ther with my own, faying, Our Father which art in heaven, &c. An evening prayer, to be used any day in the weck. Lord, let my prayer be set forth in thy sight as the incense, and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice. Psalm cxli. 2. Lord! thou hateft iniquity with a perfect 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, 1 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 myfelf; O cleanfe me from all my fecret and unknown tranfgreffions, and, O merciful Father, grant that I may feriously confider and reflect upon the foulnefs and deformity of fin, and what dreadful threatenings thou haft denounced against it; that I may become a true and fincere mourner for my paft fins; and, as far as is poffible, redeem my mifpent time, by employing the remainder of my days in thy fervice, and to thy glory. Give Give me, O Lord, a new heart, new affections, and new defires; that I may love thee with more fincerity, and ferve thee with greater faithfulness than I have ever yet done. Teach me, O Lord, fo to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto true wifdom. Let me never be feparated from thee; but grant that I may be of the number of thy faithful and obedient fervants, who are united to thee by grace and good works in this life, and will hereafter live with thee in endless blifs and happiness. And, Grant that in the days of health and prosperity I may confider my latter end, and remember and provide for that great account which I must one day give before the judgment-feat of Chriit; that when the hour of my departure fhall come, I may meet death without fear and amaze ment; and with a well-grounded hope of thy mercy and goodnefs, may cheerfully refign up my foul into thy hands and may be willing and even defirous to leave this world, when thou, my God, in thy great wisdom fhall fee it fitting. Be mindful, O Lord, of all that are in any affliction or diftrefs. Relieve and comfort thofe that fuffer for the teftinony of a good confcience, or that labour under under the torments of a wounded fpirit. Let the forrowful fighing of the afflicted come before thee; and deliver them, in thy good time, out of all their troubles. Here may be added the two paragraphs in the morning prayer on page 138, marked thus [" To thefe my prayers and interceffions, I defire to add my unfeigned praifes for all thy bleffings, fpiritual and temporal. I bless thee more particularly for the mercies of the day paft; for preferving me in health and fafety; and delivering me from the evils which I have moft juftly deserved. Give me grace to make a right use and improvement of all thy mercies; and vouchsafe, O Lord, to continue to me thy gracious favour and protection. Be thou pleafed of thy great goodnefs to take me, [my dear husband or wife and children,] and all that belong to me, this night, under the care of thy good providence. Defend us from all perils and dangers; and after the comfortable refreshments of reft and fleep, raife us up in health and fafety, with hearts full of love to thee, and zeal to thy fervice, through Jefus Chrift our Lord, in the fulleft fenfe of whofe words I pray to be heard; faying, Our Father, &c. A prayer during the time of sickness. Lmighty and immortal God, the aid of all that need, the helper of all that that flee to thee for fuccour; the life of them that believe, and the refurrection of the dead I humble myfelf before thee with fincere acknowledgments of thy justice, in all the difpenfations of thy di vine providence. Look with an eye of compaffion upon me, thy poor afflicted fervant, and fanctify, I befeech thee, this thy fatherly correction to me, that I may never murmur or repine under any of thy wife difpenfations; but at all times receive thy judgments as a means to wean me from the world, to bring me nearer to thyfelf, and to purge away all that drofs and defilement which my foul has contracted in this ftate of finful mortality. I confefs, O gracious Lord, that thy judgments are juft, and that thou of thy goodness haft caufed me to be troubled'; for notwithstanding all the gentle methods which thou haft ufed towards me, I have not loved thee as I ought to do; but in the days of health and profperity have forgotten thee, my God, and gone in the paths of vanity and folly; but, O merciful Father, that defpifeit not the fighing of a contrite heart, nor the defire of fuch as be forrowful, mercifully affift my prayers that I offer unto thee in all my troubles and adverfities: and efpecially let not my fins provoke thee to turn away away thy face from me thy fervant, now feeking unto thee in this time of my trouble; fhut not up the bowels of thy tender compaffion from me; but for the merits and interceffion of thy beloved Son, pardon all my fins, and vouchfafe, I befeech thee, for his fake, to be reconciled unto me. Support me under all my pains, weakneffes, and infirmities; ftrengthen my faith, enlarge my hopes, increafe my charity, and perfect my repentance. Make thou my bed in my ficknefs, and lay not more upon me than thou wilt enable me to bear; give a bleffing to the means that fhall be used for my recovery; and fay unto my foul I am thy falvation; and if it be thy good pleafure reftore me to my former health, that I may lead the refidue of my life in thy fear, and to thy glory: but if thou haft determined that this ficknefs fhall be unto death; grant, O merciful Father, that the more the outward man decayeth, fo much the more I may find the inward man ftrengthened and renewed with thy grace and Holy Spirit. O give me grace fo to take this thy vifitation, that after this painful life is ended, may dwell with thee in life everlafting. through the merits and mediation of Jefus Chrift, my dear and only Saviour. Amen. 1 A prayer |