him a long and happy Reign over us; and endue him with all thofe Gifts and Graces, which may make him a Terror to evil Works, and a great Promoter of thy Glory. Bless him and all his Royal Relations with a great Measure of all temporal good Things, and with eternal Glory in the World to come. Lord, let it be thy good Pleasure to grant to the Privy-Council, Wisdom from above; to all Magiftrates, Integrity and Zeal for Religion; to the Gentry and Commonalty, pious and juft, peaceable and loyal Hearts; to our Armies and Navy, Protection and Victory; to the whole Nation, healthful, and fruitful, and peaceful Times. Lord, let it be thy good Pleasure to grant to all Jews, Turks, Infidels, Atheists, and Hereticks, Conversion; to all Malefactors, and wicked Men, timely Repentance; to all holy Perfons, Increase of Grace and Perfeverance; to all that I have tempted any way to Sin, or with whom I have been a Companion in Evil, Contrition and Pardon. Lord, brought up to Godliness and good Learning and I befeech thee to give us Grace fo to use these thy Bleffings to the Glory of thy Name, that we may become profitable Members in the Church and Commonwealth, and may be at laft Partakers of the immortal Glory of the Refurrection, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen, Amen. Directions to use the foregoing Prayers. HAVE a great Care, good Phi latheus, that you make not any of the Rules here given you a Pretence to neglect the Orders and Duties of the Place you live in, or of the School; for that were Idleness rather than Devotion. When you fix on a Day to examine your Soul, or to confess your Sins in, believe me, Philotheus, nothing will more enforce your Prayers and Repentance, than if they are accompany'd with Fafting and Alms, as you may fee in the Example of Cornelius, whose whofe Prayers, and Fasting, and Alms, all join'd together, were fo acceptable to God, as made him fend, first, an Angel from Heaven, and after the Angel, an Apoftle, and after the Apostle, the Holy Ghost, to confirm and enlighten him, A&ts x. But take Notice, Philotheus, that all the Fafting I advise you to, is only to fome Fafting-day, or fome one Friday, or Saturday, when your Commons are less than on other Days, to content yourself with your bare Al-. lowance, and withal to lay afide fome fmall Matter, according to your Stock, for the Poor. But beware you do not do your Duty only to be feen or approved of by others; for this were Hypocrify: And take Heed your Performance do not puff you up with a vain Conceit of your Holinefs, and that you are better than your Fellows; for this were abominable Pride: And, alas! when you have done the beft you can, you fall infinitely short of your Duty, and 'tis God's mere. Mercy, not any the least Worth in you, makes your Service any Way acceptable to him. F When When you, have once thoroughly examined yourself, good Philotheus, and made a particular Confeffion of the Sins of your whole Life, and begged Pardon, there is not the fame abfolute Neceffity of fuch laborious Examination, at your next Communicating, efpecially if you examine yourself carefully every Night, and daily repent of the Evil of the Day paft, and are not confcious to yourfelf of any great and notorious Sins fince your last Confeffion; for if you are not, the Examination and Confeffion only of what paft fince your laft Communicating, together with a general Confeffion of your former Sins, and a folemn Renewing of your former Acts of Repentance, may serve the Turn. But if your Confcience accufes you of any culpable Neglect in your laft Examination, or of any great Relapses, or of any wilful Violations of your laft Vows and Refolutions, in thofe and the like Cafes, it is the fureft Way to begin all your Repentance again. Remember, Remember, Philotheus, that tho' 'tis God that works in you to will and to do of his good Pleafure, yet God alfo commands you to work out your own Salvation yourfelf; and therefore you are to labour for thofe Bleffings, and to practice those Graces, you pray for: So that you are to read your Duty in your Prayers. If you find any particular Sin you are guilty of, or any particular Grace which you want, or any particular Bleffing which you are to give Thanks for, which is not here mentioned, 'tis eafy for you to add it to your Prayers, as Occafion requires. In like manner, if you meet with any Paffage in any Prayer, which does not either fo directly, or fo fully, exprefs the Sense of your Soul, as you could wish, leave it out. If Opportunity, Leifure, and Devotion, all together, do at any Time, when you go Home, or at Times of Liberty, incline you to make fome prefent Addition to your daily Prayor like Daniel and Holy David, not only at Morning and at Evening, F 2 ers; Dan. vi. 10. but |