Jonah the Messenger of Ninevehs Repentance, Prayer 1 – Prayer 3
Morning Prayer.
O Eternall God, and mercifull Father, which art the light that no man can attaine unto, and yet by thy marvailous lightneſſe, driveſt away the darkneſſe of the night, and ſhaddow of death, and by thy grace enlightneſt all thoſe, that being in darkneſſe come unto thee: I thy unworthy ſervant, doe bleſſe and praiſe thy moſt holy Name, for all the mercies and gracious benefits, that from time to time I have received from thee; and moſt humbly thanke thee, that thou haſt vouchſafed me this favour, to paſſe this night in ſo quiet and comfortable reſt, and haſt brought me againe to ſee and enjoy the light of the Morning. And now, I beſeech thee, O Lord, of thy infinite goodneſſe and mercy, by the merits of my bleſſed Saviour, that thy mercifull compaſſion may this day be extended to me, that being enlightened with thy grace, I may not be carried away by the power of darkeneſſe, to ſpend this day after the luſt and pleaſures of my owne corrupt mind; but that I may with all care and conſcience, follow thy Fatherly will, which thou haſt revealed unto me in thy holy Word. Increaſe in me (O Lord) all ſpirituall gifts and graces, and beat downe in mee all carnall and corrupt affections: enable me by thy bleſſed Spirit, in ſome meaſure, both to withſtand that which is evill, and to performe what is good and pleaſing unto thee; and that neither by my owne negligence, nor the power of any temptation, which either the World, the Fleſh, or the Divell ſhall preſent unto mee, I bee driven away from a true faith, but may lay hold of thoſe gracious promiſes, that thou haſt made unto mee in Jeſus Chriſt my Saviour. Diſperſe (O Lord) the thicke miſts and clouds of my ſinnes, which corrupt my ſoule, and darken my underſtanding, and waſh them away (I moſt humbly beſeech thee) in the precious bloud of thy Sonnes Paſſion, that ſo I may be acknowledged for one of thine Elect, when I ſhall appeare before thy Iudgement ſeate. Give mee a will carefully to follow my vocation, and let thy bleſſing bee upon me in the ſame: bleſſe me in my body, in my ſoule, and in whatſoever belongs unto mee: lighten my minde, and inflame my heart with a love of thoſe things that are good; and as my body (by thy power) is riſen from ſleepe, ſo my ſoule may daily be raiſed from the ſlumber of ſinne, and the darkneſſe of this world, and ſo both together may enjoy that everlaſting light which thou haſt provided for thy Saints, and purchaſed with the bloud of thy deare Sonne our Saviour Ieſus Chriſt: to whom with thee, O Father, and the bleſſed Spirit, be all honour and glory for evermore, Amen.
Evening Prayer.
O Almighty and everlaſting God, the Father of mercy, and God of all conſolation, that by thy mercifull Providence, defendeſt all thoſe that walke before thee, and put their truſt in thee: I poore and miſerable ſinner (unworthy of the leaſt of thy favours) doe yet preſume (in the name and mediation of Ieſus Chriſt) to preſent my ſelfe before thee, and to offer up this poore ſacrifice of praiſe and thankſgiving unto thee, that thou haſt nouriſhed and preſerved me by thy power, and haſt guided and governed me by thy Word and Spirit: and (as for all other thy bleſſings) ſo for that mercy that hath this day accompanied me, whereby I have both beene preſerved from many ſinnes, that the wickedneſſe of my nature was inclined unto, and alſo delivered from many puniſhments, that the ſinnes that I have committed have deſerved: I moſt humbly beſeech thee, in the merits of Chriſt Ieſus, to pardon and forgive mee all my ſinnes, which eith… in thought, word, or deed, I have this day, or any time heretofore committed againſt thee; whether they be the ſins of my youth, or of my age, the ſinnes of omiſſion or commiſſion, whether wittingly or ignorantly committed: good Lord, pardon them unto me, and let them not cauſe thee this night (as juſtly thou maiſt doe) to take vengeance of me, but bee mercifull unto mee, O Lord, in forgiving the evill I have committed, in ſupplying the good that I have omitted, in reſtoring mee to that which I have loſt, in healing my ſores, in lightning my blindneſſe, in clenſing my filthineſſe, and in altering the whole courſe of my corrupt minde, that I may bee delivered from that which is evill, and enabled to performe that which is agreeable to thy bleſſed Will and Word. And Lord, as thou haſt this day preſerved and kept mee in ſafety, ſo I moſt humbly beſeech thee to protect mee this night from all danger, both bodily and ghoſtly, and to give mee ſuch quiet and comfortable reſt, as may enable mee to walke on in that vocation, wherein thou haſt placed me, and that I may both bee delivered from the darkeneſſe of this preſent night, and may alſo eſcape that everlaſting darkeneſſe, which thou haſt provided for thoſe, that without Repentance continue in their ſinnes: from which, good Lord, deliver me, and all thoſe that belong unto thee; and that for the merits of the death and paſſion of my bleſſed Saviour Ieſus Chriſt: in whoſe Name I continue my prayers for my ſelfe, and thy whole Church, ſaying, as he hath taught us. Our Father. &c.
O Lord, prepare our hearts to Prayer.
O Lord God our heavenly Father, wee thy poore and wretched creatures, give thee moſt humble and hearty thankes for our quiet and ſafe ſleepe, and for raiſing us up from the ſame. We beſeech thee, for Jeſus Chriſts ſake, to proſper us this day in our labour and travell, that it may be to the diſcharging of our duty in our vocations, principally to thy glory; next, to the profit of this Church and Common-weale; and laſt of all, to the benefit and content of our Maſters. Grant, deare Father, that wee may cheerefully and conſcionably doe our buſineſſe and labours, not as men-pleaſers, but as ſerving thee our God, knowing thee to bee the chiefe Maſter of us, and that thou ſeeſt and beholdeſt us with thy Fatherly eyes, who haſt promiſed reward to them that faithfully and truely walke in their vocation, and threatned everlaſting death and damnation to them, that deceitfully and wickedly doe their workes and labours. Wee beſeech thee, O heavenly Father, to give us the ſtrength of thy Spirit, that godly and gladly wee may overcome our labours, and that the tediouſneſſe of that irkeſome labour, which thou for our ſinnes haſt powred upon all mankinde, may ſeeme to us more delectable and ſweet. Fulfill now, O Lord, theſe our requeſts, for thy Sonne our Saviours ſake, in whoſe Name wee pray, as he himſelfe hath taught us.
Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.
FINIS.
End of the text · Henry Smith, Jonah the Messenger of Ninevehs Repentance (1637)