Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Prayer 27 – Prayer 31
A Prayer before the taking of a Iourney.
ALmighty and moſt holy Father, who haſt promiſed to be with thy Seruant, whither ſoeuer I goe, and to atte…d mee with …o…o miniſtring Spirits thine holy Angels, to pitch their Tents round about mee, and beare mee in their hands. Vnſpe…keable as thy goodneſſe heerein, O Lord vntounto me, wh… by nature a childe of wrath, and a meer ſlaue of Satan ſhould be aſſured of ſo …igh an hand of heauenly protection. Make good (I pray thee) now at this time this thy mercy women, being my neceſſ…ry buſineſſe, to nauell from mine owne place. Many are the perils which both by nature and deſert I am ſubiect; no man is able to number them, or …y his owne ſtrength or policy, to auoid them. Compaſſe thou mee with thy fauour as with a ſhield: Goe before me as thou didſt of old before thy people in the wilderneſſe: it is onelyonly thou that canſt make mee goe and come in ſafely. Some put their …ruſt in outward helpe, but cauſe thou mee to remember thy Name, and to make thy trueth to bee my ſhield and buckler. A horſe is a vaine helpe, and ſhall not deliuer any by his great ſtrength, neither is the mighty man ſaued by his power: it is better to truſt in the Lord, then to hauehave confidence in Princes.
If thou (O Lord) bee my ſight & my ſaluation, whom ſhall I feare? If thou bee the ſtrength of my life, of whom ſhall I bee afraid? Let this I pray thee be the Anchor of my ſoule both ſure and ſtedfaſt: ſuffer no power of Satan to remoue my faith from this foundation. Howbeit (gracious Father) if it ſhall be thy pleaſure in this my iourney to bring ſome croſſe vponupon mee, either by making me a prey to ſpoylers, or by ſome other hazard, I beſeech thee prepare mee to it, giuegive me patience and comfort in it, and an holy aſſurance, that no outward inconuenience can ſeparate mee from thy louelove in Ieſus Chriſt.
Make mee alwaies mindfull of this, that thy fauour muſt not be meaſured by theſe outward accidents, and cauſe mee euer to hold faſt this Rule, that all things ſhall worke together for the beſt vntounto thy ſeruants. And as in my trauailes I am deſirous of thy fauour, ſo teach mee (good Father) I humbly pray thee to make conſcience of thy Feare. That as I expect and craue protection from thee, ſo I may apply my ſelfe to yeild obedience vntounto thee. Wherfore when I am iournying on earth; grant mee to mind my departure from the world, and my iourney to Heauen: when I am alone grant that I may poſſeſſe my heart with holy thoughts, and may diligently watch ouer my ſelfe, for the preuenting of all vncleane and worldly cogitations. Let me neuer preſume vponupon the aduantage of my ſecrecie, ſeeing thou art in my ſecret parts: nor that I am vnknowne in the places where I come, as to doe ought vnbeſeeming the profeſſion of a Chriſtian: ſeeing in all places I am knowne to thee, and would bee knowne and approued of thee.
And if I light into the company of others, make me ſtill carefull to ſeeke and entertaine all good opportunities of doing or receiuing good; that I may neuer conforme my ſelfe to the humors of prophane perſons, but in a godly diſcretion may ſo cary my ſelfe, as that I may neither wilfully make my ſelfe a ſcorne to the wicked, neither yet may any why bee offenſiue to the godly, either by wounding them by my ſcandalous carriage, or wounding mine ſoule by communicating with their euils, but either may winne or bridle, or at leaſt make them inexcuſable, either bettering them, or being better by them; not returning to them, if they will not returne to mee.
This grant mee gracious God in an aſſured expectation of thy gracious guidance to betake my ſelfe to mine entended iourney. And ſo I commend both my ſelfe and it, together with theſe my ſuits vntounto thee my louing Father, in the name and worthineſſe of Ieſus Chriſt my onelyonly Mediator and Redeemer, Amen.
A Thankſgiuing after a Iourney.
IT is thy great mercy (O Lord my God) that as I craued thy aſſiſtance in my iourney, ſo it hath pleaſed thee to giuegive mee good ſucceſſe therein, and to bring mee ſafe againe vntounto mine owne home: and it is my dutie as I hauehave obtayned fauour from thee heerein, ſo to returne thee the onelyonly praiſe and glory thereof. For thou (O Lord) haſt onelyonly proſpered my occaſions, thou onelyonly cauſeſt me to go forth and returne in ſafetie.
Gracious haſt thou beene vntounto mee euen from the wombe vntounto this preſent, deliuering mee out of all my troubles, ſupplying all my wants, and doing all my workes for mee: aboue all crowning thine owne graces in mee, and accepting both me and all my ſeruice aboue the worth thereof, in the merit of my Sauiour, in whom thou haſt pa…doned all my ſinnes, and ſanctified my afflictions: yea, my very ſinnes vntounto my good. There is no day, nor houre of the day, nor minute of the houre, no occaſion that hath befallne mee in any moment of time, in which thy bleſſings are not renewed towards me. O that I could bee ſo liuely and effectually thankefull vntounto thee as becommeth mee. O that my heart within mee might euen melt with greefe, that I hauehave paſſed ouer ſo many of thy fauours without due regard. And yet behold, how now alſo thou prouokeſt mee to this dutie. O quicken mee, I humbly pray thee heerevnto. Make me diligently to looke backe into the courſe and order of the whole iourney, and to obſerue by degrees, how thou haſt bene good vntounto mee: how thou haſt bleſſed my going out, and my comming in, & haſt brought me in peace to my reſting place. Many dangers might hauehave ſwallowed me vp, which yet (through thy great goodneſſe I hauehave happily eſcaped:) ſundry times hath there bene (ſuch is the brittlenes of this houſe of clay which I beare about mee) but euen a ſt…ppe betweene me and death, out of the iawes whereof thy right hand, and thine owne onelyonly arme hath ſaued mee. I can aſcribe nothing to my ſelfe or mine owne prouidence, neither can I ſay that my ſafety is the reward of mine owne deſeruing. Not vntounto me (O Lord) not vntounto mee, but to thy Name doth belong the glory, for thou haſt preſerued mee (O God of truth.) And now grant (I beſeech thee) that the ſenſe of thy louelove, may beget in mee ſuch a louelove of thee, and of that which thou commandeſt, that I may willingly & cheerfully and with full purpoſe of heart, dedicate my ſelfe to thy ſeruice: accounting as my life now renewed vntounto mee, ſo eueryevery new kindnes is as it were a new bond and a freſh encouragement hereunto, that I may walke before thee daily in newneſſe of life, paſſing the time of my pilgrimage in feare, and going on from ſtrength to ſtrength till I appeare before thee my God in Sion, euen that new Ieruſalem which is aboue. Grant me theſe things gracious Father, euen for thy deere Sonne ſake, Ieſus Chriſt our Lord, Amen.
A Prayer for a woman in time of her trauaile.
RIghteous and holy Lord God, I doe now finde by experience the fruite of my ſin, that I muſt trauaile in ſorrow, and bring forth in paines: and I vnfeignedly adore the truth of thy Sacred word, as certifying vntounto me, that ſorrow muſt bee in the Euening: ſo comforting me alſo againſt the Morning, that a Childe ſhall be borne. Willingly, do I deſire to ſubmit my ſelfe in hope into this thy chaſticement; and to learne the deſert of my ſinne, horrible in themſelues, that theſe temporall paines, are fore-runners of eternall: and yet by thy merciemercy may bee ſo ſanctified vntounto mee, as not onelyonly to preuent eternall vengance, but alſo prepare for eternall comforts, euen to bee Sacred by bearing of Children.
Grant me therefore (gracious Father) true repentance and pardon for my ſinnes paſt, that they may not ſtand at this time in this my need betweene mee and thy merciemercy. GiueGive mee a comfortable feeling of thy LoueLove in Chriſt, which may ſweeten all other pangs, though neuer ſo violent or extreame: make mee ſtill to lift vp my ſoule vntounto thee, in my greateſt agonies, knowing that thou alone muſt giuegive a bleſſing to the ordinary meanes for my ſafe deliuerance. Lay no more vponupon mee then I am able to endure; and ſtrengthen my weake body to the bearing of what ſorrow ſoeuer, by which it ſhall ſeeme good vntounto thee to make triall of me.
Grant me to conſider that howſoeuer it be with mee, yet I am alwaies as thine hand, whoſe mercies faile not, who will bee found in the Mount and greateſt extreamitie, and to whom belong the iſſues of death: ſo prepare mee therefore to death, that I may bee fit for life, euen to yeild fruite aliue vntounto the world, and to bee renewed and enabled to nouriſh the ſame. And when thou haſt ſafely giuen mee the expected fruite of my wombe, make mee with a thankfull heart, to conſecrate both it and my ſelfe wholly to thy ſeruice all the daies of my life, through Ieſus Chriſt mine onelyonly Sauiour and Redeemer, Amen.
A Thankſgiuing after ſafe deliuerance.
O Bleſſed for euer be thy great & glorious Name (moſt deere and louing Father) for thy great mercy to mee moſt weake and ſinfull woman.
Wonderfull art thou in all thy workes (O Lord) the riches of thy mercies are paſt finding out: thou haſt plunged mee with great afflictions, and yet thou haſt returned & refreſhed me againe: thou haſt brought me to the feare of the graue, and yet thou haſt raiſed mee vp againe to life. O how haſt thou ſhewed thy power in my weakneſſe? How hath thy louing kindneſſe preuailed againſt my vnworthyneſſe? Thou mighteſt for my ſinnes hauehave left me to periſh in mine extremities, but thou haſt compaſſed mee about with ioyfull deliuerance: thou mighteſt hauehave made my wombe a graue to burie the dead: or in affoording life to another, thou mighteſt hauehave procured my death, but yet thou haſt not onelyonly made my wombe a wel-ſpring of life, but reſtored life vntounto me alſo, for the cheriſhing thereof. Marueilous (O Lord) are thy workes; infinite are thy mercies, my ſoule by preſent experience knoweth it well. O my ſoule praiſe thou the Lord, and all that is within me praiſe his holy Name. My ſoule praiſe thou the Lord, and forget not all his benefits. Thou haſt heard my prayers, and looked vppon my ſorrow, thou haſt redeemed my life from death, and healed mine infirmities, and crowned mee with thine euerlaſting compaſſions.
O giuegive me, I humbly pray thee, a thankfull heart, not onelyonly now while the memorie and ſenſe of thy fauour is freſh before mee, but continually euen ſo long as I hauehave any being.
Grant that I may learne by this liuely euidence of thy power and mercy, for euer heereafter to depend onelyonly on thee. Quicken mee alſo to all holy duties, that my thankfulneſſe may appeare in my pure and Chriſtian carriage.
Make mee a kind and carefull mother, willing to vndergoe the paine and trouble of education. Let no niceneſſe or curioſitie hinder mee from thoſe ſeruices, to which both nature and religion hath appointed me: let me alſo be carefull when time requireth, to ſeaſon the fruite thou haſt giuen mee, with the ſauing knowledge of thee, and thy deere Sonne, that my deſire may manifeſtly appeare to be ſet for the encreaſe of thy Kingdome. Vouchſafe ſo to order my affections and to bring them in obedience vnderunder thee, that if it ſhould be thy pleaſure, either now or heerafter to take this Infant from me, I may as willingly part with it as thou freely gaue it me.
And now (O God) perfect in mee that ſtrength which thou haſt begunne, make me to grow in care to ſerue thee faithfully, both in the duties of pietie, and in other buſineſſe of my place and calling, that I may bee a comfort to my husband, and example to my neighbours, a grace to my profeſſion, and a meanes of glorie to thy Name, through Ieſus Chriſt my Lord and Sauiour, Amen.
A Prayer for thoſe who are employed in the aſsiſtance of a trauailing woman.
HOly Father, who haſt commanded vsus to ſerue one another in louelove, and haſt made this the triall of our true louelove vntounto thee and our neighbour, that wee helpe them in the time of need. Be preſent we pray with vsus, …y thy gracious Spirit, to ſeale vp the pardon of our ſinnes, that they hinder vsus not in this buſineſſe; and to aſſiſt vsus with ſuch conſcience and diligence, that our labour may not bee in vaine.
Wee confeſſe (O Lord) that wee are not worthy of …ny g…d for our ſelues, much leſſe that wee ſhould ſmother the good of others: neither that any labour of ours can further thy good without thy ſpeciall Grace enabling vsus therein, and accepting the ſame. Accept vsus therefore wee pray thee, in the blood of thy Son, & ſhed thy louelove into our hearts by thine holy Spirit, that all our labour may be done in louelove. In louelove to thy Maieſty, who enableſt vsus to all good, and in louelove to our Chriſtian Siſter, eſpecially to her ſoule. And therefore keepe vsus wee pray thee, from all idle ſauours and ſuperſtitious conceits, as auaileable heereunto: from all rotten and vnſauoury ſpeech which may interrupt the worke; and teach vsus to ſeeke helpe onelyonly from thy Grace, vſing al gracious communication both among our ſelues, and to the comfort of the diſtreſſed, that ſhee may only depend vponupon thy mighty power, applying all diligence and wiſedome, in affoording ſeaſonable helpe for the eaſing of the paine, or furthering of the birth. Furniſh vsus with skill, and her with ſtrength, patiently to awaite the appointed time of her deliuerance: and knit all our hearts vntounto thee, that wee may feare thy Name; obſeruing the paſſages of thy prouidence in this, and all other thy great workes; and ſtudying to giuegive thee praiſe and glory for the ſame, in Ieſus Chriſt our onelyonly Lord and Sauiour, Amen.