The Devout Christian Instructed How to Pray and Give Thanks, church · Prayers 2
A PRAYER ON GOOD FRIDAY
In the MORNING.
O Moſt holy and eternally bleſſed; the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, by whom I am incouraged to come unto thee. And how ſhall I come, O Lord, but in the loweſt proſtrations of my ſoul and body; with mine eyes full of tears, and my heart full of grief and ſorrow, becauſe I have been ſo undutiful to thee, whoſe grace and mercy hath ſo exceedingly abounded towards us! When I caſt mine eyes upon my Saviour, and upon my ſelf, with the reſt of the children of men, I am aſtoniſhed at the wonderful greatneſs of thy love, which ſurpaſſes the thoughts of men and Angels.
For what were we that thou ſhouldeſt make thy dear Son a man of ſorrows, and acquainted with grief, for our ſake? That he ſhould become poor and mean, not having where to lay his head; and indure likewiſe cruel mockings and buffettings; and be ſpit upon and abuſed; yea, ſorely wounded and bruiſed; and drink that bitter cup, the vile and accurſed death of the croſs; where he ſhed his moſt precious bloud, and gave himſelf a ranſome for us? O Lord, what was the whole race of mankind worth, that thou ſhouldeſt purchaſe them with ſo dear a price? and by the obedience of thy Son Chriſt Jeſus unto the death, grant a pardon for their rebellion? and ſeal a new Covenant of Grace in his bloud? and by the ſame bloud conſecrate him to be an high-Prieſt with royal Power in the heavens, to give repentance and remiſſion of ſin? and all this, ſo freely, that we did not ſo much as deſire it, nor did it enter into the heart of men to conceive, that thou ſhouldeſt be ſo gracious to them? O bleſſed God, how rich is thy goodneſs, that lets us withal injoy a great plenty of worldly good things; much of that eaſe and pleaſure which was denyed our dear Saviour? and yet we are ſinners, and he had no ſin, neither was guile found in his mouth: yea, we are ungrateful ſinners, ſo far from being ſenſible as we ought of ſuch infinite loving kindneſs; that we may juſtly fear leſt this goodneſs of thine which was deſigned to ſave us, ſhould through our unthankfulneſs and negligence, prove the occaſion of our greater ruine.
I moſt heartily bewail, O moſt merciful Father, my ſhameful forgetfulneſs of ſo great benefits, or my cold and dull remembrance of them. I lament all the errors and miſcarriages of my life, which are the more heynous, I acknowledge, after ſuch a plain declaration of thy diſpleaſure againſt ſin, and of thy marvellous love to us ſinners. I am afflicted for the hardneſs and ſtupidity of my heart, which, alas! is oft-times little pierced and wounded, when I reflect upon his ſorrow and pain, and anguiſh for the ſake of ſinners: and for the liſtleſſneſs and backwardneſs of my will to give up my ſelf abſolutely to him, who ſo willingly gave himſelf an offering for our ſins. I bluſh to remember how weak and ſhort my thoughts have been; how tranſient and ineffectual my paſſions, when I have meditated on his bloudy death and ſufferings: And am confounded when I think how ſuddenly I have ſtarted from thoſe holy purpoſes and reſolutions, which the ſenſe of his love hath ſometimes begot in my heart.
I cannot but accuſe and condemn my ſelf here in thy preſence; but I likewiſe condemn every ſinful deſire that is ſtill remaining in me, to dye and be crucified together with him. I would have nothing contrary to thy Will, to have any power, or live any longer in me: and therefore here yield up my ſelf intirely into thy hands, to be conformed in all things to Chriſt Jeſus who dyed for me. Fix my thoughts ſo conſtantly upon his dying love, and affect my heart ſo mightily therewith, that I may chearfully undergo any pains to be made like unto him in his humility; in his obedience; in his reſignation of himſelf to thy wiſe will and pleaſure; in his patience; in his meekneſs, in his charity, and forgiveneſs of his enemies; in his willingneſs to quit all things for thy names ſake, and to truſt both ſoul and body with thee, in well doing and contented ſuffering, whatſoever it be that thou requireſt of me.
I deſire not to live, O Lord, but that I may live to him that dyed for me. I refuſe no reproaches, no poverty, no pain or trouble, if thy will cannot other ways be accompliſhed by me. Do what thou pleaſeſt with me, ſo that I may but be perfected in holineſs, and obtain thy gracious pardon through the redemption that is in Jeſus.
I believe the vertue and power of his Sacrifice to be everlaſting; and that when he had by himſelf purged our ſins, he ſat down on the right hand of the Majeſty on high: And therefore I look for the conſtant aſſiſtance of thy good Spirit, which he hath bid me ask in his Name, to inable me to purifie my ſelf, and to tread in the ſteps of his humble, meek and patient Charity; that ſo I may be preſented unblameable and unproveable in thy ſight at the day of his appearing. Great is the wiſdom of thy love wherein thy grace hath abounded towards us in Chriſt Jeſus! Great are the incouragements which thou haſt given us, by his laying down his life for us, that he might take it again and live for evermore! Great is the boldneſs that we have to enter into the holyeſt by the bloud of Jeſus; by a new and living way, which he hath conſecrated for us through his fleſh! Give me the grace, I beſeech thee, wiſely to conſider and ponder the merciful deſign of thy Grace; to walk circumſpectly and exactly, as the redeemed of the Lord, as an heir of his love, that hopes to ſee him in immortal glory. O that the comfort and joy of this hope, to ſee Jeſus who was ſo ſcorned and abuſed, ſitting upon his throne, and triumphing over all his enemies, may ſo raiſe and inlarge my mind by the power of it, that I may overlook and deſpiſe all the petty temptations of this world: looking ſtill ſteadfaſtly unto him, and following him with unmoveable reſolution; till I come to poſſeſs that which I hope for, and rejoyce eternally in his love.
Hear me, O Father of mercies, and deal graciouſly with me far beyond all my thoughts and deſires, for his ſake; who is the Author and the finiſher of our faith, who dyed once for us, and now lives for ever to make interceſſion on our behalf: By whom all honour, praiſe, thankſgiving, love and obedience be rendered to thee by me and by all mankind both now and for ever. Amen.
A Prayer on Good Friday in the Evening.
O Moſt holy, moſt gracious, the only wiſe God, moſt bleſſed for ever. We cannot conceive the greatneſs of thy perfections, nor is there any thing to which we can compare them. Thy holineſs is more unſpotted than the light of the Sun: Thy goodneſs ſpreads it ſelf more largely than its beams: Thy Wiſdom pierces into thoſe ſecrets which are buried in darkneſs: and though all things alter and wax old, yet thou art the ſame unchangeable being, whoſe years have no end. How ſhall ſuch a vile wretch as I am take the boldneſs to look towards thee, and ſpeak unto thee, who art ſo great, ſo glorious, and dwelleſt in light not to be approached?
Adored be thy wonderful love, who haſt incouraged our approaches to thee, by humbling thy ſelf to look down upon us, and by appearing graciouſly to us in our own fleſh. Bleſſing, Honour, Glory and Praiſe be eternally aſcribed unto thee, who didſt not abhor us, and utterly caſt us out of thy ſight, when we had turned our backs upon thee; but ſent thy only begotten Son into the world, to call us again unto thee, yea, to beſeech us, and oblige us, by laying down his own life for us, to return unto thee and live.
No thought can comprehend the unſearchable riches of thy Grace manifeſted unto us in the Lord Jeſus, who was pleaſed to be vilely intreated, and ſhamefully uſed, to ſuffer the reproach of the Croſs, and to ſhed his deareſt bloud; that we might not ſuffer the pain of eternal death, but be reſtored to the dignity of thy children, and advanced to honour, glory and immortality together with him. Thou haſt found out a way to manifeſt thy moſt tender love to us, without the leaſt ſuſpicion of approving and loving our ſins; and to preſerve thy Soveraign Authority, without deſtroying thoſe who were in rebellion againſt it. Thou haſt ordered ſuch a chaſtiſement of our iniquities, as might ſave and deliver us, who deſerved to be puniſhed: and ſo diſpoſed the means of our redemption, as to pardon and amend us, both at once.
O the wiſdom of thy Love, which hath made him to be ſin for us, who knew no ſin, 2 Cor. 5.21.that we might be made the righteouſneſs of thee our God in him! O the riches of thy Grace, which hath abounded to us in all wiſdom and prudence! Healing us by his ſtripes; 1 Pet. 2.24.and condemning ſin in the fleſh by his ſacrifice for ſin; Rom. 8.3.and making him a curſe for us, Gal. 3.14.that we might inherit a bleſſing, and receive the promiſe of the Spirit, through faith in him. I ſee, O Lord, how infinitely I am indebted to thee. I behold the deſign of thy wiſe goodneſs in giving him for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, Tit. 2.14.and purifie us to himſelf a peculiar people zealous of good works. I thank thee with all my ſoul, for his bearing our ſins in his own body on the tree, 1 Pet. 2.that we being dead unto ſin, ſhould live unto righteouſneſs. There is nothing I can more deſire than by doing righteouſneſs, 1 Joh. 3.to become righteous even as he is righteous. Aſſiſt me, I beſeech thee, to attain this end of his death and paſſion, by the power of that holy Spirit which he hath thereby purchaſed for us, and hath likewiſe promiſed to us, and is able to bleſs us withal.
I dread to think that his precious bloud ſhould be loſt and ſpilt in vain for me; that ſo great a price ſhould be caſt away, wherewith thou haſt bought me, to glorifie thee with my body and ſpirit which are thine. O God preſerve in me ſuch a lively ſenſe of his grief and ſorrow, of his pain and anguiſh; that I may bitterly hate the cauſe of all his torments, and look on every ſin, as the moſt fearful curſe that can befal me. Preſerve in me a conſtant ſenſe of the great value of my ſoul, for which he paid ſo dearly: and a great eſteem of that purity, righteouſneſs and goodneſs, for the reſtoring of which he made himſelf of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a ſervant, and was obedient to death, even the death of the Croſs. And eſpecially raiſe me to a great height of love and gratitude to thee, and of hope and confidence in thy infinite mercies; of which we have ſuch ſtrong aſſurance, by his being delivered for our offences, Rom. 4.25.and raiſed again for our juſtification. Make me more and more in love with that lowlineſs of mind, that tender and compaſſionate charity, that meekneſs, patience and forgiveneſs which ſhone in his ſufferings. And ſubdue my will ſo perfectly; unto ſuch an abſolute, quiet and ready ſubmiſſion to thy holy Will in every thing; that my hope in thee may increaſe exceedingly: and not only ſo, but I may alſo joy in thee my God, through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Rom. 5.11.by whom we have now received the atonement.
Hear, Good Lord, the prayers of the whole Church, which thou haſt purchaſed with thine own bloud. O that every member thereof may ſerve thee purely and orderly in the rank and condition wherein thou haſt placed them, to their mutual benefit and comfort, and to the conviction of thoſe who are enemies or ſtrangers to the Name of the Lord Jeſus; that they ſeeing our good works may glorifie thee our heavenly Father, and acknowledge that thou art among us of a Truth. Bleſs all the Miniſters of Religion or Juſtice: and endue them with a great love to the honour of our Saviour, and with a great zeal to make his holy Laws underſtood and obſerved. That as he gave himſelf for his Church, Epheſ. 5.26,27.that he might ſanctifie and cleanſe it with the waſhing of water by the word, and preſent it to himſelf a glorious Church, not having ſpot, or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing: So all that name the name of Chriſt may depart from all iniquity, and indeavour to be holy and without blemiſh, and be found of him in peace at the day of his appearing.
Now unto him that loved us, and waſhed us from our ſins in his own bloud, and hath made us kings and prieſts unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Rev. 1.5,6.