The Exaltation of the Soul, Prayer 9 – Prayer 17
A Prayer for the continuance of God's Favour to me, even to my old Age, and longing for a happy departure.
O Lord God, foolish men are plagued for their offences, and because of their wickedness; so when they cryed unto the Lord in their trouble, he delivered them out of their dIstress. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men. A fruitful Land maketh he barren, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, yet he satisfies the empty soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness, such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, being fast bound in misery and Iron. O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness, and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all. The Earth is full of thy Riches. O remember the marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth. O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen; he hath been alway mindfull of his Covenant and Promise, that he made to a thousand generations; in the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart, thy comforts have refresh…d my soul; for the Lord is my Refuge, and my God is the strength of my confidence. The Lord is a great God, and King above all Gods. O ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing that is evil. The Lord preserveth the souls of his Saints, he delivereth them from the hand of the ungodly. Rejoyce in the Lord, O ye righteous, and give thanks in remembrance of his holiness. O let me have understanding in the waies of godliness. A froward heart, shall depart from me. I will not know a wicked person. Mine eyes look upon such as be faithful in the Land, that they may dwell with me. Whoso leadeth a godly life, shall be my servant. There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house. He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. I shall soon destroy all the ungodly that are in the Land, that I may root out all wicked doers. O Lord God, deliver me from among the wicked, and save me for thy mercy sake, and let not my wicked sins prevail against me. Hear my prayers, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. O Lord God, my house of defence, and my Castle, who by thy mercies and loving Spirit hast taught me in thy waies from my first years until now; thou hast brought me to great honour, even the honour of being a Christian; the honour of Adoption, to be thy child and heir of thy glorious promises, co-heirs with thy Son Jesus Christ, and hast comforted me on every side with a continual stream of thy mercies and refreshments. Give me thy grace that I may love thee, and long for thee above all the things in this world. As thou hast holpen me up ever since I was born, so let thy mercy go along with me all the daies of my life. Cast me not off in the time of Age. Give me grace that I may never cast thee off, or thy Laws from me. Let not thy grace, and the great strength I derive from thy thee, forsake me, when my natural strength fails me; but let my spirit grow upon the advantages of the flesh, and begin to receive the happiness of Eternity, by an absolute conquest over the weak, and decaying body, that after I have by thine Aid passed through the great troubles and adversities thou shewest unto all thy children in the world, I may lye down in thy Righteousness, and with thy favour, that when thou bringest me out of the deep of the earth again, I may have a joyful resurrection to the society of Saints and Angels, and the full fruition of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Collect.
O God, who hast prepared for all them that love thee, such good things that pass man's understanding, pour into my heart such love towards thee, that I loving thee above all things, may obtain the promises which exceed all that I can desire, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for obtaining of Christ's Kingdom.
HIde not thy face from me, O Lord, in the time of my trouble, and encline thine ears unto me when I call. O hear me, and that right soon; for thou art full of mercy and compassion, long suffering, and of great goodness; thou art not alwaies chiding, neither keepest thou thine anger for ever; thou dost not deal with me after my sins, nor rewardest thou me according to my wickedness; for look how high the Heaven is in comparison of the Earth, so far hast thou set my sins from thee; yea, like as a Father pitieth his own Children, even so the Lord is merciful to them that fear him; for he knoweth whereof we be made; he remembreth we are but dust, and the merciful goodness of the Lord endureth for ever, and ever, to them that fear him, and his Righteousness to his Childrens Children, even upon such as keep his Covenant, and think upon his Commandments, to do them. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, he hath great delight in his Commandments, his seed shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the faithful shall be blessed; riches and plentiousness shall be in his house, his Righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the godly there riseth up light in the darkness; he is merciful, loving and righteous. A good man is merciful and lendeth, and will guide his words with discretion, for he shall never be moved, and the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance; for he will not be afraid of any evil tydings, for his heart standeth fast, and is stablished in the Lord, and will not shrink, until he seeth his desire upon his enemies; therefore not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but give the praise unto thy Name, for thy loving mercy, for thy Truth sake; as for our God, he is in Heaven, he hath done whatsoever pleased him. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous, yea our God is merciful. O blessed Jesu, who didst descend from Heaven into the womb of the blessed Virgin, like Rain into a fleece of wooll; thou that punishest the wrong doer, and defendest the Children of the poor, and them that have no helper, have mercy upon thy Church, be pleased by her Ministry to extend thy blessing upon thy dominion, from the one Sea to the other, even to the worlds end, that all the Kings of the earth may fall down before thee, and all Nations may do thee service. Make thy righteous people to flourish, and subdue their enemies under them; deliver them from falshood and wrong, that they may be blessed with abundance of grace, and be satisfied with thy righteousness and salvation, through thy mercies, O blessed Saviour and Redemer Jesu. Amen.
The Collect.
THE Lord of all power and might, who art the Author and giver of all good things, graft in my heart the love of thy Name; increase in me true Religion, inrich me with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep me in the same, through Jesus my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer that we may have our portion in God, and not in the good things of the men of this world.
O Lord God, who art loving unto all thy people, even unto such as are of a clean heart, give me a heart humble and merciful, that I may never be holden with pride, nor overwhelmed with cruelty; and sanctifie my words and lips, that I may never blaspheme thy holy Name, nor my talking be ever against thee, or thy honour. O God most highest, give unto me such religious and mortified affections, that I may never thirst after temporal advantages and prosperity of the world. Set not my feet in slippery places, lest I be suddenly cast down, and have my portion in the lot of the wicked, who perish and come to a fearful end. Guide me with thy counsel, that I holding me fast by thee, and putting my trust in thee, O God, thou mightest be the strength of my heart, the hope of my soul, and the ground of all the confidence and content in this life, and after this life is ended thou mayest receive me with glory, and be my portion for ever, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer that we may fear God's Judgments, and be freed from the terrours of men, and a Motive to move thereunto.
THE Lord preserveth the simple. I was in misery, and he helped me, for his merciful kindness is ever more and more towards me, and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is gracious, because his mercy endureth for ever. I called upon the Lord in trouble, and he heard me. The Lord is on my side, I will not fear what man can do unto me▪ The Lord taketh my part with them that help me, therefore I shall see my desire upon mine enemies. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in Princes. The Lord is my strength and my song, he is become my salvation. The Lord hath chastened and corrected me, but he hath not given me over unto death. Help me now, O Lord, send me now prosperity. Thou art my God, I will praise thee. Thou chargest that I should diligently keep thy Commandments. O that my waies were made so direct, that I might keep thy Statutes: so shall I not be confounded while I have respect unto thy Commandments. I will keep thy Testimonies, O forsake me not utterly. Blessed art thou O Lord; teach me thy Statutes. I have had as great delight in the waies of thy Testimonies, as in all manner of riches. My delight shall be in thy Statutes, and I will not forget thy Word; therefore O Lord, do well unto thy servant, that I may live and keep thy Word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may see the wonders of thy Law. Turn not from me, neither rebuke me, for I have kept thy Statutes. My soul melteth away for very heaviness. O comfort thou me according to thy Word. Take from me the way of lying, and cause thou me to make much of thy Law. I have chosen the way of Truth, and thy Judgments have laid before me. I have stuck unto thy Testimonies. O Lord confound me not. O Lord God, whose dwelling is in the Heaven, and thy Name is great in all the world, plant the dread and reverence of thee, and thy power in my heart. Let threatnings, and thy Judgments which are heard from Heaven, and executed upon disobedient and gainsaying people, make me to tremble at the remembrance of my sins, and in consideration of my weaknesses and demerits, and let thy mercies, and the remembrance of thy infinite loving kindnesses, make my heart still full of eavenness and tranquility, that I may not fear the fierceness of man, or the wrath of those spirits thou can refrain, lest I be disturbed in my duty towards thee, that I never offend against thee, but may pass from fear to love, from apprehensions of thy wrath, to the sense and comforts of thy mercies, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
The Collect.
O God, whose never failing providence ordereth all things both in Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech thee to put away from me all hurtful things; to give me those things that be profitable for me, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer that God may remove from me all fearfulness and doubt of his favour and mercy.
TEach me O Lord, the way of thy Statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy Law, yea I shall keep it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy Commandments, for therein is my delight. Incline my heart to thy Testimonies, and not to covetousness. O turn away mine eyes, lest they behold vanities, and quicken thou me in thy way. O stablish thy Word in thy servant, that I may fear thee. Take away the rebuke that I am afraid of, for thy Judgments are good. Behold my delight is in thy Commandments, O quicken me in thy Righteousness. O take not the word of thy Truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in thy Judgments, so shall I alway keep thy Law, yea for ever and ever. O think upon thy servant. as concerning thy Word wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust; the same is my comfort in my trouble, for thy Word hath quickened me. O turn me into true understanding and knowledge, for I have believed thy Commandments. Before I was troubled I went wrong, but now I have kept thy Word. Thou art good and gracious, O teach me thy Statutes. It is good for me that I have been in trouble, that I might learn thy Statutes. O let thy loving mercies come unto me, that I may live, for thy Law is my delight. O let my heart be sound in thy Statutes, that I be not ashamed. O quicken me after thy loving kindness, so shall I keep the Testimony of thy mouth. If my delight had not been in thy Law, I should have perished in my trouble. I will never forget thy Commandments, for with them thou hast quickened me. I am thine, O save me for thy mercies sake, for I have sought thy Commandment. The ungodly laid wait for me to destroy me, but I will consider thy Testimonies. I desire to refrain my feet from every evil way, that I may keep thy Word. I am troubled above measure, quicken me O Lord according to thy Word, and deliver me for thy mercy sake. O God, who dost wonders, and hast declared thy power amongst all people, let the observation of thy mercies and loving kindnesses make deep impression in my heart and memory, that when I am in heaviness, I may remember the years of thy right hand, and call to mind the wonders of old time, although thou sometime withdrawest the brightness of thy countenance from me, and shuttest up thy loving kindness in sore displeasure, yet the experience of thy old mercies, which never fail, may sustain mine infirmities, and the expectation of thy loving kindnesses may cure all my impatience, till in thy due time the sense of thy favours may actually relieve all my distresses, and thy right hand lead me like a sheep into the folds of eternal rest and security, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
The Collect.
GRant unto me, O Lord, I humbly beseech thee, the Spirit, to think and do all such things as be rightful, that I who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may be enabled to live according to thy Will, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for God's free mercy in the the pardon of my sins, and a prayer for the continuance and the increase of his mercies to me.
LET the free-will offering of my mouth please thee, O Lord, and teach me thy Judgments. I have applied my heart to fulfill thy Statutes alwaies even unto the end. Thou art my defence and my shield, and my trust is in thy Word. O stablish me according to thy Word, that I may live, and let me not be disappointed of my hope. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe, yea my delight shall ever in thy Statutes. I desire with my whole heart to do the thing that is lawful and right. O give me not over unto my oppressors. O make thou thy servant to delight in that which is good, that they which hate me do me no wrong. O deal with thy servants according to thy loving kindness, and teach me thy Statutes; I am thy servant, O grant me understanding, that I may know thy Testimonies; it is time for thee, Lord, to lay too thy hand, for they have destroyed thy Law; therefore hold I straight all thy Commandments, for all false waies I utterly abhor. O look upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy Name, O most gracious God, who art reconciled unto me, in my Saviour Jesus, having for his sake forgiven the offences of thy people, and covered all their sins with the Robe of his most immaculate sanctity and Righteousness. Let thy grace convert and quicken me, that I may rejoyce in thee, and thy salvation, in faith of thy promises, in the hope of actual communication, and of thy mercy to me, and in love to thee for so a great blessing and redemption; and when thou hast spoken peace to my soul, and reconciled me to thy self in the blood of thy Son, give me the grace of perseverance, that I may never turn again to folly, but may follow mercy and truth all my daies, and at last be satisfied with thy Righteousness, and peace eternal, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
The Collect.
LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the Prayers of thy humble servant, and that he may obtain his petitions, make me to ask such things as shall please thee, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for sanctity and preservation.
ORder my steps in thy Word, O Lord, so that no wickedness have dominion over me. Deliver me from the deceitful dealings of men, so shall I keep thy Commandments. Shew the light of thy countenance upon thy servant, and teach me thy Statutes. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and true in thy Judgments. Trouble and heaviness have taken hold upon me, yet my delight is in thy Commandments. Except the Lord build the house, their labour is but lost that build it. Except the Lord keep the City, the watchman watcheth but in vain. I looked for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him; in his Word is my trust. O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption; for he shall deliver Israel from all his sins. Behold how good and joyfull a thing it is, to dwell together in unity; thy Name, O Lord, endureth for ever; so doth thy memorial, O Lord, from one generation to another: For the Lord will avenge his people, and be gracious to his servants. O Lord God, good and gracious, and of great mercy unto all them that call upon thee, give ear unto my prayers, and ponder the voice of my humble desire, whenever I call upon thee in my trouble. Let the soul of thy servant be refreshed with thy comforts, and defend me from the congregations of proud and naughty men. Turn thee unto me with mercy; give thy strength unto me; teach me thy Law; make me to walk in thy Truth; give me the fear of thy Name, and knit my heart unto thee, with the indissoluble bands of charity and obedience, that my soul being saved from the neathermost hell, I may worship in spirit and truth, which thou hast manifested unto me in my deliverance and redemption, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
The Collect.
O Lord, who declarest thy Almighty Power, most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity, mercifully grant unto me such a measure of thy grace, that I running the waies of thy Commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partaker of thy heavenly treasure, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer in time of Sickness, and in danger of Death.
THE Lord is loving unto every man, and his mercy is over all his works. The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord, and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thy hand, and fillest all things living with plentiousness. The Lord is righteous in all his waies, and holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him, yea all such as call upon him faithfully. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him, he will hear their cry, and will help them. The Lord will preserve all them that love him, but scattereth abroad all the ungodly. My mouth shall speak the praises of the Lord; and let all flesh give thanks unto his holy Name. The Lord looseth men out of prison: The Lord giveth sight to the blind: The Lord helpeth them that are fallen: The Lord careth for the Righteous: The Lord careth for the strangers; he defendeth the fatherless and the widow; as for the way of the ungodly, he turneth it upside down; he healeth those that are broken in heart; he giveth medicine to heal their sickness; he telleth the number of the Stars, and calleth them all by their name. Great is our God, and great is his power; yea his wisdom is infinite. O Lord God of my salvation, who for my sake was wounded, and didst die and lie in the grave, but yet alone of all that ever died, wert free among the dead, and by thine own power didst rise again, with victory and triumph, have mercy upon thy servant, for thine indignation lieth hard upon me; thou hast vexed me with all thy storms, my soul is full of trouble, by reason of my sins, and my life draweth nigh to the grave. O restore unto me thy favour, and let me not go down into the dark, nor my life into the place where all things are forgotten; but let me shew forth thy loving kindness amongst thy Redeemed ones in the Land of the Living, for the Living, the Living, they shall praise thee, and confess the holiness and the marvelousness of thy holy Name. O hide not thou thy face from me, but give me health of body, and restore and preserve me in the Life of Righteousness, and so bless me with opportunities of doing thee service, that I may redeem the time past, and by thy grace may grow rich in good works, alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord, that when thou shall demand my soul to be rendered up into thy hands, my soul may not approve of thee, nor suffer thy terrours, but may feel an eternity of blessing in the Resurrection of the Just, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
The Collect.
ALmighty and everlasting God, who art alwaies more ready to hear, than I to pray; and art wont to give more than I either desire or deserve, pour down upon me the abundance of thy mercy, forgiving me those things whereof my conscience is afraid, and give me those good things which I am not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, my Lord. Amen.
A Meditation for Death, and a Prayer preparatory to it.
THE Lord is with them that fear him, and put their trust in his mercy; for the Lord hath pleasure in his people, and helpeth the meek hearted. The Lord of Hosts can do all things; there is nothing too hard for him; therefore let every thing that hath a mouth praise the Lord. Open my mouth, O my God, that I may set forth thy praise. Hear my voice, O Lord, according to thy loving kindness; quicken me as thou art wont. Be thou nigh at hand, O Lord, for all thy Commandments are true. I call with my whole heart, hear me, O Lord, and I will keep thy Statutes; yea, even upon thee do I call, and I shall keep thy Testimonies. O consider mine adversity, and deliver me. Avenge thou my cause, and deliver me, and quicken me according to thy Word; for great is thy mercy, O eternal God, whose being was before the mountains were brought forth, before the Earth and the World was made, even from everlasting, World without end. Have mercy upon me, weak, and impotent, poor servant of thine, the child of man, who fades away suddenly like the grass, remove my misdeeds far from before thee, and my secret sins from the sight of thy countenance. Be not angry with me, neither consume me in thy displeasure. Teach me to number all the daies of my life, and to reckon on still to the day of death, that when my daies are gone, and my years are brought to an end, like a tale that is told, thou mayest turn unto me at the last, and be gracious unto me in the free pardon of all my sins, in restraining the power and malice of all my Ghostly enemies; in giving me opportunity of all spiritual assistances and advantages, that my lamp being trimmed and burning bright, with charity and devotion, I may enter into the Bridechamber, there for ever to behold the glorious Majesty of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Collect.
A Almighty and mercifull God, of whose only gift it cometh, that thy people do unto thee return laudable service, grant I beseech thee, that I may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that I may not finally fail to attain thy heavenly promises, through the merit of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.