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
strength is enfeebled therefore do mine inordinate affections oft-times overcharge me If I turn me to pray I cannot for the hardness of mine heart the contrite spirit the melting heart the mourning eye is gone from me If I seek comfort in thy Word I find it not I am troubled also with doubtings armies of fears and sorrows are against me and all through weakness of my faith partly for want of that light that should inform me my infidelity abuseth me to think that thy visitations come from thine anger and causeth me to answer the Reproofs of my conscience as if they were just occasions and partly for want of that apprehending and applying Vertue that is in Faith I am spoiled of the comfort that thy Word hath offered unto me Therefore O Lord have pity on the desolate state of my Soul Christ Let not my beloved the considerations of thy wants defects and imperfections discourage thee Remember that the measure of Grace which I have given to my Saints upon Earth I have called it an Earnest-penny and First-fruits of the Spirit to tell them that whatever grace they have gotten it is nothing in comparison of that which they will get Seek not that therefore in the Earth which I have resolved to give thee no wayes till thou come to Heaven thy Blessedness in this Life stands not in a satiety and full enjoying of that which thou would'st have but in an hungring and thirsting for it If I had pronounced them Blessed that are now satisfied with Righteousness then thy wants might most justly discourage thee But I called them Blessed that hunger If therefore thou dost follow after Sanctification and art weary with the servitude of thy sin if thou dost seek comfort in my Word and can find none of these at the first as thou wouldest yet remember I have promised to fulfil the desires of them that feer me If it greive thee that thou canst not pray at all times alike remember that my Children are oftentimes evil judges of themselves and that their Estate is not alwayes to be measured according to their feeling for many Prayers may be made in them to me by my Spirit with sighs and sobs which they themselves are not able to express yet are known to me and are like loud crying Voices which I cannot but answer Soul O my Soul content thee with the Lords dispensations and doubt not but all thy wants and holy desires shall all be satisfied Remember how careful thy Saviour was of those People that followed him I have Compassion saith he on this People because they have continued with me already three dayes and have nothing to eat I will not let them depart fasting lest they faint in the way O most sweet and comfortable Speeches they seek not from him and he is careful to give them if he was so careful to satisfie their Bodily necessities will he neglect the Spiritual necessities of his own They followed him three dayes and he counted it a long time they are to go from him and he feared lest they should faint O my distrustful Soul wilt thou once learn to trust in the Mercy of thy God assuredly Will he not satiate thee who seeks him Wil he not answer thee who prays unto him Will he not care for thee who hast waited upon him not three dayes but many years And will he let thee faint in following him who would not let them faint who were to go from him O sweet Saviour happy are they that trust in thee Lord therefore increase my Faith in thee that nothing be able ever to separate me from thee Christ As for the weakness of thy faith which I see is the ground of all thy trouble it proceedeth either from the want of knowledge or else from the want of Application 'T is indeed a special benefit to have the mind enlightned with true light seek therefore my light to shine unto thee by continual Prayer and seeking into the Scriptures that thou be not troubled with the error of conscience as if it were a just accusation I have indeed set conscience to be a warner unto thee but then shalt thou take heed to her warnings when they are warranted by my Word If the error of thy conscience terrifie thee in any thing and make thee think that thy Crosses and Visitations do come from mine anger go and inform conscience better by the Word Remember whom I chastise I love and when I chastise thee I am not seeking satisfaction to my justice What wonder such thoughts disquiet many Consider I pray thee that notable promise of mine made to my Servant David and in him to all the rest of my Saints If they break my Statutes I will visit their Transgressions with my Rods yet my loving kindness will I not take from them nor alter my Covenant Soul O Word full of comfort my Soul forget it never that even when his Rods are laid on thee and though thy Transgressions be many yet will he not alter his Covenant with thee Remember it I say that in thy trouble thou give no more place to those mis-conceptions of Gods working with thee as godly Job though in his trouble that the Lord was pursuing him for his sins and making him to possess the iniquity of his Youth which as yet appears by the course of that History was not the Lords intention So have I thought many times that the heavy hand of the Lord laid on me had proceeded from his wrath as if he had shut up his tender Mercy from me in displeasure for ever But Lord let thy Light abide with me that I sin no more with such distrustful motions against thee and now Lord speak on yet further to thy Servant for thy comforts have rejoyced my Soul Christ Now concerning the weakness of thy faith in the apprehension and aplication of my Promises Remember that I am he that will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the Smoaking Flax. What smaller thing is there than a Grain of Mustard-seed albeit the measure of thy faith were no more yet have I not excluded it from the participations of my promise A loving Father will delight to be holden by the hand of his tender Child and knowest thou not that as a Father spareth his Son so will the Lord spare him that fears him Hast thou not read that although the faith of my Servant Jacob was very weak as thou mayest perceive by the great fear he conceived of Esau yet his weak faith was able to hold me till I Blessed him be not therefore discouraged for albeit thou canst not lay hold with the hand of strong faith if thou canst but touch the Hem of my Garment with thy Finger thou shalt draw vertue out of me Consider also with thy self that the faith of my Children is never greater than when their feeling is weakest and least perceived 'T is easie for every one to believe in the mid'st of glorious feelings and
my Soul and remember it God that hath entred thee into his Warfare and is thy spectator and helper will never reckon up to thee Sathans deeds for thine and learn thou wisely how to distinguish them but comfort thy self as long as thou art able to stand to thy protestation that thou do'st suffer violence in them and canst say with the Apostle This is not I but sin that dwells in me O Lord deliver me from the rage of this Spiritual Tyranny many a time have I looked to have been swallowed up but thou hast sustained me Blessed be my God for ever and the Lord be my God to the end Of the Lords Supper THE necessity of this will appear if we consider what advantage doth accrew from hence to us-ward and this appears 1. From the admirable satisfaction it yieldeth unto a distressed Soul 2. In that it instigates and stirs us up to the study of Piety and Holiness 3. In that it enlightneth our understanding 4. In that it corroborates us or addeth strength to our weakness 5. In that it maketh glad the conscience and heart 6. In that it is as it were our Viaticum or Refreshment in our Journey to that Celestial Canaan Three things principally are necessary to a fruitful Reception of the Lords Supper 1. Purity and Holiness Lev. 19.2 Be ye Holy as I am Holy And this may be taken in two words First To be sorry and humble for past and present sins and resolve in the Strength of Christ against sins to come Secondly To abandon all hatred and malice because it is a Sacrament of Love 2. A right intention in communicating 1. Not Customarily 2. Not Men-pleasingly 3. Not Appearing outwardly 3. Actual Devotion viz. 1. To endeavour to pray without distraction 2. To be Spiritually ellevated Christ-ward in Affection in his Ordinance 3. To come with Humility and devout Reverence After Receiving the Holy Sacrament 1. Give thanks to Christ the Author for the vouchsafing it to thee 2. Be careful for the future more and more to keep up his Worship 3. Intreat him to abide with thee to the end of the World and so to Eternity A Soliloquy concerning the Blessed Sacrament Quest For what cause do I receive this Institution or Ordinance of God Answ 1. To the end I may regard and dutifully keep Christs most Holy Institution 2. To demonstrate my self a Member of the same Body whereof he is the Head 3. That I may receive this Sovereign Repast to the Corroborating of my Faith and the Health of my Soul Quest What do I Receive Answ The Body and Blood of Christ after a Divine and Celestial Manner Quest What profit have I by the receiving of the same Answ Increase of Grace Assurance of Gods Love as a Pledge of an Eternal Inheritance purchased for me in Heaven Quest Why do I often Communicate Answ Because I hope I am one of Gods Children and therefore desire to come often unto him as a God in Covenant and Father in Christ Quest After what manner ought I to come Answ By Faith and Repentance with a fixed Resolution to serve and obey him in Holiness and Righteousness according to that Ability he shall beslow on me as long as I live Quest What should I observe before I have access to the Lords Supper Answ Doubtless I ought to examine my own Heart what sins I stand guilty of in the sight of God and earnestly to beg of God both to discover them to me and mortifie them in me being the sole Work of God and humble me for them 2. Stedfastly to confide in Christ for a Pardon of these things judging him only able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him for so it is in his Word and to work in me what is promised in his Word 3. To Consider that I ought to come prepared to such an Holy Ordinance because it is Commanded in Gods Word Let a Man examine himself c. 4. To Consider that Prayer is the best means whereby I can be sitted for the receiving of such a Sacrament 5. To be much in the Meditation of the Passion of Jesus Christ his Resurrection and of my rising with him unto a newness of Life a Life of Holiness here and in seeking life hereafter If ye then be risen with him seek those things that are above 6. To consider that these Elements viz. Bread and Water that I am preparing to receive are so to be received as the Body and Blood of Christ by Faith whereby his Death is shewed forth and the worthy Receivers are not Corporally and Carnally but Spiritually partakers of the same Body and Blood with all his benefits to their Spiritual Nourishment and growth in Grace In a word I or any other that would worthily partake of this Lords Supper must examine our selves of our knowledge to discern the Lords Body of our Faith to feed upon him of our Repentance Love and New Obedience least coming unworthily we eat and drink Judgment to our selves A Prayer before the Communion O Glorious and Omnipotent God behold I an unworthy wretch am presuming to draw nigh thy Table a Banquet of thine appointment I am approaching I say but as the Patient to the Physician as the Unclean to the fountain of Mercy as the Blind to the light of Eternal Brightness as a poor Begger to the King of Mercy as the Naked to the Lord of Heaven and Earth I beseech thee out of the abundance of thy Pity to heal my Infirmity to wash my Foulness to enlighten my Darkness and Blindness to enrich my Poverty to cloth my Nakedness that I may receive the Bread of Angels O thou the King of Kings and Lord of Lords grant that I may receive thee with such respect and reverence with such contrition and fear with such faith and purity with such a purpose and humility as is expedient for my Soul Lord notwithstanding mine unworthiness give me not only the Sacrament but the vertue of the Sacrament and grant me so to receive the Body and Blood of thy only Son that I may be incorporated into the Mystical Body and be accounted as a Member of the same Grant that whom I now receive as it were covered with a vail I may one day behold in Glory who liveth and reigneth with thee and thy Holy Ghost world without end Amen A Thanks giving after the Communion BLessed Jesus Praises is due to thy self for that infallible love of thine that by thy death didst redeem mankind I beseech thee suffer not that precious Body of thine to be broken nor thy Blood to be shed for me in vain O let thy Blessed and Sacred Body feed my Soul and precious Blood quicken my spirit and by increasing from one degree to another I may become a fit member of thy Church which is thy Mystical Body and grant that I may never depart from it nor break that league that I have been renewing at thy Table but