Deaths Knell, Prayers
Prayers for priuate Households at all times.
O Lord prepare our hearts to pray.
O Most mighty and eternall God, who art the Creator, Guider, Gouernour, and Preseruer of all things, both in Heauen and Earth; vouchsafe, we humbly beseech thee, to looke downe with the eye of pittie and compassion vponupon vsus miserable and wretched sinners; who at this time are prostrate heere before thee, to offer vp this our Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanks-giuing vntounto thee. And although we be vnworthy, by reason of our manifold transgressions, to present our selues before thee: yet we humbly beseech thee, for thy Sonne. Christ Iesus, our blessed Lord and Sauiours sake, to accept of vsus, and to grant these our prayers and petitions which we doe make vntounto thee.
O mercifull Lord, and louing Father, remember the infirmities of thy fraile seruants, page missingssisting our weake soules with thy grace, page missinghat in all things we may louelove, honour, and opage missingey thy heauenly will and Maiesty, waking page missingnd walking in the paths of righteousnesse to page missinghe scope of perfect Holinesse, contemning this witching world, with all her foolish illusions, for the true glorifying of thy Name, through Christ Iesus our Lord, Amen.
Another Prayer.
O Mercifull Lord, and louing Father, that of the incomprehensible riches of thy mercy toward the disobedient and lost children of Adam, (who seruing Satan after the blinde and vnbridled lusts of the vile flesh, were carried away through sinne and ignorance to damnation,) hast reconciled vsus to thy fauour, through grace and adoption in Christ Iesus the righteous by faith and holy conuersation: in whom we are deliuered from eternall death and destruction: HaueHave mercy vponupon vsus, yea (Lord) hauehave mercy vponupon vsus, and for louelove of thy sweet Sonne, our Redeemer, defend vsus against the power of the Destroyer, and with thy mighty hand lift vsus vp out of the puddle, and deathfull corruptions of this abominable world: purifying our hearts with thy grace, that wee being wholly inclined to thy heauenly desires, may grow perfect in holinesse, and abounding in the good works which thou hast prepared for thy Saints to walke in, for the glorifying of thy Name: we may grow an acceptable Temple, for thy continuall dwelling in vsus, O Lord; to the vnspeakable peace and comfort, and to the euerlasting blisse and saluation of our soules: through Christ our Sauiour, Amen.
LOrd, let not the darknesse of ignorance comprehend vsus.
Leade vsus by the continuall light of thy grace to worke r…ghteousnesse.
Let vsus not sleepe in sinne, O God.
Quicken our weake soules against earthly sluggishnesse.
GiueGive vsus the heauenly rest of thy vnspeakable peace, O Lord:
And nourish vsus with thy grace to saluation.
Lord comfort the needy, the sicke, the prisoned, the tormented, the distressed and helplesse, with the presence of thy grace: and hauehave mercy vponupon them, and vsus.
Pittifully heare our complaints, O deare Father, and grant our requests, for thy sweet Sonnes sake, our Sauiour.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Perkins, Deaths Knell (1628)