Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week, Prayer 7
Wedneſday Morning.
HOly and heavenly Father, thou art infinite in Power and Wiſdom, in Holineſs, Truth and Goodneſs, abundant in Mercy to all that call upon thee in truth, all thy Works in Heaven and Earth ſhew forth thy praiſe; the glorious Angels, and the glorified Spirits of juſt Men, being themſelves honoured in the honouring of thee, everlaſtingly triumph in the celebration of thy divine & incomprehenſible perfections; to praiſe and magnifie thy great and holy Name, is both the duty and priviledge of the Sons of Men, to whom thou haſt given underſtandings in ſome meaſureto conceive thy glorious excellencies, and tongues to declare them.
We thy poor and unworthy Servants, humbly offer up to thy divine Majeſty, the tribute of our hearty praiſes, and adorations of thine infinite Power and Juſtice, Wiſdom and Holineſs, Truth and Faithfulneſs, and bleſs thee with our whole Souls, for all thoſe bleſſings for our Souls and Bodies, our preſent and future happineſs, which are the effects of thy bounty and goodneſs.
We thank thee, O Lord, for our health and ſtrength, our liberty and peace, the Bread we eat and the Raiment we put on, that thou haſt delivered us from Pains and Sickneſſes, and thoſe grievous preſſures and calamities,wherewith others, better than our ſelves, are ſorely afflicted, that thou haſt the laſt night preſerved us from dangers and refreſhed us with ſleep, and beſtoweſt upon us all the ſupports and conveniencies of Life, and above all, that thou haſt redeemed us from Hell and Damnation, by the precious Blood of thy dear Son, that by his Goſpel thou haſt brought to light life and immortality, and encouraged our hopes of them, by thy precious and faithful promiſes.
Lord what is Man that thou art ſo mindful of him? What are Sinners that thou ſheweſt ſuch favour unto them? Thy mercies conferr'd upon us are admirable, as we are thy Creatures that can no way oblige our Almighty and Independent Creator, and much more ſo as we are Sinners, that have offended and provoked our moſt righteous Sovereign Lord and Lawgiver.
Ever ſince we came into the World, we have been overſpread with a contagious Leproſie and loathſom Diſeaſe, and have added the iniquities of practiſe to our natural pollution, and more defiled our ſelves by chuſing our own crooked ways, and fulfilling the imaginations of our naughty hearts.
We have many times given ſcandal to others, by our open and obſerved miſcarriages, and caſt a blemiſh and reproach upon that holy Religion whereof we have made profeſſion;ſo as to have made it worſe thought on by its Enemies, and with great folly we have ſometimes adventur'd to commit thoſe Sins in our private retirements, which we would have been aſhamed that men ſhould have taken notice of, though we have well known that the Pſal. 139. 12light and darkneſs are both alike to thee, and that no ſecreſie can hide from thine all-ſeeing Eye.
We have been too careleſs of avoiding temptations to Sin, and have run into thoſe ſnares, that by taking heed to our feet, we might have avoided; we have neglected the means of mortifying our Luſts, watchfulneſs, Prayer and Faſting, which through thy bleſſing might have been effectual to that bleſſedpurpoſe, and inſtead of ſtrongly and reſolutely oppoſing we have cowardly and treacherouſly complied with, furniſhed and animated thine and our Enemies, making proviſion for Rom. 13. 14.our Fleſh, to fulfil the Luſts thereof: and though we have been well aſſured that our lives and all our preſent earthly injoyments that ſupport and ſweeten them, are but of a ſhort and momentany continuance, we have laboured & been ſollicitous Joh. 6. 27.for the meat that periſhes and neglected that which endures to everlaſting Life.
How often have we deafned our Ear to the calls of thy Goſpel? And made light of both the invitations of thy gracious promiſes, and the terrors of thy dreadful threatnings? How oftenhave we hardned our hearts againſt the motions of thy holy Spirit? How often to ſatisfie our luſtful appetites, have we broken through the convictions of our own conſciences? And to violate thy holy and good Laws, have offered violence to the dictates of our own minds?
We judge our ſelves, O Lord, and acknowledge we have juſtly deſerved all that wrath that might make us everlaſtingly miſerable, and made our ſelves liable to thoſe threatned puniſhments, which we can neither eſcape nor endure; but O our merciful Father, do not thou condemn us, we are aſhamed and confounded in the ſenſe and remembrance of our tranſgreſſions, comfort us, O Lord, we beſeech thee, with a ſenſe of thy pardoning mercy, in our bleſſed and all-ſufficient Redeemer.
Help us by a ſincere and hearty repentance, to return to thee, from whom in our own crooked and perverſe ways we have gone aſtray; Let the time paſt of our lives ſuffice us to have 1 Pet. 4. 3.wrought the wills of the fleſh, and ſeeing we have already by the frequent commiſſions of ſin too much offended thee, and endangered our Souls, let us not by the repeated and continued practice of it, heighten the offence and add to our guiltineſs.
Let the Blood of thy dear 1 Joh. 1. 7.Son Jeſus Chriſt cleanſe us from all ſin, and through his precious Sacrifice and meritorious ſufferings, that was pure and perfectly innocent, diſcharge and acquit us that have been foul offenders.
Let thy holy Spirit ſanctifie and renew us after thine own Image, in righteouſneſs and true holineſs, and as we hope to be pardoned, by the precious death of Chriſt, grant that crucifying our Luſts upon his Croſs; we may follow the example of his holy Life, and in all holineſs and humility, meekneſs and charity, zeal for thy Glory and ſubmiſſion to thy Will, patience, heavenly mindedneſs and ſelf-denial, contentment and the contempt of this World, we may walk as Chriſt walked, and be filled with all Phil. 1. 11.the fruits of righteouſneſs, which are through him unto thy praiſe and glory.
Help us to live by faith in thy promiſes, in all varieties of thy providence, let this be our great ſupport and comfort, that thou haſt ſaid thou wilt never Heb. 13. 5.leave us nor forſake us, and in all difficulties and temptations, let this be our great care, that we do not leave nor forſake thee, But ſanctifie the Lord God 1 Pet. 3. 15.in our hearts, and with a zealous faithfulneſs endeavour to pleaſe and approve our ſelves to thee in all our ways; 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: 1 Pet. 1. 17.And give diligence to make our calling and election ſure, that 2 Pet. 1. 10, 11.we may never fall either into ſcandalous ſins or inſupportablemiſeries, but an entrance may be miniſtred to us abundantly, into the everlaſting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Col. 3. 4.and when Chriſt who is our life ſhall appear, we may alſo appear with him in glory.
Shew thy favour and goodneſs to all mankind, and grant, O Lord, we beſeech thee, that the courſe of this world may be ſo peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyſully ſerve thee in all godly quietneſs, and being delivered from the Plots and Combinations, the Oppoſitions and Perſecutions of its Enemies, may alway walk before thee in truth and holineſs, and all that profeſs the Goſpel of our Lord Jeſus, may hold faſt his pure and heavenly Doctrines, and expreſs the power of them in their lives.
Bleſs this ſinful and provoking Nation, wherein we live, pardon our many great and crying ſins, heal our wide breaches, unite our diviſions, compoſe our diſtractions, and remove from us whatever may provoke the Eyes of thy Jealouſie and Glory, and deprive us of thy long continued temporal and ſpiritual bleſſings, and lay us open to thy dreadful and deſolating Judgments.
Send thy bleſſed Spirit into our hearts, a ſpirit of wiſdom and knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord, a ſpirit of truth and holineſs, of peace and unity, of righteouſneſs, moderation, meekneſs and charity, and inſtead of loading one anotherwith ſlanders and ſcandals, foul reproaches and bitter cenſures, help us to bear one anothers Gal. 6. 2.burdens, and ſo fulfil the Law of Chriſt.
Bleſs our Sovereign Lord King Charles with the choiceſt of thy bleſſings, fill his heart with wiſdom and piety, with a mighty ſenſe of the great Truſt thou haſt committed to him, and the great obligations thou haſt laid upon him, with courage and reſolution to ſupport and promote Righteouſneſs and true Religion.
And grant that all in places of Power and Authority may exert, and uſe it for the puniſhment of evil doers, and the praiſe of them that do well, as it becomes them that have received their Power from thee, and are accountable for it unto thee. Order all publick Affairs to thy glory, and the comfort and encouragement of all that fear thee. Support and comfort all thoſe whom thou haſt fed with the Bread of Tears and mingled their drink with weeping.
And we humbly beſeech thee for a bleſſing upon our ſelves, as thou haſt preſerved us this night, direct, aſſiſt, and proſper us in all the affairs and enterprizes of this day, and let us all the day long be in thy fear, remembring thou obſerveſt, and thou wilt judge us: and let a ſenſe of this preſerve us from all ſin, and quicken us to the doing of whatever may be pleaſing in thy ſight, through our bleſſed Redeemer, who, when we pray, hath taught and commanded us 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.