The Devout Christian Instructed How to Pray and Give Thanks, church · Prayers 7
A Prayer to be uſed by a woman with Child.
O God, the Author of our being, the Fountain of life and all other good; who haſt begun an excellent work in me, which no eye but thine ſees, and no hand but thy Almighty power can finiſh. I adore thy great and glorious Majeſty in this and in all other thy works of wonder. Thou doſt great things without number: but art more particularly to be acknowledged in the formation of mankind, who are fearfully and wonderfully made, after thy own image and likeneſs.
Be pleaſed, O Lord, in thy infinite goodneſs to perfect and compleat that which thou haſt begun. Preſerve the ſmalleſt degree of life, which thou haſt inſpired. Beſtow upon it intireneſs of all its parts: and prepare a convenient habitation for an underſtanding ſpirit, capable of the beſt wiſdom, and inclinable to vertue and goodneſs. Prevent, good Lord, the miſcarriage of my hopes; and ripen them to a good iſſue. And the nearer they come to their full growth; ſtrengthen the more my humble truſt in thee, and ſubmiſſion to thee, and hearty deſires to encreaſe the number of thy faithful people, together with my own Family.
That ought to be the chiefeſt deſire of my ſoul, to be formed my ſelf in all things, according to the mind and will of thee, my God; that ſo I may be an inſtrument of doing good to others. O thou who haſt wrought many holy purpoſes and reſolutions in my heart, preſerve and confirm them, that they may not prove abortive; but bring forth continually the fruit of good living. Perfect me in Knowledge, in Faith, in Love, and in Obedience. Enable me ſo diſcreetly and carefully to diſcharge the duties of all the Relations wherein I at preſent, or ſhall hereafter, ſtand; that I may be a comfort to them, and a credit to Religion. And howſoever thou diſpoſeſt of me or them, Lord, make me well contented, and in every condition to give thanks unto thee, and rejoyce in thy holy Name, and in the hope of eternal life; through Chriſt Jeſus my moſt bleſſed Lord and Saviour. Amen.
A Prayer when the time of he… Travel draweth near.
O God, the helper and del… verer of all thoſe that truſt i… thee; by whoſe power I was formed in my Mothers Womb, by who… care I was brought from thence, an… by whoſe merciful kindneſs I hav… been preſerved in many dangers ſince. I praiſe and magnifie thy great and glorious Name; and am encouraged by the remembrance of thy mercies, which have been ever of old, to implore thy compaſſionate help in the approaching time of my need; pain and danger.
Thou art preſent to all thy creatures, and heareſt the cryes of the beaſts of the earth, which all wait upon thee. O be not far from me, when trouble is near: but hearken unto me, and ſave me, when I call upon thee! Shorten my pains, or lengthen my patience; which thou pleaſeſt. Bear up my ſpirit in ſubmiſſion to thy will, and in ſome humble hope that I ſhall forget my anguiſh for joy that a man is born into the world. Joh. 16.21.Pſal. 138.8.22.4,5.Forſake not the work of thy own hand: but in due time perfect it, and bring forth that which thou haſt wrought in ſecret, into the light; that we may all ſee the wonders of thy wiſdom, and praiſe thy goodneſs and thy power.
My parents truſted in thee; they truſted, and thou didſt deliver them. They cryed unto thee, and were delivered: they cryed unto thee, and were not confounded. In thee likewiſe do I humbly put my truſt and confidence: which nothing diſheartens, but my own great unworthineſs; by reaſon of my forgetfulneſs of thy benefits, and unthankful returns for former mercies beſtowed upon me. But thou haſt taken care that this ſhould not diſcourage me neither, by proclaiming a gracious pardon, by him that was born of woman and dyed for us, unto contrite and reforming ſinners. Accept, I beſeech thee, of my ſincere reſolutions to preſerve hereafter a more affectionate remembrance of thy love to me, and to dedicate my ſelf and all I have to thy ſervice,1 Tim. 2.15. in faith, and charity, and holineſs, with ſobriety. Or if thou art pleaſed o…herwiſe to diſpoſe of me, I reſign …y ſelf heartily unto thee. Lord, …eceive me to a better life, where all …ghing and ſorrow ſhall be done away, and eternal joy intirely poſ…eſs our hearts. Amen, for Chriſt Je…us his ſake. Amen.
… Prayer to the ſame purpoſe to be ſaid by her Relations.
O Moſt mighty Lord; who haſt already given us innumerable …ledges of thy love, and many ar…uments to truſt in thee for ever, …nd to expect with quiet and patient …inds the iſſue of thy wiſe and good …rovidence. Thou haſt reſpect to all …e works of thy hands; eſpecially … the ſons of men, and to thoſe a…ove the reſt, who ſeek thy favour, …d give thee the glory of all thy …ercies, and are reſolved to devote …emſelves, and their children and all they have, to do thee honour in the world. We moſt humbly commend thy ſervant, drawing near the time of her Travel, to thy care and bleſſing: beſeeching thee to give her a gracious deliverance, and to eaſe her of the burden, wherewith ſhe labours.
We our ſelves are monuments o… that mercy, which we beg of thee▪ Thou broughteſt us into this world and didſt unlooſe the bands wherewith we were ſwadled in our mothers womb. We have had long experience alſo of thy readineſs to ſuccour us, and to do us good eve… ſince; many times beyond our deſires and hopes, and always beyond our deſervings. We dare not bu… commit our ſelves and every thing belonging unto us, moſt heartily into thy hands: remembring that thou haſt the ſame power and goodneſ… ſtill, by which we came into th… light of the living; and that thou ſtill exerciſeſt them, as thy wiſdom thinks moſt meet. We cannot deſire to be better provided for, than as thy infinite underſtanding and counſel judges moſt convenient for us. Unto that we refer our ſelves: beſeeching thee, if it be thy good pleaſure, that her deliverance may be as ſpeedy as her cryes unto thee, or her patience as great and long as her pains. Thou who ripeneſt the fruits of the earth, and then giveſt us to gather them to our comfort; blaſt not our humble hopes of the fruit of the womb: But after thou haſt brought it to maturity, deliver it into our hands, as a new pledge of thy goodneſs to us; for which we will ever thankfully acknowledge and praiſe thy Name.
Or if thou haſt otherwiſe determined; Lord, give us grace to ſubmit to thy holy will, and to reſt ſatisfied in thy wiſe appointments, and never to diſtruſt thy goodneſs and care over us. Yea, help us ſtill to bleſs thee, and to ſpeak good of thy Name, ſaying; The Lord gave, and t…e Lord hath taken away; bleſſed be the name of the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. Amen.
A Thanksgiving to be uſed by thoſe preſent after her ſafe Deliverance.
WE thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for thy long continued goodneſs to us thy creatures, who are unworthy of the leaſt of thy favours. In thee we live and move, and have our being. And it is only of thy mercy, that we have not lived in perpetual pain and torment, ſpending our days in ſighs and lamentations: but have enjoyed much health and eaſe, and had innumerable occaſions to praiſe thee, and to rejoyce in thee; who loadeſt us daily with thy benefits. Bleſſed be thy Name, O Lord, who forgiveſt all our iniquities, and healeſt all our diſeaſes. Who redeemeſt our life from deſtruction, and crowneſt us with loving kindneſs, and tender mercies. More particularly we thank thee, that thou haſt heard the humble ſupplications of this thy ſervant; to whom thou haſt now granted a gracious deliverance, and turned her ſorrow and heavineſs, into joy and gladneſs. We thank thee, that thou haſt ſent her ſeaſonable helpers, and bleſſed their endeavours for the preſervation of her, and of the fruit of her womb. And that thou likewiſe vouchſafeſt her all needful things, for her refreſhment in this weak condition wherein ſhe lies; waiting upon thee for the perfecting of thy mercies towards her.
Accept, we beſeech thee, of our hearty acknowledgements, of thy powerful and good providence over her, and over any perſon here preſent, in the like neceſſity; which we now thankfully call to mind, and deſire may never be forgotten. O that a lively remembrance of this, and all other thy mercies, may ſo mightily affect our hearts; that we may be moved thereby to fear thee all our days, and to love thee, and to put our truſt in thee, and with quiet and reſigned minds to caſt all our burdens and cares on thee, in a conſtant and chearful obedience to all thy holy commands!
And ſince thou haſt begun to be ſo gracious to this thy hand-maid, grant unto her and her relations further favour;Tob. 8.16. and finiſh their life in health, with joy and mercy. Renew her ſtrength daily: and as that increaſeth; ſo make her thankfulneſs and pious affections towards thee, and ſerious reſolutions to obey thee faithfully, grow up together therewith. Refreſh her ſpirit, while ſhe lyeth on this bed of weakneſs, with many heavenly thoughts and delightful meditations of all thy mercies towards her and towards mankind: eſpecially with a ſenſe of thy wonderful love in Chriſt Jeſus; who was pleaſed to be born of a woman, and to become like one of us; that we might be aſſured of thy care over us in every condition, and be made thy children, and at laſt be heirs of everlaſting life. And when ſhe hath recovered her former ſtrength, make her to feel this love ſtill more powerful in her heart; exciting her to ſerve thee carefully in all righteouſneſs, ſobriety, modeſty, devotion and readineſs to aſſiſt others, eſpecially the poor and needy, in the ſame diſtreſs wherein ſhe hath been her ſelf.
We commend likewiſe this little one, which thou haſt bleſſed her withal, unto thy tender care and fatherly love: beſeeching thee, that it may live to be dedicated unto thee, and to be inſtructed in the knowledge of thee, and to praiſe thee, as we now do, for bringing it into the world; and for making it partake… likewiſe of thy grace in Chriſt Jeſus▪ Or if it ſhall ſeem good to thee, to let either of them fall into any further danger, enable her to endure i… with patient ſubmiſſion to thee▪ truſting, even in death it ſelf, in thy good providence, and in thy precious promiſes, who never faileſt thoſe that faithfully ſeek thee.
Hear us, O Father of mercies, and pardon our offences; pitty our infirmities; make us more thankful for what we have received; and more fit for thy future mercies, either in this life, or in the next, through thy infinite love declared to us in Chriſt Jeſus; in whoſe holy words we conclude our prayers, ſaying, as he hath taught us.
Our Father, &c.