Prayers Upon Solemn Occasions, Prayer 7 – Prayer 10
A Prayer before Sermon.
MOst mercifull Father we humbly beseech thee to give every one of us grace to let these things sink deeply into our hearts. Blesse we beseech thee our wills and affections with sanctified desires to entertaine them, our memories with faithfullnesse to retaine them, our mindes with serious meditations to digest them, our hearts with fervency and prayer for thy blessings upon them, our lives with practise and piety to profit by them. LORD we see clearely that all our pleasures shall die and perish, that our honours shall be laid in the dust, that our gold and silver shall canker, and the rust of of them shall be a witnesse against us at the last day, that outward performances of religious duties without inward sanctification, shall have their portion with Hypocrites in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstrone. Where then shall appeare the lyar, the swearer, the drunkard, the profaner of the Sabbath, the uncleane person, the proud, the idle, the malicious, the carelesse in his calling, even without timely and sound repentance, in the bottomelesse pit of the lowest hell. O then we beseech thee, gracious Father, to vouchsafe us in time wise and understanding hearts, the spirit of judgement to discerne betweene the short span of this miserable life, and the length and breadth of eternity. Let us now at length make a through and deepe search into the state of our soules and consciences, and if wee find that we be not yet possest of that inward sincerity and true happinesse; let us for ever hereafter, with greatest fervency, earnestnesse and contention of spirit hunger and thirst, labour and strive after saving grace, the power of religion and true godlinesse, that so for a few and evill daies, we stand wisely and resolutely for thy honour and truth, and with comfort and courage running the race of sanctification, may bee provided and furnished with assurance of glory, clearenesse of conscience, strength of faith against the day of our visitation, that when we shall lie downe upon our deaths-bed, and wee know not how soone, we may be able to meete with the fearefull temptations of our sinnefull flesh, the fiery darts of Satan, to encounter with the pangs of death, and terrours of the grave, and so passe with joyfullnesse and triumph to those glorious mansions of light and blessed immortality with thee in the highest heavens.
Lastly Gracious Father, for this present holy businesse we have now in hand; we humbly beseech thee to let thy blessings bee mightily upon thy Word at this time, that it may pierce and enter through to the dividing asunder of the soule and the spirit, of the joynts and the marrow, and to discover the very thoughts and intents of the heart. Keepe we pray thee out of our hearts and heads all troubles, cares, wandrings, humours, passions, prejudice, distractions, deadnesse or whatsoever other cursed let shall be suggested by the divell, or our owne wicked hearts. So sanctifie unto our soules this holy ordinance of thine, that we may handle and heare it with all feeling power and reverence as the Word of thee the true and everliving GOD, and as that by which we must be judged at that last dreadfull day. Make it to be a Word of conversion and enlargement to all them that are yet in the snares of the divell & waies of death: but of strengthening, encouragement and comfort to those that are already thine, that so by thy mercifull blessing it may prove unto every one of us, the savour of life unto life, and thy mighty power unto us for salvation, and that for the LORD CHRIST JESVS his sake: In whose glorious Name and mediation we beg these and all other needfull blessings, concluding in his owne prayer, Our Father, &c.
O LORD heare us in these our weake requests, and grant them unto us, and all other things necessary for us, for our bodies, our soules, our callings, or this present action, and for every member of thy Church; wee beg them all in the name and mediation of CHRIST JESVS thy Sonne and our onelyonly SAVIOVR, to whom with thee and the holy Spirit, be all praise and power, and might, and dominion and thankesgiving ascribed at this time and evermore hereafter, Amen.
BLessed are all they that heare the Word of GOD, beleeve it and doe it. The grace of our LORD JESVS CHRIST, and the love of GOD the Father in him, and the most comfortable fellowship, helpe and communion of GOD the HOLY GHOST, be with us all, blesse us, preserve us and keepe us, and every member of his Church in faith, a good, quiet and peaceable conscience, the rest of this day and evermore hereafter.
Grace before meate.
LORD GOD who hast created all things for the use and comfort of man, and man for thy owne glory; Make we beseech thee these thy creatures wholesome for our bodies, and us thankfull for them for CHRIST JESVS his sake.
A Prayer before Sermon.
MOst holy and righteous LORD GOD, we humbly and heartily thanke thee for our preservation this night past, pardon wee beseech thee unto us the sinnes thereof; And now prepare and sanctifie us, for a right and comfortable serving of thee in this morning sacrifice, and holy duties we take in hand. Illighten our mindes and inlarge our hearts by thine owne good Spirit, that wee may rightly conceive of the great mystery of grace and true meaning of thy holy Word, that we treasure it up in our memories with an holy greedinesse, and after walke by the strength thereof, with all fruitfullnesse and power in all thy waies, all the daies of our life, and that for thy CHRIST his sake.
A Prayer after Sermon.
O LORD our GOD, thou clearely seest and beholdest from Heaven, what hearts we now bring into thy glorious presence from the businesse of this day, how full of earthlinesse, deadnesse, listlesnesse and unfitnesse to speake unto thee. Wee pray thee for CHRIST his sake to possesse, quicken and sanctifie them by thy blessed Spirit, that they may bee ever feeling and fruitfull in these holy exercises. Make us every day more and more wise, with all thy Saints and elect children unto our eternall salvation in the right understanding, beleeving and obeying of thy blessed Word, and great mystery of godlinesse, in JESVS CHRIST our LORD.