that persecute me O shew me thy Salvation My sensual Desires plead for tenderness and because they would not be displeased they suggest Motives and Reasons why I should spare my self They regard not what becomes of my Soul hereafter and so they can but enjoy present rest they think not of the Torments that will follow But my Soul sees how the Scene will change when God shall come to Judgment O my God I am in danger let me spare no cost no pains to be free from it Where gentler means will not free me from the Corruptions which do so easily beset me O let me not be afraid of using more violent remedies O that I were but more concerned about the Life to come O that I had more lively aprehensions of it O that I had that view of the Terrours of the Lord that my Soul might be convinced of the necessity of taking the Kingdom of Heaven by violence I am sensible of the hurt my Lusts and Passions have done me Fill my Soul O God with a holy rage against them that I may drive them out by force when softer Perswasions will do no good Had not I better endure some inconvenience here than be forced at last to make Tears my meat day and night to all Eternity O perswade me to lose all rather than the Joys set before me Shall I see thy Saints who had the clearest apprehensions of thy Will run and sweat and toil for a future Bliss and shall I imagine that laziness will procure that Kingdom O Lord leave me not Bid me rise and strive to apprehend that for which I am also apprehended of Christ Jesus I fight under the Banner of the best of Princes O let me so run that I may obtain and hear the voice of the Bridegroom Enter into thy Masters Joy This will recompence all If I arrive to this I shall be no loser by thy Service I have followed the World too long and have got nothing but vanity and vexation of Spirit It promised me much but my Soul is empty still If once I ascend into that City where all tears shall be wiped away where I shall not need the light of the Sun and Moon and Stars where God himself is the everlasting Light Whatever Troubles whatever Miseries I went through here they will all be forgotten they will all be swallowed up they will all be lost in that vast Ocean of Light and Glory O make me weary of this Wilderness I have wandred too long in this desert Heaven is my home Let that engross my Desires my Hopes my Expectations my Joy my Love my Affections I am a stranger upon Earth let me live like a stranger here Draw me draw me thou everlasting Magnet that I may cling to thee and neither Death nor Life neither Prosperity nor Adversity neither the Smiles nor the Frowns of the World may separate me from that Love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen Additional Prayers FOR Every Day of the WEEK Suited to the Exercise of Meditating Exercise Ordinary 3. A Prayer for Sunday-Morning relating to the Meditation on Sunday Exercise 3. O God! thou most sweet thou most lovely Object How little do those glorified Saints that enjoy thee in the other world regard our little pleasures and satisfactions here O that my Soul were with those Spirits of men made perfect I see nothing in this valley of Tears that 's worth desiring or breathing after The Beatitude to come is that I long for What are the glories of this World to that glory which e'erlong shall be revealed in us The magnificence of Triumphs the pomp of Princes the curiosity of Palaces the beauty of the Sun the brightness of the Moon the glistering of the Stars the variety of Flowers the fragrancy of Herbs what are all these to the Joys Glories at thy right hand for evermore One day in thy Courts above is sweeter than a thousand here There I shall behold the perfection of thy Essence the infinity of thy Nature the immensity of thy Grandeur the eternity of thy Duration the greatness of thy Majesty the stability of thy Throne the vast extent of thy Wisdom the abyss of thy Judgements the sweetness of thy Bounty the tenderness of thy Mercy the severity of thy Justice the latitude of thy Power the charms of thy Beauty and the lustre of thy Glory O what a ravishing sight will this be And shall I be afraid of encountring with Enemies that would keep me from seeing these wonderful objects These Enemies are already conquered The Lion of the Tribe of Judah hath already weakn'd their strength and power which makes my Victory more easie Therefore I will not despair O thou who hast promised that when the poor and needy want water thou the God of Israel wilt hear them Hear me from thy holy Heaven and encourage my Soul to force her way through all difficulties Give me lively apprehensions of that state For want of those lively apprehensions I work not I move not I press not forward I act not like a person in good earnest my endeavours are dull and my attempts feeble O write that bliss upon my mind engrave it on my Soul Let the beams of it warm my Spirit that no labour for Heaven may seem hard no Commandment grievous no exercise troublesome no industry tedious no pains too great no journey too long that I may not murmur that I may not complain of difficulties that I may not be weary that I may not faint in my mind It is not onely a glorious Garment not onely a magnificent House not onely a stately Palace that 's promised me but Glory it self and Magnificence it self and Splendor it self What if I must curb my Passions and break through my sinful Inclinations What if I must withdraw mine affections from the Creature and mortifie my Body What if I must submit my will to thy will and pardon the greatest injuries What if I must get habits of vertue give Law to my Tongue prescribe limits to my Thoughts put a restraint upon my foolish Desires in order to this Glory is not the promised Recompence encouragement enough O my God! thou art my Shield and exceeding great reward and shall I be afraid to serve thee Shall I tremble at the work thou settest me will not thy Wages be infinitely beyond my Labour How short will be my Task and how long my Rest How few will be the days I am to work in and how durable my Repose Shall I think Heaven too dear at the price thou hold'st it at O undeceive me pull down the vain conceits I have harboured shine powerfully upon my Soul that I may be insatiable in my desires after it and long to see thee who art Light it self and in thy Light may see light through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Sunday-Evening O Most happy most blessed and most glorious God! How can I reflect on the rest of this
with me after my sins neither rewardest me after mine iniquities Even my best Actions thou mightest justly except against but thy Charity covers a multitude of faults How often do I provoke thee and yet thou shootest not thine Arrows at me I transgress thy Laws I affront thee I am an unprofitable Servant yet thou pitiest me and do'st not suffer thy displeasure to arise against me In the midst of my follies thou art kind not that thou approvest of them but that thou wouldest lead me to Repentance O let me think of this and let me love my Neighbour with a pure heart fervently spread thy Wings over me Form in me bowels of Mercy Come Charity thou lovely grace Come into my Garden my Spouse my Beloved O thou celestial Husbandman plant this wholesome Herb in my barren ground Pull up the Weeds that grow there Banish from me all sourness of Spirit Let all bitterness and wrath die in me Let all malice flee away from my Soul Rid me of that ill nature which lodges in me Let gentleness and meekness be the welcome guests in my Heart Make me peaceable and tractable easie to be intreated full of good works ready to forgive Let the Charity of the Lord Jesus be my guide and let me truly follow the Lamb whethersoever he goes O Jesu Can I after thy Charity to my Soul be unkind to others Can I be churlish morose and ill-natured when I remember how thou diedst for thy Enemies I believe thou intercedest for me in Heaven what favourable constructions must I suppose are put upon my Actions in that intercession When Satan accuses me in the presence of God and hath but too much reason for those Accusations thou pleadest thy Merits thy Wounds and thy Fathers Love Where my infirmities will bear excuses thou qualifiest them and sufferest not the Enemy to have his will of me O let thy great example be ever before me and when I would forget it represent it in lively colours to my Mind that I may be thy Disciple indeed and having lived in Love and Charity here may at last arrive in the Paradise of everlasting love Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 10. viz. Conscientiously to discharge the duties of our several Callings Relations MOst glorious God! who hast fitted thy holy and wholesome Laws to my Wants and Necessities and in commanding me dost consult my interest and advantage more than thy profit and glory How am I bound to praise and magnifie thy bounty Thou hast taught me how to live and behave my self in all conditions and to make me a Souldier compleatly armed hast chalked out to me the particular steps I am to tread As these are part of the blessings of thy right hand so let my Soul admire them above those of thy left Whatever Estate I am in whatever Relation Calling Station I stand in give me Grace to adorn it with a suitable Conversation Teach me how to behave my self wisely in a perfect way O when wilt thou come unto me O let me remember that in the Calling thou hast placed me in thou hast called me to certain duties of which thou wilt take an account one day O convince me that I am not called to idleness but to labour in thy Vineyard When my carnal heart would baulk the work thou hast set me in the station I am in let thy good Spirit crush my unwillingness and manifest his power in my weakness I am backward to any thing that requires pains and circumspection but renew thou a right Spirit within me Be thou exalted Lord above the Heavens and thy glory above all the Earth If thou wilt but appear in my Soul every thing will yield and every rebellious Lust will bow to thy Majesty Nothing can resist thy Omnipotence and whatever desire in me hath been hitherto refractory and rebellious will be frighted at thy presence and either retire or become subject to thy power O prepare Mercy and Truth which may preserve me and my mouth shall sing of thy Righteousness O let me remember that every new relation brings a new obligation upon me and that if I regard not that obligation I am unfaithful to my God In every condition in every relation let me consider the duties incumbent upon me and make me zealous to discharge them Let not the example of others whose Consciences are seared tempt me to neglect them O tell my Soul that it 's better to have thy favour than the applause of men and teach me to act according to that rule that the peace of God may be upon me as it is upon the whole Israel of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 11. viz. To resist all sorts of Temptations O Lord of Hosts who is a strong Lord like unto thee or to thy faithfulness round about thee Thou rulest the raging of the Sea when the Waves thereof arise thou stillest them Thou seest what temptations I am encompassed with what Enemies surround me and how I am beset with Dangers Extend thy Mercy to me and send from above and take me Deliver me from my strong Enemy and from them which hate me Leave me not to the rage of Temptations neither give me up to the will of those that persecute my Soul I will arise O God and fight the good fight Teach me what Temptations are and give notice to my Soul when I am in danger I know O Lord all Places Callings and Employments bring Temptations with them How diligent how watchful ought I to be that I do not get a fall and that mine Enemy rejoyce not over me Yet I will not be afraid if thou art with me I may defie all that are against my Soul to destroy it For thou Lord wilt bless the righteous and with thy favour thou wilt compass him as with a Shield Up Lord and pluck thy Hand out of thy Bosom Enable me to put on the whole Armour of God Gird about me the Sword of the Spirit and with that let me recover the glory I have lost in Adam's Fall O God I will cry day and night unto thee give me Wisdom and Resolution to secure thy Favour I cannot secure it except I hate those that hate thee and am grieved with those that rise up against thee O Lord mine own Flesh and the World and Messengers from Hell are confederate against thee O teach my hands to war and my fingers to fight My Rock my Fortress my Deliverer my God my Strength in whom I will trust my Buckler and the Horn of my Salvation and my high Tower cover my head in the day of Battle Let mine eye see my desire on the temptations which annoy me Hear my voice out of thy Temple and let my cry come before thee even into thine Ears Arm me with Arguments suggest unto me Reasons whereby I may answer and resist the evil motions which would seduce my Soul Give me power to climb thy holy Hill
Amen A Prayer for Tuesday-Morning relating to the Meditation prescribed for Tuesday Exercise 3. OLord how wonderful are all thy Works in wisdom hast thou made them ill the Earth is full of thy riches What a Monument am I of thy Mercy How kind hast thou been to this miserable Creature How am I bound to magnifie thy goodness How excellent how great how vast how large how diffusive is it not confin'd to a day not restrain'd to a place not limited to an hour From my Cradle unto this moment I have seen and tasted how sweet and how gracious thou art Thou hast carried me on thy Wings as the Eagle doth her young thorough the various stages of my life what Miracles of Providences have mine Eyes beheld How hath thy Providence been at work for me while I have been asleep while I have been thinking and contriving something else even how to derogate from thy honour and glory Truly Lord thy Mercy and Patience ought to be my Song in the house of my Pilgrimage This I have reason to boast of to speak of to meditate of day and night by that I subsist by that I am supported fed maintain'd and preserv'd from the clutches of the Devil O let thy Mercy melt my Heart O let Mercy prevail with me to give up my Heart to thee Let mercy and goodness force me to love thee Give me that ingenuity that generous temper that noble Spirit that thy goodness may do more with me than Threatnings and Hell and everlasting Torments Let thy Love and Charity and constant Murificence oblige me to run in the way of thy Commandments Let these be greater motives with me to do thy Will than all the terrours of the burning Lake O let thy Love be of that force in my Soul that I may not be able to resist its motions but by the strength of that may hope believe endure deny my self love and obey thee to the end of my days through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Tudsday-Evening GReat Governour and Disposer of the world who hast promised to them that love thee so to order all things that they shall all conspire to their good I am sensible of the good thou hast intended and dost intend me by the various Dispensations mine eyes have seen The various Spiritual and Temporal Blessings that have been conferred upon me what have they been but motives to be enamou'rd with the best of Beings Thou knowest if I depart from thee or love any thing better than thee I run away from mine own happiness and go to undo my self therefore so many various Tokens and Expressions of thy Love are sent to me to unite my Heart to thee to preserve me in thy Fear and to uphold my goings in thy Paths O wise O gracious O bountiful Master kinder to me than I am or have been to my self Let me find the good thou designest for me in thy numberless Blessings even the good of my Soul let that grow stronger under thy Favours warmer in thy Sunshine more fervent under these Beams more flaming with love under these enforcives The very afflictions thou sendest upon me are intended for my good I have found it I have seen it I have known it by experience I have learned Repentance Humility Submission fear of sinning by Afflictions which I should never have learned by Prosperity when I have thought I had great wrong done me by the contempt reproach trouble misery others have thrown upon me thou hast let me see that this was to make me reflect on the affronts and indignities I have put upon thee my best and greatest friend O let me never mistrust thy Providence Whatever befals me let me believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and let me not be disappointed of my hope through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Wednesday-Morning relating to the Meditation prescribed Exercise 3 for Wednesday O Thou in whose hand is the power of Life and Death who art immortal invisible Blessed for evermore Before the Mountains were brought forth or ever the Earth and the World were made thou art God from Everlasting to Everlasting thou art he I am a frail dying creature and though I carry an immortal Soul about me yet the Vessel in which that glorious guest abides will soon grow leaky and decay and that must turn to dust and how soon I know not I admire thy wisdom in concealing the Day and Hour of my Death from me I am sensible it 's done to hasten my Repentance to keep me from adding sin unto sin to restrain me from the Vanities of this world to make me think of a better and to secure that happy Life which shall be after Death And O that my death might be ever before me How great are the things that depend upon it Two great Eternities whereof one of them will certainly fall to my share O let my death be my daily Meditation that I may prevent my everlasting death What a miserable creature should I be if my Soul should leave this Body to go into a more dismal Prison from whence there is no returning O make me wise O let me understand what preparation is necessary for that hour teach me to undervalue the World and to mind the things which are above that when I come to die I may die with joy and cheerfully resigne my Soul into the hands of my Creator Let Lust and Pride and Envy and Anger die in me before I die that they may not endanger my Soul after death Let me converse with Death more that I may die to sin more and live more to him that died for me Let the thoughts of death mortifie in me whatever is offensive to thy Holiness In all my actions let me remember my latter end that my death may be my gain and my departure out of the world an entrance into a better through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Wednesday Evening O My God to whom belong the issues of Life and Death naked came I from my mothers Womb naked shall I return thither What is my life but a Vapour which appears for a while and then vanishes away O Lord thou hast made this life transitory dangerous short full of misery subject to vanity and as it were a span long and all to make me desire to be dissolv'd and to be with Christ yet how dreadful is death to me How do I tremble at the thoughts of it What should make me so deeply enamour'd with this Life At the best it is a Warfare within are Tumults without are Fightings I am in a continual state of War here with Covetousness with Passion with Pride with Ambition with carnal Lusts with Allurements of the world with suggestions of the Devil when one sin is beaten away another rises when I think I have mortified one Corruption another starts up The Discontents and Vexations the Troubles and the
Disappointments I meet withal are innumerable and can I delight to dwell in such a Valley of Tears surrounded with so many Snares encompassed with so many Dangers Should not this make me desirous to be gone O my God make me willing to leave this world Take away from me the fear of death Why should I fear when my Great Master hath overcome this King of Terrours I will follow my Redeemer I will conform to his Example I will tread in his steps this is my resolution this the firm purpose of my Soul And why should I doubt of his assisting me Why should not I be confident that my death will be a passage from Mortality to Immortality from Corruption to Incorruption from Trouble and Misery to Rest and Tranquillity Death is the way to the Kingdom of Heaven I cannot inherit it except I die Do I long for that Kingdom and shall I be afraid of the way that leads to it I must die O sweet Jesu let me die contentedly Let Death be my choice Let me embrace it before this miserable life that after death I may live with thee for ever Amen A Prayer for Thursday-Morning relating to the Meditation prescribed for Thursday Exercise 3. O God whose Judgements are unsearchable and thy ways past finding out Who art just as well merciful and hast ordained a Dungeon for Rebels as well as a Paradise for the Innocent Horrour is ready to overwhelm me when I reflect on the eternal miseries of the Damned when I think on the unquenchable fire and on the Worm that dies not how should I tremble at the sins that lead men to those torments As eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard and the heart of man cannot conceive the joys of Heaven so I must judge of these future miseries too O dreadful day when God shall take vengeance of his Enemies when not onely all the Pain and Anguish that mankind endures here shall there be poured out on sinners but far greater too How unable am I to endure here the aking of a Tooth the torments of the Gout the misery of the Stone the fire of a Fever the raging of the Cholick the exquisite pain of the Strangury O then what must those miseries be which know no respit no interval no rest no quiet no ease no abatement Where Vengeance will come with a Deluge and not onely the pain of a single Disease will be inflicted but all pains together will meet in the miserable Sufferer Where all things will combine to make him wretched and all his former pleasures turn into Gall and Wormwood And yet how regardless of these miseries does Mankind live How little are they frighted with this Fire How little are they disturbed with this approaching Woe O my gracious Lord suffer me not to fall asleep with the foolish Virgins while the day doth last while I have time to work while I am on this side Eternity let me dread these terrours and the causes of it Whenever I am tempted to offend thee O let these Torments check mine inordinate desires O let me consider how short the pleasure is and how long the bitterness it ends in Surely thou wilt let the disobedient know one day how odious sin is in thy sight and how dangerous it was to abuse thy patience O give my Soul no rest till I firmly believe all this and believing it may escape the wrath to come through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Thursday-Evening GReat God whose excellency is over Israel whose strength is in the Clouds who art terrible out of thy holy places who hast a mighty Voice a Voice that will one day shake the world and summon all Mankind to come out of their Graves and to appear before thy Judgement seat What confusion will the wicked and careless world be in when thou shalt with indignation send them away into the fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels where they must be for ever deprived of thy Favour and want thy gracious Influences where their fancy will be eternally affrighted with hideous and monstrous shapes where their Passions will be in a perpetual uproar where the remembrance of their former Mercies will continually sting them where their Reason will be their Tormentor their Conscience their Executioner and yet unable to make an end of them where their Souls will be everlastingly torn with grief and discontent where God will be the object of their Hatred and their minds will not be able to entertain one kind thought of their Judge where their Souls will be like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest and eternal darkness and gloominess make their estate most uncomfortable where no creature pities them and no man no Angel no Devil affords them any consolation O God! can I love my self and not endeavour to prevent this miserable condition O call to me bid me think of it convince me of it Cure my blindness Let Hell be the greatest object of my fear Let me not fear Poverty Contempt Sickness Exile or the unkindness of men so much as this horrible Tempest O let me not grow careless of it because I see it not and I have not as yet felt it Let me therefore dread it that I may never feel it Let not the world drown my thoughts of it Let not my Lusts put it out of my mind Let not the Devil perswade me that I am in no danger I am in danger O let me see it and run away Lord here cut burn torture and afflict me so thou wilt but make me happy for ever O let the King of Heaven hear me when I call through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Friday-Morning relating to the Meditation prescribed for Friday Exercise 3. GReat Saviour of the world who wast wounded for my Transgressions and bruised for my sins Thou art that innocent and immaculate Lamb which for sinners Enemies and condemned creatures gavest thy back to the Smiter and sufferedst thy self to be beaten crown'd with Thorns mocked derided and inhumanely abused A love fitter to be admired in silence than praised with imperfect expressions How freely didst thou part with thy bloud to save my life and to procure my safety Never was Bloud spilt upon such an account or if there were never was such precious Bloud spilt as thine was bloud which drives away Devils invites Angels cleanses Souls purifies the Tabernacle washes the whole world and opens the Gate of Heaven Who can be so irreligiour as not to be pricked at the heart with the thoughts of thy Passion Who can be so arrogant or proud as not to be humbled with the sight who so cholerick as not to be melted into meekness with the contemplation Who so luxurious as not to be tempted to self-denial with this spectacle O let thy Cross have that effect upon me that I may crucifie my Flesh with all its Lusts and Passions Let thy Charity to thine Enemies prevail with me to do good
set before me may be content to do and suffer cheerfully whatever in thy Wisdom thou shalt think fit to charge me with Come Lord make a Reformation in this poor blind distressed miserable Soul my Faith is weak my Hope is weak my Love is weak my Charity is weak One word of thy mouth would put vigour and life into me The same Word that made the Sun shine out in the first Creation would make my Graces bright and that Sentence Let there be Light spoken to my Soul would change the dark Chaos into a Globe of light O make goodness habitual in my Soul O that it might be an everlasting inhabitant in me O that my Soul might become its proper Seat its Palace its Tabernacle from which it might never depart Ah! how inconstant is my Zeal Hot I am to day and cold to morrow Sometime I seem to lay force on the everlasting Kingdom a little while after I fall in love again with the world O destroy this weed of inconstancy in my Garden All this comes from the weakness of my Vertues Hence it is that I am not the same every where And I that am bold in one place to stand up for thy glory am a Coward in another Where is thy mighty Arm O Lord Where are thy Bowels Fill my languishing Soul with strength from above and with wisdom from above that I may encrease and abound more and more in love Perfect what thou hast begun in me Let Meekness and Humility and all the graces of the Holy Ghost become natural to me O that they were incorporated with my temper O that they were so riveted into my Soul that I might not be able to act contrary to them O that I might find as great a reluctancy when I am tempted to neglect them as formerly I found when thy Spirit commanded me to performe them O how sweet a frame do these Graces put the Soul into O that I could say that thus it is with me Sweet Jesu be not tired with taking pains with this miserable Soul Thou hast been prodigiously kind to me O be not weary of being farther gracious favourable O let me find by blessed experience that I grow in Grace and that thy Commandments are no longer grievous to me that every thing in thy service becomes more easie and that what formerly was a burden to me is now pure pleasure and delight to my Soul O my God gild my Soul once more with thy radiant Beams and establish my heart unblamable in Holiness at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 15. viz. Every night before we go to bed to call our selves to an account for the Actions of the day O God who searchest the Heart and the Reins How deceitful is my Heart How many are the ways that lead to destruction How innumerable are the Wiles of the Devil yet by thy light they may all be discovered and their danger perceived and their ill intent laid open How small an Atome doth the bright light of the Sun make visible Therefore that light which thou vouchsafest to an humble mind must be supposed far more effectual to manifest all the Stratagems of the powers of darkness O my God make me willing to see the designs of my Spiritual Enemies against me that I may resist them oppose and overcome them My Heart is a Field where many Tares are mix'd with the wholesome Wheat If I search not how shall those Tares be rooted up If I examine not what can I expect but that like the Field of the slothful and like the Vineyard of the man void of Understanding it will be all grown over with Thorns and Nettles will cover the face thereof Shall I say a little sleep a little more slumber till my Poverty come on like an armed man O my God let my greatest care be that thou and my Soul be friends But how shall I know thou art my Friend except I examine my Soul and see what tokens of thy love I find there O let me not be afraid to know my Thoughts my Words my Actions my Inclinations If I know they are evil I may reform them If I find they are good I may rejoyce in them O teach me the art of searching my heart Let me not continue a stranger to my self Let it be a pleasure to me to take notice how I thrive in Grace Let me know my danger O keep me from wandring in the dark Let me see how I go astray that I may get into the right way again Convince me of the easiness and pleasantness of this task O let me not think it a burthen to my Soul I have dwelt too long in the Suburbs of Religion O perswade me to enter into the City which hath foundations Let the reward that is before me be a strong motive to me to put on the whole Armour of God O how sweet will it be to me to see thy assistances the incomes of thy Grace the influences of thy Spirit my progress in goodness the abatement of my sins the decay of my corruptions and my nearer approach to Heaven If I examine my heart all this will be made manifest to me for thou wilt teach me the way of life and in thy light I shall see light through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise extraordinary 1. viz. To enter into solemn Vows and Promises O Blessed Jesu to whom I have so often promised Faithfulness and Allegiance and Obedience How justly mayest thou look upon me betwixt pity and anger as thou didst upon Peter when he had most shamefully denied thee And O that thy looks might have the same effect upon me that they had upon thy Apostle and I might weep bitterly For how light have I made of my most solemn Promises How have I sought to impose upon thee O my God! How have I evaded the obligations my resolutions have laid upon me and sometimes downright broke those Promises Ah treacherous creature that I am how can I expect thou shouldest perform thy Promises made to me when I am so careless of observing and performing of mine to thee Thou art of infinite patience therefore I am not yet destroyed Hence forward when I promise thee let thy Majesty Greatness Justice and Holiness prevail with me to break with thee no more O let me not think because thou art silent and doest not presently punish my perfidiousness that thou art altogether such a one as my self O instruct me that I may entertain greater thoughts of thee If I enter into a Vow at any time assist me powerfully with thy Spirit that I may act according to the word that is gone out of my Lips As I make thee my Judge and Witness in my Vows so let me remember that my Witness is omniscient and my Judge hath Magazines of Vengeance at command Let me undergo any inconvenience rather than be false to my Engagements O keep
and Sermon O Thou who livest for ever and ever I have pray'd I have heard thy Word I have joyn'd with thy People in their Supplications and Prayers If thou Lord shouldest mark Iniquities who shall stand Pardon I beseech thee the iniquities of my holy things and what imperfections thou hast seen in my Devotions cover them with the unspotted righteousness of Christ Jesus and cleanse them with his Bloud Cast me not away from thy presence neither take thy holy Spirit from me Accept of my imperfect Services and make me more circumspect in all my ways Let thy Word be written in my heart and let neither the cares nor riches nor pleasures of the world steal it away O give me thy Grace to walk according to this rule through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Morning-Prayer for a Family O God great and glorious the Day is thine and the Night is thine thou hast made Summer and Winter thou hast made the out-goings of the Morning and Evening to rejoyce How great is thy loving kindness therefore the Children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy Wings We praise thee O God we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. Thou art the great preserver of men Thou hast protected us the night past and through thy mercy we have escaped innumerable dangers thou hast been our refuge our hiding place our fortress and our deliverer One Generation shall praise thy Works unto another and declare thy mighty acts We see thy goodness again in the land of the living Thou hast spread thy Wings over us thou hast covered us with thy Feathers Thou knowest our frame and remembrest we are dust Thou knowest how unable we are to keep our selves and therefore hast taken care of us and unto this moment thy favours and loving kindnesses rest upon our Souls and Bodies O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and declare his wonderful works to the Children of men We cannot but remember how like a Father thou hast pitied us all our days We have always found thy help in the time of trouble How precious are thy thoughts which are to us ward they cannot be reckon'd up in order unto thee If we would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred What Sacrifices of thanksgiving are we bound to offer unto thee for thy love to our Souls in Christ Jesus for the assistances of thy Holy Spirit for thy Word and Ordinances and for all the encouragements we have to lay hold on eternal life O make us sensible of thy goodness Let us see how sweet and how gracious thou art and let this sight work in us a perfect hatred of sin and a fervent love to the ways of holiness Discover to us the errours of our ways Reveal to us our secret corruptions Let not only greater but even all lesser sins become odious and loathsom to our Souls Establish us with thy grace uphold us with thy free Spirit Leave us not to our selves rule us by thy power direct us by thy wisdom Enable us to do thy will Encourage us to cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit and whatever things are praise-worthy let 's not onely think of them but practise them Give us earnest desires to imitate the best of mankind Let 's delight greatly in thy Commandments Lord open the eyes of our Understandings that we may look more earnestly upon the spiritual riches thou hast vouchsafed unto us and may be enamour'd with them and despise the vanities of the world and set our affections upon the things which are above and may at last obtain the end of our Faith even the salvation of our Souls Be with us this following day Make us watchful over our senses Work in us a detestation of all filthy discourses and of all the ill we see in the world Teach us how to live in thy fear and whatever sin we are tempted to let 's tremble at it and say how can we commit this wickedness and sin against our God! Let thy holy Angels keep us in all our ways Order our steps according to thy Word Direct and guide our thoughts and words and actions Bless all our lawful endeavours Cross and disappoint us in that which is offensive to thy holiness Prosper that which is expedient for us Give us courage and wisdom discretion and resolution in our behaviour toward God and men and let 's use the world as if we used it not Keep our thoughts fixed upon a better life that whenever thou shalt call us away from hence we may be ready and willing to obey thy Summons through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Here the Prayers for the King Royal Family Church c. may be added An Evening Prayer for a Family MOst holy and ever-glorious God! how excellent is thy Name in all the World Thou art to be seen in all thy works and we have seen thee the day past in thy various Mercies and gracious Providences for which we do here render our most humble and hearty thanks O God! who is like unto thee For though thou dwellest on high yet thou humblest thy self to behold the ways of the Children of men What are we that thou shouldest take notice of us or what is our frame that thou shouldest have such respect unto us We see thy condescention and admire it We see thy loving kindnesses and praise thy Name Thy Mercy reacheth unto the Heavens thy Faithfulness unto the Clouds Thou givest unto us all that our Hearts and Faith and Reason can desire What a glorious gift is the Son of thy bosom what rich Presents are thy Promises how industrious is thy Providence to engage our hearts to love thee yet how backward are we to this duty How loath to raise our Souls above the world How unwilling to take thee for our greatest treasure We say and speak glorious things of thee now and then but we feel them not O touch our hearts and warm them with the fire of the Sanctuary and let 's know no other thing than to love thee with all our hearts and with all our Souls Be thou the pleasing object of our Souls and let 's be displeased with nothing but what displeases thee Teach us to neglect our own will that we may the better comply with thine and let 's walk by this golden Rule to speak little to think little and to do much Thou hast done great things for us denied thy self in thy glory majesty and splendor to do us good let 's therefore scruple nothing that thou commandest and give us strength to do what thou commandest and then command what thou pleasest Enable us to act and speak and live as in thy presence where-ever we are and whatever we are doing and let 's so live in the world as not to be of the world Let no condition thou shalt call us out unto be uneasie or unpleasant to us and whenever thou shalt think