ingenious and free from sordid ends or servile flattery a modest gravity in my deportment affability a fair courteous demeanour towards all men austerity in condemning my own sins sweetness in fraternal correction and reprehending others mature judgment a chast body and a clean soul patience in suffering deliberation in my words and actions good counsels in all my purposes make me just in performing promises and in all my duties sedulous in my calling profitable to the Commonwealth a true Son of the Church and of a disposition meek and charitable towards all men Amen O Lord let thy grace be so present with me that though my body sleep yet my soul may for ever be watchful that I sleep not in sin or pretermit any opportunity of doing thee service Let the remembrance of thy goodness and glory be first and last with me and so unite my heart unto thee with habitual charity that all my actions and sayings may be directed to thy glory and every motion and inclination either of soul or body may in some capacity or other receive a blessing from thee and do thee service that whether I sleep or wake travel or rest eat or drink live or die I may alwaies feel the light of thy countenance shining so upon me that my labours may be easie my rest blessed my food sanctified and my whole life spent with so much sanctity and peace that scaping from the darkness of this world I may at last come to the land of everlasting rest in thy light to behold light and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity now and ever more Another Prayer for the Evening VIsit we beseech thee O Lord this habitation with thy mercy and us thy servants with thy salvation and repel far from us all the snares of the enemy Let thy holy Angels dwell here to keep us in peace and safety and thy blessing be upon us for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Lord Jesus Christ the lively Image of thy Fathers mercy and glory the Saviour of all them that put their trust in thee we offer and present to thee all our strength and powers of our souls and body and whatsoever we are or have to be preserved governed and possest by thee preserve us from all vitious vain and proud cogitations unchast affections from all those things which thou hatest grant us thy holy charity that we may love thee above all the world that we may with all sincerity of intention and zealous affections seek thee alone and in thee alone take our rest inseparably joyning our selves unto thee who art worthy to be beloved and adored of all thy creatures with lowest prostration and highest affection now and for ever more Amen O Father of mercies and God of all comfort let thy blessing be upon us and upon all the members of thy holy Church all health and safety both of body and soul assist us against all our enemies visible and invisible now and for ever more send us a quiet night and a holy death in the actual communion of the Catholick Church and in thy charity through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Our Father which art in Heaven c. Now and in all dangers and afflictions of soul and body in the hour of death and in the day of Judgment save and deliver us O sweet Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen Short Prayers for several Occasions for the King O Lord our heavenly Father high and mighty King of Kings who in thy hands hast the heart of Kings and canst turn them as the Rivers of water send the light of thy countenance and abundance of blessings upon thy servant our Soveraign Lord King Charles make him as holy valiant and prosperous as King David wise and rich like Solomon zealous for the honour of thy Law and Temple as Josiah and give him all sorts of great assistances to enable him to serve thee to glorifie thy holy Name to protect thy Church to promote true Religion to overcome all his enemies to make glad all his people that he serving thee with all diligence and utmost of his endeavours his people may serve him with honour and obedience in thee and for thee according to thy blessed Word and Ordinance through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen For the Queen O God of Heaven Father of all mercies have mercy upon our most gracious Queen unite her unto thee with the hands of faith and love preserve her to her lives end in thy favour and make her instrumental of glory to thy Name of refreshment to the Church of Joy to the all faithful people of this Kingdom and crown her with an eternal weight of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen For our Children O Father of Heaven God of all the creatures by whose providence mankind is increased I bless thy Name for bestowing on me that blessing of the righteous man the blessing of children Lord bless them with health with life and good understanding with fair opportunities and advantages of education society tutors and governours and above all with the graces of thy holy Spirit that they may live and be blessed under thy protection grow in grace and be in favour with God and man and at last make up the number of thine elect Children through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer of a Wife for her Husband O My God who hast graciously been pleased to call me to the holy state of Matrimony bless me in it with the grace of chastity with loyalty obedience and complacency to my husband and bless him with long life with healthful body with an understanding soul with abundance of thy graces which may make him to be and continue thy servant a true Son of the Church and a supporter and guide to his Wife a blessing and a comfort to his Children through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Of a Husband for his Wife O Merciful God who art a Father to us thy Children espouse to thy holy Church a Saviour and a Redeemer to all mankind have mercy upon thy Handmaid my Wife endow her with all the ornaments of thy heavenly grace make her to be holy and devout as Hester loving and amiable as Rachel fruitful as Leah that being filled with grace and benediction here she may be partaker of thy glory hereafter through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen For safety in Childbirth O Blessed Jesu Son of the Eternal God who according to thy humility wert born of a holy Maid who conceived thee without sin and brought thee forth without pain have mercy upon me thy humble servant and as by thy blessing I have conceived so grant that by thy favourable assistance I may be safely delivered Lord grant me patience and strength and confidence in thee and send thy holy Angel to be my Guardian in the hour of my travel O shut not up my soul with sinners nor my life with them that go down to the
my mind that I may know thee and let me not be barren or unfruitful in that knowledge Lord work in my heart a true faith a purifying hope and an unfeigned love towards thee Give me a full trust in thee zeal for thee reverence in all things that relate to thee Make me fearfull to offend thee thankful for thy mercies humble under thy corrections devout in thy service sorrowful for my sins grant that in all things I may behave my self so as befits a creature to his Creator a servant to his Lord enable me likewise to perform that duty I owe to my self Give me that meekness humility and contentedness whereby I may alwaies possess my soul in patience and thankfulness Make me diligent in all my duties watchful in all temptations perfect pure and temperate and so moderate in all my most lawful enjoyments that they never may become a snare to me Make me also O Lord to be so affected towards my neighbour that I never transgress that Royal Law of thine of loving him as my self Grant me exactly to perform to all a part of Justice yielding to all whatsoever by any kind of right is their due Give me such bowels of mercy and compassion that I may never fail to do all acts of charity to all men whether friends or enemies according to thy command and example Finally I beseech thee O Lord to sanctifie me within and without that my whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory for ever Amen Intercession O Blessed Lord whose mercy is over all thy works I beseech thee to have mercy upon all men and grant that the precious Ransom which was paid by thy Son for all may be effectual for the saving of all Give thy enlightening grace to those that are in darkness and thy converting grace to those that are in sin Look with thy tenderest compassion upon the Universal Church O be favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem unite all those that profess thy Name to thee by purity and holiness and to each other by brotherly kindness Have mercy on this desolate Church and sinful Nation Thou movedst the Land and divided it heal the sores thereof for it shaketh make us so truly to repent of those sins which have provoked thy Judgments that thou also mayest turn and repent and leave a blessing behind thee Bless those whom thou hast appointed our Governours whether in Church or State so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands that they may want neither will nor power to punish wickedness and vice and to maintain God's true Religion and Verity Have pity O Lord on all that are in affliction be a Father to the Fatherless and plead the Cause of the Widow comfort the feeble minded support the weak relieve the needy defend the oppressed and administer to every one according to their several necessities Let thy blessing rest upon all that are near and dear unto me and grant them whatsoever is needful and necessary both for their souls and for their bodies here name thy dearest Relations Reward all those that have done me or them good pardon all those that have done or wish us evil work in me and them all that good which may make us acceptable in thy sight Jesus Christ. Amen For Preservation O Merciful God by whose bounty and love it is that I have this day added to my life I beseech thee so to guide me in it by thy grace that I may do nothing which may dishonour thee or wound my own soul but that I may diligently apply my own soul to do all such good works as thou hast prepared for me And Lord I beseech thee give thy Angels charge over me to keep me in all my waies that no evil happen unto nor any plague come nigh my dwelling but that I and mine may be safe under thy protection through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour Amen O Lord pardon the wandrings and coldness of these Petitions and deal with me not according either to my prayers or deserts but according to my needs and thine own rich mercy in Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and words I conclude these my imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. Prayers for Night O Holy blessed and glorious Trinity Three Persons and One God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner Lord I know not what to pray for as I ought O let thy holy Spirit help mine infirmities and enable me to offer up a spiritual Sacrifice acceptable unto thee by Jesus Christ. A Confession O Most holy Lord God who art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity how shall I an abominable wretch appear before thee who am nothing but pollution I am defiled in my very nature have a backwardness to all good and a readiness to all evil but I have defiled my self much worse by my own actual sins and wicked customs I have transgressed my duty to thee my neighbour and my self and that both in thought word and deed by doing those things thou hast expresly forbidden and neglecting to do those things thou hast commanded me and this not onely through ignorance and frailty but knowingly and wilfully against the motion of thy Spirit and the checks of mine own conscience to the contrary and to make all these out of measure sinful I have gone on in a daily course of repeating these provocations against thee notwithstanding all thy calls to and my own purposes and endeavours of amendment yea this very day I have not ceased to add new sins to my former guilt here name the particulars and now O Lord what shall I say or how shall I open my mouth seeing I have done these things I know that the wages of sin is death but O thou who willest not the death of a sinner have mercy upon me work in me I beseech thee a sincere contrition and perfect hatred of all my sins let me daily confess them but yet not as duly renew them and grant O Lord that from this instant I may give a bill of divorce to all my most beloved lusts and then be thou pleased to marry me to thy self in Truth in Righteousness and true Holiness all the daies of my life and for all my sins past O Lord receive a Reconciliation accept of that Ransom thy blessed Son hath paid for me and for his sake whom thou hast set forth as a propitiation pardon all my offences and receive me to thy favour and when thou hast thus spoken peace to my soul Lord keep me that I turn not any more to folly but stablish me with thy grace that no temptation of the World the Devil or my own Flesh may ever draw me to offend thee that being made free from sin and becoming a Servant unto God I may have my fruit unto holiness and in the
into any gross sins especially those whereunto our natures are most prone set a watch before the door of our lips that we offend not thy Divine Majesty by any rash or false oaths or by any leud or lying speeches give unto us patient minds pure and chast hearts and all other graces of thy Spirit which thou knowest to be needful for us that we may be the better enabled to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the daies of our life and seeing that all mens labours are in vain without thy blessing bless every one of us in our several places and callings direct thou the works of our hands upon us even prosper thou our handy-works for except thou guide us with thy grace our endeavours can have no good success and provide for us all things which thou O Father knowest to be needful for every one of us in our souls and bodies this day and grant that we may pass through the pilgrimage of this short life that our hearts being not settled upon any transitory things which we meet with in the way our souls may every day be more and more ravished with the love of our home and thine everlasting Kingdom Defend likewise O Lord thy universal Church and every particular member thereof especially we beseech thee to continue the peace and tranquility of these Churches and Kingdoms wherein we live preserve from all evil and dangers our most gracious King Charles endue his Royal heart with more and more grace wisdom and understanding and grant that his daies may be long prosperous and happy Bless our gracious Queen Katherine James Duke of York and all the Royal Family multiply their daies with bliss and felicity and afterwards crown them with everlasting joy and glory Bless all our Ministers and Magistrates with all graces needful for their places govern thou them that they may govern us in peace godliness and true Religion and of thy mercy O Lord comfort all our Brethren that are distressed sick or comfortless especially those who are afflicted either with an evil conscience because they have sinned against thy Word or for a good conscience because they will not sin against the Truth make the first to know that not one drop of the blood of Christ was a drop of vengeance but all drops of grace powerful to procure pardon upon repentance for the greatest sins of the chiefest sinners in the world and for the other let not O Lord thy long sufferance either too much discourage them or too much incourage their enemies but grant them patience in suffering and a gracious and speedy deliverance which may stand best with thy glory and their comfort and give every one of us grace to be alwaies mindful of his last end and to be alwaies prepared with faith and repentance as with a weding garment against the time thou shalt call for us out of this sinful world and that in the mean while we may in all things and above all things seek thy glory that when this mortal life is ended we may then be made partakers of Immortality and Life eternal in thy heavenly Kingdom these and all other graces and blessings which thou O heavenly Father seest to be necessary for us and for thy whole Church we humbly beg and crave at thy hands concluding this our imperfect prayer in that most perfect form of prayer which Christ himself hath taught us saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. Evening Prayer for a Family O Eternal God and most merciful Father we thine unworthy servants here assembled do cast down our selves at the foosttool of thy grace acknowledging our selves that we inherit our Fathers corruption in thought word and deed transgressing thy holy Commandments so that in us naturally there dwelleth nothing that is good for our hearts are full of secret pride anger impatience dissembling lying lust vanity prophaneness distrust too much love of our selves too little love of thee and thy Kingdom but full of enmity and void of love patience and every spiritual grace if thou therefore shouldest enter into judgment with us and search out our natural corruptions and observe all the cursed fruit and effects that we have derived from thence Satan might justly challenge us for his own and we could not expect any from thy Majesty but thy wrath and our condemnation which we have long ago deserved But good Father for Jesus Christ his sake who is thy dear Son in whom only thou art well pleased and for the merits of that bitter death and passion which we believe he hath suffered for us have mercy upon us and free us from the shame and confusion which is due unto us for them that they may never seize upon us to our confusion in this life or to condemnation in the world which is to come And for as much as thou hast created us to serve thee as all other creatures to serve us so we humbly beseech thee inspire thy Holy Spirit into our hearts that by his illumination and effectual working we may have the inward sight and feeling of our sins and natural corruptions and that we may not be blinded in them through custom as the Reprobate are but that we may more and more loath them and be heartily grieved for them endeavouring by the use of all good means to overcome them and get out of them O let us feel the power of Christ's death killing sin in our mortal bodies and the vertue of his Resurrection raising up our souls to newness of life convert our hearts subdue our affections regenerate our minds purifie our natures and suffer us not to be drowned in the streams of those filthy vices and sinful pleasures wherewith thousands are carried headlong to eternal destruction but daily frame us more and more to the likeness of thy Son Jesus Christ that in Righteousness and true Holiness we may so serve and glorifie thee that living in thy fear and dying in thy favour we may in thy appointed time attain to the blessed Resurrection of the Just unto eternal life in the mean while O Lord increase our faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel and our repentance from dead works the assurance of our hopes in thy promises our fear of thy Name the hatred of all our sins and our love unto thy children especially whom we see to stand in need of our help and comfort that so by the fruit of piety and a righteous life we may be assured that thy Holy Spirit doth dwell in us and that we are thy children by grace and adoption and grant us good Father the continuance of health peace and maintenance and all other outward good things so far forth as thy Divine Wisdom shall think meet to be requisite and necessary for every one And here O Lord according to our bounden duty we confess that thou hast been exceeding merciful unto us all in things of this life but infinitely more merciful in the things of
a better life therefore we do here from our very souls render unto thee most humble and hearty thanks from our very souls for all thy blessings and benefits bestowed upon our souls and our bodies acknowledging thee to be that Father of Light from whom we have received all those good and perfect gifts and unto thee alone for them we ascribe to be due all glory honour might majesty and praise both now and for ever more But more especially we praise thy Divine Majesty for that thou hast defended us this day past from all perils and dangers so that none of those Judgments which our sins have deserved have fallen upon any one of us Good Lord forgive us the sins which this day we have committed against thy Divine Majesty or our Brethren and for Christ his sake be reconciled unto us for them and we humbly beseech thee likewise of thine infinite goodness to defend and protect us this night and all that belong unto us from all perils and dangers of fire robbery terrours of evil Angels or any other fear which for our sins might justly have fallen upon us and that we may be safe under the shadow of thy wings and to this end and purpose we here recommend our bodies and souls and all that we have unto thine Almighty Protection Lord bless and defend both us and them from all evil whilst we sleep do thou O Father who never slumberest nor sleepest watch over thy children and give a charge to thy holy Angels to pitch their tents round about our houses and dwellings this night to guard us from all dangers that sleeping with thee we may the next morning be awakened by thee and so being refreshed with moderate sleep we may be the fitter to set forth thy glory in the conscionable duties of our callings and we beseech thee O Lord to be merciful likewise to thy whole Church and to continue the tranquility of these Kingdoms wherein we live turning from us those plagues which the crying sins of this Nation do cry aloud for O Lord preserve the principal member thereof our most gracious King Charles endue his Royal heart with grace wisdom and understanding and grant that his daies may be many prosperous vertuous and happy cloath his enemies with shame but upon his head let his Crown flourish Bless our gracious Queen Katherine James Duke of York and the rest of the Royal Family endow them with thy grace and defend them from all evil Bless all our Magistrates and Ministers with all those graces and gifts necessary for their places govern thou them that they may govern us in peace godliness and true Religion Bless all that fear thee and call upon thy Name all our Christian Brethren and Sisters that suffer sickness or any other affliction or misery especially those who do any where suffer persecution for the testimony of thy holy Gospel grant them patience to bear thy Cross and deliverance when and which way it shall seem best to thy Divine Wisdom and Lord suffer us never to forget our last end and those reckonings which then we must render unto thee in health and prosperity make us mindful of sickness and of the evil day that is behind that these things may not overtake us as a snare but that we may in some good measure like wise Virgins be found prepared for the coming of Christ the sweet Bridegroom of our souls And now O Lord most holy and just we confess there is no cause why thou who art so much displeased with sin shouldest hear the prayers of sinners but for his sake who suffered for sin and sinned not in the only mediation therefore of thine eternal Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour we humbly beg these and all other graces which thou knowest to be needful for us and for thy whole Church shutting up these our imperfect requests in that most holy prayer which Christ himself hath taught us to say unto thee Our Father which art in Heaven c. A Morning Prayer for the Sabbath Day O Most High O Eternal God all whose works are glorious all whose thoughts are very deep there can be no better thing than to praise thy Name and declare thy loving kindness in the morning on thy holy and blessed Sabbath day for it is thy Will and Commandment that we should sanctifie this day in thy service and praise him and in the thankful remembrance of the Creation of the world by the power of thy Word so of the Redemption of mankind by the death of thy Son thine O Lord I confess is greatness and power and glory and victory and praise for all that is in Heaven and Earth is thine thine is the Kingdom O Lord and thou excellest as head over all both riches and honour come of thee and thou raignest over all and in thine hand is power and strength and in thine hand it is to make great and to give grace unto all now therefore O my God I praise thy glorious Name that whereas I wretched sinner having so many waies provoked thy Majesty to anger and displeasure thou notwithstanding of thy favour and goodness passing by prophaneness and infirmities hast vouchsafed O heavenly Father to add this Sabbath again to the number of my daies and vouchsafe O heavenly Father for the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son whose glorious Resurrection thy whole Church celebrateth this day to pardon and forgive me all my sins and misdeeds especially O Lord cleanse my soul from those filthy sins which my corrupt nature is most prone unto with the blood of thy most pure and undefiled Lamb and let thy Holy Spirit more and more subdue my corruptions that I may be renewed after thine own Image to serve thee in Righteousness and true Holiness all the daies of our life and as of thy mercy thou hast brought me safe to the beginning of this day so I beseech thee to make it a day of Reconciliation betwixt my sinful soul and thy Divine Majesty give me grace to make it a day of Repentance unto thee that thy goodness may seal it to be a day of pardon unto me and that I may remember that the keeping holy of this is a commandment which thine own finger hath written that on this day I might meditate on thy glorious works of our Creation and Redemption and learn how to keep all the rest of thy holy Laws and Commandments and when anon I shall with the rest of the holy Assembly appear before thy presence to offer unto thee our morning Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and to hear what thy Spirit by the preaching of thy Word shall speak unto thy servant oh let not my sins stand as a cloud to stop my prayers from ascending unto thee or keep back thy grace from descending by thy Word into my heart I know O Lord and tremble to think that three parts of the good seed falls upon bad ground O let not my heart be