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A47224
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A manual of prayers for the use of the scholars of Winchester College
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Ken, Thomas, 1637-1711.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing K267; ESTC R8951
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39,872
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72
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my Friends and Relations all my Superiours in this place and all my Fellow-Scholars O Lord vouchsafe us all those graces and blessings which Thou knowest to be most suitable for us Unto Thee O my God do I dedicate this day and my whole life O do Thou so bless and prosper me in my Studies that I may every day grow more fit for Thy service Hear me O Lord and pardon my failings for the merits of Thy Son Jesus in whose holy words I sum up all my wants Our Father which art in Heaven c. Directions for Reading Holy Scripture WHen you have said your Morning Prayer good Phil. you may then go cheerfully to your study and relie upon the Divine Goodness for a blessing But first if you have time I advise you to read before second Peal some short Psalm or piece of a Chapter out of the Gospels or Historical Books because they are the most easie to be understood Remembring the example of young Timothy who was bred up to know the Scripture from a Child But if you want time on ordinary days to read the Scripture be sure to read somewhat of it on Sundays and Holy-days and consider that you have it dayly read to you in the Hall before Dinner and Supper and at night when you are just going to Bed that you may close the day with holy thoughts and if you hearken diligently to it when it is read you do in effect read it your self Now to make your reading the more profitable to you begin with one or more of these Ejaculations Ejaculations before reading Holy Scripture WHerewithal Lord shall a young man cleanse his way even by ruling himself after Thy Word Lord open my eyes that I may see the wonderful things of Thy Law O heavenly Father I humbly beg Thy Holy Spirit so to help me at this time to read and understand and remember and practise Thy Word that it may make me wise to salvation When you are thus prepared good Phil. then begin to read and consider that it is Gods most holy Word you read and that all the while you are reading God is speaking to you and therefore read with attention and humility and endeavour as much as you can to suit your affections to the Subject you read For instance If you read any of Gods commands they should excite in you a zeal to keep them If you read any of Gods threatnings against sinners or his judgments on them they should excite in you a fear to provoke him When you read any of his gracious promises they should encourage and quicken your obedience When you read any of Gods mercies they should excite you to thanksgiving When you read any great mystery recorded in holy Writ you are to prostrate your Reason to Divine Revelation And to this purpose in the midst of your Reading say Lord give me grace to obey this command Or Lord deliver me from this sin or this judgment Or Lord I relie on this good promise Or Glory be to Thee O Lord for this mercy Or Lord I believe and adore this mystery Say any of these according as best agrees with the subject you read and when you have read as much as conveniently you can conclude with one of these Ejaculations Ejaculations after Reading BLessed be Thou O Lord O teach me Thy Statutes Lord make Thy Word a Lanthorn unto my feet and a Light unto my paths Lord make Thy Word my delight and my Counsellour Directions for the Day time O Philotheus you cannot enough thank God for the order of the place you live in where there is so much care taken to make you a good Christian as well as a good Scholar where you go so frequently to Prayers every day in the Chappel and in the School and sing Hymns and Psalms to God so frequently in your Chamber and in the Chappel and in the Hall so that you are in a manner brought up in a perpetuity of prayer Be sure Phil. that you are accountable to God for all these opportunities He gives you of serving Him and think how many blessings for your self and for the Colledge you might obtain if you prayed and praised God rather out of a devout affection then meerly to comply with the custom of the place Prayer good Phil. is the very life of a Christian and therefore we are so frequently commanded to pray without ceasing Not that we can be always on our knees but that we should accustom our selves to frequent thoughts of God that where-ever we are He sees us and when we think on God we should have always an ejaculation ready to offer up to Him and by this means we may pray not only seven times a day with David but all the day long In your reading holy Scripture especially in the Psalms you may easily gather those short sentences which most affect you for they are most proper for this use and when you have learned them without Book say one of them now and then as they occur to your mind or as occasion requires or as your devotion prompts you But be not troubled if being otherwise lawfully imployed or if being indisposed you pass a whole day without saying any for to omit them is no sin nor be you scrupulous in what posture you say them for they being short breathings of the soul to God require not that solemnity as Set Prayer does Now to give you some instances of ejaculatory Prayer take these following At going out Lord bless my going out and my coming in from this time forth for evermore After a sin committed Lord be merciful to me miserable sinner and for the merits of my Saviour lay not this sin to my charge After any blessing or Deliverance Glory be to Thee O Lord for this Blessing or for this Deliverance Praise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise His Holy name At giving Alms. O Lord who didst not despise the Widows mite Accept of this little I now give to relieve one of Thy poor members After having done any good Not unto me O Lord not unto me but unto Thy Name be the praise In Temptation Lord succour me with Thy Grace that I may overcome this Temptation Directions for the Evening COnsider good Phil. how many that have gone to Bed well over night have been found dead the next morning and therefore it highly concerns you to take care to make your peace with God before you go to sleep I advise you therefore towards night or when you go circum to call your self to an account how you have spent the day Examine your thoughts and discourses and actions and Recreations and Devotions and see what has been amiss in any of them Consider what Idleness or Unchastity what lying or stubbornness you have been guilty of or whether you have had a quarrel with any of your fellows and if you have be sure to be friends with
him before you say your prayers Again Consider what particular blessing or deliverance God has vouchsafed you the day past that you may give thanks for it and then say as follows Evening Prayer LEt my prayer O Lord be set forth in Thy sight as Incense and the lifting up of my hands be as an Evening Sacrifice Holy holy holy Lord God I miserable sinner humbly acknowledge that I have offended Thee this day in thought word and deed Particularly by Here mention any sin you have been guilty of But I fly into the Arms of Thy fatherly compassion Lord for Thy Mercies sake forgive me cleanse me from my wickedness and strengthen my weakness that I may overcome all the temptations which daily surround me and continue constant in my Obedience Accept of my Humblest Praise and Thanksgiving O Lord for all the goodness Thou hast this day shewed me for all the Helps of preventing or restraining grace Thou hast vouchsafed me for whatever I have done this day which is in any measure acceptable to Thee for whatever progress I have made in my Study for Thy Preservation of me from all the miseries and dangers which frail Mortality is every moment exposed to Particularly for Here name any particular blessing or deliverance God has sent you Praise the Lord O my Soul who saveth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with Mercy and Loving-kindness O Heavenly Father to Thy Almighty Protection I recommend my self and all my Relations and all that belong to this Colledge O Thou that never slumbrest nor sleepest watch over us to preserve us from sin and danger Lord let it be Thy good pleasure to refresh me this night with such seasonable rest that I may rise the next morning more fit for Thy service O pardon my failings and hear my prayers for the sake of my blessed Saviour in whose Holy words I sum up all my wants Our Father which art in heaven c. Ejaculations at going to Bed LOrd as I now go to my Bed I must one day go to my Grave O make me wise to consider my latter End I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for 't is Thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Directions for Midnight IF you chance to wake in the Night or cannot sleep Beware Phil. of Idle and Unclean thoughts which will then be apt to crowd into your mind and therefore to arm your self against them I advise you to learn the 130 and the 139 Psalms by heart or treasure up some Ejaculations in your mind which will be excellent matter for your thoughts to feed on For instance Ejaculaions for the Night THou Lord hast granted Thy loving kindness in the day time and in the night season will I sing of Thee and make my Prayer to the God of my Life O Lord the Holy Angels are now before Thy Throne in Heaven they never rest day or night from Thy Praises and with them do I now sing Hallelujah Salvation and Honour and Glory and Power be unto our God for ever and ever Amen Amen Lord I know Thou wilt one day call me to give an account of my Stewardship but when Thou wilt come I know not whether at Even or at Midnight or at Cock-crowing or in the Morning O do Thou give me grace to Watch and to Pray always that at Thy coming Thou mayest say to me Well done good and faithful Servant Enter into the Joy of thy Master Amen Blessed Lord Amen But have a care Phil. you fix not your mind too much neither strive to repeat too many devout expressions for fear of hindring your sleep and of indisposing your self for the duties of the day following Directions for the Lords Day A Good Christian Philotheus that takes care to spend every day well will take more then ordinary care to sanctifie the Lords day it being the proper imployment of that day to attend Gods Worship and to provide for our Souls and therefore 't is fit you should add some Petitions to your Morning and Evening Prayer Relating to the solemn duties of the Day such as these are which follow Before Church time O My God I humbly beseech Thee to prepare my Soul to Worship Thee this day acceptably with Reverence and Godly fear Fill me with that faith which works by love Purifie my heart from all vain or worldly or sinful thoughts fix my affections on things above all the day long and O Lord give me grace to receive Thy Word which I shall hear this day into an honâ—st and good heart and to bring forth fâ—uit with Patieâ—ce Hear me O God for the sake of Jesus my Saviour Amen Amen When you come into the Church or Chappel not only on the Lords day but on any other day use this short preparatory Prayer at your first kneeling down In the Church O Lord I humbly beg Thy Holy Spirit to help my Infirmities at this time and to dispose my heart to devotion that my Prayers and Praises may be acceptable in Thy sight through Jesus Christ my Saviour Amen After Church time GLory be to Thee O Lord God Almighty Glory be to Thee who hast permitted me to appear before Thee this day and to tread Thy Courts Lord pardon all my failings in Thy Service this day past the wandrings and coldness and indevotion of my Prayers For the sake of my blessed Saviour have mercy upon me Lord make me a doer of Thy Word and not a hearer only lest I deceive my own soul. When you are called to Repetition at Night remember Phil. to make some amends for your negligent Hearing at the Church and treasure up in your memory some little portion of those Instructions you have heard to direct your Practice Directions for receiving the Holy Eucharist THe Receiving of the blessed Sacrament good Phil. is the most divine and solemn act of all our Religion and it ought to be the zealous endeavour of every true Christian by Gods assistance to prepare his Soul with the most serious and most devout dispositions he possibly can to approach the Holy Altar you are therefore to consider what you are to do before Receiving what in the time os Receiving and what after Receiving Before Receiving The duties you are to perform before Receiving are all comprehended in that one Rule which St. Paul gives us Let a man examine Himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup which are in a manner Commented on by the Church in the Exhortation before the Sacrament which I advise you to read over in your Common Prayer Book To put this Rule in practice 't is your best way Phil. â—t some convenient time to withdraw your self into your Chamber or into the Chappel and there to begin to commune with your own heart and to call your â—ins to remembrance but first pray heartily to God for His grace to assist you â—rayer before Examination