O that I may be true and faithful and not alienate to the service of Sin to the gratifying of my Lusts or the pleasing of the Devil what appertains to thee my God As thou hast increased my stores increase in me thy grace and wisdom that I may mannage these Talents to thy honour and service Humble my Soul under such a load of earthly Blessings am I more deserving than so many thousand others who are not so well supplied and furnished what obligations have I laid upon thee my God to lift me up above so many that I see below me to favour me more than thousands who are in want to fill me with all these good things when others are empty how greatly am I indebted to thy Bounty how shall I discharge my self and make suitable returns with these earthly Comforts bestow upon me thy heavenly blessings sanctifie them to me that they may not be an increase to my guilt but rather a a means of Salvation Bestow upon me a contented mind a poverty of Spirit in the midst of all this plenty that I may enjoy it with moderation and dispose of it with discretion Wean mine affections from the World and all these Vanities that they may be a preparation for greater and more lasting Riches which thou hast laid up in thine Heavenly Sanctuary for them that love and fear thee If these things are so sweet and pleasing to us now conveyed to us at such a distance off and attended with much labour and sorrow how sweet and ravishing will that plenty and those riches be which thou wilt grant at a nearer approach when thou shalt wipe away all tears from our eyes and there shall be no more labour to get and preserve them no fear to lose them nor trouble in the enjoyment What a glorious prospect hast thou given us in thy holy Word of greater and more excellent Possessions of an Inheritance far more worthy of mine acquisition if I now render not my self unworthy of so wonderful a bounty by ill actions or too great a fondness of this present World I am certain my good God what thy Truth hath declared thy Power and Liberality will one day perform in us and for us for thou hast created me for happiness If I will accept of it thou hast designed provided and purchased happiness for me Whilst I live in this World there is but a shaddow in the midst of all these good things that I embrace of true felicity The Cares and Incumbrances the Miseries and Calamities the Pains and the Aches and the Fears and Apprehensions are continually disquieting our minds in the greatest plenty of outward enjoyments and the temptations of Sin and the World will not suffer me to be truly happy Neither can my Soul an Immortal and Heavenly Being Created for the Vision of God be content without thee O my Maker The joy that I now feel is in that relation and interest that I have to and in thee for all these possessions and these enjoyments I look upon my self but as a Stranger and a Pilgrim my Country is Heaven When thou shalt call me thither let not these Honours and Dignities these Riches and this outward Splendour these vain and deceitful Pleasures incumber my Soul or cause it to look back upon these deceitful appearances that I may be ready to shake them off and willing to depart to visit thine Eternal Presence where my blessed Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ will receive and welcome my Soul in the Companies of immortal Spirits and Angels and bestow upon me the Heavenly and everlasting Riches and true Honours Things that eye hath never seen ear hath never heard and can never enter into the heart of man Preserve I beseech thee my good God my Soul and Body to thine Eternal Kingdom where all these wonders of thy Power and Bounty are carefully laid up Amen A Meditation and Prayer upon the Consideration and Sense of Poverty and Want O My Creator and Redeemer my God who hast granted me a Being and placed me in this station of Life destitute of all Worldly Comforts I adore thy Divine Wisdom and am content to undergo all the troubles and inconveniencies that thou shalt think sitting to put upon me I doubt not but as I am thy Creature and Servant as my good Lord and Master thou wilt provide for my subsistence and if the allowance be but small it is more than I deserve at thy hands however it is enough if I can have but a satisfied mind Thou hast promised to supply my wants from day to day and give me meat drink and raiment without which I cannot continue in this Life why shall I doubt of the performance of this thy declaration thy stores are full and thou art rich in bounty able and sufficient by various means to recruit all my wants if the supplies come but sparingly and thou dost allow me but a small pittance if I receive from thee by Retail what others have from thee by Wholesale it is thy will and pleasure that my dependance might be more upon thy Goodness and Providence and that I may be always looking up to thee for the Conveniencies and Necessaries of Life Thy Wisdom O my God knowest what is best for me what is most proper to exercise my patience saith reliance upon thee and my submission to thy holy and heavenly will Who knows but if I were placed in the midst of plenty I should abuse thy temporal mercies and employ them in my own Damnation now I have no such debt to answer for Thou hast recommended unto me contentment in this estate by teaching me to pray only for my daily bread if it be but course it is such as proceed from thy liberal hand and fine enough to maintain this Earthly Tabernacle that must shortly become food to the Worms of the Earth O my God by these troubles of Life it is thy pleasure to wean mine affections from the World and that I may place my chief happiness beyond the Grave that I may live in expectation when thou wilt call me out of this painful and laborious Life to mine Eternal Rest where I shall be no more exercised but in the praising of thy Glorious Majesty in the Quires of Heavenly Spirits I am satisfied O my Heavenly Father in thy Love and Goodness which has never been wanting to me since I was in this World I look upon my mean estate and poverty to be an argument of the reality of thy love and kindness seeing a Lazarus upon a Dunghill was as dear unto thee as the richest and noblest of thy Children seeing so many of thy chosen Servants of the Worthies of former Ages have in this present Life wandered about in Sheep Skins and Goat Skins being Destitute Afflicted Tormented and have suffered greater wants and more pressing necessities than I am reduced to But shall I murmur at thy wise and good Providence when I am reduced to the Condition of
Kingdom when ever it shall please thee to call them out of these Tabernacles of misery and affliction Good God we resign our selves into thy hands dispose of us as it shall seem good in thy Divine Wisdom O Blessed Jesus unto whom all Power is committed in Heaven and in Earth receive us into thy Protection and Mercy we pray thee and intercede for us to thy Heavenly Father Amen A Prayer for a Ship 's Company before an Engagement at Sea O Merciful and Great God whose Power Wisdom and Providence is so visibly seen upon this unconstant Element we humble our selves before thee at this time of danger to implore thine Assistance Protection and Blessings to our necessary Endeavours for the Preservation of the Rights of the Nation unto which we belong We acknowledge our selves to be miserable Sinners and guilty of many provocations against thy Divine Laws but it belongs to thee O Heavenly Father to have mercy upon thy poor Creatures and Servants Lay not to our charge our hainous Offences but pardon we beseech thee all our former Sins and give us true Repentance that if thou shalt yet spare our Lives we may amend Let not our Guilt and Crimes hinder the Blessings of Victory and Success which we beseech thee to grant to our present Fleet and Arms. For that purpose command the Seas and the Winds to yield unto us all needful assistance and let thy Holy Angels protect our Persons and our Ships from the fury of the Enemies shot and all Casualties Good God we depend not upon our selves our Skill or Provisions or humane strength but upon thy Power upon thy Mercy O Holy Saviour upon thy protection and favour grant unto us we beseech thee Safety and Victory that we may live to admire thy goodness in our deliverance and learn by these instances of mercy to honour and praise thy Holy Name when we shall be escaped out of so great dangers Save us we intreat thee O merciful God save us our Bodies and our Souls that they may be employed again in thy Service but let our immortal Souls be dear in thy sight whenever or however thou shalt be pleased to call them out of these Earthly Vessels receive them we pray thee into thine Heavenly Sanctuary This we beg and all other things which thou knowest needful for us through the mediation of our Divine Saviour who sits at thy Right hand and whose intercession we humbly implore in the words that he hath taught us saying Our Father c. Seasonable Ejaculations and short Prayers in the midst of a Fight either by Sea or Land LOrd have Mercy upon us Save and Deliver us Good God abate the Pride and Fury of our Enemies Merciful Saviour Protect us by thine Almighty Power Lord Jesus Strengthen and Defend us O Blessed Saviour receive our Bodies and Souls into thy Favour and Mercy Good God Deliver us O Holy Jesus our Dependance is upon thee O Lord of Hosts we trust upon thy goodness and Protection and not upon our selves Save us Good Lord Save us that we may live to praise thee in our Generation Have mercy upon our Souls We recommend our present and future Beings into thy Hands O Merciful Creator Give us Victory we pray thee for Christ his sake that we may Glorifie thee and thy Mercy Amen A Prayer for Mariners in a furious Tempest at Sea O Almighty and Eternal God at whose disposal are all the parts of this great World and these violent Waves upon which we are tossed Look down in mercy upon us and give a check to the fury of these Seas We see before us nothing but Death the Deep is open to swallow us up our only help is in thy Providence and Protection Save and Preserve us we humbly beseech thee lay not to our charge our former Sins let not this heavy load and burthen sink us now into Eternal destruction but deliver us for thy mercies sake still the rage of the Sea stop these boisterous Winds and calm this mighty Tempest As thou hast manifested thy great Power to us in this occasion let us be likewise sensible of thine extraordinary mercy in our Deliverance Thou hast promised that not a hair of our heads shall fall without thy Heavenly permission O suffer us not to perish but rescue us we pray thee in this our great necessity and let us live yet longer to glorifie thy Holy Name Send us such favourable Gales as may bring us to our desired Havens and give us all grace to learn by this and other instances of thy Power and Providence that our whole dependance is upon thee our God and that thou canst quickly deprive us of Life and Being if we offer to forget our selves and thy former Mercies if we extravagantly abuse either in word or deed thy dreadful Name and holy Profession Spare us good Lord spare us at this time and we vow unto thee all submission and obedience and a sincere reformation of our Lives for the time to come To this purpose assist our good resolutions with thy heavenly Grace that all these accidents and dangers may turn to our Eternal benefit to the safety and security of our immortal Souls And all this we beg for Jesus Christ his sake our only Mediator whose intercession we humbly implore and conclude these our imperfect Prayers with his most perfect Form Our Father c. A Thanksgiving after a Victory by Sea or Land NOT unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy holy Name be ascribed O blessed God the honour of this Victory and Success We Praise thee for having spared our Lives and suffered us yet to enjoy the light of the Living We acknowledge thy Power and Providence in this great preservation of our Persons from the fury of our Enemies whom we see lying before our eyes breathless and senceless whereas thou hast been gracious to us our good God and sheltred us in the midst of those dangers that have swallowed up so many of our fellow Creatures O let us never forget this great deliverance but let these Bodies which thou hast made and preserved at this time be employed for the time to come in thy service and for thine honour Let these Members which have been secured by thy Providence from wounds and maiming be consecrated to Holiness and Piety and to advance thy Gospel Religion O Let us all make a right improvement of this great Mercy and Salvation Let it not become an aggravation of our Crimes and ungratitude Give us with all thy Mercies thankful hearts humble and dutiful Souls that in the midst of all this Worldly Prosperity and Successes we may behave our selves as becomes true Christians Sanctifie therefore this great Blessing to us all let us not demean our selves too insolently over our fellow Creatures but treat them with compassion as thy Subjects and Servants as well as we O Let this Deliverance and Safety be so recorded in our hearts and minds that we may ever glorifie thee our God for it and oblige thee to a continuance of thy favours to grant to us and our Endeavours such Success and Prosperity that we may be a Safeguard and Security to our King and Kingdom to preserve them from the violent attempts of all their Enemies and ours 'till it shall please thee out of thine infinite goodness to put a stop to this raging War and grant us a lasting and honourable Peace These and all other Mercies which thou knowest needful for us our King and Kingdom we humbly beg through the Mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ our only Saviour to whom with the Father and Holy Spirit Three Persons and One God be ascribed from this time forth and for evermore all Honour Glory Dominion and Praise Amen A Prayer for the Preservation of the King's Person O Gracious God King of Kings and Supream Monarch of this inferiour World we humbly beseech thee to take into thy merciful Protection the Sacred Person of our King Save him from the Power and Designs of all his Enemies frustrate all their Plots and Conspiracies Preserve Him in the midst of the greatest Dangers that He may always prove an happy Instrument to promote thy Glory and true Religion amongst us For that purpose assist His Fleets and Armies bless us that Fight for Him and the Publick Interest Crown all His Endeavours with Victory and Success here and with everlasting felicity hereafter and all we beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Prayer for the Church Militant GOod God look down from Heaven upon all thy Servants dispersed all over the Dominions of Antichrist and elsewhere deliver them from their grievous Oppression give a check to the unmerciful Enemy preserve them from Sin and Apostacy assist them with the Directions of thy Holy Spirit Sanctifie all their Afflictions and Crosses to them and in thy due time rescue them out of the Cruelties and Barbarous usage of their implacable Enemies For that intent bless all those Worthies that design to do them good and open the eyes of all men to understand and give them Grace to profess thy true Religion call the Jews Turks and Infidels into thy Sacred Fold compleat the number of thine Elect and bring us all to that Eternal Kingdom which thou hast provided and promised to thy chosen People Amen A Short Prayer for such as are desperately Wounded HAve Pity and Compassion upon me O Merciful God! I submit to thy Will if my Body be destroyed save mine immortal Soul Pardon all my Sins for Christ his sake Receive me into thy favour support my Spirit under all my torments Give me an assurance in thy love by a reliance upon thy gracious Promises and deliver me out of this World of Sorrow and Suffering and admit my Soul into thy Kingdom of Peace Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Amen FINIS
purpose I know that several Pious and Learned Men have lately and in the former Age furnished our Nation with Books of this kind but I think that their religious labours fitted for those times and answerable to their private designs will not hinder this present Treatise from being useful in its kind for the prevention of the Mistakes lately crept in amongst us and the mischiefs that are intended by our Enemies at home and abroad I find them busily employed in contriving our ruine and in poisoning our people with strange Principles by spreading in the Country new Pamphlets printed for that evil purpose I wish that we were as watchful for our own preservation The best means for that intent is to employ the same policy and to furnish our People with new and fresh advices which may serve as Antidotes against the Venom of their Enemies and ours Such Treatises therefore as this I think to be very seasonable for our divided times I am certain that it is much wanting in the place where I live and to the people committed to my Charge My first design was only to have a regard to their private wants at the requests of one of my Parishioners but when I considered that tho' Providence hath given me a particular inspection over the Inhabitants of a small division in a Wilderness it is my Duty to aim in all my actions at the general good I resolved to recommend to the publick such a Treatise as might serve and be useful to all Families in our Reformed Church and in it to have a general aim at the benefit of all Christians for I think that there is none in the state of Grace or within the limits of Christ's Church but he shall in this short Tract find Prayers and Advices which may sute with the condition and temper of his Soul You therefore that desire that Religion should flourish amongst us neglect not its chief Duty but see that it be carefully observed in your own practice and that of those recommended to your care As soon as your Children begin to speak teach them to cry Abba Father which art in Heaven Call upon them Morning and Evening to implore Protection and Assistance Let their Tongues be used betimes to tune forth the Praises of their Maker and acknowledge the Providence of God Remember that Piety with the Blessings of Heaven is the best and most durable portion which you can procure to your little ones And the only means to obtain it is carefully to practise this and all other Duties of Religion As they grow to years of Understanding Let them proceed on in learning the Prayers that are sit for their capacity and suitable to their Abilities Let them know that their chief dependency is upon that Almighty Being who hath created the World and put them into it to serve and worship him This daily practice of seeking to God in Prayer will keep youth from all those extravagancies and vitious actions by which the Gallants of our time are become a reproach to Christianity and Humanity it self Thou shalt never have the displeasure to see thy Son and thy Daughter either unruly in their behaviour or prophane in their discourse or corrupt in their Lives if thou wilt when they are young train them up in the constant and continual observance of this Duty of Prayer for there is nothing more proper and of a greater force to keep the Souls of Men from the temptations of our days and from all disorders as this Correspondency with God in Prayer Man therefore in this respect is like a Watch or a Clock the least neglect disturbs the Motion and steals him insensibly into improficiency or an ossence Pray therefore O Christian Man or Woman and pray without ceasing In prosperity and adversity let your requests be made known unto God Be not silent when God requires you to speak In whatsoever estate Providence may cast you make use of those Prayers that are answerable to your condition If you can offer up the Prayers of our Church with any satisfaction to your minds use them rather than others But if your prejudices be so strong and your aversion so invincible that you cannot yet relish them use the other Prayers more agreeable to your affections However neglect not this most important this most weighty and most indispensible Duty but perform it with all the Care and Devotion that God's greatness and thy mean condition requires from thee And I beseech the God of all Goodness to hear thy Requests to grant thy Petitions to comfort and refresh thy Soul and Body with Spiritual and Temporal Mercies and that this Treatise may be as useful to the Publick as it is intended by M. D. A Morning Prayer FOR A FAMILY According to the Book of Common-Prayer O! Lord who hast promised that before we call thou wilt answer and whilst we are yet speaking Isa 65.24 Psal 6.1 Psal 25 1â— Psal 51.10 thou wilt hear Rebuke us not in thine indignation neither chasten us in thy displeasure For thy Names sake be merciful to our sins Make us clean Hearts O God and renew a right Spirit within us O! Lord we beseech thee mercifully hear our Prayers and spare all those who confess their sins unto thee that they whose Consciences by Sin are accused by thy merciful pardon may be absolved through Christ our Lord. Amen O! Almighty Lord and everlasting God vouchsafe we beseech thee to direct sanctifie and govern both our Hearts and Bodies in the ways of thy Laws and in the works of thy Commandments that through thy most mighty protection both now and ever we may be preserved in Body and Soul through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen PRevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious favour and further us with thy continual help that in all our Works begun continued and ended in thee we may glorifie thy holy Name and finally by thy Mercy obtain everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen BLessed be thy Holy Name O Lord for thy continual and daily Mercies granted to us for thy Protection and Preservation till this time for the safety and quiet Repose of the last night for the welfare and Health of our Bodies and for all thy Temporal Blessings which thou heapest upon us Gracious God we acknowledge these and all other Mercies which we enjoy to be undeserved Favours proceeding from thy bountiful hand and fatherly goodness Continue them we beseech thee to us and all other things needful for our Souls and Bodies and give us grace in the use of them to glorifie thy great Name and to be truly thankful in our Hearts and Lives for all expressions of thine unwearied Liberality All this we beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen O God the Protector of all that put their trust in thee without whom nothing is strong nothing is holy increase and multiply in us thy Mercy that thou being our Ruler and Guide
upon these lower Vanities O Lord as our Treasure is in Heaven let there be the end of all our desires and the centre of all our Actions Gracious God we pray thee not only for our selves but for the whole Catholick Church and for that part of it planted in these three Nations O! let not our Enemies triumph over us but watch over and preserve thy Son from all the Conspiracies of the Devil and his Agents Reunite our Divisions and make us all of one Heart and of one Mind Preserve the King and Queen's Majesty in Health Peace and Prosperity Give his Counsellors Wisdom his Army Victory and all his Subjects Happiness and Plenty Take into thy Protection all our Kindred and Friends defend their Bodies from dangers and their Souls from Schism and Error Be merciful to all Men as thou hast Created Mankind for Happiness discover to them the Means appointed by thy Wisdom to bring them thither and give them Grace to embrace the gracious offers of thy Providence All these Mercies and others which thou knowest most needful for our well-being here and our Glorious Being hereafter we humbly beg by the Merits and powerful intercession of thy Christ and our Saviour who hath taught us thus to Pray OUR Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdome 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 all Evil. For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen THe Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Loveof God the Father and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen A Morning Prayer for a single Person ALmighty God by whose Gracious Providence I am yet alive and escaped out of all the dangers and difficulties of this mortal life by whose merciful Protection I have been preserved the last Night from all Corporal and Spiritual Enemies I adore thy Divine Mercy and Goodness so visibly expressed in every moment of my life I praise thy Holy Name for this and all other favours received from thy Wisdom and Power I glorifie thine infinite Majesty and acknowledge thee O! my God to be the Author of my Preservation as well as of my Being of my self I am not able to resist the least danger or Enemy were it not for thy watchful Eye and Power I had been long ago in my Grave but thy goodness hath yet spared me notwithstanding my unworthiness and the many Provocations of my Life O Merciful Father thy Blessings have been heaped upon me in abundance though I have returned thee for them all nothing but ingratitude and Sin when I make a Reslexion upon my self and thy liberality upon my past behaviour and thy manifold Blessings bestowed upon me from day to day I cannot but wonder at the infiniteness of thy Mercy which could not yet be exhausted nor discouraged by my unthankfulness but let the Sense of thy Love to me change and alter the temper of my Soul the resolution of my Mind and the Actions of my Life suffer me not to presume upon these outward Expressions of thine Affection to me but let them inflame my Soul with a sincere Love for thee my God and with a fervent zeal for thy Glory Suffer me not to be overcome by the powerful temptations of the World nor to be drawn aside by the allurements of Sin I am so sensible Lord of the weakness of my own Nature as not to trust upon my strength which hath so often yielded to wicked enticements assist me therefore my God with thy Divine and Holy Spirit defeat the Devil's Power disappoint all his malicious purposes and lead me through this wicked World in thy Faith and Fear Continue also thy Protection to my weak Body preserve me from all dangers and Enemies defend me from all Bloody and Cruel Souls that I may live here below in the Service of my Generation and in glorifying thee my Creator Bless me in the Works of my Calling give me a contented Mind satisfied with the Events of thy Providence that I may not complain of any thing that shall happen contrary to my desire and expectation and a full resignation to thy Will and Pleasure Suffer not my Soul to be too much in love with my self nor with any thing here below that I may avoid the pernicious Vices of Pride self-conceitedness Covetousness Ambition Lust and Vanity which in these latter days possess Mens Minds and hurry them into the Labyrinths that lead to Hell and Damnation O Lord I resign my self into thy hands I desire to depend upon thee to be govern'd by thee and to live for thee Enlighten therefore my Understanding with thy sacred Truth sanctisie my Will and Affections with thy Blessed Spirit and the longer I live let me draw nearer to thy likeness Strengthen my Soul with an assurance upon thy Love and Protection and pacifie all the disorders of my Passions that whatsoever inconveniency I meet with in my conversation here below I may enjoy a quiet and peaceable Temper of Spirit which is so acceptable in thy sight in Prosperity and Adversity in Sickness and in Health grant me an equality of Mind not pust up with the one nor cast down with the other but give me Grace that bearing willingly my Cross after Christ my Saviour I may press forward towards that Immortal Reward which thou hast prepared for them that love and fear thee In whatsoever condition thy Providence shall be pleased to bring me give me I beseech thee a disposition suitable to it that in following the Holy Example of my Glorious Redeemer and imitating his Goodness Piety Charity Patience in suffering Holiness and other Vertues I may glorifie thy Name on Earth grace the Profession of thy true Religion and prepare my self for Eternity for that purpose grant that I may employ all my Talents in those good uses for which they are designed that when I shall render up my accounts to thee I may not be ashamed of my Actions O let my mind be fixed upon that terrible day that I may live in expectation of it and order my Soul and Body ready for my dissolution I humbly beseech thy Divine Majesty to be gracious not only to my self but also to all my Relations receive into thy Favour and Protection all those that are committed to my Care or that are near or dear unto me in Blood and Affinity preserve their Souls from the Vices and Infection of the times and their Lives from dangers and Enemies and give them all Grace to serve and Glorifie thee their God on Earth Send thy Blessings upon the Societies and Kingdom unto which I belong forgive our National sins suspend thy judgments that we have deserved and if in thy Wisdom thou thinkest fit to chastise us destroy us not utterly set
and forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O God from whom all Holy Desires all good Counsels and all just Works do proceed give unto thy Servants that peace which the World cannot give that both our Hearts may be set to obey thy Commandments and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our Enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen LIghten our Darkness we beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night for the Love of thy only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen ALmighty God who seest that we have no power of our Selves to help our selves keep us both outwardly in our Bodies and inwardly in our Souls that we may be desended from all Adversities which may happen to the Body and from all evil Thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Almighty God who alone canst order the unruly Wills and Affections of sinful Men grant to thy People that they may love the thing which thou commandest and desire that which thou dost promise so that among all the sundry and manifold changes of the World our Hearts may surely there be sixed where true Joys are to be found through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Lord who never failest to help and govern them whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast Fear and Love keep us we beseech thee under the protection of thy good Providence and make us to have a perpetual Fear and Love of thy Holy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O God whose never failing Providence ordereth all things both in Heaven and Earth we humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things which be profitable for us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen BE merciful O Lord to this Church and Nation punish us not accord-to our deservings but let thy Mercy protect and save us from the Evil hands of all our restless Enemies continue thy Word and Gospel amongst us remit our senseless Divisions open the Eyes and Hearts of all our Dissenting and disaffected Brethren that they may embrace thy Truth set aside all Prejudice and joyn with us thy Servants in the sincere Worship of thee the true God All this we beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen O God for as much as without thee we are not able to please thee mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our Hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Almighty God who art a strong Tower of defence unto thy Servants against the face of their Enemies We yield thee Praise and Thanksgiving for our Deliverance from those great and apparent Dangers wherewith we have been compassed We acknowledge it thy goodness that we are not delivered over as a Pray unto them beseeching thee still to continue such thy Mercies towards us to discover all hellish Plots contrived against our King Religion and Country and to disappoint all the black Designs of our Bloody Enemies that all the World may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Lord our God who upholdest and governest all things in Heaven and Earth Receive our Humble Prayers for our Soveraign Lord and Lady the King and Queen set over us by thy Grace and Providence And so together with them Bless the whole Royal Family with the Dew of thy Heavenly Spirit that they ever trusting in thy goodness protected by thy Power and Crowned with thy gracious and endless Favours may continue before thee in Health Peace Joy and Honour a long and happy life upon Earth and after Death obtain everlasting life and glory in the Kingdom of Heaven by the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen BLess we beseech thee O Lord our Bishops Priests and Deacons with true Knowledge and understanding of thy Word and that both by their Preaching and living they may set it forth and shew it accordingly enable them all to be faithful in their great trust in the maintetenance of thy true Religion against the Incroachings of Popery Heresie Schism and Prophaneness Bless the Lords of the Council and all the Nobility Magistrates and Gentry with Grace Wisdom and Understanding of thy Will and Word Give to all Nations Quietness and Peace and to this thy People give Unity and Happiness help the weak-hearted raise up them that fall subdue Satan under our Feet Comfort all that are in Tribulation preserve all that are in danger shew thy pity to Prisoners and Captives Provide for the Fatherless the Widows and all that are Oppressed Have mercy upon all Men. Forgive our Enemies and turn their Hearts Preserve for our Use the kindly Fruits of the Earth And endue us with the Grace of thy Holy Spirit and amend our Lives according to thy Holy Word All this we beseech thee to grant us for Jesus Christ his sake Amen From our Enemies defend us O Christ Graciously look upon our Afflictions Pitifully behold the sorrows of our Hearts Mercifully forgive the Sins of thy People Favourably with mercy hear our Prayers O Son of David have mercy upon us Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us O Christ Graciously hear us O Christ graciously hear us O Lord Christ O Lord let thy mercy be shewed upon us As we do put our Trust in thee WE humbly beseech thee O Father mercifully to look upon our infirmities and for the Glory of thy Name turn from us all those Evils that we most righteously have deserved and grant that in all our Troubles we may put our whole Trust and Confidence in thy mercy and evermore serve thee in Holiness and pureness of Living to thy Honour and Glory through our only Mediator and Advocate Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PRevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious Favour and further us with thy continual help that in all our Works begun continued and ended in thee we may glorifie thy holy Name and finally by thy mercy obtain eversasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen ALmighty God who hast given us Grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their Requests Fulfil now O Lord the desires and Petitions of thy Servants as may be most expedient for them granting us in this World knowledge of thy Truth and in the World to come life everlasting Amen THe Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen An Evening Prayer for a whole Family sutable to the times O Merciful God here we thine unworthy Servants are prostrate before thee at the close of this day loaden with thy manifold Mercies to acknowledge the Weaknesses
and miscarriages of our Lives and to bewail the linfulness of our Natures Our Iniquities are many and our Transgressions are multiplyed every day We feel within us a forward inclination to that which is unlawful we carry about us a Body of Sin and the least Temptation draws us aside from thy holy Ways How negligent have we been of thy Commands How vitious in our Lives How careless in our Duties How unthankful for all thy Mercies We can give no account of the number of our mistakes for they are numberless Therefore we humble our selves before thee in a deep sense of our own sinfulness and unworthiness we cast away all confidence and reliance upon our own Merits But we come to thee with a Confidence upon Christ's Merits trusting upon his promises and gracious invitations For his sake O merciful Father forgive us all our Trespasses magnifie thy Divine goodness by the pardon of our great and hainous Offences Look upon the Atonement made for us and in consideration of the precious Blood of our great Saviour spilt for our Redemption accept of our Persons and Prayers at this time Take not away from us only the guilt but also the Corruption of Sin that we may not continue in our Provocations against thy Divine Majesty As thou hast given us a sense of our Ignorance and Weakness give us the proper Remedies to these two Evils enlighten our Understandings more and more with thy Blessed Truth purifie our Wills from all unregenerate affections sanctifie and change the whole frame of our Souls according to thy revealed Will. For that purpose grant us we beseech thee good God an increase of all our Graces give life and growth to these Seeds of Holiness and Immortality strengthen the Interest of Piety in every one of us with a holy dread of thy Power and Justice and a blessed Love for thee our God who only art lovely Open our Eyes that we may perceive the Beauty and Excellency of Vertue and the filthiness and danger of those sins we have been most inclinable to practise Let the woful circumstances of our Bosom Lusts visible by our own experience and others Examples reclaim us betimes to an Obedience to thy Sacred Laws make us truly sensible both of the shame that attends upon Sin and of the misery that consequently follows it that we may begin the great Work of Repentance betimes and vigorously prosecute it till we have brought under all our irregular inclinations which are so imperious in the Children of disobedience Make us clean Hearts O God and renew a right Spirit within us Purifie our sins from all Infection from all Evil Thoughts wicked Affections and sinful designs above all keep us from the reigning sin of Hypocrisie that we may be sincere in our Profession and that we may not deceive our selves by thinking to deceive others As our great business on this side the Grave is to serve thee our great Creator and prepare our selves for Eternity assist us mercifully in our endeavours relating thereunto direct comfort and succour us against all Temptations give us Hearts and Lives that we may adorn the Gospel of our Saviour Christ Let neither the inticements of Sin nor the suggestions of the Devil nor the allurements and Vanities of the World draw us away from thee our good God nor from the Profession of thy sacred Truth Keep us from evil Examples and wicked Company and Perswasions and from the Corruptions of the time As thou hast been gracious to our Forefathers in this Land in preserving them and their Religion from all bloody designs and attempts continue thy protection to us their Children Preserve thy Gospel in this Nation defend us from Heresie Idolatry and Schism Unite us all in love and affection one towards another and in conformity to thy Will in all things Remove the differences and prejudices that are amongst us that we may embrace one another as Bretheren designed for the same Happiness sanctified by the same Spirit and redeemed by the same Christ O gracious God watch over us we beseech thee let not the Craft and Power of our Bloody Adversaries prevail or overcome the Professors of thy Gospel Defeat all their wicked endeavours against our Prince and his People and discover and disappoint all their Plots Let Religion and Truth flourish in our days and keep us all from Prophaneness and Error Send thy Blessings to this Family here humbled before thee and to every member of it As thou hast received us into thy Protection grant us a continuance of it this Night especially Let the Eye of thy Providence be awake over us to shelter and preserve us when we shall be asleep Keep us all from fearful Dreams and Apprehensions and sinful Fancies Let nothing injure either our Souls or our Bodies bring us safe through the shadows of the Night to behold the Glory of another day and feel again the manifold expressions of thy great goodness to us O Lord we depend upon and trust only in thee Thou alone hast been the Saviour of our Persons that belong to thee defend them we beseech thee from the malice of the Devils and the attempts of Bloody-minded Men and from all accidents and dangers whatsoever that we may yet live to praise and glorifie thee here on Earth and do service to our Generation Send thy Blessing to all Princes and Magistrates especially to our King and Queen and all Governours under them in Church or State preserve them from all Rebellious Designs and Attempts of our Enemies and give them grace to employ their Credit Power and Authority in the maintenance of thy Truth and Honour and in the suppression of Atheism Vice Prophaneness and whatsoever agrees not with sound Doctrine Give success to their pious endeavours Victory to our Fleets and Armies Life and safety to all the Noble Souls that watch over us or fight for us Disappoint all the Wicked designs of Antichrist scatter and subdue all his Bloody Agents and let thy Gospel and will be known to all the Nations under the Sun These and all other Mercies convenient for our Souls and Bodies we humbly beg for the sake and Merits of that immaculate Lamb who is dead for us and now makes intercession at thy right hand and we conclude these our imperfect Prayers with this most perfect Form 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 Tespasses 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 THE Peace of God which passeth all Understanding preserve our Hearts and Minds in the Knowledge and Love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The Blessing of God Almighty Father Son and Holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen An
Neighbours are in want Hast thou sent this plenty for me alone Is it not that I should praise thee in the use of so much as is needful for my self and Attendants and that I should distribute the rest to such as are in need I will imitate this thy Liberality my good God and be a faithful Steward of these inferior Mercies But this Food of my Body minds me of that of my Soul I have another more Spiritual and Divine Being that I must feed and cloath Gracious God forget not that Immortal and better part of my self but nourish it with Wisdom and Truth that I may grow in Grace and in the knowledge of thee my God Remove not the Candlestick of thy Gospel from us suffer not Schism and Idolatry to prevail and smother thy true Religion in their horrid Abominations but let Truth and Innocency overcome at last maugre the furious attempts of Men and Devils feed this precious Soul with that Bread which comes down from Heaven increase in me all Virtue and Goodness and preserve both my Soul and Body to thine Eternal Kingdom Amen Another Prayer before meat for a Child GOOD God bless me and these Creatures that we are to receive that in a moderate use of them we may be enabled to serve and glorifie thee on Earth through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Useful Meditations AND PRAYERS Upon GOD and his DIVINE ATTRIBUTES A Meditation and Prayer upon the Incomprehensible Being and Presence of God O Adorable Majesty Being of Beings Creator and Supporter of this Great World How wonderful must be the source of all these visible Wonders How glorious the chief Lord of so large an Empire and of so many differing sorts of Creatures that fill all the Elements and every Corner We are sensible of thine infinite Presence yet can conceive no shape nor being like thy Divine Majesty The Pictures of all thy Perfections are scattered and represented in every thing that is made and thou hast left an impression of thy Wisdom and Power in every part of this large World yet none can represent thee O great God as thou art We see fell and are perfectly sensible of thy Divine Footsteps left upon every Creature yet our weak apprehensions cannot entertain any Idea that may answer thy Greatness O Spirit of Spirits how is it possible that so weak a Creature as I am who can understand nothing but by the Ministry of these weak Senses should be able to comprehend the infinite and incomprehensible God whose glorious Presence dazles the Eyes and surpasses the Understandings of the perfectest and noblest Creatures that are above O my God fill my Soul with an holy dread of thy greatness and Power Suffer me not to receive any base impression or filly Imagination of thy Divine Being and as thou art Incomprehensible let me not presume to form in my mind any Image nor to have before mine Eyes any Picture with a design to represent thee Let thine Universal Presence be always present with me but in such a manner as I may not be guilty of Spiritual Idolatry or of harbouring any mean thought of thy Glory O merciful God thou requirest these Services from us poor Creatures and hast promised thine assistance to us in time of need put therefore my Soul into an Holy Temper fit for thine acceptance and let these Ejaculations and Emissions of my Heart and Mind proceed from an Humility and Fear of thy presence that they may not be unworthy of thy Grace and Favour And the nearer I approach unto thy Mercy-Seat vouchsafe to look upon the necessities of my Soul and Body and grant me those Requests that thou O my God in thine infinite Wisdom knowest most needful for me for the sake and by the mediation of my Great Saviour whose intercession for me I humbly implore Amen A Meditation and Prayer upon the Immutability of our Great God O Unchangeable Being the Author of all these changeable things that appear before our Eyes Thou art that immutable God upon whom we may safely depend Every thing that thou hast made directs our Eyes and Contemplations to thee as the surest foundation of all our hopes and expectations and the nearer the Creatures have the Honour to approach thy glorious Throne the more they are fixed and secured by their Rights of Creation from all Unconstancy and Mutability This wide World and all Sublunary things are unsetled and rowling from one State to another tumbled and tossed changed by many Accidents so that we cannot rest nor settle our expectations upon them But the Heavenly Globes continue since their first make unchangeable through so many Revolutions of Ages tho' they also for the sin of Man shall suffer an alteration by thine overruling Power But those Spiritual Beings that inhabit beyond and above our Prospect are yet less subject to mutation all their Perfections proceed from thine overflowing abundance Thou only O my God art the Creator and Benefactor of their Immortal Natures They are all subject to some weakness and are circumscribed and limited but thou alone art the unlimited and unchangeable God always enjoying an happiness never to be obscured or lessened by the most violent endeavours of all thine Enemies Thou art always continuing in that Glorious state that nothing can possibly Eclipse Thou art immutable in thy self immutable in thy Designs and Resolutions immutable in thy Promises and Truth and immutable in all thy Divine Perfections O my God give me grace that I may settle upon thee my Faith and hope and rest upon thee alone for all my present and future advantages I have no other Rock to build upon but thy Power and Mercy no other Truth to trust to but thy revealed Word O that I may embrace it with that immutable Resolution that may admit of nothing contrary to the same that my Soul may be fixed only upon thee my good God and look with contempt upon all other Objects Amen A Meditation and Prayer upon the Eternity of God O Eternal and Everlasting God before the Heavens and the Earth before the Sun and all the rest of the Luminaries that are above had a Being thou didst subsist of thy self in a full enjoyment of an unchangeable Felicity From all Eternity to all Eternity thou art the same glorious and Incomprehensible Being who never fails them that seek thee in Spirit and in Truth Let the World change and alter and the Generations of Creatures succeed one another in their appointed times Let all inferior things rowle and pass away Let them have their beginnings their growth perfections and decay thou art the same and Eternal God who never had any beginning nor never can have any end Thou alone art that independent Majesty upon whom all other things lean and from whom they expect the Supplies and Recruits to their decaying and failing Natures Thou art the first Source and Spring of all Motion and Power O my God thou hast granted to my Soul and Spirit
Humility the exactest care the most fervent Zeal and earnestness that thou art capable of God is not to be courted with ordinary Devotion His Blessings are not to be obtained by a slothful hand and a negligent Soul The distance betwixt God and us vile Men should be expressed by the humility of our Souls and Bodies and our Prayers offered to so excellent a Majesty must have an excellency to recommend them to the Throne of his Grace For that purpose we must take notice of and observe these following directions in all our Addresses to God First let a short Meditation upon God his Power Glory Sufficiency infinite Presence Goodness Knowledge and Riches precede your Prayers with some Reflections upon your selves your sinfulness vileness and the former experience of God's goodness that such Considerations as these may cause you to shake off all negligence and sloathfulness and help to banish from your Souls all undecency carelesness and misapprehensions usually found in the devoutest persons We are naturally too much unmindful of the respect that we owe to our God too careless in the performance of our Duties too fond of the World and its Vanities Therefore this Meditation must stir us up and pre-dispose us for this holy Conference with our Maker It must withdraw all our minds from all other intangling thoughts that we may with more liberty set our selves entirely apart for this important Duty We must rid our selves of those things that commonly entangle us when we present our selves before our God and draw near to him with such thoughts as these I poor wretched and weak Man Dust and Ashes am going to speak to and petition a God the Creator of the World a Holy and Divine Majesty an incomprehensible Spirit which sills Heaven and Earth with his infinite presence He is at my Elbows and takes notice of my behaviour in my Soul and observes all the wandrings of the Mind in every corner of this wide World and sees and hears our wants and necessities How careful must I be to appear with respect before him He is Holy and abhors all filthiness I must therefore banish all silthy polluted and idle imaginations at this moment He is as just as he is good ready to punish irreverence but much more inclinable to reward Humility and Devotion how devout therefore should my Soul be in his presence How circumspect and humble before him who is an all-seeing Majesty and a consuming Fire The indiscreet Devotions of the Sons of Aaron caused the Fire from the Lord to fall upon and consume them Vzzah's unseasonable officiousness and the impudence of the men of Bethshemesh in drawing near to God without respect were severely punished and shall I presume to draw near to my God with carelesness and indiscretion Shall I escape if I venture before him without due consideration Shall I expect any gracious returns of those prayers that are offered up with so little grace and dread of God's Power with so little sense of his glory and Majesty O let my Soul be silled with the fear and reverence of so fearful and holy a Being Let my mind be seasoned with such a dread of him that may not fright me from him but rather oblige me to draw nearer to him with more Devotion and Humility If we entertain such thoughts as these they will cleanse our Souls from all that sapersluity which will otherwise disgrace and spoil all our holy performances A little pause therefore before Prayer is needful for this purpose however it is an Act of Wisdom in so weighty a business to proceed on with caution and wariness and this little recollection of our selves which I recommend to every devout Soul before Prayer chiefly before the solemn and publick Prayers offered up to God in the publick Congregation cannot but be of a great use and very instrumental to prepare us for that Duty for thereby we may see what there is in us able to impede us in our addresses to God and what is likely to hinder a favourable return of our Petitions besides it savours much of that respect that God's greatness requires from us together with our Relation to him Keep thy foot saith the Wise man when thou goest to the House of God and be more ready to hear than to give the Sacrifice of Fools Ecclesiast 5.1 That is when thou goest to appear before God's Majesty keep thy self with watchfulness and circumspection and understand thy self thy disposition and what thou art and what thou dost that this sacred Frankincense of Prayer may be presented to God with the Ingredients necessary and from a. Soul rightly qualified Secondly For that purpose you must never come to God with any known sin unrepented of that is with any sin near and dear unto our Souls which we entertain with a Resolution never or not yet to part with For not only the sacred Word of God assures us that God heareth not Sinners John 9.31 but Reason also teacheth us that it consists not with his Wisdom to listen to the Prayers of such as will not hearken to his Commands to bestow his Blessings and Mercies upon such unworthy Souls as will not leave a sin for his sake or as prefer the filthy Pleasures of the Flesh to the sincere Joys of God's savour and the real advantage which slow from thence in abundance Therefore by the Mouth of the Prophet Isaiah he speaks thus to the Jews and to all impenitent Sinners When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine Eyes from you when you make many Prayers I will not hear The cause of this severity is discovered in the next words because your Hands are full of Blood All other sins as well as blood guiltiness are wont to divert God's Mercies from us and withdraw those good things which otherwise we might enjoy Our Prayers in such a case without this due Preparation savours of the greatest impudency and Atheistical boldness because we attempt the obtaining of God's Riches and Favours to our unworthy Beings and present before his all-seeing Eye Bodies distempered with Vice Hands full of Sin Eyes swelling with Pride or bearing the marks of Contempt of his Divine Majesty and a Soul that would never regard him were it not for our Wants and God's Riches The Prayers of such a Person will prevail no more upon God than the Sacrifice of Corah and his Confederates for he accepts not the Offerings presented by foul hands Purity and Innocency are required in such as come before God And tho' none of us can pretend to an absolute freedom from sin and from those wicked propensities to vice which render our Prayers ineffectual yet every one of us may cleanse our selves from all actual Transgressions by Repentance and make some amends by a repeated resolution against our beloved Sins and by an inward and hearty sorrow before we appear in God's presence for our past miscarriages for unless we appear in that temper our most just and
excuse you from this outward humility of the Body God requires it at your hands in the 99th Psalm and the fifth Verse Exalt ye the Lord our God and worship at his footstool And the Royal Prophet calls upon all devout Souls in the 95th Psalm ver 6. O come let us worship and bow down let us kneel before the Lord our maker In the next words this Religious Prince labours to stir you up to this Humility to this part of Piety by reasons drawn from God's Soveraignty his Power and Right over us For he is the Lord our God and we are the People of his Pasture and the sheep of his hand Hath thy God any Interest in thee O Christian Hast thou any respect for his Holy Name Dost thou look upon him as thy Creator Protector and Benefactor Hath he received thee into his Church and to the hopes of eternal Rewards Is this Body of thine to be admitted into his heavenly Sanctuary in all the Company of his Holy Angels to worship and bow before him Then prepare thy self for this future and happy Employment Express thy thanks for all his innumerable benefits by thy Reverence and Devotion to him as thy God with the outward Humility of the Body in all thy Addresses to his glorious Majesty whether it be in publick or in private but chiefly in the publick Prayers of the Church There not only the Honour of our God the Credit of our Profession the interest of our Brethren whose Devotions are apt to grow cold by the sight and sense of our negligence but your own Interest also as well as your Duty calls you to this outward respect for an unmannerly behaviour deserves the Curses contrary to those Blessings which we are there to beg of God However you can never expect in reason to be benefited by the Churches Prayers if you will not vouchsafe so much as to be outwardly concerned O Christians let not any popular mistakes nor any Schismatical prejudices rob you of the advantages which you might hope to obtain from God by a devout humble and affectionate attendance at the offering up of the Excellent Prayers of our Church for your good and happiness But if all these Reasons cannot prevail upon some stiff necked and invincible Souls so far as to cause them to be dutiful and humble in God's presence at the hour of Prayer let them consider that in our civil Conversation the want or the omission of a due respect is a disgrace to the Person that should render it for it causeth Men to be branded with the odious Names of Clowns Ill-bread Brutish and uncivil People Now they are the worst of Clowns that are so in Religion that know not or will not render the Hommage that is due from their Bodies to their God If therefore the respect that we have for him is not able to oblige us to a Civil Behaviour and decent Postures and Gestures in Prayer let the shame of Men if we be not insensible to that likewise cause us to behave our selves with decency with respect in God's presence as becomes Men of Reason and Christians of good breeding and extraction and not as Brute Beasts that have neither manners nor understanding But of all Men none are more engaged than such as Officiate publickly and are the Mouths of their People to offer up their Prayers with all the decency humility and outward Devotion which might serve to excite the Auditors to a due respect for as their Persons are eyed by the whole Congregation their Example is not without followers It hath a great influence upon all that are present either to encourage or discourage them in their publick Worship Therefore in their disrespectful offering up of the Prayers of the Church they are not only scandalous in their own Persons and guilty of dishonouring God disgracing their Religion profaning the publick Worship but they are likewise guilty of all the contempt negligence and unmannerly behaviour of their Attendants if it happens through their shameful and irreverent Praying Let therefore my Brethren of the Clergy seriously consider the apparent danger they are in by an omission of this Duty I am perswaded that our Nation alone had never fall'n into that extravagant humour to loath the Godly Forms of Prayer which all good Men both at home and abroad highly esteem were it not for their disrespectful handling and reading of them whose Duty it is to recommend and grace them by their pâ—actices Good things when they are delivered by a slovenly hand are usually rejected and it is the weakness of the Common people to value things not according to their true intrinsick worth but according as they appear outwardly to their Senses A Prayer that shines with the gay cloaths of Wit and invention and a good delivery shall meet with acceptance and draw many sighs and groans from an ignorant Soul tho' otherwise never so full of imperfections when many will scarce afford an hearing to the solid and divine Prayers of the Church How many in our late Days have delighted to listen to the unadvised and blasphemous Prayers of the Sons of Tumult and Division How many have spent their Days under the Pulpits of those bloody Saints without any discovery of weariness whereas they now Complain of tediousness when in our ordinary Devotions we employ a few minutes to implore God's divine Mercies according to the most approved and religious manner How comes it to pass that the extemporary productions of many idle and wicked Fancies have been far more esteemed amongst many of us than those wise and excellent Prayers composed in the beginning of our Reformation by such as have sealed the Protestant and Christian Truths with their Blood Those Prayers I say which are fitted to all Capacities recommended to us by the Piety and Practice of the Antient Catholick and Othodox Church and which are not to be mended by any humane endeavours This question gives me an occasion to speak to thee my Christian Reader of some few particulars concerning Prayer which the present dissentions amongst us render very seasonable First I shall speak in vindication of publick Forms of Prayer against the new Modes of Praying ex tempore Secondly I shall enquire into the true Causes of our unreasonable distastes at the publick Forms injoyned by authority in our Church of England Thirdly I shall offer to thee my Christian Brother some directions how thou shalt use this Liturgy with Comfort to thy Soul Fourthly I shall examine what praying by the Spirit is in the sense of St. Paul and of the Holy Fathers Amongst the ancient Hereticks I find none so bold as to attempt the total subversion of God's Divinâ— Worship or to bring in any other mode but that which was generally embraced in the places where they lived They ventured to oppose some certain Articles of our Christian Belief or to introduâ—â— vitious and irregular practices in the Church They made it their business to
their hearts and whilst they are or may be delighted with the Prayer whether their Souls are truly in a praying temper First Endeavour to be heartily reconciled with the Godly Forms of Prayer recommended in our Church employ Reason and Conscience to perswade thy self my Christian Brother to embrace what Duty commands that Duty which thou owest to Authority and thy interest obliges thee to practice Why should prejudice keep thee always blindfolded Why should Men of perverse judgments and corrupt designs impose upon thy judgment such gross mistakes Why wilt thou dote upon thine own Errors and entertain them with so much stiffness as if thy Salvation did thereupon depend those Errors I mean that cause thee to look upon our Prayers and Devotions as superstitious and make so great a breach in the Church where we live Make it thy business to understand the true ground of thine and others displeasures at our Forms of Prayer Take not things of that high concernment upon trust and captivate not thy discretion to the judgment of others never so learned but with the assistance of Reason and holy Scripture rightly interpreted labour to lift out the Truth To these and such like endeavours make use of Prayer to the God of peace that he may expel and drive away all the Mists of Error which keep thee at a distance from our manner of worshipping our great God Consider the necessity of those things that are therein desired the integrity of their first Composers the approbation of foreign Reformed Churches the Commands and Injunctions of the wise Governours of the Church and State who have no other intent in all their Laws relating to this purpose but thy Salvation and the publick Peace and Uniformity Is it possible that thou excellest them in discretion and judgment and that they are all mistaken in the good end which they purpose to themselves Without this reconcilement 't is not possible for thee to receive any benefit from our Prayers by joyning with us for thy Soul will never offer up heartily to God that for which it hath a strong aversion Secondly Overcome in thy Soul all inward displeasure which thou hast conceived against the Person of thy Minister officiating or distastes at his behaviour and actions What if he be openly scandalous or at variance with thee Let not his guiltiness cause thee to be guilty of irregularity or neglecting thy Duty to God and the interest of thy Soul Let not your mutual dissatisfaction cause you to be dissatisfied with God and his Worship Such Wicked Varlets as Hophni and Phineas are too apt to cause many to slight the Offerings of the Lord but they are not therefore excusable before God who requires an obedience to his Laws from every distinct person and allows not the vitiousness of the one to be pleaded for the disorderly behaviour of the other But certain it is that whilst thou art inwardly displeased with thy Minister thou canst never conjoyn thine heart with the Godly Prayers which proceed out of his mouth whilst thou art offended with his person his Prayers and his Words will never benefit thee much I shall not examine the many frivolous causes of distastes which the Men of our days entertain against the Clergy but this I dare affirm That it is both the Duty and Interest of a Parishioner to smother his anger and displeasure conceived against his Minister specially at the time of Divine Service when he is drawing near to God in Prayer if he will be in a possibility of praying right Look not on him at that time as thine Enemy but as thy Friend who prays for thy necessities as well as his own look not on him as one at a distance from thee but reconciled in the common Duties of Religion God forbid that the usual differences of Men about Worldly Interests should separate us in God's presence from one another and cause our variances to be eternal If therefore we are likely notwithstanding our present debates to meet unanimously to worship God's Majesty for all Eternity and sing to him angelical Halelujahs hereafter why may we not now suppress our displeasures stifle our passions and reconcile our selves in the Worship of our great Creator and common Benefactor For that intent it concerns thee not to mind so much the Person as the Petitions not so much the Minister as God for whose sake and at whose command thou art ready to forget the most sensible wrongs and check the strongest passions of hatred and displeasure Thirdly Think not that the vitious behaviour of any in the Congregation will be a prejudice to thy Prayers or hinder their accptance It is the common excuse of Men that are willing to excuse themselves from the Duties of Religion That in our publick Assemblies all sorts of persons are promiscuously admitted and that they cannot join in Prayers with the openly debauched or with persons that are known to be scandalous But this vain pretence proceeds many times from a proud conceit of our own Sanctity and favours of the Pharisees temper in the Gospel who had so much of impudence in his Prayer to God that the Publican's Humility was preferred before him God that sees all our actions and tempers knows how to put a disterence between thy relegious behaviour and the Vices of a wicked Christian 'T is not thy Neighbour's ungodliness that can prejudice thy Devotions Why shouldest thou be offended with that which God allows and the publick Unity and Peace of the Church requires We could wish that in our publick Assemblies all were Saints and Angels but seeing that is not to be expected to cull and pick out every vitious person or such as may be thought to be so by some ill-willers I am afraid scarce any would be left We must therefore bear with that which is not to be avoided and take heed that we disturb not the publick quiet more than the vitious and the profane by our indiscreet and Schismatical niceties Fourthly If thou wilt offer up the Prayers of the Church with benefit to thy Soul and with the affections of thy Heart carefully observe the motions of the Body enjoined in the Common-Prayer who knows but that this submission and this custom will have a speedy influence upon thy mind to cause thy Soul to join in the same respects to God Certain it is that the nearness of Relation between them will beget a mutual compliance between the actions of the one and the affections of the other so that the often practising of things must needs reconcile us to those performances and remove the strongest prejudices that are not grounded in reason nor strengthened by divine Revelation If therefore any weak Brother cannot at present comply with the Devotions of the Church of England if he finds an inward repugnancy for the publick Prayers which hinders him from receiving the comfort and benefit thereby intended let him follow and try my advice but a few Months Let him
we may so pass through things Temporal that we finally lose not the things Eternal for Jesus Christ his sake our Lord. Amen GRant O Lord we beseech thee that the Course of this World may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance that we and thy whole Church may joyfully serve thee in all Godly quietness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen LOrd of all Power and might who art the Author and giver of all good things Graft in our Hearts the love of thy Name increase in us true Religion nourish us with all goodness and of thy great Mercy keep us in the same through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O Merciful God bless and preserve we pray thee our Princes defend them from all their Enemies direct them in all their Counsels assist them in all their religious purposes grant them and the Church amongst us peace and prosperity in this Life and everlasting Happiness in the life to come Bless all the Royal Family the Nobility the Magistrates the Gentry and People of this Land Grant us Peaâ—e and Truth and preserve us from Heresie Schism Superstition and Idolatry for Jesus Christ his sake Amen 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 wâ— forgive them that Trespass against us And lead us not into Temptation But deliver us from all Evil. For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen THe Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen Another Morning Prayer for a Family when Business is most urgent TUrn thy Face away from our sins O Lord and blot out all our Offences Make us clean Hearts O God and renew right Spirits within us Ps 51. Almighty and Everlasting God mercifullly look upon our Infirmities and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy Right Hand to help and defend us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen O God whose Blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the Works of the Devil and make us the Sons of God and Heirs of Eternal Life Grant us we beseech thee that having this Hope we may purifie our selves as he is pure that we may walk in newness of life and follow the Examples of his Patience Piety and Holiness that when he shall appear with Power and Glory we may be made like unto him in his glorious Kingdom Amen O Lord be merciful to us and our Nation bless the King's Majesty and our Queen with Life and happiness their Counsellors with Wisdom their Armies with Victory their Subjects with Peace and Prosperity Bless the Nobility the Clergy and Commonalty in their goings out and comings in Bless us we beseech thee and all our Relations with Spiritual and Temporal Mercies And all these Blessings we beg for Jesus Christ his sake in whose perfect Form of Prayer we sum up all our desires as he hath taught us 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 all Evil. For thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen THe Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Love of God the Father and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all Amen Another Morning PRAYER for a Family O Gracious God the Creator and Protector of Mankind whose continued goodness we have lately experienced in the safety and preservation of the last Night We bless thy Holy Name for this and all other expressions of thy Mercy to us we acknowledge that as thou art the Author of our Beings it is thy good Providence that maintains and defends them from all dangers and Enemies that incompass us about It is thy watchful Eye that sees all their contrivances to destroy us It is thy Wisdom that knows how to defeat their Craftiest purposes It is thy Power alone that can disappoint and oppose their wicked and hellish Plots We are not ignorant O Lord of their malice and our continual dangers dangers that proceed from the contrivances of Spiritual and Temporal Enemies we desire therefore to be heartily thankful for we are really sensible of thy merciful protection hitherto and to ascribe all the Honour and Praise of our preservation and deliverance to thy Wisdom and Providence alone But O merciful Father let this expression of thy goodness the foundation of all thy Blessings be still continued to us we are sensible of our undeservings our sins and wickednesses are multiplied our provocations and ingratitudes have been many our many deficien ies in all our Duties might justly cause thee to leave us to our selves for the future and expose us naked to the subtilties and power of our Enemies who would quickly devour us But we implore thy mercy at this time and intreat thee to forgive us our Trespasses to pardon our Infirmities and to pass by all our Transgressions for the Lord Jesus his sake In his Name and through his Merits we approach with all humility to the throne of thy grace to beg the forgiveness of all our Iniquities and the continuance of thy protection and Mercies Temporal and Spiritual How weak are we of our selves How soon cast into our Graves and what is Man that he should be able to defend us when the least blast deprives him of Life and Being Thou art therefore and thou alone O great God of Heaven thou art only able to defend us in the following course of our Life from visible and invisible perils Let thy Mercy be continued to us shelter us from the malicious designs of all our Enemies frustrate their wicked purposes lead us in all our ways direct us in all our paths bless us in all our undertakings we live in a crooked Generation in a world that overflows with sin and wickedness and our Conversation is amongst evil-doers let therefore thy Wisdom and thy fear so possess our Souls that we may not be drawn away by the Vices of the Age nor intangled in such Labryinths of Sin as might indanger our eternal welfare Suffer us not to be inticed with the allurements of unlawful Pleasure and Profit We trust not to our selves O Lord and our own frail resolutions because we have broken them so often that we have cause to mistrust our selves and to rely chiefly upon thy merciful guidance Let thy Truth direct us and thy Spirit lead us as well as thy Power protect us from the invasion of Error and Vice give us a right understanding of thy Will an unchangeable resolution to practise it suffer us not to be drawn aside neither by fear nor by profit from the
Evening Prayer for a single Person O Being of Beings the great Creator of the World and preserver of Mankind by whose gracious goodness I am now alive and brought safe through the many dangers and inconveniencies of this mortal Life to the close of this day I humbly acknowledge thy Providence and merciful Protection Thou hast fed me with thy Creatures defended me by thy Power instructed me in thy Truth admitted me into thy Church for these and all other Mercies received from thy Bountiful hand I return thee my homage and Thanks and confess my self unworthy of the meanest of thy Favours by reason of the many Provocations that I am guilty of O Lord I have sinned against Heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son my Transgressions are multiplyed every day and mine Iniquities are without number How easily have I yielded to the Power of Temptations how often have I broken thy sacred Laws Gracious God be merciful be merciful to me a Sinner blot out all mine Iniquities and forgive me for the sake of my dear and only Saviour who is dead and intercedes for me Accept his Sacrifice and Mediation for my poor Soul grieved with the sense of Sin Give me true Repentance and that Frame of Spirit and Holy Resolution unto which thou hast promised in thy Holy Word mercy and forgiveness As thou hast begun the Work of Reformation in me perfect it I beseech thee by the continual influences of thy Holy Spirit forsake me not good God nor leave me to my wretched self but let thy Truth and Wisdom direct my Understanding and thy grace govern my Will in the practice of Piety Suffer me not to be overcome by the mistakes and inticements of Sin and Satan defend my Soul from all wicked impressions and infections of the World As thou hast redeemed me for thy self let not Vice nor Error draw me from thee nor the dangerous Allurements of Earthly Vanities but as my dependency is upon thy Power let my expectation of Happiness be from thy Bounty and my delight be in fulfilling thy holy Will Strengthen and increase in me all goodness Let every day bring me nearer to thee and to that Purity and Holiness without which no Man shall see thy Face Time that carries me apace to my cold Tomb minds me of an Eternity of a Resurrection and the last Judgment Prepare me I beseech thee for this last Account and that terrible Day wherein every Man shall give up an account of his Actions before a Righteous and Impartial Judge Grant that I may find Mercy and Favour at the hands of my great Redeemer and be admitted into the Joys of his Paradise And as I am now going to lye me down to refresh my weary Body with rest blessed God be merciful to me this Night protect me from all dangers and Evils Suffer not the Malice of the Devils nor of Wicked Men to hurt this outward Tabernacle nor the precious Soul that is within keep from me all troublesom Dreams and Thoughts and whether sleeping or waking let my Soul be armed with a reliance upon thy Goodness and Power grant me a moderate Rest that I may be better enabled to serve thee in my Generation and proceed on in the Employment unto which thy Providence hath called me In which let my chief aim be to advance thy glory rather than my own fordid Interest and to mind the careful management of all the Talents which thou hast put into my hands that I may as a good Servant and Steward improve and increase them Look in mercy upon all my Relations wheresoever they be let thy Grace thy Truth and Goodness accompany and protect them during their abode here below Crown with the choicest of thy Blessings our Religious King and Queen shield them from the wicked attempts of all their Enemies and give them long Life Health and Prosperity now and at last receive them into everlasting happiness Bless all their Royal Relations give them all Grace to be instrumental in promoting the Interest of thy Truth Godliness and Virtue that they may answer the good ends for which thou hast put much into their Hands Bless all Governours and Magistrates give them Grace to prefer thine Honour and Glory to all other Corrupt purposes whatsoever Defend this Nation from all Plots and Conspiracies defeat the Designs of all our Enemies and disappoint all Combinations against it If thou wilt afflict us good God let it be for a time take not thy Truth and Gospel from us and our Posterity and sanctifie all thy Judgments and Mercies to us that they may effect and produce in us that Reformation and those Graces for which they are intended Spread thy Gospel and Truth all over the World pull down Antichrist let all Nations understand thy Will and readily submit unto it Be merciful unto all Sons and Daughters of Affliction comfort and succour all sick Persons and such as are grieved with the loss of Goods Friends or Relations Be thou their good God and Saviour in thy due time giving them grace to submit to thee to trust upon thee and to expect from thy mercy alone a seasonable and proper Remedy to all their pressures and troubles And now blessed Lord I recommend my self again into thy merciful hands and conclude these my imperfect Prayers with that most perfect Form recommended to us by my good Saviour in whose Name I beg aâ—â— for whose sake I intreat thee O merciful Father grant me these my Requests and all other Mercies which thou knowest needful for my Soul and Body 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 Tespasses as we forgive them that Trespass against us And lead us not into Temptation But deliver us from Evil For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen An Evening Prayer for young Persons and Children O God who hast received me amongst thy Children instructed me in thy Truth and called me to be a Professor of thy Holy Religion Great and merciful Creator who hast been my Proteor and Defender from all dangers look down in mercy upon me and continue thy Favours to me the remaining part of my Life I see and experience every day the manifold expressions of thy goodness Thy Holy Name be praised for them all Give me more and more a Sense of thy mercifulness and a grateful heart that in these tender Years I may learn my great Duty to serve and glorifie thee on Earth and prepare my self for an Eternity for this purpose increase my knowledge and the graces thou hast been pleased to bestow upon me through a good Education of my Religious Parents Bless all my endeavours and theirs imprint thy holy Fear in my tender Soul preserve me from ill Company from the Vices and Errors of
an immortal Nature to continue for ever as thy self and I am going apace to this boundless Eternity and as I am thine Image and Creature O that I may live with thee for ever cast me not away into endless Torments make me an Eternal Monument of thy Mercy and goodness receive me into thine everlasting Rest for Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Meditation and Prayer upon God's Almighty Power O Dreadful Majesty of Heaven where-ever I cast my Eyes thy Power shines before me clearer than the Sun at Noon-day In the make of this great Fabrick of the World and in the disposal and continuance of all the several Parts how visibly doth thine extraordinary Power appear the Heavens and all the Elements are Witnesses and Trumpeters of thy glorious Power which nothing can oppose or stop The Devils that are revolted from thee do yet own and are subject to thine Omnipotency they are held fast in Chains and are so restrained by thine Almighty Hand that they cannot possibly move without thy permission When I cast mine Eyes upon the Seas and consider the vastness and fury of the Waves When I look up to Heaven and see the many glorious and large Globes of Light some settleed and fixed others rowling in their several Spheres O my God how wonderfully doth thy Power appear to me in all these things And as thou art the only Original of all Virtue and Power I have reason to conclude that all Creatures together cannot stop thine hand and that there is nothing impossible with thee as thou hast been able to Create all things thou art able to govern and rule their unruliness and greatest Fury to the setting forth of thy Glory and whatsoever thou hast promised thou wilt surely perform and art fully able to accomplish O Almighty Creator give me a real sense of thy Power that I may stand in awe of it that I may trust upon it in time of need that I may believe in thy Word and Promises that my Soul may rest and rely upon thee alone and never doubt of thy Protection and of thy Power to save me Amen A Meditation and Prayer upon the Wisdom of God and his infinite Knowledge O Infinite Being thy Wisdom is answerable to thine Almighty Power and hath the same Creatures to manifest and set it forth Wherever I see the one I must needs take notice of the other that is obvious to every Eye in the disposition of all things that are made in their fashion and composition in their Inclinations and tendencies in the design and purpose of their Creation in their mutual Correspondencies and Government and in the Laws and Rules that they observe Is there any of so dull an apprehension that cannot observe a more than ordinary Wisdom in all these particulars Can we see the Sun Moon and Stars observe their appointed and annual Motions and Stations without variation and not think upon thy Wisdom O Almighty God who hast stretched forth the Heavens like a Curtain and rulest over all Well may I cry out with the Blessed David in admiration of all these Blessed Wonders In Wisdom hast thou made them all But what need have I to look at such a distance for the Foot-steps and Evidences of Divine Wisdom In my Body and Soul and in every Member wherein the Great World is Epitomized and the Incomprehensible Attributes of the Unity and Trinity shadowed out here are wonderful and surprising expressions of thy Wisdom that I carry about me Wherefore O my God hast thou opened mine Eyes and bestowed upon me an understanding Nature to observe all these things but that I should meditate and admire thy great Wisdom that shines before me brighter than the Sun O Eternal Wisdom of Heaven as I am thine Image grant me a share of this Wisdom imprint in my Soul such Habits of Wisdom and Knowledge that I may fear and admire thy Divine Majesty and the rather because thine all-seeing Eye is every where to take notice of my behaviour and actions There is no darkness nor shadow of Death where Iniquity may hide or retreat from thy Knowledge All things are naked and open before thee thou hast a perfect insight into all the Inclinations of my Heart and Soul and fore-seest what shall happen in this great World with the several Causes O wonderful Knowledge that comprehends the Sparrows in the Market and the Lillies of the Field and the meanest Beings that owe all to thee a subsistence O wonderful Wisdom and Knowledge that extends it self over all the parts of this great Fabrick and nothing is exempted from the benefits that are procured thereby Give me O my God such an understanding of this infinite Knowledge and of thine All seeing Eye that I may stand in awe of thy Divine Presence that I may fear to displease thee that my Soul may be always in such a disposition as becomes a Creature and a Servant of so Holy so Powerful and such an All-seeing Majesty Amen A Meditation and Prayer UPON THE Goodness of God Manifested in Nature and Providence O Universal Goodness that opens thy Hand to all things that have a Being and furnishest so many Sorts of Creatures out of thine overslowing abundance with so much sweetness and variety of Pleasures How full must be the Stores out of which so many Millions are continually supplyed From what overflowing Ocean of Delight and Joy proceed so many Streams that yield a sufficiency to all and yet there is an overplus left for more O wonderful Goodness that knowest how to supply every Creature with that which is most suitable to its Appetite and Nature and givest a contentment to the several species according to their Capacities and Tempers Through how many differing Channels does this inexhaustible Goodness convey to us the necessaries and conveniencies of Life Man of all sublunary subsistencies seems to be the chief Favourite of the Divine Goodness other things and Creatures have their short allowances in comparison of Man It is upon him that thou dost heap the Riches and Satisfactions of the Earth It is to him thou hast granted thy most signal Favours It is in his Bosom that thou dost empty all varieties of sweetness and Earthly Comforts without any regard to his deservings O Impartial and disinterested Goodness that expects no returns but such as may give thee the Glory and us the Benefit and may be a means to sanctifie and increase our Blessings How ready should we be to comply with this inexpressible Goodness and answer the Expressions of thy Favours with such easie cheap and profitable returns Should we be backward to acknowledge that which every moment we may be sensible of and when the bare acknowledgment will produce unto us fresh Recruits and greater tokens of Love from thine unwearied Bounty O let me never forget thy goodness my good God expressed and experienced in my Creation thy Providence in making me a rational Creature and giving me an immortal Soul with
lead me through these Briars and Thorns Must I suffer all these Losses and Crosses and drink this bitter Cup of thy displeasure I am content to do it seeing it is thy Holy Will and am perswaded that all these things shall turn to mine advantage at last My Griefs indeed are encreased and my Sorrows are multiplied Nature cannot but complain at the sight and sense of so much Misery but I will give a check to my natural Affections and will bring them to yield submission to thy Heavenly Wisdom What Noble Examples have I before me of those Worthies of former Ages who have been as severely treated and tryed as I am or like to be and yet these were thy chosen and thy dearest Children and shall I misinterpret these Corrections from thy Hand and think them to be signs of thy Wrath Shall I murmur to be handled as my great Saviour was and drink in the same Cup of Affliction with him He swallow'd the very dregs of Bitterness and Grief but thy Mercy and Goodness has sweetned my Cup with an infusion of some contentments that are yet left me Thou hast not removed all my Delights thou hast not taken from me all the former Expressions of thy Bounty if thou afflictest me in one part of my self thou dost comfort me in another and thy Corrections are not so grievous as to deprive me of all help and satisfaction O my God I humbly acknowledge that I deserve a severer treatment from thy Justice than I have yet experienced and find that thy Mercy does spare my weakness and alleviate the burden that thou hast laid upon me I trust that thou wilt not send greater Afflictions than I am able well to bear and in due time thy Wisdom will give me ease and deliverance But I see by these proceedings the Sins and Provocations that I am guilty of by these Losses thou dost mind me of that Idolatrous Affection that I gave away to these vanities By these deprivations I perceive I abused these temporal Mercies by this Adversity thou dost render my abode in the World uneasie that I might long and seek for Heaven and prepare my self for thine Eternal Rest Blessed God grant that I may rightly understand these excellent Admonitions of thy Providence but never suffer me to be so weary as to hasten or be any ways instrumental in procuring my departure I will wait thy leisure and time and suffer thy Divine Hand to dispose of my Soul and Body I reverence O my God all thine Orders let them be never so grievous and let them take from me never so many worldly Comforts I received them first from thy Liberality and it is but just I should resign them to thee again when thou requirest Naked I came into the World and naked I must return back again Whatever O Heavenly Father thou dost condemn me to lose let me never lose thy Favour that will make a sufficient amends for all my other Crosses and procure me greater advantages than the World can afford Sanctifie I beseech thee all the Actings of thy Providence to me Cause me to make that improvement that is design'd Wean my Heart and Affections from the World Encrease and strengthen thy Grace in me that my Soul may be supported by Faith and Patience and in the midst of the greatest Calamities enjoy a Divine Contentment O my God I know thou canst remove this Affliction from me and bring a Remedy to my most sensible Griefs I am perswaded that in thy due time I shall see an alteration I shall see my Sorrows turn'd into Joys my Sufferings into Ease my Losses repaired and all these Clouds of Affliction vanish and give way to the Sun-shine of Prosperity However thou art pleased to dispose of me I beseech thee cast me not away from thine Eternal Presence Support me with thy Grace and Goodness in the midst of all my Troubles Lead me in the Paths of Truth and Righteousness Sanctifie my Soul and prepare it for a departure hence and when thou shalt loose it from my weak and infirm Body receive it into thine Heavenly Sanctuary Amen A Meditation and Prayer in time of Health O My Mercisul Creator who hast blessed me with a perfect Body and a healthy Constitution free from the pains and aches that I see other men groan under thy Holy Name be praised for this great Temporal Mercy by which I am enabled to tast and relish a greater sweetness in all my Enjoyments How unworthy should I be if I should misemploy this strength and this health in sinning against thy Divine Majesty if I should cast it away in the service of the Devil and the gratifying of my Lusts What a folly is it for me to run into such Debauchery and Extravagancies of Life as to undermine my Health and willingly to part with this rich Jewel and great Blessing How shall I answer for the loss of this Talent if I take no care to preserve it and what shall I say to my great Lord if I wilfully cast it away and if I abuse the Creatures that he hath given me to strengthen it in ruining my Body and advancing my Death how Criminal shall I appear Thou O my God art my best Physician and the Precepts of good living recommended to me in thy Holy Word the most effectual Cordials to corroborate and confirm my health Thy Goodness hath not only granted it to me but afforded in Nature means in thy Divine Oracles Rules to maintain it Shall I be so indiscreet not to follow thy wholsom Directions shall I slight thy Sacred Advices and Commands Without thy Blessing this strong Body will soon decay and will it not be just for thee to withdraw it from an unworthy Contemner of thy Holy Laws shall I rather listen to the whisperings and pernicious suggestions of my vile Lusts and to the Devil's Temptations than to thee my good and merciful Creator who desirest and hast endeavoured to encourage my real happiness here and hereafter What a madness for a moment of sinful and deceitful pleasure to ruine my health to spoil my souâ—d Body and cast into it the Seeds of Diseases Distempers Pains Aches and Death also Whilst I continue in thy fear and in the practice of thy Commands in the Rules of Sanctity Sobriety and Temperance I have the assurance of thy Blessing to accompany and continue this great advantage but if I run out extravagantly and follow the evil Customs of this wicked World I shall infallibly meet with Plagues Torments and Death My Body is surrounded by many Enemies and I carry about me that which naturally will undermine its strength and vigour besides Old Age will bring me at last to my Grave and cast my health and beauty into the dust How weak is this Earthly Tabernacle made up of Clay how soon is it destroyed by the meanest Things what reason have I to trust upon my natural strength when so many young and lusty Persons are
thee for ever and ever Come Lord Jesus come quickly receive me into thy Sacred Embraces I will wait thy leisure send thine Holy Angels to convey my Soul into thy gracious presence that I may rejoyce for ever with thine Elect and glorifie thy Mercy Ease me of my grievous pains relieve my sorrowful Soul comfort it with a Beam of thy Countenance Thou hast redeemed it O my sweet Jesus receive it as thine own purchase I yield it up unto thee Turn my sorrows into joys my sufferings and agony into pleasures laid up at thy right hand Assist me with thine intercession and plead for me O my Heavenly Advocate Amen A Meditation and Prayer for such as are going to the Publick Assemblies to hear the word of God O Eternal Wisdom what a mercy is this to Instruct and Teach us at our Doors to enable enlighten inspire and send Messengers so near our Dwellings to direct us in the right way of Eternal Happiness What a condescention is this to speak to us in our own Language according to our Capacities by Men whose presence express nothing but meekness and love was it not sufficient O blessed God that thou shouldest open to us the large Book of Nature to inform us of thy Will and Sacred Laws by so many Characters imprinted in every thing that is made was it not sufficient for our Learning to shew us thy pleasure in the several leaves of another Book of Providence opened to us wide every day of our Life but must thy tender compassion of our Natural ignorance unmindfulness and wilful corruption teach us by such plain easie and excellent methods so full of kindness and love Must the repetition be so frequent must thou so often visit and call upon us to study and meditate upon the Divine Matters Certainly our minds are too much wedded to the World and too much enclined to irregular actions seeing thou hast judged needful to repeat so often to us our Duties and we want every weeks instruction to withdraw our contemplation from Evil and Vanity Should not our diligence answer in some respect thy continual Care O Merciful Wisdom and as frequently meet thee as we are called upon by these Publick Summons Doubtless the business that we are to mind is of importance seeing my Creator thinks necessary to interpose his Divine Authority and to speak to us himself though by the tongue of a Mortal Man With what reverence and dread ought I to approach the gracious presence of my God who vouchsafes to speak and instruct me in such a loving manner His Word and Laws should not in reason have the less power and impression upon me because of his condescention to my weakness and Capacity Should I despise the mercies of my God that are so great and wonderful delivered to me in earthen vessels O Blessed and Heavenly Wisdom I am called away from my Temporal Affairs to wait upon thee and hearken to the Divine Matters that shall be proposed which relate to my Eternal Interest Their excellency requires my attention and diligent enquiry for this supernatural knowledge which is able to save my Soul Here thou dost reveal unto me what I am and what I should be and what I shall be Here are discovered the admirable Mysteries of the Holy Trinity and Unity of the Incarnation and Redemption Here thou dost unbosome thy self to mortal Creatures and shewest the tenderness of thine affection to us Here I may have a prospect of the unspeakable riches of Heaven and see the Glories that are laid up for me in thine Eternal Sanctuary These are Matters worthy of the Angels prying into these are Meditations fit for the Heavenly Spirits and shall I neglect or despise them shall I idle away this precious moment designed for the benefit of mine immortal Soul My gracious God cause me to increase in Grace and in the Divine knowledge of my Redemption enlighten mine Understanding with a clear apprehension of the Heavenly Truths Sanctifie the outward preaching of thy word that it may be effectual and able to work upon my will Give me an attentive ear and an obedient heart willing to submit to and practise whatsoever thou shalt command Deliver me from the ill consequences of Errors Partiality and Prejudice and make me truly thankful to thee for this great Blessing Remove not thy Gospel from us but save us from the pernicious Plots of the Antichristian Heresie Unite all of us in our Worship and Church that we may study to preserve the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace And being all together united now in the Church Militant we may be all the more ready and prepared to enter in due time into the Church Triumphant into that Glorious Kingdom of Love and Peace where our Sanctification shall be compleated our Knowledge perfected and our Employment for ever shall be to Celebrate and Sing forth thy Praises with the Chorus of Heavenly Spirits Amen A Prayer for Souldiers before a Fight O Lord of Hosts Creator and Preserver of the World look upon us in mercy at this time that we are going to hazard our Lives for the Honour an Interest of our King and Kingdom and for the Glory of thy Name and the Preservation of thy true Religion amongst us We are confident in the Justice and Equity of our Cause against these disturbers of the peace and happiness of Mankind Good God assist us with Victory and Success strengthen our Courages give us Undaunted Spirits stand by thine own Cause and such as Fight for the Preservation of thy Church and Kingdom We trust not upon our selves nor upon our numbers and resolutions but upon thy Providence and Celestial Vertue which we beseech thee to send unto us in the midst of danger suffering us not to betray the trust repose in us by any weakness or fear we know that thine Almighty hand and all-seeing eye disposes of all things and that no violence can hurt us without thy Commission O Merciful God let our Lives be precious in thy sight preserve our Persons from the violence of the shot and sharpness of the Enemies Weapons that we may yet live to praise thee and serve thee in our Generations in that station of Life unto which we are called We trust it is not unpleasing to thee who vouchsafest to be named the God of Armies and seeing the necessity of the Kingdom unto which we belong requires it Bless us therefore we pray thee O merciful Saviour in these our undertakings assist our General and Officers with Wisdom and Skill and all of us with an undaunted Spirit and entire dependance upon thy will and disposal Whatever happens to these Bodies of Clay which we are willing to Sacrifice for thy Glory look in mercy upon our precious Souls pardon and forgive the former weaknesses of our lives accept of the blood of our Surety and Redeemer for us and for his sake receive our immortal Beings into thy favour and Celestial