A Selection from the Prayers of Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor was chaplain to Charles I and Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland after the Restoration. He is perhaps best known for his Rules and Exercises of Holy Living and Holy Dying which (along with similarly themed works by William Law) was enormously influential in shaping the experiential theology of John Wesley. He was certainly one of the most eloquent writers of Early Modern English. A compendium of lightly shortened prayers from his Works was published in 1830, which I've reproduced here in text-corrected form using various PDF files on Google Books and ABBYY FineReader, as a personal devotional project.

Thought you all might enjoy this excerpt from the Anglican "Shakespeare of the Divines." I'll post it here in several chunks due to the character limit.

A Selection from the Prayers of Jeremy Taylor
London: J. Hatchard and Son, 187, Piccadilly. 1830.

The following prayers have been selected from the works of Jeremy Taylor; some of them have been shortened and compressed, but nothing whatever has been added or substituted.

01-24. Forms of Prayer for the Spirit of Prayer, Etc.
25-33. Prayers of Intercession.
34-39. Thanksgivings.
40-46. Preparatory to the Sacrament.
47-57. Confession of Sins and Repentance.
58-67. In Sickness and Death.

01. A Prayer Against Wandering Thoughts, to Be Said at the Beginning of Our Devotions.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast commanded as to pray unto Thee without ceasing, and hast added many glorious promises for our encouragement, let thy Holy Spirit teach me how to pray: give me just apprehensions of my want, zeal of thy glory, great resentment* of thy mercies, love of all spiritual employments that are pleasing unto thee: and do Thou help my infirmities, that the devil may not abuse my fancy with illusions, nor distract my mind with cares, nor alienate my thoughts with impertinences; but give me a present mind, great devotion, a heart fixed upon thy divine beauties, and an actual intuition and perseverance in my prayers, that I may glorify thy name, do unto Thee true and laudable service, and obtain relief for all my necessities. Hear me, O King of Heaven, when I call upon Thee! for Thou hast promised mercy to them that pray in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. * Resentment -- strong perception.

02. A Prayer for the Morning.

MOST glorious and eternal God, Father of mercy and God of all comfort, I worship and adore Thee with the lowest humility, and give Thee all thanks and praise for thy mercies upon me and mine.

I acknowledge that I have deserved the greatest of thy wrath and indignation; but thy mercy triumphing over my sins, Thou hast still continued to me life and a time of repentance: Thou hast opened to me the gates of grace and mercy, and perpetually called 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.

For this thy great and unspeakable goodness, for the preservation of me this night, and for all thy other 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 thy saints, in the kingdom of grace and glory.

Guide me, O Lord, in all changes and varieties of the world, that in all things that shall happen, I may have an evenness and tranquillity of spirit, that my soul may be wholly resigned to thy divinest will and pleasure, never murmuring at thy gentle chastisements and fatherly correction, never waxing proud, though I feel a torrent of comforts and prosperous successes.

Fix my thoughts, my hopes, my desires, upon heaven and heavenly things: teach me to despise the world, to repent me deeply for my sins: give me holy purposes of amendment, and strength and assistances 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.

Teach me to watch over all my ways, that I may never be surprised by sudden temptations or a careless spirit, or 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, either against piety or charity. And teach me to do nothing but what becomes thy servant, whom thy infinite mercy hath sealed up to the day of redemption.

Let all my passions and affections be so mortified and brought under the dominion of grace, that I may never, by deliberation and purpose, nor yet by levity, rashness, or inconsideration, offend thy divine Majesty. Make me such as Thou wouldest have me to be; strengthen my faith, confirm my hope, and give me a daily increase of charity, that this day 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. Amen.

03. A Prayer to Be Said Every Morning.

O ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of mercy and comfort, with reverence and fear, with humble confidence and strong desires, I approach to the throne of grace, begging of Thee mercy and protection, pardon and salvation. O my God, I am a sinner, but sorrowful and repenting: Thou art justly offended at me, but yet thou art my Lord and my Father, merciful and gracious. Be pleased to blot all my sins out of thy remembrance, and heal my soul, that I may never any more sin against thee. Lord, open my eyes that I may see my own infirmities, and watch against them; and my own follies, that I may amend them: and be pleased to give perfect understanding in the way of godliness, that I may walk in it all the days of my pilgrimage. Give me a spirit diligent in the works of my calling, cheerful and zealous in religion, fervent and frequent in my prayers, charitable and useful in my conversations; give me a healthful and chaste body, a pure and holy soul, a sanctified and an humble spirit; and let my body and soul and spirit be preserved unblameable to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Blessed be thy name, O God, and blessed be thy mercies, who hast preserved me this night from sin and sorrow, from sad chances and a violent death, from the malice of the devil, and the evil effects of my own corrupted nature and infirmity. The outgoings of the morning and evening shall praise Thee, and thy servants shall rejoice in giving Thee praise for the operation of thy hands. Let thy providence and care watch over me this day, and all my whole life, that I may never sin against Thee, by idleness or folly, by evil company or private sins, by word or deed, by thought or desire; and let the employment of day leave no sorrow, or the remembrance of an evil conscience at night, but let it be holy and profitable, blessed and always innocent; that when the days of my short abode are done, and the shadow is departed, I may die in thy fear and favour, and rest in a holy hope, and at last return to the joys of a blessed resurrection, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

04. A Collect for the Morning.

O ALMIGHTY Father, great God of all the world, who dwellest in the light to which no man can approach: in thy presence there is no night, in the light of thy countenance there is perpetual day. We, thy servants, whom thou hast preserved this night, who bless and glorify thee this day, who live by thy power, who desire to walk by thy laws, to be blessed by thy Providence, to be defended by thy Almighty hand, humbly pray unto thee, that this day and all the days of our lives may be holy. Send thy Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Peace, to be the guide of our way, the guard of our souls and bodies. Grant that all the accidents of this day may be healthful to our bodies and profitable to our souls: and that we may spend the remaining portion of our life in blessing, peace, and holiness. Make thou the latter end of our days to be Christian, without shame and without torment; and when we shall appear before thy dreadful seat of judgment, grant we may not be confounded, but may stand upright in the congregation of the saints, acquitted by the death of Christ, justified by his resurrection, pardoned by his sentence, saved by his mercy, that we may rejoice in his salvation, and sing thy praises for ever and ever. Amen.

05. A Prayer for the Evening.

ETERNAL God, Father of men and angels, by whose care and providence I am preserved and blessed, comforted and assisted, I humbly beg of Thee to pardon the sins and follies of this day, the weaknesses of my services, and the strength of my passions, the rashness of my words, and the vanity and evil of my actions. O just and dear God, how long shall I confess my sins, and pray against them, and yet fall under them! O let it be so no more; let me never return to the follies of which I am ashamed, which bring sorrow, and death, and thy displeasure -- worse than death.

Give me a command over my evil inclinations, and a perfect hatred of sin, and a love to thee above all the desires of this world. Be pleased to bless and preserve me this night from all sin, and all violence of chance and all the malice of the spirits of darkness; watch over me in my sleep; and whether I sleep or wake, let me be thy servant. Be Thou, first and last, in all my thoughts, and the guide and continual assistance of all my actions. Preserve my body, pardon the sin of my soul, and sanctify my spirit; let me always live holily, and justly, and soberly; and when I die, receive my soul into thy hands, O holy and ever-blessed Jesus! that I may behold thy face and live in thy kingdom, singing praises to God for ever and ever. Amen.

06. For Fervent and Effectual Devotion in Prayer.

O HOLY and eternal God, who hast commanded us to pray to Thee in all our necessities, and to give thanks unto Thee for all our instances of joy and blessing, and, to adore Thee in all thy attributes and communications, thy own glories, and thy eternal mercies; give unto me, thy servant, the spirit of prayer and supplication, that I may understand what is good for me; that I may conform to thy will, and submit to thy disposing, relinquishing my own affections and imperfect choice. Sanctify my heart and spirit, that I may sanctify thy name, that I maybe gracious and accepted in thine eyes; give me the humility and obedience of a servant, that I may also have the hope and confidence of a son, making humble and confident addresses to the throne of grace; that in all my necessities I may come to Thee for aids, and may trust in Thee for a gracious answer, and may receive satisfaction and supply.

Give me a sober, diligent, and recollected spirit in my prayers, neither choked with cares, nor scattered by levity, nor discomposed by passion, nor estranged from Thee by inadvertency, but fixed fast to Thee by the indissoluble bands of love and devotion. And let the beams of thy Holy Spirit descending from above, enlighten and enkindle it with great fervour, and holy importunity, and unwearied industry, that I may serve Thee, and obtain thy blessing by the assiduity and zeal of perpetual religious offices. Let my prayers come before thy presence, and the lifting up my hands be a daily sacrifice, and let the fires of zeal not go out by night or day; but unite my prayers to the intercession of the Holy Jesus, and to a communion of those offices which angels and beatified souls do pay before the throne of the Lamb, and at the celestial altar; that my prayers being hallowed by the merits of Christ, may ascend thither, where thy glory dwells, and from whence mercy and eternal benediction descend upon thy church.

Lord, change my sins into penitential sorrow, my sorrow to petition that my prayers be consummate in the adorations of eternity, and the glorious participation of the end of our hopes and prayers, the fulness of never-failing charity, and the fruition of Thee, O holy and eternal God, to whom all honour and worship, and thanks, and glory, be ascribed for ever. Amen.

07. For the Spirit of Prayer.

O HOLY Jesus, make me by thy example to conform to the will of that eternal God, who is our Father, merciful and gracious, that I may choose all those accidents which his providence hath actually disposed to me, that I may know no desires but his commands and his will, and that in all afflictions I may fly thither for mercy, pardon, and support, and may wait for deliverance in such times and manners, which the Father hath reserved in his own power, and graciously dispenses according to his infinite wisdom and compassion. Holy Jesus, give me the gift and spirit of prayer, and do Thou, by thy gracious intercession, supply my ignorances, and passionate desires, and imperfect choices, procuring and giving to me such returns of favour, which may support my needs, and serve the ends of religion, and the spirit which thy wisdom chooses, and thy passion hath purchased, and thy grace loves to bestow upon all thy saints and servants. Amen.

08. For Pardon and Peace.

O HOLY Jesus, I adore thy mercies and thy incomparable love expressed in thy voluntary affectionate suffering such tortures which cannot be remembered without a sad compassion: the waters of bitterness entered into thy soul, and the storms of death and thy Father's anger broke thee all in pieces; and what shall I do, who by my sins have so tormented my dearest Lord? what contrition can be great enough, what tears sufficiently expressive, what hatred and detestation of my crimes can be equal and commensurate to those accidents which they have produced? Pity me, O Lord, pity me, dearest God, turn Thou thy merciful eyes towards me, O most merciful Redeemer, for my sins are great, like unto thy passion, full of sorrow and shame, and a burden too great for me to bear.

Lord, who hast done so much good for me, now only speak the word, and thy servant shall be whole: let thy wounds heal me, thy virtues amend me, thy death quicken me, that I in this life suffering the cross of a sad and salutary repentance, in the union and merits of thy cross and passion, may die with Thee, and live with Thee for ever in the possession of thy glories, O dearest Saviour, Jesus. Amen.

09. For the Grace and Strengths of Faith.

O HOLY and eternal Jesus, who didst die for me and for all mankind, abolishing our sin, reconciling us to God, adopting us into the portion of thine heritage, and establishing with us a covenant of faith and obedience, making our souls to rely upon spiritual strengths, by the supports of a holy belief, and the expectation of fare promises, and the infallible truths of God: O let me for ever dwell upon the rock, leaning upon thy arm, believing thy word, trusting in thy promises, waiting for thy mercies, and doing thy commandments; that the devil may not prevail upon me, and my own weaknesses may not abuse or unsettle my persuasions, nor my sins discompose my just confidence in Thee and thy eternal mercies. Let me always be thy servant and thy disciple, and die in the communion of thy church and all faithful people. Lord, I renounce whatever is against thy truth: for Thou art "the way, the truth, and the life." And I know that whatsoever thou hast declared, that is the truth of God; and I do firmly adhere to the religion Thou hast taught, and glory in nothing so much as that I am a Christian, that thy name is called upon me. O my God, though I die, yet will I put my trust in Thee. In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted, let me never be confounded. Amen.

10. For a Contented Spirit.

O ALMIGHTY God, Father and Lord of all creatures, who hast disposed all things and all chances so as may best glorify thy wisdom, and serve the ends of thy justice, and magnify thy mercy, thy secret and undiscernible ways bringing good out of evil; I most humbly beseech Thee to give me wisdom from above, that I may adore Thee and admire thy ways and footsteps, which are in the great deep, and not to be searched out: teach me to submit to thy Providence in all things, to be content in all changes of person and condition, to be temperate in prosperity, and to read my duty in the lines of thy mercy; and in adversity to be meek, patient, and resigned, and to look through the cloud, that I may wait for the consolation of the Lord, and the day of redemption; in the mean time doing my duty with unwearied diligence, and an undisturbed resolution, having no fondness for the vanities and possessions of this world, but laying up my hopes in heaven, and the rewards of holy living, and being strengthened with the spirit in the inner man, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

11. For Humility and a Mortified Spirit.

O ETERNAL God, fountain of all truth and holiness, in whom to believe is life eternal, let thy grace descend with a mighty power into my soul, beating down every strong hold and vainer imagination, and bringing every proud thought, and my confident and ignorant understanding, into the obedience of Jesus.

Take from me all disobedience and refractoriness of spirit, all ambition and private and baser interest, remove from me all prejudice and weakness of persuasion, that I may wholly resign my understanding to the persuasions of Christianity; acknowledging Thee to be the principle of truth, and thy word the measure of knowledge, and thy laws the rule of my life, and thy promises the satisfaction of my hopes and an union with Thee, to the consummation of charity in the fruition of glory. Amen.

12.

Holy Jesus, make me to acknowledge Thee to be my Lord and Master, and myself a servant and disciple of thy holy discipline and institution: let me love to sit at thy feet, and suck in with my ears and heart the sweetness of thy holy sermons. Let my soul be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, with a peaceable and docile disposition. Give me great boldness in the public confession of thy name and the truth of thy Gospel, in despite of all hostilities and temptations; and grant that I may always remember that thy name is called upon by me, and I may so behave myself, that I neither give scandal to others, nor cause disreputation to the honour of religion, but that Thou mayest be glorified in me, and I by thy mercies, after a strict observance of all the holy laws of Christianity. Amen.

13.

O HOLY and ever blessed Spirit, let thy gracious influences be the perpetual guide of my rational faculties. Inspire me with wisdom and knowledge, spiritual understanding and a holy faith; and sanctify my faith that it may arise up to the confidence of hope and charity, and be fruitful in a holy conversation: mortify in me all peevishness, and pride of spirit, and whatsoever is contrary to sound doctrine, that when the eternal Son of God, the "author and finisher of our faith," shall come to make scrutiny and an inquest for faith, I may receive the promises laid up for them that believe in the Lord Jesus, and wait for his coming in holiness and purity: to whom with the Father, and Thee, O blessed Spirit, be all honour and eternal adoration paid with all sanctity and joy, now and for ever. Amen.

14. For Submission.

O MOST gracious and eternal God, Father and Lord of all, I confess I am unworthy of any favour; I am less than the least of thy mercies, yet our weakness and unworthiness cannot be the measures of thy mercy: Thou art good and gracious, and delightest in showing mercy to them that call upon Thee and put their trust in Thee. I know, O God, that Thou lovest to hear our prayers, and Thou delightest in the humble and resigned desires of thy servants. O God, I humbly submit my desires, my interests, my content, and all that I am or have, to thy holy will and pleasure, humbly begging of Thee that I may cheerfully suffer, and obediently do thy will, and choose what Thou choosest, and observe the ways of thy providence, and revere thy judgment, and wait for thy mercy, and delight in thy dispensation, and expect that all things shall work together for good to them that fear Thee. O let thy Holy Spirit for ever be present with me, and make me to fear Thee, and to love Thee above all things in the world, for ever; and then no ill can come unto thy servant, for whosoever loves Thee cannot perish. Hear the prayer of thy servant, and relieve my sorrow, and sanctify my desires, and accept me in the Son of thy Love, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

15. Against Wrath and Inordinate Anger.

O ALMIGHTY Judge of men and angels, whose anger is always the minister of Justice, slow, but severe, not lightly arising, but falling heavily when it comes; give to thy servant a meek and a gentle spirit, that I also may be slow to anger, and easy to mercy and forgiveness. Give me a wise and a constant heart, that I may not be moved with every trifling mistake and inconsiderable accident, in the conversation and intercourse of others; or ever be moved to an intemperate anger for any injury that is done or offered.

Lord, let me be ever courteous, and easy to be entreated; never let me fall into a peevish or contentious spirit, but follow peace with all men, offering forgiveness, inviting them by courtesies, ready to confess my own errors, and apt to make amends, and desirous to be reconciled. Let no sickness, no cross accident, no employment or weariness, make me angry, or ungentle and discontent, or unthankful or uneasy to them that minister to me; but in all things make me like to the holy Jesus. Give me the spirit of a Christian, charitable, humble, merciful and meek, useful and liberal, complying with every chance; angry at nothing but my own sins, and grieving for the sins of others; that while my religion is pure and undefiled, managed with humility and adorned with charity, I may escape thy anger which I have deserved, and may dwell in thy love, and be thy servant for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

16. For the Graces of Faith, Hope, and Charity.

O LORD God of infinite mercy, of infinite excellency, who hast sent thy holy Son into the world to redeem us from an intolerable misery, and to teach us a holy religion, and to forgive us an infinite debt; give me thy Holy Spirit, that my understanding and all my faculties may.be so resigned to the discipline and doctrine of my Lord, that I may be prepared to die for the testimony of Jesus, and to suffer any affliction or calamity that shall offer to hinder my duty, or tempt me to shame, or sin, or apostasy; and let my faith be the parent of a good life, a strong shield to repel the fiery darts of the devil, and the author of a holy hope, of modest desires and confidence in God, and of a never-failing charity to thee, my God, and to all the world; that I may never have my portion with the unbelievers, or uncharitable and desperate persons; but may be supported by the strengths of faith in all temptations, and may be refreshed with the comforts of a holy hope in all my sorrows, and may bear the burden of the Lord, and the infirmities of my neighbour, by the support of charity; that the yoke of Jesus may become easy to me, and my love may do all the miracles of grace, till from grace it swell to glory, from earth to heaven, from the imperfections of a beginning and a little growing love, it may arrive to the consummation of an eternal and never-ceasing charity, through Jesus Christ the Son of thy Love, the anchor of our hope, and the author and finisher of our faith: to whom with Thee, O Lord God, Father of heaven and earth, and with thy Holy Spirit, be all glory, and love, and obedience, and dominion, now and for ever. Amen.

17. For Holy Intention in the Beginning and Pursuit of Any Considerable Action, as Study, Preaching, Etc.

O ETERNAL God, who hast 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.

18. For Increase of Grace and Perfection.

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 diligently to perform it, and to persevere in the practices of a holy life, even till the last of my days.

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.

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 good, nor deserve to be despised myself; and if I be, teach me to bear it with meekness and charity.

Give me a tender conscience, a resigned will, and mortified affections, that I may be as Thou wouldest 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.

19. For Grace to Continue a Religious Life.

O ETERNAL God, who wert pleased in mercy to look upon us, to reconcile us when we were enemies, to forgive us in the midst of our provocations of thy infinite and eternal Majesty finding out a remedy for us which mankind could never ask; even making an atonement for us by the death of thy Son, sanctifying us by the blood of thy everlasting covenant and thy all hallowing and divinest Spirit: let thy graces so perpetually assist and encourage my endeavours, conduct my will, and fortify my intentions, that I may persevere in that holy condition which Thou hast put me in, by the grace of the covenant and the mercies of the Holy Jesu.

Oh, let me never fall into those sins, or return to that vain conversation, from which the eternal and merciful Saviour of the world hath redeemed me; but let me grow in grace, adding virtue to virtue, reducing my purposes to acts, and increasing my acts till they grow into habits, and my habits till they be confirmed, and still confirming them till they be consummate in a blessed and holy perseverance.

Let thy preventing grace dash all temptations in their approach; let thy grace enable me to resist them in the assault, and overcome them in the fight, that my hopes be never discomposed, nor my faith weakened, nor my confidence made remiss, or my tide and proportion in the covenant be lessened; or if Thou permittest me at any time to fall, (which Holy Jesus avert for thy mercy and compassion's sake) yet let me not sleep in sin, but recall me instantly by the clamours of a wise and tender conscience, and the quickening of the Spirit; that I may never pass from sin to sin, from one degree to another, lest sin should get the dominion over me, lest Thou be angry with me, and reject me from the covenant, and I perish. Purify me, and sanctify my spirit, that I may be holy as Thou art; and let me never provoke thy jealousy, nor presume upon thy goodness, nor distrust thy mercies, nor defer my repentance. nor rely upon vain confidences: but that I may, by a constant, sedulous, and timely endeavour, make my calling and election sure, living to Thee and dying to Thee; that having sowed to the Spirit, I may, from thy mercies, reap in the Spirit bliss and eternal sanctity, and everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, our hope, and our mighty and ever glorious Redeemer. Amen.

20. For a Holy Life.

O HOLY Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Thou spring of joy and spiritual satisfactions; soften the hardness and refresh the barrenness of my desert soul; that I may despise all the vainer complacencies of this world, refuse all but such as are safe, pious, and charitable, and may desire nothing but Thee, seek none but Thee, and rest in Thee with entire dereliction of my own inclinations; that the desires of nature may pass into desires of grace, my hopes placed on Thee, and all the parts of my life may speak my love and obedience to thy commandments; that Thou, possessing my soul, and all its faculties during my whole life, I may possess thy glories in the fruition of a blessed eternity, by the light of thy gospel here, being guided to Thee the fountain of life and glory, Thou with love adoring for ever. Amen.

21. For Spiritual Assistance.

BLESSED and most holy Jesus, fountain of grace and comfort, treasure of wisdom and spiritual emanations, be pleased to abide with me for ever; give me a corresponding love, acceptable and unstained purity, care and watchfulness over my ways, that I may never, by provoking Thee to anger, cause Thee to remove thy dwelling, or draw a cloud before thy holy face; let thy love support my spirit by ways insensible, and in all my needs give me such a portion as may be instrumental and incentive to the performance of my duty, and in all accidents let me continue to seek Thee by prayers and humiliations, and frequent desires, and the strictnesses of a holy life; that I may follow thy example, pursue thy footsteps, be supported by thy strength, guided by thy hand, enlightened by thy favour, and may at last, after a persevering holiness and an unwearied industry, dwell with Thee in the regions of light and eternal glory, where there shall be no fears of parting from the habitations of felicity, and the union and fruition of thy presence, O blessed and most holy Jesus. Amen.

22. For Spiritual Assistance in Danger and Temptation.

ETERNAL God and most merciful Father, I adore thy wisdom, providence, and admirable dispensation of affairs in the spiritual kingdom of our Lord Jesus; that Thou, who art infinitely good, dost permit so many sadnesses and dangers to discompose that order of things and spirits which Thou didst create innocent and harmless, and dost design to great and spiritual perfections; that the emanation of good from evil by thy overruling power and excellencies, may force glory to Thee from our shame, and honour to thy wisdom by these contradictory accidents and events; Lord, have pity upon me in these sad disorders, and with mercy know my infirmities. Let me, by suffering what Thou pleasest, co-operate to the glorification of thy grace and magnifying thy mercy; but never let me consent to sin, but with the power of thy majesty, and mightiness of thy prevailing mercy, rescue me from those dangers and enemies which daily seek to deflour that innocence with which Thou didst clothe my soul in the new birth. Behold, O God, how all the spirits of darkness endeavour the extinction of our hopes, and the dispersion of all those graces, and the prevention of all those glories which the holy Jesus has purchased for every loving and obedient soul. Our senses are snares, our business is various temptation, our sins are inlets to more, and our good actions made occasions of sins. Lord, deliver me from the malice of the devil, from the fallacies of the world, from my own folly, that I be not devoured by the first, nor cheated by the second, nor betrayed by myself; but let thy grace, which is sufficient for me, be always present with me; let thy Spirit instruct me in the spiritual warfare, arming my understanding, and securing my will, and fortifying my spirit with resolutions of piety and incentives of religion; that the dangers I am encompassed with, may become unto me an occasion of victory and triumph, through the aids of the Holy Ghost, and by the cross of the Lord Jesus, who hath for himself and all his servants triumphed over sin and hell, and the grave, even all the powers of darkness; from which, by the mercies of Jesus, and the merits of his passion, now and ever deliver me and all thy faithful people. Amen.

23. Against Temptations.

O GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy name is great, thy essence is infinite, thy goodness is eternal, and thy power hath no limit; Thou art the God and Lord of all, blessed for evermore. Look down in mercy and compassion from thy dwelling, hear our prayers and supplications, and deliver us from all temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Take not thy grace from us, let us never want thy help in our needs, nor thy comfort in the day of our danger and calamity. Never try us beyond our strengths, nor afflict us beyond our patience, nor smite us but with a father's rod. We have no strengths of our own, Thou art our confidence, our rock, and our strong salvation. Save us, O God, from the miseries of this world, and never let us suffer the intolerable calamities of the next. Rescue us from the evils we have done, and preserve us from the evils we have deserved: that we, living before Thee with clean hearts, and undefiled bodies, and sanctified spirits, may, at the day of judgment, be presented pure and spotless by the blood of the Lamb, that we may sing eternal hallelujahs in heavenly places to the honour of God our Saviour, who hath redeemed our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling. Grant this in the riches of thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

24. For a Sense of Religion.

O ETERNAL God, Lord of heaven and earth, Father of men and angels, we do adore thy infinite goodness, we revere thy justice, and delight in thy mercies, by which Thou hast dealt with us, not with the utmost right and dominion of a Lord, but with the gentleness of a father, treating us like friends, who were indeed thy enemies. Thou, O God, didst see our follies, and observe our weaknesses; Thou knowest the averseness of our nature to good, and our proneness to commit vanity; and because our imperfect obedience could not bring us to perfect felicity, whither Thou didst design us, the great God of all the world was pleased to make a new covenant with man.

Blessed be God, and blessed be that mercy which has done so great things for us; O be pleased to work that in us, which Thou expectest from us. Let us not lose our title in the covenant of faith and repentance, by deferring the one, or dishonouring the other: but let us walk worthy of our vocation, according to the law of faith, and the mercies of God, and the covenant of our Lord Jesus.

O blessed Jesus, never suffer us to abuse thy mercies, or to turn thy grace into wantonness. Let the remembrance and sense of thy glorious favours endear our services, and bring forth the fruits of godliness in our whole life. Imprint deeply, upon our hearts the fear and terror of thy majesty, and perpetually entertain our spirits with highest apprehensions of thy loving kindness, that we may fear more and love more, every day more and more hating sin, crucifying all its affections and desires, passionately loving holy things, zealously following after them, prudently conducting them, and indefatigably persevering in them to the end of our lives.

O blessed and eternal God, with thy Spirit enlighten our understandings in the mysterious secrets of thy law; make me to understand all the most advantageous ways of duty, and kindle a flame in my soul that no difficulty or contradiction, no temptation within or persecution without, may ever extinguish. Give me a mighty grace that I may design to please Thee with my best and all my services, to follow the best examples, to do the noblest charities, to pursue all perfection, ever pressing forward to the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Let us rather choose to die than to sin. Let us also watch, that we may omit nothing of our duty, nor any opportunity by which thou canst be glorified, or any Christian instructed, comforted, or assisted; not resting in the strictest measures of command, but passing forward to great significations of love, doing some things by which Thou mayst be greatly pleased, that Thou mayst take delight to pardon, to sanctify, and to preserve thy servants for ever. Amen.

 

25. An Act of Intercession or Prayer for Others.

O GOD of infinite mercy, who hast compassion on all men, and relievest the necessities of all who 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.

Bless thy servant [my wife or husband] with health of body and spirit. O let the hand of thy blessing be upon his [or her] head night and day, support him in all necessities, strengthen him in all temptations, comfort him in all his sorrows, and let him 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.

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, souls, and spirits, and keep them unblameable to the coming of our Lord Jesus.

Be pleased, O Lord, to remember my friends, all that have prayed for me, all that have done me good. Do Thou good to them and return all their kindness double into their own bosom, rewarding them with blessings, sanctifying them with thy grace, and bringing them to glory.

Let all my family and kindred receive the benefit of my prayers, and the blessings of God, the comforts and supports of thy Providence, and the sanctification of thy Spirit.

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 grace and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

To God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; to the eternal Son; to the Spirit of the Father and the Son, be all honour and glory, worship and thanksgiving, now and for ever. Amen.

26. To Be Said by a New-Married Wife Entering into a Family.

O ETERNAL God, the Father of wisdom and mercy, Thou hast been my guide and my defence all my days: I bless thy name, O Lord, for all thy dispensations; Thou hast done all things with infinite goodness and infinite wisdom; Thou hast kept me from the effects of thy wrath, and the evils of my own infirmities; Thou didst defend me from evils by the guard of angels, and didst lead me into good by the conduct of thy Holy Spirit; Thou hast always heard my prayer, ever being more ready to bless me, than I to ask it; Thou hast said unto me, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee;" be therefore graciously pleased to hear the prayer of thine handmaid, that I may have the aids of an excellent providence, and a mighty grace to do my duty in all my relations, in all varieties and changes of the world, until my great change shall come.

Give thy blessing to thy servant, my dear husband, give him long life and a confirmed health; encircle him with blessings, adorn him with thy grace, nourish him with content, refresh him with a perpetual succession of comforts, let the light of thy countenance be upon him in all his actions, and the accidents of his life, and grant that he may still more and more increase in the love and fear of thy holy name; that despising the things of this world, he may hunger and thirst after the things of God and of religion, and may have his portion in the gathering together of the saints in the kingdom of grace and glory.

Bless me, even me, O my Father; and grant that I may in all things do my duty to Thee, my God: give me a perfect command over my passions and affections, that I may pass through all the accidents of life with meekness and a sober spirit, with patience and charity, with prudence and holiness. O be pleased to give thy servant a right judgment in all things, that I may not be amazed at trifles, nor discomposed by every contrariety of accidents, nor passionate for the things of the world, nor discontent if Thou shouldst smite me; but that I may with an even and a quiet spirit do my duty, and comply with every variety of thy providence, and obey my husband, and be amiable in his eyes, and useful and careful for his children, ever desiring to approve myself to Thee in a holy and hearty obedience, in piety and devotion, in patience and humility, in chastity and purity, in all holiness of conversation: and do Thou give thy holy and blessed Spirit to guide and teach me all my days, that I may overcome all my infirmities, and comply with and bear the infirmities of others; giving offence to none, but doing good to all I can, that I may receive pardon from thee for all my sins, and pity for all my infirmities, and thy blessing upon all my actions, and a sanctification of all my intentions; and when my life is done, I may have the peace of God, and the testimony of a holy conscience to accompany me to my grave, and to consign me to a holy and blessed resurrection, to partake of the inheritance which Thou hast provided for thy saints and servants. Grant this for Jesus Christ, our dearest Lord and Saviour. Amen.

27. A Prayer of a Wife for Her Husband.

O MOST glorious God, and my most indulgent Lord and gracious Father, who dost bless us by thy bounty, pardon us by thy mercy, support and guide us by thy grace, and govern by thy providence, bless and preserve that dear person whom Thou hast chosen to be my husband; let his life be long and blessed, comfortable and holy; and let me also be a great blessing and comfort unto him, a sharer in all his joys, a refreshment in all his sorrows, a meet helper for him in all accidents and chances of die world. Make me amiable for ever in his eyes, and very dear to him. Unite his heart to me in the dearest union of love and holiness; and mine to him in all sweetness, charity, and compliance. Keep from me all morosity and ungentleness, all sullenness and harshness of disposition, all pride and vanity, all discontentedness and unreasonableness of passion and humour; and make me a humble and obedient, charitable and loving, patient and contented, useful and observant; that we may delight in each other according to thy blessed word and ordinance, and both of us may rejoice in Thee, having our portion in the love and service of God for ever and ever.

O blessed Father, never suffer any mistakes or discontent, any distrustfulness or sorrow, any trifling arrests of fancy or unhandsome accident, to cause any unkindness between us: but let us so dearly love, so affectionately observe, so religiously attend to each others good and content, that we may always please Thee, and by this learn and practice our duty and greatest love to Thee, and become mutual helps to each other in the way of godliness; that when we have received the blessings of a married life, the comforts of society, the endearments of a holy and great affection, we may for ever dwell together in the embraces of thy love and glories to eternal ages, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

28. A Prayer to Be Said by Parents for Their Children.

O ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, who hast promised children as a reward to the righteous, and hast given them to me as a testimony of thy mercy, and an engagement of my duty; be pleased to be a father unto them, and give them healthful bodies, understanding souls, and sanctified spirits, that they may be thy servants and children all their days. Let a great mercy and providence lead them through the dangers and temptations and ignorances of their youth, that they may never run into folly, and the evils of an unbridled appetite. So order the accidents of their lives, that, by good education, careful tutors, holy example, innocent company, prudent counsel, and thy restraining grace, their duty to thee may be secured in the midst of a crooked and untoward generation: and if it seem good in thy eyes, let me be enabled to provide conveniently for the support of their persons, that they may not be destitute and miserable in my death; or if thou shalt call me off from this world by a more timely summons, let their portion be thy care, extend thy mercy and providence over their bodies and souls: and may they never live vicious lives, nor die violent or untimely deaths; but let them glorify thee here with a free obedience, and the duties of a whole life; that when they have served Thee in their generations, and have profited the Christian commonwealth, they may be coheirs with Jesus, in the glories of thy eternal kingdom, through the same our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

29. A Mother's Prayer for Her Children.

MOST Gracious and Eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of men and angels, Father of mercies and God of all comforts; Thou hast promised to be a Father to a thousand generations of them that love and fear thee, be thou, a God and a Father to me, and the children which thou hast given me. Enable me, O Lord, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and in the fear of God, to the praise of thy holy name. O give me thy grace and favour, that I may instruct them with diligence and meekness, govern them with prudence and holiness, lead them in the paths of religion and justice, by example and precepts of holiness; never provoking them to wrath, never indulging them in their follies, never conniving at an unworthy action; and that all my children may be thine, O preserve them in thy favour, or take them away from hence while they are. If thou pleasest, let them live to a full age, but secure them a full measure of piety and holiness. To this end give them grace to obey their parents, that doing the duty they may receive the promise: preserve them from sin and shame, from youthful follies, and youthful crimes. Sanctify them throughout in their bodies and souls, and spirits; that their thoughts may be pure and holy, not displeasing the eye of him who is the Searcher of hearts; let their words be true, prudent, seasoned with grace; all their actions in their whole life be such as become the servants of Jesus, holy and useful; pleasing Thee and doing good to others, may they increase in the love of God, and in favour with men, and have the portion of the meek and humble in this world, and of the pure and merciful in the world to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

30. A Prayer for Benefactors.

O ALMIGHTY God, Thou fountain of all good, of all excellency, both to men and angels, extend thine abundant favour and loving kindness to all my friends and benefactors; reward them and make them plentiful recompense for all the good which from thy merciful providence they have conveyed unto me. Let the light of thy countenance shine upon them, and never let them come into any affliction or sadness, but such as may be an instrument of thy glory and their eternal comfort. Forgive them all their sins; let thy divinest Spirit preserve them from all deeds of darkness: and Thou, who knowest every degree of their necessity by thy infinite wisdom, give supply to all their needs by thy glorious mercy, preserving their persons, sanctifying their hearts, and leading them in the ways of righteousness, by the waters of comfort, to the land of eternal rest and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

31. The Widow's Prayer.

O ETERNAL God, most gracious Lord, and my most merciful Father, Thou art my refuge and my hope, my sanctuary and my rock, my guardian and protector all my days. I have offended Thee, and Thou hast smitten me; I have deserved very much evil, and Thou hast corrected me with the gentle visitation of a father's rod; and though thy hand is heavy, and thy rod presseth me sore, by reason of my own weakness and infirmities, yet, when I consider how little I suffer in respect of what I have deserved, I cannot but adore thy goodness, and delight in thy mercies, and run for help and comfort, support and conduct, to that hand which smites me. O my God, give me patience under thy afflicting hand: for my impatience, I fear, hath provoked Thee to anger, and hath doubled my own calamity: and since my duty is my proper cure, and will make thy hand easy and thy anger little, give thy servant a quiet and resigned, an humble and a meet spirit, that I may not become my own tormentor, and my sin may not be my own punishment.

Preserve me thy servant from all evil, lead me into all good; change my sorrows into comforts, my infirmity into spiritual strength; take all iniquity from me, and let Thy servant never depart from Thee. I am thine, O save me; I am thine, sanctify me and preserve me for ever; that neither life nor death, health nor sickness, prosperity nor adversity, weakness within, nor cross accidents without, may ever separate me from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

32. A Prayer to Be Used by an Afflicted Wife in Behalf of a Vicious Husband.

O ETERNAL Father, thou preserver of men, thou great lover of souls, who didst send thy holy Son to die, that mankind might be redeemed, and sin might be destroyed; Thou knowest how intolerable a thing it is, that a soul should, to eternal ages, be encircled with thy wrath and the indignation of a mighty and an angry God, and therefore dost love to do miracles of mercy, because thou lovest not that a sinner should perish; be pleased to give thy handmaid leave to present her humble desires in behalf of a sinner -- one sinner for another -- the miserable for him that is ready to perish. Lord, look down in mercy upon my husband, snatch him from the jaws of hell, suffer him not to perish in his sin; but open his eyes with the light of thy word and thy Spirit, that he may espy his danger, that he may behold the deformity of his sins, the iniquity of his vows.

Cleanse his hands and heart from all unrighteousness, O Lord, and his soul and body from all impurity, giving him a perfect repentance, and a perfect pardon; and if it be thy will, let me also co-operate towards the recovery of his precious soul; and be pleased to remember the sufferings of thy handmaid, not that he may receive evil, but that I may find good from thy gracious hands, in the day of recompense; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

33. For Afflicted Persons.

O LORD God, merciful and gracious, whose compassion extends to all that are in misery and need, that takest delight in relieving the distresses of the afflicted, give refreshment to all the comfortless, provide for the poor, give ease to all them that are tormented with sharp pains, health to the diseased, liberty and redemption to the captives, cheerfulness of spirit to all them that are in great desolations. Lord, let thy Spirit confirm all them that are strong, strengthen all that are weak, and speak peace to afflicted consciences; that the light of thy countenance being restored to them, they may rejoice in thy salvation, and sing praises unto thy name, who hast delivered their souls from death, their eyes from tears, and their feet from falling: grant this for the honour of thy mercies, and the glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

34. A Form of Thanksgiving, with a Particular Enumeration of God's Blessings.

MOST glorious Lord God, infinite in mercy, full of compassion, long-suffering, and of great goodness, I adore, and praise, and glorify thy holy name, worshipping Thee with the lowest devotions of my soul and body, and give Thee thanks for all the benefits Thou hast done unto me, for whatsoever I am, or have, or know, or desire as I ought, it is all from thee; Thou art the fountain of being and blessing, of sanctity and pardon, of life and glory.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name. Thou, O God, of thine infinite goodness, hast created me out of nothing, imprinting thine image on me, enduing me with reasonable faculties of will and understanding, and hast put me into a capacity of a blessed immortality. O praise the Lord with me, and let us magnify his name together.

Thou, O most merciful God, hast fed and clothed me, hast raised me up friends and blessed them, hast preserved me in danger; Thou hast been my guide in my journeys, my refreshment in sadnesses, my hope and my confidence in all my griefs and desolations.

Unto Thee, O God, will I pay my vows, unto Thee will I give thanks.

But above all mercies, it was not less than infinite, whereby Thou lovest me and all mankind, when we were lost and dead, and rebels against thy divine majesty; Thou gavest thine own Son to seek us when we went astray, to restore us to life when we were dead in trespasses and sins, and to reconcile us to thyself by the mercies and atonement of an everlasting covenant.

O most blessed Jesu, I praise and adore thine infinite mercies, humility and condescension, that for my sake Thou wouldst descend from the bosom of thy heavenly Father, and take on Thee my nature.

I adore Thee, blessed Jesus, and praise Thee for thine immaculate sanctity, for all thy holy precepts and counsels, for thy divine example, for thy miracles and mysterious revelations of thy Father's will, for the institution of the holy Sacraments, and all other blessings of thy prophetical office.

O praise the Lord, for the Lord is gracious; sing praises unto his name, for it is lovely.

I adore and love Thee, most blessed Jesus, for all the parts of thy most bitter passion, for thy bearing the sad load of the cross, and sadder load of our sins; for thy crucifixion, for thy death and burial; for thy continual intercession and advocation with thy heavenly Father in behalf of me and all thy holy Church, and all other acts of mediation and redemption.

He is our God, even the God of whom cometh salvation: God is the Lord by whom we escape death.

O most holy Spirit, love of the Father, fountain of grace, spring of all spiritual blessings, I adore and praise thy divine excellencies, which Thou communicatest to all faithful people, and to me thy unworthy servant.

O blessed Spirit, I praise and magnify thy name, for those great graces and assistances, falling down upon us all for confirmation of our faith, and for edification.

I bless thy name for those holy promises and threatenings, those judgments and mercies, those holy precepts and admonitions which Thou hast registered in Scripture; for all those graces, helps, and comforts whereby Thou promotest me in piety, and in the ways of true religion; for baptismal and penitential grace; for the opportunities and refreshings of the Sacrament of the Eucharist: for all the advantages Thou hast given me; for the fears Thou hast produced in me, as impediments to sin; for all my hopes of pardon, and expectation of the promises made by our Lord Jesus Christ, to encourage me in the paths of life and sanctity: for all the holy sermons, spiritual books and lessons, for all the good prayers and meditations; for those blessed waitings and knockings at the door of my heart, patiently tarrying for, and lovingly inviting me to repentance without ceasing, admonishing and reproving me with the checks of a tender conscience, and for whatsoever other means or incentives of holiness Thou hast assisted me withal.

I magnify, and praise, and adore Thee and thy goodness, and glorify thy name; for Thou art great, and dost wondrous things: Thou art God alone, and great is thy mercy towards me; Thou hast delivered my soul from the nethermost hell. O my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever and ever, saying, Holy is our God, holy is the Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to whom be all honour, and glory, and dominion, and power, ascribed of all spirits, and all men, and all creatures, now and for evermore. Amen.

35. For Any Great Deliverance.

O GOD, my God and Father, Thou hast strangely preserved and rescued me from evil, and for the glory of thy own name Thou hast diverted the arrow that was directed against me. What am I, O Lord, and what can I do, or what have I done, that thou shouldest do this for me? I am, O God, a miserable sinner, and I can do nothing without a mighty grace, and I have done nothing by myself but what I am ashamed of and I have received great mercies, and miracles of providence.

I see, O God, I see that thy goodness is the cause and measure of all my hopes and all my good: and upon the confidence and greatness of that goodness, I humbly beg of thy sacred majesty to keep and defend me from all evil by thy wise providence, to lead me into all good by the conduct of thy divine Spirit; and when I have done amiss, give me pardon, and when I have been mistaken, give me pity, and when I have been injured, give me thy favour and a gracious exchange; that I may serve Thee here with diligence, and hereafter may rejoice with Thee, and love Thee as I desire to love Thee, and as Thou deservest to be loved, even with all the powers and degrees of passion, to eternal ages, in the inheritance of Jesus, whom I love, for whom I will not refuse to die, in whom I desire to live and die: to whom with thee, O gracious Father, and the holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, love and obedience, for ever and ever. Amen.

36. After Receiving Some Great Blessing.

O Lord God, Father of mercies, the fountain of comfort and blessing, of life and peace, of plenty and pardon, who fillest heaven with thy glory, and earth with thy goodness; I give Thee the most earnest, the most humble returns of my glad and thankful heart, for Thou hast refreshed me with thy comforts, and enlarged me with thy blessing; Thou hast made my flesh and my bones to rejoice: for besides the blessings of all mankind, the blessings of nature, and the blessings of grace, the support of every minute, and the comforts of every day, Thou hast opened my bosom, and at this time hast poured out an excellent expression of thy loving kindness, (here name the blessing.) What am I, O Lord? What is the life, and what are the capacities of thy servant, that Thou shouldst do this unto me? Praised be the Lord daily, even the Lord that helpeth us, and poureth his benefits upon us. He is our God, even the God of whom cometh salvation: God is the Lord, by whom we escape death. Thou hast brought me to great honour, and comforted me on every side.

Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy works; I will rejoice in giving praise for the operation of thy hands.

O give thanks unto the Lord, and call upon his name: tell the people what things he hath done. As for me, I will give great thanks unto the Lord, and praise him among the multitude.

Blessed be the Lord God, even the Lord God of Israel, which only doth wondrous and gracious things. And blessed be the name of his Majesty for ever: and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty. Amen. Amen.

37. An Act of Thanksgiving.

O BLESSED Saviour, Jesus, I adore the secrets of thy eternal wisdom; I admire the mysteriousness of our salvation: and I love, praise, and give all possible thanks to Thee, the Author of our spiritual life, the Deliverer that came out of Sion, the Redeemer of thy people, the Conqueror over sin and death, the Triumpher over devils.

Grant that I may know nothing but Thee: account all things loss in comparison of Thee, and endeavour to me made conformable to Thee, in the imitation of thy actions, and obedience of thy laws; in the fellowship of thy sufferings, in the communion of thy graces, and participation of thy glories; that beginning here to praise thy name according as I am, I may hereafter for ever rehearse and adore thy excellencies, according to the measures of glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

38. An Act of Love.

O Lord Jesus Christ, fountain of true and holy love, nothing is greater than thy love, nothing is more holy. Thy love troubles none, but is entertained by all who feel it with joy and exultation, and it is still more desired, and is ever more desirable. Thy love gives liberty; drives away fear; feels no labour, but suffers all; it eases the weary, and strengthens the weak; it comforts them that mourn, and feeds the hungry.

Thou hast made me, and fed me, and blessed me, and preserved me, and sanctified me, that I might love Thee: Thou wouldst have me to love Thee, that Thou mayst love me for ever.

O give me a love to Thee, that I may love Thee as well as any of thy servants loved Thee; according to that love, which Thou, by the sacrament of love, workest in thy secret ones.

Thou hast put upon our hearts the sweetest and easiest yoke of love, to enable us to bear the burden of man, and the burden of the Lord.

Give unto thy servant such a love, that whatsoever in thy service may happen contrary to flesh and blood, I may not feel it; that when I labour, I may not be weary; when I am despised, I may not regard it; that adversity may be tolerable, and humility may be my sanctuary; and mortification of my passions the exercise of my days, and the service of my God the joy of my soul; that loss to me may be gain, so I win Christ; and death itself the entrance of an eternal life, when I may live with the beloved, the joy of my soul, the light of my eyes, my God, and all things, the blessed Saviour of the world, my Redeemer. Amen.

39. An Act of Hope.

O GOD, our God, Thou hast said unto us, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you;" Thou hast often eased our calamities, and taken off thy severe hand, Thou hast promised to be with us in time of need, Thou delightest to deliver them whose confidence is in thy goodness. Thou hast supported our spirits in the day of our sorrow, and hast given us many intervals, and spaces of refreshment, and renewest thy loving kindness day by day; O let us never have our portion amongst the hopeless and desperate. Let us always pray to Thee, and hope in Thee, and in every period of our affliction, let us do some actions of virtue by which we may please Thee, and be accepted as long as we can pray. Thou hast commanded us to hope; and we do hope that these comforts shall refresh our souls, that thy mercies will support us under our afflictions, that thy Spirit shall comfort us in it, and thy grace and thy glorious providence shall speedily deliver us from it. Amen, blessed Jesus, Amen.

And now most merciful Father, give thy servants admittance to present our complaint before the throne of grace, and let our petition enter into thy presence. Thy arrows stick fast in us, and thy hand presseth us sore; open thy heart, the treasure and spring of mercy, and thence let comforts and refreshments descend upon thy servants. Put a blessed period to our sorrows, but first put a stop to our sins; let us not sin against Thee, when for sins Thou art smiting us; let us never charge Thee, foolishly, nor behave ourselves peevishly towards others, but use all the means we can to ease their sorrows, to lighten their burdens, to sweeten their lives.

O Lord, put a bar and stop unto our passions: make them to be humble ministers of religion, but never let us suffer any violent transportations in ourselves; never be provoked to any bitterness, never be harsh or cruel towards any, never to speak any thing peevishly or indecently, never to put too much upon any temporal interest; in all things let us behold thy providence, and reverence thy justice, and adore thy majesty, and feel thy mercy, and obey thy Spirit; and if Thou shalt still persevere to smite us, and to try thy servants, let not thy punishing us ever cause us to sin against Thee. Let not our own follies be our scourges, lest we sin against Thee, and lose thy blessing for ever.

Be pleased, O God, to add this favour unto thy servants, that our trouble may not be doubled or increased by our own infirmities; take from us all troublesome fancies and too quiet apprehensions of our sorrows; blessed be thy name, they are finite, and they are temporal sorrows, they are less than our sins, and they are less than thy mercies. Give us grace to despise the world, and all its interests and possessions; that while we set not our affections upon them, we may not be too much afflicted when we are crossed in them; but let our greatest care be to please Thee, our greatest fear lest we should sin against Thee. Let our duty be our employment, thy providence our portion, thy Spirit our guide, thy law our rule; that when this cloud is passed over, we may see the brightness of thy face, and perpetual showers of grace and mercy refreshing our sad and weary spirits; so shall thy servants sing praises to the honour of thy name, when Thou shalt have saved our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling: grant these mercies, O blessed God and Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our dearest Lord and Saviour. Amen.

40. For Divine Assistance in Self-Examination.

O ETERNAL and most glorious God, who sittest in heaven, ruling over ail things from the beginning: Thou dwellest on high, and yet humblest thyself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth. Thou hast searched me, O Lord, and known me; Thou understandest my thoughts afar off, and art acquainted with all my ways; for there is not a word in my tongue, but Thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether. Be pleased to impart unto thy servant a ray of thy heavenly light, a beam of the sun of righteousness: open mine eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy law, that I may walk in them all my days. Set all my sins before my face, that

I may speedily, and earnestly, and perfectly repent and forsake them all. Give me a sight of my infirmities, that I may watch against them: discover to me all my evil and weak principles, that I may reform them. And whatsoever is wanting in me towards the understanding of any thing whereby I may please Thee and perfect my duty, I beg of Thee to reveal that also unto me; that my duty may not be undiscerned, and my faith may not be reproved, and my affections may not be perverse, and hardened in their foolish pursuance, and a secret sin may not lie undiscovered and corrupting my soul.

Give me an ingenuous and a severe spirit; that whatever judgment of charity I make concerning others, I may give a right judgment concerning my own state and actions, condemning the criminal, censuring the suspicious, suspecting what seems allowable, and watchful even over the best; that I may, in the spirit of repentance and mortification, correct all my irregularities, and reform my errors, and improve the good things which Thou hast given me; that endeavouring to approve my actions to my conscience, and my conscience to thy law, I may not be a reprobate, but approved by Thee in the great day of examination of all the world, and be reckoned amongst thy elect, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

41. Prayers Preparatory to the Receiving of the Blessed Sacrament.

O MOST immaculate and glorious Jesu, behold me, miserable sinner, drawing near to Thee with the approaches of humility and earnest desire to be cleansed from my sins, to be united to Thee by the nearest and most mysterious union of charity, and sacramental participation of thy most holy body and blood; I presume nothing of my own worthiness, but I am most confident of thy mercies and infinite loving-kindness.

I know, O Lord, I am blind, and sick, and dead, and naked, but therefore I come the rather; I am sick, but thou art my physician; Thou arisest with healing in thy wings, by thy wounds I come to be cured, and to be healed by thy stripes; I am unclean, but Thou art the fountain of purity; I am blind, but Thou art the sun of righteousness; in thy light I shall see light; I am poor, and Thou art rich unto all, the Lord of all the creatures.

I therefore humbly beg of thy mercy, that Thou wouldest be pleased to take from me all my sins, to cure my infirmities, to cleanse my filthiness, to lighten my darkness, to clothe my nakedness with the robe of thy righteousness; that I may with such reverence, and faith, and holy intention, receive thy blessed body and blood in the sacrament, that it may be unto me life, and pleasantness, and holy nourishment; and that I may be firmly and indissolubly united to thy mystical body, and may at last see clearly, and without a veil, thy face in glory everlasting, who livest and reignest for ever one God, world without end. Amen.

42.

I ADORE and bless thy glorious majesty, O blessed Jesu, that Thou art pleased, for all the infinite multiplication of my sins and innumerable violations of thy holy law, still to give thyself unto me, to convey health, and grace, and life, and hopes of glory, in the most blessed sacrament.

I adore Thee, O most righteous Redeemer, that Thou art pleased, under the visible signs of bread and wine, to convey unto our souls thy holy body and blood, and all the benefits of thy bitter passion.

O my God, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof; but let thy Holy Spirit, with his purities, prepare for Thee a lodging in my soul. Thou hast knocked often, O blessed Jesu, at the door of my heart, and wouldst willingly have entered: behold O Lord, my heart is ready to receive Thee; cast out of it all worldly desires, all lusts and carnal appetites, and then enter in, and there love to inhabit, that the devil may never return to fill me full of all iniquity.

O Thou lover of souls, grant that this holy sacrament may be a light unto mine eyes, a guide to my understanding, a joy to my soul; that by its strength I may subdue and mortify the whole body of sin in me, and that it may produce in me, constancy in faith, fulness of wisdom, perfection and accomplishment of all thy righteous commandments, and such a blessed union with Thee, that I may never more live unto myself or to the world, but to Thee only; and by the refreshments of a holy hope, I may be led through the paths of a good life, and persevering piety to the communion and possession of thy kingdom, O blessed Jesus, who livest and reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen.

43.

O LORD God, who hast made all things of nought, producing great degrees out of nothing, make me a new creature; and of a sinful man, make me holy, and just, and merciful; that I may receive thy precious body devoutly, reverently, with meekness, contrition, and great affection, with spiritual comfort and gladness at thy mystical presence. Feed my soul with bread from heaven, fill me with charity, conform me to thy will in all things. Save me from all dangers bodily and ghostly; assist and guide me in all doubts and fears, prepare and strengthen me against all sudden incursions of temptation, cleanse me from all stains of sin, and suffer nothing to abide in me but thyself only, who art the life of souls, and the joy of angels. Let me think on nothing but Thee, covet nothing but Thee, enjoy nothing but Thee, nothing in comparison with Thee, and neither do nor profess any thing but what leads to Thee, and is in order to the performance of thy will, and the fruition of thy glories.

Transfix my soul, O blessed Jesu, with so great love of Thee, so great devotion in receiving the Holy Sacrament, that I may be transformed to the fellowship of thy sufferings, and admitted to a participation of all the benefits of thy passion, and to a communion of thy graces and thy glories. I desire to be with Thee, dissolve all the charms of my sin, and then come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Let my soul feed on Thee greedily, for Thou art the spring of light and life, the Fountain of wisdom and health, a torrent of divine pleasure and tranquillity, the author of peace and comfort.

Take Thou possession of my soul, and be Thou Lord over me and all my faculties, and preserve me with great mercy and tenderness; that no doubting or infidelity, no impenitence or remanent affection to a sin, no impurity or irreverence may make me unworthy and incapable of thy glorious approach. Let not my sins crucify the Lord of life again; that this holy communion may not be unto me an occasion of death, but a blessed peace-offering for my sins, and a gate of life and glory.

Grant this, O blessed God, for his sake, who is both sacrifice, and priest, and master of the heart itself, even Jesus Christ: to whom with Thee, O Father, and thy Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

44. After Receiving the Sacrament.

I GIVE thanks unto Thee, Almighty and eternal God, that Thou hast not rejected me from thy holy table, but hast refreshed my soul with the salutary refection of the body of thy Son Jesus Christ. Lord, if I had lived innocently and kept all thy commandments, I could have had no proportion of merit to so transcendent a mercy; but since I have lived in all manner of sin, and multiplied provocations against thy divine majesty, thy mercy is so glorious and infinite, that I am amazed at the consideration of its immensity. Go on, O my dear God, to finish so blessed a redemption; and now that Thou hast begun to celebrate a holy union between thyself and my soul, let me never throw off the wedding garment, or stain it with the pollution of deadly sin; but let me for ever and ever be united unto Thee, being transformed into thy will in this life, and to the likeness of thy glories in the life to come, who livest and reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen.

45. For Good Friday.

O MOST blessed, most gracious Saviour Jesus, who by thy obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, didst become the sacrifice of the world; the great example of patience, the Lord of life, the good Shepherd, laying down thy life for thy sheep, and the Mediator between God and man; let thy wounds heal, thy blood cleanse, thy death make us to live, and thy Spirit make us to work righteousness all our days: that we may, by thy aid and by thy example, obey our heavenly Father with all our powers and all our faculties, with our reason and our affections, with our souls and with our bodies, with our time and with our estate, in prosperity and in adversity; that we may bear our cross patiently, and do thy work cheerfully, and be ready to benefit with great charity and great industry; that being followers of thy life and partakers of thy death, we may receive a part in the resurrection of the just, to the joys of God in thy inheritance, O most blessed, most gracious Saviour Jesus. Amen.

46. Upon Whit Sunday.

O ETERNAL God, the great Father of Spirits, the great lover of souls, who didst send thy Holy Spirit upon thy Church in the day of Pentecost, and hast promised he shall abide with thy Church for ever; let thy Holy Spirit lead us into all truth, defend us from all sin, enrich us with his gifts, refresh us with his comforts; rule in our hearts for ever, conduct us with his truth, and lead us in the way everlasting, that we, living by thy Spirit, and walking in him, may by him be sealed up to the day of our redemption. O let thy Spirit witness to our spirits that we are the children of God, and make us to be so for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

47. A Confession of Sins.

ALMIGHTY God, powerful and merciful, Thou art a jealous God against persevering sinners, but a gracious Father to the penitent; let thy merciful ears be opened to the petitions of thy servants, who with sorrow and shame confess their sins unto Thee.

We have loved the world, not Thee; we have obeyed the desires of our own hearts, not thy holy laws and commandments: we have often left our duty undone, but cease not to please our senses, and to feed greedily upon vanity: Thou hast commanded us to love our brethren, and instead of loving them we have slandered and reproached, injured and tempted them, envied their good and rejoiced in their calamity.

But O God, thou God of pity and compassion, have mercy upon us: for Thou art our Father, merciful and gracious, and Thou hast revealed to mankind an infinite mercy in Jesus Christ. For his sake be pleased to give us repentance and to give us pardon, and grant that our souls being washed in the blood of the Holy Lamb and the baptism of repentance, we may live a gracious, a holy, and a blessed life, in all godliness, and honesty, and sobriety, and may die in the love of God, in the charity of our neighbours, in the communion of the Church, and in a sure and certain hope of life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

48. A Confession of Sin.

O ALMIGHTY God, who dwellest in the inaccessible light, before whom the greatest mountains are like the dust of the balance and in whose sight the heavens are not pure, and the angels tremble, and the saints are charged with folly; we confess to Thee, O Lord, Father of heaven and earth, all those sins which we have wrought in private and in public; for thou knowest all things, and nothing is hid from thy righteous eyes. Thou art the God of mercy and pity, and thou wouldest have all to be saved; we fly therefore unto Thee, who art the Saviour of all the souls of the faithful. Have pity upon us who have many times grieved thy most Holy Spirit. Behold, O God, we have been dead in sins and trespasses. There is no kind of sins but we have committed -- if we were tempted we did fall. We have sinned worse than the Publican or the Prodigal, we have sinned against greater mercies, a more determined conscience, a better law, a clearer revelation, more terrible threatenings, and better, much better promises.

We know, O God, and tremble at the sad remembrance, that all our sins shall be placed before our faces at the day of thy dreadful appearance. O look upon us with a mighty pity, let not the angel of wrath snatch our precious souls from thy beatific presence, take not the sweet refreshments of thy Spirit from us one hour. O dearest Lord, thou lover of souls, take not our lives from us, while our souls are unprepared and unready, unexcused and unpardoned.

Most blessed Saviour Jesus, thou gavest thy life to redeem us from death; and thou art the judge of those actions, for which thou wert a sacrifice; and to give sentence, upon those for whom thou art an advocate, and makest perpetual intercession. O suffer us not to fall under thine eternal anger; destroy the whole body of sin in us; bring our understandings into the obedience of God, our affections under the dominion of reason, our reason to a perfect subordination to thy Holy Spirit; that we may love Thee and fear Thee, and by repentance and charity, may enter into thy favour, and dwell there by a holy perseverance all our days, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Do Thou open our eyes, that we may see our own vilenesses, and forsake them; and our foolish errors, that we may amend them; and all our infirmities, that we may watch against them; and all our duty, that we may pursue it earnestly and passionately, prudently and entirely, presently and for ever. Cause us to return to our duty with greater fervour and devotion than ever we have sinned against Thee; and as we have dishonoured Thee by our unworthiness, so grant that we may glorify Thee ten times more, weeping bitterly for our sins, watching against them strictly, hating them infinitely, and forsaking them utterly. O grant that we may every day renew our repentances and vows of a better life, and make us to do every day what we promise, and what is our duty; so imprinting a holy religion, and a severe repentance on our spirits, that we may confess our sins with a real and humble sorrow, and beg for pardon, because we desire it, and ask for thy help, because we will make use of it, and number our sins, because we will leave them; not resting in forms of godliness, but living in the power of it, in love and duty, in holiness and godly choice, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Most gracious God and Father, imprint in our hearts great apprehensions of thy power and thy glories, of thy judgment and thy mercies, of our sins and of our change approaching, of our fugitive life arid the day of our death, of our duty and our danger, the inexpressible terrors of the day of judgment; and in proportion to such apprehensions, teach us, O God, to walk in this world with fear and caution, with hope and purity, with diligence and devotion, religiously and usefully, humbly and charitably, with love and obedience to Thee, with love and justice to our neighbours, with sober spirits and chaste bodies, with temperance and peace, with faith and patience, with health and holiness, in the favour of God, that we being blessed by thy providence, conducted by thy good Spirit, instructed by thy word, nourished by the body of Christ, cleansed by his blood and clothed with his righteousness, may grow from grace to grace, in the increase of God to the fulness of Christ, being subjects of thy kingdom of grace in this world, and heirs of the kingdom of glory in the world to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

49. For Repentance and a Holy Life.

ALMIGHTY God, the fountain of holiness and felicity, who by thy word and thy spirit dost conduct all thy servants in the ways of peace and sanctity, inviting them by promises and winning them by love, endearing them by necessities and obliging them by the perpetual testimonies of thy loving kindness; grant unto us so truly to repent us of our sins, so carefully to reform our errors, so diligently to watch over all our actions, so industriously to do all our duty, that we may never transgress thy holy laws willingly: but that it may be the work of our lives to obey Thee, the joy of our souls to please Thee, the satisfaction of all our hopes and the perfection of our desires to live with Thee in the holiness of thy kingdom of grace and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

50. For Amendment of Life.

Thou hast prepared for me a more healthful sorrow: O deny not thy servant when he begs sorrow of Thee. Give me a deep contrition for my sins, a hearty detestation and loathing of them, hating them worse than death with torments. Give me grace, entirely, presently and for ever to forsake them; to walk with care and prudence, with fear and watchfulness all my days; to do all my duty with diligence and charity, with zeal and a never-fainting spirit; to redeem the time, to trust upon thy mercies, to make use of all the instruments of grace to work out my salvation with fear and trembling: that thou mayest have the glory of pardoning all my sins, that I may reap the fruit of all thy mercies and all thy graces, of thy patience and long-suffering, even to live a holy life here, and reign with Thee for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

51. To Be Said on the Days of Repentance for the Commission of Any Great Crime.

O MOST glorious God, I tremble to come into thy presence, so polluted and dishonoured as I am by my foul stain of sin which I have contracted, but I must come or I perish. O my God, I cannot help it now; miserable that I am, to reduce myself to so sad a state of things, that I neither am worthy to come unto Thee, nor dare I stay from Thee; miserable that I am, who lost that portion of innocence, which, if I should pay my life in price, I cannot now recover. O God, I have offended Thee, my gracious Father, my Lord, my Judge, my Advocate, and my Redeemer. Shame and sorrow are upon me, for so offending Thee, my gracious Saviour. But glory be to Thee, O Lord, who art such to me who have offended Thee. It aggravates my sin, that I have sinned against Thee, who art so excellent in thyself, who art so good to me; but if Thou wert not so good to me, though my sin would be less, my misery would be greater. The greatness of my crime brings me to my remedy; and now I humbly pray Thee be merciful to my sin, for it is very great.

O my God, pity me, and relieve my sad condition, which is so extremely evil, that I have no comfort but from that which is indeed my misery; for it is thy grace and goodness which I have so provoked. Thou, O God, didst give me thy grace, and assist me by thy Holy Spirit, and call me by thy word, and instruct me by thy wisdom, and didst work in me to will and to do of thy good pleasure. I know my sin, and I saw my danger, and I was not ignorant, and I was not surprised; but willingly, knowingly, basely, and sensually, I gave Thee away for the pleasure of a minute, for the purchase of vanity; I exchanged Thee for shame and sorrow, and having justly forfeited thy love, am placed I know not in what degree of thy anger, nor in what neighbourhood to damnation.

O God, my God, what have I done? whither am I fallen? I was well and blessed, circled with thy graces, conducted by thy Spirit, sealed up to the day of redemption, in a hopeful way towards Thee, and how I have listened to the whispers of a tempting spirit; and for that which hath in it no good, no reason, no satisfaction, for that which is not, I have forfeited those excellencies for the recovery of which my life is too cheap a price. I am ashamed, O God, I am ashamed.

I put my mouth in the dust, and my face in darkness; and hate myself for my sin, which I am sure thou hatest. But give thy servant leave to hope that I shall feel thy gracious love: I know that Thou art angry with me, I have deserved it. But if Thou hadst not loved me and pitied me, Thou mightest have stricken me in the act of my shame. I know the design of thy mercy and loving-kindness is to bring me to repentance and pardon, to life and grace. I obey Thee, O God, I humbly obey thy gracious purposes. Receive, O Lord, a returning sinner, a poor wounded person, smitten by my enemies, broken by my sin, weary and heavy laden; ease me of my burden, and strengthen me by a mighty grace, that hereafter I may watch more carefully, resist more pertinaciously, walk more circumspectly, and serve Thee without the interruptions of duty, by the intervening of a sin. O let me rather die, than choose to sin against thee any more. Only try me this once, and bear me in thy arms, and fortify my holy purposes, and conduct me with thy grace, that Thou mayest delight to pardon me, and to save me through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost: O feed thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments.

52. A Prayer for a Sinner Returning after a Long Impiety.

O ETERNAL Judge of men and angels, Father of mercy and the great lover of souls, I humbly acknowledge that the state of my soul is sad and deplorable, and by my own grievous fault I am in an evil condition: and if Thou shouldest now enter into judgment with me, I have nothing to put against the horrible sentence, nothing of my own that can ease thy anger, or abate one stroke of thy severe infliction. I do, O God, judge and condemn myself and justify Thee, for Thou art righteous, and whatsoever Thou doest is good and true; and if I so perish as I have deserved, Thou art just and righteous, and Thou oughtest for ever to be glorified.

But O my God, though I have deserved evils that I know not, yet Thou art gracious and holy, and lovest more to behold thy glory reflected from the floods and springs of mercy, than from the troubled waters of thy severe displeasure: and because Thou lovest so highly to show mercy, I also ought to desire what Thou lovest, and to beg of Thee humbly and passionately that I may not perish; and to hope that Thou hast mercy in store for him, to whom Thou hast given grace to ask it.

O my God, pity me for thy name's sake, even for thy own goodness' sake, and because I am miserable and need it. And because I have nothing of my own to be a ground of confidence, give thy servant leave to place my hopes on Thee, through Jesus Christ: Thou hast commanded me to come to the throne of grace, that I may find mercy in time of need; and Thou hast promised to give thy Holy Spirit to them that ask it. O God, give me pardon, and give me thy Spirit, and I am safe, and healed, and all that I desire to be, all that I ought to be.

I have spent much time in vanity; grant me thy grace, that I may recover my loss, and employ all the remaining portion of my time in holy offices and duties of repentance. My understanding hath been abused by false persuasions and vain confidences. But now, O God, I offer up that imperious faculty wholly to the obedience of Christ; to be governed by his laws, to be instructed by his doctrine, to be bended by all his arguments. My will hath been used to crookedness and peevish morosity; but now, O God, I have no will but what is thine, and I will rather die than consent and choose any thing that I know displeases Thee. My heart was a fountain of evil thoughts, ungracious words, and irregular actions, because my passions were not obedient, nor carried to a right object: but now, O God, I present them unto Thee, not as a fit oblation, but as the lepers and the blind, the lame and the crooked, were brought unto the holy Jesus, to be made straight and clean: and when Thou hast taken what is thine, and which the devil did usurp, then Thou wilt sanctify and save it, use it as thy own, and make it to be so for ever.

Blessed God, refuse not thy returning son. I have prodigally wasted my talents, and spent my time in vain living: but I have not lost my title and relation to Thee, my Father. O my God, I hove the sorrow of a humble penitent, the purposes of a converted sinner, the love of a pardoned person, the zeal of a redeemed prisoner, the hope of him that feels thy present goodness, and longs for more. Reject me not, O my God, but do Thou work within me. My heart is in thy hands, and I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, but do Thou guide me into the way of righteousness; work in me an excellent repentance, a great caution and observance, an humble fear, a religious hope, and a growing charity; "work in me to will and to do of thy good pleasure." Then shall I praise thy name, and love thy excellences, and obey thy commandments, and suffer thy impositions, and be what Thou wouldest have me to be; that I being rescued from the possession of the devil, and the torments of punishing souls, may be admitted to serve Thee, and be a minister of thy honour, in the kingdoms of grace and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

53. A Penitential Prayer.

O ETERNAL God, most merciful Father, who hast revealed thyself to mankind in Christ Jesus, full of pity and compassion, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin; be pleased to effect these thy admirable mercies upon thy servant, whom Thou hast made to put his trust in Thee. I know, O God, that I am vile and polluted in thy sight; but I must come into thy presence, or I die. Thou canst not behold any unclean thing, and yet unless Thou lookest upon me, who am nothing but uncleanness, I shall perish miserably and eternally. O look upon me with a gracious eye; cleanse my soul with the blood of the Holy Lamb; that being purified in that holy stream, my sins may lose their own foulness and became as white as snow: then shall the leprous man be admitted to thy sanctuary, and stand before the throne of grace, humble and full of sorrow for my fault, and full of hope of thy mercy and pardon, through Jesus Christ.

O my God, Thou wert reconciled to mankind by thy own graciousness and glorious goodness, even when Thou didst find out so mysterious ways of redemption for us by sending Jesus Christ. Now, O gracious Father, let me also be reconciled to Thee; for we continued enemies to Thee, though Thou lovedst us; let me no longer stand at a distance from Thee, but run unto Thee, bowing my will, and submitting my understanding, and mortifying my affections, and resigning all my powers and faculties to thy holy laws, that Thou mayst take delight to pardon and to sanctify, to assist thy servant with thy grace, till by so unspeakable mercy I shall arrive to the state of glory.

O blessed Saviour Jesus, Thou hast made thyself a blessed peace-offering for sins, Thou hast procured and revealed to us this covenant of repentance and remission of sins; and by the infinite mercies of the Father, and the death and intercession of the Son, we have hopes of being saved. O be pleased to work thy own work in us. The grace and admission to repentance is thy own glorious production, Thou hast obtained it for us by a mighty purchase; but then be pleased also to take me in, to partake actually of this glorious mercy. Give to thy servant a perfect hatred of sin, a great displeasure at my own folly for ever having provoked Thee to anger; a perpetual watchfulness against it, an effective resolution against all its tempting instances, a prevailing strife and a glorious victory; that the body of sin being destroyed, I may never more serve any of its baser interests; but that by a diligent labour and a constant care, I may approve myself to Thee my God, mindful of the covenant, a servant of thy will, a lover of thy glory, that being thy minister in a holy service, I may be thy son by adoption and participation of the glories of the Lord Jesus. O let me never lie down in sin, nor rise in shame; but be a partaker both of the death and resurrection of our Lord; that my imperfect and unworthy services may, by passing into the holiness of thy kingdom, be such as thy servant desires they should, and fit to be presented unto Thee, in the perfect holiness of eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

54. A Confession of Sin.

O ETERNAL God, whose perfections are infinite, whose mercies are glorious, whose justice is severe, whose eyes are pure, whose judgments are wise; be pleased to look upon the infirmities of Thy servant, and consider my weakness. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak; I desire to please Thee, but in my endeavours I fail so often, so foolishly, so unreasonably, that I extremely displease myself, and I have too great reason to fear that Thou also art displeased with Thy servant. O my God, I know my duty, I resolve to do it, I know my dangers, I stand upon my guard against them, but when they come near I begin to be pleased, and delighted in the little images of death, and am seized upon by folly, even when with greatest severity I decree against it. -- Blessed Jesus pity me, and have mercy upon my infirmities!

O God, I humbly beg to be relieved by a mighty grace, for I bear a body of sin and death about me; sin creeps upon me in every thing that I do or suffer: when I do well, I am apt to be proud; when I do amiss, I am sometimes too confident, sometimes affrighted. If I see others do amiss, I either neglect them, or grow too angry; and in the very mortification of my anger I grow angry and peevish. My duties are imperfect, my repentances little, my passions great, my fancy trifling: the sins of my tongue are infinite, and my omissions are infinite, and my evil thoughts cannot be numbered, and I cannot give an account concerning innumerable portions of my time which were once in my power, but were let slip and were partly spent in sin, partly thrown away upon trifles and vanity; and even of the basest sins, of which in account of men I am most innocent, I am guilty before Thee, entertaining those sins in little instances, thoughts, desires, and imaginations, which I durst not produce into action and open significations. Blessed Jesus, pity me and have mercy on my infirmities.

Teach me, O Lord, to walk before Thee in righteousness, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Give me an obedient will, a loving spirit, an humble understanding, watchfulness over my thoughts, deliberation in all my words and actions, well-tempered passions, and a great prudence, and a great zeal, and a great charity, that I may do my duty wisely, diligently, holily; O let me be humbled in my infirmities, but let me also be safe from my enemies; let me never fall by their violence, nor by my own weakness; let me never be overcome by them, nor give myself up to folly and weak principles, to idleness and secure careless walking; but give me the strengths of thy Spirit, that I may grow strong upon the ruins of the flesh, growing from grace to grace, till I become a perfect man in Christ Jesus. O let thy strength be seen in my weakness; and let thy mercy triumph over my infirmities; pitying the condition of my nature, the infancy of grace, the imperfection of my knowledge, the transportation of my passion. Let me never consent to sin, but for ever strive against it, and every day prevail, till it be quite dead in me; that thy servant, living the life of grace, may at last be admitted to that state of glory, where all my infirmities shall be done away, and all tears be dried up, and sin and death shall be no more. Grant this, O gracious God and Father, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

55. Penitential Prayers.

ALMIGHTY and eternal God, the fountain of all virtue, the support of all holy hopes, the author of pardon, of life, and of salvation; Thou art the Comforter of all that call upon Thee: Thou hast concluded all under sin, that Thou mightest have mercy upon all.

Look upon me, O God, and have pity on me, lying in my blood and misery, in my shame and in my sins, in the fear and guilt of thy wrath, in the shadow of death, and in the gates of hell.

I confess to Thee, O God, what Thou knowest already; but I confess it to manifest thy justice, and to glorify thy mercy who hast spared me so long; that I am guilty of the vilest and basest follies, which usually dishonour the fools, and the worst of the sons of men.

I have been proud and covetous, envious and lustful, angry and greedy, indevout and irreligious; restless in my passions, sensual and secular, but hating wise counsels, and soon weary of the offices of a holy religion. I cannot give an account of my time, and I cannot reckon the sins of my tongue. My crimes are intolerable, and my imperfections shameful, and my omissions innumerable; and what shall I do, O Thou preserver of men? I am so vile that I cannot express it; so sinful that I am hateful to myself, and much more abominable must I needs be in thy eyes. I have sinned against Thee without necessity, sometimes without temptation, only because I would sin, and would not delight in the ways of peace. I have been so ungrateful, so foolish, so unreasonable, that I have put my own eyes out that I might, with confidence and without fear, sin against so good a God, so gracious a Father, so infinite a Power, so gracious a Majesty, so bountiful a Patron, and so mighty a Redeemer, that my sin is grown shameful and aggravated even to amazement. I can say no more, I am ashamed, O God: I am amazed, I am confounded at thy presence.

But yet, O God, Thou art the healer of our breaches, and the lifter up of our head, and I must not despair; and I am sure thy goodness is infinite, and Thou dost not delight in the death of a sinner; and my sins, though very great, are infinitely less than thy mercies, which Thou hast revealed to all penitent and returning sinners in Jesus Christ.

I am not worthy to look up to heaven; but be Thou pleased to look down into the dust, and lift up a sinner; let me not perish in my folly, nor be consumed in thy heavy displeasure. Give me time and space to repent; and give me power of grace and aids of thy Spirit: that as by thy gifts and mercy, I intend to amend whatsoever is amiss, so I may indeed have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same. Inspire me with the spirit of repentance and mortification, that I may always fight against my sins, till I be more than conqueror. Support me with a holy hope: confirm me with an excellent, operative, and unreprovable faith; and enkindle a bright and burning charity in my soul. Give me patience in suffering, severity in judging and condemning my sins, and in punishing the sinner; that judging myself, I be not condemned by Thee: that mourning for my sins, I may rejoice in thy pardon: that killing my sin, I may live in righteousness: that denying my own will, I may always perform thine; and by the methods of thy Spirit I may overcome all carnal and spiritual wickedness, and walk in thy light, and delight in thy service, and perfect my obedience, and be wholly delivered from my ruin, and for ever preserved from thy wrath, and at last pass on from a certain expectation, to an actual fruition of the glories of thy kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen.

56.

I AM in thy sight a polluted person; sin hath overspread me; I am a scandal to others, a shame to myself, and deserve to be rejected and scorned by Thee.

But this, O God, I cannot bear: it is just in Thee to destroy me, but Thou delightest not in that; I am guilty of death, but Thou lovest rather that I should live.

O let the cry of thy Son's blood, who offers an eternal sacrifice to Thee, speak on my behalf. My conscience does accuse me, the devils rejoice in my fall, and aggravate my crimes, already too great: and thy Holy Spirit is grieved by me. But my Saviour Jesus Christ died for me, and Thou pitiest me; and thy Holy Spirit still calls upon me, and I am willing to come; but I cannot come unless Thou drawest me with cords of love. O draw me unto Thee by the arguments of charity, by the endearments of thy mercies, by the order of thy providence, by the hope of thy promises, by the sense of thy comforts, by the conviction of my understanding, by the zeal and passion of holy affections, by an unreprovable faith and an humble hope, by a religious fear and an increasing love, by the obedience of precepts and efficacy of holy example, by thy power and thy wisdom, by the love of thy Son and the grace of thy Spirit.

I am not worthy, O Lord, I am not worthy to come into thy presence: and where shall I, vile wretch, appear, who have put my Lord to death, and exposed him to an open shame, and crucified the Lord of life?

Where should I appear, but before my Saviour, who died for them that have murdered him; who hath loved them that hated him; who is the Saviour of his enemies, and the life of the dead, and the redemption of captives, and the advocate for sinners, and all we do need, and all that we can desire.

Grant that in thy wounds I may find my safety; in thy stripes, my cure; in thy pain, my peace; in thy cross, my victory; in thy resurrection, my triumph; and a crown of righteousness in the glories of thy eternal kingdom. Amen. Amen.

57. For Grace and Perfection of Repentance.

O ALMIGHTY God, Thou art the judge of all the world, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, the Father of men and angels; Thou lovest not that a sinner should perish, but delightest in our conversion and salvation, and hast in our Lord Jesus Christ established the covenant of repentance, and promised pardon to all them that confess their sins and forsake them. O my God, be pleased to work in me, what Thou hast commanded should be in me. Lord, I am a dry tree, who neither have brought forth fruit unto Thee and unto holiness, nor have wept out salutary tears, the instrument of life and restitution, but have behaved myself like an unconcerned person in the ruins and breaches of my soul; but, O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth for Thee in a barren and thirsty land where no water is. Lord, give me the grace of tears and pungent sorrow, turn my sin into repentance, and let my repentance proceed to pardon and refreshment.

Support me with thy graces, strengthen me with thy Spirit, soften my heart with the dew of heaven, with penitential showers. Make the remaining portion of my days full of caution and observance, strong and resolute, patient and severe. Oh, let me be as great in my repentance as ever I have been in my calamity and shame; let my hatred to sin be as great as my love to Thee, and both as near to infinite as my proportion can receive.

O Lord, I renounce all affection to sin, and and would rather die than offend Thee: have pity upon thy servant. O grant me sorrow and joy hereafter, through Jesus Christ, who here, is our hope, the resurrection of the dead, the justifier of a sinner, and the glory of all faithful souls. Amen.

58. A Prayer to Be Said at the Beginning of a Sickness.

O LORD, my God, who chastisest every one whom Thou receivest, and with thy fatherly correction smitest all whom Thou consignest to the inheritance of sons: write my soul in the book of life, and number me amongst thy children, whom Thou hast smitten With the rod of sickness, and by thy chastisements hast brought me into the lot of the righteous. Thou, O blessed Jesu, art a helper in the needful time of trouble; lay no more upon me than Thou shalt enable me to bear, and let thy gentle correction in this life, prevent the insupportable stripes of the vengeance in the life to come. Smite me now, that Thou mayest spare me to all eternity; and yet, O blessed High Priest, who art touched with a sense of our infirmities, smite me friendly, and reprove me with such a tenderness as Thou bearest unto thy children, to whom Thou conveyest comforts greater than the pains of chastisement; and in due time restore me to health, and to thy solemn assemblies again, and to the joy of thy countenance. Give me patience and humility, and the grace of repentance, and an absolute dereliction of myself, and a resignation to thy pleasure and providence, with a power to do thy will in all things, and then do what Thou pleasest to me; only in health or sickness, in life or death, let me feel thy comforts refreshing my. soul, and let thy grace pardon all my sins. Grant this, O blessed Jesu, for my trust is in Thee only; Thou art my God, and my merciful Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

59. A Prayer for a Sick Person in Danger of Death.

O LORD Jesus Christ, our health and life, our hope and our resurrection from the dead, I resign myself up to thy holy will and pleasure, either to life, that I may live longer to thy service, and my amendment; or to death, to the perpetual enjoyment of thy presence and of thy glories. Into thy hands I commend my spirit, for I know, O Lord, that nothing can perish, which is committed to thy mercies. I believe, O Lord, that I shall receive my body again at the resurrection of the just. I relinquish all care of that, only I beg of Thee mercy for my soul; strengthen it with thy grace against all temptations, let thy loving-kindness defend it as with a shield, against all violences and hostile attempts of Satan; let the same mercy be my guard and defence, which protected the martyrs, crowning them with victory in the midst of flames, horrid torments, and most cruel deaths. There is no help in me, O Lord; I cannot by my own power give a minute's rest to my wearied body; but my trust is in thy sure mercies; and I call to mind, to my unspeakable comfort, that Thou wert hungry, and thirsty, and wearied, and crowned with thorns, and mocked, and crucified for me. O let that mercy which made Thee suffer so much, make Thee do that for which Thou sufferest so much -- pardon and save me. Let thy merits answer for my impieties, let thy righteousness cover my sins, thy blood wash away my stains, and thy comforts refresh my soul. As my body grows weak, let thy grace be stronger; let not my faith doubt, nor my hope tremble, nor my charity grow cold, nor my soul be affrighted by the terrors of death; but let the light of thy countenance enlighten mine eyes, that I sleep not in death eternal: and when my tongue fails, let thy Spirit teach my heart to pray with strong cryings and groans that are unutterable. O let not the enemy do me any violence, but let thy holy mercies and thy angels repel and defeat his malice and fraud, that my soul may, by thy strength, triumph in the joys of eternity, in the fruition of Thee, my life, my joy, my hope, my exceeding great reward, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

60. A Prayer to Be Said in the Case of a Sudden Surprise by Death, When the Forms and Solemnities of Preparation Cannot Be Used.

O MOST gracious Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, judge of the living and the dead, behold thy servants running to Thee for pity and mercy, in behalf of ourselves and this thy servant, whom thou hast smitten with thy hasty rod, and a swift angel. If it be thy will, preserve his life, that there may be place for repentance and restitution; "O spare him a little, that he may recover his strength, before he go hence and be no more seen."

But if Thou hast otherwise decreed, let the miracles of thy compassion and thy wonderful mercy, supply to him the want of the usual measures of time, and the periods of repentance, and the trimming of his lamp; and let the greatness of the calamity be accepted by Thee, as an instrument to procure pardon, for those defects and degrees of unreadiness, which may have caused this accident upon thy servant.

Lord, stir up in him a great and effectual contrition; that the greatness of the sorrow and hatred against sin, and the zeal of his love to Thee, may in a short time do the work of many days. And Thou, who regardest the heart and measures of the mind, more than the delay and the measures of time, let it be thy pleasure to rescue the soul of thy servant from all the evils he hath deserved, and all the evils that he fears; that, in the glorifications of eternity, and the songs which to eternal ages thy saints and holy angels shall sing to the honour of thy mighty name, and invaluable mercies, it may be reckoned among thy glories, that Thou hast redeemed this soul from the dangers of an eternal death, and made him partaker of the gift of God, eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

61. An Act of Holy Resolution of Amendment of Life, in Case of Recovery.

O MOST just and most merciful Lord God, who hast sent evil diseases, sorrow and fear, trouble and uneasiness into the world, and planted them in our houses and round about our dwellings, to keep sin from our souls, or to drive it thence: I humbly beg of Thee, that this my sickness may serve the ends of the Spirit, and be a messenger of spiritual life, an instrument of reducing me to more religious and sober courses.

I know, Lord, I am unready and unprepared in my accounts, having thrown away great portions of my time in vanity, and set myself hugely back in the accounts of eternity; and I had need live my life over again and live it better; but thy counsels are in the great deep, and thy footsteps in the water, and I know not what Thou wilt determine of me: If I die I throw myself into the arms of the holy Jesus, whom I love above all things; and if I perish, I know I have deserved it; but Thou wilt not reject him that loves Thee: but if I recover, I will live by thy grace, and help to do the work of God, and passionately pursue my interest in heaven, and serve Thee in the labour of love, with the charities of a holy zeal, and the diligence of a firm and humble obedience. Lord, I will dwell in thy temple, and in thy service; religion shall be my employment, and alms shall be my recreation, and patience shall be my rest; to do thy will shall be my meat and drink, and to live shall be Christ, and then to die shall be gain.

O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength, before I go hence and be no more seen. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

62. An Act of Resignation, to Be Said by a Sick Person in All the Evil Accidents of His Sickness.

O eternal God, Thou hast made me and sustained me; Thou hast blessed me in all the days of my life, and hast taken care of me in all variety of accidents; and nothing happens to me in vain, nothing without thy Providence; and I know Thou smitest thy servants in mercy, and with designs of the greatest pity in the world: Lord, I humbly lie down under thy rod; do Thou with me as Thou pleasest; do Thou choose for me, not only the whole state and condition of being, but every little and great accident. Keep me safe by thy grace, and then use what instrument Thou pleasest of bringing me to Thee. Lord, I am not solicitous of the passage, so I may get to Thee. Only, Lord, remember my infirmities, and let thy servant rejoice in Thee always, and feel, and confess, and glory in thy goodness. O be Thou as delightful to me in this my medicinal sickness, as ever Thou wert in any of the dangers of my prosperity: let me not peevishly refuse thy pardon at the rate of a severe discipline. I am thy servant and thy creature, thy purchased possession and thy son; I am thine; and because Thou hast mercy in store for all that trust in Thee, I cover my eyes, and in silence wait for the time of my redemption. Amen.

63. A Prayer for the Grace of Patience.

Most merciful and gracious Father, who in the redemption of lost mankind, by the passion of thy most holy Son, hast established a covenant of sufferings, I bless and magnify thy name, that Thou hast adopted me into the inheritance of sons. Lord, the cross fells heavy, and sits uneasy upon my shoulders; my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. I humbly beg of Thee that I may now rejoice in this thy dispensation and effect of Providence. I know and am persuaded, that Thou art then as gracious when Thou smitest us for our amendment or trial, as when Thou relievest our wearied bodies in compliance with our infirmity. I rejoice, O Lord, in thy rare and mysterious mercy, who by sufferings hast turned our misery into advantages unspeakable; for so Thou makest us like to thy Son, and givest us a gift that the angels never did receive; for they cannot die in conformity to, and imitation of, their Lord and ours : but, blessed be thy name, we can; and, Lord, let it be so. Amen.

64.

THOU, who art a God of patience and consolation, strengthen me in the inner man, that I may bear the yoke and burthen of the Lord, without any uneasy and useless murmurs, and ineffective unwillingness. Lord, I am unable to stand under the cross, unable of myself; but Thou, O Holy Jesus, be Thou pleased to ease this load, by fortifying my spirit, that I may be strongest when I am weakest, and may be able to . do and suffer every thing Thou pleasest, through Christ, who strengthens me. Lord, if Thou wilt support me, I will for ever praise Thee; if Thou wilt suffer the load to press me yet more heavily, I will cry unto Thee, and complain unto my God; and at last, I will lie and die, and by the mercies and intercession of the Holy Jesus, and the conduct of thy blessed Spirit, and the ministry of angels, pass into those mansions where holy souls rest and weep no more. Lord, pity me; Lord, sanctify this my sickness; Lord, strengthen me; Holy Jesus, save me and deliver me. Thou knowest how shamefully I have fallen with pleasure; in thy mercy and very pity let me not fall with pain too. O let me never charge God foolishly, nor offend Thee by my impatience and uneasy spirit, nor weaken the hands and hearts of those, that charitably minister to my needs: but let me pass through the valley of tears, and valley of the shadow of death, with safety and peace, with a meek spirit and a sense of divine mercies; and though Thou breakest me in pieces, my hope is, Thou wilt gather me up in the gatherings of eternity. Grant this, eternal God, gracious Father, for the merits and intercession of our merciful High Priest, who once suffered for me, and for ever intercedes for me, our most gracious and ever blessed Saviour, Jesus. Amen.

65.

O MOST blessed and eternal Jesus, Thou who art the great physician of our souls, and the sun of righteousness arising with healing in thy wings, to Thee is given by thy heavenly Father the government of all the world, and Thou disposest every great and little accident to thy Father's honour, and to the good and comfort of them that love and serve Thee. Be pleased to bless the ministry of thy servant, in order to my ease and health, direct his judgment and dispose the chances of my sickness fortunately, that I may feel the blessing and loving-kindness of the Lord, in the ease of my pain and the restoration of my health; that I, being restored to the society of the living and to thy solemn assemblies, may praise Thee and thy goodness secretly among the faithful, and in the congregation of thy redeemed ones, here in the outer courts of the Lord, and hereafter in thy eternal temple for ever and ever. Amen.

66. For Pardon of Sins, to Be Said in Sickness or in Old Age.

O ETERNAL and most gracious Father, I humbly throw myself down at the foot of thy mercy-seat, on the confidence of thy mercy, and thy commandment that we should come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may find mercy in the time of need. O my God, hear the prayers and cries of a sinner, who calls earnestly for mercy. In mercy, O Lord, deliver my soul; oh, save me for thy mercy's sake, for in the second death there is no remembrance of Thee; in that grave who shall give Thee thanks?

O just and dear God, my sins are innumerable, they are a burden too heavy for me to bear, they already bring sorrow and sickness, shame and displeasure, guilt and a decaying spirit, a sense of thy present displeasure and fear of worse, infinitely worse. But it is to Thee so essential, so delightful, so usual, so desired by Thee to show mercy, that although my sin be very great and my fear proportionable, yet thy mercy is infinitely greater than all the world, and my hope and my comfort rise up in proportion towards it, that I hope the devils will never be able to reprove it, nor my own weakness to discompose it. Lord, Thou hast sent thy Son to die for the pardon of my sins; Thou hast given me thy Holy Spirit, as a seal of adoption, of remission of sins; Thou hast with variety of holy acts softened my spirit, instructed my understanding, bended and inclined my will, and overruled my passions, in order to repentance and pardon; and why should not thy servant beg, and humbly hope for, the effects of all these thy strange and miraculous acts of loving kindness? Lord, I deserve it not, but I hope Thou wilt pardon all my sins; and I beg it of Thee for Jesus Christ's sake, whom Thou hast made the foundation of our hopes, and the mighty instrument whereby we may obtain of Thee whatsoever we need and can receive.

O my God, how shall thy servant be disposed to receive such a favour, which is so great, that the ever blessed Jesus did die to purchase it for us? Lord, I do from my soul forgive all that have sinned against me: O forgive me my sins, as I forgive them that have sinned against me. Lord, I confess my sins unto Thee daily; I put my trust in Thee, and Thou art ever gracious to them that put their trust in Thee. I call upon my God for mercy, and Thou art always more ready to hear than we to pray. But all that I can do, and all that I am, and all that I know of myself, is nothing but sin, misery, and infirmity; therefore I go forth of myself, and throw myself wholly into the arms of thy mercy through Jesus Christ, and beg of Thee, for his death and passions's sake, by his resurrection and thy infinite mercy, to be pitiful and compassionate to thy servant, in the abolition of all my sins; so shall I praise thy glories with a tongue not defiled, and a heart purged by thy grace, quitted by thy mercy, and absolved by thy sentence, from generation to generation. Amen.

67. For a Holy Death.

O ETERNAL and holy Jesus, who by death hast overcome death, and by thy passion hast taken out its sting, and made it to become one of the gates of heaven, and an entrance to felicity, have mercy upon me now, and at the hour of death: let thy grace accompany me all the days of my life, that I may, by a holy conversation, and an habitual performance of my duty, wait for the coming of our Lord, and be ready to enter with Thee at whatsoever hour Thou shalt come.

Lord, let not my death be in any sense unprovided, nor untimely, nor hasty; but after the common manner of men, having in it nothing extraordinary, but an extraordinary piety, and the manifestation of a great and miraculous mercy.

Let my senses and my understanding be preserved entire till the last of my days, and grant that I may die the death of the righteous, having first discharged all my obligations of justice, leaving none miserable and unprovided at my departure; but be Thou the portion of all my friends and relatives, and let thy blessing descend upon their heads, and abide Thou till they shall meet me in the bosom of our Lord.

Preserve me ever in the communion and peace of the church: and bless my death-bed with the opportunity of a holy and a spiritual guide, with the assistance and guard of angels, with the reception of the Holy Sacrament, with patience and dereliction of my own desires, with a strong faith, and a firm and humble hope, with just measures of repentance and great treasures of charity to Thee my God, and to all the world; that my soul in the arms of the Holy Jesus may be deposited with safety and joy, there to expect the revelation of thy day, and then to partake the glories of thy kingdom, O eternal and holy Jesus. Amen.

 

Thanks for this. Amazing. Jeremy Taylor is a spiritual master.

 

This is a gold mine! Thank you for sharing.