Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week, Prayer 6
Tueſday Evening.
ALmighty and moſt merciful God and Father, the Maker and Governour of all Creatures in Heaven and Earth, and exalted in thy glorious perfections, above the thoughts and ſervices, the praiſes and acknowledgments of the higheſt and beſt of them, thine underſtanding is infinite, and thou ſeeſt the hearts and ways of all the ſons of men, thy holineſs is infinite, and thou hateſt all the ſin and iniquity thou eſpieſt in them, thy power infinite, & thou canſt eaſily puniſh them for the ſins that provoke and diſpleaſe thee, and … yet thine infinite mercies thou pardoneſtthe ſins of all that by ſincere repentance, and a through amendment of their ways return to thee.
We thy poor Servants in a deep ſenſe of our guilt and wretchedneſs, and the ſtrong encouragements of thy declared mercy and goodneſs, humble our Souls at thy Foot-ſtool, beſeeching thee to have mercy upon us, and through the righteouſneſs of thy dear Son, whom thou haſt given to be a propitiation, and price of redemptition for us, to pardon our many and great tranſgreſſions, whereof we are guilty before thy Majeſty, in thought, and word, and deed, and whereby we have deſerved to be puniſhed with overlaſting deſtruction, from thy preſence, by thy glorious power.
Hadſt thou, O Lord, taken advantages againſt us, or been forward to pour out that wrath and vengeance that we have been forward to provoke, we had not now been begging thy mercy, or cheriſh'd with the hopes of it, but had in vain lamented the bloody and ſevere effects of thine incenſed Juſtice.
We are not only by Nature the Children of Wrath, but have in the courſe of our Lives actuated the ſinful, corrupt principles of our Nature, and gone aſtray from thy holy, juſt and good Laws, that thou haſt given to be the rule and meaſure of our actions: and though both as thy Creatures, thy Servants, and thy Children, thou haſt laid upon us the greateſt obligations to obedience, and a dutyful complyance with thy Will, yet have we in the eager and violent purſuit of our luſts Pſal. 2. 3.broken thy bonds aſunder, and caſt away thy cords from us.
We have profeſſed the pure and holy Religion of thy Son, but have ſhamefully diſhonoured him and his Religion, by impure and unholy practiſes, and 2 Tim. 2. 19.naming the Name of Chriſt, we have not departed from iniquity: we have given up our Names to him in Baptiſm, and ſolemnly vowed obedience to the Laws of his holy Goſpel, but we have ſtarted aſide, like broken Bows, and walked in the imaginations of our own hearts, and fulfilled our vile and fooliſh luſts, as if there were no God to be ſerved, no Soul to be ſaved, no Hell to be feared, no Heaven to be expected, and as if the Name of Chriſtians would have carryed us to Heaven, we have done thoſe things that many Heathens would have bluſhed at and been ashamed to have practiſed; ſo that this might be our condemnation, which of all other is the moſt grievous and inſupportable, that Light is come into the World, and we have loved Darkneſs rather than Light, Joh. 3. 19.becauſe our deeds have been evil.
So many, and undeſerved, have been thy mercies towards us, ſo kind and unwearied the expreſſions of thy bounty, that all our diſobedience is by a ſhameful and odious ingratitude become exceeding ſinful,and we cannot without ſorrow of heart and confuſion of Face, reflect upon our wearying thee with our ſins, when thou haſt loaded us with thy benefits.
But we beſeech thee, O moſt merciful Father, in the tendereſt compaſſions of thy ſounding bowels, look down upon us, and for thy Names ſake (the moſt powerful argument and ſuch as uſes to prevail) O Lord hear, O Lord ſpare, O Lord forgive: by a ſerious and hearty repentance, and a true and lively Faith in thy Son, make us fit partakers of thy pardoning mercy.
Though our deſerts are thine indignation and vengeance, the merit of his righteouſneſs is remiſſion and forgiveneſs, though we have affronted thy Juſtice,he hath ſatisfied it, though we have incenſed thy wrath, he hath appeaſed it; the chaſtiſement of Iſa. 53. 5.our peace was upon him; O let the merit of his righteouſneſs be upon us.
And becauſe the holy Jeſus, together with the guilt and puniſhment of ſin, alway delivers from the power of it, and they that are Chriſts, crucifie the Gal. 5. 24.fleſh with its affections and luſts, by the ſubduing and mortification of our ſins, convince and comfortably ſatisfie us that thou haſt pardoned them, and by thy ſanctifying grace, help us to cleanſe our ſelves from 2 Cor. 7. 1.all filthineſs of the fleſh and ſpirit, and to perfect holineſs in thy fear: ſanctifie us wholly, 1 Theſ. 5. 23.and let our whole ſpirit, and ſoul, and body be preſervedblameleſs, unto the coming of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
Quicken us, holy Father by the ſpirit of life and holineſs, to run the ways of thy Commandments, and as thou haſt given our bleſſed Saviour to be Head of thy Church, and anointed him with an unmeaſured fulneſs of thy Spirit, that he might communicate and impart it to the Members of his Body, let ſome drops of that holy Oil fall down upon us, that was ſo plentifully poured upon the Head of our High Prieſt, and out of his fulneſs, let us receive Joh. 1. 16.Grace for Grace; and ſo renew the Image of his Holineſs in our Souls, that as his true Children we may ſhew forth all the Features and Lineaments of our heavenly Father.
And becauſe we are not ſufficient of our ſelves, to avoid any evil, or perform any good, be graciouſly preſent with us to preſerve us from the one, and aſſiſt us in the other. Make us perfect in every good work, to do thy will, working in us that which is well pleaſing in Heb. 13. 21.thy ſight through Jeſus Chriſt.
Make us wiſe to Salvation, and ſeeing our days are very few and uncertain, and repentance both neceſſary and out of our own power, let us not put it off till to morrow, not knowing what a day may bring forth, nor deceive our ſelves with vain purpoſes of parting with our Sins hereafter, when this very night our Souls may be Luk. 12. 20.taken from us; But ſeeing the Heavens and the Earth at 2. Pet. 3. 15.length, and our ſelves ere long, muſt be diſſolved, let us be diligent, that we may be found of thee in peace, without ſpot, and blameleſs.
Bleſs thy whole Church ſcattered far and near over the Face of the Earth; pour out upon it the Spirit of Truth and Holineſs, and grant that all that confeſs thy holy Name, may agree in the truth of thy holy Word, and live in unity and godly love; be thou that art the Lord and Lawgiver of thy Church and People, their Protector and Saviour from all their Enemies, thou art our Pſal. 44. 4.King, O God, command deliverances for Jacob.
Be gracious and favourable to theſe Nations, many and heinous are the ſins wherebywe have provoked thy Majeſty, great and heavy the Judgments that hang over us for thoſe Sins; pardon we moſt humbly beſeech thee our Sins, and avert thoſe Judgments, thou that ſitteſt between the Cherubims ſhine forth; before England, Scotland and Ireland, ſtir up thy Pſal. 80. 1, 2.ſtrength, and come and ſave us.
And though we of this Nation have deſerved to be overthrown with an utter deſtruction; and for ever caſt out of thy ſight, as a loathſome and abominable thing; for thy goodneſs, O Lord, pardon and ſpare, reform and amend, compoſe and ſettle, heal and eſtabliſh us, in the multitude of thy tender mercies.
Give us not up to the miſchiefsand deſolations that we have deſerved, and thine and our Enemies have deſigned, nor ſuffer thoſe that hate us proudly to inſult and triumph over us.
Bleſs with all bleſſings of this life and the next, thine anointed Servant our Sovereign Lord the King; direct him in ſuch ways as are pleaſing to thee, and protect him from all dangers that may at any time threaten him. Let all ſubordinate Miniſters Eccleſiaſtical and Civil, be ſo aſſiſted by thy Grace and holy Spirit, that Religion and Godlineſs, Peace and Order, Love and Unity, Truth and Righteouſneſs may be eſtabliſhed and encouraged 1 Pet. 2. 1.among us, and let all ſorts of men, laying aſide all malice, and all guile, and hypocriſies, and envies, and all evil ſpeakings, keep the unity Eph. 4. 3.of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.
Comfort the afflicted and diſtreſſed in Mind, Body or Eſtate, recompenſe the kindneſſes of our Friends ſeven fold into their Boſoms, forgive our Enemies, and help us ſo to forgive them, that we may comfortably hope for our own forgiveneſs.
Keep us, O Lord, from the evils and dangers, that, without thy protection might this night befal us, refreſh and ſtrengthen our frail Bodies with a moderate, quiet and peaceable reſt, and let the ſtrength of this nights healthful repoſe, be returned to thee in the next days faithful ſervice, that as every day we are nearer our death; we may be nearer an immortal Crown of Life and Glory, which thou haſt prepared and promiſed to them that Love and Fear thee, through Jeſus Chriſt, who, by his Righteouſneſs and Interceſſion, hath given us the liberty and confidence to 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.