A Guide to Godliness, Paraphrase of the Lords Prayer · Prayer 5
A Prayer for the Family in the Euening.
O Lord our God, moſt high and holy, moſt dreadfull and glorious in thy might and Maieſty vntounto all creatures, terrible and like a conſuming fire vntounto all impenitent ſinners; but a moſt gracious and louing Father vntounto all thoſe, who are reconciled vntounto thee in Ieſus Chriſt. Thou haſt commanded vsus to call vponupon thee in all our neceſſities, and haſt incouraged vsus hereunto by thy moſt gracious and free promiſe, that where two or three are gathered together in the name of thy Sonne, there thou wilt be preſent amongſt them by thy holy Spirit, to heare their ſuits, and relieue their wants. In obedience to which Commandement, and in ſome aſſurance of thy gracious promiſe, we thy poore and vnworthy ſeruants, doe heere, in the mediation of Ieſus Chriſt, humbly proſtrate our ſelues before thy Throne of grace and mercy, acknowledging our ſelues guilty of innumerable ſinnes, and thereby lyable to as many fearefull puniſhments; but yet in the merits of thy Sonne, and in the truth of thy promiſes, pleading for pardon and forgiueneſſe. We confeſſe vntounto thee, that wee were conceiued and borne in ſinne, hauing all the faculties and powers of our ſoules and bodies ſo wholly defiled with originall corruption, that wee are vtterly diſabled for thy ſeruice, and prone vntounto all manner of wickedneſſe; and hauehave, in the whole courſe of our liues, multiplied againſt thee our actuall tranſgreſſions, by breaking thy whole Law, and eueryevery Commandement thereof, in thought, word, and deed. Wee are naturally full of ignorance and blindneſſe of mind, neither knowing thee, nor thy truth, and after that thou haſt cauſed the light of the Goſpell to ſhine vntounto vsus for many yeeres, our minds are ſtill full of darkneſſe. We content our ſelues with a ſmall meaſure of knowledge, and continue children in vnderſtanding, when we ſhould be of ripe age, not ſtriuing after more perfection; neither according to the meaſure of our meanes, are we rich in knowledge, and in the fruits of new obedience. We are full of infidelity and doubting, and negligent in the vſe of the meanes, whereby our faith ſhould be confirmed and ſtrengthened; and are full alſo of impenitency, ſecurity and hardneſſe of heart, and doe both ſeldome and ſlightly bewaile our ſinnes paſt, and but weakly and vnconſtantly reſolue and indeuour to amend our liues for the time to come. We are ready to truſt in the creature, more then in thee the Creator, and cannot, as we ought, reſt vponupon thy power and promiſes in the abſence of inferiour meanes. We are apt to forget thee, when thou moſt remembreſt vsus, and the more that wee abound with thy bleſſings, the leſſe mindfull wee are of thee from whom we hauehave receiued them. Wee hauehave loued the world and earthly things, more then thee and heauenly excellencies, and hauehave preferred the pleaſures of ſinne, before thy louelove and fauour, being ready to hazard theſe, rather then to forgoe them. We are full of ſelfe-louelove, and hauehave been moued hereby to ſow vntounto the fleſh, of which we can reape nothing but ſin and puniſhment; and hauehave ſet our hearts ſo much vponupon carnall vanities, that they eaſily draw them away from thee. We doe not patiently and conſtantly hope and waite for the accompliſhment of thy promiſes, though we hauehave great experience of thy power, truth and goodneſſe towards vsus. We are cold or luke-warme in our zeale, and hauehave not with any feruency aduanced the meanes of thy glory, nor remoued the impediments whereby it is hindred. Our reioycing is more in the fleſh then in the Spirit; in worldly things and the pleaſures of ſinne, more then in thee the Fountaine of all true ioy; in the fruition of thy preſent fauours, and expectation of heauenly happineſſe. Wee are vngratefull vntounto thee for thy manifold benefits, and oftentimes when we praiſe thee, it is with our lips onelyonly, and not with inward ioy and cheerfulneſſe of our hearts. Wee doe not approoue our louelove and thankefulneſſe vntounto thee by our fruits of obedience; but hauehave been negligent in the duties of holineſſe and righteouſneſſe, that wee might giuegive glory to thy holy Name, and all wee doe, is maimed and imperfect, full of wants and weakneſſes, and ſtained with many corruptions. Wee are ready to murmure and repine in our leaſt afflictions, and doe not beare thy fatherly corrections with patience and thankfulneſſe, being more ſenſible of the ſmart, then of our ſinnes which hauehave cauſed it; and looking more to the rod, then vntounto thy hand, which thereby chaſtizeſt vsus for our amendment. Wee doe not feare to diſpleaſe thee by our ſinnes, nor auoyd thine anger as the greateſt euill; or if we doe feare thee at all, it is not ſo much for thy mercies, as to auoyd thy Iudgements. We hauehave not adorned our ſelues with humility and meekneſſe, in the ſight and ſenſe of our owne vileneſſe and vnworthineſſe; but are full of ſpirituall pride, arrogating vntounto our ſelues thoſe gifts we hauehave not, and ouerweening thoſe we hauehave, or aſcribing the praiſe of them vntounto our ſelues, which is onelyonly due to thee. We are negligent in the duties of thy ſeruice, and doe not performe them in Spirit and truth, but either neglect them vponupon eueryevery ſlight occaſion, or doe them without due preparation, coldly and formally, without any feruency of zeale, reſpecting thy glory, or our ſpirituall good. We hauehave often taken thy holy Name in vaine, and abuſed thine holy ordinances, and prophaned thy Sabbaths, not doing thy will onelyonly on thy holy Day, but ſpeaking our owne words, walking in our owne waies, and ſeeking our owne carnall delights. We hauehave alſo neglected the duties of righteouſneſſe, charity and mercy towards our neighbours, and of temperance and ſobriety towards our ſelues. By all which, and many other our ſinnes, wee hauehave made our ſelues ſubiect to thy wrath and the curſe of the Law, and hauehave iuſtly deſerued to be depriued of all teſtimonies of thy louelove, and to bee ouerwhelmed with all thy iudgements and puniſhments, both in this life, and the life to come. O Lord our God, affect our hearts with ſonne-like ſorrow, becauſe we hauehave ſo much and often diſpleaſed thee our gracious Father; and let vsus be grieued in our ſoules, that wee are ſo little grieued for our ſinnes, whereby we hauehave pierced our Sauiour, and grieued thy good Spirit dwelling in vsus. And further, wee beſeech thee, in the multitude of thy mercies, to remit and forgiue all our ſinnes, and waſh vsus cleane from the guilt and puniſhment of them all, that they may neither depriue vsus of thy louelove and manifold bleſſings temporall and eternall, nor expoſe vsus to thy wrath and fearfull puniſhments. And not onelyonly remit our ſins, and heale our ſoules, but ſpeake comfortably to our conſciences, by the ſecret voyce of thy Spirit, as once thy Sonne did to the ſicke of the palſie, Sonnes, be of good comfort, your ſinnes are forgiuen you. Strengthen our weake faith in the aſſurance of thy louelove, and the remiſſion of our ſinnes, and let vsus labour earneſtly in the vſe of all good meanes, whereby it may bee more and more increaſed and confirmed, that ſo without wauering and doubting we may apply Chriſt vntounto vsus with all his benefits, and thy gracious promiſes made in him. Let vsus not weaken and wound it with ſinnes committed againſt our knowledge and conſciences, but nouriſh it by bringing foorth the fruits of obedience in a godly life. Aſſure vsus that wee are thy children by adoption and grace, and heires of that heauenly inheritance reſerued for thy Saints, and let vsus approoue our ſelues to bee ſo, by demeaning our ſelues in all things as it beſeemeth thy Sonnes. Let vsus louelove, reuerence, and obey thee our heauenly Father, and thinke all too little which wee can doe or ſuffer for thy ſake, that thereby we may expreſſe our louelove towards thee. Let vsus, aboue all things, be zealous of thy glory, reioycing when it is magnified, and grieuing when it is neglected either by our ſelues or others. Let vsus not hazzard our heauenly inheritance, by wilfull ſinning for the gayning of the whole world, but let vsus labour to make our calling and election ſure, and worke out our ſaluation with feare and trembling. GiueGive vntounto vsus peace of a good conſcience, and repleniſh our hearts with ſpirituall ioy in the aſſurance of thy fauour. Let vsus vndoubtedly expect the performance of al thy gracious promiſes made in Chriſt, euen when thou ſeemeſt to delay them, eſpecially that mayne promiſe of euerlaſting life and happineſſe; and hauing this hope, let vsus daily purge our ſelues, as hee alſo is pure. But eſpecially giuegive vsus grace, that wee may bring foorth the fruits of our faith, in true, hearty, and vnfained repentance; bewayling our ſinnes paſt, hating our preſent corruptions which ſtill hang vponupon vsus, and both purpoſing and ſeriouſly indeuouring to leaue and forſake our ſinnes, and to ſerue thee in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe all the dayes of our liues. Let vsus not deferre our repentance from day to day, but ſeeing the neceſſity thereof vntounto ſaluation, let vsus lay hold of the acceptable time, and whileſt it is called to day, let vsus not harden our hearts, but turne vntounto thee with all our ſoules. Let vsus, as we daily renew our ſinnes, renew alſo our faith and repentance, and hauehave an earneſt and ſerious ſtudy of pleaſing thee in all things. Let vsus not content our ſelues with a ſmall meaſure of repentance, ſeeing our ſinnes are many and grieuous, but let vsus aſpire to the higheſt perfection, hating ſinne with a perfect hatred, and bewayling it with bitter griefe. Finally, let vsus conſtantly perſeuere in the practice of repentance, and hauing begun in it, let vsus continue it to the very end of our liues. And as wee begge theſe benefits at thy hands, ſo wee yeeld vntounto thee moſt humble and hearty thankes, for all thy mercies and fauours vouchſafed vntounto vsus, eſpecially for all thy ſpirituall graces concerning eternall life, and aboue all, for that ineſtimable pledge of thy louelove, thy deare and onelyonly Sonne, whom thou haſt giuen to the death, that hee might free vsus from all our ſpirituall enemies, and purchaſe for vsus euerlaſting happineſſe. Wee praiſe thee, for that thou haſt watched ouer vsus with thy gracious prouidence, in the whole courſe of our liues, and namely, this day paſt, preſeruing vsus from all dangers, and furniſhing vsus with all neceſſaries, and bleſſing vsus in all our labours and indeuours. Wee beſeech thee, holy Father, to continue with our thankfulneſſe, thy louelove towards vsus and care ouer vsus. Take vsus this night into thy gracious protection, and watch ouer vsus with thy prouidence, waking and ſleeping, and thereby preſerue vsus from all perils and dangers, and from the malice and fury of all our enemies ſpirituall and temporall, eſpecially of that raging and roaring Lyon, the deuill, who ſeeketh all aduantages to worke our deſtruction. Let vsus not ſleepe, like others, the ſleepe of ſinne, which bringeth death, but let vsus ſtill keepe the ſpirituall watch, that wee may alwayes bee prepared for the day of death and Iudgement, and hauehave our accounts continually in readineſſe, that when wee are called to a reckoning, wee may with comfort appeare before our Iudge. Preſerue vsus in the darke from the workes of darkeneſſe, and let vsus day and night behaue our ſelues as in thy ſight and preſence, making no leſſe conſcience of ſecret ſinnes, then of thoſe which are open and manifeſt. Let vsus, whileſt our bodies reſt, hauehave our mindes exerciſed with holy and heauenly Meditations, and let them bee ſo ſeaſoned with thy grace, and guided by thy good Spirit, that they may not in our ſleepe giuegive way to ſinfull thoughts and vaine imaginations. GiueGive vntounto vsus ſuch quiet and moderate reſt, that our bodies may thereby bee refreſhed, and their decayed ſtrength repaired; and ſo bleſſe and ſanctifie our ſleepe vntounto vsus, that it may bee a meanes of preſeruing our health, and of making vsus more fit for all duties of thy ſeruice. Heare vsus, gracious God, in all theſe our ſuites, and vouchſafe theſe and all other bleſſings which in thy wiſedome thou knoweſt needfull, not onelyonly vntounto vsus, but alſo to all thy children and ſeruants, and eſpecially ſuch as bee of this Church, the Magiſtrates, Miniſters, and whole people, euen for Ieſus Chriſt his ſake; In whoſe Name and words wee conclude our prayers, as hee himſelfe hath taught vsus, ſaying, Our Father, which art in heauen, &c.