The Devout Christian Instructed How to Pray and Give Thanks, church · Prayer 3
A PRAYER Upon the day of ones BIRTH.
O Moſt mighty Lord, the Former and Preſerver of all things: All thy works praiſe thee, and do declare thy infinite greatneſs, wiſdom and bounty; and do call upon us likewiſe to magnifie thy Name with our continual praiſes and thankſgivings. I humbly bow my ſelf before thy glorious Majeſty who inhabiteſt eternity; acknowledging that it is but a little time ſince I was not; and that I am not gone down again into ſilence is to be aſcribed only to thy Omnipotent goodneſs, which brought me into being, to praiſe the… among the reſt of thy creatures.
I thank thee, O Lord, by whom I was fearfully and wonderfully made, Pſal. 139.14,15.and curiouſly wrought in my mothers womb. 22.9.Thou art he that took me thence; thou didſt make me hope when I was upon my mothers breaſt. 71.6.By thee I have been holden up ever ſince; and moſt carefully provided for, when I could not think at all of thy tender mercies towards me. And therefore now that I am grown to the uſe of my reaſon, my praiſe ought to be continually of thee. O bleſs the Lord, my ſoul, 103.1,2.and all that is within me bleſs his holy Name. Bleſs the Lord, O my ſoul, and forget not all his benefits. While I live will I praiſe the Lord; Pſal. 146.2.I will ſing praiſes to my God while I have any being. Pardon, I beſeech thee, my ingratitude, in that I l…e no earlier remembred thee my Creator, in whom I live and move, and who giveſt me all things richly to enjoy. Accept of my unfeigned reſolutions to preſerve hereafter a more grateful ſenſe of thy great goodneſs to me, and to glorifie thee with my body and with my ſpirit, which are thine. Vouchſafe me the aſſiſtance of thy heavenly grace, that I may return them back unto thee pure and undefiled; full of wiſdom and ſpiritual underſtanding; full of love and devout affection to thee; full of all good works and the fruits of righteouſneſs,Epheſ. 2.10. to which thou haſt created me again by Chriſt Jeſus, that I ſhould walk in them.
Bleſſed be thy Name, who haſt ſent him to give me a new and better life. I thank thee for all the helps and comforts of his Religion. O that my heart may be poſſeſſed with ſuch a ſtrong belief of it, and ſuch a ſincere love to it, that I may feel indeed that I am born again and made a new creature: meditating daily of thy mercies; breathing forth my ſoul to thee, in prayers, and praiſes, and thankſgivings; walking in the Spirit of goodneſs, righteouſneſs and truth; Epheſ. 5.9.and proving what is acceptable to our Lord. All the thanks and ſervices, I acknowledge; that I am able to render to thee, are nothing worth: but the longer I live, I moſt earneſtly deſire the more hearty, and the purer they may be; and the more I may be inabled to do for thy honour and glory. If thou ſuffereſt me to continue in this life another year, O that in the concluſion of it, I may preſent my ſelf unto thee again more improved in all that is praiſe worthy. The time paſt is too much to have miſ-ſpent; O that I may ſuffer no more of my precious hours to run waſte, but that they may all be taken up, and carefully laid out in well doing. Help me diligently to husband ſo great a treaſure, which thou intruſteſt me withal, and to imploy it in order to a bleſſed Eternity. Let not the cares of this world, and the deceitfulneſs of riches, Mark 4.19.and the luſts of other things entring in, choke thoſe good ſeeds which thou haſt ſown in my heart, ſo that they become unfruitful: but inable me as I grow in years to increaſe alſo in love, joy, peace, long-ſuffering, Gal. 5.21.gentleneſs, goodneſs, faith, meekneſs, temperance, and all other fruits of thy holy Spirit.
And ſince I have been thy care ſo long, I will ſtill hope in thee continually, Pſal. 71.14.that I ſhall yet praiſe thee more and more. 9.17.Caſt me not off if I live to the time of old age, forſake me not when my ſtrength faileth. O God, thou haſt taught me from my youth, and hitherto I have declared thy wondrous works. Hold me up ſtill,Pſal. 119.117,133. and I ſhall be ſafe. Order my ſteps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. That ſo if the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, Eccleſ. 12.1.when I ſhall ſay, I have no pleaſure in them; 7.1.I may rejoyce in the remembrance of a well-ſpent life, and, having a good hope in thee, the day of my death, may be better than the day of my birth. O that death may never ſurprize me, nor find me unprepared. Help me to walk alway ſo circumſpectly, and to be ſo mindful of my latter end, that when death comes it may be no ſtranger to me; but I may entertain it as an acquaintance, and a friend: and with the ſame chearfulneſs put off my body, and lay it down in the grave, that I put off my clothes and lay my ſelf down in my bed. I commit my ſelf intirely to thee, both now and ever; waiting for thy mercy in Chriſt Jeſus, at that great Day, when thou ſhalt awake us out of the duſt. O that I may then be numbered among the Juſt, and ſtand at the right hand of my Saviour, and hear that joyful voice, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, Matth. 25.34.inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Amen.