Satan come and catch away the Seed but O that it may be as seed sown in good and honest hearts bringing forth fruit with patience meet for repentance and let it be for the weakning of sin but for the strengthening of faith and grace Let thy Word be as Manna for our poor Souls to feed upon for the week to come that thereby we may grow up in grace as we grow in years Let thy word be a sutable word unto every one of our conditions and come thou into our Souls with it with the freest influence of thy Spirit that we may of a truth meet with God communicating of himself unto us by his Word and Spirit And as the Soul is separated from the Body by Death so let sin be separated from our Souls by thy Word and Spirit O let it be separate from our Souls or else it will separate the Souls of us poor Creatures from God Let thy Minister who is thy Messenger be strengthened and touch his tongue with a coal from thine Altar that he may preach experimental truth to the hearts of us poor Creatures that desire to attend on thine Ordinances O let us taste and see how gracious the Lord is and let us have cause to say It is good to draw nigh to God in his own Ordinances on his own Day And let this day of rest be a certain pledge of an eternal rest purchased by our great high Priest who is preparing a place for his select ones O that this thy day may be spent in the performances of holy duties in praise and thanksgiving the work of thine appointment Unvail some secret this day let us be drawn nigher every day unto thy self Let us be so enlightened that sin may decay and grace may be renewed in us Let us come hungering and thursting after Spiritual Food for our Souls so that in the close of this day we by a grounded experience may say that God has satisfied our hungring Souls with refreshing influences from Heaven thorow the Blood of Jesus Christ in whose words we conclude our imperfect requests as he himself has taught us saying Our Father c. An Evening Prayer for the Sabbath MOst Holy and ever Blessed Lord God who fillest Heaven and Earth with thy presence fill the Souls of thy poor empty Creatures with the presence of thy Grace and let thy good Spirit bring to our remembrance the truths that we by thy providence have heard this thy day that we may lay it up in our hearts and practice it in our lives that we may be of those blessed ones that hear thy word and keep it and bring forth fruit in abundance and let it take root in our hearts downward and bring forth fruit upward Establish our Souls in the practice of Holiness without which we can never come to see thy self and let the power of sin be weakened but let Grace be strengthened every day Pardon that unpreparedness that we have intruded into thy presence with and that irreverence whilst under thy Ordinances and that carelesness after that we all have been guilty of Pardon our forgetfulness and pardon our imperfection in the perfection of Christ our weakness in the strength of Christ that thereby we may find acceptance with thee who art all fulness and in whose hands is all perfection Fill our Souls with the fulness of God and let the bedewings of thy Spirit and Word cause us to grow in our spiritual stature Help us to prize the priviledge of the Gospel at an inestimable rate and give us repentance from dead works that we may be changed from darkness unto light and from the power of sin unto God And help us to manifest in our lives and conversation what is the hope of our calling that we may be in Heaven whilst on Earth Pardon the sins of our holy things sins of omission and commission sins against thy Law and sins against thy Gospel Give us Wisdom to direct and teach us Righteousness to establish us Redemption to deliver us from the jaws of Sin and Hell Strengthen our weak Faith enlarge our shallow Capacities quiet our disturbed Consciences tread down Satan under our feet and subjugate our Necks under thy Yoak and help us to resign our selves to thy Will and fit us for Eternity at last that after these Sabbaths be ended here we may begin an everlasting Sabbath with the God of Sabbaths where we shall admire thy self in Christ in whose Name we conclude our imperfect requests in his own words as he hath taught us saying Our Father c. A Prayer for Monday Morning BLessed Lord thou renewest thy mercies every Morning it is of thy mercy that one day more is added to us poor Creatures Thou art he on whom depends our being rest life and all thou has been pleased to cause us to acquiesce in and under thy protection for our refreshment O Lord preserve us this day under the shadow of thy wing and keep us in thy ways and let thy watchful providence be an instigation to an holy walking and to redeem the time seeing the days are evil and to live as ever before the Eye of thy All-seeing Providence Keep us from sin and enable us to live with thankful hearts bearing in mind the acts of thy Spirit and the daily Mercies we enjoy help us to shew a thankfulness for Mercies received and humility for and under Afflictions Let the bitterness of Sin and the loveliness of Holiness make deep impression on the hearts of thy poor Creatures Let the great work of Salvation be much meditated upon that that work daily may be propagated by us with fear and trembling Let union and communion with Christ be our great design Let our Natures be changed Deliver us from a dark understanding and hardness of heart stupid consciences together with unmortisied wills Help us to be wise for the future wherein we have done foolishly and help us wisely to improve our Talents in every opportunity Let thy mercies constrain us to love fear and obey thee Subdue us wholly to thy self that our affections may be elevated from the Earth and transplanted into Heaven Help us in every transaction in our lives to consider that with thee every action is poised and thoughts words and works reviewed and taken notice of O that the affairs of this day and all the week to come may be no obstruction to the work of our immortal Souls And grant that every day that passes over our heads we may be a step nearer to thy self Preserve us by thy Grace and Spirit until it shall be thy will to translate us into that Glory that is prepared for them that wait for the coming of Jesus Christ Amen A Prayer for Monday Evening MOst Holy Eternal and ever Blessed Lord God in whom all our springs are it is good to draw nigh to thy self Thou that never slumberest nor sleepest suffer us not to sleep the sleep of Death The Day thou hast
we find manifested all along in the Scripture He carries on his design in the Old World in the incestuous Sodom by Pharaoh towards the Children of Israel nay even by the Patriarks David and Solomon as far as he can and thus he assaults and prevails in a great measure Nay no wonder if he assaults these poor Creatures when he attempts to set upon Christ himself Having prevailed so against the first Adam he 'll see what he can do to the second but blessed be God The Seed of the Woman has bruised the Serpents Head Thus we see how this Roaring Lyon goes about seeking whom he may devour what Souls he can ensnare and entrap He environs and surrounds the Earth to the intent he may devour Moreover He has two Attendants viz. 1. The World 2. The Flesh to carry on his hellish designs and plots against poor Saints and the destruction of every Christian that endeavours to build up the Kingdom of Christ And first he makes use of the World that is 1. The World it self the love whereof chokes that vigor and liveliness that is or ought to be in a Christian 2. Wicked Men in the World in whom he acts and soments all the venom he can both for the hindrance of the Gospels propagation and the destruction of those that seek to be enlightened by it to bring them to the true knowledge of God and his way Dismal is it to think how far he hath and at this very day doth prevail by them But blessed be God that hath set his King upon his Holy Hill of Sion Psal 2.6 Secondly Our inbred Corruptions that is that that is called the Flesh out of which proceeds an innumerable multitudâ— of destructive lusts that keep a constanâ— hostility against a poor Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 and these he makes his baits to catch Souls He suits his baits 1. According to our constitutions and natural inclinations 2. To our conditions First To our constitutions If they be inclining to Melancholy he tempts to Despair if to Sanguine he tempts to Anger If our Constitutions be Chearful he tempts to Lasciviousness And so look what our Constitutions and Natural Inclinations are accordingly he suits his Baits and Temptations Secondly To our Conditions If a â—ans Estate increase so that he hath a competent portion of the things of this World he tempts him either to that destructive sin viz. Covetousness which is tâ—â— root of Evils and this he shrowds undâ—â— the Name of Good-husbandry or tâ— Luxurious Prodigality and Pride and this he covers with the Name of Good-fellow-ship Nay in a word No Time Place Degree Age Constitution Condition wherein and against and according to whom he doth not suit his poisonous baits and exerciseth his utmost policy and endeavours to ruin poor Souls Blessed be God that he hath not left us ignorant of his Devices but thrice blessed be his Name that he has not left us Naked but has left us his own Armory Eph. 6. and that of proof which is able to defend us from all the siery darts of this so potent an enemy The parts whereof are 1. The Helmet of Salvation 2. The Breast-plate of Righteousness 3. The Shield of Faith 4. The Girdle of Truth 5. The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word 6. The Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace 7. And lastly The Engine of Prayer Now let us see of what use all theâ— are to a Christian 1. The Helmet of Salvation That iâ— a constant expectation and desire of â—ernal Happiness This is of great â—se unto us to support us and beaâ— up our fainting Spirits under all Trial and Temptations without the hope of which a Christian would utterly despond This is that that made so many Martyrs endure the most exquisite Torments from the hands of Bloody Tyrants Heb. 11. 2. The Breast-plate of Righteousness This is walking in Holiness and Blamelesness this is that Proof-piece that bears a Christian out and keeps off all the false Imputations and Slanders that the Devil and Wicked Men his Agents can forge or invent against a Christian 4. The Shield of Faith That is A firm believing and trusting of God for the accomplishment of his Promises This keeps off the Fire-balls and Darts of Sathan viz. Carnal Confidence Presumption Security Insidelity and Despair c. 5. The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God This wounds Sathan and cuts in sunder the concatenating knots of his various Temptations by which he seeks to entangle Souls This discovers all his Devices With this Sword our Saviour â—oil'd this Champion he oppos'd him with a Scriptum est It is written 6. The Shoes of the Preparation of the Goâ—pel of Peace This is assurance of Acceptation and Peace with God through Jesuâ— Christ according to that Holy Doctrine held forth in the Gospel He that is shod with these Shoes is sit for his Journey to Canaan thorow all his Oppugnants knowing that God who is at peace with him is both able and willing to be his conduct and deliverer from them all 7. Prayer This is that brings success to and a blessing upon all the rest and enables a Christian through Gods Free Grace and Mercy to make use of all other the pieces of the Armory Thus we see how Christ our Captain has fortified us he has not left us to fight without Weapons without Armour and that of Proof nay he himself has led the Van he underwent all the hardship in this Warfare and has as it were given the Devil his deaths wound He has conquer'd Hell also and the Grave he 's the Triumphant King and Captain He has unstinged Death he has only left us some small work to do and that he has promised to help us in Christian therefore be of good courage let nonâ— make thee afraid thy foes may environ thee and enemies rage against theâ— yet be not dismayed thy Cause is good thy Captain is Victorious and what thou art not able to do he 'll do iâ— for thee But it may be thou l't say Thou canst not tell whether Christ will be willing to accept thee for his Soldier or not Willing yes if thou art willing but 't is rather to be feared thou art not willing because thou makest this objection If he were not willing to what end would he call and invite thee O Christian do not doubt but come make no delay Go to this Magazine and invest thy self herewith and thy Captain will maintain thee if thou art willing though thou art weak he 'll fight for thee only take notice that if ever thou look backward thou art but a dead man Press forward towards the Mark for thou hast no Armour to defend thy back-parts O Christian be valiant and take notice of this that if thou resist the Devil he is not able to with-stand thee he 'll flee from thee Be upon thy watch for thy enemy is subtil and will watch his opportunity if
Righteous that we may die the Death of the Righteous Deliver us from a vain and darkned Understanding and from working Uncleanness with greediness Enable us to put off as touching our Conversation the Old man and put on the New Man being renewed in the spirit of our Minds that we may be created after the Image of God in Righteousness and true Holiness Prepare us for another Life and let not one day pass over our heads without some serious meditations of Eternity how soon it may be we cannot tell ere we may launch into its Ocean that bankless Sea and then woe unto us if our Ship be unsound Let these thoughts make us careful about our Souls Help us to use the things of this transitory World but as journey necessaries to a permanent and lasting World but let us be truly desirous of the permanent Riches with an insatiable desire Make us wise Merchants for that durable riches that none can rob us of Now Lord pardon our sins and accept our services in Chrst to whom with thee and thy Eternal Spirit be praises Amen A Prayer for Wednesday Evening GLorious and most Righteous Lord for ever to be admired of all thy Saints thy ways are ways of love and mercy thy daily care to thy people do attest it we are wonderfully engaged to offer thee praise both with hearts and voices Accept of our thanks and praises as well as prayers for an Evening Sacrifice and take charge of us we beseech thee Let us not be disappointed of our hopes Let not Sin nor Sathan molest us in the comforts of this night Let not the sins of the day past provoke thee or prevent us in thy favours to us-ward Let us rest in the assurance of thy favour sealed by thy good Spirit upon our hearts that we be not left comfortless and grant that though our Bodily Eyes be closed with sleep yet let our Spiritual Eyes to wit the Eyes of Faith continually watch Let thy work of Grace begun in us be daily strengthened Let the power of sin decay but the power of Grace revive Enable us to rise with Christ and to seek those things that are above that we may glorifie thee here by finishing the race that is set before us Keep us from abusing or slighting thy Mercies and Judgemnts and watch over us for good Let not our self-flattery prove to us soul-mockery Make us faithful rather than formal in all our duties towards thee Deliver us from worldly mindedness the great enemy to real holiness Give us the grace of humiliation for sin and the spirit of reformation from sin O suffer us not to sin against Mercy lest we lose our best friend O let the service of God which is perfect freedom free us from the service of sin Now unto him that is able to keep us be Glory for ever Amen A Prayer for Thursday Morning HOly and Eternal Glorious Lord God infinite are thy Mercies to us ward thy patience and long suffering are exceeding great in regard of our continued provocations even in our thoughts which are only evil and that continually our words also have been stout against thee nothing but infinite mercy could forbear such wretches blessed be our God that hath laid help yea our help upon one that is mighty to save all those that come unto God by him O whither should such sinners go but to him that hath the Keys of Heli and Death that calls to the weary and heavy laden to come to him and accept of ease and rest O Lord draw us that we may run after thee that we may run the way everlasting the way of thy commands and be followers of that which is good hating the Garments spotted by the Flesh building up our selves in the most holy faith Enable us O our God with all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure adding to our Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity O let these Graces shine and abound in us that we may neither be barren nor unfruitful Give us precious faith in our Lord Jesus who hath washed and quickned us Make us the compleat Workman-ship of Christ Jesus created unto good works Sanctifie us through thy Truth thy Word is Truth and give us that Spirit that may guid us into all Truth Lead us this day and all the rest of our lives by thy Grace and at last bring us to Glory through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Thursday Evening MOst gracious Lord thou art the great preserver of those that trust in thy Promises and observe thy Precepts Blessed be thy holy Name for this day past that thou hast kept us from the dangers of this day incident to us Blessed be thou Lord for all thy Providence and Provision for Health and Strength Food and Rayment for the present Comforts of this Life and the hopes of a future Let all our sins be pardoned for the sake of our Lord who only is worthy O vouchsafe to continue thy goodness this night that we may receive that refreshment that is for tryed ones Watch over us for good and let a quiet and peaceable rest fit us for our Calling according to thy will Help us to live by Faith and to walk by Faith that we may have that Peace that none can take away Let us die daily to sin and be strengthened daily with all might in the inward man Help us to consider the effects of sin is shame and the wages of sin is death Give us the comforts of our being in Christ that we may beassured that we are freed from condemnation by our christian conversation who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit O let thy Spirit so lead us that it may be our testimony that we are thine Let all that we suffer here be an evidence of that Glory to be revealed in us Let all things work together for the best Let neither tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword be able to prevail against us so as to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ for whom we bless thee and to whom be praises for ever Amen A Prayer for Fryday Morning MOst Holy and most gracious Lord thou art near unto all that call upon thee in truth and fulfillest the desires of those that fear thee Thou art good and dost good thy mercies are over all thy works Blessed be the Lord for his refreshing mercies of the last night Day unto day and night unto night shew forth thy tenderness over us by thy providences and provision O deliver us from all sins and evil for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory Help us to live blameless with those with whom we have to deal O give us wisdom to remember our later end Let us remember the approaching of