Thou art my Saviour, take from me the rage of anger; and arm me, I beseech thee, with the shield of patience. Thou art my Creator, root out from me all that rancour and malice whereby my nature is corrupted; and implant in me all that sweetness and gentleness of temper, which may render me a man made in thy own image, and after the likeness of thy own Divine goodness. Thou are my most merciful and indulgent Father, O grant thy own child those best of gifts; a firm and right faith, a stedfast and well-grounded hope, and a never-failing charity. O my director and governor, turn away from me, I beseech thee, vanity and filthiness of mind, a wandering heart, a scurrilous tongue, a proud look, a gluttonous belly; preserve me from the venom of slander and detraction, from the itch of curiosity, from the thirst of covetousness, ambition and vain-glory; from the deceits of hypocrisy, the secret poison of flattery; from contempt of the poor, and oppression of the helpless; from the canker of envy, the fever of avarice, and the pestilential disease of blasphemy and prophaneness. Prune away my superfluity of naughtiness, and purge me from all manner of injustice, rashness, and obstinacy; from impatience, blindness of heart, and cruelty of disposition. Incline me to obey that which is good, and to comply with wholesome advice; enable me to bridle my tongue, and to contain my hands from wrong and robbery. Suffer me not to insult the poor, to defame the innocent, to despise my inferiors, to treat my servants with severity and scorn, to fail in due affection towards my friends and relations, or in kindness and compassion towards my neighbours and acquaintance. O my God, thou fountain of mercy, I beg thee, for the sake of the Son of thy love, dispose me to the love and practice of kindness and mercy; that I may have a tender fellow-feeling of my brethren's afflictions; and apply myself cheerfully to rectify their mistakes, to relieve their miseries, to supply their wants, to comfort their sorrows; to assist the oppressed, to right the injured, to sustain the needy, to cherish the dejected, to release them that are indebted to me, to pardon them that have offended me, to love them that hate me, to render good for evil, to despise none, but pay all due respect to every man. Give me grace to imitate those that live well, to avoid and beware of them that do ill; to follow all manner of virtue, and utterly abandon and detect all sort of vice: make me patient in adversity, and moderate in prosperity. Set a watch before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips: (Ps. cxli. 3.) Wean my affections from things below, and let them be eager and fixed upon heaven and heavenly things. CHAP. II. An Act of Self-accusation, and imploring HOU, Lord, who hast formed me, knowest TH the work of thy own hands, and yet, because thy creature, I have been bold to ask many and great mercies, though less than, and altogether unworthy of, the least of all thy mercies. (Gen. xxxii. 10.) I acknowledge, O my God, with`shame and sorrow, that not only the gifts and graces I have been imploring all this while, are in no degree my due; but that many and grievous sufferings and judgments are what I have justly deserved at thy hands. But when my soul feels itself sinking under the weight of this melancholy reflection, the publicans, and harlots, and sinners, (Mat. ix. 36.) those wandering and lost sheep, (Luke xv. 4.) which the good Shepherd sought so carefully, drew back from the very brink of the hellish precipice so seasonably, brought home upon his shoulders so joyfully, and laid in his bosom so affectionately; these raise my drooping spirits, and give new life to my hopes. For thou, my God, thou hast made all things by thy power, and art wonderful in all thy doings; yet art thou most wonderful, and exceeding glorious in thy works of pity and love. In this sense too is that most true, which thou speakest of thyself by the mouth of thy servants. The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Ps. cxlv. 9.) And what was said of one particular person, we may most truly apply to thy people in general, my mercy will I not take from him. (Ps. lxxxix. 24. 28.) For thou abhorrest, despisest, forsaketh no man; but such only as, lost to all sense of their own duty and happiness, do first despise and forsake thee. Hence it is that thou dost not only not strike when thou art not angry, but even when thou art most justly so. Thou givest good things liberally, upon the request of those wretches who have provoked thee to anger. O my God, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge, I am sadly sensible that I am one of those miserable wretches; I have provoked thy wrath, and done evil in thy sight; and yet thou holdest thy hand. I have sinned, thou hast suffered: I have offended, and still thou bearest with me. If I repent thou sparest; if I return, thou receivest me with open arms; nay, even while I delay, thou waitest patiently for my coming back to thee. Thou callest me to thee, when I go astray; thou invitest me while I am deaf to thy gracious calls; thou stayest till I shake off my wicked sloth; and, when thy prodigal child at last bethinks himself, thou meetest and embracest him most gladly. Thou instructest my ignorance, comfortest my sorrows, keepest me from falling, raiseth me up when I am fallen, givest when I ask, art found when I seek thee, and openest the door when I knock. (Matt. vii. 7.) Thus, O God of my salvation, I have nothing to offer in my own excuse; no plea to make when thou chargest me with folly. There is no refuge for me, but in thy goodness and protection; no place to hide me in from thy all-seeing eye. Thou hast shewed me the right way; thou hast taught me how I ought to walk in it; thou hast threatened the torments of hell to affright me from wickedness; and promised the joys of heaven to encourage my obedience. And now, O Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, perfect, I beseech thee, these gracious designs upon thy servant; possess me thoroughly with thy fear, that I may not dare to incur thy threatenings; and support me with the joy of thy salvation, that I may be filled with thy love, and cheerfully run the race that leadeth to thy gracious promises. Thou, O Lord, art my strength, my God, my refuge and only deliverer: O be thou pleased to inspire my soul with proper thoughts of thee: teach my tongue fit words to call upon thee acceptably; and enable my hands, and every member, to do the thing that pleaseth thee. I know full well that there is one way of pacifying thy wrath, one offering which thy mercy will not reject. The sacrifices of God are a troubled spirit, a broken and a contrite heart my God will not despise. (Ps. li. 17.) Yet even this I cannot give my God, unless he first vouchsafe to give it me. And therefore, O thou Futher of lights, from whom every good thing cometh, enrich me, I beseech thee, with this, I ask no other treasure; let this be my introduction into thy presence, this my defence against the assaults of spiritual enemies; this my fountain of tears to quench the flames of sin; this my sure retreat from the fury of inordinate passions and desires. Suffer me not, O thou strength of my soul's health, suffer me not, I beg, to be one of those weak Christians, who for a time believe, and in time of temptation fall away. (Luke viii. 13.) But cover thou my head in the day of battle; for thou, thou only art my hope in the day of trouble, and my safety in the time of danger. (Ps. cxl. 7. xxvii. 1.) Thus do I come to thee, my light, and my salvation, imploring the blessings of which I stand in need, and declaring the miseries of which I am afraid. But in the midst of this address, I feel a check from within; my conscience stings, and my heart misgives me; love bids me hope, but sense of sin bids me fear; and dread of thy displeasure damps that zeal with which my heart approaches thee: when I reflect on my own doings, I cannot but despond; when I look up to thy goodness I am full of hope. The kindness of my God invites and pushes me forward, the wickedness of my own heart dismays and pulls me back. And all my faults appear in such ghastly shapes before my eyes, as almost hinder a holy confidence, but quite beat down the boldness of presumption. CHAP. III. The Sinner's Lamentation for his Prayers TH HUS is my soul distracted with different passions, when I appear before the Divine Majesty. And how, alas! should it be otherwise? For with what face can that man entreat a favour, who hath deserved nothing but hatred and indignation? What rashness is it to ask glory, when |