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of life, and to exercise me in a state of poverty; yet thou hast hitherto preserved and supported me by thy good providence, and blessed me with advantages above many others, who labour under great troubles. And, O merciful Father, if thou seest fit, bless me with such a portion of the comforts and conveniencies of life, that thereby I may be enabled to go on more cheerfully in my station, to serve thee better, to love thee more and more, and to admire more thy wonderful bounty and lovingkindness: grant me health and strength, and abilities suited to my stances, that I may honestly provide for myself; support me, that I fall not into extreme want; lay not more upon me than thou shalt enable me to bear with patience; and supply the want of worldly blessings, by the comfort and support of thy good spirit whereby I may be made perfect in every good work, become rich in faith, and an heir of thy kingdom. Grant, O Lord, that I may exercise all those christian graces and duties, which my present circumstances call for from me: let the sharpness of temporal wants put me upon considering what misery must attend the loss of my soul: let a sense of my poverty stir up eager desires after the true riches; and the less I have of this world, the more careful let me be to provide for the next, and to seek an inheritance incorruptible, and that fadeth not away; and let bodily hardships convince me of the great evil of spiritual wants. Inspire me with diligence and industry in my calling; and, when I have done my endeavour, make me to cast all my care on thee; that neither the contempt which vain persons wrongfully cast on poverty, nor any evil which I may endure, may tempt me to any dishonest ways of living; but let me choose rather to be poor than wicked, and to want any thing rather than thy blessing. For which end, clothe me with a meek, quiet, and humble spirit, and a thorough contentedness in my present circumstances; that I may neither dare to repine at my own condition, nor envy the prosperity of others. Raise up my heart to look unto Jesus, who, to reconcile man to a state of poverty, chose to be born and live in a mean condition, enduring hunger, thirst, and cold, and not having where to

lay his head that by his example I may be encouraged to contemn the world; and through faith and patience having finished the race thou hast set before me, I may be received into the joy of my Lord, for the sake of thy blessed son Jesus Christ, our saviour and redeemer. Amen.

A Prayer under any Injuries, Abuses, or Provocations.

O GOD, whose beloved Son was evil-entreated, tempted, reviled, spit upon, mocked, and persecuted even unto death; and his blessed disciples had also trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, and of severe bonds and imprisonment; what then am I, that I should exepect to escape the injuries, abuses, and provocations of this world: therefore, Lord, such as my folly and miscarriage have made to be my enemies, incline my heart to peace, and enable me to appease, and to gain them to my friendship; and such as hate me wrongfully, pardon their sin, open their cyes, purify their minds, and convert their hearts unto thee; that they may see their fault, be reconciled to thee, O God, and then live, as much as in them lieth, in peace with all men, that we may at last live together in heaven: and for this end mortify, I beseech thee, in all of us, the carnal mind, which is at enmity against thee, and all those justs that war in our members, from which wars and fightings arise; and unite us all against the common enemy of our souls; to join all our hearts to thee, in thy true fear and love, that we may not meditate revenge, but study to be quiet: and this I humbly pray in the name of that great pattern of meekness, thy son, our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer for our Persecutors.

O God, whose nature and property is always to have mercy and to forgive, show mercy, I most humbly beseech thee, to all those that persecute me, though they show neither justice nor mercy toward me: pity their ignorance, remove those prejudices that blind their eyes, sweeten and soften their spirits, that they may no longer be carried away with malice and bitter passions; but dis

pose them by humility and meekness, and by a sincere love of truth and righteousness, to a joyful reception and acknowledgment thereof: that they may lay aside their errors, and resolutely profess thy holy faith; so that their repentance may turn away thy vengence, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, our saviour. Amen.

A Prayer against Covetousness.

ALMIGHTY God, the author and giver of all that I enjoy, govern my affections toward the things of this world, that no greediness of gain may tempt me to the least injustice, either by fraud or oppression; but that I may commit myself to thy providence in the use of honest endeavours; that, while I am supporting a dying body, I may remember I have an immortal soul, which immediately deserves my greatest care. Teach me to enjoy the good things thou has given me, with temperance, thankfulness, and charity; and readily to part with them, rather than to forsake thy truth, or to make shipwreck of a good conscience toward God or man. Fix my thoughts, my hopes, and my desires upon heaven and heavenly things; that, having always in view that crown of glory, which thou hast laid up for me hereafter, I may press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; and being strengthened by thy grace, and supported by thy holy spirit, I may run with patience the race thou hast set before me; that when the great day of retribution shall come, I may look up to my most merciful judge with joy and comfort, and may hear those blessed words pronounced unto me, Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. And this I beg in the and through the merits of thy son Jesus Christ. Amen.

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A Prayer for temporal Blessings and Contentedness in any Condition.

BLESSED Lord, who knowest that while we are in this life we stand in need of its supplies, and has promised to such as seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof,

the addition of all other necessaries; and also hast commanded us to ask of thee our daily bread, and to cast our care upon thee for all the things we have need of for our comfort and support; give me such health and wealth as shall be for my good, and, while I have life to be nourished, vouchsafe to grant, that I may not want the necessary blessings thereof: but enable me to provide honestly for myself, and add thy blessing to my labours, which if not sufficient to supply all my own necessities, do thou raise up friends and means to help me, that I may never be destitute of food and raiment; and give me grace to be content with that provision thy divine providence sees most convenient for me. Let neither prosperity be a means of my forgetting thee, nor adversity cause me to murmur against thy wise distributions to the sons of men. Teach me how to want, as well as how to live in plenty: and sanctify all the comforts thou hast, or shalt please to bestow upon me, that I may use them to thy glory, and that they may raise in me that due praise which I offer to thee, my God, for all thy benefits to me and all the world, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer to be used on our Birthday.

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O GOD, the creator and preserver of all mankind, and by whose blessed will I was fearfully and wonderfully made in my mother's womb, and under whose blessed providence I have been kept up ever since I was born; ! praise and magnify thy glorious name for thy great goodness toward me; humbly beseeching thee, that I taught to number my days, so as to apply my heart to hea venly wisdom; that I may know that I was born to serve thee the living God; that I may bewail my past sins, and spend the rest of my days in a godly, righteous, and sober life; that I may finish the remainder of my days in thy fear and to thy glory; and that as thou didst (as on this day) take me out of my mother's womb, to live here a little time, so thou mayest at the last day take me out of my grave, the womb of the earth, to live with thee for ever, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer for an easy and happy Death.

O Most great and mighty God, in whose hands are the issues of life and death, and who hast appointed for all men once to die; make me truly sensible of the frailty and uncertainty of my life, and teach me so to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto true wisdom: so that death may not surprise me unawares, nor find me unprovided; that, when the time of my departure shall come, I may look back upon a wellspent life with joy and comfort, and may meet death without fear and amazement. Strengthen my faith, and suffer me not at my last hour through any pains of body, or weakness of mind, to let go my dependence upon thee; but grant, O merciful Father, that I may be willing and even desirous to leave this world, when thou, my God, in thy great wisdom shall see it fitting; and that after a life spent here in thy service, I may dwell with thee in life everlasting, through the merits and for the sake of thy beloved son Jesus Christ, our Lord and only saviour. Amen.

A Prayer to be used by one tempted to Presumption.

O RIGHTEOUS Lord, suffer me not to encourage myself in a groundless reliance upon thy favour, while in the mean time I am really unfit to receive thy holy spirit; neither let thy patience and forbearance hitherto with me work an expectation of my future happiness: but grant that I may make such a progress in holiness, as that I may safely depend upon thy mercy and protection in this world, and thy promise of eternal happiness in the world to come, not for any merits or works of my own, but purely through the merits of thy son Jesus Christ, our saviour and redeemer. Amen.

A Prayer to be used by one troubled in Mind or tempted to Despair.

ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I approach unto thee with confusion of face, to think that I should in any wise seem to distrust thy goodness and