Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Prayer 23
A Prayer for the obtaining and encreaſe of LoueLove.
HOly Father, who out of the boundleſſe riches of thy free Grace, didſt ſo louelove me, that thou gaueſt thine onelyonly Sonne to death for me, that being redeemed from the bondage of ſinne, and ſnares of deſtruction, I might bee tranſlated from death to life: and therefore didſt louelove me firſt, that I might ſerue thee in louelove, and offer vp my ſelf a Free-will Offering, gracious and acceptable before thee in all holy obedience; and haſt hereby aſſured me, that I am beloued of thee, if all my workes bee done in louelove; louing thee for thy ſelfe, and all other things for thy ſake. Looke graciouſly vponupon me thine vnworthy ſeruant, and ſhedde thy louelove into my heart by thy bleſſed Spirit, that I may louelove thee aboue all things, and all things in & for thee. And that I may ſo louelove thee, that I may be more vnited vntounto thee, and fully at the length enioy thee: O grant me firſt to know thee in Ieſus Chriſt the Sonne of thy LoueLove, that ſo I may know, what louelove in him thou haſt ſhewed me; that when I was dead in ſinne, thou diddeſt raiſe me vppe in him from dead workes, that I might ſerue thee the liuing God, in the newneſſe of Spirit, that ſo diſcerning in this liuely Mirrour of thy LoueLove vntounto me, mine owne vnworthineſſe of thy louelove, and inability to louelove thee againe, I may wholly deny my ſelfe, that I may be found of thee in Chriſt, and by his power be enabled to louelove thee againe. Grant me therefore, (gracious God) to truſt perfectly in Ieſus Chriſt, that I may feele my ſelfe to be beloued of thee in him, and inflame my hart with the louelove of Chriſt, that ſo in him, I may louelove thee againe.
And ſeeing nothing in me was able to hinder this thy louelove in him to me, Oh grant me, that nothing within me, or without me, may hinder or ſeparate my LoueLove from thee. And ſeeing, of thine owne free grace thou diddſt louelove me in him, oh grant me for his ſake onelyonly to louelove thee: ſeeing hee thought nothing, no not his precious blood too deere to expres his louelove vntounto me; oh let mee thinke all things baſe in compariſon of my louelove vntounto him. Seing he loued me in deeds, not only in words, both doing for me what I could not do, and ſuffring for me what I could neuer hauehave endured; oh grant me to louelove thee againe, not in words, but in deeds, both dooing what thou commandeſt with all ſincerity and diligence, and ſuffering what thou impoſeſt with all ioy, chearfulnes, & patience: ſo to louelove thee for thy mercies, as to feare to offend thee in regard of my corruption: ſo to feare in reſpect of mine owne aptnes to offend thee, as to louelove thee for thy free grace in Chriſt, accepting mee in him, aboue mine owne vnworthineſſe, not imputing my ſinnes vntounto mee, and for his ſake accepting my willing minde, to doe what I cannot, and enabling mee daily in him to doe aboue what I am able in my ſelfe, yea, doing in him all my workes aboue the worth thereof; yea, doing wonderfully by him in mee aboue what I preſently can diſcerne: yea, aboue whatſoeuer I am able to aske or thinke: that thou in him maiſt hauehave the glorie of all thy goodneſſe. O let thine vnſpeakeable louelove vntounto mee, enlarge my heart from thee to the louelove of the Brethren: that ſo I may know heereby that I am tranſlated from life to death. Grant me ſo to louelove thine owne Image, whereſoeuer I finde it ſtamped on Man; that I may louelove him beſt, that is moſt like vntounto thee: and yet loath that in him which is vnlike vntounto thee. GiueGive mee to louelove him with a pure heart as thou loueſt mee, and to affect him feruentlie, as thou affecteſt mee. Grant mee to doe the beſt good to him, as thou gaueſt the beſt for me: and yet not to neglect to do the leaſt, as thou faileſt not mee in the leaſt occaſions. GiueGive me to louelove him conſtantly, as thy louelove to mee continues: and not to be weary of well-doing, that I may obtaine the reward. And as thou louedſt mee, when I was thine enemie: ſo grant me to louelove my enemies, & pray for them that perſecute me, becauſe they cary thine Image, & are thine Inſtruments to do me good; that ſo I may ouercome euill with good, & heape coales of louelove vponupon their heads. And ſeeing I am yet a ſtranger and ſoiourner in this world: O grant mee not to louelove the world, nor the thinges therein; but ſo to vſe them as if I vſed them not: and yet thereby be ſtirred vp to louelove thy moſt wiſe prouidence, who haſt made all theſe thinges for me, that I therein ſerue & honor thee: and that I may ſo do, O knit my heart faſt vntounto thee by this hand of louelove, that I may louelove thee more, the more thou openeſt thine hand to fill mee with them, and yet louelove thee more conſtantly, the more thou ſuſtaineſt mee without them, ſtill returning thee the prayſe both of giuing them to me, and taking them from me; that nothing may b…e able to ſeperate me from thy louelove, that I may daily more and more hate my corruption, and all occaſions thereof; ſo to hate my ſinne that ſtill I may more louelove thy merciemercy in pardoning thereof, more admire thy wiſedome in turning it to my good, more louelove and long for the appearance of Ieſus Chriſt, for the full aboliſhing of the ſame. That ſo liuing in thy louelove, I may die in thy fauour, and dying in louelove I may liue for euer with thee, to louelove and glorifie thee my bleſſed God in Ieſus Chriſt, with the bleſſed Spirite, one glorious God in three perſons, bleſſed for euermore, to whom bee prayſe and Dominion, with all hearty louelove and obedience, of all that louelove the comming of Ieſus Chriſt, Amen.