The Whole Duty of Prayer, Part 1 · Prayers
Prayers for several Persons.
The Husbands Prayer.
MOST gracious God, have mercy upon me, and upon all those which appertain unto me; in the beginning thou didst Institute Marriage, for the propagation of Mankind, a remedy to avoid unlawful Lust, and for the mutual Comfort and Consolation of thy Children; give me, O heavenly Father, I humbly beseech thee, the assistance of thy Grace, that I may according to thy Commandments, love and cherish her whom thou hast allotted for my help and comfort in this life.
MORTIFIE in me all fleshly Lusts, and let not the heat of unlawful Concupiscence, take possession of me, but grant that we may live in Peace and Unity, and equally praise thy holy Name: [If any Children] Bless, O Lord, those Children thou hast bestowed upon us, give us understanding hearts and minds, to bring them up in thy Faith and Fear, and give them obedient hearts to thee, and to all thy Commandments; grant that they may not prove a Curse but a Blessing to us, and thereby attain that reward which thou hast promised to those which honour and obey their Parents.
TEACH me, O Lord, to Govern and Instruct my Family, whereby they may walk in thy Fear; and grant that I may, according to my ability, provide what is necessary as well for their Bodies as their Souls: And do thou, O Lord, endue them with thy Grace, that they may perform their Duties, in Fear and Obedience, not with Eye-service, but in singleness of Heart as in thy presence. Give me, O Lord, I beseech thee a competency to maintain that which thou hast committed to my Charge, and grant that we may in all humility rely upon thy blessed Will, who knowest what is fitter for us then we do for our selves To whom be all Honour and Glory
Amen.
The Wives Prayer.
O LORD, I give thee humble thanks for calling me to the Honourable State of Matrimony; give me, O Lord, thy heavenly Grace, that I may fear thee, and love, reverence, and obey him whom thou hast appointed to be my head in all good things, to live peaceably and quietly with him; suffer me not to be puft up with the Vanities of the World, but grant that I may frame my mind and habit suitable to the Estate of my Husband, and adorn my self with that which may become a modest Woman to wear. Assist me, O Lord, that I may with his Consent, prudently and with discretion, Govern his Family, and carefully mind that nothing be wasted, norpermit any evil to be committed in his House.
FURNISH me, O Lord, with those Gifts and Graces which the Royal Preacher described in a good Woman, and endue me with such a Care in the Education of my Children, as belongeth unto my part to perform, that I may live and rejoyce to see the prosperity of them in this life, and after this life is ended, grant that we all may be received to thy eternal Kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Childs Prayer.
MOST gracious God, to whom the Childs obedience to the Parents is always acceptable, but their disobedience most displeasing, I humbly beseech thee to remove far from me the horrid sin of Disobedience and Rebellion against my Parents; O give me Grace to observe them with all diligence in Duty, obey them in all lawful Commands, and aid and assist them in all their Necessities; give me Grace to receive all their reproofs patiently, and not to perplex them by Stubbornness and bad Courses.
SUFFER me not to scoff or deride at their Age or Infirmity, but rather supply their Wants, and cover their Weaknesses. Forgive, O Lord, the many offences I have committed against them, increase their days, and preserve them sound in Body and Mind; let them see their Childrens Children, to their Comfort and thy Glory; let them Govern me, and the rest of their Family, with Prudence and good Example, that when this life is ended, they may depart hence in peace, and come to thy Kingdom unspotted, through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The Widows Prayer.
O ALMIGHTY God, who hast promised to be a Father to the Fatherless, and a Husband to the Widow, let thy tender Eye of Compassion look down upon me, and my Children; preserve me and them from all Oppression and Wrong, and relieve us, we beseech thee, in all our Necessities.
BLESS, O Lord, that small portion thou hast lent me, for a competent maintenance of me and mine, O let it be like the Widows Barrel of Meal, never to waste, and like the Cruse of Oyl, never to fail. Dispose our hearts to all Obedience, and give us Grace to walk worthy of thee, and thy Mercies which we daily and hourly receive. And lastly, in all our Afflictions, let me put my whole trust and confidence in thee, and praise thy Name for evermore.
Amen.
The Orphans Prayer.
O ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, thou hast promised that when my Father and my Mother forsaketh me, thou O God, wilt take me up. O Lord, I am now, by thy appointment, deprived of my Parents, who under thee, were the only stay I had in this World. Be thou, O Lord my God, my Father and my Deliverer, teach me to seek thee early, and endue me with thy Grace, that I may be obedient to those whom thou art pleased to place over me.
MAKE me to remember thee my Creator in the days of my Youth, that I may lead my life according to the rule of true Godliness; Govern and Guide, I beseech thee, all my Actions, preserve my Body in health, and my Soul …om all evil thoughts which may molest it; add unto me length of Days, Grace and Vertue, and guide my Feet in the way of peace.
Amen.
A Prayer for a Young Man or Maid.
MOST gracious God, vouchsafe to me thy Heavenly Grace now and at all times; more especially in this most dangerous part of my Life, when the heat of Youth, and many temptations do surround me; O preserve me, I beseech thee, as the apple of thine Eye, and though the flesh strives against the Spirit, yet do thou exercise thy power and strengthen my imbecillity: Stifle Sin in me at the beginning that it arise not up to a habit, and prevent in me all evil and unworthy thoughts against thy Divine Majesty.
O LORD I recommend unto thee my Soul as a Child that can of it self do nothing; defend me from all enemies Spiritual and Temporal, keep my Soul, and Body, pure, chast, and undefiled, that I offend not either in thought word, or deed: Give me grace, O Lord, to obey my Parents, and those to whose tuition I am committed; and grant that if thou shalt be pleased to call me to the honourable estate of Matrimony, I may be joyned with one, with whom I may serve thee, in peace and holiness, all the dayes of my Life.
Amen.
A Prayer for a Servant.
O HOLY, and blessed Lord God, who tookest upon thee, the form of a Servant, and wast obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross, that thou mightest work the Salvation of all people, as well bond as free; thou hast been pleased to call me to the State and Condition of a Servant, below many others in the world, O make me humbly submit to it, and alwayes praise and magnifie thy holy Name that thou hast given me Health and strength of Body to perfrom my Duty.
LORD cast forth all murmurings and repinings in me, and all Envy at the prosperity of others; Endue me with meekness and humility, and deliver me from the slavery of Sin, that I may be made a Servant of Righteousness; teach me to understand my duty, and to reverence those whom I serve, accounting them worthy of that honour which appertains to them: Preserve me from Pride, unseemly passions, or disrespectfull behaviour towards my Superiors; quicken my diligence in businesse, and grant that whatever I shall take in hand, I may not do it with Eye Service, but in singleness of heart; and obtain thy Grace and favour for Evermore,
Amen.
A Prayer for the fruits of the Earth.
MOST gracious God, thy Works are to be wondered at through the World; thou makest the grass to grow for the Cattel, and Herb for the service of Man: Thou bringest forth food out of the Earth, and blessest the encrease of it: look down O Lord, I beseech thee, upon all the dwellers upon earth wherein we inhabit: That our Land may become fruitful and yield forth plenty in its proper Season.
And O thou, who openest thy hand, and fillest all things Living with good things; fill our hearts with wisdome, and all Christian vertues, that we may bring forth abundantly the fruit of good works, to the honour and glory of thy holy Name And: as thou Crownest the Year with thy goodness, and thy Clouds drop fatness: So grant that we may evermore praise thee for all thy Mercies, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, to whom be ascribed all honour, power and glory, now, and forever,
Amen.
A Praier for Seasonable Weather.
O LORD God, who for our sins art justly displeased at us, and dost now chastise us by keeping back thy rain from watering the Earth; whereby we are in danger of losing the diligent labour of our hands: Pardon, O Lord we humbly beseech our high provocations, and accept of our hearty and true Repentance, and favourably and Mercifully forgive all our transgressions committed against thee.
SHOWER down again thy blessings of Rain upon the Earth, and water it, O Lord, that it may be softened and replenished: But let not immoderately the Floods overflow us, nor the Seed be spoiled under the Clod: But let thy loving kindness renw the face of the Earth' and make the green Pastures rejoyce: Hearken unto the Cry of the Poor and Needy, and though we eat our Bread in the sweat of our Face yet punish us not with the Scarcity of it, which is the Staff and Support of our Lives: Lord prosper all our labours, and let us with moderation enjoy the fruit of it, this we beg for thy Sons sake our blessed Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
A Thanksgiving after a good Havest.
WE Bless and praise thy holy Name, O Lord, for sending us Rain from Heaven, and fruitful Seasons, whereby thou hast filled our hearts with Food and gladness: Thou hast made the Grass to grow upon the Mountains, and given Food to the Beasts of the field, and hast filled us with the finest of the Wheat flower, thou hast given Seed to the Sower, and Bread to the Eater, and hast loaded the Earth with thy bounty, that our Barns might be filled.
BLESSED for ever art thou O Lord, and magnified be thy Name for these and all others this benefits which thou from time to time hast bestowed upon us; O that our hearts may overflow with love, and our Tongues with expressions of thankfulness to thee; grant that we may never forget nor abuse thy loving kindness towards us, but by a sober and charitable use of these thy Mercies, we may be made fit for a continual supply of them, and at the last be made heirs of thy glorious Kingdom.
Amen.
A Prayer for a Woman with Child.
O GOD, the Creatour and preserver of all things, who in the beginning didst place mankind in unspeakable happiness, and had there continued, had not our first Parents broke thy Divine precepts given them in Paradise: So that the Earth for their sakes was accursed; and unto us the Daughters of Eve for our transgressions thou hast alotted most grievous pains and torments of Body in bringing forth Children.
LORD extend unto me, and to all Women thy Mercy, mitigate the torments thereof, that we may be able patiently to endure the pains of our travell at the hour appointed: And make that easie and light to us, which our defects have made heavy and burdensome; and that wherewith I am now laden, may graciously be delivered from my frail Body: and send us all, good Lord, a safe deliverance, that we may be made joyful and happy Mothers.
VOUCHSAFE unto me and to all that have conceived with child strength to bring forth that which thine omnipotency hath so wonderfully wrought in us, in our greatest perils, O Lord help us, and mightily deliver us; let thy pow…r might, and Love, be no less manifest en the delivery, then in the forming of thiy Creature, that being through thy goodness, made a joyfull Mother I may obtain my perfect strength again, and live to praise thee for evermore,
Amen.
A Prayer for a Woman near the time of her Travel.
O GOD most holy, the speedy helper of all those who relie upon thee, by thy almighty power I was formed, and fashioned in the Womb, by thy tender care I was brought from thence, and by thy Mercifull providence, I have been preserved even to this momenthin laud and magnifie thy holy Name, and implore thy never failing aid in this approaching time of my necessity: O be not far off rom me when trouble is nigh at hand, but hear my voice and save me when I call upon thee! mitigate my pains or endue me with patience; and support my Spirits in that great conflict.
LORD perfect what thou hast begun, and what thou hast wrought in secret bring forth I beseech thee into thy most marvellous light; that we may all behold the wonders of thy Wisdom and extol thy power: O Lord in thee alone do I humbly place my Confidence, for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth; I wholly resign my self unto thee, beseeching thee to have Mercy upon me, and when ever thou shalt be pleased to call me from this Life, Lord fit me for a better, where all sorrows and tears shall be done away, and everlasting joyes possess our hearts for evermore.
Amen.
The Midwives Prayer before Deliverance
MOST gracious God, who by thy never failing providence hast kept me even from my Mothers Womb to this moment, and hast now deputed me the unworthiest of all thy Servants to this great office, for a help and comfort, in that great pain and peril of Child birth: Be with me, O Lord, I beseech thee, and assist me in this great work, which I am now ready to undertake; prosper thou, O Lord, the work of my hands, O prosper I beseech thee, my handy work.
O PUT thy fear into my heart, that I may be as sincere to the Poor as to the Rich, to save life and not to destroy, let me not be too timerous, nor too violent, but endue me with those vertues and graces, which thou knowest most convenient for me, and give a Blessing to this undertaking, preserve me I humbly beseech thee, in the dangerous times, from contagion, infection, or any bodily diseases, which may be received from sick Persons.
AND as thou hast by thy Almighty power made her Conceive, and hast now even brought it to the Birth, so give her strength also to bring forth: Support her Spirits in her labour, bless the endeavours of those who are present with her, preserve the life of that which strugles in her Womb to be delivered: And let us behold the operation of thy hands, to all our Joy and Comfort: Lord hear our Prayers, and let our cry come unto thee; save her, and help her, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord. Our Father, &c.
A Thanksgiving after Deliverance.
FORASMUCH as it hath pleased thee, O Almighty God, of thy gra cious Goodness, to ease me of my pains and deliver me of my burden, and from the great danger and peril of Childbirth, I here humbly prostrate my Soul and Body before thee, to be unto thee a reasonable, lively, and living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable in thy sight, giving thy Divine Majesty infinite and unfeigned thanks for this thy gracious preservation of me, and delivering me out of this great danger of Death, under which I might have perished, had not thy mercy and goodness embraced me on every side.
TO thee alone, most heavenly Father, be given and ascribed all Praise and Thanksgiving, now and for ever; as thou hast been graciously pleased to give me a Child, so Lord, give me thy Grace which is sufficient for me, to devote and consecrate it wholly to thee, and thy service; to this end work mightily in it, by thy holy spirit, sanctifie it from the Womb, not whilst it hangs upon the Breasts, but so long as it shall breathe in the Land of the Living, until thou translate it hence to Reign with thee in Glory.
Amen.
A Prayer for one near any Temptation.
O MERCIFUL God, thou exercisest thy Children with sundry Trials and Temptations, leaving them to themselves, as thou didst Hezekiah, to the end he might see his frailty; some like St. Peter, thou exposest to the boysterous Winds of Satans Winnowings; and others, like St. Paul, to the blows of the Adversaries vehement Buffetings; O God, thine only Son thou didst not exempt from Satans sharpest and stoutest Trials, when thou conductedst him into the Wilderness to be tempted of the Devil.
IF thou, O Lord, shouldst permit me in like manner to be tried and tempted, suffer me not at any time to be overcome, but hold me up by thy Almighty power, animate by the presence of thy blessed Spirit, and let thy Grace be ever sufficient for me, whereby I may foil my Enemy, and in the end get the Victory; detect his Policies, discover his Subtilties, defeat his doings and dealings which are against me; to this end endue me with such Wisdom, as may make me foresee his Stratagems, such vigilancy as I may avoid his Snares, which he prepares for my Souls destruction.
LET no temptation take me, but what is common to Man, try me not above my strength, but with the temptation make me a way to escape; let me never yield to the motions of Satan, suggesting unto me Death or Desperation, but grant me patience to expect the hour of my Departure, my Souls Separation, the dissolution of my Body, and deliverance from the misery of this wretched World; let my trouble be without distress, my perplexity without despair, my persecution without forsaking, and my casting down without destruction; if Tears fall from my Eyes, in thy good time wipe them away, and preserve them in thy Bottle, that they may be precious in thy sight.
O LORD, if thou leavest me for a while, draw nigh again unto me in great Compassion; cover my head in my spiritual Conflicts; let thy Love be my Banner, thy Faithfulness and Truth my Shield and Buckler; let no trial surprize me, but give me a right Judgment, that I may count it all Joy when I fall into divers Temptations; O let not my heart be hardned by them, as the Israelites were who provoked thee in the Wilderness, but sanctifie all thy visitations unto me, that I may be bettered and reformed by them, that my Faith being tryed, patience may have her perfect work in me intire, lacking nothing.
I KNOW, O Lord, in all thy Temptations thou ever hast one end, and Satan another; thou triest me to the end, that being faithful, thou mightest give me a Crown of Life, but Satan seeks to seduce me to Wickedness; but O holy Spirit, thou preserver of all Men, keep me by thy Grace, and strengthen me by thy Power, be present with me, and president in me, and as thy sufferings abound in me, so let thy consolation much more abound; and in the midst of my greatest Agonies of Mind, let thy Comforts refresh my disquieted Soul.
LORD, let thy mighty Hand, and stretched-out-Arm, be now and always my Defence, thy mercy and loving kindness in Christ Jesus thy dear Son, my Salvation, thy true and holy Word my Instruction, thy Grace and holy Spirit my Comfort and Consolation.
THE peace of God which passeth all Understanding, keep my Heart and Mind in the love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be with me, and remain with me and mine, and with the whole Church of God, from this time forth, and for evermore.
GOD be merciful unto me, and bless me, the Lord lift up the light of his Countenance upon me, and be merciful unto me, and grant me his everlasting peace.
Amen.
A Prayer for one afflicted in Mind.
O FATHER of Mercy, and God of all Consolation, vouchsafe I beseech thee, relief and succour, unto me a wretched Sinner, who am much tormented in Mind, and afflicted in Conscience; Lord, I am afraid of thy Judgments, and the severe Threatnings written in thy Law against those sins I have committed, but, O Lord, break not the bruised Reed, nor quench the smoaking Flax; wound not my humble and contrite Heart, but revive my Spirit that goes mourning all the day long; though Satan thinks thou hast smitten and forsaken me, yet frustrate his hopes and expectations; leave me not destitute of thy Grace, as a prey unto the Enemy of my Soul, but mightily preserve, and evermore defend me.
AND though my Conscience accuses me, my Memory witnesses against me, and my Reason condemns me; though I am overwhelmed in discomfort, and have lost the voice of joy and gladness, and have neither worth to appease thy wrath, nor patience to endure thy tryal, yet send me, O Lord, the comfort of thy holy Spirit into my heart, that I may not be swallowed up with overmuch heaviness, but may rejoyce in thee with joy unspeakable and full of Glory: Open, and set open, the Gate of thy Mercy, to the greatness of my Misery, for my mind is sorrowful, my heart heavy, my spirit is oppressed, my words are stopt with sighs, and my complaints watered with tears.
IN executing thy Judgments, Lord, remember Mercy, try me not least I be condemned; weigh not my offences, but pardon my offences; sanctifie all those means unto me which may afford me relief, as Prayer, Conference, Meditation, reading and hearing of thy Word, and receiving the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of thy Son, and my alone Saviour and Redeemer; mitigate my extremities, abate my fears, and moderate my afflictions; let not Night Visions, like Nebuchadnezzar's, make me affraid, but when I awake, stay me with Flaggons, and comfort me with Apples, thy precious promises, which are pleasant to the Soul.
RECTIFIE my Understanding, as in the days of Old, and Drink no longer unto me in the Cup of Affliction, but in the Chalice of refreshing, that I may pay my Vows unto thee, and call upon thy Name in the sight of all thy Congregation; but if it be thy good pleasure to try me, and not take away this Cup from me, confirm my Faith, and continue unto me that Hope which is to be revealed; to this end, cause me with the Eye of Faith to look up to thee, who chastisest me, and wait for the appointed time of my delivery out of all my Troubles.
LORD, suffer me not to be swallowed up with despair, but vouchsafe me a full assurance of thy Mercy, that thou wilt never leave me, nor forsake me, but wilt be in life my God, in death my Deliverer, and after death my Eternal Rewarder. Lord hearken, and incline thine Ear unto these my Requests for thy Sons sake, my only Lord and Saviour. Our Father, &c.
THE Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the most comfortable Fellowship of God the holy Ghost, be with me, bless, preserve and keep me, both in Soul and Body, in Goods and good Name, in Life, Health, Peace and Godliness, together with thy whole Church, and all that appertain unto me, now, and for evermore.
Amen.
A Prayer to be used in behalf of one troubled in Mind.
ALMIGHTY God, the only Guide and Comfort of our Souls, and to whom alone we fly for succour in all afflictions; O Lord we presume now to appear before thee in behalf of this thy afflicted Servant, Support him I beseech thee, in his greatest conflicts, silence and appease his troubled Spirit, that he may quietly hearken to thy blessed Words of, Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
THOU hast solemnly proclaimed, O Lord, in thy holy Scripture, that thou dost not delight in the death of a Sinner, but rather that he should turn from his Wickedness and live. O make him with joy feel his Soul turning to thee, since no satisfactory Comfort can be acquired but only in thy love and favour which to all thy Servants is better than life it self; We beseech thee, speak peace to his Conscience and say unto him and all that are here present, that thou art our Salvation.
ENDUE him with thy Grace, give him peace of Conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost; O give him the Comfort of thy help again, and Establish him with thy free Spirit: quicken him, O Lord, for thy Names sake, and for thy Righteousness sake bring his Soul out of this trouble: Put gladness into his heart, and restore him again if it be thy Blessed will, that he and we may Evermore rejoyce in thee, who art the Father of all Mercies and the God of all Consolation, to whom be Glory and Praise now, and for Evermore.
Amen.
Meditations for the Sick.
O GOD, thou dost what thou pleasest in Heaven and in Earth, in the Sea, and in all deep places; thou art full of Compassion and tender Mercy, long suffering and aboundest in goodness and truth, thou alone forgivest Sins and savest all those, that trust in thee, in time of affliction.
I KNOW that all Flesh is Grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of thee, our God, shall stand for Ever: In thy word therefore, and gracious promises is my hope, which is my greatest Comfort in my affliction.
IN the multitude of thy thoughts within me, thy Comforts shall delight my Soul; I will rejoyce even in the midst of my tribulation, and glory in thy Holy Name, who makest all things work together for good to them that love thee: Though I walk through the vally of the shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff doth Comfort me.
WE are but of Yesterday, and know nothing; because our dayes upon Earth are as a shadow: When thou with rebukes dost correct Man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to Consume away like a Moth: Surely every Man is vanity; my time is in thy hand: Make thy face to shine upon thy Servant: Save me for thy Mercies sake.
HIDE not thy face from me; put not thy Servant away in thine anger: Thou hadst been my help, leave me not, neither forsake me, O God my of salvation: Thou shalt shew me the Path of Life, in thy presence is the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there are pleasures for Evermore.
WE have had Fathers of the Flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence, shall we not much rather be in Subjection to the Father of Spirits, and live: he draweth the mighty with his power; he riseth up, and no Man is sure of Life.
WE have received good at the hands of God, and shall we not receive Evil? Affliction cometh not forth of the dust; neither doth Travail come forth of the Ground: Let us search and try our wayes▪ and turn again to the Lord, for though our outward Man decay, our inward Man is renewed.
WE are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be Condemned with the World: For we had the sentence of death in our selves, that we should not trust in our selves, but in God that raised the dead, who hath delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: And in whom we trust, that he will yet deliver us.
BUT we know that all things work together for good to them that love God: Let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well doing, as unto ae Faithful Creator. We that are in this Tabernacle, do groan, being burdened.
I KNOW, O Lord, that thy judgments are just, and that thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled O let this lightaffliction, which will quickly pass away, cause unto me afterward a more excellent and eternal weight of Glory.
REMEMBER, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the Clay, and wilt thou bring me into the Dust again? Deliver me, O Lord, from Eternal Death, in that day wherein Heaven and Earth shall be dissolved, when thou comest to judge the Earth, I know thou wilt bring me to Death, and to the House appointed for all Living.
A Prayer to be used by a sick Person.
O GOD, my Creator and Preserver, thou hast made me after thine own Image, in Knowledge, Holiness, and Righteousness, but I have sinned, most holy Father, against Heaven, and against thee, and am no more worthy to be called, or reckoned amongst thy Children; for this Image of thine I have defaced, I have filled my Understanding with Ignorance, my Will with Stubbornness, my Affections with Perverseness, my Heart with Deceitfulness, and my whole Life with Disobedience; ever since I drew my Breath, I have drank Iniquity like Water, so that I can expect nothing but Death, and to be Arraigned at the Bar of thy Justice, there to receive an irrevocable Doom.
BUT O most merciful God, for thy dear Sons sake, blot out all my Offences, and receive me Graciously; enlarge my patience to endure thy Tryal, and lay no more upon me than I am able to bear; give a happy issue unto all Temptations, and make a way for me to escape, and in the end, grant me a full Deliverance. As thou hast made me of Dust, so thou canst take from me my breath, and cast me forth again to that Earth from whence I was taken; but I humbly beseech thee, for to spare me a little, that I may recover my health and strength, before I go hence, and be no more seen.
I CONFESS, O Lord, there is no soundness in my Flesh, because of thy Displeasure, nor any rest in my Bones; by reason of my sin; my heart panteth, my strength faileth, and my beauty consumeth away like a Moth fretting a Garment. O Lord, if it be thy holy Will, ease my Agonies, mitigate my Extremities, be mindful of my Sorrows, and be merciful unto my Sins; redeem my Life from Destruction, strengthen my Weakness, heal my Malady, and cause me again to walk before thee, in the Land of the Living, but if thou hast determined to call me hence, thy Will be done; grant me patience under thy Correction, and a lively Faith in the All-sufficient and Efficacious Merit of Christ my Saviour; seal unto me a free, and a full pardon of all my sins, in the Blood of thy dear Son, and say unto my Soul, that thou wilt be my Salvation.
IN assiance of thy merciful Absolution, cause me to confess mine Iniquities, and fill my heart with such a Godly sorrow, as may work my Repentance unto Salvation, never to be repented of; sprinkle me with the Blood of Jesus, and purifie me from my daily Pollutions, that being washed, justified, and sanctified, I may be presented unto thee, without spot or wrinkle; let nothing separate me from the love of thee, grant me thy preserving Grace, that dying, thine Angels may convey my Soul into Abrahams Bosom, there to reign with thee, World without end.
Amen.
A Prayer to be said by the Friends of the Sick.
O LORD, our God, and great Creator, thou madest us innocent, but by sin we have brought Death and Destruction upon our selves, for we have profaned thy Sabbaths, contemned thine Ordinances, cast thy Word behind our backs, lived in all sin and sensuality, spiritual slumber and security, so that thou mightest justly cut us off from the Land of the Living, and give us our Portion with Hypocrites, where there is weeping and gnashing of Teeth.
BUT, O Lord, for thy Mercy sake, and for the Merits of thy Son spare us a little, and give us space of amendment, before we go hence, and be no more seen; correct us in thy Mercy, and not in thy Justice, lest we should be consumed and brought to nothing; whilst we live, teach us to die daily, to mortifie the deeds of the Flesh, and to contemn the World, with the Vanities thereof; wean us from inordinate Self-love, that we may not endear our selves too much to these Transitory lives of ours, but may be ready and willing to depart, when it shall stand with thy good pleasure to call for us; take away from us the bitterness of Death, and sweeten by the Cross of Christ these Waters of Marah, that we may sigh and lament in our selves, desiring to be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption, into the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God.
LET our lives, and the life of this thy sick Servant, be now and ever precious in thy sight, look mercifully upon him that is grieved with sickness: Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make him whole, send him therefore help and health from thy holy place, and evermore mightily defend him; let the Enemy have no advantage against him, nor the Wicked approach to hurt him, but be thou present with him, strengthen his Faith, increase his patience under thy Correctinghand, raise him up from his sorrowful Bed, and if thou art pleased longer to exercise him, lend him strength to endure thy Tryal.
BUT if thou hast determined to take him hence, Lord, certifie unto him how long he hath to live, make him to know his end, and the measure of his days, that by Prayer and Repentance, he may provide wisely for his last end, and be found of thee in peace, and enjoy everlasting happiness; dispose his Meditations aright for Mortality, and at that last hour, make him to deny himself in renouncing his Justification by any inherent worth or righteousness, and in all sorrows and sufferings let thy comforts rejoyce his Soul.
TO this end, mortifie in him the Corruption of Nature, quicken him with the Soul of new life, and establish him with thy free Spirit; purge his heart from all worldly thoughts, and his mind from carnal desires, motions and affections; wash his Soul and Body with the Blood of Christ, and sanctifie him throughout in Spirit, Soul and Body, with the Grace of thy holy Spirit, that departing in the true Faith, not casting away his confidence, nor hope of rejoycing, in full assurance of a blessed Resurrection, he may have boldness in the day of the Lord Jesus, and so pass from Death to Life, and be ever with thee to behold thy Glory; grant this for the sake of thy dear Son, our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
Another Prayer to be used by those that are about the Sick.
O LORD our God, thou art the Judge of all the Earth; we Dust and Ashes, vile and miserable Sinners, do here in all humility cast down our selves before thee for our Sins, which are the occasion of all the evil of punishment thou▪ inflictest on the Sons and Daughters of Men. Lord hear us, and forgive whatsoever is past, and grant that we may for ever hereafter serve and please thee through newness of life, walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; and because the days are evil, give us Grace to redeem the time, that numbring our days aright, we may apply our hearts unto true Wisdom; make us constantly to eschew evil and do good, to seek peace and ensue it.
LOOK with thine Eye of Mercy and Compassion upon this thy Servant, who is grieved with Sickness; sanctifie this thy Visitation unto him, that those Graces which thou hast begun to work in him, may be strengthened, increased, and by degrees perfected; restore unto him the voice of joy and health, that the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce. And seeing we have need of patience, send this thy Servant such a degree of patience and consiancy, that he may continue thy Faithful Soldier and Servant unto his lives end; work in him a sense and seeling of sin, and true sorrow for the same, which may cause repentance unto Salvation never to be repented of.
O LORD, if it be not thy good pleasure to raise him up from his Bed of languishing, prepare his heart for Death, and his Soul for Heaven, and wash away his Sins in the Blood of Jesus; wean his affections from the love of this World, and set them on those things which are above, that being absent from the Body, he may be present with thee, O Lord. Repair in this thy Servant thine own Image, and renew it in knowledge, holiness, and righteousness, that thou mayest acknowledge him for thine; raise him up from the Grave unto the Resurrection of Life, and for ever satisfie him with thy likeness, and transform him into the same from Glory to Glory.
Amen.
A Prayer to recommend the Soul to God when it is departing the Body.
O MOST Gracious God, we commend into thy holy hands the Soul of this thy Servant, beseeching thee to defend it from all evil, and from thy wrath, which he hath deserved; let thy holy Angels receive this Soul from this ruinous habitation of Clay, and carry it unto the bosom of thy dear Son; O say unto this Soul, this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, and fear not, for it is my Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom.
GIVE unto his decaying Body, a blessed and a glorious Resurrection, to his weary and afflicted, his penitent and redeemed Soul, a portion in the blessed sentence of the right hand amongst the happy Children of thy Father, who shall receive the Kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of the World; let his Soul dwell in heavenly Mansions, be supported with thy hope, comforted with a holy conscience, rejoyce in a confirm'd pardon, be recreated with the visitation of Angels, and be arrayed in white to follow after the Lamb whither soever he goeth.
A Prayer for a Soul departing.
O LORD, remember the good things which by thy Grace, and by the Inspiration of thy holy Spirit, thy Servant hath performed, and remember not his evil Deeds, nor the frailties of his Youth, which by the weakness of the Flesh, and the temptations of Satan, and the vain contingencies of this World, have afflicted and humbled his poor, but penitent Soul. O God, remember thy only Son did die for these, and thy blessed Spirit occasioned the other; and for whom thou hast given thy Son▪ and to whom thou hast vouchsafed to give thy Spirit, give thy eternal Pardon, and thy everlasting Glories, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
An Act of Resignation when a Friend is deceas'd.
O ETERNAL God, who bringest good out of evil, comfort out of sorrow, and after a gentle visitation dost refresh thy Children, have mercy upon us, and return to us with thy loving kindness, exchanging our present sorrow into the advantages of holiness and blessing. Thy Judgments, O Lord, are unsearchable, and thy ways past finding out, but we will bless thy holy Name at all times, for thou, O Lord, hast given, and hast taken away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.
BE thou now, and for ever, what thou hast so graciously promised; a Father of the Fatherless, a Husband to the Widow, and a God of Comfort to them that mourn in secret. Grant that we thy Servants may not weep as them without hope, neither murmur at thy dispensation, nor complain of any thing but our selves, nor desire any thing but that thy Will may be done, nor do any thing but what is agreeable to thy holy Word and Commandment.
GRANT O Lord, that when thou smitest any of us it may encrease thy fear in us, and when thou dost good to any of us in smiting or forbearing, in chastising or Comforting it may encrease thy love in us: And let thy holy Spirit so prevail over all our wills and understandings, our Affections, and the outward Man, our interests and our hopes, that we may live in this World pleasing to thee, and may depart out of this World with the peace of a good Conscience, and may attain to a joyful Resurrection in the last day, and to a participation of thy Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A Meditation after Recovery from Sickness.
O COME hither and behold the Works of the Lord, how wonderful he is in his doings towards the Children of Men: O come hither and hearken all ye that fear God; and I will tell you what he hath done for my Soul: I called unto him with my mouth, and gave him praises with my Tongue: O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
THOU Lord hast brought my Soul out of Hell: Thou hast kept my Life from them, that go down to the pit: O what great troubles and Adversities hast thou shewed me, and yet didst thou turn and refresh me! yea and broughtest me from the deep of the Earth again: Praised be god which … not cast out my Prayer, nor …ned his Mercy from me.
LORD what is Man that thou hast respect unto him! Or the Son of Man that thou so▪regardest him: The Lord is Righteous in all his wayes, and holy in all his Works: The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him; yea all such as call upon him faithfully: He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their Cry and will help them.
SING Praises unto the Lord, O ye Saints of his, and give thanks unto him for a remembrance of his Holiness: for his Wrath endureth but the twinkling of Eye, and in his pleasure is Life: Heaviness may endure for a Night, but joy cometh in the Morning: Praised be the Lord daily, even the God which helpeth us and pouereth his benefits upon us.
HE is our God, even the God of whom cometh Salvation: God is the Lord by whom we escape Death: I will be glad and rejoyce in thy Mercy: For thou hast Considered my trouble, and hast known my Soul in adver…ity, thou hast turned my heaviness into joy; thou hast put off my Sackeloth, and girded me with gladness.
PRAISE the Lord, O my Soul: And all that is within me Praise his holy Name: Praise the Lord, O my Soul; and forget not all his benefits, Which forgiveth all thy Sin, and healeth all thine infirmities: Which saveth thy life from destruction and Crowneth thee with Mercy and loving kindness: I shall not dye but live, and declare the works of the Lord: The Lord hath chastned me, and corrected me, but he hath not given me over unto Death.
A Thanksgiving after Recovery from Sickness
OMNIPOTENT Lord God the Author of Life, who bringest down to the Grave and raisest up again, I most humbly confess to the Glory of thine infinite Majesty, that if thou hadst not out of thy tender Compassion blessed and sustained me in my sickness, I should have gone down to the Gates of Death; but it was thy goodness, and loving kindness to spare and deliver me from all dangers: Let me for ever Praise and glorifie thy holy Name for this and all other thy Mercies towards me.
THOU art gracious when thou smitest me, but I cannot express thy infinite sweetness, when thou Relievest my necessity, when thou sustainest my Sorrows, when thou do…t deliver me from thy Wrath, when thou hearest my prayers, and when thou pourest thy Benefits upon me: O give unto me thy unworthy Servant a thankful Heart, and obedient and loving Spirit, a carefulness of my Duty, Charity, and Humility, Zeal of thy Glory, and a submission to thy Divine will and Pleasure: that serving thee in all things, I may be conducted at last to thy Heavenly Kingdom.
TEACH me alwayes to remember my latter end, and that this Life is but a shadow, that declineth, and withereth like Grass; But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever, for thou art the same, and thy Years shall have no end: Bring me by an unchangeable love and obedience to thee in all the changes and chances of this mortal Life; for his sake who loved me, and gave himself for me, even thy Son, and my alone Saviour.
Amen.
A Prayer before a Iourney.
O MOST gracious and Merciful Lord God who art a God a far off, as well as nigh at hand, be pleased to send thy holy Angel before me thy Servant, to defend me in this my journey from the heat of the day, and the Cold of the night, from the Arrow that flies at Noon, and the evil Spirits that walk in darkness, from errors and falls, from precipices and fracture of bones, from Robbers, evil intentions, and bad accidents, from violent Weather, and violent Fears, from all impressions of evil Men, and evil Spirits; let this Journey be safe and useful to me thy Servant, Comfortable to my Relations, and holiness to thy great Name.
THE Lord bless me and keep me, the Lord make his Face to shine upon me, and be gracious unto me; keep me from all evil, and lead me into all good by the Conduct of thy good Spirit; let thy providence and love, be my defence and security, thy Grace be my portion, and thy Service my Employment; do thou O Lord, go in and out before me, and keep me in all my wayes, and lead me in thy Paths: bring me back again in peace and safety, and prosper all my innocent and holy purposes; and when the few and evil daies of my Pilgrimage are ended, do thou of thy infinite Mercy bring me to the Regions of holiness and eternal peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A Thanksgiving after a Iourney.
O GOD, the great Creator and preserver of all Men, I give thee humble and hearty thanks for thy great Mercies shewed unto me, all the dayes of my Life; how often O Lord, hast thou turned away thy Face from my sins, and made as if thou perceivest them not? How often mightest thou have with-held thy hand of preservation from me, and yet thy patience hath extended so far towards me, that thou hast suffered no prejudice to befall me? And as I owe thee infinite thanks for thy former preservations, so now I am further obliged to thee, that thou hast at this time not only guided me to the place, whither I designed to go, but hast also brought me back in safety, and in my absence hast preserved all things unto me.
GIVE me thy Grace, O Lord, to be alwaies mindful of these, and all other thy Mercies towards me, and make me truly thankful unto thee for them; and grant that as by this thy Mercy I have well finished my affairs abroad, and am returned safe to this my Temporal habitation; so grant that my Spirit after this Pilgrimage here on Earth, may return to thy Heavenly mansion, and there dwell with thee for ever, and that for the sake and merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
A Prayer before a Voyage.
OETERNAL God, even the God of our Salvation, the hope of all the ends of the Earth, and of them that remain in the wide Ocean; under the shadow of whose Wings we are always secure, and without whose protection we cannot expect safety; I have been, O Lord, preserved by thee until this moment from many dangers, for which I have not expressed my thankfulness in acknowledging those dayly blessings I have received from thee; but O Lord, forget and forgive those manifold sins which I have Committed against thee, and blot them out of thy Book of remembrance.
PURGE me O Lord, I beseech thee from all vile affections, and grant I may bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit; go along with me with thy blessed Spirit in this my Voyage, preserve me from Pirates, Robbers and Enemies, defend me from Rocks, Sands and Shelves, and keep me from Thunder and Lightning, Storms and Tempestuous Weather, or any other danger that may dismay me. To thee, O Lord, I commend my Body and Spirit, to dispose of me according to thy holy Will and Pleasure; if thou art pleased to call for my life upon the surface of the Waters, I know thy Almighty Word can command the Sea to give up her Dead at the last and great audit.
BUT if thou hast determined to bring me safe to my desired Haven, give me thy Grace which is sufficient for me to walk according to thy holy Will in all things; make me to lay hold of eternal Life, which as the Anchor of Hope, is both sure and stedfast; keep me from all temptations Ghostly and Bodily, and from sudden Death, and in thy good time bring me to the Land of the Living, there to reign with thee for evermore.
Amen.
A Thanksgiving after a Voyage.
O IMMORTAL God, I have seen thy Works O Lord, and thy Wonders in the Deep; thou spakest the Word and the stormy Wind arose, which lifted up the Waves thereof, but when we cried unto thee, thou madest the Storm to cease, so that the Waves thereof were still; then did we rejoyce because we were at rest, and thou broughtest us safe to that Haven where we would be: O that men would therefore praise thee, O Lord, for thy Goodness, and declare the Wonders thou dost continually for them.
I BLESS thy holy Name, for conducting me through those many dangers which encompassed me, and praise thy Mercy that the Deep hath not swalloyed me up, and that I am not gone down into the place of Silence. I also praise thy holy Name, and admire thy loving Kindness towards me, that thou hast not delivered up my Body and Goods as a prey into the hands of unreasonable Men, but hast brought me to my desired Haven, and at last hath returned me back in safety to my Habitation.
O LET me never forget to pay those vows I made to thee, when I was in trouble; but give me an awful sense and apprehension of thy great power, and possess my Soul with a true reverence of thy Divine Majes…y; that I may evermore serve thee in holiness and Righteousness all the dayes of my Life; Endue me with thy holy Spirit that I may become acceptable in thy sight, and may be fitted at lenght for future Glories this I beg for thy Son Jesus Christ sake, my only Saviour.
Amen.
A Prayer in a Storm.
O LORD, our God, thou hast commanded us in the day of Calamity to call upon thy Name, and thou hast promised to hear us; Lord, I fly unto thee, who art a sure refuge, thy Floodgates are opened, and the Floods lift up their lofty waves. But thou O Lord, most high art mightier than the noise of many Waters; yea, than the mighty Waves of the Sea: Thou canst in a moment if it stand with thy Divine will and pleasure, rebuke the Winds and the Sea and this Storm into a Calm
I KNOW I justly deserve, to be cast away and utterly to be rejected by thee; but Lord save us or else we perish, accept of my unfeigned Sorrow for all my sins and trangressions, and endue me with a stedfast resolution to forsake them; be merciful unto us, O God, be merciful unto us, and save us from perishing in these deep Waters; O refresh us with thy Mercy and that soon, lest we go down into the place of silence; O comfort us in this great distress, that though the Sea rage and swell, our hearts may be quiet and still in this time of our disconsolation.
AND as I earnestly desire to be protected from this great Peril and danger which now terrifies us, so I earnestly beseech thee, that thou wilt for ever fill my heart with such an awful dread of thy Majesty, that I may fear thy Name and praise thy power in the great Congregation; awake my dull and drousie Soul, from the sloth of Sin, and renew a right Spirit within me; fill me with the gifts and Graces of thy holy Spirit, that I may live the life of the Righteous, and never forget thy loving kindness; save us now from death I beseech thee, from the merciless Waves who are now ready to swallow us up, and bring us home in safety for thy Son Jesus Christ his sake, our only Lord and Saviour,
Amen.
A Thanksgiving after a Storm.
I PRAISE and glorifie thy holy Name, O Lord, for all thy mercies and blessings vouchsafed unto me, especially for this thy last great Deliverance, wherein I was encompassed in that wide Ocean, whom thou hast set bounds and limits to; if thou, O Lord hadst not been on my side, the Sea had swallowed me up quick, and I had gone down into the deep of silence; but thou hast been my God and my deliverer, and hast put a new Song into my Mouth, even a Song of Praise, and Thanksgiving unto my God.
I ACKNOWLEDG O Lord, that thou art the God of all the Earth, and of them that remain in the broad Sea; Blessed for ever, and magnified be thy Name, that thou hast not cast me out of thy sight, nor turned thy Mercy from me; I have escaped thy raging Sea, and the noise of the proud Waves have done me no harm; if thy Almighty providence had not protected me, the Streams had gone over my Soul: But the stormy wind and Tempest I have narrowly escaped, the storm is ceased, and I am safely delivered.
AND now what shall I render to thee O Lord, for this and all other thy great benefits? I will offer up unto thee, the Sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will pay those vows I so solemnly made unto thee when I was in trouble; I will evermore remember, that my help is in the Lord who made Heaven and Earth, and that thou art that God that can and will deliver me; let this thy mercy and lovingkindness never depart my memory, but let me praise thy goodness and sing of thy power, unto my lives end.
Amen.
A Prayer in time of Thunder and lightning.
O MOST mighty, and terrible Lord God, before whom the Earth shakes and the Heavens drop at thy presence; thou overturnest the mountains by the roots and removest them in thy anger; thou dost great things and thy wayes are past finding out; yea thou dost wonders without number: Thy voice O Lord, is very powerful, full of Majesty, that it rends the Air, and casts forth flames of Fire. Thou canst, O Lord, at this time, tear us in pieces, and none can be able to deliver us, for there is none but thee alone that delivers after this sort.
O WHO would not dread thy Allglorious Name, O Lord? Who would not stand in awe of thy Majesty? Who would not fear thy Judgments, when thou shoots forth thy Arrows of Thunder and Lightning? It is of thy meer Mercy, O Lord, that we are not at this time consumed, but that thy tender compassions fail not toward us poor, but miserable Sinners; the blast of the breath of thy No…trils, can drive us like Chaff before the face of the Wind, and chase us into the bottomless Pit, from whence there is no Redemption.
BUT thine Eye, O Lord, hath spared us, and we are yet alive, O make us living Monuments of thy Mercy, that we may work out our Repentance unto Salvation, and let it be such a Repentance never to be repented of; possess my heart with such a fear and a love of thee, that I may tremble at thy Word, and melt at the sight of thy Judgments; deliver me, I humbly beseech thee, in that great day of thy appearance, and let me not be in the number of Depart ye Cursed, but among those whom thou callest, Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you. This I humbly beg for thy Sons sake, our only Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
The Marriners Prayer.
O GOD, the great Creator of Heaven and Earth, thou dost whatsoever thou please…t in the Sea, and in all deep places; I, the most unworthiest of all thy Servants, am at this time called upon to behold thy Wonders in the Deep, and to perform my Duty in great Waters. Guide me, I beseech thee, in all times and in all places; be thou our skilful Pilot to steer us, and protect us from all Dangers, and rebuke the Winds and the Seas when they molest us; preserve our Vessel from being rent by the loud cracks of Thunder, or from being burnt by Lightning, or any other accident; keep us and save us from tempestuous Weather, from bitter Frosts, Hail, Ice, Snow, or Whirlwinds, and from Captivity and Slavery.
TEACH me, O God, to remember thee my Creator in the days of my Youth, to continually think upon thee, and to praise thy Name for all thy Mercies; bless all our Friends, I beseech thee, that are on Land, and let their Prayers for us be acceptable in thy sight, and grant that our next meeting together may be for the better, and not for the worse, even to the praising and magnifying of thy holy Name, and the Salvation of our own Souls, in the great day of the Lord Jesus, to whom with thee, and thy blessed Spirit, be ascribed all Honour, Power and Glory, Adoration and Subjection, now and for evermore.
Amen.
The Soldiers Prayer.
O MOST Omnipotent Lord God, Heaven is thy Throne, and Earth is thy Footstool, and the whole Host of Heaven continually pays obedience to thee. O Lord, I present my self before thee, acknowledging my own vileness, but thy infinite goodness, my own weakness, but thy infinite Power and Majesty. O thou that teaches our hands to War, and our fingers to Fight, endue me with a courage and resolution to run through those difficulties I may meet withal, and when any engagement presents it self for the publick good of my King and Country, then, O my God, animate me with that vigour and Christian fortitude, that I may overcome all those which oppose thee, and thy people.
PRESERVE me, I beseech thee, and bless me in all my Enterprises; save me from Death, and cover my head in our day of Battel; prosper our Arms with good success, make our Religion and Country, like the House of David, grow stronger and stronger, but let the Enemy, like the House of Saul, grow weaker and weaker; let no covetous desires, greediness of spoil, ambition, vain-glory, hatred, malice, uncharitableness, or any thing that exalts it self against thee and thy Kingdom; ever take hold of me, keep me from all Atheism, Infidelity, Blasphemy and Prophaneness; from all Rioting, Chambering and Wantonness; grant that I may do no violence to any man, nor accuse no man falsly, but be content with my Wages, that when ever Death approaches, I may joyfully, giving up the Ghost, pronounce this saying, I have fought a good fight, I have finish'd my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Iudge, shall give unto all those which love and fear him, and put their trust in his mercy.
Amen.
The Magistrates Prayer.
O GOD, thou Supreme Judge of the World, thou didit ordain Man through thy Wisdom, and gavest him dominion over thy Creatures, and authority to govern the World, according to equity and righteousness, and to execute Judgment with all uprightness; thou hast appointed me a Minister, O Lord, and a Judge of thy Sons and Daughters, but none can discharge so great a trust, without thy divine power and assi…tance.
TO thee therefore, O Lord, do I humbly address my self; thou art the Fountain from whence every good and perfect gift cometh, and none can rule without thy Wisdom guides them. Endue me, O Lord, with that wisdom which is from above, which is first pure, and then peaceable; inspire me with an understanding Spirit, that I may discern between Good and Evil, between Light and Darkness, that I may be always ready to pronounce a just sentence in all Causes; let the Scales of Justice be ever even, and let my Eyes be blind, and my Ears deaf, to all gifts or popular applause amongst men; suffer me not to bear thy Sword in vain, but fill me with that Zeal and Courage, that I may be ready to punish Wickedness and Vice, but encourage true Religion and Vertue, so that at the last, when thou shalt be pleased to call me hence, I may give up my accounts with joy, and not with grief, and receive those blessed Words which thou hast pronounced, of Well done thou good and faithful Servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord.
Amen.
A Prayer of a Debtor in Prison.
O GOD, the helper of the poor and needy, and all those who are in adversity; look down, I beseech thee, with an Eye of Pity and Compassion, upon thy afflicted Servant, the place I am in is miserable disconsolate and comfortless, but withdraw not the light of thy countenance from me. O Lord, I confess I have abused all those mercies I have enjoyed, I have not employed that precious time thou hast given me to improve, but on the contrary, I have been negligent and guilty of all profuseness; I have been worse than an Infidel, in not making that provision for my Family which I was obliged in Justice to perform, neither have I paid those due Debts which I became bound to do, therefore a… I plunged into this depth of misery.
Divers ways I am apprehensive, I have highly offended thy Divine Majesty, both in thought, word, and deed, for which I earnestly implore thy gracious pardon and forgiveness; I acknowledge thy Divine Goodness and Mercy, that thou hast not snatched me hence, and sent me into everlasting burnings amongst the damned, but thou hast preserved me unto this moment, that I might live and praise thy great Name. My Body, O Lord, is now confin'd, but I beseech thee enlarge my Spirit, whereby I may offer up the Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving with all cheerfulness, for all thy innumerable benefits, which I have from time to time received from thee; dispose the hearts of my Creditors to a free compliance, and enable me I beseech thee to make them restitution, that when Ever I shall be released, I may walk more Circumspectly, and redeem that time I have so vainly lost: Bless all those whose Charity have extended to my relief, or have sought to procure my Liberty, and bring us all at last to thy Heavenly Kingdom.
Amen.
A Prayer of a Malefactor in Prison.
O MOST merciful God, thou art Holy in all thy ways, and righteous in all thy Works; vouchsafe thy Grace, O Lord, to a vile wretch and incorrigible sinner; I implore O Lord, that Mercy which formerly I have abused, I sigh and groan now under the Weight of my sins, and they are become a burden too heavy for me to bear; my presumptuous and wicked proceedings stick like so many arrows within me, and when with an awakened Conscience I remember them, I am ready to sink down into the Pit of perdition, and utterly despair of any Mercy or Compassion.
HOW brutish have I been, in hating instruction, and all manner of reproof. I have not obeyed the voice of my Teachers, neither did I incline my Ear to them that admonished me, but like the D…af adder I stopped my Ears and adhered not to wise Councel; thy most holy Laws I have broken, thy Sabbath I have prophaned by excess of drunkenness and all manner of riot and debauchery, which have been as forerunners of this crime, for which I stand now committed, and the hand of justice hath overtaken me.
But O Lord, I beseech thee, have Mercy upon me even for his sake who redeemed me and all Mankind; accept of his atonement for my sins, and save my Soul for thy Mercies sake; wash away all my sins in his most precious Blood, and blot out all my offences out of thy remembrance; O shew me some taste of thy tender Mercy, whereby the fear of death may be abated, give me some assurance of a hope in thee that when my day of dissolution comes, my unworthy Soul may be received into thy Heavenly Kingdom.
Amen.
A Submission to the sentence of Death.
O ETERNAL God, in all humility of Soul and Body, I cast my self at the Feet of thy Divine Majesty; thou art the Soveraign Judge of the all the World, and hast fully pronounced against me and all sinners, that dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return, in obedience to thy Divine Justice, I wholly resign all the faculties of my Soul and Body to thy sentence pronounced against me, acknowledging it most just and due to me for those infinite Sins I have committed against thee.
O Let it never slip from my Memory, that bloody and shameful Death of thy Son Jesus Christ, who after he had suffered in his Soul unspeakable sorrows, and in his Agony and bloody Sweat offered up himself a Sacrifice for mine, and the sins of the whole World: Never let me never repine at what the hand of Justice hath decreed to my Body, but let me by a sincere repentance, seek thy face to preserve my Soul; the Death I am to suffer is painful and even a shamefull death; but thou, O my God canst make my passage Easie.
THOU O my God didst remember the Thief upon the Cross, O remember me I beseech thee in my last Hour, and say unto my Soul, this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise; keep my heart and mouth from pronouncing words which may be offensive to Christian Ears, but let me never be ashamed to confess thy holy Name, and to continue thy Soldier and Servant, manfully fighting under thy Banner, unto my lives end. Strengthen me, O Lord, in this great conflict, and shew me the light of thy Countenance for evermore.
Amen.
A Preparation for Death.
MOST gracious God, the Fountain of all goodness, I bless and magnifie thy holy Name, for all thy mercies extended to me and all Mankind; I bless thee for my being and well-being, from the hour of my Conception, to the day of my Nativity, from my Minority to my riper Years, and age of full strength, and even to this present moment; I praise thy holy Name for all the means of Grace; and for the hope of Glory, for my Creation, Redemption▪ Preservation, and all the blessings of this life.
I MAGNIFIE thee for all thy mercies, in forgiving my infinite Transgressions; for all thy patience and longsuffering towards me, I have, like the Prodigal Son, absented my self from thee, and at my return thou hast received me graciously. Lord, I humbly beseech thee, raise me up from the death of Sin unto the life of Righteousness, that being made a partaker of the death of Christ, and a follower of his holy life, I may be made a partaker of his Spirit, and of his Promises.
O LET me never charge thee, O my God, foolishly, nor offend thee by my impatience, and uneasie Spirit, nor weaken the hands and hearts of those that charitably minister to my Necessities, but let me pass through this vale of tears, and the valley of the shadow of death, with peace and safety, with a meek spirit, and a sense of thy divine mercies; grant this, eternal God, for the merits of thy only Son, my ever blessed Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
A Prayer for Pardon of Sin.
O MOST merciful God, who wouldest not the death of a Sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live, have mercy upon me, and heal my Soul, for I have sinned against thee, I have committed Iniquity with greediness, and have added unto sin daily and hourly, I have made resolutions and purposes of amendment, but in a moment I have started aside like a broken Bow, and have returned to my former custom, like the Dog to his vomit, and the Swine to her wallowing in the mire.
BUT thou art a God, gracious and merciful, pardoning Iniquity, Transgression and Sin, and there is forgiveness with thee, that thou maist be feared; therefore to thee, O God, I come like an ungracious Child, but to a gracious Father; I come in all humility of Soul and Body, and appeal from thy Throne of Justice, unto thy Mercy-seat. Mercy good Lord, I beg at thy fatherly hands, for I acknowledge with grief of heart, and sorrow of spirit, that I have infinitely sinned against Heaven, and against thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son.
GIVE unto me, O Lord, a new heart, and a right understanding, that I may perceive the evil of my ways, and repent of all my transgressions: Lord, where Iniquity did abound, there let thy Grace much more abound; hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine Iniquities, and receive me graciously; and that for his sake who died for Sin, and knew no Sin; even that Immaculate Lamb, thy dear Son Jesus Christ the Righteous, my only Saviour and Redeemer.
Amen.
ADDITIONAL DEVOTIONS FOR Several Occasions, ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY.
Phil. iv. vi.
Be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by Prayer and Supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
LONDON, Printed in the Year 1692