Saints and the bloud of Jesus Christ may wash me from all sins O quicken me O strengthen me O leave me not in thee do I trust let me never be confounded for Christs sake to whom with thee and the eternal Spirit be all Honour and Glory for ever Amen Advertisement 1. THough the Lords Prayer be not mentioned in the foregoing Supplications yet a Christian that makes use of these Devotions may and ought conscienciously to add it 2. As besides our own spiritual Wants we are to recommend to God the necessities of others so the following Ejaculations may be added to the foregoing Prayers For the whole Race of Mankind ARise O Lord let thy Light shine and let thy Glory rise upon Heathens Jews Mahometans and others who have not known thee and upon all the Families that do not call upon thy Name Remove the darkness that covers the EÃ rth and the gross darkness under which whole Nations lie Let all men see the light of thy Gospel and flow to it that their hearts may fear and be enlarged and glorifie the House of thy Glory For the Universal Church of Christ. HAve mercy Lord on thy Church dispersed all the world over Let violence be heard in her no more nor wasting and destruction within her borders Let her Walls be called Salvation and her Gates Praise Let her Priests be cloathed with righteousness and let her Saints rejoyce and sing Let her righteousness go forth as brightness and the Salvation thereof as a Lamp that burns For the King GIve the King thy Judgements O God and let him judge thy People with Righteousness Be thou his Goodness his Fortress his high Tower and his Deliverer his Shield in whom he may trust and subdue his people under him send thy hand from above and rid him deliver him out of great Waters from the hand of strange Children whose mouth speaketh Vanity and their right hand is a right hand of Falsehood Let him rule in the fear of God and let his glory be as the light of the Morning when the Sun rises even as a Morning without Clouds For the Royal Family LEt their glory O Lord be great in thy Salvation Honour and Majesty do thou lay upon them Be thou entreated to make them blessed for ever and exceeding glad with thy countenance Let their goodness be answerable to their greatness and make them shining and burning lights that others may see their good works and praise their Father which is in Heaven For the Bishops and Clergy ENable thy Ministers O Lord to hold Faith and a good Conscience Make them great examples of the Believers in Word in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Purity Let them meditate upon these things give themselves wholly to them that their profiting may appear to all Let them take heed unto themselves and unto their Doctrine and continue in it that they may both save themselves and them that hear them For the People of the Land O Lord make the people willing in the day of thy power willing to fear God to honour the King and to love one another with a pure heart fervently O that there were such a heart in them that they might love thee and fear thee and keep all thy Commandments always that it might be well with them and with their Children for ever Pardon their crying sins and perswade them to do justly to shew mercy and to walk humbly with their God For persons distressed in Body or Mind O Lord bind up the broken-hearted proclaim Liberty to the Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord to the miserable and the day of peace to comfort all that mourn Give unto them Beauty for Ashes the Oyl of Joy for Mourning the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness For their Shame let them have double and for Confusion let them rejoyce in their Portion and let everlasting Joy be upon their heads For Relations LOrd be thou a Father a Husband a Friend a Master a Ruler and a Protector to them all Make them thy Friends thy Children thy Favourites love them freely receive them graciously let their Souls be bound up in the bundle of life with thee keep them as the Apple of thine eye and when thou makest up thy Jewels remember them and spare them as a man would spare his own Son that serves him For Benefactors LOrd do good to them that have done good to me Bless them with a true Repentance with pardon of all their sins with a mighty sense of God with a holy fruitfulness in all good works with a meek and humble Spirit with peace of Conscience with joy in the Holy Ghost with eminency of Vertue and for the kindnesses they have shewn to me and mine reward them sevenfold with mercy into their Bosoms For Enemies LOrd bless them that curse me do good to them that hate me be merciful to them that either have wrong'd me or would despitefully use me and transform them by the renewing of their mind that they may prove what is the holy and acceptable and perfect will of God Advertisement 3. I Thought to have made an end here but for some reasons was prevailed withal to add these following Prayers For a Sick person O Thou who deliverest the Poor when he cries the Needy also and him that hath no helper look upon this thy weak Servant from the habitation of thy Holiness and be a Physician to his outward and inward man At once heal his Soul and Body Speak the word and thy Servant shall be whole Bless him with a sound Repentance and make this affliction an effectual means to produce in him the peaceable fruits of Righteousness of Faith and Love and Charity Hear his Prayers regard his Groans give him ease under his burthen restore his Soul and make him thankful for thy Mercy thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A short Thanksgiving after Recovery I Thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast been pleased to spare this thy unworthy Servant Fill me with a mighty sense of thy Goodness O let this Mercy never never be forgotten Let me see thy hand in this providence and admire the great Giver of this Blessing Be thou hereafter in all my thoughts Encrease my desires after thee my fear of offending thee my care to please thee my love to thy ways my zeal to thy Glory and fit me for thy everlasting Kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for a Woman with Child O Thou who settest the Poor on high from affliction and makest him Families like a Flock Take pity of me O thou that hearest Prayers be with with me in the hour of trouble when Fear and Anguish come upon me Forget my sins and strengthen me with thy Grace Bless the Fruit of my Body and sanctifie it early As the Mountains are round about Jerusalem so let the Lord be round about
strong in the behalf of those whose Heart is upright before thee I have deserved that no eye should pity me because I have not used my sight with that Moderation Modesty Decency and Piety thou justly requirest of me I have had Eyes and have not seen those things I should have taken notice of it were just with thee to strike me blind and to deprive me of that mercy which I have so often turned into wantonness I have stared upon objects that have inflamed my Lusts irritated my Passions and kindled Hell fire in my Breast Ah! what impure what disorderly thoughts have I let in through these windows Wonder O my Soul that Vengeance hath not pulled them out or that darkness hath not yet seized on them What discontent what mistrust of thy Providence what Pride what Envy what Malice what Revenge hath crept into my Soul through these Glasses How ill a use have I made of the gift of God! How have I dishonoured my Creator with these eyes How covetous how vain how sensual hath my sight of the riches and pleasures of the world made me O look upon me and have mercy on me Open thou mine eyes that I may see wondrous things out of thy Law O let nothing be so pleasant to mine eyes as thy marvellous works Teach me to see thee in thy Providence and in thy works of Grace and Nature O let me remember that where-ever I am I am before the eye of thy glory and let mine eyes be ever toward the Lord. If my right eye offend me let me pull it out Give me courage to turn away mine eyes from beholding Vanity when that Vanity would make me enamoured with the world Quicken the eyes of my mind that I may behold thy Power and Glory as I have seen it in the Sanctuary Shew me the danger of walking in the fight of mine Eyes and guide me by thine Eye Destroy in me all lofty looks and the Lust of the eye do thou remove far from me See O Lord and consider my wants and teach me to offer unto thee my reasonable service Let my outward as well as inward man be thy servant O let me see and taste how sweet and how gracious thou art Thou hast given me my Eye-sight Cause me to see thy Salvation and let me see that I walk circumspectly as wise men and not as Fools redeeming the time because the days are evil Consider and hear me O Lord my God lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death Keep me as the apple of thine eye hide me under the shadow of thy Wings Then shall I behold thy Face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness O glorious sight when I shall see thee as thou art how ravishing will that prospect be How transporting that Vision O let me not miss of it O let me not lose that charming spectacle I will look upon thee here I will behold thee in the blessings I enjoy I will see thee in thy Mercies and admire thee I will look to my self that I may not erre from thy Commandments I will look for the new Heavens and the new Earth wherein dwells righteousness I will look up and please my self with the thoughts of Mount Sion which fades not away I will look unto the Lord that I may be enlightened and my face may not be ashamed thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 8. viz. To make good use of the Virtues Vices of our Neighbours MOst Merciful Father Creator of Heaven and Earth who hast given me a Soul apt to be led by Examples and hast set most excellent Patterns before me that I might follow their steps encline my Heart I beseech thee to consider the large provision thou hast made for my better part and let me not stand in mine own light and continue blind in the midst of so many shining and burning lights Arise O Lord and deliver me from the wicked from the men which are thy hand O Lord from the men of the world who have their portion in this Life and whose Bellies thou fillest with thy hid Treasure O let me see with other eyes than carnal men do see O raise my Mind and carry it up to the holy Mount to the Mount of God and from thence let me behold the portion of thy Children of those excellent souls that despise the world and labour for honour and immortality Discover to me the comforts and satisfactions they enjoy in thy Bosom and how thou makest them drink of the Rivers of thy pleasures Let their Faith encourage me to believe in hope against hope that as they are made perfect in love so I may be perfect too and may be one with thee even as thou and they are one I cannot have a better example than thy self O make me partaker of thy divine Nature Give me a holy ambition to be like thee Make me merciful as my Father in Heaven is merciful O let that mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus O Jesu attract my Soul with thy beauty Teach me to tread in thy steps Let thy example be ever before me and where-ever I am let me do nothing unworthy of it If I follow thee I cannot erre Thou art the way the truth and the life Lord do thou appear very amiable to my Soul that this sight may constrain me to learn of thee Transcribe thy Graces on my Soul and Life that my Conversation may shew that I am thy Disciple indeed resolved to live and die and rise with thee to eternal Glory Give me the Spirit of St. Paul Give me the excellent temper of those Saints who through Faith subdued Kingdoms wrought Righteousness obtained Promises stopped the mouths of Lyons quenched the violence of the Fire out of weakness were made strong and were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection O deny me not the same Spirit of Faith that at last I may obtain the end of my Faith the salvation of my Soul through Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 9. viz. To put a charitable interpretation upon what we see or hear O God who art infinitely compassionate and charitable Love it self and Goodness it self Ah! how selfish is my Heart To whom shall I complain but to thee who alone canst heal me Thou hast Balm thou hast Plaisters for all Sores Medicines for all Diseases Thy Store-house is full of Blessings How uncharitable are my Thoughts sometimes How censorious my Tongue How apt am I to think and speak ill of my Neighbour How doth my Blood boyl with revengeful desires when either a real or an imaginary injury is offered me O thou God of Peace O Father of mercy melt melt this stubborn Heart how loth is it to yield to thy injunctions I am encompassed with all the rays of Gods charity imaginable Thou bearest with me when I deserve punishment thou dealest not
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
When I faint Lord support me when I grow weary furnish me with fresh motives to hold on when I would go back perswade me to press toward the mark when I fall let thy Angels bear me up in their hands O thou that hast done great things for me marvellous things on this side Heaven strengthen my Faith that I may endure temptation and being tried may receive the Crown of righteousness which thou hast promised to them that love thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 12. viz. To stand in awe of God when we are alone and no Creature sees us O Lord thou hast searched me and known me thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising thou understandest my thoughts afar off thou compassest my Path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my ways I beseech thee overaw me with thy presence O that thou wert in all my thoughts O how sweet how delightful how glorious art thou Could I always think of thee how poor would the World and all things in it seem in mine eyes For truly thou art fairer than the Children of men and all the Excellencies and Perfections that are found in the Creature are most eminently concentred in thee for thou madest them thou maintainest them thou preservest them and thou art the Spring the Fountain from which all those lesser Rivers flow Thou art bright amiable charming to a miracle and in thee is all that Reason can wish and the Understanding can desire And did I look upon thee more I should be so delighted with thy Beauty that sin would be loathsome to me I sin against thee because I lose the sight of thee The eye of my understanding was given me on purpose to look upon thee O let me use it to that end When I am loth to look upon thee Lord press thou into my thoughts that I may not be able to shake off thy presence If I see thee I shall not dare to offend thee Who would offend so dear a friend if he look upon him When any sin would insinuate into my affections O call to me and say Thy God is here and that charming Name will withold me from those crooked ways I remember Lord when my flesh hath sometimes prevailed with me to transgress thy known Laws I have been forced to banish thee from my mind before I could act against thee Hence forward be thou ever with me Let no base objects intervene betwixt my sight and thy glorious self or if they do help me to look off and to return to my center Make strong impressions of thy omniscience and omnipresence upon my heart that no sensual object no pleasing Temptation no Deceit no Flattery may rob me of my integrity At the brightness of thy presence let all mine Enemies vanish and be thou my Conquerour my Triumph my Beauty and my Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 13 viz. To do all things to Gods glory O God who is like unto thee glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders Thy glory is the end of all created Beings Thou art deckt with Beauty and Glory glorious is thy Name and to glorifie thee is not onely our duty but our glory and interest too O let my heart be toucht with a sense of thy glory O let me admire the glory of thy Kingdom If thou wouldest vouchsafe to display thy glory in my benighted Soul how should I despise this miserable world How should I scorn the lust of the Eye and the lust of the Flesh and the pride of Life I have talked of thy Glory but O how little have I almed at it in my actions What base and sinister ends and designs have I had even in my Devotions and religious Services O Father of mercy purifie my intentions rectifie my designs give me a right aim in all things I am sent into the world to advance thy Glory O let it not be said that I sought mine own glory How great is thy goodness that thou wilt employ so wretched a creature in promoting thy Glory who can'st live without me and be happy and glorious without me O glorifie my Soul that I may glorifie thee In all the Blessings in all the Mercies I enjoy let me give thee all the glory What have I that I have not received Why then should I glory as if I had not received it O let me study how I may do good in my Generation Let the Spirit of Glory and of Christ rest upon me O Father of Glory let me see what is the glory of thine inheritance Open thou my Lips O Lord and my Mouth shall shew forth thy Praise Guide me by thy Counsel here and hereafter receive me into glory O that this Heart of mine were more spirituallized It is carnal sensual taken with the gayeties of this life It admires thee not It doth not esteem thee above all Treasures and therefore I do not seek thy Glory as I ought to do Therefore I evade the Obligation and pretend that I have no Parts no Abilities to advance thy Glory in this present world O wretched Creature that I am Who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death Lord speak the word and deliver me from my self Assure me that the degrees of future Glory will be proportioned to the degrees of my advancing thy Glory here O let me abound in good Works and let doing good be my greatest delight for as much as I know my labour is not in vain in the Lord. It cannot be in vain Thou hast promised it and thou wilt do it I believe Lord help mine Unbelief thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise 14 viz. To stir up and exercise the Graces God hath given us O God thou art a strong Rock and a strong Habitation How excellent is thy loving kindness therefore the Children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy Wings O my God how have I contented my self with very low degrees of Vertue I have been afraid of doing too much for Heaven and satisfied my self too often with shadows of Goodness Thou art not wanting to us if we are not wanting to our selves Thou art ready to quicken us ready to enlighten us ready to succour us in all our distresses and necessities O thou that art a strong Tower to all them that run unto thee Take care of my immortal Soul if thou wilt charge thy self with her welfare I shall be safe I have been very slothful hitherto I have lost much time many opportunities many advantages of a Spiritual life I know I must grow on to a perfect man in Christ Jesus Thou doest not allow me to stand still Thou biddest me work like a man that knows what an endless Glory means O purifie me from all sin Lord Jesu give me the fervour of thy Spirit that I may bee filled with spiritual Wisdom and Understanding and for the glory
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
me by thy Mighty Power that my heart may be treacherous no more O let me remember what Mercies I expect at thy hands and let me not forfeit my Right to thy Favour When I binde my Soul let me think that nothing can untie it but thy self O preserve in my mind a just sense of my Duty and of the necessity of pleasing thee Let me abhor every thought that would prompt me to violate this Sacred Bond. O let me look upon it as a most holy thing and let me dread all prophanation of it As I designe O Lord by these Vows to bring up my Will to thy Will so be thou entreated to second my designes and to keep my Soul that I yield not to Temptations of perfidiousness but may Triumph over my Corruptions and be more than a Conquerour thorough him that loved me the Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit be all Honour and Glory World without end Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise extraordinary 2. viz. To subdue the Body by Fasting O Holy and most Merciful Saviour who hast given us the best Religion the wholesomest Rules of living the most equitable Precepts that were ever given to the children of men while I admire thy Mercy I cannot but bewail mine own Misery While I wonder at thy goodness and tenderness to my Soul I cannot but deplore my backwardness to the stricter Duties of Christianity How loth am I to curb this Body How loth to bring my Flesh in subjection How apt am I to flatter my self that Heaven will come cheaper than at the price of Mortification O when will these vain Imaginations leave me When shall I get the temper of thy dearest Servants How slavishly do I serve thee How apt am I to make Bargains with thee and to limit my obedience I want that free that Princely Spirit that fervent love which may think nothing too good for Heaven Lord shew me the vanity of my over tenderness to this dying Body I am sensible that when I feed it high it teaches my Soul to rebel against thee O let me not be afraid of the Arguments it gives me to spare my self These are but pretences the designe is to preserve its own ease and quiet in Sin and Vanity Let me see through all these Cobwebs and perswade me to keep under my Body lest I become a cast away Let my Fasts have those good effects upon me which they have had upon thy Saints of old Let my Lusts dye my Corruptions decay my Vanities become odious to me Let Holiness become sweet the Light of thy Countenance pleasant and the Influences of thy Grace ravishing to my Soul Let my abstinence from Food work in me abstinence from evil Let it prove a means to make my Prayers fervent my Devotion quick my Mind clear my Affections lively that I may at last enjoy the Festivals of Angels and eat and drink with my blessed Master at his Table in his Kingdom then shall I fast from sin for ever then shall I fast from all Temptations Then shall I hunger no more after the meat that perisheth Then shall I thirst no more after the muddy Streams of sensual Satisfactions Then my hunger shall be refined into fruition my thirst exalted into Enjoyments such as Abana and Pharpar cannot give and the Rivers of Damascus and of Jordan too fall short of then I shall need no Provision for this Body Then my Flesh will long no more after forbidden fruit then I shall feed on thy love for ever that will be my Meat and Drink that will be better tome than all the Trees of a terrestrial Paradise that will nourish me more than Milk and Honey that will give me a more cheerful Countenance than the bloud of the Grape then I shall need to take care no more about what I shall eat or what I shall drink or wherewithal I shall be cloathed Righteousness will be my Garment then and Holiness everlasting Holiness my Robe of Glory Amen Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise extraordinary 3. viz. To use Watching or Abstinence from Sleep O God incomprehensible and glorious whose Providence watches over me day and night O Shepherd of Israel who neither slumberest nor sleepest and whose Eyes are always open for my good What hard thoughts have I had of thy service How unwieldy have I been under thy stricter Precepts How afraid have I been to hurt my self What pains have I taken for the World and how irk some have thy Precepts been to my Soul O let it suffice that I have so long followed mine own will and for the future let even thy severest Laws be my delight and comfort Thou hast given me thine onely Son to die for my sins and can I after this mercy think much of denying my self in mine ease for thy service O teach me to use moderation in all things and even in my sleep to express my self-denial I know O Lord that without the assistance of thy Spirit my Nature is slothful and my Temper backward to such mortifications To thee I come therefore with humble Desires with fervent Affections and with earnest Entreaties that thou wouldest conquer the Flesh in me and crush that Rebel by thy power Since I can use self-denial in sleep upon a Temporal account O let it not be said of me that upon a Spiritual account I could not watch O let my actions shew that thou art dearer to me than the World and that I love thee better than Father or Mother and my self too When all I have is thine how shall I not part with something that 's dear to me for thy sake O let me not lose my life while I seek to save it but be confident that if I lose my life for thy sake I shall finde it Thou art the Resurrection and the Life if I sincerely believe in thee though I were dead yet shall I live O let me live that I may praise thy Name and whether I live or whether I die let me live and die in the Lord Jesus Give me a sight of the Eternal watchfulness of Angels They sleep not They are never oppressed with drowsiness They sing Eternally and slumber not That 's the Company that 's the glorious Society I would fain be in O happy day O blessed time when I shall watch in thy House for ever When I shall watch in the Quire where nothing is known nothing is loved nothing is delighted in but God blessed for evermore O my God as the Eyes of Servants look unto the Hand of their Master and as the Eyes of a Maiden look unto the Hand of her Mistress so mine Eyes waite upon Thee O Lord until thou have mercy upon me and bring me into the Regions of eternal Brightness thorough Jesus Christ. Amen A Prayer relating to Exercise extraordinary 4. viz. To apply our selves to Self-Revenge O God to whom Vengeance belongs shew thy self My sins are mine Enemies my Corruptions the Foes
day without summoning my thoughts to survey the nobler Rest whereof this present is but an Emblem I have gone this day with the multitude to the house of God but what is this to the company I shall ere long meet in Heaven if I imitate them in their severities here Happy Society where is no Chaff among the Corn no Tares among the Wheat no Thistles among the Roses Where all are Children of God all are Kings all are Saints all are full of grace and glory all are wise all courteous all affable all adorn'd with celestial qualities If I take such pleasure in the conversation of a wise discreet and prudent man here what delight shall I take in the company of the wisest holiest and most accomplished Souls that want nothing that have all things that abound in Knowledge in Prudence in Wisdom and in Sanctity How do I admire men of great parts and abilities here in what admiration then will my Soul be when it shall converse with persons deckt with the light of Gods Glory who know all things without reading understand the greatest Mysteries without studying comprehend the abstrusest things without labour who forget nothing whose Memory never decays whose Parts never faile who know without errour apprehend without doubting understand with assurance and perceive with the greatest evidence imaginable who can unfold all Riddles resolve all difficulties answer to all Questions and think and speak nothing but truth whose Mindes know no darkness whose Understandings are free from Clouds whose Knowledge is eternal How can they but be happy when the place where they for ever live is so How can they but know the deep things of God when God is the Glass in which they behold all Mysteries O my God make me in love with that place where I shall love thee perfectly where my Soul shall be eternally united to thee where it cannot but love thee cannot but embrace thee and cannot but be ravished with thee forever If they which running in a Race strive for the mastery are temperate in all things shall not I be so If they mortifie themselves to gain a corruptible Crown shall not I do so much to gain an incorruptible What pains do ungodly sinners take to get to Hell and shall not I be at some cost and charge to get to Heaven O Lord let it never be said of me that I valued thy Heaven less than other men do the Devils Kingdom Thou offerest me the honour to reign with thee for ever and in order thereunto requirest nothing of me but to reign over my self on this side Heaven Thou bid'st me rule my Lusts and shall I give them vent Thou bid'st me curb my vain Desires and shall I cherish them in my Bosom Thou bid'st me triumph over my Flesh and shall I set it on the Throne Thou bid'st me subdue my worldly inclinations and shall I give them entertainment How great are the Glories thou intendest me and shall I deprive my self of them out of love to Slavery and Bondage O give me courage to command my self O let me not be afraid of displeasing my self My dearest Lord teach me so to rule my outward and inward man that I may rule at last with my blessed Redeemer for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for Munday-Morning relating to the Meditation prescribed Exercise 3. for Munday GReat All-seeing and Almighty Judge of the World before whom all Mankind must e'erlong appear Righteous art thou in all thy ways and holy in all thy works If the righteous shall scarcely be saved where shall I a poor sinner appear I that have so long so frequently neglected my Duty delayed my Repentance undervalued thy Mercies despised thy Patience and abused the riches of thy Grace and Favour O Lord how watchful should I be over my self if the terrours of the Great day of account stood before me in lively Characters O dreadful day when I a poor wretch must stand before thy Tribunal and see my self surrounded with vast Legions of Angels all expecting to hear what my Sentence will be This day I talk of This day I have frequently in my mouth but O that my Soul were frighted more with the mention and consideration of it I should not then lead so easie so soft a life I should then spend more time in Weeping and Praying I should then be afraid of defiling my Soul with the least spot of sin Lord Jesu Great Saviour of the world look upon me and let me feel thy power in my Soul even such power to represent this day to my mind in all its terrours and circumstances that I may make haste to enter into thy rest The Judge is at the door let me bring presents to him that ought to be feared and since no gift is so pleasing to thee as a heart entirely devoted to thy service O perswade me O help me O assist me to mind the one thing necessary and to chuse the better part which may never be taken away from me for thy Name sake for thy Mercies sake for thy Merits sake Amen A Prayer for Munday in the Evening OThou Omniscient Omnipotent and Omnipresent Being who hast appointed a day wherein thou wilt judge the Secrets of mens Hearts and all their Words and Actions and Desires by thy Gospel I believe this day will come a day when pure hearts will be esteemed more than eloquent Speeches and a good Conscience will to farther than Purses of Gold Thou Lord givest me frequent warnings of the approaches of this day My Conscience puts me in mind of it The Sicknesses and Calamities thou sendest upon me tell me of it My heart misgives me that I am not safe that my Soul is in danger and that my eternal interest is not yet secured O my God who art not tired with the Prayers of thy Servants nor displeased with the importunities of thy Children I earnestly beg it is the desire of my Soul to be enliven'd and awaken'd into a sense of this day that to day while I hear thy Voice I may not harden my Heart I have delay'd my serious care of a future happiness too long too long indeed O that mine Eyes were Fountains of tears to weep for this neglect I am sensible I must not trifle any longer I must not defer a concern of that importance to another day O my God let me admire thy patience that I have liv'd unto this hour and accept of my Sacrifice of the remainder of my days which I humbly consecrate to Faith and Love in Christ Jesus O let this future Judgement swim before mine eyes when I speak when I think when I follow my lawful Calling when I am in company when I am alone when I walk when I sit when I stand and let me ever fear that Judge who hath power to destroy both Soul and Body into Hell that both my Soul and Body may be preserved from damnation through Jesus Christ our Lord.