Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week, Prayer 3
Monday Morning.
O Moſt mighty, Lord God, and merciful Father, the Author of our Being, both Bodies and Souls, and the Giver of every good Gift, that may tend to the benefit and happineſs of both our Souls and Bodies, we thy poor and moſt, unworthy Servants are here before thee this Morning, thankfully to acknowledge thy great goodneſs, in all the bleſſings we injoy, for this Life and a better, humbly to implore thy mercy in the free pardon of all our Sins, and earneſtly to beg the grace of thy holy Spirit, that we may faithfully diſcharge the duties of pardoned Sinners, andanſwer the Obligations thou haſt laid upon us by thy manifold bleſſings.
We bleſs thy holy and great Name, as for all Spiritual and Temporal bleſſings beſtowed on us through thy Son, ſo particularly for all the ordinances of the Goſpel and the priviledges of thy Houſe yeſterday injoyed, and for the ſafety and quiet reſt, and refreſhment of the laſt Lam. 3. 22.night; acknowledging it to be of thy mercies that we are not conſumed, and becauſe thy compaſſions fail not, for hadſt thou rewarded us after our Iniquities, we had long ſince been incapable of any the leaſt bleſſing, and had been puniſhed with utmoſt and everlaſting miſery.
We confeſs, O Lord, therehath on thy part been nothing wanting that might work in us a Conformity to thy Will, but there hath wanted on ours, a care to pleaſe thee and a fear to offend thee, a love and delight in thee, and a ſtedfaſt purpoſe to give up our ſelves to the obedience of thy heavenly Laws: And which hath made us more remiſs and negligent, we have not firmly believed the excellent and glorious things thou haſt promiſed upon a compliance with thy Will, nor the fearful and inſupportable puniſhments, which thou haſt threatned to our diſobedience. We have with great folly over deſired, over loved, over truſted to, and over delighted in the things of this World, which cannot profit us, nor in the leaſt promote ourſpiritual intereſt, or eternal happineſs, whileſt we have been Mat. 6. 33.careleſs and negligent in ſeeking thy Kingdom and righteouſneſs, though for our incouragement to do that in the firſt place, thou haſt graciouſly promiſed that all the conveniencies of life ſhall be added unto us. How have vain tranſitory profits and pleaſures drawn off our hearts from the love of thee, who alone canſt make us happy, and from a delight in thy Laws, in the keeping of which there Pſal. 19. 11.is great reward? We have with too great care pampered our vile bodies and made proviſion Rom. 13. 14.for our fleſh, to fulfil the luſts of it, and with too little provided for our Souls, and ſecured their happineſs in the future ſtate.
We have miſimployed the Talents intruſted with us, in the ſervice of Sin, and abuſed to thy diſhonour, our time, and opportunity of doing good; our health and ſtrength, our eaſe, and liberty, our credit and plenty, the members of our Bodies, the faculties of our Souls, which being received from thy bounty, ſhould all have been improved to thy glory; nor have we remembred the great day of reckoning, wherein we muſt give an account of our Stewardſhip, and Luk. 16. 2.be no longer Stewards.
We acknowledge, O Lord, that we are guilty Sinners, unable to help our ſelves, and unworthy that thou ſhouldſt help us; our own conſciences condemn us, and thou mighteſt 1 John. 3. 20much more condemn us, for thou knoweſt more by us than we do by our ſelves, and art greater than our conſciences.
But, O God, be merciful to us, and ſpare us, in the multitude of thy tender compaſſions: Thou that haſt promiſed pardon and forgiveneſs to all repenting Sinners, work in us, we beſeech thee, a ſerious and unfeigned repentance, and let us thereby obtain remiſſion of Sins: And by a true and lively faith in our Lord Rom. 3. 24, 25.Jeſus Chriſt, whom thou haſt ſet ſorth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, juſtifie us freely by thy Grace, and let not any of our ſins be charged upon us to our condemnation. But let us by his Merits and Righteouſneſs be ſo delivered from the guilt of them,that we may ſerve thee in righteouſneſs Luk. 1. 75.and holineſs before thee, all the days of our life: And grant that as Chriſt dyed for us, that were dead in ſin, and under a ſentence of death for it, we may not henceforth live unto our ſelves, but unto him which 2 Cor. 5. 15.dyed for us and roſe again.
Guide our Feet into thoſe ways of righteouſneſs and peace, temperance and ſobriety, mercy, meekneſs and charity, that are well-pleaſing to thee, and guard us againſt the temptations of the World, the Devil and our own naughty Hearts, that we never depart from them. Let a continued ſenſe of thine Omnipreſence and all-ſeeing Eye, make us upright and ſincere, in the diſcharge of every duty; careful and vigilant for the avoiding of every ſin, firm and conſtant in the reſiſting every temptation; let us ſo ſet thee alway before us, that thou being at our right hand, Pſal. 16. 8.we may not be moved.
Heb. 13. 9.Keep us ſtedfaſt in thy truth, and when many are carryed about with divers and ſtrange Col. 2. 7.doctrines; let us be more and more rooted and ſtabliſhed in the faith, by bringing forth the fruits of righteouſneſs. And 2 Pet. 1. 5, 6, 7.add to our faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godlineſs; and to godlineſs, brotherly kindneſs; and to brotherly kindneſs, charity; v. 8.that theſe things being in us, we may not be barren, and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, but an entrance may be miniſtred v. 11.unto us abundantly into his everlaſting Kingdom.
Let the whole race of mankind find favour in thine eyes, and let the glorious light of the Luk. 1. 79.Goſpel of Salvation ſhine upon them that ſit in darkneſs, and the regions of the ſhadow of death. Let the people praiſe Pſal. 67. 3.thee, O God; let all the people praiſe thee; call home the Jews, thine ancient people, accompliſh the promiſed fulneſs of the Gentiles, that the whole Church may be in Chriſt, as one Sheepfold under one Shepherd.
O be gracious and favourable unto Sion, and build up the decayed and ruinous Walls of thy Jeruſalem. Free thy Church from all Hereſie, Prophaneſs,Schiſm, Superſtition and Idolatry, and whatever is diſpleaſing in thy ſight, and a blemiſh of the bleſſed Goſpel of God, her Saviour. Keep the Vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, from all its enemies that would pull up the Hedges thereof, and lay it waſte; water Iſa. 27. 3.it every moment, leſt any hurt it, keep it night and day.
Bleſs theſe Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, forgive thoſe many and crying Sins that might make us deſolate without Inhabitants, and let every one of us that have added to the great weight of wickedneſs, and made it heavy enough to ſink us into utter ruine, turn from the evil of our ways, and by an hearty repentance, and real reformation ſtand in thegap, and ſtop thoſe Judgments that are gone forth againſt us, and entering in at our wide breaches to deſtroy us: Amend us by thy juſt ſeverities and merciful ſalvations, and let both thy puniſhments and preſervations of us, lead us into the ways of righteouſneſs.
Bleſs with thy richeſt bleſſings our Sovereign Lord the King, preſerve him, as thou haſt done wonderfully heretofore, from the malice and ſubtlety, the miſchievous Plots and Combinations of his Enemies, and let him ſo remember the deep diſtreſs out of which thou haſt drawn him, and the high authority wherein thou haſt placed him, that in all his actions & deſigns, he may promote thy honour and glory, and all 1 Tim. 2. 2.that are under him may lead quiet and peaceable lives, in all godlineſs and honeſty.
Let the Biſhops and Paſtors of thy Church, further truth and holineſs by their life and Doctrine; and civil Magiſtrates diſcountenance and ſuppreſs all wickedneſs; and encourage virtue and goodneſs, and not bear the Sword in vain. And let all from the higheſt to the loweſt, ſo carry themſelves, as that thou mayeſt be glorified, true Religion advanced, the Goſpel of Chriſt honoured, and Truth and Peace may be eſtabliſhed among us.
Let all that are Sick, pained, or impoveriſhed, diſtreſſed either in Body or Mind, find thy gracious hand to ſweeten and ſanctifie their Afflictions,and in thy good time to deliver from them.
Bleſs us, O our God, that are here before thee, direct, aſſiſt and proſper us in all that we this day ſet our hand unto; and let us not undertake any buſineſs, but what thou haſt warranted by the rules of Righteouſneſs, and upon which we may deſire and expect thy bleſſing: Guide us by thy Counſel, till Pſal. 73. 24.thou bring us to thy Glory, by Chriſt Jeſus our only Lord and Saviour, who in compaſſion to our Infirmities hath taught us thus to pray;
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.