A Help Unto Devotion, Prayer 6 – Prayer 8
6. Another Prayer ſomething more ſpeciall, reſpecting the hearing of Gods word.
ETernall God, moſt gratious and mercifull in Ieſus Chriſt, eueryevery good giuing & eueryevery perfect gift cōmeth down from thee: thou haſt cōmanded yt if any man lacke wiſedome hee ſhould aſke of thee, & thou haſt promiſed to deny nothing that is aſked of thee in thy Sons name; In obedience vntounto this thy commaundement, & in aſſurance of thy readines to make good thy promiſe, I doe héere caſt downe my ſelfe before thee, praying thee, as at all other times, ſo now eſpecially to be good vntounto mee. I am now (O Lord) by thy gratious prouidence, to bee a partaker of thy holy word, ye preaching whereof is the ordinary meanes appointed by thee to ſaue my Soule, & to draw me out of the power of ſathā vntounto thine own ſelfe. I, for my part, am vnworthy of ſo great a fauour as to bee admitted to heare it, and I am eueryevery way vnfit & vnable to heare it with profit. My heart is ful of blindnes & ignorance, my affections are froward and vntractable. I am euen reprobate by nature vntounto eueryevery good duty: I am dul of hearing, ſlow of cōceit, backward to entertaine, but apt to let ſlippe any good inſtruction. I beſeech thee in Ieſus Chriſt, by the working of thy ſpirit, to reforme within mee theſe corruptions: Make me as a new borne babe to deſire the ſincere milke of thy moſt ſacred word: graunt that I may reioyce at it, as one that findeth a great ſpoyle, let it bee better vntounto me thē thouſands of gold and ſiluer; Open my heart, as thou didſt the heart of Lydia, that I may euen with a kinde of hunger and gréedineſſe attend vntounto the things which are deliuered: cleare the eyes of my mind, & anoint them with that pretious ſalue of thy ſpirit, that the ſcales of ignorance may fall from them, and that I may ſée the wonders of thy Law, euen thy hid wiſedome, which my nature of it ſelfe is not able to diſcerne: And, becauſe thou haſt promiſed to guide the humble in thy way, and to reueale thy ſecret to the méeke, take from mee, I pray thee, a proud heart, teach mée to become a foole in my ſelfe, that I may bee wiſe in thee: Suffer me not to meaſure the myſteries of thy kingdome by mine owne blind reaſon and corrupt affection; but giuegive me grace to deny my ſelfe, and to labour to bring mine owne thoughts into captiuity vnderunder Chriſt, that I may not dare to oppoſe mine owne conceipts and fancies vntounto the maieſtie of thy trueth reuealed in thy word. GiueGive vntounto the Preacher, a doore of vtterance, that he may open his mouth boldly to publiſh the ſecret of thy Goſpel. Direct his tongue that he may ſpeak vntounto my cōſcience, & that if there bee any cloſe corruptiō lurking in me (as Lord, who can vnderſtād his faults) ye ſearching power of thy word may diſcouer it, and rip it vp euen to the very bottome. And vouchſafe vntounto me that meekneſſe of ſpirit, and ſuch calme and yéelding affections, that I may not repine nor murmure at reproofe, but may louelove him rather that rebuketh, and may take it as a ſpeciall fauour frō thee, that I am not ſuffered to go on in ſin, nor giuen ouer to mine own corruptions. In eueryevery point of holy doctrine taught me, make me to remember who it is ye ſpeaketh by the mouth of man, that I may receiue the worde as a meſſage from thee, whether it be comfort, or reproofe, or inſtructiō, & ſo may giuegive it ye reuerēce & that awful reſpect which is due vntounto thy holy Orac…s: And becauſe (O Lord) as I am naturally forgetfull, ſo the deuill watcheth to catch away the worde as ſoone as it is deliuered, therefore I pray thee to ſtabliſh my memorie that I may hold faſt thy bleſſed trueth, and may alwayes hauehave it in ſtore againſt the time of néed. To this end, make mée carefull in the vſe of all good priuate meanes, ſuch as are Prayer, meditation, conference with others as occaſion ſhall require. Beget in mée a godly diſcretion, that I may diligently ſearch the Scriptures, whether the things I heare, are ſo, and may try all things; neither raſhly reiecting, nor ſuddenly belieuing whatſoeuer is deliuered. And when I hauehave found thy trueth, ſo ſtabliſh my heart, that I may not wauer nor be caryed about with eueryevery wind of doctrine, but may continue in the things which I hauehave learned, labouring daily to bee led forward vntounto more perfection. And ſéeing, hearing and knowing without practiſe doe but encreaſe vntounto more condemnation, therefore (O Lord) do thou ſo water that which I heare, with thy heauēly deaw, that it may bring foorth much fruit in my life, & that I maybe a credite to my profeſſion, and no diſgrace nor ſlander to thy trueth: Grant all theſe things for thy deare Sons ſake Ieſus Chriſt, to whom with thee & thy bleſſed Spirit, I deſire to aſcribe all honour and glory now and for euer. Amen.
7. Another of the like nature, reſpecting the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper.
I Am taught (O Lorde) that without thee I can doe nothing, and that all mine endeauours are in vaine without thy bleſſing. In due regard whereof, I am become an humble ſuter vntounto thy maieſtie, that thou wouldeſt bée pleaſed to proſper and to direct my preſent purpoſe of communicating at thy table. It is thy will that I ſhould often come vntounto this holy banquet, for ye ſtrengthening my fayth, & for the preſeruation of ye memory of Chriſtes death. O Lord, ſtrike my heart with reuerence vntounto it as vntounto thy ordinance, and as to a feaſt to which thou haſt tyed thy more eſpeciall preſence, that I may not dare to preſſe in before thee vnprepared. Before I come, teach me to grow into a very ſtrict examinatiō of mine own Soule, that I may ſée how I hauehave liued, & in what meaſure I am furniſhed for ſo waighty a ſeruice. And, becauſe I know that the more I looke into my ſelfe, the more I ſhall ſée mine owne nakedneſſe and deformity, therefore I pray thee to ſupply mee from thy infinite fulneſſe; GiueGive mee a through vnderſtanding of the miſerie of my eſtate, who am by nature a childe of wrath as well as others. Make me to ſée the hainouſneſſe of thoſe innumerable euils and groſſe ſinnes which I hauehave multiplyed before thee from time to time; nay, which I hauehave runne into ſince my laſt preſenting my ſelfe before thee at thy board, when I promiſed better obedience. O cauſe my ſtony heart to bléede within mee, when I thinke vponupon mine owne ſcantneſſe in good dutyes and vponupon my delight and forwardneſſe to tranſgreſſe. Make me to be aſhamed and euen confounded in my ſelf for thoſe many enormities which frō my corrupt and vnreformed heart doe continually breake foorth into my outward man, eueryevery member being a very weapon of vnrighteouſneſſe to doe ſeruice vntounto ſathan. Thus (O Lord) ſhall thy mercyes in Chriſt be ſwéet vntounto me, & I ſhall come with an hungring and thirſting ſoule vntounto thy table. And I pray thee to encreaſe in mée that gift of fayth, that I may both come to this thine ordinance with a deſire to enlarge it, and may alſo féele it to receiue ſtrength and growth of aſſurance of mine owne perſonall and particular intereſt into ye death of Chriſt. Remooue farre from mee all ſwelling, diſdainefull and vncharitable affections: O Lorde, this is a feaſt of louelove, and to it a malicious and a reuengeful heart can be no welcome gueſt. And when I hauehave preſented my ſelfe at thy table, I beſéech thee to reſtraine my idle and gadding thoughts, drawe them to the earneſt & ſerious meditation of that which is ye life of the Sacrament, the death of my Sauiour. Rauiſh my Soule with the admiratiō of his louelove, that ſhould giuegive himſelfe to dy for me a moſt vile, vnworthy and ſinfull creature. Stirre mee vppe, euen to vowe and conſecrate my ſelfe for euer vntounto him that hath vouchſafed himſelfe to bée a ſacrifice for mée. And after I hauehave receiued theſe pledges of thy louelove, and ſeales of thy fauour in thy deareſt Sonne, O make me truely thankefull to thy maieſtie, and carefull both at the preſent, and euer after, to ſhew foorth the fruits of thankfulneſſe in an holy and religious conuerſation, to thy glorie, the good of others, and mine owne eternall comfort in Ieſus Chriſt my Sauiour. Amen.
8. Preſently after Receiuing, before the Thankeſgiuing by the whole Congregation, a man may ſecretly lift vp his ſoule on this faſhion.
AFfect my heart (O Lorde) with this euidence of thy louelove, teach me in it to ſée the riches of thy grace, who art pleaſed for my weakenes ſake by ſuch familiar meanes to figure out before me, and to ſeale vp vntounto my ſoule, a treaſure of that infinite worth, as is thy fauour in Ieſus Chriſt. O that I may as ſenſibly féele his death to be ſwéet vntounto my Soule, as I do theſe creatures of bread and wine, to afford a pleaſing taſte and refreſhing to my body. O Lord euermore giuegive mee ſuch a féeling. And now (O heauenly Father) ſuffer mee not to depart hence forgetfull of thy kindneſſe: but graunt that I may now at this inſtant euen couenant with mine own ſoule, to walke in a better courſe of holy obedience then heretofore, reſpecting all thy commandements, and endeauouring alwayes to hauehave a cleare conſcience before thee & before all men; that ſo glorifying thee in this life, I may be glorified with thee in thy kingdom through Ieſus Chriſt. Amen.