Meditations and Motives for Prayer Upon the Seven Days of the Week, Prayer 6 – Half title 6
A Prayer for Friday.
O Gracious God, thou hast beene pleased to heare foure of my Petitions: and I hope to grant them: wherein though I receive great comfort; yet I am not satisfied; for if either I should leave petitioning, or thou granting, I should perhaps make no benefit of thy former grants: for alas, my condition is such, that as long as my sixe dayes of labour last, I must of necessity be a petitioner still; for if I should leave petitioning, I should shew to thinke I had enough of thee already; and O gracious God, who can ever have enough of thee? it is true indeed, thou fillest all things: and what can any thing have more than to be full? but yet thou fillest things, but according to their capacitie: and alas, my capacitie is so small, that if thou enlarge it not, I shall rather be in danger to exclude thee all, than in possibility to hold day part of thee. O therefore bee pleased O God, to …ald…rge my capacitie: and give mee perseverance in the labours of my calling, that I may not give over till my worke be finished: and may then bring with mee my account compleat, without which it will never be accepted. O how many have dashed themselves against this rocke? have gone on, fairely for a time: and then given over, as weary of their labours? The Israelites went cheerfully on for a time: but as soone as Pharaoh pursued them, they fell a murmuring at Moses, and were ready to returne to their old captivitie. Judas went on fairely for a while: but as soone as thirty pieces were offered him, he gave over his service, and sold his Master. O therefore give mee grace O God, to shunne this rocke. Let neither the pursuit of Pharaoh: nor the thirty pieces of the Jewes: let neither the world nor Satan withdraw mee from persevering in the labours of my calling, in the workes of thy service: for what reward can I looke for, but according to my workes? and indeed, what reason to expect reward if I continue not the time till rewards come to be bestowed? O therefore vouchsafe O God, to assist mee in my labours, that this day also may have its part of worke, when I make my account: and O my soule, let the example shewed thee this day encourage thee to persevere: and to continue in the labours of thy calling; and in the workes of Godlinesse; for if Christ would have given over his worke, which this day he finished for our redemption, hee might have saved himselfe a labour, which but for our sakes hee needed not have taken: but so constant was hee in his resolution, so resolute in his worke, that he gave not over labouring, till hee gave over living, and till hee had finished the worke he came about. Consider, O my soule, that the labours of Piety in this life, are as a Rowing against the streame: if thou give over never so little, the streame will carry thee farther backe, than much labour afterward will be able to recover: and therefore that thy labours may be the lesse, let them be continuall: for without continuance thou wilt never be able to arrive at thy haven before thy sixe dayes end; and thou must not looke for any longer time to be allowed thee afterward; but as excluded from the haven, be left to the furie of stormes and tempests: O therefore most gracious God, be pleased to give mee the spirit of perseverance, that I may continue my labours; at least, the spirit of repentance for not continuing them: for alas the best part of our labouring is repentance for not labouring: which because the Angels are glad to see, I hope thou wilt be pleased to accept, and O be pleased to accept it O God: for if thou accept not my repentance; I can have little hope of thy accepting my perseverance; indeed no hope at all of thy accepting mine, but in him, and through him onelyonly, who persevered labouring, till his last gasp; and then left the fruits of his labours for mee amongst others, to enjoy; which O grant mee to enjoy for thy glorious Names sake.
MOTIVES FOR PRAYER VPONUPON SATVRDAY.