Imatges de pàgina
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Occafional Prayers.

A Morning prayer, to be used any day in the week. O let me hear thy loving kindness betimes in the morning, for in thee is my trust: fhew thou me the way that I fhould walk in, for I lift up my foul unto thee. Pfalm cxliii. 8.

Moft mighty and gracious God, to whom I am indebted for all the good things I enjoy; for in thee I live, and move, and have my being; I defire to adore and blefs thy glorious name, humbly befeeching thee to accept this my morning facrifice of praife and thankf giving for the comfortable refreshment of the night paft, for thy prefervation of me [and my family and all that belongs to me] from fire, robbery, and tempeft, and from all perils and dangers, and especially for bringing me in health and fafety to the beginning of this day; in which I beseech thee, O Lord, to keep me without fin.

Give me awful thoughts of thy divine majefty, and fuch an humble, ferious, and devout frame of mind, that my adoration may not rest in a mere outward form of godliness, but that I may always offer unto thee a lively facrifice, holy and acceptable in thy fight.

Be with me, O Lord, this day in all places and upon all occafions: direct and guide me, fanctify and preferve me: keep me both outwardly in my body, and inwardly in my foul: defend me from the power and malice of the devil, from the corruptions of my own finful nature, and from those fins especially, that feem most habitual to me. Pardon, I beseech thee, all the fins I have at any time committed, grant that I may die unto fin, and rife again unto righteousness; that henceforth being freed from fin, all things belonging to the fpirit may live and

grow in me.

[Direct me, O Lord,

On Sunday morning inin all my affairs, blefstead of the oppofite paragraph, fay, my labours and ftu

dies, and give me grace [And now I am going to to do my duty in that the place of thy publickworstate of life, whereun-fhip, I beseech thee let thy to thou hast been plea-and make me devout, feriholy fpirit accompany me,' fed to call me, and ous, and attentive. Raise my make me therewith mind from the thoughts of this world to the confideracontent: continue to tion of the next; that I may me the bleffings I en-join fervently in the prayers joy; fupply me with and praifes of thy church, thofe I want; and turn and liften to my duty with from me all thofe e-practife it. And give me. an honest heart, in order to

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vils which I have moft grace to dedicate this day, as thou haft appointed me, to

righteously deserved; thy fervice and the care of or which either the my foul. Direct me in all malice of the devil, or my ways, and guide my feet the wickedness, or mif-in thy paths, that I may, at fortunes of the world the laft, from a life of righte Joufnefs, be tranflated to a may bring upon me.] life of eternal glory.]

I refign, O God, and give myself to thy providence; I fubmit myself to all the events which it fhall please thee to bring upon me; and grant me always thofe things, whether profperous or adverfe, that may beft conduce, and be moft profitable to my eternal falvation. So, my God, do with me what thou feeft good, and let thy holy will be done in me, and by me, for the fake of Jefus Christ our Lord. And for this end,

Teach me to direct my conversation as becometh the gospel; and grant that I may this day, and for ever, endeavour to mortify my corrupt inclinations, to cleanse myself from all filthinefs of flesh and fpirit, and to bring every inordinate defire to the obedience of thy will.

Fill my heart with fuch honeft and upright affections for truth and justice, that no worldly interest or advantage, how promising or

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great foever, may be able to shake my integrity, which I beg may be always fupported by thy providence, and that in the ufe of honest and lawful means I may improve that talent, which thy infinite wisdom and goodness has committed to my charge.

["Be gracious, Omoft merciful God, to the whole race of mankind; pity the deplorable ftate of thofe that know thee not, and have never heard of thy name: reform the wicked and impenitent; and let all that name the "name of Chrift depart from iniquity.

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"Let every one of my friends and relations, "O God, be of the number of thofe whom "thou lovest and delighteft in. Defend them from the evils and temptations of this world; "and grant them whatever thou feeft needful both for their fouls and bodies."]

And now, O my God! relying firmly on thy gracious promifes, I commend into thy hands myself, and all that thou haft given or blessed me with, my foul and body, and all my relations; keep us from all evil, lead us into all good, carry us fafely through the dangers and temp tations of this wicked world, to that place of everlasting reft and peace, which thou haft prepared for thofe that die in the Lord, thro'

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the merits of thy beloved fon Jefus Chrift, my Lord and Saviour, in whofe words I fum up and recommend the wants of all mankind, together with my own, faying, Our Father which art in heaven, &c.

An Evening prayer, to be used any day in the week. Lord let my prayer be fet forth in thy fight as the incenfe, and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening facrifice, Pfar cxli. 4.

Lord! thou hateft iniquity with a per

fect hatred, yet I am affured, that thou delighteft in the ways of mercy; that thou art a tender lover of fouls, and not only permitteft, but inviteft us, miferable creatures, to come unto thee. With humble confidence, then, O Lord, I lift up my foul unto thee, befeeching thee, in much mercy, to look upon me, and to eafe me of the burden of my corrupt and finful inclinations.

Forgive, I meekly befeech thee, whatever I have done amifs this day, and all my life paft, either against thee, my neighbour, or myself; O cleanse me from all my fecret and unknown tranfgreffions: and, O merciful father, grant that I may seriously confider and reflect upon the foulness and deformity of fin, and what dreadful threatnings thou haft denounced against it; that I may become a true and finG 4

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