Works, Prayers 2
A Godly and right Chriſtian Prayer, made for the inſtructiou and comfort of his weakeſt Pariſhioners of Hempſtead, reuerently to be vſed eueryevery Euening in their ſeuerall Families.
O Moſt gracious God, and in thy ſweet Son Ieſus our moſt mercifull heauenly Father, we thy poore ſeruants and vnworthy Creatures, with mourning ſpirits, and perplexed hearts doe in moſt humble manner fall down before thy dreadfull Maieſty, bewayling bitterly all our offences committed againſt thee, and quaking and trembling for feare thou ſhouldeſt in thy Iuſtice vtterly caſt vsus from thée, into that wofull Lake that burnes with fire and brimſtone.
Lord, we confeſſe by birth our foule pollution, by life our manifold tranſgreſſion, and therefore aſhamed wee are (that are but duſt and aſhes, yea worſe, moſt lothſome and abominable ſinners) to come before thée, or commence the leaſt ſute vntounto thee, that art a Maieſty moſt pure, abhorring and ſeuerely puniſhing all that worke iniquity▪
Therefore (oh Lord our God) wee moſt humbly beſéech thee not to deale with vsus, according to thy iuſtice and our owne merits; for then ſhall we be vtterly condemned, but (comming vntounto thée as a child that feareth to bée beat) for thy Chriſts ſake, with the ey… of pitty and fatherly compaſſion, look thou graciouſly vponupon vsus: behold vsus in him, in whom thy Iuſtice will ſoone turne it ſelfe into mercy, thy frowne into fauour, thine indignation into euerlaſting ſaluation. Lord, for thy fauour now and euer we craue; grant therefore to vsus that aſke: for pardon of our ſins at thy hands alone we ſéek, grant that we may finde: at thy gate of Saluation we earneſtly do knocke, good Lord therefore open vntounto vsus.
But becauſe thy ſacred Word doth tell vsus that thou wilt looke to none, but thoſe that are of a contrite heart, and tremble at thy words; Lord, fit and prepare vsus all by true humiliation to imbrace the ſauing health of our ſoules: grant (gracious God) that we may mourne our ſinnes thorowly, and lament our iniquities bitterly, not ſo much becauſe they might iuſtly condemne vsus, as that they hauehave ſo highly diſpleaſed thée, and moued thy Maieſty to anger, that haſt béene ſo merciful a God vntounto vsus: O giuegive vsus hearts to grieue, for that we cannot ſufficiently grieue for our ſinnes committed againſt thée.
And (gracious Father) we further intreat, that we may not …nely taſte of the ſowre of thy Law, but likewiſe receiue in thy good time, and in good meaſure the ſweet and vnſpeakable comfort of th… Goſpell: grant that thy Sonne Ieſus may bée Ieſus to vsus all, that his righteouſneſſe may couer our vnrighteouſneſſe, that his death may bring our ſoules to life: that in him and for his ſake thou wouldeſt …e well pleaſed to make vsus thine by adoption, to witneſſe the ſame to our ſoules, by the infallible teſtimony of thy bleſſed Spirit, to work in our hearts a ſtrong and reſolute perſwaſion of Faith, whereby we may graſpe and hold faſt this thy great mercy in Chriſt towards vsus, to the peace of our conſciences in this life, and the ſaluation of our ſoules in the life to come.
And (holy Father) for as much as all thoſe that hauehave put on Chriſt, are become new creatures, grant vntounto vsus a new heart, and renew a right Spirit within vsus, purge vsus from our ſinnes, waſh vsus from our iniquities, infuſe thy ſauing grace into our Soules, whereby wee may dye to all that is euill, and liue to all godlineſſe of life all the dayes of our life to come.
Frame, our hearts (deare God) to true and perfect obedience, obedience being the beſt ſacrifice that thou requireſt: oh grant that all our delight may be in thy Statutes, that it may be euen our meate and drinke to walke in thy Commandements: indeuoring alwayes and in all places to keepe a cléere conſcience, both towards thee and man.
Teach vsus (bleſſed Father) to rely vponupon thée alone by faith; to feare, louelove, honour and truely obey thee in wiſedome and true ſanctity: to giuegive no worſhip from thee, that is onelyonly proper to thee: reuerently to thinke and ſpeake of thy moſt glorious name and word: carefully to ſanctifie thy Sabbaths, and wholly ſet them apart for thy ſeruice. GiueGive vsus grace alſo (thou that art the Author and giuer of all grace) to carry our ſelues dutifully to man: to honour and reuerently reſpect all our ſuperiours, both in nature and place: to preſerue and maintaine the good name, goods and bodies of our brethren amongſt whom we liue, and not impaire, hurt, or maliciouſly maſſacre the ſame: to keepe our ſelues chaſte and vnſpotted from all fleſhly luſts, and eueryevery act of vncleannes: iniuriouſly to take away no mans right or due: to ſpeake the truth, and not to beare falſe witneſſe againſt our brethren: to be content with our owne eſtates, more or leſſe, and not to repine at, or couet that which is others: O grant that our liues may bee vnreprouable before thée and men.
But becauſe (O Lord) of our ſelues we are able to doe no good thing, but it is thou that workeſt the will and the deed, Lord therefore ſtand euer by vsus with thy preuenting, aſſiſting, and conſequent grace, whereby we may be able in ſome meaſure to do thy will on earth, as thy Angels doe it perfectly in heauen.
Moreouer (heauenly Father) wee (fully beléeuing our ſelues to be true and liuely members of that body myſticall, whereof our bleſſed Sauiour is the Head) doe earneſtly deſire at thy gracious hands the like mercy for the whole body of Chriſts Church, as we beg for our owne ſoules: Lord bleſſe and defend thy Church and Choſen in all Kingdomes of the earth whereſoeuer: inlarge the bounds of thy Goſpell, increaſe the number of thy Saints, & daily adde vntounto thy Church ſuch as ſhall bee ſaued. Bleſſe the Kings moſt excellent Maieſty with all ſpirituall bleſſings in Chriſt Ieſus, meet for ſo great and worthy a perſonage: with the Prince, and His whole iſſue in this Kingdome and beyond the Seas: Grant that He may neuer want one out of his own loynes to ſit vponupon his Throne for the maintenance of thy Goſpell, till the comming of Chriſt in the clouds.
Bleſſe all afflicted members, whether grieued in conſcience, troubled in body, or perſecuted for the Goſpell, according to their ſeuerall oc…ſions and need.
Bleſſe thoſe that are neerer and dearer vntounto vsus in the fleſh, as are our Parents and kindred, whether father or mother, huſband or wife, brother or ſiſter, or childe, with our Chriſtian acquaintances and friends, kéep them all, and vsus with them, to thine euerlaſting kingdome and ſaluation▪
And in mercy (good Lord) this night looke downe vponupon vsus, preſerue vsus and ours from all dangers bodily & ghoſtly, within doores and without: giuegive vntounto our bodies a comfortable reſt and ſléepe, that they may be more able to do the works of their particular vocations before thee: and (ſwéet Lord) watch euermore ouer our poore ſoules, kéepe vsus from ſin and euill, both ſleeping and waking: and when that ſléepe of death ſhall fall vponupon vsus, grant that our ſoules may wake to thy glory and ſaluation euerlaſting: and that for Chriſt Ieſus his ſake our onelyonly Lord and euerlaſting Redéemer: to whom with thée and thy good Spirit, three perſons, but one God, wee heartily deſire to offer vp all thankſgiuing and praiſe this euening and euerlaſting: Amen.
THe grace of our Lord and S… uiour Ieſus Chriſt, and the lo… of God our heauenly Father▪ and the moſt bleſſed preſence of God the holy Ghoſt, bee with v… all, and within v… all, both in Soule, in Spirit, and in body, and with all things that remaine or belong vntounto v…, either within dores, or without, this …ight and euerlaſting. AMEN
FINIS.
End of the text · Henry Greenwood, Works (1620)