Page images
PDF
EPUB

and conveniences of this life, and the hopes and expectations of a far better, through thy tender mercies in Christ Jesus.

O Lord, imprint in our hearts such a deep sense of thy mercies, that we may shew forth thy praise not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.

We confess, O Lord, that we are unworthy of the least of all thy favours; but, in confidence of thy infinite mercy and goodness, we do in great humility recommend ourselves, our souls, and bodies, and all that belong to us, to thy fatherly care and good providence; humbly beseeching thee, who art our only safety and defence, to take us this night under thy almighty protection, and to give thy holy angels charge over us, that no evil comes near to hurt us.

Refresh our bodies with quiet rest and sleep, and our souls with the comforts of thy Holy Spirit: and, when thou shalt think fit to remove us out of this world, give us everlasting rest and

peace in thy eternal kingdom, through the merits, and for the sake of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ, who hath taught us, when we pray, to say, Our Father, &c.

A Morning Prayer for a Person in Private.

O MOST great, most mighty, and most glorious Lord God! look down from the habitation of thy holiness upon me thy unworthy creature, who am come into thy presence to adore thy incomprehensible majesty, and to present before thee the morning sacrifice of my unfeigned praises, for the many and undeserved mercies thou hast bestowed upon me.

O Lord, I acknowledge, that to thee of right belongs eternal honour, glory, praise, and adoration; for thou art the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, by whom all things were made, and by whose infinite power and goodness they exist and are preserved.

Blessed be thy unspeakable goodness, which hath advanced me to such a degree of being, that I am in some measure capable to know thee, to love thee, to serve thee, and to obey thee.

Blessed be thy name, O Lord, that I was born of Christian parents, and early dedicated to thee by baptism; that by thy grace and goodness I have been preserved to this moment; and that I have in any measure escaped the pollutions of this wicked world.

I bless thee likewise, O Lord, for all thy temporal mercies, and in particular for the refreshments of the night past; for protecting me from all evil accidents, and for raising me up in health and safety to praise thy goodness.

Pardon, O most gracious God, all my unworthy inattentions to the daily instances of thy exceeding kindness and mercy; and vouchsafe me such a sense of thy infinite love, as may in, spire me with more vigorous and hearty endeavours to serve thee for the time to

come.

O Lord, I acknowledge that I am a

weak and frail creature, and that without thy help I am not able to bear up against the trials and temptations of this world. But since thou hast promised to give thy Holy Spirit to them that ask it; I am emboldened to implore his divine assistance to strengthen my weakness, to help my infirmities, and so to fortify my mind, that I may not be tempted above what I am able to bear, nor seduced from my duty to thee, by the deceitful enticements of the world, the flesh, or the devil.

Root out of my heart, O God, all pride and vain-glory; all bitterness and uncharitableness; all envy, hatred, and malice; and suffer me not to be led away by any of the foolish customs and false maxims of this world. And, O merciful Father, be thou pleased, of thy great goodness, to endue me with that wisdom which is from above, which is first pure, and then peaceable; with that meekness and humility, which is in thy sight of so great price; and with that truly Christian temper and disposition, which thou lovest and delightest in.

Lord, sanctify unto me all thy fatherly dispensations, and let every thing, thou shalt think fit to send me, prove a blessing and advantage to my soul. Give me grace to be entirely submissive and contented under all the afflic tions, trials, and disappointments, which thy wisdom shall judge proper in order to bring me to thyself; and grant that by every adversity that shall befall me, I may be weaned from this world, and more closely united unto thee.

Make me always mindful of my own frailty; of the shortness and uncertainty of this life; and of the eternity of the next. Give me grace so to live, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die. Let not sickness or death ever surprize me unawares, or find me in a state unprepared; but grant that I may finish the great work which thou hast given me to do, before the night cometh, when no man can work. O. let me live in such a constant preparation for my latter end, that how suddenly soever thou shalt be pleased to take me out of this world, I may be found ready

« PreviousContinue »