TH An Evening Prayer for a Servant. HOU, O God, art my strength, and the rock of my falvation: It is true, that I am contented that thou haft called me to be a fervant; but thou haft called me to be a fon alfo, and an heir of eternal life; yet I have forgotten thee, being more follicitous for the bread that perishes, than for thy favour, which is better than all the world. I have finned against my knowledge, thy word, and the motions of the Holy Ghost, by repining and murmuring at thy provi dence, and being difcontented with my condition, [here mention thy particular fins.] Of which, O my God, and of all my fins, I repent, and humbly beg the affistance of thy grace, that I may do works meet for repentance, and ferve thee in truth, and with an upright heart, all the days I have to live. O Lord have mercy upon me, and forgive me all my offences; and give me grace to withstand the world, the flesh, and the devil; and fincerely to endeavour to reform and amend my life, that I may every day grow and increase in goodness, and be fo much the fitter for death, the nearer I approach thereto: O give me grace to discharge my duty faithfully. Watch over me, and the whole family to which I belong; and let thine angels pitch their tents about us this night that we may lie down fecurely; and let our fleep be fweet and refreshing to us, for Jefus Chrift's fake; in whose most holy name and words I beg all things that I am any way bound to pray for, faying, Our Father, &c. A A Prayer for Faith in God. Lmighty and everlasting God, give unto me the increase of faith, that I may obtain that which thou dost promise; and make me heartily to believe what thou haft revealed, and to love that which thou doft command, through Jefus Chrift, my Lord. Lord. Amen. A Prayer for an holy Hope. God, in whom is all my dependence, and the hope of all the ends of the earth, let me never be deftitute of a well-grounded hope, nor yet poffeffed with a vain prefump tion; tion; fuffer me not to think that thou wilt either be reconciled to my fins, or reject my repentance; but grant me fuch a hope, as may be anfwerable to thy righteous promises, even fuch a hope, as may both encourage and inable me to purify myself from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit, that fo it may indeed bring me to everlafting life, through Jefus Chrift, my Lord and Saviour. Amen. A Prayer for the Love of God and his Laws. MOST mighty Lord God, who alone can't order the unruly wills and affections of finful men; and haft fet before us life and death, bleffing and curfing; and notonly endued us with a liberty to chufe the one, and avoid the other, but annexed a prefent as well as future reward to our obedience to thy laws; fo that the ways of religion are made ways of pleasantnefs, and all its paths to be peace: give me wifdom and understanding, that I may avoid the deceitful pleafures of this world, and may fee, know, and chufe the things which make for my peace, and in which my true and only happiness does confift. Confirm in me this faving knowledge, that fin is the greatest of all evils; that guilt and mifery are always infeparable; and that a good confcience, and the hopes of thy favour and acceptance, are the only folid happiness to be attained in this life. Grant unto me thy fervant, that I may love the thing which thou commandeft, and defire that which thou doft promife. And make me ftedfaft and immoveable in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments; that fo, among the fundry and many changes of the world, my heart may furely there be fixed where true joys are to be found, that I may at last be received into the inheritance of the faints in light, thro' the merits and interceflion of Jefus Chrift, my Mediator and Advocate. Amen. A Prayer for Sincerity towards God. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all de fires known, and from whom no fecrets are hid, and doft not only require outward acts of duty, but the inward difpofition of the mind; teach me in all my religious actions Gg always elways to have an eye to thy authority, to obey thy laws, and to make the fenfe of my duty the prevailing motive of my piety, fo that no privacy or retirement may encourage me to offend thee, nor any loffes or croffes may hinder me from doing or fuffering thy blefied will and pleafure. Oh! grant me always that fincerity of intention, that devotion may not be made a pretext to cheat or defraud my neighbour; nor yet the exercife of justice and mercy towards men be made a plea for the neglect of my duty towards thee, my God; and that my charity to the poor may never ferve to cover my intemperance; nor my fobriety exempt me from feeding the hungry, and cloathing the naked, when it is in my power. And finally, to make my life all one piece, that al the duties thou commandeft may be fhewn forth by my actions; that, my greatest defire and aim being thy glory, may be accepted by thee through the all-fufficient merits of Jesus Christ. Amen. I GRa A Prayer for Sincerity towards Men. Rant, O Lord, that in all my dealings and converfation with my fellow creatures I may always use true fimplicity and fingleness of heart, and never compafs any defign by falfe devices and appearances; nor betray my neighbour, by not performing my promife: that I may never abufe men into a falfe opinion of themfelves, by reprefenting them to be better than I know them to be; nor permit my tongue to speak otherwise than out of the abundance of my heart: fo that my outward actions may be exactly agreeable to my purposes and intentions; and this I beg in the name of thy Son Jefus Chrift, my Lord. Amen. A Prayer for Humility. MOST gracious God, who haft fent thy beloved Son to take upon him our human nature, that he might be to us a perfect pattern of humility, inable me by thy grace to imitate the fame; and make me fenfible of my own vilenefs by reafon of my fins, which are evident proofs of my weakness and folly; and of my bafenefs and ingratitude, which makes me contemptible in thy fight, and ought to cover cover my foul with shame and confusion, inftead of pride and vanity. Check all my vain and afpiring thoughts, and wean me from any fond opinion of my own abilities and excellencies. O! ftrengthen my faith and good refolutions, that I may never purchase the praise of men by mean flatteries and finful compliances; nor ever entertain their applause, even upon the best account, with too great delight, left it corrupt the purity of my intentions, and rob me of that reward thou haft promifed to all thofe that glorify thy name. And especially, I pray, make me patiently to bear the indignities I may receive from others; because I have deserved them from thee, and because thy Son has fuffered the fame upon my account. Grant this, O Lord, for the fake of the fame thy Son Jefus Chrift, my Lord. Amen. A Prayer for the Fear of God. Almighty God, whofe power is infinite, and whofe judgments are to be feared, poffefs my foul with an holy awe and reverence towards thee, that I may give thee the honour due unto thy name, and never profane any holy thing, nor facrilegioufly invade what thou haft fet apart for thy fervice; I believe that, as thou art infinite in juftice, thou wilt not clear the guilty; which fhould make me tremble at the very thought of whatever offended thee: therefore let me not fo mifplace my fear as to be afraid of man; but fill my foul with that fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wifdom; that I may thereby bridle all my brutish appetites, and keep myself in a conftant conformity to thy holy laws: and this I humbly befeech thee to grant unto me thy fervant, in the name of Jefus Chrift, thy Son, my Lord and Saviour. MOST Anien. A Prayer for Trust in God. OST merciful God, give me grace in all difficulties and diftreffes to have recourfe unto and to depend on thy power, goodness, and promifes. And, as thou haft promised to keep him in perfect peace, whofe mind is staid on thee, fuffer not my heart to be overcharged with the cares of this life; but grant that, having by honeft industry, and Gg 2 the the ufe of all lawful means, done my part, I may chearfully commit myself to thy providence, cafting all my care upon thee; and that feeking firft thy kingdom and the righteoufness thereof, I may ftedfaftly trust in thee for fuch a measure of thefe outward things as thou, in thy wisdom, feest to be moft expedient for my advancement to the kingdom of thy Son; to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghoft, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. A Prayer for our Benefactors. ALmighty and everlasting God, who makeft me both to will and to do thofe things that be good and acceptable to thy divine Majefty; I make my humble fupplications to thee for all my benefactors. Let thy fatherly hand, I be◄ feech thee, ever be over them; let thy holy Spirit ever be with them; and fo lead them in the knowledge and obedience of thy word, that in the end they may obtain everlasting life, through our Lord Jefus Christ, who, with thee and the Holy Ghoft, liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen. Acts of Contrition, with Petitions for Pardon and Grace, that we may reform and amend our lives. Lord, remember not the fins and offences of my youth, but according to thy mercy think thou upon me. For thy name's fake, O Lord, be merciful unto my fin, for it is great. Enter not into judgment with thy fervant, O Lord; for in thy fight fhall no man living be justified. Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness; according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences. Who can tell how oft he offendeth? O cleanse thou me fecret faults. from my Order my steps in thy word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Shew me thy ways, O Lord, and teach me thy paths. Pity, 4 |