe that wée neuer put our féete towards any strange gods appeare their helpe neuer so likely and plentifull but that it may both now and euer continue in our harts to confesse both in word conuersation that there is none other God besides thée who art a most gracious and louing Father Haue mercy vpon vs O Lord haue mercy vpon vs and so vouchsafe to direct vs in all our doings cogitations and words as we may alwayes and in all things fulfill thy will without taking thy most holy and most glorious Name in vaine by blasphemous spéeches dishonouring the same kéepe vs most louing Father not onely from the most detestable sinne of periurie whereby thy holy Name is often defaced and as it were trodden vnder-foote as in making it the author of abhominable falshoods and lyes but from all friuolous and vaine eathes which to the great griefe of thy Children and dishonour of thy Name are most vncomely in the mouthes of such as vnreuerently and rashly vse it euen in common spéeches without any vrgent cause whereby they fall into the most hainous sinne of taking thy most glorious Name in vaine O Lord forgiue vs and grant that we may vse such a reuerent manner and godly order in triall of matters in controuersie as we may be alwayes true hallowers and not abusers of thy Name therein And forasmuch as thou within sixe dayes didst finish all things in the