PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS,
According to the Religion and Purposes of this foregoing Considerations.
I.
O eternal God, who from all eternity dost behold and love thy own glories and
perfections infinite, and hast created me to do the work of God after the
manner of men, and to serve thee in this generation and according to my
capacities, give me thy grace, that I may be a curious and prudent spender of
my time, so as I may best prevent or resist all temptation, and be profitable
to the Christian commonwealth, and, by discharging all my duty, may glorify thy
name. Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and an active
spirit, and wisdom to choose my employment; that I may do works proportionable
to my person and to the dignity of a Christian, and may fill up all the spaces
of my time with actions of religion and charity; that, when the devil assaults
me, he may not find me idle; and my dearest Lord, at his sudden coming, may
find me busy in lawful, necessary, and pious actions, improving my talent
entrusted to me by thee, my Lord; that I may enter into the joy of my Lord, to
partake of his eternal felicities, even for thy mercy's sake, and for my
dearest Saviour's sake. Amen.
Here follows the devotion of ordinary days, for
the right employment of those portions of time which every day must allow for
religion.
Humbly and reverently compose yourself, with heart lift up to God, and your
head bowed, and meekly kneeling upon your knees, say the Lord's Prayer: after
which use the following collects, or as many of them as you shall choose.
I. An Act of Adoration, being the song that the angels sing in heaven.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come:[38] heaven and earth, angels and men, the air
and the sea, give glory, and honour, and thanks to him that sitteth on the
throne, who liveth for ever and ever.[39] All
the blessed spirits and souls of the righteous cast their crowns before the
throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever.[40] Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and
power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and
were created. Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and
true are thy ways, thou King of saints.[41]
Thy wisdom is infinite, thy mercies are glorious and I am not worthy, O Lord,
to appear in thy presence, before whom the angels hide their faces. O holy and
eternal Jesus, Lamb of God, who wert slain from the beginning of the world,
thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation, and hast made us
unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign with thee for ever.
Blessing, honour, glory, and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and
to the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.
II. An Act of Thanksgiving, being the song of David, for the morning.
Sing praises unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks to him for a
remembrance of his holiness. For his wrath endureth but the twinkling of an
eye, and in his pleasure is life: heaviness may endure for a night, but joy
cometh in the morning. Thou, Lord, hast preserved me this night from the
violence of the spirits of darkness, from all sad casualties and evil
accidents, from the wrath which I have every day deserved; thou hast brought my
soul out of hell; thou hast kept my life from them that go down into the pit;
thou hast showed me marvelous great kindness, and hast blessed me for ever: the
greatness of thy glory reacheth unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the
clouds. Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing. O my
God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Hallelujah!
III. An Act of Oblation, or presenting ourselves to God for the day.
Most holy and eternal God, lord and sovereign of all the creatures, I humbly
present to thy Divine Majesty myself, my soul and body, my thoughts and my
words, my actions and intentions, my passions and my sufferings, to be disposed
by thee to thy glory; to be blessed by thy providence; to be guided by thy
counsel; to be sanctified by thy Spirit; and afterwards that my body and soul
may be received into glory: for nothing can perish which is under thy custody;
and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is thy portion, nor take it out of
thy hands. This day, O Lord, and all the days of my life, I dedicate to thy
honour, and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace, and the religion of
all my days to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour
Jesus, that in him and for him I may be pardoned and accepted. Amen.
IV. An Act of Repentance or Contrition.
For as for me, I am not worthy to be called thy servant, much less am I worthy
to be thy son; for I am the vilest of sinners and the worst of men; a lover of
the things of the world, and a despiser of the things of God; proud and
envious, lustful and intemperate, greedy of sin, and impatient of reproof;
desirous to seem holy, and negligent of being so; transported with interest;
fooled with presumption and false principles; disturbed with anger, with a
peevish and unmortified spirit, and disordered by a whole body of sin and
death. Lord, pardon all my sins for my sweetest Saviour's sake; thou, who didst
die for me, holy Jesus, save me and deliver me; reserve not my sins to be
punished in the day of wrath and eternal vengeance; but wash away my sins, and
blot them out of thy remembrance, and purify my soul with the waters of
repentance and the blood of the cross; that, for what is past, thy wrath may
not come out against me; and, for the time to come, I may never provoke thee to
anger or to jealousy. O just and dear God, be pitiful and gracious to thy
servant. Amen.
V. The Prayer or Petition.
Bless me, gracious God, in my calling to such purposes as thou shalt choose for
me, or employ me in: relieve me in all my sadnesses; make my bed in my
sickness; give me patience in my sorrows, confidence in thee, and grace to call
upon thee in all temptations. O be thou my guide in all my actions; my
protector in all dangers; give me a healthful body, and a clear understanding;
a sanctified and just, a charitable and humble, a religious and a contented
spirit; let not my life be miserable and wretched; nor my name stained with sin
and shame; nor my condition lifted up to a tempting and dangerous fortune: but
let my condition be blessed, my conversation useful to my neighbours, and
pleasing to thee; that when my body shall lie down in its bed of darkness, my
soul may pass into the regions of light, and live with thee for ever, through
Jesus Christ. Amen.
VI. An Act of Intercession or Prayer for others, to be added to this or any
other office, as our devotion or duty, or their needs, shall determine us.
O God of infinite mercy, who hast compassion on all men, and relievest the
necessities of all that call to thee for help, hear the prayers of thy servant,
who is unworthy to ask any petition for himself, yet, in humility and duty, is
bound to pray for others.
For the Church.
O let thy mercy descend upon the whole church; preserve her in truth and peace,
in unity and safety, in all storms, and against all temptations and enemies;
that she, offering to thy glory the never-ceasing sacrifice of prayer and
thanksgiving, may advance the honour of her Lord, and be filled with his
Spirit, and partake of his glory. Amen.
For the King.
In mercy, remember the king; preserve his person in health and honour; his
crown in wealth and dignity; his kingdoms in peace and plenty; the churches
under his protection in piety and knowledge, and a strict and holy religion;
keep him perpetually in thy fear and favour, and crown him with glory and
immortality. Amen.
For the Clergy.
Remember them that minister about holy things; let them be clothed with
righteousness, and sing with joyfulness. Amen.
For Wife or Husband.
Bless thy servant (my wife, or husband) with health of body and of spirit. O
let the hand of thy blessing be upon his/her head night and day, and support
him/her in all necessities, strengthen him/her in all temptations, comfort
him/her in all his/her sorrows, and let him/her be thy servant in all changes;
and make us both to dwell with thee for ever in thy favour, in the light of thy
countenance, and in thy glory. Amen.
For our Children.
Bless my children with healthful bodies, with good understandings, with the
graces and gifts of thy Spirit, with sweet dispositions and holy habits; and
sanctify them throughout in their bodies, and souls, and spirits, and keep them
unblamable to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
For Friends and Benefactors.
Be pleased, O Lord, to remember my friends, all that have prayed for me, and
all that have done me good. (Here name such whom you would especially
recommend.) Do thou good to them, and return all their kindness double into
their own bosom, rewarding them with blessings, and sanctifying them with thy
graces, and bringing them to glory.
For our Family.
Let all my family and kindred, my neighbours and acquaintance (here name what
other relations you please) receive the benefit of my prayers, and the
blessings of God, the comforts and supports of thy providence, and the
sanctification of thy Spirit.
For all in Misery.
Relieve and comfort all the persecuted and afflicted; speak peace to troubled
consciences; strengthen the weak; confirm the strong; instruct the ignorant;
deliver the oppressed from him that spoileth him; and relieve the needy that
hath no helper; and bring us all, by the waters of comfort, and in the ways of
righteousness, to the kingdom of rest and glory, through Jesus Christ, our
Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, etc. Our Father, etc.
I.
Most glorious and eternal God, Father of mercy, and God of all comfort, I
worship and adore thee with the lowest humility of my soul and body, and give
thee all thanks and praise for thy infinite and essential glories and
perfections, and for the continual demonstration of thy mercies upon me, upon
all mine, and upon thy holy catholic church.
II.
I acknowledge, dear God, that I have deserved the greatest of thy wrath and
indignation; and that, if thou hadst dealt with me according to my deserving, I
had now, at this instant, been desperately bewailing my miseries in the sorrows
and horrors of a sad eternity. But thy mercy triumphing over thy justice and my
sins, thou hast still continued to me life and time of repentance; thou hast
opened to me the gates of grace and mercy, and perpetually callest upon me to
enter in, and to walk in the paths of a holy life, that I might glorify thee,
and be glorified of thee eternally.
III.
Behold, O God, for this thy great and unspeakable goodness, for the
preservation of me this night, and for all other thy graces and blessings, I
offer up my soul and body, all that I am, and all that I have, as a sacrifice
to thee and thy service, humbly begging of thee to pardon all my sins, to
defend me from all evil, to lead me into all good; and let my portion be
amongst thy redeemed ones in the gathering together of the saints, in the
kingdom of grace and glory.
IV.
Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world; that in all
things that shall happen I may have an evenness and tranquility of spirit; that
my soul may be wholly resigned to thy divine will and pleasure, never murmuring
at thy gentle chastisements and fatherly correction; never waxing proud and
insolent, though I feel a torrent of comforts and prosperous successes.
V.
Fix my thoughts, my hopes, and my desires upon heaven and heavenly things;
teach me to despise the world, to repent deeply for my sins; give me holy
purposes of amendment and ghostly strength, and assistance to perform
faithfully whatsoever I shall intend piously. Enrich my understanding with an
eternal treasure of Divine Truths, that I may know thy will: and thou, who
workest in us to will and to do of thy good pleasure, teach me to obey all thy
commandments, to believe all thy revelations, and make me partaker of all thy
gracious promises.
VI.
Teach me to watch over all my ways, that I may never be surprised by sudden
temptations or a careless spirit, nor ever return to folly and vanity. Set a
watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips, that I offend not
in my tongue, neither against piety nor charity. Teach me to think of nothing
but thee, and what is in order to thy glory and service: to speak nothing but
of thee and thy glories; and to do nothing but what becomes thy servant, whom
thy infinite mercy, by the graces of thy Holy Spirit, hath sealed up to the day
of redemption.
VII.
Let all my passions and affections be so mortified and brought under the
dominion of grace, that I may never, be deliberation and purpose, nor yet by
levity, rashness, or inconsideration, offend thy Divine Majesty. make me such
as thou wouldst have me to be: strengthen my faith, confirm my hope, and give
me a daily increase of charity, that, this day and ever, I may serve thee
according to all my opportunities and capacities, growing from grace to grace,
till at last, by thy mercies, I shall receive the consummation and perfection
of grace, even the glories of thy kingdom, in the full fruition of the face and
excellencies of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; to whom be glory
and praise, honour and adoration, given by all angels, and all men, and all
creatures, now, and to all eternity. Amen.
*To this may be added the prayer of intercession
for others, whom we are bound to remember, which is at the end of the foregoing
prayer; or else you may take such special prayers which follow at the end of
the fourth chapter (for parents, for children, etc.).
After which, conclude with this Ejaculation.
Now in all tribulation and anguish of spirit, in all dangers of soul and body,
in prosperity and adversity, in the hour of death and in the day of judgment,
holy and most blessed Saviour Jesus, have mercy upon me, save me, and deliver
me and all faithful people. Amen.
*Between this and noon, usually are said the
public prayers appointed by authority, to which all the clergy are obligated
and other devout persons that have leisure, to accompany them.
*Afternoon, or at any time of the day, when a
devout person retires into his closet for private prayer or spiritual
exercises, he may say the following devotions.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, etc. Our Father, etc.
The Hymn, collected out of the Psalms, recounting the Excellences and
Greatness of God.
O be joyful in God, all ye lands; sing praises unto the honour of his name,
make his name to be glorious. O come hither, and behold the works of God, how
wonderful he is in his doings towards the children of men. He ruleth with his
power for ever.[42]
He is the Father of the fatherless, and
defendeth the cause of the widow, even God in his holy habitation. He is the
God that maketh men to be of one mind in a house, and bringeth the prisoners
out of captivity; but letteth the runagates continue in scarceness.[43]
It is the Lord that commandeth the waters; it is
the glorious God that maketh the thunder; it is the Lord that ruleth the sea.
The voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.[44]
Let all the earth fear the Lord: stand in awe of
him, all ye that dwell in the world. Thou shalt show us wonderful things in thy
righteousness, O God of our salvation; thou that art the hope of all the ends
of the earth, and of them that remain in the broad sea.[45]
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Or this:
O Lord, thou art my God, I will exalt thee; I will praise thy name for thou
hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.[46]
Thou, in thy strength, settest fast the
mountains, and art girded about with power. Thou stillest the raging of the
sea, and the noise of his waves, and the uttermost parts of his people.[47]
They, also, that remain in the uttermost parts of
the earth shall be afraid at thy tokens; thou, that makest the outgoings of the
morning and evening to praise thee.
O Lord God of Hosts, who is like unto thee? thy
truth, most mighty Lord, is on every side.[48]
Among the gods there is none like unto thee: O Lord, there is none that can do
as thou doest For thou art great, and doest wondrous things; thou art God
alone.[49]
God is very greatly to be feared in the council
of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all men that are round about
him.[50]
Righteousness and equity are in the habitation of
thy seat; mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Glory and worship are
before him; power and honour are in his sanctuary.[51]
Thou, Lord, art the thing that I long for; thou
art my hope even from my youth. Through thee have I been holden up, ever since
I was born; thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb; my praise shall
be always of thee.[52]
Glory be to the Father, etc.
*After this may be read some portion of Holy
Scripture, out of the New Testament, or out of the Sapiential books of the Old,
viz. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc., because these are of great use to piety and
to civil conversation. Upon which when you have awhile meditated, humbly
composing yourself upon your knees, say as followeth:
Ejaculations.
My help standeth in the name of the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth.
Show the light of thy countenance upon thy servant, and I shall be safe.[53]
Do well, O Lord, to them that be true of heart, and evermore mightily defend
them.[54]
Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou are my Saviour, and my great
master.[55]
Keep me from sin and death eternal, and from my enemies visible and
invisible.
Give me grace to live a holy life, and thy favour, that I may die a godly and
happy death.
Lord, hear the prayer of thy servant, and give me thy Holy
Spirit.
The Prayer.
O eternal God, merciful and gracious, vouchsafe thy favour and thy blessing to
thy servant: let the love of thy mercies, and the dread and fear of thy
majesty, make me careful and inquisitive to search thy will, and diligent to
perform it, and to persevere in the practices of a holy life, even till the
last of my days.
II.
Keep me, O Lord, for I am thine by creation; guide me, for I am thine by
purchase; thou hast redeemed me by the blood of thy Son; and loved me with the
love of a father, for I am thy child by adoption and grace: let thy mercy
pardon my sins, thy providence secure me from the punishments and evils I have
deserved, and thy care watch over me, that I may never any more offend thee:
make me, in malice, to be a child; but in understanding, piety, and the fear of
God, let me be a perfect man in Christ, innocent and prudent, readily furnished
and instructed to every good work.
III.
Keep me, O Lord, from the destroying angel, and from the wrath of God: let thy
anger never rise against me, but thy rod gently correct my follies, and guide
me in thy ways, and thy staff support me in all sufferings and changes.
Preserve me from fracture of bones, from noisome, infectious, and sharp
sicknesses; from great violences of fortune and sudden surprises: keep all my
senses entire till the day of my death, and let my death be neither sudden,
untimely, nor unprovided: let it be after the common manner of men, having in
it nothing extraordinary, but an extraordinary piety, and the manifestation of
thy great and miraculous mercy.
IV.
Let no riches make me ever forget myself, no poverty ever make me to forget
thee: let no hope or fear, no pleasure or pain, no accident without, no
weakness within, hinder or discompose my duty, or turn me from the ways of thy
commandments. O, let thy Spirit dwell with me for ever, and make my soul just
and charitable, full of honesty, full of religion, resolute and constant in
holy purposes, but inflexible to evil. Make me humble and obedient, peaceable
and pious; let me never envy any man's goods, nor deserve to be despised
myself: and if I be, teach me to bear it with meekness and charity.
V.
Give me a tender conscience; a conversation discreet and affable, modest and
patient, liberal and obliging; a body chaste and healthful, competency of
living according to my condition, contentedness in all estates, a resigned will
and mortified affections; that I may be as thou wouldst have me, and my portion
may be in the lot of the righteous, in the brightness of thy countenance, and
the glories of eternity. Amen.
Holy is our God. Holy is the Almighty. Holy
is the Immortal. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth, have mercy upon me.
I.
O eternal God, great Father of men and angels, who hast established the heavens
and the earth in a wonderful order, making day and night to succeed each other;
I make my humble address to thy Divine Majesty, begging of thee mercy and
protection this night and ever. O Lord, pardon all my sins, my light and rash
words, the vanity and impiety of my thoughts, my unjust and uncharitable
actions, and whatsoever I have transgressed against thee this day, or at any
time before. Behold, O God, my soul is troubled in the remembrance of my sins,
in the frailty and sinfulness of my flesh, exposed to every temptation, and of
itself not able to resist any. Lord God of mercy, I earnestly beg of thee to
give me a great portion of thy grace, such as may be sufficient and effectual
for the mortification of all my sins and vanities and disorders, that as I have
formerly served my list and unworthy desires, so now I may give myself up
wholly to thy service and the studies of a holy life.
II.
Blessed Lord, teach me frequently and sadly to remember my sins; and be thou
pleased to remember them no more: let me never forget thy mercies, and do thou
still remember to do me good. Teach me to walk always as in thy presence:
ennoble my soul with great degrees of love to thee, and consign my spirit with
great fear, religion, and veneration of thy holy name and laws; that it may
become the great employment of my whole life to serve thee, to advance thy
glory, to root out all the accursed habits of sin; that in holiness of life, in
humility, in charity, in chastity, and all the ornaments of grace, I may be
patience wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
III.
Teach me, O Lord, to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto wisdom;
ever to remember my last end, that I may not dare to sin against thee. Let thy
holy angels be ever present with me, to keep me in all my ways from the malice
and violence of the spirits of darkness, from evil company, and the occasions
and opportunities of evil, from perishing in popular judgments, from all the
ways of sinful shame, from the hands of all mine enemies, from a sinful life,
and from despair in the day of my death. Then, O brightest Jesus, shine
gloriously upon me, let thy mercies and the light of thy countenance sustain me
in all my agonies, weaknesses, and temptations. Give me opportunity of a
prudent and spiritual guide, and of receiving the holy sacrament; and let thy
loving spirit so guide me in the ways of peace and safety, that, with the
testimony of a good conscience, and the sense of thy mercies and refreshment, I
may depart this life in the unity of the church, in the love of God, and a
certain hope of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord, and most blessed
Saviour. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Our Father, etc.
I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.[56]
My help cometh of the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not
slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade, upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, neither the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in, from this time forth
for evermore.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
I.
Visit, I beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation with thy mercy, and me with thy
grace and salvation. Let thy holy angels pitch their tents round about and
dwell here, that no illusion of the night may abuse me, the spirits of darkness
may not come near to hurt me, no evil or sad accident oppress me; and let the
eternal Spirit of the Father dwell in my soul and body, filling every corner of
my heart with light and grace. Let no deed of darkness overtake me; and let thy
blessing, most blessed God, be upon me for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
II.
Into thy hands, most blessed Jesus, I commend my soul and body, for thou hast
redeemed both with thy precious blood. So bless and sanctify my sleep unto me
that it may be temperate, holy, and safe; a refreshment to my wearied body, to
enable it so to serve my soul, that both may serve thee with a never-failing
duty. O, let me never sleep in sin or death eternal, but give me a watchful and
prudent spirit, that I may omit no opportunity of serving thee; that whether I
sleep or awake, live or die, I may be thy servant and thy child: that when the
work of my life is done, I may rest in the bosom of my Lord, till by the voice
of the archangel, the trump of God, I shall be awakened, and called to sit down
and feast in the eternal supper of the Lamb. Grant this, O Lamb of God, for the
honour of thy mercies, and the glory of thy name, O most merciful Saviour and
Redeemer Jesus. Amen.
III.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who hath sent his angels, and
kept me this day from the destruction that walketh at noon, and the arrow that
flieth by day; and hath given me his Spirit to restrain me from those evils to
which my own weaknesses, and my evil habits, and my unquiet enemies, would
easily betray me. Blessed and for ever hallowed by thy name for that
never-ceasing shower of blessing, by which I live, and am content and blessed,
and provided for in all necessities, and set forward in my duty and way to
heaven. Blessing honour, glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth on the
throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy is our God! Holy is the Almighty! Holy
is the Immortal! Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth, have mercy upon me!
Stand in awe and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed and be
still. I will lay me down in peace and sleep; for thou, Lord, only makest me to
dwell in safety.[57]
O Father of spirits, and the God of all
flesh, have mercy and pity upon all sick and dying Christians, and receive the
souls which thou hast redeemed returning unto thee.
Blessed are they that dwell in the heavenly
Jerusalem, where there is no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in
it; for the glory of God does lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.[58] And there shall be no night there, and they
need no candle; for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for
ever and ever.[59]
Meditate on Jacob's wrestling with the angel all
night: he thou also importunate with God for a blessing, and give not over till
he hath blessed thee.
Meditate on the angel passing over the children
of Israel, and destroying the Egyptians for disobedience and oppression. Pray
for the grace of obedience and charity, and for the Divine protection.
Meditate on the angel who destroyed in a night
the whole army of the Assyrians for fornication. Call to mind the sins of thy
youth, the sins of thy bed; and say with David, `My reins chasten me in the
night season, and my soul refuseth comfort.' Pray for pardon and the grace of
chastity.
Meditate on the agonies of Christ in the garden,
his sadness and affliction all that night; and thank and adore him for his
love, that made him suffer so much for thee; and hate thy sins which made it
necessary for the Son to suffer so much.
Meditate on the last four things. 1. The
certainty of death. 2. The terrors of the day of judgment. 3. The joys of
heaven. 4. The pains of hell: and the eternity of both.
Think upon all thy friends who are gone before
thee; and pray that God would grant to thee to meet them in a joyful
resurrection.
"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night;[60] in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the
earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up. Seeing, then,
that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to
be, in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the
coming of the day of God?"
Lord, in mercy remember thy servant in the day of
judgment.
Thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my God. In thee,
O Lord, have I trusted: let me never be confounded. Amen.
I desire the Christian reader to observe, that
all these offices or forms of prayer (if they should be used every day) would
not spend above an hour and a half: but because some of them are double (and so
but one of them to be used in one day) it is much less: and by affording to God
one hour in twenty-four thou mayest have the comforts and rewards of devotion.
But he that thinks this is too much, either is very busy in the world, or very
careless of heaven. I have parted the prayers into smaller portions, that he
may use which and how many he please in any one of the forms.
Ad. Sect. 2.
O eternal God, who has made all things for man and man for thy glory, sanctify
my body and soul, my thoughts, and my intentions, my words and actions, that
whatsoever I shall think, or speak, or do, may be by me designed to the
glorification of thy name; and by thy blessing it may be effective and
successful in the work of God, according as it can be capable. Lord, turn my
necessities into virtue; the works of nature into the works of grace, by making
them orderly, regular, temperate, subordinate, and profitable to ends beyond
their own proper efficacy: and let no pride or self-seeking, no covetousness or
revenge, no impure mixture or unhandsome purposes, no little ends and low
imaginations, pollute my spirit, and unhallow any of my words and actions; but
let my body be a servant of my spirit, and both body and spirit servants of
Jesus; that doing all things for thy glory here, I may be partaker of thy glory
hereafter: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ad. Sect. 3.
* This Prayer is especially to be used in
temptation to private sin.
O almighty God, infinite and eternal, thou fillest all things with thy
presence; thou art everywhere by thy essence and by thy power; in heaven by
glory, in holy places by thy grace and favour, in the hearts of thy servants by
thy Spirit, in the consciences of all men by thy testimony and observation of
us. Teach me to walk always as in thy presence, to fear thy majesty, to
reverence thy wisdom and omniscience; that I may never dare to commit any
indecency in the eye of my Lord and my Judge; but that I may with so much care
and reverence demean myself that my Judge may not be my accuser but my
advocate; that I, expressing the belief of thy presence here by careful
walking, may feel the effects of it in the participation of eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
[38] Rev. xi. 17.
[39] Rev. v. 10, 13.
[40] Rev. iv. 10.
[41] Rev. xv. 3.
[42] Psalm ixvi. 1,4,6.
[43] Psalm xxix. 3,4.
[44] Psalm Ixv. 5.
[45] Psalm Ixviii. 5,6.
[46] Isa. xxv. 1.
[47] Psalm 1xv. 6,8.
[48] Psalm 1xxxvi. 8,9.
[49] Psalm xcvi. 3.
[50] Psalm cxxiv. 8.
[51] Psalm 1xxxix. 9.
[52] Psalm 1xxi. 5,6.
[53] Psalm 1xxx. 6.
[54] Psalm cxxv. 4.
[55] Psalm xxv. 5.
[56] Psalm cxxi. 1, etc.
[57] Psalm iv. 4,9.
[58] Rev. xxi. 23.
[59] Rev. xxii. 5.
[60] 2 Pet. iii. 10.