The Exhortation to PRAYERS That are to be read in the Church of GENEVA ON Monday Evening, Tuesday Morning, and Friday Evening. L The Prayers for Monday Evening. ET our Help be in the Name of God, who has made Heaven and Earth. Amen. Brethren, WE E are here affembled to admire the Greatnefs of God, to celebrate his Benefits, to hear his Word, and to ask of Him all the People. thofe Favours of which we ftand in need; let us be attentive to this holy Work, let us bring with us all the Refpect and Devotion that it deferves; and to the End that our Service may be acceptable to God, let us begin it by an humble Confeffion of our Sins, having our Hearts penetrated with a fincere Repentance, and saying: LORD Sins. ORD God, who haft made the World, and who governeft it by The Confefthy Providence; who art the abfolute Mafter of Men, and whofion of wilt be one Day their Judge: We have finned, we have committed Iniquity, we have done that which is difpleafing in thy Sight. But O God, we repent fincerely of our Faults, we are covered with Shame at the Remembrance of them, and we make a ferious Refolution to amend our felves. Vouchfafe then to have Pity on us, bountiful God, and Father of Mercies, for the Love of Jefus Chrift thine only Son our Lord: And in pardoning our paft Sins, give us Grace to fall no more into them, but to follow thy Will during all the rest of our Lives. O GOD, whofe Name is Magnificent, and whofe Glory infinitely The Adofurpales all our Thoughts and Expreffions, we proftrate our felves ration. at the Feet of thy Throne, to pay our Homage and Adoration to thy Infinite Majefty. We acknowledge Thee, O God, for the Author and Master of all Things, for the Living and True God, for the Only God that there is in the World. Thou art the first and the laft. Thy Arm is mighty, thy Hand is ftrong: Thy Right-hand is lifted up on high; Justice and Righteoufnefs are the Foundation of thy Throne, Mercy and Truth go before thy Face. The Heavens were made by thy Word, and all the Hoft of Heaven by the Breath of thy Mouth. Thy Hand has founded the Earth, with all that is therein. Thy Providence governs all: All Things are naked before Thee; Thy Eyes behold, and thy Eye-lids fearch out the Hearts of the Sons of Men. Thou doft whatsoever pleaseth Thee, both in the Heavens and upon the Earth, and nothing can withstand thy Will. Who is like unto Thee, O our Great God? And what are all the Men of the World, even the Greatest and the moft to be feared among Men, but pitiful Creatures, miferable Worms of the Earth, Vanity it felf, lefs than nothing before Thee? King of Glory, the Heavens and the Earth refound with thy Praises. Thousands and Thousands of Angels ferve Thee; Ten Thoufand Millions minifter before Thee. The Saints whom Thou haft glorified, praife Thee, and celebrate Thee by their Hymns. We join, O God, our Adorations to those of thefe Heavenly Spirits: We celebrate Thee, we give Thee Glory, Thou who art fate upon the Throne, by whom all Things fubfifts, and who liveft for ever and ever. LORD, whofe Goodnefs is Infinite, and to whom we owe all the The good Things we poffefs; we praife Thee, we blefs Thee, we give Thanksgi Thee Thanks for all the Bleffings both Temporal and Spiritual, which ving Thou haft bestowed upon us. Without Thee we fhould be nothing, or what is much worse, we fhould be moft miferable: Thy Hand has drawn us out of nothing, and thy Providence does preferve us: Thou nourisheft to God. nourisheft us with thy Fruits; Thou watchest for us when we sleep; Thou fupporteft us in our Weakneffes; Thou healeft us of our Sickneffes; and Thou provideft liberally for all our Wants. But we praise Thee above all, O God, for the ineftimable Favours which Thou hast imparted to us in thy Gofpel; for having given us thy Son to perform the Work of our Redemption; for having given us the Grace to know him, and to believe in Him; for having vouchsafed to adopt us for thy Children, and for having referved for us thy heavenly Inheritance: For all thefe Things we offer to Thee the Sacrifice of our Praises, and we pay Thee our Vows in thy House, and before thy People. The Confe- SOVEREIGN LORD, on whom we depend, and who haft all cration of kinds of Right over us; who art our Creator, our Preferver, our Reour felves deemer, and our Father; we devote our felves intirely to Thee; we offer unto Thee our Bodies, and our Souls, all that is in us, and all that depends upon us, to be employed in thy Service: And as it is Thou who haft given us Life, we defire not to live but for thy Honour. Thy Fear fhall be before our Eyes, thy Law fhall be imprinted in our Souls, and we will have no greater Pleafure than to perform thy Will We have fworn, and we will obferve it, to keep the Commandments of thy Justice. A Prayer BUT, O God, as we are weak, and that without Thee we can do for asking nothing, vouchfafe to help us to perform these our Duties. Give us a Help of new Spirit, and a new Heart; and put thy Spirit into us, to make us God. walk in thy Ways, and keep thy Commandments. And as Thou makeft ufe of the Miniftry of thy Word for that purpose, give us Grace to hear it with Attention when it shall be read to us, to underftand well the Meaning of it, and then to put it into Practice: All which we beg of Thee in the Name of thy Son Jefus Christ our Lord, to whom with Thee, Heavenly Father, and with the Holy Ghost, be Honour, Praise, and Glory, both now and for ever. Amen. The Se cond Prayer. To be en This Prayer being read, the People fing one or two Staves of a Pfalm; then a Chapter of the Holy Scripture is to be read, after which the Minifter fays that which follows: Brethren, LE ET us prefent our felves again before the Face of God, and let us continue to ask of Him all thofe Favours of which we stand in need. O All-gracious God, who haft given us thy Word for our Inftruabled to tion, grant that the Things which we have now heard, may be fo pratife grafted in our Hearts, as never to be blotted out; and that they the Word. may may produce the Fruits of a good and holy Life, for the Glory of thy great Name, and for the Advancement of our Salvation. LORD God, who art the Author and Preferver of Governments, For this the Father and the Defender of thy Faithful; we beseech Thee to State and take this State and this Church under thy Protection. Remove from Church. us, all the Dangers wherewith we may be threatned. Grant that Peace, Truth and Juftice may always flourish among us, and fuffer us not, through our Hardness of Heart and Ingratitude, to force Thee to remove from us the Candlestick of thy Word. O GOD, who art the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, we offer For the up unto Thee our most humble Prayers for the Lords and Magiftrates Magiwhom Thou haft appointed over us. Blefs their Perfons, guide them ftrates. in the Exercise of their Functions, and grant that thay may use their Authority to the Advancement of thy Glory, and to the Good of thy, Church. SOVEREIGN Paftor of our Souls, we pray Thee for all the Pa- For the stors whom thou haft established in thy Church, and above all, for thofe Minifters. whom Thou haft given to us. Let them be enriched with the Gifts of thy Spirit: Let thy Light enlighten them: Let thy Word fan&tifie them: Let them be animated with Zeal for thy Glory, fo that they may promote thy Kingdom by their Doctrine, and by their Example, and that in faving others, they may alfo fave themselves. Church. FATHER of Mercies, who has formed to thy felf a Church For the among Men, that may glorifie Thee upon Earth, and which Thou whole wiltft glorifie everlastingly in thy Heaven: We recommend to Thy Bounty the whole Church, together with all the Faithful that are Members of it. Preferve the Flocks that are in being: Gather together those that are difperfed: Comfort and ftrengthen thofe that are under Oppreffion and Sufferings. Let all thofe who make Profeffion of thy Gofpel, advance more and more in the Knowledge of thy Truth: Let them ferve Thee in Purity: Let them live after a holy Manner, and let Peace and Concord always reign among them; to the End that they with one Heart and one Mouth, may altogether glorifie Thee our God, who art the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. O GOD, who haft commanded us to pray to Thee for all Men, For all and who wouldeft not that any fhould perish, but that all should Mankind. repent; look down with an Eye of Compaffion upon all the Nations of the Earth: Difperfe the Ignorance of the Heathens: Take away the Veil which is upon the Heart of the Jews. Convert the Mahometans, and all other Infidels. And grant that thofe among the Chriftians that are engaged in Error, may return from their Wandrings, and may learn to ferve Thee according to the Purity of thy Gospel. P O GOD, For the O'GOD of Comfort and Patience, have Pity on all Perfons who Afflicted. are at this time in Affliction, in Poverty, in Sickness, or in any other Mifery whatsoever. We pray Thee particularly for those fick Perfons that are Members of this Church, and for all others that have defired to partake of our Prayers: Deliver them from their Sufferings, if Thou thinkeft fit, both for thy Glory and for their Salvation. But above all, teach them to make a good Ufe thereof, by weaning themselves from the World, and turning themfelves to Thee, to the end that after having fuffered a little while according to thy Will, they may obtain the Effect of thy Promifes, that blessed and eternal Life which Thou haft promifed to Thy faithful People. For Pre in the Night. O Almighty God, who haft preferved us during this Day, watch fervation over us the whole Night, and keep us from all thofe Accidents to which we are expofed in this World, to the end that the Reft which we fhall enjoy, may put us into a Condition to glorifie Thee, and that we may one Day arrive to the Eternal Reft which Thou haft appointed for us. O All-wife, All-bountiful, and Almighty God, who knoweft what The Con- is neceffary for us better than we our felves, and who doft more for clufion. us than we defire or think, hear the Prayers of thy Servants, pardon the Defects of them, and fupply what is wanting by thy Mercy, in granting all that Thou knoweft to be neceffary for us, both for the Body and the Soul, both for the prefent Life and that to come. This we beg of Thee in the Name of thy Son Jefus Chrift our Lord, and we offer up to Thee that Prayer which He has taught us. Our Father, &c. After the Lord's-Prayer, and the Belief, the People fing Two Staves of a Pfalm, and then the Minifter gives the Blessing. PRAYER S for TUESDAY The First L ET our Help be in the Name of God, who has made Heaven and Earth. Amen. i. My |