place where the truth and purity of thy Gospel is profess'd and taught where we have the freedom of worshipping thee according to thy Will and do enjoy the precious means of Grace and Salvation Good Lord help us to make a wise and Christian use of all thy blessings to improve all spiritual advantages for the good and happiness of our souls that having well employed the Talents committed to us we may at length be approved by thee as good and faithful servants and may enter into the joy of our Lord to which blessedness do thou in thy good time bring us all through thy mercy in Jesus Christ in whose name and mediation we beg thy gracious acceptance of our Persons and Prayers which we further recommend unto thee in his words Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen Thy grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with us all evermore FAMILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE EVENING A short Prayer before Reading the Scripture ALmighty Creator and Evening most wise Governour of all the World thou art God and there is none beside thee and thou only art to be worshipp'd 't is of thy mercy and happy forbearance that we are yet alive and 't is the greatest happiness of our life that we can thus attend upon thee to hear thee speaking to us in thy written Word and to speak unto thee our selves by our Prayers and Supplications O Lord draw near to us with thy favourable mercies while we approach to thee in our humble duty have a gracious regard to this our evening Sacrifice and let thy good Spirit help our Infirmities since thou hast appointed the holy Scripture for a Rule of our Faith and a Law to all our actions grant that we may attend thereunto with godly reverence let thy word dwell richly in us and have a powerful influence on our hearts and lives that having obeyed thy Will here on earth we may receive the promise of eternal life in thine heavenly Kingdom through our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thy self and the holy Ghost be all honour and glory world without end Amen A Psalm and Prayer for the Evening O Give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever To him that made great lights for his mercy endureth for ever The Sun to rule by day the Moon and Stars to rule by night for his mercy endureth for ever O Lord thou hast searched me and known me Thou compassest my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my ways If I say surely the darkness shall cover me even the night shineth as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee I will say of the Lord he is my refuge my God in him will I trust He shall cover thee with his Feathers and under his Wings shalt thou trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler Thou shalt not be afraid for the terrour by night and the arrow that flyeth by day Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness nor the destruction that walketh at noon day Return unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee O Almighty and most glorious God Creator of Heaven and Earth we acknowledge our dependance on thee for we are the work of thine hands and in thee we live move and have our being wherefore our souls and bodies which thou hast made and hitherto preserv'd we do humbly prostrate at thy Footstool ascribing unto thee honour and worship adoration and praise and with lowly subjection submitting our selves to thy most great and excellent Majesty 'T is thy wonderful condescension that thou doest permit vile dust and ashes to have freedome of access to thy Throne of grace that thou art pleased to invite and command us to present our supplications We are altogether unworthy to speak unto thee and by reason of our manifold sins do justly deserve thou shouldest reject both our persons and prayers for the thoughts and imaginations of our hearts the course and practice of our life have been exceeding evil and that continually We have obeyed the lusts of our depraved nature more than the precepts of thy sacred Word and have compli'd with the temptations of Satan rather then the motions of thy blessed Spirit thy Law which is holy just and good we have broken from day to day and also slighted and abus'd the riches of thy grace discover'd in the Gospel wherefore to us belongs nothing but shame and punishment but with thee there is mercy and with thy Son plenteous redemption we beseech thee therefore for thy mercies sake and for thy Sons sake whom thou hast made a Sacrifice for sin that thou wouldest blot out all our transgressions and remember our iniquities no more deal not with us after the strictness of thy Law but according to the gracious terms of the new Covenant in which thou doest promise pardon and reconciliation to all repenting Sinners We do here profess our deep sorrow and humiliation for all our sins past and our serious resolution to lead the future part of our life in holy obedience to thy Will and Commands But for as much as our sufficiency is of thee and of our selves alone we can do nothing that shall be good and acceptable in thy sight be thou pleas'd to supply our defects and strengthen our weakness let thine holy Spirit lead us into truth and assist us in every good Duty Write thy Law in our inward parts and put thy fear into our hearts that we may never depart from thee Prepare us O Lord for all events of thy providence that in every condition we may be therewith content and grant whatever things shall befal us in this World they may work together for good and be a furtherance to us in our service of thee and in our passage to eternal happiness And because thou hast commanded that Prayers and Intercessions be made for all men we beg thy mercy for the whole race of Mankind that the light of thy Gospel may shine upon all the Earth and every Nation thereof may partake of Christ and the benefits of his Redemption Bless thy Church Universal that it may flourish more and more in purity of truth and holiness and that the Gates of Hell may never prevail against it Vouchsafe thy special care and kindness to this Church and Kingdom to which we belong preserve the religion profess'd among us from errour and corruption let piety justice and sobriety encrease and abound that thou mayest delight in us to do us good for
Refuge in the day of Trouble Vnto thee have I cry'd O Lord in the Morning shall my Prayer prevent thee The Lord is thy Keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand The Sun shall not smile by day nor the Moon by night The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and for ever Blessed is the man whose Delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth Meditate day and night And he shall be like a Tree planted by the Rivers of Waters that bringeth forth his fruit in his Season his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doth shall prosper Lead me O Lord in thy righteousness because of mine Enemies make thy way straight before me O hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not O Almighty God who art infinitely great and glorious the Creatour and Governour of the whole World thou deservest to be feared and Worshipp'd we desire therefore with humble Reverence to Adore thy Divine Majesty presenting our Souls and Bodies as a Morning Sacrifice and earnestly imploring thy favour and blessing without which we cannot be in safety for one day or moment of our Life O lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us which is much more desireable than that of the Sun and of greater value than all the Riches this World can afford We confess O Lord that we are guilty Sinners and so justly obnoxious to the frowns of thy displeasure and the severity of thy Justice In Sin we were conceived and brought forth in iniquity there are corrupt inclinations within us to Rebellion and Disobedience against thee and thy holy Commands and these have very much prevailed in the whole course of our Lives for from our Nativity to this present hour we have been still offending the pure Eyes of thy holiness by evil thoughts and inordinate desires by vain Words and irregular Actions We have neglected the Duties by thee enjoined and committed the sins which thou hast strictly forbidden But thou art a God gracious and merciful who delighteth not in the death of a sinner and thy Son is a Mediatour of Atonement and Reconciliation for all who come unto thee through him we do beseech thee therefore for his sake in whom thou art well pleased to pardon all our offences and justifie our persons and to receive us into thy love and favour as thine adopted Children That we may be capable of these great benefits be thou pleased to work in us an unfeigned repentance of all our sins past a lively Faith in the merits of thy Son and serious resolutions of leading a sober righteous and godly life let the power of thy Grace subdue and mortifie all corrupt lusts and the Principles of sin and do thou endue us with all the Vertues of Christian holiness that being sanctified throughout all the Faculties of our Souls and Members of our Bodies may become instruments of righteousness unto holiness in thy Service and for thy Honour Accept O Lord our humble thanks for all thy manifold Mercies both spiritual and temporal for thy care and protection of us the Night past that thou hast refreshed us with sleep and preserved us to the beginning of another day as thou dost lengthen out our life so continue to us thy loving kindness which is better than life it self let thy kind providence Watch over us this day to secure us from those many dangers and evil accidents to which we are always expos'd and grant us thy blessing and furtherance in our lawful Imployments But above all we beg the presence and assistance of thy special Grace to preserve us from sin and all the temptations to it that neither inbred corruption nor the snares of the World nor the suggestions of Satan may draw us aside from the way of righteousness but let a pious fear of thy great and holy name always possess our Souls And that we may be the more careful and circumspect in all our doings help us to bear in mind that we are still under thine all-seeing Eye to which all things are naked and open and that we must one day appear before thy just Tribunal to receive according to the things done in the Body whether good or evil let the consideration of the future punishments which thou hast threatned deter us from sin and the prospect of that glorious happiness which the Gospel doth promise encourage our obedience that having a fixed eye on the eternal recompence of reward we may despise the pleasures of sin which are but for a season O Lord bless thy Church purge it from all corruptions and cause thy Gosple to be known and embraced by all the Nations of the Earth more especially be favourable to thy Church and People of this Kingdome pardon our many and great provocations withold the Judgments we have deserved guide and protect our Soveraign Lord the King and prosper his Government that it may be happy both to himself and his Subjects Comfort and relieve all that labour under any affliction of body and mind give them patient submission to thy good pleasure and an happy deliverance out of all their troubles We implore thy special love and kindness to all who are our friends or more nearly related to us bless them in all their concernments both of body and soul make them good and prosperous here and eternally happy hereafter O Lord pardon the infirmities of this our devotion and grant thy favourable acceptance through the Merits and Intercession of thy blessed Son our alone Saviour Jesus Christ who hath taught us thus further to pray unto thee Our Father c. Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O Heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Comunion O holy and blessed Spirit be with us and remain with us this day thenceforth and for ever Another Psalm and Prayer for the Morning MY heart is fixed O God my heart is fix'd I will sing and give praise Awake up my glory awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake right early I will praise thee O Lord among the people I will sing unto thee among the Nations For thy Mercy is great unto the Heavens and thy truth unto the Clouds The Lord is good unto all and his tender Mercies are over all his Works He holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our foot to be moved I will extol thee my God O my King I will bless thy name for ever and ever Every day will I bless thee and I will praise thy name for ever and ever The day is thine the night also is thine thou hast prepared the light and the Sun Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice O Lord thou art my God early will I seek thee There be many that say who will shew us any good Lord Lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us
low Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord for he shall pluck my feet out of the Net Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth me hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit And enter not into judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified For thy name sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and afflicted The troubles of mine heart are enlarged ô bring thou me out of my distresses Look upon mine affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins Forsake me not O Lord O my God be not far from me Make hast to help me O Lord my Salvation The Prayer O Lord our heavenly Father who art a God full of compassion and hast promised that if we call upon thee in trouble thou wilt deliver us bow down thine ear to our supplications and let us find mercy to help in this time of need Our life is in thine hand for in thee we live and move and have our being from day to day and when thou hidest thy face we are troubled at the breath of thy displeasure we wither as Grass and fade away as the flower of the Field but thy Mercy is over all thy Works thou doest not willingly afflict nor grieve the Children of men thine anger endureth but for a moment but in thy favour is life O Lord be favourable at this time and extend thy wonted pity to thy Servant now labouring under thy visitation who is there in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth on whom we can relie for succour but thy self alone Thou canst send ease and recovery when humane skill and natural means do quite fail and thou hast declared in thy Word that the Prayer of Faith shall save the sick O Lord strengthen our faith and fulfil thy gracious promise our trust is only in thee for on thee do we depend for life and health and all things 'T is thy property that thou doest kill and make alive thou doest wound and also heal that thou turnest man to destruction and sayest return ye Children of men We do therefore most heartily beseech thee O merciful Father that as thou hast laid thine affliction on the person of thy Servant so thou wouldest of thy tender compassion remove it from him her bless the means that may be used for his her recovery rebuke the distemper and if it be thy blessed Will restore him her again to perfect health O blessed Jesus who when thou wast on earth hadst compassion on the sick and didst go about healing all manner of diseases shew now thy pity speak but the word and thy Servant shall be whole Thou Lord our Redeemer who hast taken our frail nature and didst become like unto us in all things Sin only excepted have a fellow feeling we pray thee of our infirmities Thou who art the mystical head of all the Faithful afford thy present kindness to this afflicted member of thine own body which is the Church Grant O merciful Father that while his her bodily weakness or pain shall continue he she may have inward strength and comfort in the soul Vouchsafe unto him her the constant use of his her reason and understanding and a pious exercise of all Christian graces Enable him her with unfeigned repentance to lament the errours of his her whole life and by a lively Faith to lay hold on the Merits of Christ for Pardon and Salvation help him her with submission and godly patience to bear thy chastisement resigning himself herself to thy good pleasure and let his her whole trust and considence be in thee and thy gracious promises Grant him her a full remission of all his her sins and a comfortable assurance of thy love and favour which is more desireable than life it self O most wise and powerful God who canst make all things work together for good sanctifie this thy fatherly correction that it may turn to his her spiritual benefit and let the issue thereof be comfortable and happy grant that the affliction which at present doth seem grievous may afterward yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness and that it may make him her more fit and prepar'd for that happy state in which there shall be no more sickness nor â—orrow but all fulness of joy and pleasure for evermore And help us all seriously to consider our own frailty and the great uncertainty of our present life to live in expectation of death and by a constant practice of holiness to lay up for our selves a good foundation against the time to come that when this earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolv'd we may be received into an eternal habitation in the highest Heavens Good Lord hear our prayer and let our supplications find a gracious acceptance through the worthiness of him who is our Intercessour at thy right hand In whose holy words we further call upon thee Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with us and abide with us henceforth and for ever Amen A PERSUASIVE TO Private Devotion A PERSUASIVE TO Private Devotion ALTHOUGH it be the more eminent part of our Christian Devotion when we join with others in the Service of God who is thereby openly own'd and honour'd by us and we do by our concurrence both encourage and assist the Piety of others whether it be in the greater Assemblies of the Church or the lesser of Families at home yet however it must be said that this alone doth by no means fulfil our duty to God nor yet sufficiently answer the needs and exigencies of our own State and therefore private and single Devotion ought also to be minded by all who would please the Almighty and enjoy his favour by all who would consult their safety amidst the many particular circumstances and emergencies of their life and every Christian should think of religious Worship as one of the Ancients doth teach him That it must not only be perform'd in the Church but also in the Family and in his private Chamber that he have God always hallowed in his heart for that he himself is the Temple of God a Lact. l. 6. de ver Cult cap. 25. And by another before him it is given for a note of a good Christian that he will pray in every place but so as not to appear openly to others to do it b Clem. Alex Strom. 7. Thou must have saith a third
to walk as becomes the Gospel having a Conscience void of offence both towards God and towards Men that as he who hath called me is holy so I may be holy in all manner of conversation Take off my affections from earthly things which are vain and perishing and set them on the things above in which alone my true happiness doth consist fit me by suitable grace for every dispensation of thy Providence that I may know how to want and how to abound how to mourn or rejoyce how to be in sickness or in health and in every condition to be therewith content let thy Fatherly wisdom cause all things to work together for good unto me and that the several occurrences of the present life may help me forward in my Christian course towards the attainment of eternal Salvation And because my nature is frail my life uncertain and I know not how soon I shall be taken from the land of the living help me seriously to consider my latter end to be still preparing for death and by numbring my dayes to apply mine heart to sound wisdom that when I shall put off this earthly Tabernacle I may be admitted into an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens O God who art the Creatour of mankind and didst send thine own Son that the World through him might be saved extend thy goodness to all the kindreds of the earth causing the light of thy glorious Gospel to shine upon them that their feet may be guided into the way of peace and everlasting happiness let all Nations become subject to the Kingdom of thy Christ and the number of thine Elect be filled up that the glory of thy Salvation may be revealed Accept O Lord my evening oblation of Praise and Thanksgiving for all thy rich Mercies vouchsafed to me I bless thee for my being since by thee I have been fearfully and wonderfully made for thy preservation of me to this moment and for all the accommodations and comforts of the present life But above all I magnifie and adore thine inestimable goodness in making known unto me the way of salvation and happiness by Jesus Christ in continuing to me the seasons of Grace and of waiting upon thee in thine holy Ordinances help me to make such a good and pious use of all thy benefits as may be for thy glory and for mine own eternal welfare And since thy wise Providence hath ordain'd that the Night should succeed the Day as a time of rest and refreshment I pray thee that this Night may be so to me thy Servant grant me to be safe and secure under thy protection from all the terrours and perils of darkness and to awake the next morning in health and safety O Lord hear my Prayer and let thy presence and loving-kindness alwaies be with me to the end of my life for the sake of thine only begotten Son my alone Saviour to whom with thy divine Majesty and the holy Ghost be all honour and glory World without End Amen Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O Heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with me henceforth and for evermore Amen A Psalm and Prayer to be us'd by a Person who is under Sickness O Lord rebuke me not in thy In sickness wrath neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed My soul is also sore vexed but thou Lord how long Return O Lord deliver my soul O save me for thy mercies sake For in death there is no remembrance of thee in the grave who shall give thee thanks Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Wash me throughly from mine inquity and cleanse me from my sin Why art thou cast down ô my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Yea though I walk thorow the Valley of the shadow of death yet will I fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff comfort me O Lord my times are in thy hand deliver me from the hand of mine enemies Let my soul live and it shall praise thee and let thy judgments help me Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth me but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever ALmighty God and most merciful Father thou art the Author of my being and as my life my health and strength are from thee so they are and ought to be at thy dispose and I do humbly confess that because of my sinfulness and disobedience 't is just with thee to afflict me with sickness and pain yea and to cut me off from the Land of the Living O Lord I bear about me a body of Sin and Death and am liable to the penalties of that first transgression for by one man Sin entered into the World and Death by Sin Likewise the practice of my life hath been very evil and my sins still repeated from day to day I have not made it my chief business to serve and glorifie thee which is the end of my Creation nor hath the time of my life and health been employ'd as it ought in doing and receiving good The faculties of my Soul and Members of my Body have been made the instruments of Sin I have not been duly thankful for thy manifold Mercies nor made a right use of them and I have too much despis'd thy goodness and forbearance which should have lead me to repentance I do therefore acknowledg the justice of thy dealings for why should a man complain of the punishment of his sins But O thou Father of Mercies who delightest not in the death of a sinner be favourable unto me Enter not into judgment with thy servant neither let thine anger wax hot against me but forgive my Sin and deliver me for in thee do I trust I know O Lord that afflictions rise not from the Dust but are of thy sending and I do desire to hear the voice of thy Rod and to turn to him that smiteth I do with hearty repentance humble my self at thy footstool lamenting all the errours of my former life and I do give up my Soul and Body to thy Will and Governance resolving and promising by thy Grace to live and act hereafter in all holy obedience to thee and thy righteous commands O deal not with me after mine iniquities nor punish me as I have deserved but remember the sufferings of thy Son who himself bore our sicknesses and the punishment due to us in his own death I believe in him as my alone Saviour my trust is in his Merits and I do humbly beg for his sake that thou wouldst be reconcil'd unto me that thou wouldest heal my Body and comfort my Soul O God who art the preserver of men who hast declared in thy word that thou art nigh unto such as pray unto thee and hast promised to deliver when call'd upon in the day of trouble be thou pleas'd to bow down thine ear and extend thy compassion in removing the distemper under which I now labour do thou who art the great Physitian prescribe and bless the means that may be for my recovery and restore me again if it be thy blessed Will to a state of health and strength then will I praise thee with a thankful heart and will serve thee faithfully all my daies But I do humbly submit my self to thy good pleasure and not my will but thine be done Though thou visit with thy Rod yet take not thy loving kindness from me and while my body shall be afflicted be thou pleas'd to strengthen and support my Soul with thy Grace and inward consolation help me with chearfulness and Christian patience to bear thy chastisement with a firm and constant faith to trust in thee and thy pretious promises Grant that this present visitation may be sanctifi'd to my spiritual benefit and through thy wise ordering in the issue turn to my real advantage and that I may by experience know that in very faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Let this thy fatherly correction teach me to be more dutiful and obedient and grant that by considering the vanity and uncertainty of health of life and worldly enjoyments I may be the more careful to set my affections on things above and to breath after that immortal life of perfect bliss which thy Gospel hath promis'd And grant O Lord that whether in health or sickness in prosperity or affliction I may still honour and serve thee that whether I live I may live unto thee and whether I die I may die unto thee that whether I live or die I may be thine And so an entrance may be ministred to me into the everlasting Kingdom of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ In whose Name and Merits I do earnestly recommend unto thee my present condition and all my Concern both of Soul and Body praying further in his Words Our Father c. Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ my Redeemer thy Love O Heavenly Father thy Consolation O blessed Spirit of Grace be with me and all thy People henceforth and for evermore Amen FINIS
call upon him k Psal 86. 5. Like as a father pittieth his Children so the Lord pittieth them that fear him l Psal 103. 13. He doth exercise loving kindness m Jer. 9. 24. and delighteth in mercy n Mic. 7. 18. The Lord indeed is good unto all and his tender mercies are over all his works but he hath a more especial kindness for the Sons of men who bear his own Image and having given us so excellent a being we may not doubt but that he doth affectionately tender the good and welfare thereof and will therefore be ready to relieve our necessities and bestow good things on us if we seek unto him he beareth towards us the relation of a Father and he hath a readiness to do us good agreeable thereunto yea his paternal kindness may much more be confided in than that of earthly parents who are but sinful men and may fail their own Children or at least mistake as to the things wherein they intend them good but if they however know how to give good gifts unto their Children how much more shall our father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him o Mat. 7. 11. Which is our Saviours argument when exhorting his Hearers to the Duty of Prayero. 3. We are encouraged to pray by those many and plain promises in which he hath engaged to encline his ear and reach forth his hand when men present their requests for 't is declared in his word that He is nigh unto all them that call upon him to fulfill their desire to hear their cry and save them p Psa 147. 18 19. When two or three are gathered together in his name he is in the midst of them q Mat. 18. 20. If we call upon him in the day of trouble he will deliver r Psal 50. 15. He will regard the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their prayer Å¿ Psa 102. 17. Ask and it shall be given seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you t Mat. 7 7. Yea so very forward is God to grant the requests of those who seek to him that as soon as they first set themselves to pray and before their Petitions are gone out of their mouths he doth send a gracious answer as doth appear from that promise of his by the Prophet And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear u Isa 65. 24. Now these things are said on purpose to incite our devotion by letting us know that if we attend on Gods service 't will not be labour lost and that he hath not said to the seed of Jacob seek ye my face in vain w Isa 45. 19. So that from the divine promises we may be certain that if we endeavour to please God in our life and actions x 1 Joh. 3. 22. and our Petitions be agreeable to his Will y 1 Joh. 5. 14. if they be presented in a due manner z Jam. 4. 3. and the things desir'd be such as would be for our real good and advantage a Mat. 7. 11. we shall be heard and answer'd for in all our supplications we must still remember to beg with submission to the wisdom and good pleasure of God who knows how to give good things better than we do to ask him and we are to mind the example of our Saviour who when praying in a case of greatest extremity did say Nevertheless not my will but thine be done b Luc. 22. 42. 4. We may consider the good success that Prayer formerly hath had For there are infinite examples in which it may be seen how the devout supplicant hath been Victorious like Jacob in his wrestling with God c Gen. 32. 28. As a Prince he hath had power with him and hath prevailed I cried unto the Lord saith David with my voice even unto God with my voice and he gave ear unto me d Psal 77. 1. And again I sought the Lord and he heard me he delivered me from my fears e Psal 34. 4 and 8. From which his own experience he doth bespeak others to make the like trial O tast and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him Jonah on his calling upon God was delivered safe out of the depth of the Sea I cried saith he by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou heardst my voice f Jon. 2. 2. And there are many other Instances of a wonderful efficacy from the Prayer of holy men It hath conquer'd whole armies so did that of Moses in the battel with Amalek g Exod. 17. 11 13. and that of Hezekiah when in danger from the Host of the Assyrians h 2 Kirgs 19 19 35. It hath shut up and opened the Clouds of Heaven as when Elias prayed in the days of Ahab i 1 Kin. 17. 1. Prayer hath reprieved life even after a sentence of Death pronounc'd of God himself as in the case of Hezekiah k 2 Kin. 20. 5. Yea which is more than all it hath restored the dead to life again for on the supplication of Elias the Widows Son rivived l 1 Kin. 17. 22. And so did Dorcas upon the Prayer of Peter m Act. 9. 40. Now while we hear how successful Prayer hath been to others it should with good reason encourage us to practise the same duty And therefore St. James when exhorting to it doth mention how the Prophet already nam'd though a man of like passions with others yet obtained by his prayer that it should not rain for three years and an half and when he prayed again the Heavens gave rain to refresh the earth n Jam. 5. 17 18. Which brings to our thoughts another Instance not unlike It is that when Antoninus and his Army being incompass'd by their Enemies in a place where there was want of water were ready to perish for thirst the Christian Soldiers then among them having with fervent Prayer call'd upon the name of Christ and desired Rain there soon after fell such plentiful showers as answered their necessity nor were their lives only preserved but also a glorious Victory obtain'd by them all which was attested by that Emperour himself in his own letter to the Senate of Rome the Copy whereof is inserted by Justin Martyr in an Apology of his for the Christians o Justin Mart. Apol 2. and we cannot imagine he should have the confidence to alledge it openly so near the time of the supposed fact were it not a real thing The renowned Constantine had happily experimented by the success of his Arms against his and the Churches enemies how great efficacy there was in the Prayers of Christians and therefore not thinking himself or his Empire could
16. And he is the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba father g Gal. 4. 16. Whence we are embolden'd to beg the blessing of God with the freedom of Children and may promise our selves to be kindly received when we address to him 6. Lastly whereas by reason of sin neither our Persons nor our Prayers could be acceptable to God nor could we hope to prevail with him on our own account this obstacle and discouragement is also happily remov'd for we have a Mediatour between God and us the man Christ Jesus * 1 Tim. 2. 5. who being the Son of God and of greatest Interest with him hath so effectually interpos'd as to obtain audience for us and that our Petitions shall not be in vain by his attonement and satisfaction he hath expiated our sins appeased the Wrath of God and reconcil'd us to him so that we may now approach by that new and living way which Christ hath consecrated for us h Heb. 10. 20. In whom also we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him i Eph. 3. 12. And though our devotions be accompanied with sinful infirmities and we have reason to pray that our very prayers may be forgiven us yet while coming with faith and sincerity we may assure our selves that our service shall not be rejected for as did Aaron the high Priest for the Jews so much more Christ of whom he was a type doth for us Christians bear the iniquity of our holy things k Exod. 28. 38. and the defects of our oblations are done away by means of his perfect sacrifice who offered himself a Lamb without spot or blemish l 1 Pet. 1. 19. It is therefore said that we being an holy Priesthood do offer to God what is acceptable to him by Jesus Christ m 1 Pet. 2. 5. Likewise we are allowed to use our Saviour's name and to plead his merits when we present our requests And he hath undertaken it shall well succeed Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name I will do it n Joh. 14. 13 14. and again hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full o Joh. 16. 24. for our prayers have this further advantage by the mediation of Christ that he doth himself recommend them in Heaven by his intercession having enter'd into the Holy of Holies that he might there carry on his Work of Mediatour and save to the utmost all that come to the Father through him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them p Heb. 7. 25. he is the great Master of Requests in the Court of Heaven nor is there any other beside him our Advocate with the Father q 1 Joh. 2. 1. and because he is Jesus Christ the righteous as it follows in that Text he doth therefore sollicite for us with good success while pleading the merits of his own righteousness in our behalf and by this he doth cause our prayers to be well received For he is that Angel of the Covenant represented to St. John who having a golden Censer doth offer up in it the prayers of the Saints together with his own incense r Rev. 8. 3. that they may become a sweet smelling savour Wherefore though unworthy and obnoxious in our selves yet if interested in Christ we may draw nigh to God with full assurance of faith ſ Heb. 10. 22. and having so compassionate an high Priest in Heaven who doth intercede for us let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find grace to help in time of need t Heb. 14. 15 16. The duty to which we are excited is with respect to God highly just and reasonable as to us most becoming and beneficial and in it self little burdensome or difficult the devotion requir'd from us Christians being free from the great trouble and cost of the Jewish worship we are excus'd from their Oblations Sacrifices and other numerous Rites nor are we oblig'd to tedious journeys as they who were bound at set times to wait on God from all parts of the Country in his Temple at Jerusalem u Exod. 23. 17. Deut. 16. 16. 2 Chron. 8. 13. The service expected from us is that we present our selves a living sacrifice w Rom. 12. 1. and offer up to him devout Prayers and Thanksgivings which are our spiritual sacrifice x 1 Pet. 2. 5. and holy incense y Rev. 8. 3. prayers and giving of thanks saith Justin Martyr I do affirm to be the only sacrifices that are perfect and acceptable to God z Dial. cum Tryph. and to these it doth refer when 't is said in Malachy that the Name of the Lord should be great among the Gentiles and they should offer incense to him and a pure offering a Mal. 1. 11. by which is meant the sincere prayer of pious Christians Sacrificium mundum scilicet simplex oratio de conscientiâ purâ so Tertullian understands that place b Adv. Marc. l. 4. cap. 1. and more fully elsewhere Nomini meo offertur sacrificium mundum gloriae scilicet relatio benedictio laus hymni c Ibid. l. 3. cap. 21. by our declaring the Glory of God by our thanksgiving our praise and singing of Psalms we offer up that pure offering which was foretold and to the same purpose another ancient Father when describing the piety of a Christian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayers and praises are his sacrifices d Clem. Alex Strom. 7. And these oblations of the Gospel beside that they are without charge and expence have this other ease too that they may be presented in any place whatever In every place saith that Text of the Prophet e Mal. 1. 11. and we are to pray every where lifting up holy hands without doubting of acceptance as 't is prescrib'd by the Apostle f 1 Tim. 2. 8. for to us now since Christ by his coming hath made the whole earth alike holy every place is an Oratory g August de Temp. Serm. 129. Since therefore prayer doth on so many accounts recommend it self to us and God who can be no gainer by it is yet pleas'd to be so urgent with us both by invitations and commands that we seek unto him since he hath given us such great encouragements to it and we may obtain his favour and blessing at so cheap a rate as the bare asking if we have any understanding or sense of things his great goodness herein cannot chuse but oblige us to a chearful and devout service of him and our natural love to our selves should easily prevail upon us to make our daily applications and on all occasions of this mortal life humbly to represent our wants and desires to him who is so willing as well as able to do us good A PERSUASIVE TO Family Devotion
and establish thou the work of our hands upon us yea the work of our hands establish thou it Forsake me not O Lord O my God be not far from me Teach me to do thy Will for thou art my God thy Spirit is good lead me into the Land of uprightness O Most great and glorious God the whole World is the work of thine hands and thou governest all things both in Heaven and Earth We do here admire and adore thy Wisdom Power and Goodness which are so visible and illustrious in all the great Works of Creation and Providence and we do humbly acknowledge our dependence upon thee who art the Author of our Life and the support of our Being by thee we have have been preserved and nourished ever since we were born and 't is of thy care and kindness that we are still sustained from morning to evening and from evening to morning When we consider the frailty of our nature and the many provocations of our life we see great reason to confess that 't is of thy mercy we are not consumed Grant O Lord that thy long suffering and goodness may lead us to repentance and as thy mercies are new to us every morning so we may renew our serious purposes of walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our dayes Remember not against us the errours of our former life neither punish us as we have deserved but through the redemption of thy beloved Son grant us pardon and reconciliation and make us partakers of all those rich benefits which he hath purchased And let the grace of God which hath brought Salvation teach us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts to live in the pious fear of thee and in faithful obedience to thy holy Laws But because of our selves we cannot stand upright let thy Grace be always sufficient for us strengthen us with all Spiritual Might in the inner man that neither our own corrupt affections nor yet the snares and temptations of the World may ever cause us to depart from thee but grant that the Principles of faith and holiness being firmly rooted in us we may be always stedfast and immoveable in our Christian Practice suffer us not to be too much in love with the things of this World nor to lay up our treasure here on Earth but grant that our affections may be chiefly set on things above and our treasure laid up in Heaven where it will never perish nor be taken from us while we are busie about many things that concern this present life help us still to remember the one thing necessary making it our greatest care to provide for our eternal State in the life hereafter As long as thou shalt continue our abode in this World let thy good Providence watch over our persons and supply all our wants help us to be thankful in prosperity patient in affliction and in every condition to be therewith content and do thou so order and govern the several events and passages of our life that they may all help us forward in our way to Heaven O Lord defend and preserve thy Church Universal enlarge its borders and purge it more and more from all Errour and Corruption bless this Land of our Nativity with Peace and Unity with the continuance of thy Truth and Gospel the encrease of righteousness and all Christian vertues Bless the King's Majesty with sound wisdom and all princely endowments that his Reign may be prosperous and the People happy under him be favourable to all our Friends and Relations bestowing upon them all those good things that may be for their comfort in this life and their eternal happiness in that to come Extend thy pity to such as labour under any trouble or distress give them strength to bear their affliction and in thy due time an happy deliverance We do also present unto thee our sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving for thy care over us the night past that our bodies have been refreshed with sleep and our life continued to another day as thou doest afford us a longer time in the land of the living so lengthen out thy favour and loving kindness by which alone our life can be safe and comfortable to us and teach us so to number our daies that we may apply our hearts to heavenly wisdom to make a right use of our time by doing good works while it is day because the night is coming in which none can work O Lord let thy good Providence and heavenly Grace be present with us and watching over us throughout this day to secure us from dangers and every unhappy accident to preserve us from evil actions and to assist us in those that be good make our way prosperous in every business and undertaking and guide us always by thy Counsels till we shall come to thine everlasting Kingdom Through thy rich mercy in our blessed Sunday Morning Saviour Jesus Christ in whose name and merits we offer up these our Petitions and conclude them in his own words Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen Thy grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with us all this day and for ever A Psalm and Prayer for the Morning on the Lords day BY the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the Host of them by the breath of his mouth He gathereth all the waters of the Sea together as a heap he layeth up the deep in Storehouses Let all the earth fear the Lord and all the Inhabitants of the World stand in awe of him For he spoke and it was done he commanded and it stood fast Know ye that the Lord he is good it is he that hath made us and not we our selves we are his People and the Sheep of his Pasture Enter into his Gates with Thanksgiving and into his Courts with Praise be thankful unto him and bless his Name They that trust in their Wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches None of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption O how amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts My soul longeth even fainteth for the
harm but that we may be constant and steddy in our Faith and Duty and by a continuance of well doing may attain that life Eternal and Crown of Glory which thou hast promis'd Bless thy Church throughout the World that it may flourish in truth and holiness and remain safe from all persecuting Powers Be thou favourable to this Church and Kingdom to which we belong continue thy Gospel to us and grant that Piety Justice and whatever is is requisite to make us a good and happy people may encrease and abound We implore thy pity for all in any trouble or calamity whether of Soul or Body that thou wouldst please to afford them thy comfort and seasonable relief And we likewise beg thy favour and special kindness for all our friends that thou wouldst bestow thy blessings upon them both for life and godliness Accept O Lord our return of thanks for thy goodness continued to us the day past that thou doest still supply us with accommodations for the support and comfort of our lives that thou hast preserved us from many evils which if left to our selves we should have fallen into and that we are still alive whereas so many others have been this day cut off from the land of the living we bless thee for sparing us so long and granting us so large a time for making our calling and election sure help us to improve thy long-suffering and the day of Grace by working out our own salvation That when ever thou shalt call us hence we may be ready and prepar'd to enter into the joy of our Lord. We commend our persons and all belonging to us to thy care and protection this night defend us from our ghostly enemies and let no evil come nigh our dwelling grant us a quiet and comfortable repose and that we may awake in safety the next morning dispos'd both in body and mind for thy service Hear us O merciful Father and fulfil our desires for the sake of our blessed Saviour who sitteth at thy right hand in whose words we continue to pray unto thee Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with us and abide with us henceforth and for ever A Psalm and Prayer for the Evening Sunday Evening on the Lords day O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches When I consider thy Heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained What is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou visitest him For thou hast made him little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honor Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thine hands thou hast put all things under his feet Why do the heathen rage and the people imagin a vain thing The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Princes take Counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed Let us break his bands asunder and cast away their cords from us He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure Yea I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession The Lord hath sent redemption unto his people he hath commanded his covenant for ever holy and reverend is his name He hath shewed his word unto Jacob his Statutes and his judgments unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation and for his judgments they have not known them praise ye the Lord. ALmighty and most glorious God we acknowledge thy great grace and favour in permitting us to wait upon thee from time to time with our devotion and supplications thou art most perfect and happy in thy self not needing any service of ours and yet thou art pleased to invite and command us to come unto thee thou art the high and lofty one the Maker and Governour of all the World and yet doest condescend to receive the addresses of us thy Creatures who are vile dust and ashes We must confess O Lord that our righteousness doth not extend to thee nor can our religious performances deserve thine acceptance for there is iniquity in our most holy things we do not attend upon thee with that humility and reverence with that faith and servency which thou mayest justly require When we draw near unto thee with our lips our hearts are often far from thee we present our bodies before thee when the thoughts and affections of our souls are running after vanity And since our best Duties are so liable to thy displeasure how much more the ordinary and common actions of our life and how can we stand before thy justice if thou shouldst call us to a strict account for all our careless omissions of Duties by thee required and our many commissions of what thy Law hath expresly forbidden If thou shouldst be extreme to mark what is done amiss O Lord who could abide it but thou art a God full of compassion and plenteous in mercy and thou hast given thine own Son to be our Mediator though we have no righteousness or oblation of our own that can procure thy favour yet be thou gracious to us for the sake of him who is the Lord our righteousness and for the merit of his most perfect Sacrifice which he made for us when he offered up himself a Lamb without spot or blemish let the blood of Christ cleanse us from all unrighteousness and purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God And that we may from henceforth walk as the redeemed of the Lord unto all well-pleasing give unto us thy grace and holy Spirit for the mortification of sin and the sanctifying of us throughout in Soul Spirit and in Body grant that our hearts and lives may be conform'd to thy heavenly Will and the Precepts of thine holy Gospel that we may fear thee at all times and love thee above all things and serve thee with our chiefest care and endeavour let not the love of any worldly good or the fear of any temporal evil cause us to turn aside from thee into any sinful practice but grant that we may still account it our
highest interest to please thee and enjoy thy favour and that we may be more careful and diligent in securing our eternal happiness hereafter then for the momentary things of this present life help us often to consider the vanity of this World the approach of death and the certainty of a future judgment and to fix our thoughts on the recompence of reward that so we may be stedfast and immoveable in the Duties of our Christian profession as well knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. And because our life is but a vapour which doth quickly vanish and we know not how soon thou wilt bring us to the dust of death give us daily to prepare for our great change and to be doing good while we have time and opportunity because there is no work nor understanding in the Grave whither we are going We render our due thanks for thy great mercy and long suffering in the continuance of our life hitherto and lengthening out unto us the day of Grace and Salvation whereas so many others who might have lived to this time as well as we have been removed from the land of the living And we bless thy great name both in behalf of our selves and this whole Nation for the free use of the holy Scriptures the truth of thy heavenly Doctrine and the purity of thy Worship That thou hast so long preserved the religion profess'd among us notwithstanding the many attempts that have been made against it help us all to value and improve these inestimable blessings and be thou pleas'd still to continue them to us for all generations We thank thee in particular for the opportunities of waiting upon thee this day in the Duties of thy solemn Worship pardon all the defects and infirmities of our religious service accept our Devotions at the hands of our great high Priest and let the Prayers of us and thy whole Church obtain thy gracious acceptance as presented to thee with the incense of his Merits Let thy word abide in us taking root in our hearts and bringing forth good fruit in our life and actions and grant that all the pious instructions we at any time receive may prove effectual for building us up in our holy Faith and helping us forward in the way of holiness which leadeth to eternal life We beg thy mercy for all those Nations which yet sit in darkness and in the shadow of death that the Sun of Righteousness may arise upon them to guide their feet into the way of peace And be thou pleas'd to extend thy fatherly piety to all the distressed Members of thy Church giving them seasonable relief in all their afflictions and necessities more especially be thou near at hand to the comfort and deliverance of all those who are any where oppressed or persecuted for the sake of thy Truth and Gospel and grant that the rage of thine and thy peoples enemies may be at length restrained cause the wickedness of the wicked to come to a perpetual end but let the just be established We recommend to thy special care our own particular friends and all more nearly related to us that thou wouldest bless them in their souls and bodies and give them all the good things that may be for their prosperity here and their eternal happiness hereafter Finally we desire for our selves thy favourable kindness this ensuing night grant us to lie down in peace with thee and under thy protection let thy watchful providence secure us from all the perils of darkness and command thine holy Angels to be our defence against that evil one who like a roaring Lion seeketh day and night whom he may devour give us a sweet repose and bring us in safety to another day And grant that all the days of our life we may honour and serve thee and at length receive the glorious reward of everlasting life through Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and Words we further pray unto thee Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trepasses as we forgive them that trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O Heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with us this Night and for evermore DEVOTIONS When any Person is sick A short Prayer with which to begin ALmighty God who hearest In sickness Prayer and art near unto all that call upon thee thou art our only refuge in trouble and hast commanded us in the time of sickness to Pray one for another that we may be healed O let our cry come unto thee and be thou intreated for thy Servant who is afflicted in body We do confess we are altogether unworthy to intercede with thee by reason of our manifold sins for which we do here humble our selves with hearty repentance most earnestly begging thy gracious pardon for the sake of our blessed Redeemer who is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World through him be thou reconcil'd unto us and with Fatherly compassion receive our Prayers which we do not presume to offer up but in his Name and Mediation who suffered for us and is ready to pity the sufferings of others To him with thy self and the holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory world without end Amen These Portions of Scripture may be suitable to the condition of the Sick Psalms 6. 25. 27. 31. 32. 34. 38. 42. 73. 88. 103. Job 1. 2. 5. 7. Isa 38. Lament 3. Mat. 8. Rom. 8. 2 Cor. 4. and 5. Heb. 12. A Psalm LIke as a Father pitieth his Children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are dust As for man his days are as Grass as a Flower of the Field so he flourisheth For the wind passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto Childrens Children Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive and he shall be blessed upon earth The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all I looked on my right hand and beheld but there was no man that would know me refuge failed me and no man cared for my soul I cried unto the Lord I said thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living Attend unto my cry for I am brought very
2. 47. 3. 142. 2. and lighten himself by casting his burden upon the Lord as the Scripture doth direct d Psal 55. 22. when all means do fail us God is a very present help in trouble e 1 Pet. 5. 7. and is nigh unto all that call upon him f Psal 46. 7. he alone can succour us in cases of greatest moment and when we are most in need if thou art under grief or inquietude of mind thou mayest apply thy self to him as the Father of Mercies and God of all comfort g 2 Cor. 1. 3. in a time of present affliction or threatning dangers thou mayest fly to him as Governour of the World and one who can provide for thy deliverance or else turn the most troublesom events to thy real advantage when thou art perplexed with the guilt and power of Sin whither canst thou go but to him whose property and prerogative it is to forgive who is the God of all Grace h 1 Pet. 5. 10. and able to succour them who are temptedi if thou art under sickness or any fear of approaching death what canst thou do better then seek to him who alone hath the power of Life and Death can direct to and bless the means of recovery or else translate thee to a more happy life in Heaven At all times and in all places when in solitude and confinement when wanting the opportunity of publick Prayers and the society of other Christians the comfort and benefit of private Devotion will still remain with thee and be thine inseparable support when all others fail and whether thou art alone or no thou mayest in a moment of time ascend up to Heaven in divine ejaculations to him who is Cordis non Vocis auditor * Cypr. de Orat. Dom. and by the help hereof thou canst drive on thy great concerns above amidst the ordinary affairs of this life for we find it urg'd on Christians by the antient Fathers that they would mix the acts of Devotion with all their secular employments by one of them it is put into the Character of the pious Christian that In his walking in his discourse in his taking rest in reading and in all his humane affairs he doth still offer up Prayers to God k Clem. Alex Strom. Any time saith another is convenient for Prayer and Singing of Psalms so that while the hands are employed at work the tongue may be also sometimes if possible which is indeed more useful for edification of Faith if not with the heart at least let God be praised in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs as it is written and let Prayers be perform'd at the time of working l Basil in Ascetic Again A man when he goes to market or is walking by himself may make long Prayers he may while sitting in his Shop or Working at his Trade give up his Soul to God thus St. Chrysostome m Ad pop Antioch Hom. 89. And in those days Christians did practise accordingly We read in St. Jerome that in his time the labourers might every where be heard sounding forth godly Songs The Countryman at the Plough had his Hallelujahs the Mower his Hymns and the Vinedresser would be singing Davids Psalms n Ad Marc. Epist 17. But above all there is from private Devotion this most desirable advantage that whatever shall happen the man who hath the testimony of his own conscience for his sincere Piety in the closest privacies of his life will have reason to be chearful in the worst of times and under the greatest disasters he is still safe though the earth be removed and the Mountains carried into the midst of the Sea though the waters roar and be troubled and the Mountains shake through the swelling thereof * Psal 46. 2 3. yea should he be brought to the most dismal extremity even the Valley of the shadow of death yet he need not be afraid l Psa 23. 4. while he can say with Hezekiah that he hath walked before God in truth and with a perfect heart m 2 Kings 20. 3. and there is an example more near to the purpose in the Prophet Daniel who when by the contrivance of his implacable enemies condemned to the Den to be devour'd by Lions was yet nothing terrified for that his Devotion thrice a day in his Chamber the very thing by which they had design'd his ruin was his ground of confidence and the Heathen King could thence encourage him saying Thy God whom thou servest continually he will deliver thee n Dan. 6. 16. and he really did so as it follows in the relation It is most certain that every person whatever will find himself oblig'd sometime or other to have recourse to God in prayer on his own particular account as in a time of personal affliction or threatning danger especially when the terrours of death draw near In such cases to which all are subject nature and the principle of self preservation will set men a praying so that they who had us'd to forget God and his service yet in their affliction will seek him early o Hos 5. 15. and the very Heathen when tossed in a tempest will every one cry unto his God p Jon. 1. 5. Now as we desire God shall hear us in our need and distress we are concern'd to own and worship him at other times for if in our prosperity he be slighted by us and never call'd upon how can we expect he shall give ear or take any notice of us in our time of necessity the Prayers we then put up will be reckon'd to proceed not from any piety to God but wholly from self-love and servile fear We see how God is represented by Solomon as to his carriage towards such ill men as had lived in contempt of him and his service in spight of all persuasions to the contrary for it is threatned that as God had called and they had refused so there would be a time of fear and distress And then saith he shall they call upon me but I will not answer them they they shall seek me early but they shall not find me q Prov. 1. 28. hitherto doth belong what is reported of Bias one of the Grecian wise men that happening to be at Sea with some whom he knew to be of impious lives when these the Ship being in great danger by a storm cried out to the Gods he said to them Hold your peace that they may not take notice ye are here on board r Diog. Laert. in vit Biant meaning that their Prayers could do no good but would rather endanger the Ship the more by letting the Gods know there were such as they in it we must not deny but that God may indeed in the needful time hear the supplications of such as had not us'd to make their particular addresses to him but there is little reason to expect it and 't is a
and all other perfections and thy Works have been wonderful and gracious towards the Sons of Men. But what is Man that thou art mindful of him and what am I vile Creature that I should be admitted to thy Throne of Grace O Lord I am but Dust and Ashes and therefore unworthy thou shouldst have any regard unto me I am a polluted Sinner and therefore unfit for thy presence or any testimony of thy favour the frame and disposition of my heart is to sin and folly and the practice of my life have been always disobedient and provoking to this very day I desire therefore with shame and hearty repentance to humble my self begging thy merciful pardon of all my sins past through the Merits of Christ and the assistance of thy special Grace for the future whereby I may be enabled to lead a sober righteous and godly life Since I am thy Creature who hast made all things for thy self and thine own glory let it be my chief care to serve thee and whether I eat or drink or whatever I do to do all in thy fear and to the honour of thy great Name as I have been bought with a price even the precious blood of thy dear Son so grant I may glorifie thee both in my body and soul which are thine and whatever power or opportunities thou dost vouchsafe unto me help me to employ the same in doing good and discharging my Duty both toward thee and toward men that I may not be barren or unfruitful but always abounding in the Work of the Lord and for the greater usefulness and comfort of my life be thou pleas'd to continue to me my understanding and senses together with health and soundness of body and let my Members and Faculties be always instruments of righteousness unto holiness O stablish my heart by thy Grace that I may be constant in thy Faith and Fear in sincere obedience to thy holy commands and so after a patient continuance in well-doing may receive the promis'd reward of eternal life O Lord I do thankfully acknowledge the continual Mercies of thy good Providence by which I have been preserv'd and cherish'd hitherto I bless thee for the protection and refreshment of the night past and that thou hast prolonged my life to another day be thou pleas'd to guide and defend me throughout the same bless and prosper my endeavours in every lawful undertaking and suffer me not to fall into any danger or unhappy accident Above all do thou preserve me from sin and the temptations to it and let neither the World the Flesh nor the Devil draw me aside from thee into any wicked practice but grant that I may still walk on in the way of righteousness without turning from it into those sinful paths that lead down to the Chambers of death Bless thy people throughout the World and send thy comfort and deliverance to all who are in any distress or affliction of body or mind Preserve this Church and Kingdom to which I belong and make us happy in Truth Righteousness and Peace do good to all my friends and if I have any Enemies forgive them and turn their hearts O Lord pardon the defects of this my devotion accept my person and hear my Prayer through the Righteousness and Intercession of thy blessed Son my alone Saviour In whose own Words I further call upon thee Our Father c. Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O heavenly Father thy Communion O blessed Spirit be with me this day and for evermore Amer. Another Prayer for the Morning CAuse me O Lord to hear thy loving kindness in the Morning for in thee do I trust Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my soul unto thee Order my steps in thy Word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me O Lord my God who art the Author of my being and the giver of all the good things which I have at any time receiv'd I do here offer up my bounden Duty of Worship and Praise and I do present my Soul and Body to be consecreated unto thee and thy Service despise not I pray thee the Work of thine own hands but though I am vile and unworthy by reason of Sin yet according to thy rich Mercy and for the worthiness of thy beloved Son be thou pleas'd to overlook whatever is amiss in me and to receive me graciously as one of thine adopted Children That I may be qualify'd for thy love and favour make me conformable to thy divine Image in righteousness and true holiness do thou govern my will and affections that I may chuse the good and refuse the evil that I may love what thou doest command and hate whatever thou hast forbidden O Lord who knowest my ignorance and folly instruct me how to demean my self in all the affairs and passages of my life thou who seest my weakness strengthen me by thy Grace that I may be able to resist all evil motions and temptations to Sin and to perform all the Duties of my Christian obedience suffer me not to err from thy Commandements but let the direction of thy Word and Spirit be as a voice behind me shewing the way wherein I should walk when I am turning to the right hand or to the left confirm my Soul in thy true Religion and the holy fear of thy great Name make me steadfast and immoveable in thy Service that being faithful unto the death I may at length receive that Crown of everlasting Life which thou hast promis'd Be thou pleas'd to bless me in my body with health and strength in my Soul with encrease of divine Knowledg of true Piety and all saving Vertues and give me such a measure of temporal good things as may best contribute to my real happiness I yield thee humble thanks that I have been preserv'd and refresh'd the Night past that I am kept alive to this Morning as thou hast brought me out of the shades of Night so help me to cast off the sinful works of darkness and to walk as becometh a Child of Light let thy presence be with me and thy blessing upon me in the day following give thine Angels charge to keep me in all my ways that I fall not into any disaster and let thy Grace be sufficient for me that I be not exercis'd in any evil work but grant me to abide in perfect safety and to be still holy and upright before thee to the end of this day and of my whole life through my blessed Saviour Jesus Christ in whose holy Name and Words I continue to pray unto thee Our Father c. Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O Heavenly Father thy Communion O blessed Spirit be with me this Day and for evermore Amen A Psalm and Prayer for the Morning on the Lords day I Laid me down and slept I awaked Sunday Morning for the Lord sustained me O God thou art my God early
will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee To see thy Power and thy Glory so as I have seen thee in thy Sanctuary Blessed is the man whom thou chusest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house even of thy holy Temple The Heavens are thine the Earth also is thine as for the World and the fulness thereof thou hast founded them I will praise thee for I am fearfully and and wonderfully made marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth Thy Eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect and in thy book all my Members were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the Assembly of the upright and in the Congregation The works of the Lord are great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His Work is honourable and glorious and his righteousness endureth for ever He hath made his wonderful Works to be remembred the Lord is gracious and full of compassion I praise the Lord for thou art become my Salvation The Stone which the builders refused is become the head Stone of the Corner This is the Lords doing it is marvellous in our Eyes This is the day which the Lord hath made I will rejoice and be glad in it MOst gracious God blessed be thy name that thou hast brought me to a new day and to another Christian Sabbath That thou doest not only lengthen out my natural life but also the means and opportunities of Grace for obtaining the life eternal Thou alone art worthy to receive adoration and Praise from Men and Angels and 't is the greatest honour I am capable of to be employed in thy Service But I do acknowledge my self very unworthy to approach thy presence or to receive any token of thy favour for I am a polluted Sinner and my whole life hath been a continued disobedience against thee and thy righteous Laws I have neglected the good Duties by thee requir'd but have been very forward to do those evil things which thy Law hath forbidden And my sins are much the more hainous and provoking because committed against the light of thy Gospel the great obligations of thy Mercies and after Vows and Promises of better Obedience Wherefore I do here humble my self at thy Footstool lamenting all the Offences of my former life and earnestly begging thy gracious pardone O Lord I do condemn my self but be thou pleas'd to acquit me for the Merits and Mediation of thine own Son who hath fulfill'd all righteousness and made a perfect Atonement by the Sacrifice of himself And as I pray to be freed from the guilt of sin by Justification so I desire to be deliver'd from the Power and Dominion of it by thy sanctifying Grace Be thou pleas'd to mortifie in me all corrupt lusts and sinful affections and to renew me after thine own Image in righteousness and true holiness To this end bless unto me thine holy Ordinances make them effectual for my spiritual benefit and grant that in the religious Duties of this holy day I may sanctifie thee in my heart and make thee my fear and dread O Lord this is a day set apart for thine honour in remembrance of the Worlds Creation which thou didst complete in six days and of our redemption by Christ which was finished by his Resurrection I do therefore ascribe unto thee Praise Thanksgiving and Worship for this glorious Fabrick of Heaven and Earth and the whole variety of Creatures contain'd in them more especially for that excellent being thou hast given to man whom thou didst make after thine own likeness and advance to an eminence and dominion over the Works of thine hands I do with all humble reverence own and adore thee as the Author of mine own life and being yielding thee due thanks that thou hast placed me in the highest rank of thy Creatures that thou hast endow'd me with a reasonable soul and such noble faculties as do fit me for the Knowledge and Service of thy self and the happy enjoyment of thee for ever And prais'd be thy Name for thy great Mercy and rich Grace in sending thine only begotten Son from thine own bosom to redeem Mankind from Sin and Misery and to direct the World in the right way of Life and Salvation I bless thee for the manifestation of the Gospel by him Preached and for the great confirmation of it by his Resurrection from the dead let the light of this Heavenly Doctrine shine over all the Earth that so all the Kingdoms thereof may become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Be propitious to that part of the World where thy Gospel is already planted let thy Church be reformed more and more from all corruptions both of Doctrine and Practice remove all the unhappy causes of discord and division that all who profess thy Name may agree in thy Truth and live in Unity and Godly Love More especially be thou gracious to this Church and Kingdom whereof I am a Member pardon our abuse of thy great Mercies and all other our provocations grant that the Inhabitants of the Land may turn from the evil of their ways unto the Lord their God that thou mayest rejoice over us to do us good give us outward peace and prosperity and continue thy Gospel and true Religion to us and the Posterities that shall come after us I beg thy kindness for all who are my particular friends or more nearly related to me that thou wouldest bless them in their persons and in all their concernments both of this life and of that which is to come And ô thou who art the Father of Mercy and God of all consolation shew thy tender pity to all who are under pain sickness want sorrow or any other calamity and wherever there be any that suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness or in defence of thy Truth and Gospel be thou near to them for their comfort and happy deliverance Have respect O God to the Prayers and Supplications of thy people which shall this day be offer'd up in the Christian Assemblies throughout the World assist and bless thy holy Word which shall be preached that men may be edified by it in sound Faith and real Godliness Be merciful O Lord to me thy Servant lift thou upon me the light of thy Countenance and let thy Grace be alwaies present with me grant that on this thy day I may not only abstain from worldly employments but also from all the works of Sin give me a spiritual temper of mind that my
Meditations and Desires may be heavenly and that I may serve thee in holy Sunday Morning Duties with sincere Devotion grant that by a pious Celebration of this religious Rest on Earth I may be the better prepar'd for keeping an eternal Sabbath in thine heavenly Kingdom These things I humbly beg in the name of thy beloved Son my blessed Saviour concluding as he hath taught me Our Father c. Thy grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with me this day and for evermore Amen PRAYERS FOR Particular Persons IN THE EVENING A Prayer before Reading the Scripture O Lord my God blessed be Evening thy Name for this great priviledge of waiting upon thee and that thou hast given me a willing heart to make use of the same 't is of thy Mercy that I am alive this Evening and not numbred among those many who have the day past perished from the Land of the Living I do acknowledge thy long-suffering and goodness and I will not give sleep to mine Eys nor slumber to mine Eyelids till I have render'd unto thee my bounden Duty of Worship and Praise be thou pleas'd to assist and accept my present Devotions teach me by thy holy Word to live according to thy Will and lead me by it in the way to everlasting Life through Jesus Christ my blessed Redeemer Amen A Prayer for the Evening LOrd I cry unto thee make hast unto me give ear unto my Voyce when I cry unto thee Let my Prayer be set before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the Evening Sacrifice O Eternal God thy property it is that thou hearest Prayer and though thou art the high and lofty One yet art thou nigh unto all that call upon thee be thou pleas'd to bow down thine ear at this time to the Supplications of me thine unworthy Servant and let me find Grace and acceptance with thee while I Worship at thy Footstool I do here offer up my self a living Sacrifice and do humbly adore thy divine Majesty as the great Creatour and Governour of the whole World as the Authour of all that I am and of all that I do enjoy unto thee O Lord belong Honour and Service and Praise but unto me nothing but shame and punishment for I have offended the pure Eyes of thy holiness from day to day by repeated transgressions and as thou hast not ceased to do me good so have I been constant in the unhappy returns of unthankfulness and disobedience I have neither lov'd nor fear'd nor serv'd thee as I ought to have done and my sins are more then I am able to number I do therefore humble my self before thee with hearty repentance imploring thy gracious pardon through the Son of thy Love whom thou hast set forth to be a Propitiation for sin Be thou reconcil'd unto me for his sake and make me partaker of all those benefits which are the purchase of his redemption Impute not unto me the iniquities of the day past but forgive whatever I have therein thought or said or done amiss either against God or against man O Lord grant me thy favour speak peace to my Conscience and that I may no more return to folly be thou pleas'd to work in me both to will and to do the things by thee requir'd give me an hatred of sin and a love of holiness that I may abhor what is evil and cleave to that which is good incline mine heart unto thy Statutes and let not any iniquity have dominion over me O thou who knowest my sinful frailty and to how many Temptations my life is expos'd assist me by thine own Grace and strengthen me with all might in the inward man help me to crucisie the Flesh with the affections and lusts thereof to reject all the allurements of Sin and so to resist the Devil that he may flee from me Whatever temporal blessings I receive at thine hands grant me to use them aright with all thankfulness and sobriety and also to undergo with Christian patience any chastisement or affliction thou shalt please to lay upon me let every dispensation of thy Providence be sanctify'd to my spiritual good that nothing may ever separate me from thy love and favour for as much as this World passeth away and all the enjoyments of it are of short continuance suffer me not to set my heart or affections on any thing here below but raise them up to the things above to that glorious inheritance reserv'd in heaven which fadeth not away and since my days come to an end and I am still hastening on toward my great change help me to be alwaies preparing for it by doing good and working out my Salvation with fear and trembling that so death may not be terrible but a welcom passage to a life of glory Bless the Land of my Nativity grant us peace and plenty and let the truth and purity of Religion still continue and prevail among us Be thou a Friend and Patron to all my Friends and near Relations make them holy and prosperous in this World and for ever happy in the next Send thy consolation and succour to all who are in sorrow want sickness or any other affliction but especially to such as do suffer for the sake of righteousness and a good conscience Accept I pray thee my humble thanks for all thy Mercies for thy holy Scriptures and the means of Grace for all the good things pertaining to this life I bless thee for thy great kindness toward me the day past that I have escaped dangers that my life is continued to me together with thy wonted benefits both for the necessities and comfort of my present condition And since thou who hast made the Day for action and business hast also ordain'd the Night for a time of rest and repose be thou pleas'd to watch over me in lying down and to grant me the comfortable refreshment of a quiet sleep O Lord let thy Grace and Goodness never forsake me till I shall enter into thine everlasting rest in the highest Heavens through thy rich Mercy in Jesus Christ To whom with thy self and the holy Ghost be ascrib'd all Honour and Glory Worship and Praise World without End Amen Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O heavenly Father thy comfortable Communion O holy Spirit of Grace be with me and thy whole Church henceforth and for ever Another Prayer for the Evening THe Lord will command his loving-kindness in the day time and in the night his Song shall be with me and my prayer unto the God of my life I will both lay me down in peace and sleep for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety MOst gracious God the Maker of all things and the Giver of every good and perfect Gift thou deservest to be worshipp'd and serv'd to receive Thanksgiving and Praise from thee I have derived my life
and being and 't is of thy great Mercy I am not consumed thy goodness hath been my support and comfort ever since I was born I do therefore prostrate my self with humble adoration submitting my soul and body to thy divine Majesty and offering up my thankful acknowledgments of all thy Mercies and Benefits conferr'd upon me I bless thee for my redemption by Christ and all the means of Grace and Salvation for the comforts of this present life and all my temporal enjoyments I thank thee for that kind Providence which hath watched over me this day that thou hast continued my life and preserv'd my person from those many evils to which I am alwaies expos'd O Lord I am less than the least of all the Mercies I have received at thine hands for my sins have been very many and exceeding great I have broken thy righteous Laws both by neglecting what thou hast commanded and by doing what thou hast strictly forbidden and my practice hath been very unsuitable to the rich Grace and holy Precepts of thy excellent Gospel so that I have justly deserv'd thy wrathful displeasure and the severities of thy justice But thou art a God plenteous in Mercy ready to forgive and thou hast given thine own Son to be a propitiation for Sin O Lord I come unto thee in his Name most humbly beseeching thee that through his Merits the Transgressions of my life may be all blotted out and my person freely justifi'd from all unrighteousness More particularly I beg the pardon of whatever Sins I have fallen into the day past whether in thought word or deed O merciful Father be thou perfectly reconcil'd unto me this Evening And be thou pleas'd to deliver me more and more from the power and dominion of sin that I may be the servant of righteousness and live in constant obedience to thee and thy commands strengthen me by thy Grace against the corruptions within me and all temptations from without and keep me by thy mighty power through Faith unto Salvation Bless thy Church and People throughout the World and let the Kingdom of thy Son be daily enlarg'd Be propitious to this Church and Nation pardon our great sins and avert the judgments we have deserv'd keep us in peace and safety and let truth and holiness still flourish among us Shew thy favour to all my friends to such as have done me any good or do wish me well bestowing on them all the blessings that pertain both to life and godliness Have pity on all who are in any distress or tribulation giving to them thy speedy comfort and relief and be thou a present help in the needful time of trouble to all who cry unto thee finally I commend my self to thy Fatherly care this Night humbly praying that thy watchful Providence may be my guard and defence grant unto me a quiet and comfortable rest that my frail nature being refresh'd thereby I may awake the next Morning the better fitted for the Duties of another day Hear me O Father of Mercies and do for me above what I can ask or think through the Merits of my blessed Redeemer To whom with thy self and the holy Ghost be all Glory Dominion and Praise World without End Amen Sunday Evening Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy Love O heavenly Father thy Fellowship and Communion O holy and blessed Spirit be with me all thine and mine henceforth for evermore Amen A Psalm and Prayer for the Evening of the Lords day IT is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord to sing praises unto thy name O most high To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof the World and they that dwell therein Thy hands have made me and fashion'd me give me understanding that I may learn thy commandements All thy works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee They shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom and talk of thy Power My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee and my soul which thou hast redeemed I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the house of the Lord. One day in thy Courts is better than a thousand How sweet is thy Word unto my tast yea sweeter then hony to my mouth Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee I will delight my self in thy Statutes and I will not forget thy Word I will bless the Lord who hath given me Counsel my Reins also shall instruct me in the night season Into thine hands I commit my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth O Most glorious God the mighty Creatour and wise Governour of all things the heaven is thine the earth also is thine with all that in them is and thou canst do whatsoever thou pleasest in all places of thy dominion wherefore unto thee alone it doth appertain to receive honour and worship and service from the Sons of men I do thankfully acknowledge it is a very great favour and priviledge that I am so often admitted into thy presence and have this liberty granted of presenting my supplications unto thee who art a God hearing Prayer for what am I vile Dust and Ashes that I should take upon me to speak unto the Lord or how can I expect to find any acceptance with thee who have so greatly offended thine holy Majesty by my repeated transgressions O Lord my very righteousness is as filthy rags and my best performances are sinful and poluted I have waited upon thee this day in the duties of thy Worship but it hath been with much weakness and distraction my thoughts and affections have not been heavenly and devout nor have I honour'd thee as I ought on the day consecrated to thee and thy service But O God who art gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness be thou pleas'd to overlook whatever hath been amiss in my life and actions from my Nativity to this moment grant me an interest in the Merits and Redemption of the Lord Christ and let his precious blood cleanse me from all unrighteousness pardon the defects of my obedience and of all my religious duties through his most perfect Sacrifice who hath taken away Sin by the Oblation of himself once for all Add thy blessing to all the opportunities and means of Grace vouchsaf'd to me and cause thy Word to abide in me that it may be as good seed taking deep root and bringing forth abundantly the fruits of righteousness Grant O Lord that as I have been created by thee so I may make it my chief business to honor and serve thee both in soul and body and as Christ died for my Sins and rose again for my Justification so I may crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof and rise daily from the death of sin to a life of holiness Enable me