I.
For grace to spend our time well.
O eternal God, who from all eternity dost behold and love
thy own glories and perfections infinite, and hast created me to do the work of
God after the manner of men, and to serve thee in this generation and according
to my capacities, give me thy grace, that I may be a curious and prudent
spender of my time, so as I may best prevent or resist all temptation, and be
profitable to the Christian commonwealth, and, by discharging all my duty, may
glorify thy name. Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and an
active spirit, and wisdom to choose my employment; that I may do works
proportionable to my person and to the dignity of a Christian, and may fill up
all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity; that, when the
devil assaults me, he may not find me idle; and my dearest Lord, at his sudden
coming, may find me busy in lawful, necessary, and pious actions, improving my
talent entrusted to me by thee, my Lord; that I may enter into the joy of my
Lord, to partake of his eternal felicities, even for thy mercy’s sake, and for
my dearest Saviour’s sake. Amen.
Here follows the devotion of ordinary days, for the right
employment of those portions of time which every day must allow for religion.
The first Prayers in the morning, as soon as we are dressed.
Humbly and reverently compose yourself, with heart lift up
to God, and your head bowed, and meekly kneeling upon your knees, say the
Lord’s Prayer: after which use the following collects, or as many of them as
you shall choose.
I. An Act of Adoration, being the song that the angels
sing in heaven.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and
is to come:
heaven and earth, angels and men, the air and the sea, give glory, and honour,
and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever.
All the blessed spirits and souls of the righteous cast their crowns before the
throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power, for thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created. Great and
marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou
King of saints. Thy
wisdom is infinite, thy mercies are glorious and I am not worthy, O Lord, to
appear in thy presence, before whom the angels hide their faces. O holy and
eternal Jesus, Lamb of God, who wert slain from the beginning of the world,
thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation, and hast made us
unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign with thee for ever.
Blessing, honour, glory, and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and
to the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.
II. An Act of Thanksgiving, being the song of David, for
the morning.
Sing praises unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give
thanks to him for a remembrance of his holiness. For his wrath endureth but the
twinkling of an eye, and in his pleasure is life: heaviness may endure for a
night, but joy cometh in the morning. Thou, Lord, hast preserved me this night
from the violence of the spirits of darkness, from all sad casualties and evil
accidents, from the wrath which I have every day deserved; thou hast brought my
soul out of hell; thou hast kept my life from them that go down into the pit;
thou hast showed me marvelous great kindness, and hast blessed me for ever: the
greatness of thy glory reacheth unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing. O my God, I
will give thanks unto thee for ever. Hallelujah!
III. An Act of Oblation, or presenting ourselves to God
for the day.
Most holy and eternal God, lord and sovereign of all the
creatures, I humbly present to thy Divine Majesty myself, my soul and body, my
thoughts and my words, my actions and intentions, my passions and my
sufferings, to be disposed by thee to thy glory; to be blessed by thy
providence; to be guided by thy counsel; to be sanctified by thy Spirit; and
afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory: for nothing can
perish which is under thy custody; and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is
thy portion, nor take it out of thy hands. This day, O Lord, and all the days
of my life, I dedicate to thy honour, and the actions of my calling to the uses
of grace, and the religion of all my days to be united to the merits and
intercession of my holy Saviour Jesus, that in him and for him I may be
pardoned and accepted. Amen.
IV. An Act of Repentance or Contrition.
For as for me, I am not worthy to be called thy servant,
much less am I worthy to be thy son; for I am the vilest of sinners and the
worst of men; a lover of the things of the world, and a despiser of the things
of God; proud and envious, lustful and intemperate, greedy of sin, and
impatient of reproof; desirous to seem holy, and negligent of being so;
transported with interest; fooled with presumption and false principles;
disturbed with anger, with a peevish and unmortified spirit, and disordered by
a whole body of sin and death. Lord, pardon all my sins for my sweetest
Saviour’s sake; thou, who didst die for me, holy Jesus, save me and deliver me;
reserve not my sins to be punished in the day of wrath and eternal vengeance;
but wash away my sins, and blot them out of thy remembrance, and purify my soul
with the waters of repentance and the blood of the cross; that, for what is
past, thy wrath may not come out against me; and, for the time to come, I may
never provoke thee to anger or to jealousy. O just and dear God, be pitiful and
gracious to thy servant. Amen.
V. The Prayer or Petition.
Bless me, gracious God, in my calling to such purposes as
thou shalt choose for me, or employ me in: relieve me in all my sadnesses; make
my bed in my sickness; give me patience in my sorrows, confidence in thee, and
grace to call upon thee in all temptations. O be thou my guide in all my
actions; my protector in all dangers; give me a healthful body, and a clear understanding;
a sanctified and just, a charitable and humble, a religious and a contented
spirit; let not my life be miserable and wretched; nor my name stained with sin
and shame; nor my condition lifted up to a tempting and dangerous fortune: but
let my condition be blessed, my conversation useful to my neighbours, and
pleasing to thee; that when my body shall lie down in its bed of darkness, my
soul may pass into the regions of light, and live with thee for ever, through
Jesus Christ. Amen.
VI. An Act of Intercession or Prayer for others, to be
added to this or any other office, as our devotion or duty, or their needs,
shall determine us.
O God of infinite mercy, who hast compassion on all men,
and relievest the necessities of all that call to thee for help, hear the
prayers of thy servant, who is unworthy to ask any petition for himself, yet,
in humility and duty, is bound to pray for others.
For the Church.
O let thy mercy descend upon the whole church; preserve her
in truth and peace, in unity and safety, in all storms, and against all
temptations and enemies; that she, offering to thy glory the never-ceasing
sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving, may advance the honour of her Lord, and be
filled with his Spirit, and partake of his glory. Amen.
For the King.
In mercy, remember the king; preserve his person in health
and honour; his crown in wealth and dignity; his kingdoms in peace and plenty;
the churches under his protection in piety and knowledge, and a strict and holy
religion; keep him perpetually in thy fear and favour, and crown him with glory
and immortality. Amen.
For the Clergy.
Remember them that minister about holy things; let them be
clothed with righteousness, and sing with joyfulness. Amen.
For Wife or Husband.
Bless thy servant (my wife, or husband) with health of body
and of spirit. O let the hand of thy blessing be upon his/her head night and
day, and support him/her in all necessities, strengthen him/her in all temptations,
comfort him/her in all his/her sorrows, and let him/her be thy servant in all
changes; and make us both to dwell with thee for ever in thy favour, in the
light of thy countenance, and in thy glory. Amen.
For our Children.
Bless my children with healthful bodies, with good
understandings, with the graces and gifts of thy Spirit, with sweet
dispositions and holy habits; and sanctify them throughout in their bodies, and
souls, and spirits, and keep them unblamable to the coming of the Lord Jesus.
Amen.
For Friends and Benefactors.
Be pleased, O Lord, to remember my friends, all that have
prayed for me, and all that have done me good. (Here name such whom you would
especially recommend.) Do thou good to them, and return all their kindness
double into their own bosom, rewarding them with blessings, and sanctifying
them with thy graces, and bringing them to glory.
For our Family.
Let all my family and kindred, my neighbours and
acquaintance (here name what other relations you please) receive the benefit of
my prayers, and the blessings of God, the comforts and supports of thy
providence, and the sanctification of thy Spirit.
For all in Misery.
Relieve and comfort all the persecuted and afflicted; speak
peace to troubled consciences; strengthen the weak; confirm the strong;
instruct the ignorant; deliver the oppressed from him that spoileth him; and
relieve the needy that hath no helper; and bring us all, by the waters of
comfort, and in the ways of righteousness, to the kingdom of rest and glory,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Another Form of Prayer for the Morning.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, etc. Our Father,
etc.
I.
Most glorious and eternal God, Father of mercy, and God of
all comfort, I worship and adore thee with the lowest humility of my soul and
body, and give thee all thanks and praise for thy infinite and essential
glories and perfections, and for the continual demonstration of thy mercies
upon me, upon all mine, and upon thy holy catholic church.
II.
I acknowledge, dear God, that I have deserved the greatest
of thy wrath and indignation; and that, if thou hadst dealt with me according
to my deserving, I had now, at this instant, been desperately bewailing my
miseries in the sorrows and horrors of a sad eternity. But thy mercy triumphing
over thy justice and my sins, thou hast still continued to me life and time of
repentance; thou hast opened to me the gates of grace and mercy, and perpetually
callest upon me to enter in, and to walk in the paths of a holy life, that I
might glorify thee, and be glorified of thee eternally.
III.
Behold, O God, for this thy great and unspeakable goodness,
for the preservation of me this night, and for all other thy graces and
blessings, I offer up my soul and body, all that I am, and all that I have, as
a sacrifice to thee and thy service, humbly begging of thee to pardon all my
sins, to defend me from all evil, to lead me into all good; and let my portion
be amongst thy redeemed ones in the gathering together of the saints, in the
kingdom of grace and glory.
IV.
Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the
world; that in all things that shall happen I may have an evenness and
tranquility of spirit; that my soul may be wholly resigned to thy divine will
and pleasure, never murmuring at thy gentle chastisements and fatherly
correction; never waxing proud and insolent, though I feel a torrent of
comforts and prosperous successes.
V.
Fix my thoughts, my hopes, and my desires upon heaven and
heavenly things; teach me to despise the world, to repent deeply for my sins;
give me holy purposes of amendment and ghostly strength, and assistance to
perform faithfully whatsoever I shall intend piously. Enrich my understanding
with an eternal treasure of Divine Truths, that I may know thy will: and thou,
who workest in us to will and to do of thy good pleasure, teach me to obey all
thy commandments, to believe all thy revelations, and make me partaker of all
thy gracious promises.
VI.
Teach me to watch over all my ways, that I may never be
surprised by sudden temptations or a careless spirit, nor ever return to folly
and vanity. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips,
that I offend not in my tongue, neither against piety nor charity. Teach me to
think of nothing but thee, and what is in order to thy glory and service: to
speak nothing but of thee and thy glories; and to do nothing but what becomes
thy servant, whom thy infinite mercy, by the graces of thy Holy Spirit, hath
sealed up to the day of redemption.
VII.
Let all my passions and affections be so mortified and
brought under the dominion of grace, that I may never, be deliberation and
purpose, nor yet by levity, rashness, or inconsideration, offend thy Divine
Majesty. make me such as thou wouldst have me to be: strengthen my faith,
confirm my hope, and give me a daily increase of charity, that, this day and
ever, I may serve thee according to all my opportunities and capacities,
growing from grace to grace, till at last, by thy mercies, I shall receive the
consummation and perfection of grace, even the glories of thy kingdom, in the
full fruition of the face and excellencies of God the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost; to whom be glory and praise, honour and adoration, given by all
angels, and all men, and all creatures, now, and to all eternity. Amen.
*To this may be added the prayer of intercession for others, whom
we are bound to remember, which is at the end of the foregoing prayer; or else
you may take such special prayers which follow at the end of the fourth chapter
(for parents, for children, etc.).
After which,
conclude with this Ejaculation.
Now in all tribulation and anguish of spirit, in all
dangers of soul and body, in prosperity and adversity, in the hour of death and
in the day of judgment, holy and most blessed Saviour Jesus, have mercy upon
me, save me, and deliver me and all faithful people. Amen.
*Between this and noon, usually are said the public prayers
appointed by authority, to which all the clergy are obligated and other devout
persons that have leisure, to accompany them.
*Afternoon, or at any time of the day, when a devout person
retires into his closet for private prayer or spiritual exercises, he may say
the following devotions.
An Exercise to be used at any time of the day.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, etc. Our Father,
etc.
The Hymn, collected out of the Psalms, recounting the
Excellences and Greatness of God.
O be joyful in God, all ye lands; sing praises unto the
honour of his name, make his name to be glorious. O come hither, and behold the
works of God, how wonderful he is in his doings towards the children of men. He
ruleth with his power for ever.
He is the Father of the fatherless, and defendeth the cause of
the widow, even God in his holy habitation. He is the God that maketh men to be
of one mind in a house, and bringeth the prisoners out of captivity; but
letteth the runagates continue in scarceness.
It is the Lord that commandeth the waters; it is the glorious God
that maketh the thunder; it is the Lord that ruleth the sea. The voice of the
Lord is a glorious voice.
Let all the earth fear the Lord: stand in awe of him, all ye that
dwell in the world. Thou shalt show us wonderful things in thy righteousness, O
God of our salvation; thou that art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and
of them that remain in the broad sea.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Or this:
O Lord, thou art my God, I will exalt thee; I will praise
thy name for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are
faithfulness and truth.
Thou, in thy strength, settest fast the mountains, and art girded
about with power. Thou stillest the raging of the sea, and the noise of his
waves, and the uttermost parts of his people.
They, also, that remain in the uttermost parts of the earth shall
be afraid at thy tokens; thou, that makest the outgoings of the morning and
evening to praise thee.
O Lord God of Hosts, who is like unto thee? thy truth, most
mighty Lord, is on every side.
Among the gods there is none like unto thee: O Lord, there is none that can do
as thou doest For thou art great, and doest wondrous things; thou art God
alone.
God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints,
and to be had in reverence of all men that are round about him.
Righteousness and equity are in the habitation of thy seat; mercy
and truth shall go before thy face. Glory and worship are before him; power and
honour are in his sanctuary.
Thou, Lord, art the thing that I long for; thou art my hope even
from my youth. Through thee have I been holden up, ever since I was born; thou
art he that took me out of my mother’s womb; my praise shall be always of thee.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
*After this may be read some portion of Holy Scripture, out of
the New Testament, or out of the Sapiential books of the Old, viz. Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, etc., because these are of great use to piety and to civil
conversation. Upon which when you have awhile meditated, humbly composing
yourself upon your knees, say as followeth:
Ejaculations.
My help standeth in the name of the Lord, who hath made heaven
and earth.
Show the light of thy countenance upon thy servant, and I shall
be safe.
Do well, O Lord, to them that be true of heart, and evermore
mightily defend them.
Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou are my Saviour,
and my great master.
Keep me from sin and death eternal, and from my enemies visible
and invisible.
Give me grace to live a holy life, and thy favour, that I may
die a godly and happy death.
Lord, hear the prayer of thy servant, and give me thy Holy
Spirit.
The Prayer.
O eternal God, merciful and gracious, vouchsafe thy favour
and thy blessing to thy servant: let the love of thy mercies, and the dread and
fear of thy majesty, make me careful and inquisitive to search thy will, and
diligent to perform it, and to persevere in the practices of a holy life, even
till the last of my days.
II.
Keep me, O Lord, for I am thine by creation; guide me, for
I am thine by purchase; thou hast redeemed me by the blood of thy Son; and
loved me with the love of a father, for I am thy child by adoption and grace:
let thy mercy pardon my sins, thy providence secure me from the punishments and
evils I have deserved, and thy care watch over me, that I may never any more
offend thee: make me, in malice, to be a child; but in understanding, piety,
and the fear of God, let me be a perfect man in Christ, innocent and prudent,
readily furnished and instructed to every good work.
III.
Keep me, O Lord, from the destroying angel, and from the
wrath of God: let thy anger never rise against me, but thy rod gently correct
my follies, and guide me in thy ways, and thy staff support me in all
sufferings and changes. Preserve me from fracture of bones, from noisome,
infectious, and sharp sicknesses; from great violences of fortune and sudden
surprises: keep all my senses entire till the day of my death, and let my death
be neither sudden, untimely, nor unprovided: let it be after the common manner
of men, having in it nothing extraordinary, but an extraordinary piety, and the
manifestation of thy great and miraculous mercy.
IV.
Let no riches make me ever forget myself, no poverty ever
make me to forget thee: let no hope or fear, no pleasure or pain, no accident
without, no weakness within, hinder or discompose my duty, or turn me from the
ways of thy commandments. O, let thy Spirit dwell with me for ever, and make my
soul just and charitable, full of honesty, full of religion, resolute and
constant in holy purposes, but inflexible to evil. Make me humble and obedient,
peaceable and pious; let me never envy any man’s goods, nor deserve to be
despised myself: and if I be, teach me to bear it with meekness and charity.
V.
Give me a tender conscience; a conversation discreet and
affable, modest and patient, liberal and obliging; a body chaste and healthful,
competency of living according to my condition, contentedness in all estates, a
resigned will and mortified affections; that I may be as thou wouldst have me,
and my portion may be in the lot of the righteous, in the brightness of thy
countenance, and the glories of eternity. Amen.
Holy is our God. Holy is the Almighty. Holy is the Immortal.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth, have mercy upon me.
A Form of Prayer for the Evening, to be said by such who have not time
or opportunity to say the public prayers appointed for this office.
I.
Evening Prayer
O eternal God, great Father of men and angels, who hast
established the heavens and the earth in a wonderful order, making day and
night to succeed each other; I make my humble address to thy Divine Majesty,
begging of thee mercy and protection this night and ever. O Lord, pardon all my
sins, my light and rash words, the vanity and impiety of my thoughts, my unjust
and uncharitable actions, and whatsoever I have transgressed against thee this
day, or at any time before. Behold, O God, my soul is troubled in the
remembrance of my sins, in the frailty and sinfulness of my flesh, exposed to
every temptation, and of itself not able to resist any. Lord God of mercy, I
earnestly beg of thee to give me a great portion of thy grace, such as may be
sufficient and effectual for the mortification of all my sins and vanities and
disorders, that as I have formerly served my list and unworthy desires, so now
I may give myself up wholly to thy service and the studies of a holy life.
II.
Blessed Lord, teach me frequently and sadly to remember my
sins; and be thou pleased to remember them no more: let me never forget thy
mercies, and do thou still remember to do me good. Teach me to walk always as
in thy presence: ennoble my soul with great degrees of love to thee, and
consign my spirit with great fear, religion, and veneration of thy holy name
and laws; that it may become the great employment of my whole life to serve
thee, to advance thy glory, to root out all the accursed habits of sin; that in
holiness of life, in humility, in charity, in chastity, and all the ornaments
of grace, I may be patience wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
III.
Teach me, O Lord, to number my days, that I may apply my
heart unto wisdom; ever to remember my last end, that I may not dare to sin
against thee. Let thy holy angels be ever present with me, to keep me in all my
ways from the malice and violence of the spirits of darkness, from evil
company, and the occasions and opportunities of evil, from perishing in popular
judgments, from all the ways of sinful shame, from the hands of all mine
enemies, from a sinful life, and from despair in the day of my death. Then, O
brightest Jesus, shine gloriously upon me, let thy mercies and the light of thy
countenance sustain me in all my agonies, weaknesses, and temptations. Give me
opportunity of a prudent and spiritual guide, and of receiving the holy
sacrament; and let thy loving spirit so guide me in the ways of peace and
safety, that, with the testimony of a good conscience, and the sense of thy
mercies and refreshment, I may depart this life in the unity of the church, in
the love of God, and a certain hope of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord,
and most blessed Saviour. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Another form of Evening Prayer, which may also be used at bed-time.
Our Father, etc.
I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my
help.
My help cometh of the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee
will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade, upon thy right
hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, neither the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve
thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in, from
this time forth for evermore.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
I.
Visit, I beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation with thy
mercy, and me with thy grace and salvation. Let thy holy angels pitch their
tents round about and dwell here, that no illusion of the night may abuse me,
the spirits of darkness may not come near to hurt me, no evil or sad accident
oppress me; and let the eternal Spirit of the Father dwell in my soul and body,
filling every corner of my heart with light and grace. Let no deed of darkness
overtake me; and let thy blessing, most blessed God, be upon me for ever,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
II.
Into thy hands, most blessed Jesus, I commend my soul and
body, for thou hast redeemed both with thy precious blood. So bless and
sanctify my sleep unto me that it may be temperate, holy, and safe; a
refreshment to my wearied body, to enable it so to serve my soul, that both may
serve thee with a never-failing duty. O, let me never sleep in sin or death
eternal, but give me a watchful and prudent spirit, that I may omit no
opportunity of serving thee; that whether I sleep or awake, live or die, I may
be thy servant and thy child: that when the work of my life is done, I may rest
in the bosom of my Lord, till by the voice of the archangel, the trump of God,
I shall be awakened, and called to sit down and feast in the eternal supper of
the Lamb. Grant this, O Lamb of God, for the honour of thy mercies, and the
glory of thy name, O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesus. Amen.
III.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who hath
sent his angels, and kept me this day from the destruction that walketh at
noon, and the arrow that flieth by day; and hath given me his Spirit to
restrain me from those evils to which my own weaknesses, and my evil habits,
and my unquiet enemies, would easily betray me. Blessed and for ever hallowed
by thy name for that never-ceasing shower of blessing, by which I live, and am
content and blessed, and provided for in all necessities, and set forward in my
duty and way to heaven. Blessing honour, glory, and power be unto Him that
sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy is our God! Holy is the Almighty! Holy is the Immortal!
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth, have mercy upon me!
Ejaculations and short Meditations to be used in the night, when we
awake.
Stand in awe and sin not: commune with your own heart upon
your bed and be still. I will lay me down in peace and sleep; for thou, Lord,
only makest me to dwell in safety.
O Father of spirits, and the God of all flesh, have mercy and
pity upon all sick and dying Christians, and receive the souls which thou hast
redeemed returning unto thee.
Blessed are they that dwell in the heavenly Jerusalem, where
there is no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory
of God does lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle; for the Lord God
giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Meditate on Jacob’s wrestling with the angel all night: he thou
also importunate with God for a blessing, and give not over till he hath
blessed thee.
Meditate on the angel passing over the children of Israel, and
destroying the Egyptians for disobedience and oppression. Pray for the grace of
obedience and charity, and for the Divine protection.
Meditate on the angel who destroyed in a night the whole army of
the Assyrians for fornication. Call to mind the sins of thy youth, the sins of
thy bed; and say with David, ‘My reins chasten me in the night season, and my
soul refuseth comfort.’ Pray for pardon and the grace of chastity.
Meditate on the agonies of Christ in the garden, his sadness and
affliction all that night; and thank and adore him for his love, that made him
suffer so much for thee; and hate thy sins which made it necessary for the Son
to suffer so much.
Meditate on the last four things. 1. The certainty of death. 2.
The terrors of the day of judgment. 3. The joys of heaven. 4. The pains of
hell: and the eternity of both.
Think upon all thy friends who are gone before thee; and pray
that God would grant to thee to meet them in a joyful resurrection.
“The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;
in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein,
shall be burnt up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what
manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and godliness,
looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God?”
Lord, in mercy remember thy servant in the day of judgment.
Thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my God. In thee, O Lord, have I
trusted: let me never be confounded. Amen.
I desire the Christian reader to observe, that all these
offices or forms of prayer (if they should be used every day) would not spend
above an hour and a half: but because some of them are double (and so but one
of them to be used in one day) it is much less: and by affording to God one
hour in twenty-four thou mayest have the comforts and rewards of devotion. But
he that thinks this is too much, either is very busy in the world, or very
careless of heaven. I have parted the prayers into smaller portions, that he
may use which and how many he please in any one of the forms.
Ad. Sect. 2.
A Prayer for holy intention is the beginning and pursuit of any
considerable action, as Study, Preaching, etc.
O eternal God, who has made all things for man and man for
thy glory, sanctify my body and soul, my thoughts, and my intentions, my words
and actions, that whatsoever I shall think, or speak, or do, may be by me
designed to the glorification of thy name; and by thy blessing it may be
effective and successful in the work of God, according as it can be capable.
Lord, turn my necessities into virtue; the works of nature into the works of
grace, by making them orderly, regular, temperate, subordinate, and profitable
to ends beyond their own proper efficacy: and let no pride or self-seeking, no
covetousness or revenge, no impure mixture or unhandsome purposes, no little
ends and low imaginations, pollute my spirit, and unhallow any of my words and
actions; but let my body be a servant of my spirit, and both body and spirit
servants of Jesus; that doing all things for thy glory here, I may be partaker
of thy glory hereafter: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ad. Sect. 3.
A prayer meditating and referring to the Divine presence.
* This Prayer is especially to be used in temptation to
private sin.
O almighty God, infinite and eternal, thou fillest all
things with thy presence; thou art everywhere by thy essence and by thy power;
in heaven by glory, in holy places by thy grace and favour, in the hearts of
thy servants by thy Spirit, in the consciences of all men by thy testimony and
observation of us. Teach me to walk always as in thy presence, to fear thy
majesty, to reverence thy wisdom and omniscience; that I may never dare to
commit any indecency in the eye of my Lord and my Judge; but that I may with so
much care and reverence demean myself that my Judge may not be my accuser but
my advocate; that I, expressing the belief of thy presence here by careful
walking, may feel the effects of it in the participation of eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ. Amen.