Christs Prayer Expounded, Prayer 2

Christs Prayer Expounded · Prayer 2

A godly praier for morning, or Euening.

MOſt high and mighty God, and in thy ſonne Chriſt Ieſus our mercifull, louing, and gracious father, thou haſt commaunded vsus to come vntounto thee, and vponupon the knees of our hearts we do come vntounto thee, humbly entreating thee, before wee begin, to remoue far from vsus, all ſuch impediments, as vſually Satan, caſteth vponupon: this exerciſe; and ſo to quicken vsus vp, by the ſpirit of ſupplication, that in feare, and reuerence of thy great name in faith, and confidence of thy gratious aſſiſtan…, and in a ſeeking deſire of the ſupplye of our wants, wee may put vp, and powre out our ſupplications vntounto thee: that as the meſſengers of our ſoules, they may ſignifie our wants, as the petitioners of mercy they may ſue for our pardon, and as proclaimers of thy grace, they may declare our thankfulnes, for all thoſe mercies which we hauehave receiued, and al thoſe iudgements which we hauehave eſcaped.

O Lord our God, we do here in thy prefence, & bleſſed are we that we may come to thy preſence) acknowledge and confes, that wee are of our ſelues moſt wofull, wicked, and curſed creatures. The corruption of our natures, the iniquities of our liues doe generallie beare witnes againſt vsus. But more particularly we confeſſe, that our hearts are full of infidelity by reaſon whereof, we do not as wee ought, either depend vponupon thy prouidence for the things of this life, or beleeue thy promiſes for the life to come. Doſt thou viſit vsus? we are impatient: doſt thou deny vsus our deſires in this world? we are neuer contented with our eſtate. Wee are full of doubt for the life to come, and full of diſtruſt for the things of this life. We are glued too much to this wicked world and as though we ſaid in our harts there is no god, our mindes are greatly eſtranged from thee. And alas miſerable wretches that we are, we delite in doing our own willes, it is not meate and drinke to vsus to do thy will. In the pride of our hearts, wee exalte our ſelues aboue thee, and our brethren, and boaſte our ſelues as though we had receued nothing from thee. We put away from vsus the euill day, and liue as though we ſhould neuer die. We walke on in the hardneſſe of our heartes, and by reaſon of the abundance of vainglory, we rather ſeeke praiſe of men then thy glorye. Our ſoules are ſo filled with louelove to our ſelues, that wee preferre our owne pleaſure, peace, and liberty, before thy maieſty, or the louelove of our brethren, yea, hypocriſie is ſo rooted in our ſoules that we content our ſelues with a profeſſion of piety, and labor not for the power of Gdlineſſe,

And as for our liues they abound with actuall tranſgreſſions againſte eueryevery one of thy ten commandements hauing broken the ſame ten thouſand times we Lord hauehave liued in contempt of thy prouidence, committing Idolatry with thy creatures, taking thy glorious name in vaine, and prophaninge of thy moſte holy ſabaths, we euen we who ſho… hauehave been vpright, hauehave diſregarded our betters, enuied our brethren, defiled our ſoules with vnchaſt deſires, labored to be rich by vnlawfull meanes diſgraced our neighbors, & Iduged after that which was none of ours. Wee hauehave herd thy worde O Lorde, but wee hauehave not beleeued it, wee hauehave knowen thy words but hauehave not practiſed it. We hauehave come to thine hous without reuerence, approached to thy table without repentance, and practiſed many ſinnes without remorſe. Do wee any good? we pleaſe our ſelues too much: doe we any euill? we feare thee too little: we are weary of praying, when wee talke with thee, wee are careleſſe in hearing, when thou ſpeakeſt to vsus. If we reade thy ſacred and holy worde, it is not ſweet vntounto vsus as the hony combe, but we delight more euen in vngodlye bookes. Yea O Lorde, the pampering of our bellies, the pride of our apparell, the negligence in our calling, the miſpending of our time, our vaine conference at tables; our wandring eies, our wanton luſts, our ambitious mindes, our couetous deſires, our vngodlye ſpeeches, our laſciuious eares, our cenſuring of our brethren, our ſin in recreations, our vnwillingnes to labor; our vnfaithfulnes in life, our forgetfulnes of death, and our abuſe of thy mercies, eſpecialy in Chriſt, do teſtify againſt vsus, that wee hauehave ſinned againſt heauen and againſt thee; and are no more worthy to be called thy children; Are we aſhamed at this, and reclaimed from it? no Lorde, we are not aſhamed. But howſoeuer it hath pleaſed thee to vſe many meanes, as partly by thy word, & partly by thy ſpirit: and partly by thy mercies, & partly by thy iudgments, to the end we might be reclaimed from our crooked waies, yet we hauehave contemned thy word, the miniſtery of ſaluation; grieued thy ſpirit, the earneſt of our inheritance; abuſed thy mercies, the pledges of thy louelove; & forgotten thy iudgments, the meſſengers of thy wrath. Enter not into iudgement with vsus thy ſeruants O lord, for then ſhal no fleſh liuing be iuſtified in thy ſight. Be mercifull vntounto vsus in forgiuing ſins paſt, & be gratious vntounto vsus in preuenting ſinnes to come, Correct vsus O Lord, but with mercy, not in thy iudgement, for then ſhal we be conſumed, and brought to nought. Open our blind eies, that wee may come to a particular knowledge of our particular ſinns, eſpecially ſuch as we ar moſt giuen vntounto. Soften our hard and ſtony harts, that we may ſigh and grone vnderunder the burden of them: make vsus, good god, diſpleaſed with our ſelues, becauſe by ſin wee hauehave diſhonored thy maieſty. Stir vp our dead & dul harts, that we may hunger after Chriſt & his righteouſneſſe, and after eueryevery drop of his precious bloud. In that ſon of thine looke on vsus thy ſeruants: and for his merits, & righteouſnes, vouchſafe good God, mercifullie and freelie to doe awaye all our offenſes. Waſh them away in his bloud, and, by the puritie of his ſpirite, clenſe our hearts from the pollution, and impuritie of them all, ſay vntounto our ſoules thou art our ſaluation, let thy ſpirite in our hearts crie Abba Father: Teach vsus O Lord thy way, and we ſhall walk in thy trueth, O knit our hearts vntounto thee, that we may feare thy name. And becauſe, through corruption in our harts, and ſin in our liues, our faith is feeble, and our confidence ſmall: we do humbly beſeech thee, to ſtrengthen our faith, by the daily meditation, and particular application of thy mercifull promiſes, made vntounto vsus in thy ſon Chriſt, that neither in the dangers of this world, nor the trobles of conſcience, nor in the hour of death, wee may fall from thee. Gratious father, expell out of our hearts all carnall confidence, the vnderminer of our faith, & teach vsus in the ſpirit of tru humility, to deny our ſelues, & to rely only vponupon thee, & the merit of chriſt in the mater of our ſaluation. And becauſe it is not enough to com vntounto thee by praier, & to ſue vntounto thee for pardon, but al that ar in chriſt muſt be new creatures therfore we cal vponupon thee, for the ſpirit of regeneration; mortify therby the corruptions of our fleſh; & quicken vsus thereby in the inner mā. By the powr of Chriſts deth let vsus dy vntounto ſin, & by the power of his reſurrectiō, let vsus riſe to righteouſnes & newnes of life, let the one as a corroſiue, eat vp y^e dead fleſh of vngodlines, & the other, as a ſpur, ſtir vsus vp to holines. Illuminatour minds, that we may know thy will: giuegive vsus ſpiritual vnderſtāding, to diſcern good & euil. Sanctify our memories, to treſure vp good things: purify our conſciences to hauehave peace in thee: reform our wils to doe thy wil, & let al our affections be ordered aright. Teach vsus to fear thee continually wherſoeuer we ar, to neglect al things, in regard of chriſt to louelove thee & our brethren for thy ſake, to be zealus of thy glory, to be greeued at our & other ſins, & ioyful when we cāpleas thee. Let our bodies the inſtruments of ſin be euer heerafter clenſed by thy ſpirit that they may bee temples for that ſpirit to dwel in, keepe our eies from beholding vanitie, our eares from harkning to variety, our mouths frō ſpeking blaſphemy, our hands frō committing of iniquity, & our bodies from the action of adultery. Let our light ſo ſhine before mē that they ſeeing our good works may glorify thee our heauenly father. Make vsus to remember, that as we are ſons, wee muſt depend vponupon thee, as we ar ſeruants, wee muſt obey thee, and as we are chriſtians, we ought to walk worthy of our vocatiō and calling. And becauſe we hauehave al ſom particular calling, either of rule or ſeruice, or truſt, or fauor, make vsus from the higheſt to the loweſt, Faithful in our callings, & to remēber that a day wil come in which we muſt giuegive an accompte vntounto thee of all our actions doon in this fleſh whether they be good or euill. Take away from vsus all oportunity of ſinning, & make vsus euer thankful that we liue ſo, as wee want allurementes to many ſinnes. Cauſe vsus to ſee how deformed ſin is in it ſelfe, & to what confuſiō it is like to bring vsus: Lord make vsus to fly the very occaſiōs of ſin, & to reſiſt the beginnings of al tēptation: let not a night pas ouer our heads in which we examin not howe wee hauehave ſpent the day: neuer let vsus come into any company, wherin we may not not doe, or receiue ſom good. Keep vsus that we faſhiō not ourſelues to this world, but rather imitate the faſhion of the moſte godly in our callings. Let vsus neuer count any ſin to be a little one, becauſe that our ſauior died for the leaſt. And becauſe we liue in dangerous times, wherin many ar withdrawne from the profeſſion of thy trueth, Lord giuegive vsus harts neuer to entertain any ſuch doctrine, which cannot be warranted out of thy word: nor to admit of any ſuch teachers, as goe about to withdraw vsus frō obedience to our gouernors: & if any one fal into any ſin, let vsus reſtore ſuch an one w^t the ſpirit of meeknes, cōſidering our ſelues, y^t we alſo may be tempted We further acknowledge moſt gracious God, y^t our life is a war-fare vponupon earth our enemies are ſinn, Satan, & the fleſh. Lord helpe vsus in this ſpitituall combat: are we weak? be thou ſtrong: ar we tempted: with the tēptation giuegive an iſſue; may we be ouercom? tech vsus to watch ouer our own harts & waies? is there any one …une which we are weak to reſiſt? in the act of temptation giuegive vsus power to reſiſt it: that by this means we may hauehave as iuſt cauſe to praiſe thee in our cōqueſts, as we hauehave many reaſons to hūble our ſelues in our foyles. We ſee alſo, moſt all ſeeing God, y^t none cā liue godly in this world, but they muſt ſuffer perſecutions: either Iſmaell wil reuile them w^t a reproachful tongue, or Eſau wil purſue them w^t a blody ſword what now muſt we do in theſe days of trial? whether ſhal we come for helpe but to thee? To thee therfore muſt wee come O Lord our god: crauing wiſdom to forſee, prouidence to preuent, patience to beare & harts to be prepared for this fierytrial: y^t by the denial of our ſelues, diſtaſting the worlde, & liking of heauen and heauenly things wee may make a good vſe euen of the leaſt affliction. Confound in eueryevery on of vsus the curſed workes of the diuel: Increaſe in vsus dayly the giftes of thy ſpirit. Fit vsus for ſuch calings in which thou haſt or wilt place vsus; & make vsus to referre the ſtrength of our bodies, the giftes of our minde, our credit in this world, & what ſo euer grace thou haſt alredy or wilt hereafter beſtow vponupon vsus, to the glorye of thy name, the good of thy church, & the eternal ſaluacion of our own ſouls. And howe ſoeuer we liue heer in this Babilon of the world, lord let our conuerſation be euer in heauē, y^t whether we eat or drink, or what ſoeuer we do elſe, wee may heare alwayes this voice ſoūding in our eares, ariſe you dead & come vntounto iudgment. Many other things hauehave we to beg for our ſelus; y^t our ignorāce knoweth not to aſke, or forgetfulnes remēbers not to aſk, hear vsus for thē in thy beloued ſon. And giuegive vsus leaue now good god to pray to thee for others. Ther ar no chriſtiā peple at any time aſſēbled, but they are redy to praye for vsus, & therfor it is our duty to pray for thē, We therfore cōmend to thee thy whole church, & each mēber of the ſame: be good & gracius to theſe churches of Englād, Scotland, Frāce, & Irelād giuegive y^e Goſpel a free paſſage eueryevery wh…; & put on the meanes by which it may be publiſht wher it is n…t, or maintained wher it is. Deuid not O thou indiuiſible go…, deuid not Ephraim againſt Manaſſes, nor Manaſſes againſt Ephraim, nor both of them againſt Iudah. The coat of thy ſon was w^tout ſeam, let y^e church of thy ſon be without ſeame. Our aduerſaries get ground, and work vponupon our diuiſion, knit vsus ſo together, that there worke may be as the cōfuſion of Babel. Ar there any means to hinder the currāt of thy goſpell? ſtop them in the head, poyſon them in the ſtream, ſtay thē in the time, & let their labor he like his that wold repair Iericho To this end bee good to the light of our eies, the breathe of our noſtrils, the procurer of our happines, thy Salomon, our King: preſerue his bodie in health, his ſoule in ſoundnes, his hart in thy trueth, his life in honor, his honor from vnderunder miners, & his ears from flatterers, the hauehave of each kingdome Keep him, that he may euer maintain thy truth. Defend him againſt the inſinuation of practiſing papiſts, who will neuer wiſh wel vntounto him, vnleſſe they ſee we do wiſh wel vntounto thee Let thy good ſpirite hee with Io… do… prince, ſeaſon his young yeares with the knowledge of thy will that as hee groweth in yeares, ſo he may grow in ſta… fauor both with god and men. Be good vntounto them that hauehave the …ition of him; & make them inſtruments of much good, y^t may be done by him: Preſerue w^t theſe our gratious Queene, let vsus ſee her as a fruitfull vine about the Kings houſe, and her children like to oliue plantes, round about his table. And becauſe wher many counſellors are, there is peace, O Lorde bleſſe his honorable counſail in al things let them take counſail at thy word, and in euerie conſultation aime at thy glorie. The peeres of our land, the pillars of our kingdome, wee commend vntounto thee, make them contented with their preſent honors, and to continue loyall to their vndoubted ſoueraigne. And becauſe the preachers of thy worde, are the pillars of thy church, bleſſe them all from the higheſt to the loweſt, that both by life and doctrine they may ſet out thy moſt holie word. Take from the great, the ſpirit of ambition, and from the meane, the ſpirit of contention, that both may labor as much as they may, to oppoſe themſelues againſt the common aduerſarie, and not to aduantage him by inteſtine diuiſion Bleſſe the people of this lād; ſuch as are called confirme them, ſuch as are not conuert them: & to that purpoſe ſend & faithfull paſtor into each congregation, who may ſpeake a word in due ſeaſon vntounto thē Couch all our hearts from the higheſt to the loweſt with true repentance, that thy iudgementes preſent & imminent may be preuented & remoued, thy mercies ſtil continued to vsus, & our poſterity after vsus, eſpecially in the true miniſtery of y^e word and ſacraments, that ſuch as ſuruiue vsus may praiſe thy name. Bee mercifull to all thine afflicted ones, be they ſick in bed diſtreſſed in conſcience, pinched with pouerty, diſgraced for thy truth, or kepte in priſon, and deliuered to death: releeue them in theyr neceſſity, ſtrengthen them in their weaknes, comforte them in ther diſtreſſe, mitigate their ſorrows, & turne al their troubles to thy glory and theire good. To this end, giuegive thy ſeruāts cōfort by thy word, ſufficiency of things needful for them, bles the fruits of the earth, diſappoint both Turk & Pope, from incroching vponupon thine inheritance, let all ſuch proſper as ſight thy battails: and let thy goſpel be preached from the one end of the worlde vntounto the other. In thy good time let the ſun of thy goſpel ſhine vponupon Iews Turks, Infidels, Atheiſts and papiſts belonging to thee.

Be good to our kinſfolkes in the fleſh, our friendes in the ſpirite, and them to whome wee are any wiſe bounden, or deſire to bee commended to thee in theſe our praiers and ſupplications.

HaueHave mercy vponupon vsus nowe calling vponupon thy name, forgiue our ſins and manifolde deffects in this holye duty accepting p. 31at our handes this our obedience in Chriſt.

And becauſe thou haſt bin good vntounto vsus many wayes, make vsus thankfull vntounto thee for all thy mercies: as our election in thy louelove, our redemption in thy ſonne, our ſanctification by thy ſpirit, our preſeruation by thy prouidence; our health in body, peace of conſcience, our life in thy church, our gratious Gouernours, our painfull Preachers, our chriſtian friends, our deſire to pleaſe thee; and that wee hauehave the miniſtration of thy word and ſacraments, and can ſhew louelove euen to our enimies. We thanke thee O Lord, for all graces of thy ſpirit, as faith in thy promiſes, hope of eternall life, feare of thy name, louelove to thy maieſty, zeale to thy glory, affection to our bretheren, patience vnderunder the croſſe, ſtrength againſt our ſeuerall temptations, humility, gentleneſſe, méekenes, forbearing, with many other giftes and graces of thy ſpirit: all which wee acknowledge, hauehave procéeded from thy méere merciemercy. O let vsus not hee negligent in the vſe of all good meanes p. 32by which thy grace may dayly growe vp in vsus. We do alſo, with all thankfulneſſe, remember all the bleſſings of this life, our deliuerance from our enimies in 88. our preſeruation from the peſtilence in 93. our protection from Gunpowder in 95. as all other fauors which we do enioye vnderunder the bleſſed gouernment of our gratious Prince, and for all thy goodnes vnderunder our laſe noble Queene. We thanke thee, that thou haſt ſuſtained vsus in great weaknes, releiued vsus in much neceſſity, cō forted vsus in much diſtreſſe, reſolued vsus in many doubts, deliuered vsus from many dangers, preſerued vsus from many ſinnes, made vsus willing to deſire to do thy will, and beſtowed vponupon vsus ſuch a larges of thy good creatures, that we are more fit to giuegive then receiue. Bleſſe vsus nowe and euer hereafter, keepe vsus and all ours, and all that are nere about vsus from all dangers whatſoeuer, and grant vsus all, ſuch a portion of thy grace, that whether we ſtay at home, or goe abroad, watch or ſléepe, rate or drinke, buy or ſell, bee in labour or recreation, we may euer labour to p. 33glorifie thy high and great name in the workes of ſuch callings, as thou ſhalt cal vsus vntounto, and fit vsus for, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord and Sauiour, in whoſe name and in whoſe wordes wee further call vponupon thée, ſaying Our Father which art &c.

O LOrd bleſſe vsus and kéepe vsus, O Lord make thy face ſhine vponupon vsus O Lord graunt vntounto vsus thy ſweete and euerlaſting peace, eſpecially that peace of conſcience which the world cannot giuegive, with the pardon and forgiuenes of all our ſinnes, this day at this time, and heretofore committed againſt thée, with a bleſſing vponupon thy church and children eueryevery where, as well as though we had named them, thorough Chriſt our Lord and onelye Sauiour. Amen.