Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Prayer 26
A Prayer to walke conſcionably in our ciuil and perſonall Calling.
O Moſt glorious and wiſe God, who in thine infinit wiſedome, haſt ordayned, that eueryevery Sonne of Adam ſhould eate his bread in the ſweat of his face, and ſo haſt wiſely fitted each man in his ſeuerall place, with ſeuerall and particular gifts, of nature, experience, and grace, that ſo hee might glorifie thee in ſome ſpeciall calling: not willing that any ſhould liue idlely, like an vnprofitable burthen of the earth, miſpending his precious time, and waſting away thy Creatures, neither doing good to humaine ſociety. And herein haſt giuen vsus a patterne from thy ſelfe, who euen workeſt hitherto: and albeit that thy great buſineſſe of Creating all things, ended with thoſe firſt ſix daies, in which eueryevery particular was brought forth by thee in his proper kind, yet thy prouidence is neuer intermixed in it, neither ſlumber nor ſleepe ouer taketh thee. And ſo alſo thy deere Sonne Ieſus Chriſt, whilſt in the daies of his fleſh h…e humbled himſelfe to liue as man vponupon the earth, both in his priuate life attended vppon a painefull trade, and when the time came of his manifeſting himſelfe to the world, went about doing of good; yea, & with that chearfulnes, that it was his meate and drinke to doe thy will, and to finiſh the worke of him that ſent him. And all thine holy actions, alſo in continuall action, obeying the voyce of thy word and miniſtring for their ſakes, that ſhall be heires of life; nay, doth not eueryevery Creature in his place obey this thine ordinance, the Sunne, the Moone, & all thoſe heauenly Orbes? Do they not execute their operations faithfully, and finiſh their Reuolutions in their ſeaſons? Do not theſe inferior things daily performe thy will herein? Who am I that (Bleſſed Lord) that I ſhould not reioyce, that it hath ſeemed good vntounto thee, to make mee among other of thy ſeruants, and to ſet mee as it were my proper taske vponupon which to giuegive my faithfull attendance.
Grant mee therefore I pray thee, not to repine heereat, as at ſome vneaſy burthen put vponupon me, but that I may contentedly and comfortably vnderunder goe it, euen like that glorious creature the Sunne, who hauing his Tabernacle ſet him in the heauens, reioyceth like a mighty man to runne his race. And ſeeing thou haſt not placed me (O Lord) in this calling, for mine owne p…uate good alone, but alſo fo… a more publike and common benefit; giuegive mee ſuch an honeſt, ſincere, and charitable heart, that I may determine with my ſ…lfe neuer to ſeeke, no not yet willingly to receiue that gaine which cometh by the wronging, or loſſe of others.
Let me euer hauehave in mind that golden rule, whatſoeuer I would that men ſhould do vntounto mee, of doing euen ſo vntounto them. Let it neuer ſlippe out of my mind, that the wages of vnrighteouſneſſe is put into a broken bagge. And that as the good man ſhall giuegive inheritance to his Childrens Children, ſo the riches of vanity ſhall diminiſh, and that thou wilt draw euen out of the belly of the oppreſſor the ſu… ſtance which hee hath deuoured; or if it do continue with him, it ſhall bee for his great hurt, his owne eaſe ſhall ſlay him, and his proſperity ſhall be his deſtruction. Grant mee therefore I humbly pray thee, rather to chooſe a little with thy bleſſing, then great reuenues with thy curſe & vengeance accompanying the ſame.
And if it ſhall be thy good pleaſure to bleſſe my basket and my ſtore, & to encreaſe my portion by my honeſt induſtry: O keepe mee I humbly pray th…e, that I may not ſet my heart vppon it, let not my riches bee my ſtrong Citie, or as an high wall in my Imagination: ſo I may bee more and more afraid of my ſelfe, leſt the cares of this world and the deceitfulnes of riches, ſhould choake in mee the ſeeds of grace, and ſteale away my mind from better things: and therefore make it my care (good Father) to follow my calling with that holy wiſedome, as that I may not ſo farre enſnare my ſelfe into the buſines of it, that I ſhould abridge and ſcant my ſelfe of conuenient opportunities for heauenly and Spirituall employments. And as I ſhall feele thy hand to bee opened vntounto mee, ſo open my heart and hand towards others, knowing that he that ſcattereth ſhall bee more encreaſed. ſo he that ſpareth more then is right ſhall ſurely come to pouerty: euer make mee to conſider thy all-ſeeing preſence, that all things are naked and open before thee, and that thou wilt ſurely bring forth to iudgment eueryevery ſeceret thing. That ſo I knowing thee to bee a witneſſe to all my courſes, my care may be to walke as in thy preſence, and to approue my ſelfe vntounto thee by an euen and vpright behauiour, ſo walking ſtill in my ciuill calling, as that I may beginne and ſanctifie the ſame by my ſpirituall: ſo carrying my ſelfe therein, as ſtill to looke higher to the things aboue, ſtill to looke low to what may befall mee, preparing for want in my greateſt aboundance, and abounding with content in my greateſt wants, humbling my ſelfe in my diſappointment herein for my negligence in better things, and comforting my ſelfe in my ſpirituall thrift, that all ſhall worke for the beſt: vſing diligence in what is ſet before mee, and leauing the iſſue to thy wiſe prouidence, not indenting with thee for what meaſure thou ſhalt beſtow, but ſtill labouring to attaine to the greateſt meaſure of grace, that it may be ſufficient for me in all occaſions, ſo grant mee to commit my ſelfe in well-doing into the hands of thee my faithfull Creator, and ſo trie my thriuing in theſe outward things, by my thriuing in grace and holineſſe in the feare of thee our God, and ſo haſtening in all theſe things, which can giuegive mee no ſound comfort nor true contentment, to the life of glorie, wherein I ſhall bee fully ſatisfied, with thy fulneſſe, who art all in all, God bleſſed for euer and euer, and with Ieſus Chriſt thy Sonne our bleſſed Sauiour, to whome with thee, and God the holy Spirit, bee all praiſe, glorie, and honor for euer, Amen.