The Guide Unto True Blessedness, Prayer 2
A Prayer for the Euening.
O Lord God, by whoſe gracious prouidence the night ſucceedeth the day, and the day the night: we acknowledge, that if wee had no other glaſſe to ſee thee in, nor booke wherein to reade of thee, but that of thy creatures, wee could not without ſhamefull vnthankefulneſſe bee ignorant of thee; for as much as day vntounto day vttereth thy goodneſſe, and night vntounto night teacheth knowledge. But whereas thou art further pleaſed to reueile thy ſelfe vntounto vsus in the booke of thy Scriptures, and in the glaſſe of thy Sonne Ieſus Chriſt, if now we ſhould not know thee, or not acknowledge thee, how deſperate were our blindneſſe, how damnable were our vnthankefulneſſe? wherefore wee entreat thee to accept from vsus, in the name of Chriſt, humble thankes for the manifold witneſſes & pledges of thy louelove towards vsus. Thou, O Lord, haſt made vsus, not wee our ſelues: yea thou haſt made vsus men and women, not beaſts; perfect in ſhape, no… monſters: ſenſible and of vnderſtanding, not fooles. Thou didſt preſerue vsus in the wo…be, nouriſh vsus when wee hanged vponupon the breſts, prouide vsus meanes of education, fit vsus for ſome honeſt employment, wherein now by thy goodneſſe wee are exerciſed, and doe therein finde thine aſſiſtance and bleſsing. Thou haſt brought vsus forth in a fruitfull land, in times of peace and proſperity, ſo …hat we hauehave our ſhare in the common bleſsings of a moſt happy gouernment. Beſides, thou haſt in priuate compaſſed eueryevery one of vsus with particular mercies, tending to the comfort of life. And euen this day paſt haſt beene our guide, our Father, and our friend, and now bringeſt vsus before thee with matter of praiſe, and not of mourning; ſo that we may adde the day paſt, vntounto the number of the daies of our wellbeing. And as if thou thoughteſt all this too little for vsus, thou haſt from all eternity ſet thine heart vponupon vsus, and appointed vsus to ſaluation by the meanes of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt: reueiled thy couenant of grace vntounto vsus by thy Goſpell confirmed to vsus: in particular the promiſes of mercy, by the outward ſeales of thy ſacraments, and by the inward ſeale of thy ſpirit▪ changed our vile and curſed nature, and made vsus in ſome meaſure partakers of thy diuine nature: ſealed vsus vp by the Holy Ghoſt vntounto the day of redemption. In a word it is thou O Lord, that haſt giuen vsus light: light of nature, light of grace, and light of glory. For all which mercies, wee doe now and alwaies magnifie thy glorious grace, beſeeching thee to ſtirre vsus vp vntounto a greater meaſure of thankefulneſſe, and obedience; that as there is euerie day in the booke of thine account much goeing out towards vsus from thee, ſo thou maiſt finde ſomewhat from vsus comming in vntounto thee. And now, O Lord, being anſwered in our prayers of the Morning, and of the former time of our life, we are emboldened to come againe vntounto thee, who therefore doeſt heare the praier, that to thee all fleſh may come. Wee beſeech thee therefore, be not weary of our importunity, be not aſhamed of our pouertie: but as the ſenſe thereof leadeth vsus vntounto thee, ſo let the pitty and commiſeration of the ſame encline thy mercifull heart towards vsus. O Lord, we cannot come into thy ſight, but we bring with vsus great matter & occaſiō, either of wrath or of mercy from thee. Our naturall corruption, which, as the leproſie of Adam, cleaueth to vsus all his poſteritie, filling vsus euen from our conception, with the ſeedes of all euill, ſo that wee brought with vsus a world of ſinne into this thy world. Our actuall tranſgreſsions, which in imitation of Adams ſinne, we hauehave eueryone of vsus committed: our thoughts, our words, our works, by which the eies of thy glorie, hauehave beene daily prouoked: Finally the heinous circumſtances, whereby our ſinnes hauehave beene made out of meaſure ſinfull, as the abuſe of thy patience, quenching of thy ſpirit, deſpiſing of thy Goſpell, vnthankefulneſſe for thy mercies, vnfaithfulneſſe in thy couenant. Theſe, O Lord, and many moe; are the miſchiefs, with which our natures are blemiſhed, our liues peſtered, our conſciences burdened, & thy heauie wrath moſt iuſtly procured. Yet becauſe thou haſt giuen thy Sonne Ieſus Chriſt a meanes of propitiation, in whom thou reconcileſt the world to thy ſelfe, wee hauehave boldeneſſe through him to entreat thee of grace and pardon. Lord, let his death and ſufferings ſatiſfie thy iuſtice for all our ſinnes, and procure vsus fauour and forgiueneſſe from thee; that ſo mercy may reioice ouer iudgement in our behalfe, as both meet together in thee. Let thy Chriſt, O Lord, be our Ieſus, to ſaue vsus from our ſinnes, and deliuer vsus from the wrath to come. Enrich vsus with the treaſure of his merits, that may both ranſome vsus out of the hand of our deadly enemie, and purchaſe vsus an euerlaſting eſtate in the kingdome of thy glory. Let it not greeue thee, O Lord, thus to make vsus more then gainers at thine hand; ſeeing at the hand of him our ſuretie thou art ſure to bee no looſer. And whereas thou haſt not onelyonly promiſed ſo to deale with vsus, but commanded vsus to beleeue that promiſe of thine; O Lord, in deſire to obey thy commandement, and to ſeale vntounto thy truth, we profeſſe that wee doe beleeue; yet priuie to the weakeneſſe of our faith, wee pray thee helpe our vnbeliefe. Speak peace, O Lord, vntounto our conſciences, repleniſh vsus with the comforts of thy ſpirit, multiplie in vsus the euidences of our ſaluation. Shed thy louelove abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghoſt, ſet vsus as a ſeale vpō thine hand, and ſet thy ſeale, O Lord, vponupon vsus; not onelie that ſeale of Election, whereby thou knoweſt vsus to bee thine owne, but alſo the ſeale of Sanctification, whereby we may know our ſelues to be thine. O Lord, if we ſee nothing in our ſelues, but what wee hauehave of our ſelues, or of the world, we cannot ſay wee belong to any but to Satan; bearing no other, but his image and ſuperſcription. But Lord doe thou deface that curſed image, blot out that ſuperſcription, diſſolue in vsus the malicious worke of the Diuell. Let the old man of corruption bee diſpoſſeſſed by the new man of grace, and the ſtrong man of ſinne, by the ſtronger man of thy ſpirit. Let no ſinne, O Lord, hauehave dominion ouer vsus▪ mortifie in vsus the whole body of death, crucifie and put to ſhamefull death our ſpeciall corruptions, ſhew vsus the ougly face of ſinne; grant that we may ſee it as thou ſeeſt it, and hate it with a perfect hatred, euen as thou abhorreſt it. Yea let vsus ſee thee, O Chriſt, whom we hauehave perced with our ſinnes, bleeding with the wounds thou haſt receaued from vsus, that wee may iuſtly deteſt both our ſinnes as the weapons, and our ſelues as the traitors that hauehave ſlaine our Sauiour. On the contrary ſide, good Lord, renew thine owne image in vsus. Enlighten our darke minds with the knowledge of thy truth, mollifie our hard hearts with the oyle of thy grace, reuiue our dead conſciences with the ſoule of new life, that liuing in the ſpirit, we may alſo walke in the ſpirit. Plant in vsus faith without preſumption, lo…e without d…ſſimulation, feare without infidelitie, zeale without hyprocri ie, knowledge without pride, puritie without iudgeing. GiueGive vsus wiſdome ioined with ſimplicitie, courage accompanied with meekeneſſe, cheerefulneſſe tempered with ſobrietie, and let eueryevery grace in vsus be graced with humilitie. Fill vsus with all the fruits of a liuely and ſauing faith, working by louelove, let the fire thereof flame in our hearts, and the light thereof ſhine in our liues, to the praiſe of thy name, and the comfort of our conſciences. And thus without ceaſing, lead vsus forward to perfection, guiding vsus by thy grace, and after bringing vsus to thy glorie. And now, O Lord, hauing in the firſt place ſought thy kingdome and righteouſneſſe, giuegive vsus leaue in the next place to ſeek thy fauour in outward things: Be with vsus this night, O Lord, to watch ouer vsus for good and not for euill. Let it bee our comfort that thou ſeeſt vsus in the darke, and takeſt knowledge of vsus, when wee are vnmindfull of our ſelues. But aboue all things, keepe vsus euen in our ſleepe, from being vnmindfull of thee. Let our hearts alwaies bee awake, and keepe thy watch, O Lord, euen as wee would thou ſhouldſt keepe a watch ouer vsus, that whenſoeuer thou ſhalt call for vsus by the generall alarum of iudgement, or the particular ſummons of our death, whether at midnight, or at the cocke crowing, or at the dawning of the day, we may bee found ready to accompany our heauenly bridegroome. In the meane time ſanctifie the bleſſing of ſleepe vntounto vsus, that the reſt of the night may make vsus fit for the labour of the day, and night & day being ſpent in thy ſeruice, may prepare vsus for that day of thine, which ſhall neuer giuegive place to night.
Laſtlie, ſeeing thou haſt vouchſafed this honour to thy ſeruants on earth, to make interceſſion vntounto thee one for another; wee commend vntounto thy maieſtie the care of thy whole Church, and of all our fellow members in the bodie of Chriſt. Cauſe thē all in thy due time to be brought forth, faſhioned, and perfected, according to the image of Chriſt our head. Let the Angell neuer ceaſe flying with the euerlaſting Goſpell, to enlighten them that ſit in darkneſſe, to preach good tidings to the poore, to binde vp the broken hearted, to proclaime libertie vntounto the captiues, till Babilon be quite ruined, and thy Ieruſalem bee reared vp and finiſhed. To this end bleſſe all Chriſtian Princes and States: by name thy ſeruant Iames our Soueraigne, with our gracious Queene & the royall children, and as thou haſt crowned them with worldly honour vponupon earth, ſo direct them vntounto that more glorious crowne in heauen. Make them ſtrong and faithfull, to maintaine the crowne & dignitie of thy ſonne, that vnderunder his protection, they may happily raigne and execute iudgement. Aſſiſt with thy counſell the Honorable priuie Counſellors: adorne the Nobles with ſpirituall nobilitie: proſper the worke of thy Goſpell in the hands of thy ſeruants the Miniſters: and the affaires of Iuſtice in the hands of the Magiſtrates.
Vouchſafe to take ſpeciall notice from vsus, of thoſe whom thou haſt ſpecially recommended to vsus: and to them, and vsus, and all that deſire to feare thy name, grant all the bleſſings of merciemercy and peace in Ieſus Chriſt our onelyonly bleſſed Sauiour, to whom with thee, and thine eternall Spirit, O Father, be all honour, obedience, and thankſgiuing throughout all generations. Amen.