Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Prayer 10
A Prayer to be ſaid before the hearing or reading of the holy Scripture.
O Heauenly Father, whatſoeuer I am, whatſoeuer I hauehave, whatſoeuer I know, it is only by thy grace: for by nature I am the child of wrath, and I am not borne anew of fleſh and bloud, neither of the ſeed of man, or of the will of man. Fleſh & bloud cannot reueale the myſtries of thy heauenly kingdome vntounto me: but by thy bleſſed will I am that I am, and by the ſame know I that I know. Therefore, O Father, doe I commit into thy hands onelyonly, my ſaluation. If my knowledge be ſmall, yet I doubt nothing but that I am the child of thy euerlaſting kingdome: and therfore by thy mighty power, I ſhall grow (when it ſhall bee thy good will and pleaſure) to a more full and riper knowledge, as of a more perfect age, wherein my faith ſhall bee fully able to comprehend and perceiue the breadth, depth, heighth, and largneſſe of thy great mercies and gracious promiſes. But ſeeing, O Father, this power of full knowledge and perfect reuelation, paſſeth all power naturall, and remaineth onelyonly in thy power, and light of thy Spirit: O Lord, doe thou whatſoeuer it ſhall pleaſe thee, to open vntounto me and all the reſt of thine elect ſeruants and children, depending vponupon thee, ſo much of the light of thy countenance, as may bee moſt for thy glory, and our comfort: yea, and at ſuch time as ſhall ſeeme good to thy wiſedome and fatherly mercy. In the meane while, thus reſting wholy vppon thee, neithet can I deſpaire, neither will I be too much carefull, although I cannot attayne to the knowledge of many of thy workes, neither to the vnderſtanding of many places of thy Scriptures. But I will confeſſe vntounto thee the weakneſſe of my faith, waiting alwaies for the further reuealing of thy glorious light to bee vttered vntounto me thy poore ſeruant, when thou ſhalt thinke (of thy Fatherly beneuolence & goodneſſe) meete and conuenient. I knowing moſt aſſuredly, that thou wilt pittie my weake imbecilitie and childiſh infancie, and cauſe the ſame to ſerue for thy glory, and my great commoditie: ſeeing that I erre as a child before ſuch a Father, which canſt not but off thy Fatherly pitty and compaſſion, but rather as thou haſt bought mee vntounto thee, to bee an heire of thy kingdome by the bloud of thy naturall Sonne my Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt: ſo am I ſure that thou wilt lighten mee in the end, with full fruition of the bright light of thy countenance, that I may ſee thee, and know, that as this thy Sonne knoweth thee: yea, ſee thee and know thee my Father face to face, to know th…e as I am knowne. Thus reſt I onelyonly in thy hands (O my God) crauing of thee to encreaſe my knowledge in thy holy word, whereby I may know thy good will & pleaſure. And knowing the ſame, giuegive mee, O Lord, thy holy Spirit to conduct and lead mee in the ſame all the daies of my life; that in ſinceritie of faith, and purenes of liuing and conuerſation, thy glorious Maieſty bee magnified in mee for euer. GiueGive mee grace therefore (moſt mercifull Father) that for ſo high a treaſure left among vsus, as is this thy moſt holy word, I may be thankfull, reuerently embrace, accept, and eſteeme of the ſame, as the moſt precious iewell in earth, bee there…n confirmed more ſtrongly, that all things therein contayned to be moſt certaine and vndoubtedly true, not by any mortall man, but by thy moſt holy Spirit in man, penned and written to the comfort and behoofe of man: that I may moſt humbly, lowly, and with moſt high reuerence, ſubmit my ſelfe thereunto, as becometh thy Maieſtie, and thy word proceeding out of thy moſt bleſſed mouth: that I may reuerently with humbleneſſe and obedience, read, heare, and occupie my ſelfe in the ſame, to the comfort of my ſoule, and encreaſe of thy glory. Lighten mine vnderſtanding, moſt deere Father, with thy holy Spirit, that I may learne, cleerely to conceiue, and vnderſtand the things therein contained, which no mortall man can conceiue, ſaue thoſe who hauehave learned of thee, & whom thou by thy holy Spirit doſt lighten and inſtruct. Guide mee (deer… Father) with thy holy Spirit, that hauing the true vnderſtanding of the myſteries therein contained, I may be fully eſtabliſhed and confirmed in the true knowledge of thee my deere Father, & of thy beloued Sonne Ieſus Chriſt, my Lord and Sauiour, throughly in conſcience perſwaded that I hauehave my full and perfect ſaluation & life euerlaſting in him, and through his attonement, made through his death and paſſion, that I doe not vainly abuſe the knowledge of thy ſacred word, to ſatisfie vaine curioſitie, or bragge of knowledge: but onelyonly to the releeuing of my hungry and wounded conſcience, to the looſing of my fettered ſoule, and the appeaſing of my ſorrowfull heart: that I may to the end of my life, walke in ſincerity before thee, my heauenly Father, in the comforts of thy deere Sonne our Sauiour, vpholden ſtill by the mercifull power of the holy Ghoſt, to thine euerlaſting praiſe and glory, world without end. Amen.