Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week, Prayer 10
Thurſday Evening.
ALmighty and everlaſting God, the wiſe and righteous Governour of all things in Heaven and Earth, who doſt whatſoever thou pleaſeſt, and whatever thou doſt is well and wiſely done, becauſe thou doſt it: we thine unworthy Servants, whom thy hands have made, and ever ſince ſupported and ſupplyed, beſeech thee in mercy to look down upon us, that in a ſenſe of our own vileneſs are here humbling our ſelves at thy Foot-ſtool acknowledging it thy mercy and longſuffering, that we are intruſted with one opportunity more, to implore thy pardon and forgiveneſs.
Thou might'ſt have deſtroyed us, the polluted Off-ſpring of diſobedient Parents, as ſoon as ever we came into the world, and ever ſince we were capable of breaking thy Laws, we have added ſin unto ſin, and heapt tranſgreſſion upon tranſgreſſion.
We have trifled away that time, that thou haſt allotted us to make proviſion for an happy Eternity, in the purſuit of pleaſure and profit, tranſient and momentany vanities, and have waged and maintained War againſt thee in thoſe ſeaſons of Grace, thou haſt afforded us for the making our peace: thy patience and long-ſuffering that ſhould have led us to repentance, we have perverted to fleſhly purpoſes, and a more preſumptuous and impenitent progreſs in Sin.
We have over-cared for, over-loved, over-deſired and over-delighted in the good things of this World, and inordinately placed our affections upon earthly and temporary injoyments, which thou haſt fitted to ſuch things as have in them an heavenly, ſpiritual and everlaſting excellency: How grievouſly and how juſtly might'ſt thou plague us with the deſires of our own hearts, and puniſh us by giving us our portion in this Life?
As thou haſt multiplied thy Bleſſings we have multiplied our Inquities, and tranſgreſſed thoſe holy and good Laws which thou haſt given us as the rule of our carriage towardsthee, our ſelves and others, and wherein thou haſt commanded us nothing but what tends to the perfection of our nature, and the promoting of our happineſs.
We have little regarded thy deſign in ſending us into this World, which was that we ſhould ſerve and pleaſe, obey and honour thee, our great Creator and gracious Benefactor, and as little laid to heart the ſtrict account that we muſt ſhortly render of all our ways and works, before thy exact and impartial Tribunal, when we ſhall go hence and be here no more.
We have turn'd a deaf ear to thy counſels, quencht the motions of thy Spirit, miſimproved thy mercies to makethem the materials of pride, and a wanton ſenſuality, rejected the tenders of thy Grace, and hardned our hearts under the correction of thy Rod; And if thou, Lord, ſhouldſt mark our Iniquities, who of us, Pſal. 130. 3.O Lord, could ſtand?
How juſtly mightſt thou deprive us of all the bleſſings that we have forfeited? And make us feel the ſmart and ſeverity of that vengeance that thou haſt threatned? Thou mightſt inflict pains and diſeaſes in our Bodies, and purſue us with terrours, and the fearful foretaſts of wrath in our conſciences; thou mightſt remove thy Goſpel, which we have abuſed, and withdraw thy Spirit whom we have grieved; thou mightſt give us up to the luſts of our … 81. 12.own hearts, that we ſhould walk in our own counſels, till we had filled up the meaſure of our Sins, and ripened our ſelves to be cut down for everlaſting puniſhment.
But with thee there is mercy Pſal. 130. 4.and forgiveneſs that thou mayſt be feared, and we may be pardoned: work in us we beſeech thee, that deep contrition and through repentance, which wher…ever it is wrought, is followed by forgiveneſs, and through faith in the blood of thy dear Son, who hath made peace by the blood of his Croſs; let us be juſtified and reconciled, and rejoyce in thee, having Rom. 5. 11.received the Atonement.
Sanctifie us in Soul, Spirit and Body to thy Service, enlighten our minds with theknowledge of thy Will, incline our wills to the obedience of it, purifie our affections to a love and delight in it, purge our conſciences from dead Heb. 9. 14.works to ſerve thee the living God, and as we have yielded our Members Servants of unrighteouſneſs unto Iniquity, let us yield them the Servants of Rom. 6. 19.Righteouſneſs unto Holineſs.
And becauſe we are in this World beſet with many Snares and Temptations; let us be ſober 1 Pet. 5. 8.and vigilant, and walk circumſpectly, Eph. 5. 15.not as Fools but as Wiſe, ſhunning all appearance of evil, and avoiding whatever may be an occaſion to the Fleſh, ſuffer us not at any time ſo to be led into temptation, as that the ſollicitations of Satan, the Allurements of this vain World,or the ſuggeſtions of our own carnal and treacherous hearts, ſhould draw us into thoſe ſinful ways that are diſpleaſing to thee, and deſtructive to our Souls, but being alway ſenſible of how great importance and neceſſity it is, to work out our Phil. 2. 12.Salvation with fear and trembling, how ſhort a time is allotted to us: How many and powerful Enemies are combined to hinder us: How glorious the Reward is that is promiſed: And how dreadful and inſupportable the puniſhment that is threatned, Let us make haſt to eſcape the wrath to come, and with all our might endeavour to lay hold of eternal Life, preſſing toward the mark for Phil. 3. 14.the prize of the high Calling of God in Chriſt Jeſus.
1 Pet. 1. 17.And ſeeing we call on the Father, who without reſpect of perſons, judges according to every mans work, let us paſs the time of our ſojourning here in fear, and never allow our ſelves the commiſſions of any known Sin, nor the omiſſion or neglect of any known Duty.
Enable us by thy holy Spirit to ſubdue and govern our unruly paſſions, to reſiſt and cruſh the firſt motions of Sin in our earthly members, faithfully to trade the ſeveral Talents thou putſt into our hands, regularly to fill up all the relations wherein thou haſt placed us, patiently to bear all our burdens, cheerfully to injoy all our bleſſings, and thankfully to return them to thee in thy ſervice and praiſe, and ſo wiſely to improveall thy providences, both of bounty and ſeverity, that in our loweſt adverſity we be not dejected with anxiety and unbelief, and in our higheſt proſperity, our hearts be not lifted up with pride to forget thee the Lord our God, but in all things the glory of thy great Name may be advanced, and the ſpiritual profit of our Souls, and their growth in grace may be promoted and furthered.
Cheriſh and increaſe in us all ſincere, though feeble motions towards a more perfect and uniform obedience to thy Will, and having begun a good work in any of us, complete and finiſh Phil. 1. 6.it until the day of Jeſus Chriſt: help us to love thee more entirely, to ſerve thee more diligently, to truſt in theemore fully, to live to thee more exactly, to pleaſe thee more abundantly than we have hitherto done, that in a dying hour our Sins and Follies may not ſtrike us with horror and perplexity, but our Souls may be filled with ſweet and comfortable reflections upon thoſe ways that have been pleaſing to thee, that our God, & our Conſciences may ſmile upon us, and ſpeak kindly to us, when all the things of this World are forſaking us, and we are paſſing into an eternal ſtate. Uſe us, O Lord, whileſt we live, as Inſtruments of thy Glory in all holineſs, and as Veſſels of Glory, fill us when we dye, with everlaſting happineſs.
Let all the Sons of Men whom thou haſt made capable of thy grace and favour be made partakers of it: Relieve them that are any way diſtreſſed, and enlighten them with the knowledge of thy Goſpel that ſit in darkneſs.
Beautifie Mount Sion the joy of the whole Earth, with thy Salvation, deliver thy Church from ignorance and error, pride and hypocriſie, ſtrife and contention, ſchiſm, prophaneneſs, tyranny, ſuperſtition and idolatry, and let there be none to offend or oppreſs in thy Holy Mountain.
Be gracious and merciful to this ſinful and divided Nation, though our Sins be as ſcarlet, let them be white as Snow, though Iſai. 1. 18.they be red like crimſon, let them be as Wool: Eſtabliſh thy Religion in the truth and purity of it, and let it be made beautiful by the religious lives and practices of them that profeſs it.
Let the King joy in thy Pſal. 21. 1.ſtrength, O Lord, and exceedingly rejoyce in thy Salvation, bleſs him with length of days and ſafety from dangers, direct him by wiſe Counſels to juſt, honourable and ſucceſsful Enterprizes; let all ſubordinate Authority be exerciſed to the beating down of Vice, and the exaltation of Religion and Righteouſneſs, and diſpoſe all that are under Authority to a pious obedience unto thee, a peaceable ſubjection to them that thou haſt ſet over them, not only for wrath, but for conſcience Rom. 13. 5.ſake, and to mutual kindneſs and a brotherly love of one another.
We come unto thee, holy Father, for a bleſſing upon our ſelves, beſeeching thee to take our Bodies and Souls, our Habitation and Poſſeſſions, into the ſafe cuſtody of thy watchful Providence, that no evil befal Pſal. 91. 10.us, nor any plague come nigh our dwelling, repair the decays of our frail Bodies by a quiet and refreſhing reſt, and let us lay out our ſtrength and vigour in thy ſervice, to thy praiſe and honour, and the giving up our account with joy, at the appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, in whom, as the High Prieſt of our Profeſſion, we offer up all our Prayers and Praiſes, and through whom alone we hope to be heard and accepted, when praying, we ſay;
OƲr 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 deliver us from Evil: For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, And the Glory, For ever and ever. Amen.