Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Prayer 24
A Prayer to obtaine and preſerue the Feare of God, that wee may be kept conſtant thereby in holineſſe to the end.
GLorious and euerlaſting God, whoſe LoueLove is as thy ſelfe free & vnchangeable, and becauſe thou art not changed, therefore the Sonnes of Iacob are not conſumed, and that they may not miſcar…y thou haſt promiſed to put thy Feare in their hearts, that they ſhall not depart from thee. And hauing accepted the blood of thy Sonne as a ſufficient ſatisfaction for their ſinnes, doſt daylie accept alſo the crie of that blood to preſerue them in thy feare, & to preſent them blameleſſe at the glorious appearance of thy righteous Sonne Ieſus. HaueHave mercy vponupon mee thy poore ſeruant, and put thy Feare in my heart, that I may cleaue faſt vntounto thee and neuer depart from thine holy Couenant: for I confeſſe vnfeignedly (O Lord my God) that as mine owne vnbeleeuing heart doth daily miſgiue mee, and is ready to betray mee to ſuch occaſions as may with-draw me from my ſtedfaſtneſſe: So there is no occaſion without; which without thy ſpeciall Grace is not likely daily ſo to enueigle and eſtrange my heart from thee, as that it may ſtagger and vtterly deny thee. For if I looke on the right hand to faire ſhewes of the vvorld, what are they elſe but ſo many baites to enſnare my wauering ſpirite, and ſteale it from thee? If I looke on the left hand to the ſorrowes and ſtormes thereof, are they not either as ſo many billowes to ouerthrow my weake Barke in the firſt ſetting out, or elſe to ſinke or ſwallow vp in the midway? Aboue all (O Lord) my owne deceitfull heart is ſo ſubiect to preſumption and ſecu…itie, that I am in danger, either to bee ſplit vponupon the Rockes, euen at the ſhore, or elſe to bee ſwallowed of quick-ſandes in the very hauen. Againſt all which ſeeing thy name (O Lord) is a ſtrong tower, and as thy name, ſo is thy Feare. O grant me in all things to feare thy great and glorious name, to ſtand in awe of thy Maieſty that I may daily feare my owne ſelfe, and ſo diſtruſting mine owne inability, I may both feare to offend thee, and in all thinges may ſtudy to pleaſe thee: and that I may ſo feare thee, as ſtill to rely vponupon thee, and draw neere with confidence to thee. O grant mee to feare thee for thy mercies, that I may louelove thee in the entertainement of them, ſo to bee afraid of thy iudgements, as to take warning by thy threatnings that I may auoid them, as to anſwere thee by repentance that I may not bee ſwallowed vp of them. GiueGive mee ſo to feare thee, as not to bee daunted with thinges preſent, leaſt my life bee vnprofitable and vncomfortable, neither to be diſtracted with things to come, leaſt I bee vnprepared to mine end: And that I may bee continually prepared for thee, O grant mee daily to make euen reckoning with thee by repentance, that I bee not taken tardie, and to renew my life daily in Chriſt, ſo liuing by Faith in him, that I may worke out my ſaluation in feare and trembling, both renouncing the worth of whatſoeuer good I hauehave or can do, as to bee iuſtified thereby: yea, though I know euill by my ſelfe, yet not ſtanding vponupon my cleering, becauſe thou knoweſt all things, and alſo not reſting in any preſent meaſure, as if I had attained or were already perfect, but forgetting what is behind & haſtning that which is before, I may preſſe towardes the marke, for the price of the high calling of God in Ieſus Chriſt. That ſo being daily dead to ſin, yea, to my ſelfe, and hauing my life hid with Chriſt in God, when Chriſt which is my life ſhal appeare, I may alſo appeare with him in glorie. Grant this gracious Father for Ieſus Chriſt his ſake my onelyonly Aduocate and Redeemer, Amen.