that I may assure my self that my sins are forgiven by his death and passion And now O Lord I beseech thee to imbrace me in the Armes of thy mercy vouchsafe to receive me into the bosom of thy love shadow me with thy wings that I may safely take my rest in thee this night in the Name of thy Son Jesus Christ in whom I refer my self wholly to thy protection beseeching thee that when this life shall end my last sleep being come I may take my everlasting rest with thee in thy heavenly Kingdome for the glory of thy holy Name and to my eternal comfort through the merits of thy dearly beloved Son my Lord and only Saviour in whose perfect form of Prayer I conclude my imperfect Petitions saying Our Father c. A Prayer for Saturday Morning O Merciful Father for Jesus Christ his sake I beseech thee forgive me all my known and secret sins which in Thought Word or Deed I have committed against thy Divine Majesty and deliver me from all those Judgments which are due unto me for them and sanctifie my heart with thy Holy Spirit that I may henceforth lead a more Godly and Religious life And here O Lord I praise thy Holy Name for that thou hast refreshed me this Night with moderate sleep and rest And I beseech theee to defend me this day from all Perils and dangers of Body and Soul and to this end I commend my self and all my actions unto thy blessed protection and government beseeching thee that whether I live or die I may live and die to thy Glory and the Salvation of my poor Soul which thou hast bought with thy precious Blood Blesse me O Lord in my going out and comming in and grant that whatsoever I shall think speak or take in hand this day may tend to the glory of thy Name the good of others and the comfort of my own Conscience when I shall come to make up my last accounts before thee O my God help thy servant that I do no evil to any man this day and let it be thy blessed will not to suffer the Devil nor any of his wicked Angels nor any of his evil Members to have power to do me any hurt or violence but let the eye of thy holy providence watch over me for good and not for evil and command thy holy Angels to pitch their Tents round about me for my defence and Safety in my going out and coming in as thou hast promised they shall do about them that fear thy name Grant this O heavenly Father for Jesus Christ thy sons sake in whose blessed name I give thee glory and beg at thy hands all other graces which thou seest to be needful for me this day and ever in that prayer which Christ himself hath taught me saying Our Father c. A Prayer for Saturday-Evening O Most gracious God and loving Father who are about my Bed and knowest my down-lying and mine up-rising and art near unto all that call upon thee in truth and sincerity I wretched sinner do beseech thee to look upon me with the Eyes of thy Mercy Father I beseech thee let thy holy Spirit work in me such a serious Repentance as that I may with Tears lament my sins past with grief of heart be humbled for my sins present and with all my endeavour resist the fame sins for the time to come And now O Lord I Bless thee for my Health Food Rayment and Prosperity and more especially that thou hast defended me this day now past from all dangers and Perils both of Body and Soul furnishing me with all necessary good things that I stand in need of and as thou hast ordained the Day for man to Travel in and the Night for him to take his rest so I beseech thee sanctifie unto me this Nights rest and sleep that I may enjoy the same as thy sweet blessing and benefit that so this dull and wearied body of mine being refreshed with moderate sleep and rest I may be the better enabled to walk before thee doing all such good works as thou hast appointed when it shall Please thee of thy Divine goodness to waken me the next Morning More especially I beseech thee to prepare me for thy Service to Morrow it is thine Holy day O Lord prepare me for the Sanctifying of the same that I may not spend it in my own Lusts and pleasures but that my chief delight may be to Consecrate it to thy Glory and Honour and that ceasing from the works of sin as well as from the works of my ordinary Calling I may through thy Blessing feel in my heart the beginning of that Eternal Sabbath which in unspeakable Joy and Glory I shall celebrate with the Saints and Angels to thy Praise and Glory in thy Heavenly Kingdom for Evermore Keep my heart O Lord in thy fear and guide all the course of my life by thy Favour and prepare me against the hour of Death and Dissolution that if thou shouldest this night make my Bed in the dark and turn my sleep into Death I may Live and Die unto thee who livest Everlastingly these Graces and all other Blessings which thou O Father knowest to be requisite and necessary for me I humbly beg and crave at thy Hands in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ thy Son in that form of Prayer which he himself hath Taught me saying Our Father c. FAMILY DEVOTIONS OR A COLLECTION OF Morning and Evening PRAYERS For Families for every day in the Week But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord Josh 25. 15. Family-Devotions A Prayer for a Family for Sunday Morning LOrd teach us to Pray that we may call upon thy Name Prepare our hearts to seek and open thou thy ears Mercifully to hear us O Eternal and Everliving Lord God Creator and continual Preserver of all things both in Heaven and in Earth by whose gracious Providence as we were at the first wonderfully and fearfully Made so we are no less preserved and kept unto this present We the Workmanship of thy own hands desire to humble both Soul and Body before thee And now O Lord we being here in thy Presence cannot but acknowledg and confess against our selves our own unworthiness to come before thee to call upon thee or to perform even the least Duty that shall concern thy Worship and Glory Our hearts alas are no better then the sink of sin and a mass of all Pollution and uncleanness Wheresore O dear God most meek and Merciful Father we poor Wretches heartily beseech thee to be Gracious unto us for Jesus Christ thy Sons sake for his Death sake for thy Promise Truth and Mercies sake have Mercy upon us Pardon us and Forgive us all our Sins Iniquities and Trespasses whatsoever we have committed against thee in thought Word or Deed Ever or at any time hitherto by any meanes Dear Father have mercy upon us though we be poor yet our
Christ is Rich though we be sinners he is Righteous though we be impure yet he is Pure and Holy for his sake therefore O Lord have mercy upon us and Write thy Law in our Hearts engrave it in our Minds we heartily beseech thee And let us this Morning of thy Holy Day wholly turn unto thee with all our Hearts Minds Thoughts Deeds and Meditations that we may joyn in Praises to thy holy Name for thy preservation of us the night past and refreshing us with sweet sleep and let us declare thy loving kindness in the Morning on thy Holy and Blessed Sabbath-Day for it is thy Will and Commandement that we should Sanctifie this thy Day unto thy Service and in Praise unto thee and offer up unto thee a morning Sacrifice of Praises and Thanksgiving and to hear what thy Spirit by the preaching of thy Word shall speak unto us thy Servants O let not our sins stand as a cloud to stop our Prayers from Ascending up unto thee or to keep back thy Grace from Descending by thy Word into our hearts that we may cease from the works of sin as well as from the works of our ordinary calling and that we may feel in our hearts the beginning of that Eternal Sabbath which brings unspeakable Joy and Glory and filling us with the Spirit of Prayer make us diligent and ready in the performance of thy will And take us O Lord into thy custody and governance for ever both our Souls and Bodies yea our Lives and all that ever we have so that our Lives may please thee and our Deaths may praise thee through Jesus Christ our Lord for whose sake we heartily Pray thee to grant these things thus asked and all other things necessary for soul and body and that not only to us but to all others also for whom thou wouldest we should pray Grant unto us all true hearty Repentance that we may turn from our evil ways that thou mayest turn from us the evils that we have so highly deserved And with us O Lord bless thy whole Church especially that part of it in these Kingdomes Be Gracious to thy servant and our Soveraign Lord King Charles Bless him in his Government and in his Royal Relations our Gracious Queen Katherine James Duke of York and all the Royal Family bless the Nobility Clergy Magistracy Gentry and the whole People of this Land be merciful to all our Kindsfolks and Families Neighbours and to all such as are any other way Related to us and we beseech thee to grant us all thy Blessings and thy holy Spirit to sanctifie us and to keep us this day and for Evermore from all Evil to thy Eternal Glory and our everlasting comfort through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour in whose Blessed Name and Words we further Pray Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Sunday Evening O Eternal God our most loving and merciful Father in Jesus Christ it is thine own commandment that we should call upon thy name and it is thy gracious and merciful promise that where two or three are gathered together in thy name there thou wilt be present among them we thy poor and unworthy servants Dust and Ashes yet the Workmanship of thine own Hand are more bold to come before thee to offer unto thee this Evening sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving O Lord we beseech thee to sanctifie unto us thy word which we have heard and read this day make it the seed of life unto our souls that it may fructifie grow and increase and get such strength by thy good providence that neither the burning heat of affliction or persecution cause it to wither but that as seed sown in good ground it may bring forth thirty sixty and a hundred fold as thy heavenly wisdom hath appointed And now O Lord being here before thee we cannot but acknowledg and confess ever from the bottom of our Hearts against our selves our own Unworthiness that we are greivous sinners Conceived in sin and born in iniquity whereof we have brought forth most vile fruits in our lives to the great dishonour of thy Name the utter dismaying of our own Consciences and the evil example of our Brethren by which we have deserved likewise thy wrath and heavy indignation to be poured upon us both in this life and that which is to come in such sort that no creature in heaven or earth is able to reconcile us again to thy Majesty but only thy Son Jesus Christ we intreat thee therefore O Lord to be merciful unto us and as we acknowledg our sins unto thee so be thou faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness wash us thorowly from our wickedness and cleanse us from our sins for we acknowledg O Lord against thee we have sinned and done evil in thy sight To thee therefore O Lord do we come to crave the pardon of our sins both â—or the guilt and punishment of the same that so they may not draw down upon us our deserved Judgment And good Lord we pray thee accept of our Thanksgiving unto thy Majesty for all thy mercies and blessings from time to time bestowed upon us for this life and for a better we praise thee for our Election Vocation Justification Sanctification continual Preservation and the assurance thou hast given us of a better Life when this is ended as also for all temporal blessings health peace and prosperity for thy goodness extended toward us for this day past that thou hast goâ— in and out before us and freed us from many dangers of soul and body and hast brought us with peace and comfort to the beginning of this night Lord Watch over us by thy Spitit and Presence give us a holy and sanctified use of our rest and sleep and fit us for the Duties of the next day especially O Lord fit us for that day which shall never give place to night And grant unto us all good things that thou in thy Wisdome knowest more expedient to give than we to ask and all we beg for Jesus Christ His sake in whose Name and Words we conclude these our imperfect Prayers saying as he hath taught us Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Munday Morning MOst Merciful and Gracious Lord God we do not present our selves here before thy Majesty trusting in our own merits or worthiness but in thy manifold Mercies which hast Promised to hear our Prayers and grant our Requests which we shall make unto thee in the Name of thy Dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord who hath also commanded us to assemble our selves together in his Name with full assurance that He will not only be amongst us but also be our Mediator and Advocate toward thy Majesty that we may obtain all things which shall seem expedient to thy blessed Will for our necessities Therefore we beseech thee most Merciful Father to turn thy loving Countenance
wilt Crown us with Life in the World to come Why shouldest thou be so careful of us since we are so careless of thee surely O Lord in that thou affordest us health to our bodyes liberty to our persons prosperity to this Family in which we live we can give no reason but because thou art Merciful The Heavens are within a Spain the Earth within a Circle the Waters within thy fist mountains upon the ballance but what number or measure or bounds can we set to thy Goodness and Mercy O God O let the Ocean of this thy Mercy be a Partition between us and our sins betwixt thee and thy Judgments who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean but thou alone who justifiest the ungodly and quickenest the dead in sin Remove therefore from us O Lord whatsoever there is in us that displeaseth thee for thine Eyes do behold our manifold imperfections send thy Hand of Mercy we pray thee upon us and take away from us whatsoever there is within us which doth offend the Eyes of thy Goodness And as thou hast in great Mercy kept us this Night past from all Perils and Dangers of the same so we beseech thee keep us this day that the Son of Righteousness may Rule in our Hearts and that all the darkness that lurketh in them may be scattered to the comfort of our souls and that we may walk in the light as thy Children without danger of stumbling Prosper O Lord our labours and the works of our hands and grant that we may grow in Grace all our days until we come to Live and Reign with thee in thy Heavenly Kingdome And together with us bless O Lord thy Church Universal comfort all that Mourn in Sion give them Beauty for Ashes and the Oyl of gladness for the Spirit of Mourning and Heaviness Bless our Gracious King defend his Person uphold his Crown maintain his Government bless our gracious Q. Katharine James Duke of York and all the Royal Family bless the Nobility Magistrates Bishops and Ministers and let thy blessing be upon all of us in this houshold guide us in our wayes and lead us into thy Truth Bless all our Friends and Kindred all that are in any Affliction or Tribulation And do for them and us whatsoever thou knowest necessary for us for the Sake of Jesus Christ our only Saviour and Redeemer in whose Name and Words we beseech the saying Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Tuesday Evening HOly and Glorious Lord God what shall we reader unto thee for all thy Benefits because thou host inclined thine Ear unto us therefore will we call upon thee as long as we live from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same let thy Name be praised among the infinite Riches of thy Mercies toward us we render thee abundant of praise and thanks for thy merciful preservation of us this day as well as all the times and days of our lives that thou hast bestowed upon us so many excellent blessings and mercys both Spiritual and corporal contrary to our deservings All these thy mercys call upon us that we should be thankful to thee for them and all our miseries call upon us that we should call upon thee for the continuance of thy mercies Cleanse our Souls therefore we beseech thee O Lord from whatsoever is offensive to thee and hurtful to us and give us what is necessary for us And now O Lord Watch over us this night give us comfortable and sweet sleep fit us for all services of the day following make our souls to watch for the comming of the Lord Jesus Christ let our beds put us in mind of our Graves and our rising from thence of our last Resurrection so that whether we wake or sleep we being thine may wait for thee O Heavenly Father so form these hearts of ours that we may ever delight to live according to thy Will and Ordinance in Holiness and Righteousness before thee all the days of our lives O Lord let us consider the time will come when the Trumpet shall and will sound the dead shall Rise and we even we all and every one of us shall assuredly stand before thy Judgment Seat with open and unfolded Consciences there to give an account of all our deeds whatsoever at which time all such as have believed in Christ and truly served thee in this life shall to their endless and unspeakable joy hear that comfortable saying of thine Come ye blessed of my Father Receive the Kingdome prepared for you before the beginning of the World but woe to all that live wicked sinful lives in that day they shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God and shall be Tormented in Fire and Brimstone for Evermore O Dear God and gracious Father keep us from this condition and knit our hearts fast unto thee and cause us now while we have time with the help of thy Grace not only to think rightly of these things but so to walk before thee in this present life as becometh thy people and Children O continue the Word of Truth evermore amongst us to comfort us and let the seed thereof take such fast root in our hearts that it may fructifie and bring forth fruit to thy Glory and our own good and comfort that we may be the more enabled thereby to walk in they fear in the midst of a wicked and perverse Generation Shower down thy blessings upon the Head and Heart of our gracious King and Queen and upon all the Royal Family Bless O Lord the Ministers Judges and Magistrates of this Land Bless all the people of all degrees and kinds Let thy blessing be upon our Relations Kindred and Freinds and upon all others whom we are bound to pray for in any affliction pain trouble sickness or any other distemper whatsoever Bless them all and bless us and ours and do more for us then we can express unto thee and all we beg in the Name and Words of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer saying Our Father c. A Prayer for a Family for Wednesday Morning MOst gracious Lord God and holy Father thine eyes are more pure than the Son and cannot behold any thing that is unclean the Cherubins and Seraphins cover their faces before thy glorious Majesty the heaven of heavens are not clean in thy sight How then shall earth sinful earth dust and ashes appear before thee we persume not O Lord to come before thy Tribunal to plead for our righteousness for all our righteousness is as filthy rags but we prostrate our selves with all humility of body and soul at thy mercy seat to make confession of our sins Hear Lord and have mercy on us and as thou hast Redeemed us by thy Son so we beseech thee to sanctifie us by thy holy Spirit Mortifie in us every day more and more all sinful lusts and affections and quicken us in all saving graces and vertues
O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Psal. 103. 2. The Lord killeth and maketh alive he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up 1 Sam. 2. 6. It is God that girdeth me with strength and maketh my way perfect Psal. 18. 32. Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before Job ult Thou hast set me at liberty when I was in thrall Psal. 4. 1. And these all having obtained good report through Faith receive not the promise Heb. 11. 39. Ointment and Perfume rejoyce thy heart so doth the sweetness of a mans friend by hearty Counsel Thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Psal. 4. 8. The Lord shall preserve thee from evil he shall preserve thy Soul Psal. 121. 7. A Preparatory Hymn Collected out of divers Psalms THou sayest seek ye my face my heart saith unto thee Thy face Lord will I seek Psal. 27. 8. Hide not thy face far from me nor put thy servant away in anger vers 9. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me Psal. 51. 11. Hear O Lord when I cry unto thee have mercy also upon me and answer me Psal. 27. 7. Ponder my words O Lord consider my meditation Psal. 5. 1. My heart is inditing a good matter my tongue is the pen of a ready writer Psal. 45. 1. O Lord open thou my lips and my lips shall shew forth thy praise Psal. 51. 15. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as Incense and the lifting up of my hands as an Evenâ—â—â—â—â—â—rifice Psal. 141. 2. Set a watch O Lord â—efore my mouth and keep the door of my lips Psal. 141. 3. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemerâ— Psal. 19. 14. An Exhortation to stir up Christians to Prayer PRayer is of that force and virtue that it ties the ear of God to the tongue of man O it is an acceptable Incense to God always for how hath he always rewarded it and regarded it It never returned but with a blessing so that the Prayer be sent up out of a pure and upright heart mingled with Faith for we must ask in Faith and waver not as St. James saith By fervent Prayer the children of Israel were delivered from the Egyptian bondage as you may read That when they cryed unto the Lord he heard them and delivered them out of their Enemies hands Therefore let us continually pray unto God both Morning and Evening and let us call and cry unto him for a blessing upon us and desire him to preserve us and to remove his Judgments from us To which end I have thought good to frame this Manual of private Devotions for a help to those that may want them PRIVATE DEVOTIONS OR A COLLECTION OF Morning Evening PRAYERS For Private Persons For every day in the Week Evening and Morning and at Noon will I Pray and cry Aloud and he shall hear my voyce Psal. 55. 17. Private Devotions A Prayer for Sunday-Morning ALmighty God the blessed Creator and Finisher of the Salvation of Mankind who in memory of thy glorious Rest from both thy noble works hast blessed and sanctified a day of holy rest unto thy self sanctify me for it that laying aside my accustomed business and sequestring my thoughts from all worldly cares I may keep it and my self holy to thee by dedicating and devoting my self wholly to thy peculiar worship and immediate service and to the end that this my Religious service may be more acceptable to thee quicken me with thy Spirit that I may perform it with all allacrity and cheerfulness and may make thy Sabbath my delight Touch my Heart and Tongue with a coal from thy Altar that from the sweet Incense of my Meditations Hymns Prayers and Thanksgivings thou mayest smell a savour of Rest. O Prince of Peace sanctify thy rest unto me that I may find rest to my Soul from all temptations troubles and fears and may rest from my own works which are painful and sinful travels and may imploy this day all the powers and faculties of my Soul and Body in doing and considering thy works in adoring thy Majesty and admiring thy wisdom and acknowledging thy Power and embracing thy Love and magnifying thy goodness and rejoycing in thy Mercies and trembling at thy Judgments In visiting thy holy Temple and praising thee with thy Saints and offering up the Calves of my lips In diligently reading thy Scriptures attentively hearing thy Word â—everently celebrating thy Mysteries charitably relieving thy Members zealously practizing all holy duties both publick and private O let me this Whole day walk with thee as Enoch sometimes did and talk with thee as Moses did and seek thy Face as David did And grant that beholding thine Image in thy holy Word as in a clear and Christal Mirrour I may be changed â—to the same Image even from Glory to Glory Let this Sabbath put me in mind of thy Holy rest from thy works and assure me thereby of an Everlasting Sabbath in Heaven from my Works into which rest that I may enter stir up good desires in me raise my thoughts and affections to the things which are above renew me according to the Image of thy Son and frame my Life to a Heavenly conversation enlighten my understanding sanctify my will moderate my desires govern my affections mortifie my fleshly members destory the man of sin in me and deliver me from the Body of death work 〈◊〉 me a fear of thy power and a love of thy goodness and zeal of thy glory and thirst after thy grace and an earnest desire and constant resolution as much as in me lyeth to approve my self to thee in all things and frame all my actions to the rule of thy Word Hear me I beseech thee for thy Church and thy Church for me and Christ for us all saying Our Father c. A Prayer for Sunday Evening HOly Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which wast which art and which art to come Hollow my nature that I may Hollow thy Name As thou impartest thy goodness to me whereby I live and move in thee communicate to me some measure of thy Holiness that I may live and move to thee Let thy Spirit of grace possess my Body and Soul that the desires of my mind and thoughts of my heart and words of my lips may be holiness unto thee Sanctifie me that I may glorifie thee And first with Joy and Thankfulness I acknowledg it a special Testimony of thy love that thou hast given me liberty and meanes to keep a holy Sabbath unto thee to meet in thy House to offer up my Joynt-Prayers and thanksgiving with thy Holy congregation to confess my sin to profess my faith to lay open my wants to clear up my self by Singing the sweet Songs of Sion to hear thy Sacred Word read and Preached whereby my faith hath been strengthened in