The Exaltation of the Soul, Prayer 103 – Prayer 118
An Evening Prayer.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.
O Lord God, who art the light and splendor of souls, in the brightness of thy countenance is eternal day, that knows no night; in thy arms, and in thy protection is all quietness, tranquility and everlasting repose, while the darkness covers the face of the earth, receive my body and soul into thy custody; let not the spirits of darkness come near my dwelling, neither suffer my fancy to be abused with the illusions of the night. Lord, I am thy servant, and the sheep of thy pasture, let not the Devil, who goeth up and down seeking whom he may devour, abuse my body, or make a prey of my soul, but defend me from all those calamities which I have deserved, and protect my soul, that it consent not to any work of darkness, lest mine enemy say, he hath prevailed over me, or do mischief to a soul redeemed with thy most precious blood. Amen.
Pardon and forgive me all the sins and offences of my youth and age, the errours of mine understanding, the inordination of mine affections, the irregularity of all my actions, and particularly of whatsoever I have transgressed this day, in thought, word, or deed. Lord, let not thy wrath arise, for although I have deserved the extremest pressure of thine indignation, yet remember my infirmity, and how thou hast sent thy Son to reveal thy infinite mercy to us, and convey pardon and salvation to the penitent. I beseech thee also to accept the heartiest devotion, and humble acknowledgment of a thankful heart for all thy blessings and preservation of me this day; for unless thy providence and grace had been my defence and guide, I had committed more and more grievous sins against thee, and had been swallowed up by thy just wrath, and severest judgments, mercy sweet Jesus. Amen.
Grant unto thy servant true humility, great contrition, a tender conscience, and obedient heart, an understanding alwaies busied in honest and pious thoughts, a wiling, tractable heart, and ever prone to do good, affections even and moderate, a watchful custody over my senses, that by those windows sin may never enter in, nor death by sin; make me to watch over my tongue, and keep the door of my lips, that no corrupt or unseemly communication proceed out of my mouth, that I may never slander, calumniate, or detract from the reputation of my neighbour, that I be not busie in the faults of others, but careful to correct my own, being gentle and merciful to others, severe towards my self, that I may speak much of thy praises, and what I can for the edification of my Brethren. Amen.
Give me a soul watchful in the service of Religion, constant in holy purposes, ingenious and free from sordid ends, or servile flattery, a modest gravity in my deportment, affability, a fair, courteous demeanour towards all men, austerity in condemning my own sins, sweetness in fraternal correction, and reprehending others, mature judgment, a chast body, and a clean soul, patience in suffering, deliberation in my words and actions, good counsels in all my purposes; make me just in performing promises, and in all my duties, sedulous in my calling, profitable to the Commonwealth, a true Son of the Church, and of a disposition meek and charitable towards all men. Amen.
O Lord, let thy grace be so present with me, that though my body sleep, yet my soul may for ever be watchful, that I sleep not in sin, or pretermit any opportunity of doing thee service: Let the remembrance of thy goodness and glory be first and last with me, and so unite my heart unto thee with habitual charity, that all my actions and sayings may be directed to thy glory, and every motion and inclination, either of soul or body, may in some capacity or other receive a blessing from thee, and do thee service, that whether I sleep or wake, travel or rest, eat or drink, live or die, I may alwaies feel the light of thy countenance shining so upon me, that my labours may be easie, my rest blessed, my food sanctified, and my whole life spent with so much sanctity and peace, that scaping from the darkness of this world, I may at last come to the land of everlasting rest, in thy light to behold light and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity now and ever more.
Another Prayer for the Evening.
VIsit, we beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation with thy mercy, and us thy servants with thy salvation, and repel far from us all the snares of the enemy. Let thy holy Angels dwell here to keep us in peace and safety, and thy blessing be upon us for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, the lively Image of thy Fathers mercy and glory, the Saviour of all them that put their trust in thee, we offer and present to thee all our strength, and powers of our souls and body, and whatsoever we are, or have, to be preserved, governed, and possest by thee; preserve us from all vitious, vain and proud cogitations, unchast affections, from all those things which thou hatest; grant us thy holy charity, that we may love thee above all the world, that we may with all sincerity of intention, and zealous affections, seek thee alone, and in thee alone take our rest, inseparably joyning our selves unto thee, who art worthy to be beloved and adored of all thy creatures with lowest prostration, and highest affection, now and for ever more. Amen.
O Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, let thy blessing be upon us, and upon all the members of thy holy Church, all health and safety both of body and soul; assist us against all our enemies, visible and invisible, now and for ever more; send us a quiet night, and a holy death in the actual communion of the Catholick Church, and in thy charity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.
Now and in all dangers and afflictions of soul and body, in the hour of death, and in the day of Judgment, save and deliver us, O sweet Saviour and Redeemer Jesus. Amen.
Short Prayers for several Occasions for the King.
O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of Kings, who in thy hands hast the heart of Kings, and canst turn them as the Rivers of water, send the light of thy countenance and abundance of blessings upon thy servant our Soveraign Lord King Charles, make him as holy, valiant, and prosperous as King David, wise and rich like Solomon, zealous for the honour of thy Law and Temple as Josiah, and give him all sorts of great assistances to enable him to serve thee, to glorifie thy holy Name, to protect thy Church, to promote true Religion, to overcome all his enemies, to make glad all his people, that he serving thee with all diligence, and utmost of his endeavours his people may serve him with honour and obedience, in thee, and for thee, according to thy blessed Word and Ordinance, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Queen.
O God of Heaven, Father of all mercies, have mercy upon our most gracious Queen, unite her unto thee with the hands of faith and love, preserve her to her lives end in thy favour, and make her instrumental of glory to thy Name, of refreshment to the Church, of Joy to the all faithful people of this Kingdom, and crown her with an eternal weight of glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For our Children.
O Father of Heaven, God of all the creatures, by whose providence mankind is increased, I bless thy Name for bestowing on me that blessing of the righteous man, the blessing of children; Lord, bless them with health, with life, and good understanding, with fair opportunities and advantages of education, society, tutors and governours, and above all with the graces of thy holy Spirit, that they may live and be blessed under thy protection, grow in grace, and be in favour with God and man, and at last make up the number of thine elect Children, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer of a Wife for her Husband.
O My God, who hast graciously been pleased to call me to the holy state of Matrimony, bless me in it with the grace of chastity, with loyalty, obedience, and complacency to my husband; and bless him with long life, with healthful body, with an understanding soul, with abundance of thy graces, which may make him to be and continue thy servant, a true Son of the Church, and a supporter and guide to his Wife, a blessing and a comfort to his Children, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Of a Husband for his Wife.
O Merciful God, who art a Father to us thy Children, espouse to thy holy Church a Saviour, and a Redeemer to all mankind; have mercy upon thy Handmaid my Wife, endow her with all the ornaments of thy heavenly grace, make her to be holy and devout, as Hester, loving and amiable, as Rachel, fruitful, as Leah, that being filled with grace and benediction here, she may be partaker of thy glory hereafter, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For safety in Childbirth.
O Blessed Jesu, Son of the Eternal God, who according to thy humility, wert born of a holy Maid, who conceived thee without sin, and brought thee forth without pain, have mercy upon me thy humble servant, and as by thy blessing I have conceived, so grant that by thy favourable assistance I may be safely delivered. Lord, grant me patience, and strength, and confidence in thee, and send thy holy Angel to be my Guardian in the hour of my travel. O shut not up my soul with sinners, nor my life with them that go down to the Pit; I humbly also beg mercy for my Child, grant a comely body, and an understanding soul, life, and an opportunity of Baptism, and thy grace from the cradle to his grave, that it may increase the number of Saints in that holy fellowship of Saints and Angels, where thou raignest and livest, Eternal God, world without end. Amen.
Before a Journey.
O Lord, who didst lead thy servants Abraham, and Jacob, thy people Israel, thy servant Tobias, and wise men of the East, in their several Journies, by thy providence, by thy Ministry of Angels, by a Pillar of Fire, and by the guidance of a Star, vouchsafe to preserve us thy servants in the way that we are now to go, be, O Lord, a guide unto us in our preparation, a shadow in the day, and covering by night, a rest to our weariness, and a staff to our weakness, a portion in adversity, a protection from danger, that by thy assistance we may perform our Journey safely to thy honour, to our own comfort, and last bring us to the everlasting Rest of our heavenly Country, through him who is the way, the truth and the life, our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
For Afflicted persons.
O Lord God, merciful and gracious Father, whose compassion extends to all that are in misery and need, that takest delight in relieving the distresses of the afflicted, give refreshment to all the comfortless, provide for the poor, give ease to all them that are tormented with sharp pains, health to the diseased, liberty and redemption to the captives, chearfulness of spirit to all them that are in great desolation. Lord, let thy Spirit confirm all them that are strong, strengthen all them that are weak, and speak peace to the afflicted conscience, that the light of thy countenance being restored to them, they may rejoyce in thy salvation, and sing praises unto thy Name, who hast delivered their souls from death, their eyes from tears, and their feet from falling; grant this for the honour of thy mercy, and the glory of thy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer against Temptations.
O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Name is great, thy Essence infinite, thy Goodness is Eternal, and thy Power hath no limit, thou art the God and Father of all, blessed for ever more, look down in mercy and compassion from thy dwelling, hear my prayers and supplications, and deliver me from all temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil; take not thy grace from me; let me never want thy help in my need, nor thy comfort in the day of my danger or calamity; never try me beyond my strength, nor afflict me beyond my patience, nor smite me but with a fatherly Rod: I have no strength of my own, thou art my confidence, my Rock, and my strong salvation; save me O God, from the miseries of this world, and never let me suffer the calamities of the next; rescue me from the evils I have deserved, and preserve me from the punishment of this world, that living before thee with a clean heart, and undefiled body, and a sanctified spirit, I may at the day of Judgment be presented pure and spotless by the blood of the Lamb, that I may sing eternal Hallelujahs in heavenly places, to the honour of God our Saviour, who hath redeemed our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling; grant this in the riches of thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A General Confesson.
ALmighty God, I a miserable sinner, do humbly confess that I am truly sorrowful for my many and great, my innumerable and intollerable crimes, of which my conscience does accuse me, by night and by day, and by which I have provoked thy severest wrath and indignation against me. I have broken all thy Righteous Laws and Commandments by word or deed, by vain thoughts, or sinful desires. I have sinned against thee in all my Relations and capacities, in all places, and at all times; I can neither reckon their number, nor bear their burden, nor suffer thine anger, which I have deserved; but thou, O Lord God, art merciful and gracious, have mercy upon me, pardon me for all the evil I have done; judge me not for all the good I have omitted; take not thy favour from me, but delight thou to sanctifie and save me, and work in me to will and to do of thy good pleasure, all my duty which thou O Lord requirest of me, that being sanctified by thy Spirit, delivered from my sins, I may serve thee in a religious and holy conversation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer used by His late Majesty in the time of his trouble and restraint.
O Most glorious Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I here humbly adore thy most sacred Majesty, and I bless and magnifie thy Name, for that thou hast been pleased so often and strangely to deliver me from the striving of my people: Father, forgive them who have thus risen up against me, and do thou yet turn their hearts both unto thee, and unto me, and do thou afford me help, that I, being firmly established in the Throne thou hast placed me in, may defend thy Church committed to my care, and keep all this thine and my people in truth and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for pardon of Sin.
ALmighty and most merciful Father, look down upon me thy unworthy servant, who here prostrate my self at the footstool of thy Throne of Grace, yea look upon me, O Father, through the mediation, and in the merits of Jesus Christ, in whom only thou art well pleased, for of my self I am not worthy to stand before thee, or to speak with my unclean lips unto thee, most holy and eternal God; for as in sin I was conceived and born, so likewise I have broken all thy holy Laws and Commandments, by my sinful motions, unclean thoughts, evil words, and wicked works, omitting my duties I ought to do, and committing many vices which thou hast forbidden under pain of death, of thy heavy displeasure. As for my sins, O Lord, they are innumerable, wherefore I stand here liable to all the miseries of this life, and everlasting torment in that to come; if thou shouldest deal with me according to my deserts, I confess Lord that it is thy mercy which endureth for ever, and thy compassion which never fails, which is the cause I have not been long ago consumed; but with thee there is mercy and plenteous redemption; in the multitude therefore of thy mercies, and by the merits of Jesus Christ, I intreat thy Divine Majesty that thou wilt not enter into judgment with thy servant, nor be extream to mark what is done amiss, but be thou merciful unto me, and wash away all my sins and transgressions with that precious blood that my Saviour shed for me; and I beseech thee, O Lord, not only to wash away all my sins, but also to purge my heart by thy holy Spirit from the dross of my natural corruption, and as thou dost add daies to my life, so, good Lord, I beseech thee, to add repentance to my daies, that when I have past this mortal life, I may be partaker of thy heavenly Kingdom, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer and Confession in and for the time of Affliction.
ALmighty and most merciful Father, it is only thy goodness that admits of my imperfect prayers, and the knowledge that thy mercies are infinite, which can give me any hope of thy acceptance, or granting them; for it is my bounden and necessary duty to confess my sins freely unto thee, and of all men living I have need of, and most reason so to do; no man living hath been so much obliged by thee, for that degree of knowledge which thou hast given me, adding likewise the guilt of my transgression; for it is through failing and imperfection that I have so many waies provoked thy gracious Majesty to wrath and indignation against me, but with shame and grief I confess that I have done amiss, and dealt wickedly, that therein I followed the perswasion of worldly wisdom, forsaking the dictates of a right informed conscience; wherefore, O Lord, I have no excuse to make, no hope left, but in the multitude of thy mercies; for I know my repentance is weak, and my prayers are faulty, grant therefore, O most merciful Father, so to strengthen my repentance, and amend my prayers, that thou mayest clear the way for thine own mercies, to which, O let thy Justice at last give place, putting a speedy end to my deserved afflictions: In the mean time give me patience to endure, constancy against temptations, and a discerning spirit to chuse what is best for thy glory, and my comfort, and the good of others; grant this, O most merciful Father, for thy Son Jesus Christ his sake, our only Saviour. Amen.
A Prayer in time of Captivity.
O Powerful and Eternal God, to whom nothing is so great that it may resist, or so small that it is contemned, look upon my miseries with the eye of mercy, and let thy infinite power vouchsafe to limit out some proportion of deliverance unto me, as to thee shall seem most convenient; let not injury O Lord, triumph over me, and let my falls by thy hand be corrected; and make not my unjust enemies the Ministers of thy Justice; but yet my God, if in thy wisdom this be the aptest castisement for my inexcusable transgressions; if this ungrateful bondage be fittest for my over high desires; if the pride of my not enough humble heart be to be thus broken, O Lord, I yield to thy Will, chearfully embracing what sorrow thou wilt have me suffer; only thus much let me crave of thee: Let my craving, O Lord, be acceptable unto thee, since it even proceeds from thee, that by goodness, which is thy self, thou will suffer some beam of thy Majesty so to shine in my heart, that I, who acknowledge it my noblest title to be thy creature, may still in my greatest affliction depend confidently on thee; let calamity be the exercise, but not the overthrow of my vertue: O let not their prevailing power be to my destruction; and if it be thy will that they more and more vex me with punishment, yet, O Lord, never let their wickedness have such a hand, but that I may still carry a pure mind, and a stedfast resolution ever to serve thee without fear or presumption, yet with that humble confidence which may best please thee; so that at the last I may come to thy eternal Kingdom, through the merits of thy Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.