The Christian Life, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Containing some short Directions for the more profitable reading the preceding Discourse, and also for the Conduct and regular Exercise of our Closet Religion in all the different States of the Christian Life; together with Forms of private Devotion fitted to each State.
IN the foregoing Chapter I have indeavoured a full Account of all those instrumental Duties of Christianity by which we are to acquire, improve and perfect the principal Vertues of it, in the Perfection of which Vertues Heaven which is the great End of Christianity consists. And for the more distinct management thereof, I considered men under a threefold State; first as entering into the Christian Life; secondly as actually ingaged in the Course of it; thirdly as improving towards Perfection by Perseverance in it; and gave a distinct account of all those Instrumental Duties that are proper to each of these States. And now that what hath been said in that and the preceding Chapters may have its due Effect upon the Readers Mind, I have thought fit to reduce it to Practice by directing men,
First, how to read and apply the several parts of it to their own particular States;
Secondly, By furnishing them with some short Rules for the more profitable Exercise of their private Religion in each of those different States, together with Forms of private Devotion fitted to each State.
I. AS to the first of these, it is to be considered, that to the making men sincere and hearty Christians, it is highly necessary that they should have a right understanding, First, of the Nature of the great and chief End which Christianity proposes to them; Secondly, of the Means by which that End is to be obtained; Thirdly, of the natural Tendency of all the Vertues of Christianity towards this blessed End, and of the contrary Tendency of the opposite Vices towards their eternal Misery and Ruin. Of all which I have indeavoured to give an Account in the three first Chapters of this Book. Wherefore I would advise the Reader,
1. Carefully and seriously to peruse those Chapters wherein (because I have been sometimes forc'd by the sublimity of my Argument to discourse a little more abstrusely than in any of the following Parts) it will be necessary for him to imploy more of his Thoughts and Consideration, and not to content himself with a slight and cursory Perusal. And when by a serious Consideration of what hath been there discoursed, his Mind is fully convinc'd what a kind of Heaven he is to expect hereafter, what kinds of Means are necessary to obtain it, how naturally all the Vertues of Religion do raise up mens Souls to Heaven, and how all the contrary Vices do as naturally sink and press them down to Hell, it is to be hop'd he will be fully persuaded of the indispensible Necessity of entering into the Christian Life; which if he be, I would advise him,
2. Seriously to read over and consider the first and second Sections of the fourth Chapter, wherein are contained the several Duties which are proper to his State of Entrance into the Christian Life, and also proper Arguments and Motives to ingage him to the Practice of them; which if he would read to good Effect, he must by no means content himself with a single Perusal, but read them over at least once a week whilst he continues in that State, till he fully comprehends the Meaning and Use of all those Duties and the Force and Cogency of those, Arguments; which if he do, it is to be hop'd he will at last be reduced to a through and wel-weighed Resolution of forsaking his Sins and actually ingaging in the Christian Life. Which being done I would advise him,
3. With the same Care and Frequency to peruse the third and fourth Sections of the fourth Chapter, wherein are contained all the several Duties proper to this second State of actual Engagement in the Christian Life, as also sundry Arguments or Motives to press and inforce them; and when by the Assistance of these Duties he hath continued for some time faithful and constant to his good Resolution,
4. Together with the third and fourth Section, let him often peruse and consider the fifth and sixth, wherein are contained the Duties appertaining to the third State of Emprovement and Perseverance in the Christian Life, together with some Considerations to inforce the Practice of them. All which I would earnestly persuade the pious Reader to read and consider over and over again, till his Mind is fully instructed in the Nature and Vse of each Duty, and hath throughly digested the Force and Evidence of every Argument. And this may suffice for the first thing proposed concerning the profitable Method of reading this practical Treatise.
II. AS for the second Part of it, which is that which I mainly design in this Chapter, viz. the Rules and Directions for the private Exercise of our Religion in each State of the Christian Life, together with the Forms of private Prayer fitted for each, take them in their following Order.
Directions for the more profitable Exercise of our private Religion in the State of our Entrance into the Christian Life.
In the Morning before you go into the World, enter into your Closet, and there consider with your self a while the miserable State you have reduc'd your self to by your past sinful Courses, the absolute Necessity of your forsaking them, and the possibility of your Recovery if your heartily indeavour it; and then adress your self to God in this following Prayer.
O Most glorious and eternal God, thou art the fountain of Beings, the Father of Angels and Men, the righteous and almighty Governour of Heaven and Earth; from thy Throne thou beholdest all the Children of men, and their most secret Actions are open and naked to thy alseeing Eye; and such is the Purity of thy Nature that thou lovest Righteousness and hatest Iniquity wheresoever thou beholdest it; with what Face then can I, a most miserable polluted Wretch, appear in thy presence, who by the past course of my Wickedness and Rebellion against thee, have not only rendered my self guilty and justly obnoxious to thy eternal Displeasure, but have also contracted such obstinate Dispositions and Inclinations to sin on, as without thy Grace and Assistance I shall never be able to conquer! O desperate, vile and ungrateful Wretch that I have been! I have renounced the God of my Being, and the Fountain of my Mercies; I have despised thy Goodness, trampled upon thy Authority, mock'd and abused thy Patience and long suffering, and in Particular I must confess, to my own Shame and Confusion, I have been wofully guilty of.*Here make a particular Confession of all those sinful Courses you have lived in, together with all their aggravating Circumstances of Impudence, Obstinacy and Ingratitude, &c. And now by these my manifold Abominations I have utterly undone my self, unless thou take pity upon me. I confess I have forfeited my soul into thy hands, and if thou so pleasest thou mayest justly cast me away from thy Presence and make me a dire Example of thy Vengeance for ever. But I know O Lord, that thou desirest not the Death of a Sinner, but rather that he should repent and live; and upon the Propitiation of thine own Sons blood, thou hast declared thy self willing to receive returning Prodigals, and to be heartily reconciled to them, notwithstanding all their past Provocations. O that I could return, that I could but shake off those corrupt Inclinations which detain my wretched soul in Captivity! I am willing to contribute towards it whatsoever I am able, but alass without thee all that I can do will be utterly ineffectual. Wherefore for thy tender Mercies sake, for thy dear Sons and my Saviours sake, have pity upon a miserable Wretch, that without thy helping hand is lost for ever. And since thou hast given me thy Gospel as an outward means to save and recover me, O do thou inable me by thy blessed Spirit heartily to believe and throughly to consider it. For which end I beseech thee to remove all sinful Prejudices from my Mind, that so I may impartially weigh those Evidences thou hast given me of the Truth of it; and do thou suggest them to my Mind with such a clear and convincing Light, as that they may at last conquer my Infidelity, duplicate page duplicate page and beget in me a firm and lively Faith. And forasmuch as my mind is vain and roving, and utterly averse to all serious Considerations, O do thou who art the Father of Spirits and canst turn the Hearts of men which way thou pleasest, inspire good Thoughts into me and imprint them upon me with such a Power and Efficacy, as that my wandring Mind may be reduced by them to a through Consideration, and my stubborn Will to a firm Resolution of Amendment. Particularly I beseech thee to give me a right understanding of the urgent need I have of a Saviour, and of all those things which he hath done and suffered, and is still doing at thy right hand in order to the cleansing my guilty and polluted Nature, and restoring me to thy Grace and Favour; that so hereby I may be fully convinced how odious my Sins are in thy sight, how base and vile they have rendered me, and at what a mighty Distance they have set me from thee, and that being convinced of this I may put on a holy Shame and Confusion, and abhor my self in dust and ashes before thee. Thou knowest, O Lord, it is not in my power to soften this hard and unrelenting Heart and affect it with that Godly sorrow which is requisite to work a true Repentance. O do thou smite it with such a sharp and piercing sense of my Sins, as may cause the floods of unfeigned Grief and Contrition to gush forth from it. Cause me to bleed for my sins now, that I may not bleed for them for ever; and that having felt the Smart and Anguish of them, I may utterly detest and abhor them, and never be reconciled to them more. Thus do thou assist me, O good God, in the Exercise of all these Duties, till thou hast throughly conquered my Will by them, and prepared it for a firm Resolution to forsake all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. And now that I am going into the world among those very Temptations that have hitherto so miserably captivated and inslaved me, O let thy blessed Spirit be present with me to keep my drousie Conscience awake, and arm me against them with his holy Inspirations, that so those good Thoughts and Desires which thou hast at present excited in me, may stick fast upon my Soul in the midst of my worldly Occasions, and never cease importuning my Conscience, Will and Affections, till they have produc'd in me the happy Effect of a serious and hearty Repentance. All which I most earnestly beseech of thee even for pity sake to a poor perishing Soul, and for Jesus Christ his sake, in whose name and words I farther pray, Our Father, &c.
In the Evening when you find your self most sit for serious Thoughts, go into your Closet again, and consider cooly with your self whether you are heartily willing to part with every Sin, and particularly with your beloved Sin, and to submit to every Duty, and even to those that are most contrary to your vicious Inclination; if you are not (as it's very probable you will not for some time) or if you find the least reason to suspect you are not, press your self anew with such divine Reasons as are most apt to affect you, with the Hope of Heaven and the Fear of Hell, with the love of God and of your Saviour; represent your Obstinacy to your self with all its Baseness and Disingenuity, Madness and Folly, till you find your self affected with a sorrowful Sense of it, and then offer up this following Prayer.
O Father of Mercies and God of all Grace and Consolation, who art a ready help in time of need, look down upon me, I beseech thee, a miserable and forlorn Wretch, that have wilfully sold my self Captive to the Devil, and am now strugling to get loose from this my wretched Bondage into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God. I know, O Lord, that I am striving for my immortal Life, and accordingly as I succeed I expect to be happy or miserable for ever. I have seriously considered the Reasons on both sides, and am fully satisfied in my mind that there is infinitely more Force in thy Promises and Threats, than in all the Difficulties of my Duty and the Pleasures of my sin. But after all this, I find a law in my Members warring against the law in my Mind, a perverse Will that rejects the counsels of my Reason, that makes obstinate Reservations of some beloved Sins, and Exceptions to some particular Duties in despite of all the persuasion of my Reason and Religion. So that after all my Endeavours I am still detain'd in Captivity to the law of sin that is in my Members, and am not able to incline my self to an intire Resolution of Amendment. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Sin and Death! I know, O Lord, though I am weak and impotent, and of my self unable to shake off the Chains and Fetters of my Lusts, yet thy Grace is abundantly sufficient to rescue and deliver me from them; and thou hast promised to assist with it my honest Endeavours, and crown them with a blessed Success. Wherefore for thy Truth and Mercies sake▪ suffer not thy poor Creature who with pitiful and bemoaning Looks cries out for help to thee, to spend himself in weary and fruitless Struglings against this violent Torrent of my sinful Nature, which without thy aid will quickly overcome my poor Endeavours and drive me down into eternal Perdition. My sole Dependence is upon thee, my Hope of Success is wholly in thee, help, Lord, help or else I perish; stretch forth thy powerful Arm to my sinking Soul, and let not this Deep swallow me up; but do thou so quicken my faint Endeavours, so strengthen my weak and doubting Faith, so enliven my cold and languid Considerations, so clear up my Convictions of my need of a Saviour and of the Danger and Odiousness of my Sins, and thereby so increase my penitential Sorrows and Remorses, as that by all these means together my obstinate Will may at last be conquered, and effectually persuaded to part with every Sin, be it never so dear to me, and to comply with every Duty, be it never so cross to my vile Inclinations. Then shall I freely resign up my self unto thee, and with a firm Resolution devote all my Powers to thy Service. And that I may do so, and by so doing be reconciled to thee, O my offended God, before I go hence and be no more seen, receive me I beseech thee into thy protection this Night, that I may yet see the light of another Day, and have a longer space to finish my Repentance. All which I humbly implore even for Jesus Christ his sake, in whose name and words I farther pray, Our Father, &c.
If upon searching your own Heart, you find that after you have fairly represented to your self what sinful Pleasures you must part with, what Duties you must submit to, and what Difficulties you must ingage with, you are willing without any Reserve or Exception to submit your self to God, beware you be not too hasty to form your Resolution, but take some little time to try your self; see whether you will continue to morrow of the same mind you are in now, and if then you perceive you have reason to suspect your self, try a little longer, and at the present indeavour as much as in you lies to confirm and settle your self in the good Mind you are in, by pressing and urging your self with all those Arguments of your Religion by which you have been thus far convinced and persuaded; and while you are thus trying your self, instead of the former, let this be your Evening Prayer,
O Blessed Lord and most merciful Father, thou art a God hearing Prayer and to thee shall all flesh come; I admire thy Goodness, I adore thy Grace, that after so many heinous provocations I have given thee for which thou mightest have justly shut thine ears against me for ever, thou hast heard my Cries and pitied my Misery, and thus far contributed towards my Recovery. I acknowledg 'tis by thy Grace that I am what I am, that this stubborn Heart begins at last to relent, this perverse Will to bow and stoop, these lewd Affections to hunger and thirst after Righteousness; that now at last my foolish soul is persuaded to part with those sins which are its Plagues and Infelicities, and to imbrace those blessed Duties by which thou hast designed to raise me to immortal Glory. By these good Beginnings thou hast given me some Reason to hope for a happy Success upon my poor Endeavours. Praised be thy Grace, I am at present heartily willing to be thine, and were I but sure to continue thus minded and disposed, I would immediately make over my Heart and Will to thee by the most solemn Engagement. But, O Lord, I am afraid of my self, I dread my own Inconstancy, and thou knowest I have too much Reason for it. I have mocked thee too often already with my deceitful Promises and Engagements; I have sin'd and then promised Amendment, I have promised Amendment and then sin'd again, as if all that I meant by my Promises, were only to ask leave of thee to sin against thee anew. Now after so many Falsifications I would not for all the World deal treacherously with thee any more; wherefore before I solemnly resign and devote my self to thee by a new Purpose and Engagement, I desire to make some farther Tryal of my own Stedfastness, to see whether this present Inclination of my Will be the effect of Passion or a setled Judgment. In the mean time therefore I do most humbly beseech thee to be present with me in all my ways, and continually to influence my Mind with thy Grace and Spirit; to strengthen my Faith, to fix my Consideration, to persuade my Will, and feed and cherish these my holy Desires with good Thoughts and Inspirations, that so I may remain stedfast and immoveable, and no Temptation whatsoever may be able to alter the Temper of my mind or divert it from its good Inclination; and that having had a sufficient Experience of the fixed Disposition of my Soul to obey thee, I may devote my self to thee with a chearful Heart and an assured Hope of my own Sincerity and Constancy. O Lord hear and help me for thy Mercies sake, and for Jesus Christ his sake, in whose most perfect Form of Prayer I farther pray, Our Father, &c.
If after a sufficient Tryal of your self, you find you are constantly inclin'd to submit to God, to part with every Sin & comply with every Duty, consider that now it is high time for you to devote your self to God, and what abundant Reason you have for it, and what a powerful Obligation you must lay upon your self by so doing; and when you have seriously considered these things, give up your self to God in this following Form of Prayer, which for the greater Sanction and more awful Solemnity of your good Resolution, you would do well to repeat at the next Sacrament.
O Most merciful Father, so infinite is the Goodness of thy Nature, that thou art always ready to pity and relieve the poor and needy, and to extend thy timely Succours to us helpless Sinners whensoever we cry unto thee. Of the truth whereof thou hast given me, who am the vilest of Sinners, a most sensible Proof and Experiment. For not long ago I was so dead in Trespasses and Sins, that, hadst not thou took pity upon me and quickned me by thy Grace, I had dyed for ever; my Vnderstanding was so blind that I saw not my Danger, my Conscience so sear'd that I felt not my Guilt, my Will so inslaved to my Lusts that I could not indure to think of parting with them; but now, blessed be thy Grace which first excited my Endeavours and hath hitherto prospered them, I do not only see the Danger my Sins have exposed me to, and sensibly feel the Guilt of them, but am freely willing to renounce them for ever, and to part even with those darling Lusts that have heretofore been as dear to me as my right Eye. And now, O Lord, I am come before thee, and I hope with a truly Loyal and sincere Heart, to offer up my Soul and Body to thee, and vow an everlasting Obedience to thy blessed Will. For Jesus sake refuse not this poor Oblation, which though it be infinitely unworthy of thine Acceptance, is the best thing I am able to present thee. To thee; O glorious Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I do from henceforth eternally devote my self and all my Faculties. [*When you renew your Vow in the Sacrament, add And here at the Table of my blessed Saviour, and upon these sacred Memorials of his Wounds and Blood] I utterly abjure all known and wilful Sins and Rebellions, and particularly all such as have been heretofore most dear to me; faithfully promising by thy gracious Assistance from henceforth to observe thy Law without any Reserve or Exception. This in the Sincerity of my Soul I do here vow to thy divine Majesty, and however I may be hereafter tempted I will never wilfully depart from it or from any Part of it, so help me O my God for Jesus Christ his sake, in whose own words I farther pray, Our Father, &c.
Directions for the more profitable Exercise of our private Religion in the state of our actual Engagement in the Christian Life.
When you go into your Closet in the Morning, consider seriously with your self the solemn Engagement you lye under; what a crying guilt it would be to violate it, what Madness and Folly to recede from it, after you have taken so much pains to reduce your self to it, what mighty Reasons you have to persist in it, and what powerful Assistance is promised you, if you be not wanting to your self; and then offer up this following Prayer,
O Eternal God, who art the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and dost through him bestow so many good and perfect Gifts upon thy Creatures, I desire for ever to remember and adore thy Goodness towards me, whom thou hast snatch'd as a Firebrand out of the Fire, and at length reduced to a serious Purpose of Amendment after a long and obstinate Course of Disobedience, in which if I had still persisted I must have perisht everlastingly. O blessed be thy great Name, that after so many years Rebellion against thee, for which I have long ago deserved to be banish'd into utter Darkness, I do yet behold the light of another Day, and am allowed a farther Space to repent and execute my Purpose of Amendment. And now, O Lord, as thou hast wrought my Will into a good Resolution in despite of all the corrupt Inclinations of my Nature, leave not I beseech thee thy Workmanship unfinish'd, but by the mighty Operation of thy Grace excite and inable me faithfully to perform what I have so seriously resolved. It is a mighty Work that I have undertaken, to cleanse a base polluted Nature, and root up all its filthy Lusts and Affections, and plant it with all the heavenly Dispositions, and improve them into everlasting Happiness; and thou knowest what strong Oppositions will be made against me, and with what powerful Temptations I must struggle throughout the whole Course of my future Endeavour. So that unless thou wilt still go along with me, and still quicken and animate me by thy blessed Spirit, my Work is so great, and my Strength so little, that it will be in vain for me to proceed any farther. These importunate Temptations that surround me will quickly conquer my present Resolution, and I shall do, as I have too often done already, resolve and sin, and sin and resolve, and so increase my Guilt by the Treachery of my Vows and Engagements. Wherefore, for Jesus Christ his sake, withdraw not thy self from me, but continue to assist my weak Endeavours by thy powerful Grace, till thou hast crown'd them with a perfect Victory. For which End, I beseech thee inspire me more and more with Patience and Constancy of Mind, that I may stand fast in my good Resolution in despite of all Temptations to the contrary. Suggest to my Mind those holy Examples thou hast set before me, especially that of my blessed Saviour and incline my Heart to coppy and imitate them. Direct me to some wise and faithful Guide, that may be willing and able to assist me in all my spiritual Necessities; and by frequently exciting me to dedicate my Actions to thee, do thou purifie my Intentions from sinful and from carnal Aims, that so I may always live to thy Glory. And since thou art present with me wherever I am, and dost always behold me whatsoever I am doing, O do thou inspire me with such a strong continual and actual Sense of it, as may be a constant Check to my sinful Inclinations, and render me afraid of offending thee. Let thy blessed Spirit be my constant Monitor, to put me in mind to consider my Ways, and frequently to examine my Actions, that so whenever I go astray I may be immediatly convinc'd of it, and by my speedy Repentance recover my self before I have wandered too far from my Duty. And grant I beseech thee that the sense of my past Failings may still render me more watchful and circumspect for the future ; that whensoever I have been carelesly or wilfully faulty, I may from thenceforth be more cautious of my Actions, and more vigilant against the Temptations that betrayed me. And that I may not run my self unnecessarily into Temptation for the future, preserve me, O Lord, from sloth and idleness, and from intermedling with matters that do not belong to me, and do thou still put me in mind to do my own Business, and to be faithful and diligent in the State and Calling wherein thou hast placed me. And that I may always serve thee with Freedom and Alacrity, remove from me I beseech thee all unprofitable Sadness and Melancholy, and help me to acquire an equal Tranquillity of Mind, and a becoming Chearfulness of Spirit. For which end, Good Lord, do thou inspire me with a lively Sense and earnest Expectation of that blissful State towards which I am travelling; that having this glorious Prospect always in my Eye, I may go on with Joy and Triumph over all the Difficulties and Temptations that oppose me. And that by all these means I may be more and more strengthened and confirmed in the good Resolution I have made, do thou stir up my slothful mind to a dilligent Attendance on thy publick Ordinances, that so in the solemn Assemblies of thy Saints I may constantly hear thy Word with Reverence and Attention, offer up my Prayers with Fervency and Devotion, and approach thy Table with all that Humility and Love, Gratitude and Resignation of Soul that becomes this solemn Remembrance and Representation of my dying Saviour. In these things, and whatsoever else is needful to secure my Resolution of Obedience, assist me, O Lord, for Jesus Christ his sake, to whom with thy self and eternal Spirit be render'd all Honor Glory and Power from his time forth and for evermore.
After this Prayer bethink your self a little what Temptations you are like to meet with in the ensuing Business of the Day, and briefly recollect those powerful Arguments which the Gospel urges to fortifie you against them, and apply them particularly to the Sin or Sins you are most inclined to, and then renew your Resolution to God in the following Prayer.
O God who art my Hope and Strength, upon whose Aid and Assistance I depend, look down I beseech thee upon a poor helpless Creature, who am going forth into a busie World that is full of Snares and Temptations. Blessed be thy Name, my Heart continues still resolved upon a through Course of Amendment; and therefore here in thy dreadful Presence I do again most solemnly promise and ingage my self, that whatsoever Temptations I meet with this Day, I will not wilfully commit any Sin, no not the Sin I am most inclined to; nor omit any Duty, how contrary soever it may be too my Nature; and that I will faithfully indeavour to keep such a constant Guard upon my self, as that I may not be surprized and overtaken through my own Inadvertence and Vnwariness. But this, O Lord, I promise not out of any Confidence in my own Strength, but in Dependence upon thee, and in Hope that out of thy tender Pity to a poor impotent Wretch thou wilt not be wanting to me in any necessary Assistance, but that either thou wilt remove from me all great and importunate Temptations, or inable me by thy Grace to repel and vanquish them; and this I do most earnestly beseech, in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ, with whose Prayer I conclude this my morning Sacrifice, Our Father, &c.
In the Evening when you find your self best disposed for religious Exercise, set apart such Portions of your Time as you can conveniently spare from your necessary Refreshment and Diversion, to call your self to Account concerning the Actions of the Day; and enquire whether they have been agreeable to your Morning Promise and Resolution; and upon Enquiry you will find either that you have faithfully discharged what you promised, or that you have sinned unawares or through Carelesness and Self-neglect, or that you have sinned wilfully and against your own Conscience.
If upon Enquiry it appear that you have been faithful to your Morning Engagement, represent to your self the great Reason you have to rejoice in it, and to praise God for it, and then offer up this following Thanksgiving.
BLessed be thy Name, O most gracious and merciful Father, for those great and numberless Favours which from time to time thou hast heaped upon me, who am less than the least of all thy Mercies; particularly for the signal Mercies of this Day, for that thou hast not shut thine Ears against my Prayers, nor withdrawn thy self from me, but hast accompanied me with thy Grace through all those Snares and Temptations to which I have been exposed. Praised be thy Name, that thou hast not suffered me to be tempted above what I was able, that thou hast so powerfully assisted me against those Temptations I have been ingag'd with, and by putting so many good Thoughts into my Mind, hast strengthened my Resolution and rendred it so successful and victorious. 'Tis to thy Grace that I owe all the good I have done, and 'tis by thy Aid that I have escap'd all the evils I have been tempted to; wherefore not unto me, O Lord, not unto my Strength or Endeavours, but unto thy Name be all the Glory and Praise of this days Deliverance and Preservation. O never let the Remembrance of this thy Goodness towards me depart from my Mind, but let it kindle in me such a grateful Sense, as may more and more incite me to love and obey thee and depend upon thee for the future. And as thou hast been pleased to conduct me safely by thy Grace through all the Dangers and Temptations of the Day, so do thou take me into thy Care and Protection this Night, and grant that I may awake in the Morning with a Heart so inflamed with the Remembrance of thy Goodness, and so incourag'd with this Days success, and so indeared to the Practice of Vertue by the growing Delights and Pleasures of it, as that I may persist in my religious Course with greater Courage and Alacrity; and this I humbly beg for Jesus Christs sake, in whose name and words I farther pray, Our Father, &c.
If upon Enquiry you find that you have been failing in your Duty, or that you have done any evil Action through meer Heedlessness or Surprize, indeavour to affect your self with a sorrowful Sense of your own Folly, Weakness and Carelesness, and then conclude with this Form of Humiliation,
O Most blessed Lord God, who art infinitely glorious in thy own Righteousness and Holiness, and doest for ever will and act according to thy own Nature which is the most perfect Law and Pattern of Goodness. To thy spotless Nature no Evil can approach, who art of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity; with what Confidence then can such a polluted Creature as I am appear in thy Presence, how can I lift up my guilty Eyes to thy Throne, who to my past Rebellions, which have been more in number than the hairs on my Head, have this day added so many sinful Failings and Defects, that, shouldest thou be severe to mark what I do amiss, were sufficient to kindle thy Displeasure against me! 'Twas but this Morning that I ingag'd my self to thee, not only to abstain from all wilful and deliberate Sins, but also to set a watch upon my Mouth and Actions that I might not offend thee unawares; but to my Shame I must acknowledg, I have been wofully careless and remiss, having this Day suffered my self through my own Inadvertency to be surprized into such Actions as nothing can render pittiable or excusable in thy Sight but the miserable Frailty and Weakness of my Nature. What shall I say unto thee, O thou Judg of all the Earth! I am guilty, I am guilty, and have nothing to plead for my self but the Blood of Jesus, that all-sufficient Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World. O Lord, I do earnestly repent, and am heartily sorry for these my Misdoings, the Remembrance of them is grievous unto me, the Burthen of them is intolerable; have mercy upon me, have mercy upon me, most merciful Father, and for Jesus Christ his sake forgive me all that is past, and grant that the Sense of these my Miscarriages, may render me more careful and vigilant for the future. And let thy blessed Spirit be always present with my Mind, to recollect my Distractions, and awake my Considerations, and warn me of my Dangers, that I may no more be surprized by sudden Temptations, nor hurried into evil Actions by unexpected Hopes or Fears; but do thou so subdue my lower Appetites to my Will, my Will to my Vnderstanding, and my Vnderstanding to thy Spirit, as that under his blessed Conduct, I may for the future be prepared against all Temptations, and furnish'd to every good work. And now, O Lord, let not the Failings I have been guilty of this Day, deprive me of thy gracious Protection this Night, but grant that after a safe and comfortable Repose, I may awake in the Morning with such a sorrowful Sense of them, as may for the future oblige me to be more watchful and resolute against them. All which I beg for Jesus Christ his sake, with whose Prayer I conclude this my evening Sacrifice, Our Father, &c.
If upon Enquiry it appear that you have commited any wilful, deliberate Sin, indeavour to affect your self with Horror, Shame and Compunction for it, by representing to your Conscience the monstrous Foulness and Ingratitude, the deep Malignity and desperate Madness of your own Action; and then conclude with this Form of particular Repentance.
O Thou most dreadful Majesty of Heaven and Earth, who hatest Iniquity, and hast proclaimed from Heaven thy fierce Indignation against all Vnrighteousness and Vngodliness of men, look down I beseech thee upon me, a vile and guilty Wretch, who stand here arraigned at thy Tribunal by my own Conscience, and am so confounded with the sense of my Sin, and of thy just Displeasure against me, that I tremble to draw near unto thee, and yet I dare not stay from thee. I acknowledg my self unworthy, infinitely unworthy, to come before thee, and am prompted by my own Horror and Shame to hide my self from thee, but yet I know I must come or I must perish. And therefore here, O Lord, I cast my self at thy Feet, and if thou shalt think meet to tread upon me, and to spurn me from thy Presence for ever, I must own that thou art just and righteous in all thy Ways. For thou hast been wonderfully good beyond what I could modestly have wisht, or am able to express; thou tookest pity upon me when I was all wounded and polluted and weltring in my Blood, when I was sleeping securely upon the brink of Perdition, and had scarce any Sense or Feeling of my Guilt and Misery; in this woful plight didst thou visit my poor Soul, and with thy preventing Grace awake me to a sense of my Danger, and effectually warn me to flee from the wrath to come. And now when thou hadst brought me to my self, and to a through Resolution of Amendment, and my Soul was in a fair way of Recovery, like an ungrateful Wretch as I am, I have flown in the Face of my Physitian, I have abused his Goodness, and baffled his Grace, and wilfully and deliberately torn open my Wounds again. And this I have done most treacherously, as well as ungratefully, not only against all the Obligations of thy Goodness, but also against my own repeated Vows and Engagements. For 'twas but this Morning that I solemnly renewed to thee my Promise of Obedience, and therein vow'd not to offend thee wilfully upon any Temptation whatsoever; but O vile Traytor that I am, both to thee and to my own Soul, I have by *Here name the sinful Act you have committed.most base basely falsified this my Engagement; and this I did with the most unpardonable Circumstance, even against the Dissuasions of thy Grace, the Checks of my Conscience, and the fairest Warnings of my Danger. Had I done it Ignorantly or unawares or under a Surprize, it had been pittiable; but, O my Guilt, my Guilt, 'twas knowingly, wilfully, basely, and maliciously that I did this evil in thy sight; whereby I have forfeited my Soul, my Innocence and thy Love, and have got nothing in exchange but the Pleasure of a Minute, and a lasting Shame and Repentance. O vile Wretch, O desperate Fool that I am, what have I done! whither am I fallen! I have grieved thy Spirit, contemn'd thy Authority, trampled on thy Goodness, and wounded my own Conscience, and by one base Act have thrown my self headlong from all those glorious Hopes whereunto thou hadst raised me. And now, O God, what can I say in my own behalf, my Sin being so great, my Folly so utterly inexcusable! O I am asham'd, I am asham'd of my self, I lament and abhor the Madness and Wickedness of my own Choice; and O that it were in my power to recall it! But woe is me it is past into Act, and by that Act my Innocence is already stained, my Soul forfeited, and it is no more in my Power to undo what I have done, than to recall the Hours of yesterday. What then shall I do, or whether shall I turn my self! 'Tis against thee, O Lord, against thee I have sinned, and now I have none but thee to flee to. I have nothing of my own to plead in my own behalf, my Conscience condemns me, and my Sin, my Sin, cries aloud against me; so that unless thou wilt be pleased to listen to the interceding Blood of thy Son, and to consult thine own Bowels and Compassions, and from thence to fetch Arguments of Mercy. I am undone for ever by my own Folly. Wherefore for Jesus Christ his sake, for thy own Goodness and Mercies sake, have pity, have pity upon me, heal my Soul, for I have sin'd against thee; be merciful to my Sin, for it is great. Thou hast promised to receive returning Sinners, to blot out their Iniquities, and to heal their Backslidings. I desire O Lord to return unto thee, I hate and renounce my Sin, and do here abhor my self for it in Dust and Ashes before thee. Wherefore for thy Praise sake, O try me this once more, and do not presently cast me away from thy Presence nor take thy holy Spirit from me, but restrain me by his Grace from all presumptuous Sins, and suffer them not to have Dominion over me. And quicken me, O Lord, for thy Names sake, that for the future I may watch more carefully, resist more vigorously, and walk more circumspectly than I have hitherto done. And that from henceforth I may be intirely devoted to thee, and serve thee without Interruption, do thou so confirm me by thy Grace in my holy Resolution, as that I may choose rather to die than to offend thee any more. And now, O Lord, though by my Rebellion against thee this Day, I have rendered my self most unworthy of thy fatherly Care and Protection, yet I beseech thee to watch over me this Night for good, and give me a safe Repose in the Arms of thy Providence, that I may have yet a farther Space to repent of mine Iniquity. And grant, I beseech thee, that when I awake in the Morning, I may be warn'd by the woful Remembrance of this Days Fall, to take more Care of my Steps, and to shun or refuse those Snares and Temptations that lie all around me. All which I do most humbly and earnestly beg of thee, even for Jesus Christ his sake, in whose name and words I farther pray, Our Father, &c.
Directions for the Exercise of our private Religion in the state of our Progress and Improvement in the Christian Life, with Forms of private Devotion fitted for this State.
When you enter into your Closet in the Morning, indeavour to affect your self with Gratitude and Thankfulness to God for his Grace, by representing to your self the Danger and Misery of that sinful State out of which you are recovered, and the great Incapacity you were in to recover without his Assistance▪ and then make this thankful Acknowledgment to him,
O Most gracious and most merciful Father, thou art a liberal Benefactor to thy Creation, a never-failing Friend to Mankind, and a most tender Lover of Souls, for whose everlasting Welfare thou hast been always consulting, and hast left no method of Love unattempted, to rescue them from Sin and Misery. O blessed, for ever blessed, be thy great Name for the Experience I have had of this thy fatherly Goodness. I am a monument of thy Goodness, a living Instance and Wonder of thy Mercy, for me hast thou quickned who was dead in Trespasses and Sins, and who had long ago perish'd in mine Iniquities hadst thou not been infinitely patient and long suffering. I had forfeited my Soul to thee, and thou mightest justly have cut me off, and given me my Portion with Hypocrites, and considering how I provok'd thee to it by my daily Rebellions, I cannot but admire thy Forbearance towards me. But that thou shouldest not only forbear me, but follow me with thy Kindness, and never cease importuning me to return to my Duty and Happiness till thou hadst conquered me by thy Gracious Persuasions, O incomparable Love! O amazing Goodness! never to be sufficiently admired and adored! Wherefore praised, for ever praised, be thy Grace, which hath redeemed my Life from eternal Death, and my Soul from the neathermost Hell; which hath rescued me from the Snare of the Devil, and the pernicious Bondage of my Lusts, and implanted in my Nature these heavenly Graces and Dispositions, and hitherto improv'd and advanc'd them towards my eternal Happiness. This, O my God, all this, I owe to thy free and undeserved Goodness, that I that was dead am now alive, that I that was lost am found, that I that was a slave to my Lusts am made free from Sin, and translated into the glorious Liberty of the sons of God, is purely the Effect of thy free Grace, and to be intirely ascribed to thy all-powerful Goodness. Go on, O Lord, go on, I beseech thee, and perfect thine own Work, that so the Glory of it may be for ever redounding to thee; and that as I have been hitherto a signal Instance of thy Goodness, so I may be an happy Instrument of thy Praise to eternal Ages. And grant, I beseech thee, that the sense of thy unspeakble Kindness towards me, may so captivate my Soul and all my Faculties, as that I may be most intirely thine; as that my Reason and Will, my Fear and Hope, and Love and Desire may from henceforth be all resign'd up to thee, and for ever devoted to the Honour and Worship of thy infinite Glories and Perfections; and this I most humbly beg for Jesus Christ his sake, to whom with thy self and thy eternal Spirit be rendred all Honour, Glory and Power from this time forth and for evermore. Amen.
After this Thanksgiving, consider briefly with your self the indispensible Necessity of your Perseverance to the End, and how not only vain and fruitless, but also hurtful and mischievous to you all your past Labour in Religion will be without it; and then conclude your morning Devotion with this Prayer for Perseverance.
O God, who art unchangeably holy and blessed, who art the same yesterday, to day and for ever, and dost never swerve or vary from the essential Goodness and Purity of thy own Nature, look down I beseech thee upon me, a fickle, weak and mutable Creature, whom thou hast redeemed to thy self, and hitherto conducted by thy Grace and Spirit. Thou knowest, O Lord, the Weakness of my Nature, and how unable I am without thy Strength and Assistance to finish the Race which thou hast set before me; thou knowest what Temptations I must struggle with, and what Difficulties I must yet overcome, before I am seiz'd of the blessed Prize I am contending for, wherefore, since thou hast hitherto been my constant Support and Defence, forsake me not now for thy Names sake, but as thou hast begun a good Work in me, so I beseech thee to finish and compleat it; to uphold my feeble Soul by thy free Spirit under all Temptations and Difficulties, that so by patient continuance in well-doing, I may seek for, and at last obtain, honour▪ and glory, immortality and eternal life. For which end, O Lord, preserve me from being over-confident of my own Abilities, and inspire me with a holy Jealousie of my self, that whilst I stand I may take heed lest I fall. And if at any time I should be so base, and so unhappy, as to offend thee wilfully (which I beseech thee to prevent for thy Mercy and Compassion sake) O suffer me not to sleep in my Sin, but recal me instantly by the Checks of my Conscience, and the Convictions of thy Spirit, lest while I add Sin to Sin, and one degree of Wickedness to another, my Lusts should regain their Dominion over me, and thou shouldest be angry with me and reject me from thy Covenant for ever. And that I may every Day serve thee more freely and stedfastly, wean me, I beseech thee, more and more from those Temptations to Sin that are round about me, and give me such a true understanding of the Nature of all the Goods and Evils of this World, as that neither the Flatteries of the one, nor the Terrors of the other, may ever be able to withdraw me from my Duty. And lest while I am mortifying my old Sins, I should carelesly permit new ones to spring up in my Nature, good God, do thou mind me to search and try my own Heart, and take a severe Account even of the smallest Defects and Imperfections within me; that so I may correct and reform them in time, before they are improved into inveterate Habits. And grant that I may be always so sensible of my own Imperfection, as that I may never rest in any present Attainment, but may still be pressing forward to the mark of my high calling in Jesus Christ. Suggest to me, I beseech thee, frequent Thoughts of my Mortality, that so, while I have Time and Opportunity, I may be preparing for my Departure hence, and making provision for a dying hour. In order whereunto, assist me, O Lord, I beseech thee, strictly to examin and review my past sinful Courses, that so if there be any remains of Guilt abiding upon my Conscience, I may purge them away by proper Acts of Repentance, before I go hence and be no more seen. And grant that as I have formerly abounded in Sin, so I may now redeem that precious Time I have lost, by abounding in the contrary Vertues; that so, as far as in me lies, I may revoke and undo the multitude of my past Sins, by doing all the Good I am able for the future. And that I may hold out and persevere to the end, preserve and continue me in the Communion of thy Church, and suffer me not to be led away by the errors of the wicked and to fall from my own stedfastness. And finally I beseech thee to grant that in the use of these blessed Means, I may so far prevail over the Infirmities and Corruptions of my Nature, as that at last I may have a clear and certain Feeling of my own Integrity and Vprightness towards thee; that so being from thence assur'd of thy Love, and of my Title to eternal Happiness, I may run the ways of thy commandments more chearfully, and at last finish my Course with unspeakable joy. And now, O Lord, I resign my self to thee, take me I beseech thee into thy Care and Protection this Day, preserve me from all Evil, but especially from Sin, and quicken me by thy Spirit unto every good work, that so I may serve thee with a free and cheerful Mind, and make it my meat and drink to do thy blessed will. All which I humbly beg for Jesus Christ his sake in whose Name and Mediation I further pray, Our Father, &c.
In the Evening, when you enter into your Closet, consider what is the present Frame and Temper of your Mind; and upon Enquiry you will perceive, either that through the present Prevalency of your corrupt Nature, you are averse to divine Offices, or that through bodily Infirmity, you are indisposed to them, or that through Worldly-mindedness and Vanity of Spirit you are cold and apt to be distracted in them, or lastly, that your Heart is very much enlarged, and your Mind and Affections vigorously disposed towards divine and heavenly things.
If upon Enquiry you find that through the present Prevalency of your corrupt Nature you are averse to divine Offices, indeavour to affect your self with Shame and Sorrow for it, by representing to your Mind the great Impiety and Baseness, the monstrous Folly and Ingratitude of this your present Temper, and then offer up this following Prayer.
O My most gracious God and most kind and merciful Father, thou art the best Friend I have in all the World, and hast shewn a thousand times more Love to me than ever I shew'd to my self; but after all the vast and most indearing Obligations thou hast laid upon me, this vile and ungrateful Heart of mine still retains some Dregs of its antient Enmity against thee. Had I but the common Sense and Ingenuity of a Man in me, how could I think of thee without Raptures of Love; how could I draw neer unto thee without Transports of Delight and Complacency! But, vile and ungrateful that I am, I can think of all thy Goodness with cold and frozen Affections, and can come into thy Presence not only with Indifference but Reluctancy. Good God what am I made of! what an insensible Soul do I carry about me! O I am asham'd of my self, I am confounded with the sense of my own Baseness; and yet, woe is me, I cannot help it. I strive to shake off this Clog of my corrupt Nature, but still it hangs upon me, and sinks and weighs down my Soul as oft as 'tis aspiring towards thee. O my God, have pity upon me, deliver me from this Body of Sin, ease my weary and heavy laden Soul of this grievous Burthen under which it labours and groans, and suffer not this spark of divine Life which thou hast kindled in me to be opprest and extinguisht by it; but so cherish it, I beseech thee, with the continual Influences of thy Grace, as that it may, at length it may, break through all this Rubbish that suppresses it, and finally rise into a glorious Flame. Then shall I always approach thee with Joy, and breath up my Soul to thee in every Prayer; then shall my Heart be firmly united to thee in a devout and chearful Affection, and my Prayers shall come up as incense before thee, and breathe a sweet-smelling savour into thy Nostrils. Hear me therefore, O my God, I beseech thee, and strengthen me with all might in the inward man, that for the future I may contend more vigorously and successfully against these vile Inclinations of my Nature which do so miserably hamper and depress my soul, that so at last I may be a conqueror and more than a conquerer through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
If through any bodily Infirmity, such as Melancholy, Weariness, Drousiness or Sickness you find your self indisposed to divine Offices, indeavour to quicken your sluggish Mind with the Consideration of some one of the most moving Arguments of your Religion, such as the Love of God and of your Saviour, the Majesty of Gods Presence in which you are, or the blessed Immortality you hope for; and then address your self to God in this following Prayer.
O Blessed God, thou art a most pure and active Spirit, who doest always move with an uncontrolable Freedom, and art never hindred or wearied in thy Operations; have pity upon me, I beseech thee, thy poor infirm Creature, who am cumbred with this Body of death, and so deprest by its manifold Frailties, that I cannot lift up my Heart unto thee. Thou knowest, O Lord, my spirit is willing though my flesh is weak; my labouring Soul aspires towards thee, it stretches forth the Wings of its Desires toward thee, and would fain mount up above all earthly things and unite it self with thee in eternal Love; but alas! its Fervours are dampt, and its Endeavours tired by this clog of Flesh that hangs upon it, and perpetually sinks and weighs it down again. O my God, draw near unto me, and touch my Mind with such a powerful sense of thee, as in despight of these my bodily Indispositions may attract and draw up my Soul unto thee. And if it be thy blessed will, release me from these fleshly Incumbrances, and fit my Body to my Mind, that I may serve thee, as I desire to do with a fervent and a chearful Spirit. But if it shall seem good in thine Eyes to leave me strugling under these bodily Oppressions, Lord give me Patience and Submission to thy heavenly Will; that so when I cannot approach thee with that Pleasure and Satisfaction I desire, I may be heartily content to serve thee upon any Terms, and that what I want of Vigour and Chearfulness in my Religion, I may make up in Truth and in Reality. And O let the Sense of these my present Indispositions cause me more vehemently to long after that free and blessed State, wherein with fixt and steady Thoughts, with flagrant Love and an entire Devotion of Soul, I shall for ever worship, praise and glorifie thy name, Amen.
If through present Worldly-mindedness, or Vanity of Spirit, you find your self cold and apt to be distracted in your Religious Offices, indeavour to stir up your Affections by representing to your self the Greatness and Urgency of your spiritual Wants, the Vanity of all outward things, and the Reality and Fulness of heavenly Enjoyments. And do what you can to recollect your wandring Thoughts, by setting your self in the Presence of the great God, to whose All-seeing Eye every Thought and Motion of your Soul is open and naked. And when by thus doing, you have composed your Mind into a more serious Frame, present this following Prayer.
O Thou ever blessed Majesty, who fillest Heaven and Earth with thy Presence, and art always listening to the Supplications of a world of Creatures that hang upon thee; open, I beseech thee, thine Ears of Mercy to me, who am unfit and unworthy to approach thee; who by setting my Affections upon things below, and plunging my self into the Cares and Pleasures of this Life, have estrang'd and alienated my Mind from thee, and lost that delightful Relish of thee, with which I was wont to draw near unto thee. And now that I am retired from the World to converse with thee, and spread my wants and my desires before thee, those worldly Cares and Delights with which I have been too too conversant, are importunately thrusting themselves upon me, to divert my Thoughts, distract my Intentions, and carry away my Affections from thee; by reason whereof my Mind wanders, my Hope droops, and my Desires are frozen, and whilst I am drawing near thee with my lips, my heart is running away from thee. O my God have pity upon me, pluck my Soul out of this deep mire, quicken, raise and spiritualize these my groveling Affections. Possess this Heart, which opens it self to thy gracious Influences, with such a strong and vigorous Love to thee, as may lift me up above all earthly things, and continually carry forth my Soul in vehement Desires after thee; that so I may always approach thee with a joyful Heart, being glad to leave the company of all other things to go to thee, my God, my exceeding Joy. Give me a sober, diligent and collected spirit, that is neither choaked with Cares, nor scattered with Levity, nor discomposed with Passion, nor estranged from thee with sinful Prejudice or Inadvertency; but fix it fast to thy self with the Indissoluble Bands of an active Love and pregnant Devotion; that so when-ever I prostrate my self before thee, I may presently be born away far above all these sensible Goods in a high Admiration of thee, and a passionate Longing after thee. And now, O Lord, while I am addressing to thee, gather in I beseech thee my wandering Thoughts, and fix and stay them upon thy self. And O do thou touch my cold and earthy Desires with an out-stretched Ray from thy self, and cause them to rise and flame up to thee in Fervours answerable to my pressing Wants, that I may so ask as that I may receive, so seek as that I may find, so knock as that it may be opened unto me, through Jesus Christ my blessed Lord and Redeemer, Amen.
If after this you find your Heart is very much enlarged, and your Mind and Affections vigorously disposed towards God and heavenly things, fix your Mind a little while upon the Beauty and Excellency of his Nature, or upon some of the most affecting Instances of his Love, or upon the blessed State above, and then go on with this following Prayer.
O Thou most excellent Being, thou infinitely amiable and adorable Majesty, thou Pattern of Beauty, and Standard of Goodness, who art glorious beyond all Praise, and dost out-reach all Wonder, and comprehend all perfection; blessed be thy Name, thou hast touch'd my soul with a lively sense of thy Glory; I feel it shining through me, and like an active Flame insinuating into my Heart; it fires my Love, cherishes my Hope, wings my Devotion, and diffuses a vital Warmth over all my Faculties; it raises me up into a heavenly State, and fills me with joy unspeakable and full of glory; it captivates every thought into Obedience to thy Will, and brings every Power of my soul into Subjection to thee. Blessed be thy Name, thou hast conquered me by thy Love, and I resign my self to thee with a chearful Heart. I am intirely thine, I am thy Servant, truly I am thy Servant, and in this Title I glory more than in all the Honours of the World. But though I am highly advanc'd and exalted by serving thee, yet thou art so infinitely happy in the boundless perfections of thy own Nature, that thou canst reap no other Advantage from it but only the pleasure of seeing thy poor Creature blessed and made happy by it. What then shall I render unto thee, O thou Joy of my Life, thou Treasure of my Love, thou supream Felicity of my Nature! Alas, I have nothing but my self to give thee, nothing but this poor Heart, that burns with Love to thee, that pants and breaths after thee, and desires above all things in the world to be eternally united to thee in perfect Love. If I had ten thousand Hearts to love thee, ten thousand Tongues to praise thee, I would devote them all to thee, as freely and chearfully as I do my self. For whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. O God, thou art my God, and my Portion for ever. In thee I am blest, and in the Light of thy Countenance I rejoice more than in all the Joys and Pleasures of the World. I am ravisht with thy Beauty, I admire thy Love, and from the bottom of my Soul adore thy Wisdom and Goodness. My heart is ready, O Lord, my Heart is ready, I will sing and give praise. Awake up my Glory, awake all the Powers of my Soul, I my self will awake and celebrate thy praises. Praised be the God of Glory, praised be the God of Love, praised be the Father of Mercies, praised be the best Friend of Souls, for thy Goodness reaches to the heavens, thy Glory shines throughout the Creation, and thy Mercy is spread over all thy works. Who can comprehend thine infinite Beauties, who can rehearse thy noble Acts, who can shew forth all thy Praise! I do confess my Thoughts are infinitely too short, my Affections too narrow, my Expressions too scanty, to comprehend and sufficiently admire and celebrate thy Glory. But, O my God, thou knowest that I love thee, and, blessed be thy Name, I feel infinite reasons so to do. O that I could love thee more, that I could love thee but as much as Angels and glorified Spirits do, who yet cannot love thee as much as thou deservest, because thou deservest to be belov'd infinitely. But my soul thirsts for thee, and longs after thee. O when shall I be admitted into thy blessed Presence, there to see, and admire, and love, and adore thee for ever! when shall I shake off this clog of sinful Mortality, that sinks and depresses me, and flee to those happy Regions of perfect Love, where I shall continually feed upon thee with inexpressible Delight, and be filled with a strong and everlasting Sense of thy goodness. O thou that art the beginner and finisher of every good work, be pleased to assist my holy Endeavours, to withdraw my Mind more and more from these sensible things, that it may have a clearer sight of its heavenly Country from whence it came, and whither it desires to return; that so having my Eye always fixt on that blessed recompence of reward, I may live above this World, and in despight of all its Terrors and Allurements, persevere to the end in a steady and even Course of Obedience. And now, O Lord, since thou hast been graciously pleas'd to inspire my Mind with these delightful Thoughts of thee, and to enlarge my Heart with such sweet Transports of Love to thee; grant, I beseech thee, that they may not only please, but better me; that they may lift me up above all the Temptations of this World, and revive my Strength, and quicken my Endeavours, and compose my distrustful Heart into a stedfast Dependence upon thee, that so I may be fruitful in all good works, and my heart may be establisht unblameable in holiness before thee, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus, Amen, Amen.
After you have used one or more of the foregoing Prayers, according as they suit with the present Temper of your Mind, take a short view of your Defects and Imperfections, and especially of those that cleave most to your Nature; and briefly represent to your Mind the intrinsick Evil and Vileness of them, and how they clog your Religion, blemish your Nature, and obstruct your Happiness, and then conclude with the following Prayer for Growth in Grace.
O God who art the most excellent Nature, the Perfection of all Beauty, and the Fountain of all Graces, who doest infallibly understand what is best to be chosen, and invariably chuse by the best and purest Reason; look down, I beseech thee, upon me thy poor defective Creature, who am ashamed of my self to see how unlike thee I am; how I am laden with Imperfections, and how after all my religious Endeavours, my Nature is still vitiated with unreasonable Lusts and Affections; how much Vanity and Impertinence there yet remains in my Mind, how much Perverseness in my Will, how much spiritual and carnal Iniquity in my Affections and Appetites. Lord, I have been long a contending with this corrupt Nature, and yet upon all Occasions I find my self too too prone to be *Here name the particular Infirmities that stick closest to your Nature.Wo is me, even my fairest Graces have their Spots and Blemishes, my purest Dispositions their sinful Intermixtures, and my best Works their Flaws and Imperfections. O my God, have pity upon me, who here lie sighing at thy Feet, under a miserable diseased Nature; and as thou hast begun the blessed Cure in me, so for Christ his sake I beseech thee to compleat it; that being intirely recovered, and raised up unto newness of Life, I may, in the perfect Health and Vigour of my Soul, serve and glorifie thee for ever. For which end, I beseech thee, confirm me more and more in the Belief of those immortal Pleasures beyond the Grave, which thou hast treasur'd up for those that love and obey thee; that by the strength of a lively Faith, and vigorous Hope, my Soul may be rais'd above this World, and learn to despise and trample upon all its gilded Vanities, whensoever they present themselves either to allure or to terrifie me from pursuing the heavenly Enjoyments. Excite in me such a vehement Thirst after those Rivers of Pleasures above, as may every day render me more cool and indifferent towards earthly things, more contented and satisfied under all the Events and Issues of thy Providence, and more active and vigorous in my heavenly Calling. And I beseech thee to inspire me with such clear and lively Apprehensions of thy essential Beauties and Perfections, and of thy bountiful Love and boundless Benevolence to all thy Creatures, as may every day more and more raise and improve my Love to thee; that this being the great Spring and Principle of all my Actions, may continually excite me to a chearful Obedience to thy Will, and a vigorous Imitation of thy Perfections. O cause me to love thee for thy self, and Religion for thee, and the Instruments of Religion in order to thy Glory and my own Happiness; that so founding my Content upon thee, and the blessed Interests of a virtuous Life, I may grow in Grace, and be rich in good Works, and go on with a satisfied and triumphant Spirit from Imperfection to Strength, from Acts to Habits, and from Habits to Confirmation in Grace; and may be still more and more confirmed in all the heavenly Graces, till they are finally consummated into everlasting Glory. And when, by thy Grace and Assistance, I have perfectly conquered the corrupt Nature within, and the Temptations without me, and am arrived into the State of everlasting Triumph, I will lay all my Victories at thy Feet, and with Palms in my hand, and Halelujahs on my lips, celebrate thy praises to Eternity. Hear me, O my God, in this and whatever else thou knowest to be needful for me, even for Jesus Christ his sake, in whose Name and Words I further pray, Our Father, &c.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Scott, The Christian Life (1681)