The Daily Practice of Devotion, Prayers 2 – Part 8
A General Form of Prayer.
HEar my Prayer, O Lord,Pſal. 27. 8. and hearken to the voice of my ſupplication, when I cry unto Thee,28. 2. when I lift up my hands toward the Mercy-ſeat of thy holy Temple.
O Holy Lord God, whoſe pure eyes will not behold iniquity, I the vileſt of all thy Creation, and moſt ſinful among all the ſons of men, do yet preſume to caſt my ſelf down before the foot-ſtool of thy Throne of Grace,Eſth. 5. 2. humbly beſeeching Thee to ſtretch forth Thy Golden Scepter of Peace, that I may touch it, and not die, but live to praiſe thy mercy.
I confeſs,Pſal. 51. 5. O Lord, that I was even conceived in ſin, and brought forth in iniquity; and though thou hadſt waſh'd me from that Original Pollution of Nature in the holy Fountain of Baptiſm, yet have I ſince again defiled my ſelf with all manner of actual Abominations.
O my God,Ezr. 9. 6, 7. I am aſhamed and bluſh to lift up my face unto thee, for mine iniquities are increaſed over mine head, and my treſpaſſes are waxed great unto the Heavens. Since the days of my youth I am in a great treſpaſs, and my whole life is nothing elſe but a continued tranſgreſſion of thy Law, and provocation of thy wrath.
I have but ſlightly performed, or neglected, and wholly omitted, and even contemned thoſe Duties and Services which thou requireſt of me: but have greedily committed, and careleſly, and even preſumptuouſly continued in thoſe ſins which thou haſt ſtrictly forbidden, and ſeverely threatned.
So that if thou ſhouldſt enter into judgment with thy Servant, I could expect nothing but to receive my portion with hypocrites and unbelievers, and to be caſt out into utter darkneſs, in the lake that burneth with fire and brimſtone for evermore.
But thou, O Lord, which deſireſt not the death of a ſinner, but rather that he ſhould turn from his wickedneſs and live; turn thou me, O good God, turn me from all my tranſgreſſions, and let not iniquity be my ruine.
Open thou mine eyes, and awaken my dull and ſtony heart, that I may ſee and underſtand the vileneſs and miſery of my ſinful ſtate; that I may hate, and abhor, and forſake all my evil ways, and turn to thee with all my heart and with all my ſtrength.
Give me that Godly ſorrow which worketh true repentance;2 Cor. 7. 10. forgive and put away all my ſins and offences, nail them to the Croſs of Jeſus Chriſt, and bury them in his Grave, that they may never riſe up in judgment againſt me.
Receive me, O my Father, and be reconciled unto me in the mercies and merits of thy dear Son: for his ſake reſtore me again to thy grace and favour, and the light of thy countenance, and eſtabliſh me with thy free Spirit, Pſal. 51. 12.
Send down the dew of thy heavenly grace, the light of thy Holy Spirit into my heart, to lead me in thy way, and enable me to walk in it.
Give me ſtrength to reſiſt all temptations, and to ſtand againſt all aſſaults of the World, the Fleſh, and the Devil; that no Allurement may draw, no Terror may drive me from the ſtreight path of thy Service, but that I may perſevere in it to the end of my days; that having lived in thy fear, I may die in thy favour, reſt in thy peace, riſe in thy power, and reign with thee for ever in thy Glory.
And thou,Mat. 6. 33. O Lord, which haſt promiſed to add all other neceſſaries to them which ſeek firſt thy Kingdom, and the righteouſneſs thereof, remember me alſo with thy temporal bleſſings, as ſhall ſeem beſt unto thee, and may be moſt for the advancement of mine Eternal Intereſt.
Give me health of Body, ſoundneſs of Mind, competence of means, comfort of Friends, peace in this world, and contentment of mind what ſtate ſoever thou ſhalt pleaſe to call me to.
Give me grace to ſet my heart not on things below, but on things above; that I may chearfully expect when it ſhall pleaſe thee to tranſlate me from thy bleſſings in this world to the joys of thy Eternal Kingdom.
And thou, O Lord,1 Tim. 2. 1. which haſt commanded us to make prayers and ſupplications for all others as well as our ſelves, we beſeech thee to extend thy mercy and goodneſs to all mankind in all the corners of the Earth.
Open and enlighten the eyes of them that ſit in darkneſs and the ſhadow of death,Luke 1. 79. and guide their feet into the way of peace: that thy way may be known upon earth, and thy ſaving health among all nations, Pſal. 67. 2.
Inlarge the bounds of thy Catholick Church: Unite and ſanctifie all that are already received into her boſom, and reſtore her to her ancient purity and proſperity.
Send ſuch Prieſts whoſe lips may preſerve knowledge, and make the People diligent to ſeek thy Law at their mouth; and ſo direct and rule both Prieſts and People, that by their holy converſation they may ſhine as Lights in the midſt of a crooked and perverſe generation.
And thou who haſt promiſed to make Kings and Queens the Nurſing Fathers and Nurſing Mothers of thy Church,Iſai. protect all the Governments of the world, eſpecially Chriſtian Kings and Princes, and more particularly Him whom thy particular Providence hath placed over us.
Preſerve and proſper him in all his ways; give him ſucceſs in all his undertakings and actions, that having lived and ruled here in juſtice, piety, proſperity, peace, and happineſs, he may quietly paſs from this earthly and tranſitory to a heavenly and eternal Crown.
Bleſs his Illuſtrious Family, and the whole State under him. Diſtribute thy bleſſings to every one as thou ſhalt judge moſt meet, and as may beſt fit, and enable, and encourage them in their ſeveral Places and Callings, in the performance of their duties of Worſhip and Obedience to thee, and of juſtice, and Honeſty, and Charity to their Brethren,
Bleſs all thoſe to whom I am bound by any ſpecial Relation.
Parents,
Freinds,
Kindred,
Benefactors,
Family.
Thou, O Lord, knoweſt the Name and place of every one, Thou knoweſt our ſeveral deſires and wants: We beſeech Thee to proportion thy reliefs and bleſſings to every one, that we may be mutual helps and comforts to each other in our paſſage through this vale of miſery and tears.
Have mercy and compaſſion upon all that are under any calamity in body, or mind, or outward condition, eſpecially thoſe that ſuffer for righteouſneſs ſake: Give them Patience to bear, and Prudence to make a right uſe of all their Afflictions; and in thine own good time relieve and reſtore them here, or take them away from theſe temporal miſeries to thine eternal reſt in Heaven.
And let not my Lord be angry,Gen 18. 32. and I will ſpeak but this once, and that in obedience to thy command,Mat. 5. 44. for our Enemies, Slanderers, and Oppreſſors, eſpecially thoſe that have cauſed or increaſed the publick Diſtractions: Lord, reſtrain their malice, and open their Eyes and Hearts, that they may ſee the crookedneſs of their own ways, and return into the ſtreight path of meekneſs and Charity; that we may live together in Peace here, and reign together in thy Glory hereafter.
And that our Ingratitude for Thy former Bleſſings may not make us more unworthy and uncapable of the future, we humbly deſire to offer up our ſacrifice of Praiſe and Thanſgiving for all thy goodneſs and loving-kindneſs multiplied and continued upon us.
That Thou haſt been pleaſed to create us men after thine own Image, the moſt excellent of all the works of thy hands.
And when by our own ſin and fall we had made our ſelves worſe than the vileſt of all thy Creation, Thou wert yet pleaſed to find out a means of Redemption and Reconciliation, by the death and ſatisfaction of thine own only Son.
And haſt farther vouchſafed in ſome meaſure to ſhed abroad in our hearts the good gifts and graces of thy holy Spirit, to excite, inable, and incourage us in the performance of thy Service here, and to ſeal to us the good hope of eternal happineſs with Thee hereafter.
That Thou haſt vouchſafed me to be born of Chriſtian Parents, and brought up in the boſom of thy Church, and nouriſhed with the ſincere milk of thy word, and to live under the glorious Sun-ſhine of thy Goſpel:
That Thou haſt beſtowed on me ſufficient endowments and abilities of Nature, as ſoundneſs of mind, and health of body; and withal a competence of means, comfort of friends, and other conveniences and contentments of life:
That Thou haſt preſerved me from my Childhood until now from all miſchiefs and dangers, and haſt not cut me off in the midſt of my ſins, but allowed me ſpace of Repentance, and brought me ſafe thus far of my life to this preſent day.
Theſe and all other thine innumerable and ineſtimable mercies, O Lord, as we had nothing in us to deſerve them, ſo have we nothing to return for them, but an acknowledgment of our extreme unworthineſs of any the leaſt of them.
We therefore offer up our ſelves unto Thee, beſeeching thee graciouſly to receive us, and ſanctifie thy mercies to us, and us to thy ſervice; that we may make uſe of them to the honour and glory of thy Name, and the eternal good of our own Souls.
O Holy Lord God, that knoweſt our neceſſities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking, have mercy upon our infirmities, paſs by and pardon the imperfections of our Prayers; bow down thy gentle ear, and hear, and grant theſe our requeſts as ſhall ſeem good to Thee.
And whatſoever elſe thou knoweſt more uſeful or expedient for me or any of thy ſervants:
Thou that knoweſt to give good gifts, we beſeech Thee chuſe for us, and give us thoſe things:
And all for His ſake who hath given us confidence to come unto Thee, and ask in His name, and hath taught us to ſumm up all our Prayers in his own words, ſaying,
OUR Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily Bread, and forgive us our Treſpaſſes as we forgive them that treſpaſs againſt us. And lead us not into temptation, but diliver us from Evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Numb. 6. 24.
The Lord bleſs us, and keep us;
The Lord make his face to ſhine upon us, and be gracious unto us.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us Peace.
2 Cor. 13. 14.
The Grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and the Love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Ghoſt be with us all. Amen.
THE SEVEN HOURS OF PRAYER FOR EVERY DAY.
Pſal. 119. 164.
Seven times a day do I praiſe thee, becauſe of thy righteous judgements.
Pſal. 119. 62.
At midnight will I riſe to give thanks unto thee.
NOW for the Times of Prayer, our Saviours Counſel is, Luk. 18. 1.that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; adding a Parable to ſhew us the virtue of Importunity. Eph. 6. 18.S. Paul's is agreeable, 1 Theſ. 5. 17.Praying always, and without ceaſing, that is, frequently and conſtantly.
Among the Ancients it was no leſs than ſeven times a day: (Nay David and S. Paul add the eighth, Pſal. 119. 62.at Midnight; Acts 16. 25.ſo that every third hour of the Night, as well as of the Day, was begun with the ſolemnity of Prayer.)
And this Pattern I have thought worthy to be commended to the practice of all pious Chriſtians: For the having ſo often recourſe to Heaven, muſt need make us more careful of our converſation on Earth.
Yet this without any deſign of laying a burthen upon thoſe, whoſe Occaſions or Devotion will not ſo often ſerve them: only wiſhing, that they who cannot afford ſo many, though ſo ſmall portions of the day, to their Maker, would yet joyn with David and Daniel, at leaſt three times a day; or at the leaſt of leaſts, twice; that the outgoings of the Morning and Evening may praiſe him.
The reſt may be ſupplied by lifting up the eyes of their Souls to Heaven with ſome ſhort and hearty Ejaculation, though in midſt of any Employment, of any Company.