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The golden grove
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Genre
Prayer
Date
1654
Full Title
The golden grove, or, A manuall of Daily Prayers and Letanies, Fitted to the dayes of the Week. Containing a short Summary of What is to be Believed, Practised, Desired.
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Wing T336
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A FORM of PRAYER, By way of Paraphrase Expounding The Lords Prayer.
Our Father,
MErciful and Gracious; thou gavestme beeing, raising me from nothing,
to be an excellent creation, efforming me
after thy own Image, tenderly feeding
me, and conducting and strengthning me
all my dayes: Thou art our Father by a
more excellent Mercy, adopting us in a
new birth, to become partakers of the inheritance
of Jesus; Thou hast given us
the portion and the food of Sons; O make
us to do the duty of Sons, that we may
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never lose our title to so glorious an inheritance.Let this excellent Name and Title, by
which thou hast vouchsafed to relate to
us, be our Glory and our Confidence,
our Defence and Guard, our Ornament
and Strength, our Dignity, and the endearment
of Obedience, the Principle of
a holy Fear to thee our Father, and of
Love to thee and to our Brethren, partakers
of the same Hope and Dignity.
Unite every member of the Church to
thee in holy bands; Let there be no more
names of Division, nor Titles and Ensigns
of Error and Partiality; Let not us who
are Brethren contend, but in giving honour
to each other, and glory to thee, contending
earnestly for the Faith, but not
to the breach of Charity, nor the denying
each others Hope: but grant, that we
may all joyn in the promotion of the honour
of thee our Father, in celebrating
the Name, and spreading the Family, and
propagating the Laws and Institutions, the
Promises and Dignities of our Elder Brother;
that despising the transitory entertainments
of this world, we may labour
for, and long after the inheritance to
which thou hast given us title, by adopting
us into the dignity of Sons. For ever
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let thy Spirit witness to our Spirit, that weare thy children, and enable us to cry
Abba, Father.
Which art in Heaven,
Heaven is thy Throne, the Earth is thyFootstool: From thy Throne thou beholdest
all the dwellers upon earth,
and triest out the hearts of men, and nothing
is hid from thy sight: And as thy
Knowledge is infinite, so is thy Power, uncircumscribed
as the utmost Orb of Heaven,
and thou sittest in thy own Essential
Happiness and Tranquillity, immoveable
and eternal. That is our Countrey, and thither
thy Servants are travelling; there is
our Father, and that is our inheritance;
there our hearts are, for there our treasure
is laid up till the day of Recompence.
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Name, O God, is glorious, and inthy Name is our hope and confidence:
According to thy Name, so is thy praise unto
the worlds end: They that love thy
Name, shall be joyfull in thee; for thy
Name which thou madest to be proclaimed
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unto thy people, is, The Lord, the LordGod, mercifull and gracious, long-suffering,
and abundant in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity,
and transgression, and sin; and that
will by no means clear the guilty. In this
glorious Name, we worship thee, O Lord;
and all they that know thy Name, will put
their trust in thee. The desire of our soul
is to thy Name, and to the remembrance of
thee. Thou art worthy, O Lord, of honour,
and praise, and glory, for ever and
ever: we confess thy glories, we rejoyce
in thy mercies; we hope in thy Name, and
thy Saints like it well: for thy Name is
praised unto the ends of the world; it is
believed by Faith, relied upon by a holy
Hope, and loved by a great Charity: All
thy Church celebrates thee with praises,
and offers to thy Name the Sacrifice of
Prayer and Thanksgiving.
Thou, O God, didst frame our Nature
by thy own Image, and now thou hast
imprinted thy name upon us, we are thy
Servants, the relatives and domesticks of
thy family, and thou hast honoured us
with the gracious appellative of Christians.
O let us never dishonour so excellent
a Title, nor by unworthy usages profane
thy holy Name, but for ever glorifie
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it. Let our life be answerable to ourdignity; that our body may be chaste,
our thoughts clean, our words gracious,
our manners holy, and our life useful and
innocent, that men seeing our good works,
may glorifie thee our Father which art in
Heaven.
Thy Kingdome come.
Thou reignest in Heaven and Earth: Odo thou rule also in our hearts; advance
the interest of Religion; let thy. Gospel
be placed in all the regions of the earth;
and let all Nations come and worship
thee, laying their proud wills at thy feet,
submitting their understandings to the
obedience of Jesus, conforming their affections
to thy holy Laws. Let thy Kingdome
be set up gloriously over us; and
do thou reign in our spirits, by thy Spirit
of Grace; subdue every lust and inordinate
appetite; trample upon our pride,
mortifie all rebellion within us, and let all
thine and our enemies be brought into
captivity, that sin may never reign in our
mortal bodies; but that Christ may reign
in our Understanding by Faith, in the
Will by Charity, in the Passions by Mortification,
in all the members by a right and
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a chaste use of them. And when thyKingdome that is within us hath flourished
and is advanced to that height whither
thou hast designed it, grant thy Kingdome
of Glory may speedily succeed; and we
thy Servants be admitted to the peace and
purity, the holiness and glories of that
state where thou reignest alone, and art
all in all.
Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Thy will, O God, is the measure of holinessand peace; thy Providence the great
disposer of all things, tying all events together,
in order to thy glory and the good
of thy Servants, by a wonderful mysterious
Chain of Wisdome. Let thy Will
also be the measure of our desires: for
we know, that whatsoever thou sayest is
true, and whatsoever thou doest is good:
Grant we may submit our wills to thine,
being patient of evils which thou inflictest,
lovers of the good which thou commandest,
haters of all evil which thou forbiddest,
pleased with all the accidents
thou sendest; that though our nature is
weaker then Angels, yet our obedience
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may be as humble, our conformity to thywill may arise up to the degrees of Unity,
and theirs cannot be more; that as they in
Heaven, so we in Earth may obey thy will
promptly, chearfully, zealously, and with all
our faculties; and grant, that as they there,
so all the world here may serve thee with
peace and concord, purity and love unfeigned,
with one heart, and one voice
glorifying thee our heavenly Father.
Grant that we may quit all our own
affections, and suspect our reasonings, and
go out of our selves, and all our own confidences,
that thou being to us all things,
disposing all events, and guiding all our
actions, and directing our intentions, and
over-ruling all things in us and about us,
we may be Servants of the Divine Will
for ever.
Give us this day our daily Bread.
Thou, O God, which takest care of ourSouls, do not despise our bodies which
thou hast made and sanctified, and designed
to be glorious. But now we are exposed
to hunger and thirst, nakedness and
weariness, want and inconvenience, Give
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unto us neither poverty nor riches, but feedus with food convenient for us, and clothe
us with fitting provisions, according to
that state and condition where thou hast
placed thy Servants; that we may not be
tempted with want, nor made contemptible
by beggery, nor wanton or proud by
riches, nor in love with any thing in this
world; but that we may use it as strangers
and pilgrims, as the relief of our
needs, the support of our infirmities, and
the oyle of our lamps, feeding us till we
are quite spent in thy service. Lord take
from thy Servants sad carefulness, and all
distrust and give us onely such a proportion
of temporal things, as may enable us
with comfort to do our duty.
Forgive us our Trespasses, as we forgive them that trespasse against us.
O dear God, unless thou art pleased topardon us, in vain it is that we should live
here, and what good will our life do us?
O look upon us with much mercy, for we
have sinned grievously against thee. Pardon
the adherent imperfections of our
life, the weaknesses of our duty, the carelesness
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of our spirit, our affected ignorance,our indiligence, our rashness and
want of observation our malice and presumptions.
Turn thine eyes from our impurities,
and behold the brightness and
purest innocence of the Holy Jesus, and
under his cover we plead our cause, not
that thou shouldest judge our sins, but
give us pardon, and blot out all our iniquities,
that we may never enter into the
horrible regions where there are torments
without ceasing, a Prison without ransome,
reproaches without comfort, anguish
without patience, darkness without light,
a worm that never dies, and the fire that
never goeth out.
But be pleased also to give us great charity,
that we may truly forgive all that
trouble or injure us, that by that Character
thou mayest discern us to be thy
Sons and Servants, Disciples of the Holy
Jesus, lest our Prayer be turned into sin,
and thy grace be recalled, and thou enter
into a final anger against thy Servants.
Lead us not into Temptation.
Gracious Father, we are weak and ignorant,our affections betray us, and make
us willing to die, our adversary the Devil
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goeth up and down, seeking whom he maydevour; he is busie, and crafty, malicious
and powerful, watchful and envious;
and we tempt our selves, running out to
mischief, delighting in the approaches of
sin, and love to have necessities put upon
us, that sin may be unavoidable. Pity us
in the midst of these disorders; and give
us spirituall Strength, holy Resolutions,
a watchful Spirit, the whole Armour of
God, and thy protection, the guard of Angels,
and the conduct of thy holy Spirit
to be our security in the day of danger.
Give us thy grace to flie from all occasions
to sin, that we may never tempt our selves,
nor delight to be tempted; and let thy
blessed Providence so order the accidents
of our lives, that we may not dwell near
an enemy; and when thou shalt try us,
and suffer us to enter into combat, let us
alwayes be on thy side, and fight valiantly,
resist the Devil, and endure patiently,
and persevere constantly unto the end,
that thou mayest crown thy own work
in us.
But deliver us from evil.
From sin and shame, from the maliceand fraud of the Devil, and from the
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falseness and greediness of men, from allthy wrath, and from all our impurities,
good Lord deliver thy servants.
Do not reserve any thing of thy wrath
in store for us; but let our sins be pardoned
so fully, that thou mayest not punish
our inventions. And yet if thou
wilt not be intreated, but that it be necessary
that we suffer, thy will be done;
smite us here with a Fathers rod, that
thou mayest spare us hereafter: let the
sad accidents of our life be for good to
us, not for evil, for our amendment, not
to exasperate or weary us, not to harden
or confound us: and what evil soever it
be that shall happen, let us not sin against
thee. For ever deliver us from that evil,
and for ever deliver us from the power of
the evil one, the great enemy of Mankinde,
and never let our portion be in
that region of Darkness, in that everlasting
burning which thou hast prepared
for the Devil and his Angels for ever.
F
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For thine is the Kingdome, the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
So shall we thy servants advancethe Mightiness of thy Kingdome, the
Power of thy Majesty, and the Glory of
thy Mercy, from generation to generation
for ever. Amen.
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LETANIES FOR All Things and Persons.
O God the Father of Mercies, the Fatherof our Lord Jesus Christ, have
mercy upon thy servants, and hear the
prayers of us miserable sinners.
O blessed Jesus, the Fountain of Peace
and Pardon, our Wisdome and our Righteousness,
our Sanctification and Redemption,
have mercy upon thy servants, refuse
not to hear the prayers of us miserable,
sorrowful, and returning sinners.
O holy and divinest Spirit of the Father,
help our infirmities, for of our selves
we know not what to ask, nor how to
pray, but do thou assist and be present
in the desires of us miserable sinners.
F 2
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I. For Pardon of Sins.
REmember not Lord the follies of ourchildehood , nor the lusts of our
youth, the wildness of our head nor the
wandrings of our heart, the infinite sins
of our tongue, and the inexcusable errors
of the dayes of vanity.
Lord have mercy upon us poor miserable
sinners.
Remember not, O Lord, the growing
iniquities of our elder age, the pride of
our spirit, the abuse of our members, the
greediness of our appetite, the inconstancy
of our purposes, the peevishness and violence
of all our passions and affections.
Lord have mercy, &c.
Remember not, O Lord, how we have
been full of envy and malice, anger and
revenge, fierce and earnest in the purchases
and vanities of the world, and lazy and
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dull, slow and soon weary in the things ofGod and of Religion.
Lord have mercy, &c.
Remember not, O Lord, our uncharitable
behaviour towards those with whom
we have conversed, our jealousies and suspicions,
our evil surmisings and evil reportings,
the breach of our promises to
men, and the breach of all our holy vows
made to thee our God.
Lord have mercy, &c.
Remember not, O Lord, how often we
have omitted the several parts and actions
of our duty; for our sins of Omission
are infinite, and we have sought after
the righteousness of God, but have rested
in carelesness and forgetfulness, in a false
peace and a silent Conscience.
Lord have mercy, &c.
O most gracious Lord, enter not into
judgement with thy servants, lest we be
consumed in thy wrath, and just displeasure:
from which
Good Lord deliver us, and preserve thy
servants for ever.
F 3
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II. For deliverance from evils.
FRom gross ignorance and stupid negligence,from a wandring head, and a
trifling spirit, from the violence and rule
of passion, from a servile will, and a commanding
lust, from all intemperance, inordination
and irregularity whatsoever:
Good Lord deliver and preserve thy
servants for ever.
From a covetous minde and greedy desires,
from lustful thoughts, and a wanton
eye, from rebellious members, and the
pride and vanity of spirit; from false opinions
and ignorant confidences:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From improvidence and prodigality,
from envy and the spirit of slander, from
idleness and sensuality, from presumption
and despair, from sinful actions and all vicious
habits:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
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From fierceness of rage, and hastinessof spirit, from clamorous and reproachful
language, from peevish anger, and inhumane
malice, from the spirit of contention,
and hasty and indiscreet zeal:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From a schismatical and heretical spirit,
from tyranny and tumults, from sedition
and factions, from envying the grace of
God in our Brother, from impenitence and
hardness of heart, from obstinacy and apostasie,
from delighting in sin, and hating
God and good men:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From fornication and adultery, from
unnatural desires and unnatural hatreds,
from gluttony & drunkenness, from loving
and believing lies, and taking pleasure in
the remembrances of evil things, from delighting
in our Neighbours misery, and
procuring it, from upbraiding others, and
hating reproof of our selves:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From impudence and shame, from contempt
F 4
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and scorn, from oppression and cruelty,from a pitiless and unrelenting spirit,
from a churlish behaviour, and undecent
usages of our selves or others:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From famine and pestilence, from noisome
and infectious diseases, from sharp
and intolerable pains, from impatience
and tediousness of spirit, from a state of
temptation, and hardned spirits:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From banishments and prison, from widowhood
and want, from violence of pains
and passions, from tempests and earthquakes,
from the rage of fire and water,
from Rebellion and Treason, from fretfulness
and inordinate cares, from murmuring
against God, and disobedience to
the divine Commandment:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From delaying our repentance, and persevering
in sin, from false principles and
prejudices, from unthankfulness and irreligion,
from seducing others, and being
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abused our selves, from the malice andcraftiness of the Devil, and the deceit and
lyings of the World:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From wounds and Murther, from precipices
and falls, from fracture of bones,
and dislocation of joynts, from dismembring
our bodies, and all infatuation of
our souls, from folly and madness, from
uncertainty of minde and state, and from
a certainty of sinning:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From thunder and lightning, from
phantasms, spectres and illusions of the
night, from sudden and great Changes,
from the snares of wealth, and the contempt
of beggery and extreme poverty,
from being made an example and a warning
to others by suffering sad judgements
our selves:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From condemning others, and justifying
our selves, from mispending our time
and abusing thy grace, from calling good
F 5
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evil, and evil good, from consenting tofolly, and tempting others:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From excess in speaking and peevish silence,
from looser laughing and immoderate
weeping, from giving evil example to
others, or following any our selves, from
giving or receiving scandal, from the horrible
sentence of endless death and damnation:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From cursing and swearing, from uncharitable
chiding, and easiness to believe
evil, from the evil spirit that walketh at
noon, and the arrow that flieth in darkness,
from the Angel of wrath, and perishing
in popular diseases:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From the want of a Spiritual Guide,
from a famine of the Word and Sacraments,
from hurtful persecution, and from
taking part with persecutors:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
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From drowning or being burnt alive,from sleepless nights, and contentious
dayes, from a melancholy and a confused
spirit, from violent fears and the loss of
reason, from a vicious life, and a sudden
and unprovided death:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From relying upon vain fancies and
false foundations, from an evil and an
amazed Conscience, from sinning near the
end of our life, and from despairing in
the day of our death:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
From hypocrisie and wilfulness, from
self-love and vain ambition, from curiosity
and carelesness, from being tempted in
the dayes of our weakness from the prevailing
of the flesh, and grieving the Spirit,
from all thy wrath, and from all our
sins:
Good Lord deliver, &c.
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III. For Gifts and Graces.
HEar our Prayer, O Lord, and considerour desire, hearken unto us for thy
truth and righteousness sake: O hide not
thy face from us, neither cast away thy servants
in displeasure.
Give unto us the spirit of Prayer, frequent
and fervent, holy and persevering,
an unreprovable Faith a just and a humble
Hope, and a never-failing Charity.
Hear our prayers, O Lord, and
consider our desire.
Give unto us true humility, a meek
and a quiet spirit, a loving and a friendly,
a holy and a useful conversation, bearing
the burthens of our Neighbours, denying
our selves, and studying to benefit others,
and to please thee in all things.
Hear our prayers, &c.
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Give us a prudent and a sober, a justand a sincere, a temperate and a religious
spirit; a great contempt of the world, a
love of holy things, and a longing after
heaven, and the instruments and paths that
lead thither.
Hear our prayers, &c.
Grant us to be thankful to our Benefactors,
righteous in performing promises,
loving to our relatives, careful of our
charges, to be gentle and easie to be intreated,
slow to anger, and fully instructed
and readily prepared for every good
work.
Hear our prayers, &c.
Give us a peaceable spirit, and a peaceable
life, free from debt, and deadly sin,
grace to abstain from all appearances of
evil, and to do nothing but what is of
good report, to confess Christ and his holy
Religion, by a holy and obedient life, and
a minde ready to die for him when he
shall call us, and assist us.
Hear our prayers, &c.
Give to thy servants a watchful and an
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observing spirit, diligent in doing our duty,inflexible to evil, obedient to thy word,
inquisitive after thy will, pure and holy
thoughts, strong and religious purposes,
and thy grace to perform faithfully what
we have promised in the day of our duty,
or in the day of our calamity.
Hear our prayers, &c.
O teach us to despise all vanity, to fight
the battels of the Lord manfully against
the Flesh, the World, and the Devil, to
spend our time religiously and usefully, to
speak gracious words, to walk alwayes as
in thy presence, to preserve our souls and
bodies in holiness, fit for the habitation of
the holy Spirit of God.
Hear our prayers, &c.
Give us a holy and a perfect repentance,
a well instructed understanding, regular
affections, a constant and a wise heart, a
good name, a fear of thy Majesty, and a
love of all thy glories above all the things
in the world for ever.
Hear our prayers, &c.
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Give us a healthful body and a clearunderstanding the love of our neighbors,
and the peace of the Church, the publick
use and comfort of thy holy Word and
Sacraments, a great love to all Christians,
and obedience to our Superiors, Ecclesiastical
and Civil, all the dayes of our
life.
Hear our prayers, &c.
Give us spiritual wisdome, that we may
discern what is pleasing to thee, and follow
what belongs unto our peace; and let
the knowledge and love of God, and of
Jesus Christ our Lord, be our guide and
our portion all our dayes.
Hear our prayers, &c.
Give unto us holy dispositions, and an
active industry in thy service, to redeem
the time mispent in vanity; for thy pity
sake take not vengeance of us for our sins,
but sanctifie our souls and bodies in this
life, and glorifie them hereafter.
Hear our prayers, &c.
Our Father, &c.
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IV. To be added to the former Letanies, according as our Devotions and time will suffer.
For all states of men and women, especially in the Christian Church.
O Blessed God, in mercy rememberthine inheritance, and forget not the
congregation of the poor for ever; pity
poor mankinde, whose portion is misery
and folly, shame and death: But thou art
our Redeemer, and the lifter up of our
head, and under the shadow of thy wings
shall be our help, untill this Tyranny be
overpast.
Have mercy upon us, O God, and hide not
thy self from our petition.
Preserve, O God, the Catholick Church
in holiness and truth, in unity and peace,
free from persecution, or glorious under
it, that she may for ever advance the honour
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of her Lord Jesus, for ever representhis Sacrifice, and glorifie his Person, and
advance his Religion, and be accepted of
thee in her blessed Lord, that being filled
with his Spirit, she may partake of his
glory.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
Give the spirit of Government and holiness
to all Christian Kings, Princes and
Governours: grant that their people may
obey them, and they may obey thee, and
live in honesty and peace, justice and holy
Religion, being Nursing Fathers to the
Church, Advocates for the oppressed, Patrons
for the widows, and a Sanctuary for
the miserable and the fatherless, that they
may reign with thee for ever in the Kingdome
of the Lord Jesus.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
Give to thy servants the Bishops, and
all the Clergy, the spirit of holiness and
courage, of patience and humility, of prudence
and diligence, to preach and declare
thy will by a holy life, and wise discourses,
that they may minister to the good of
souls, and finde a glorious reward in the
day of the Lord Jesus.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
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Give to our Relatives our Wives andChildren, our Friends and Benefactors,
our Charges, our Family, &c. pardon
and support, comfort in all their sorrows,
strength in all their temptations, the guard
of Angels to preserve them from evil, and
the conduct of thy holy Spirit, to lead
them into all good; that they doing their
duty, may feel thy mercies here, and partake
of thy glories hereafter.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
Give to all Christian Kingdomes and
Common-wealths peace and plenty, health
and holy Religion: to all families of Religion
and Nurseries of piety, zeal and holiness,
prudence and unity, peace and contentedness:
To all Schools of Learning,
quietness and industry, freedome from
wars and violence, factions and envy.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
Give to all married pairs, faith and love,
charitable and wise compliances, sweetness
of society, and innocence of conversation;
To all Virgins and Widows, great love of
Religion, a sober and a contented spirit,
an unwearied attendance to devotion, and
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the offices of holiness; protection to thefatherless, comfort to the disconsolate, patience
and submission, health and spiritual
advantages to the sick; that they may feel
thy comforts for the dayes wherein they
have suffered adversity.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
Be thou a star and a guide to them that
travel by land or sea, the confidence and
comfort of them that are in storms and
shipwracks, the strength of them that toil
in the Mynes, and row in the Gallies, an instructer
to the ignorant, to them that are
condemn’d to die, be thou a guide unto
death; give chearfulness to every sad
heart, spiritual strength, and proportionable
comfort to them that are afflicted by
evil spirits: pity the lunaticks, give life and
salvation to all to whom thou hast given
no understanding; accept the stupid and
the fools to mercy, give liberty to prisoners,
redemption to captives maintenance
to the poor, patronage and defence to the
oppressed, and put a period to the iniquity,
and to the miseries of all mankinde.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
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Give unto our enemies grace and pardon,charity to us, and love to thee; take
away all anger from them, and all mistakes
from us, all misinterpretations and jealousies;
bring all sinners to repentance,
and holiness, and to all thy Saints and Servants
give an increasing love, and a persevering
duty; bring all Turks, Jews and
Infidels to the knowledge and confession
of the Lord Jesus, and a participation of
all the Promises of the Gospel, all the benefits
of his Passion; to all Hereticks give
humility and ingenuity, repentance of
their errors, and grace and power to make
amends to the Church and Truth, and a
publick acknowledgement of a holy faith,
to the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Have mercy upon us, &c.
Give to all Merchants faithfulness and
truth; to the labouring husbandman
health, and fair seasons of the year, and
reward his toil with the dew of heaven,
and the blessings of the earth; To all Artizans
give diligence in their Callings, and
a blessing on their labours and on their families;
To old men piety and perfect repentance,
a liberal heart, and an open
hand, great religion, and desires after
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heaven; To young men give sobriety andchastity, health and usefulness, an early
piety, and a persevering duty; To all families
visited with the rod of God, give
consolation, and a holy use of the affliction,
and a speedy deliverance; To us
all pardon and holiness, and life eternal,
through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the communication
of the Holy Spirit, be
with us all for ever. Amen.
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A SHORT PRAYER
To be said every Morning.
O Almighty God, Father of our LordJesus 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 me perfect understanding
in the way of godliness, that I
may walk in it all the dayes of my pilgrimage.
Give me a spirit diligent in the
works of my Calling, chearful and zealous
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in Religion, fervent and frequent inmy Prayers, charitable and useful in my
Conversation: Give me a healthful and a
chaste body, a pure and a 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.
II.
BLessed be thy Name, O God, and blessedbe 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 out-goings of the Morning and
Evening shall praise thee, and thy servants
shall rejoyce 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 imployment
of my day leave no sorrow, or the
remembrance of an evil conscience at
night: but let it be holy and profitable,
blessed, and alwayes innocent; that when
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the dayes 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 joyes of
a blessed Resurrection, through Jesus
Christ: In whose Name, and in whose
words, in behalf of my self and all my
friends, and all thy servants, I humbly
and heartly pray, Our Father. &c.
A Prayer for the Evening.
ETernall God, Almighty Father ofMen 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 then death. Give me a
command over my evil inclinations, and a
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perfect hatred of sin, and a love to theeabove all the desires of this world. Be
pleased to bless and preserve me this night
from all sin, and all violence of Chance,
and 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 sanctifie my spirit;
let me alwayes live holily, and justly,
and soberly; and when I die, receive my
soul into thy hands, O holy and everblessed
Jesus, that I may lie in thy bosome,
and long for thy coming, and hear
thy blessed Sentence at Doomsday, and
behold thy face, and live in thy Kingdome,
singing praises to God for ever and
ever. Amen.
Our Father, &c.
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For SUNDAY.
A Prayer against Pride.
I.
O Eternal God, merciful and glorious,thou art exalted far above all heavens,
thy Throne, O God, is glory, and
thy Scepter is righteousness, thy Will is
holiness, and thy Wisdome the great foundation
of Empire and Government: I
adore thy Majesty, and rejoyce in thy
Mercy, and revere thy Power, and
confess all glory, and dignity and honour
to be thine alone, and theirs to whom
thou shalt impart any ray of thy Majesty,
or reflexion of thy honour; but as for
me, I am a worm and no man, vile dust
and ashes, the son of corruption, and the
heir of rottenness, seized upon by folly,
a lump of ignorance and sin, and shame
and death. What art thou O Lord? the
great God of Heaven and Earth, the
fountain of Holiness, and Perfection infinite.
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But what am I? so ignorant, thatI know not what; so poor, that I have nothing
of my own; so miserable, that I am
the heir of sorrow and death; and so sinfull,
that I am encompassed with shame
and grief.
II.
ANd yet, O my God, I am proud:proud of my shame, glorying in my
sin, boasting my infirmities; for this is all
that I have of my own, save onely that I
have multiplied my miseries by vile actions,
every day dishonouring the work of
thy hands: my understanding is too confident,
my affections rebellious, my will
refractory and disobedient; and yet I
know thou resistest the proud, and didst
cast the Morning Stars, the Angels, from
heaven into chains of darkness, when they
grew giddy and proud, walking upon the
battlements of heaven, beholding the glorious
Regions that were above them.
III.
THou, O God, who givest grace to thehumble, do something also for the
proud man; make me humble and obedient.
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Take from me the spirit of prideand haughtiness, ambition and self-flattery,
confidence and gayety: teach me to
think well, and to expound all things fairly
of my brother, to love his worthiness,
to delight in his praises, to excuse his errors,
to give thee thanks for his graces,
to rejoyce in all the good that he receives,
and ever to believe and speak better things
of him then of my self.
IV.
O Teach me to love to be concealed,and little esteemed; let me be truly
humbled, and heartily ashamed of my
sin and folly: teach me to bear reproaches
evenly, for I have deserved them; to refuse
all honours done unto me, because I
have not deserved them; to return all to
thee, for it is thine alone; to suffer reproof
thankfully, to amend all my faults
speedily; and do thou invest my soul
with the humble robe of my meek Master
and Saviour Jesus; and when I have humbly,
patiently, charitably and diligently
served thee, change this robe into the
shining garment of immortality, my confusion
into glory, my folly to perfect
knowledge, my weaknesses and dishonours
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to the strength and beauties of the Sonsof God.
V.
IN the mean time use what means thoupleasest to conform me to the image of
thy holy Son; that I may be gentle to
others, and severe to my self: that I may
sit down in the lowest place; striving to
go before my brother in nothing, but in
doing him and thee honour; staying for
my glory till thou shalt please in the day
of recompences to reflect light from thy
face, and admit me to behold thy glories.
Grant this for Jesus Christs sake, who
humbled himself to the death and shame
of the Cross, and is now exalted unto
glory: Unto him, with thee O Father,
be glory and praise for ever and ever.
Amen.
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For MUNDAY.
A Prayer against Covetousness.
I.
O Almighty God, eternal Treasure ofall good things, thou fillest all things
with plenteousness; Thou clothest the lillies
of the field, and feedest the young ravens
that call upon thee: Thou art all-sufficient
in thy self, and all-sufficient to us, let
thy Providence be my store-house, thy
dispensation of temporal things the limit
of my labour, my own necessity the measures
of my desire: but never let my desires
of this world be greedy, nor my labour
immoderate, nor my care vexatious,
and distracting, but prudent, moderate,
holy, subordinate to thy Will, the measure
thou hast appointed for me.
II.
TEach me, O God, to despise theworld, to labour for the true riches,
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to seek the Kingdome of heaven and itsrighteousness, to be content with what
thou providest, to be in this world like a
stranger, with affections set upon heaven,
labouring for, and longing after the possessions
of thy Kingdomes; but never
suffer my affections to dwell below, but
give me a heart compassionate to the
poor, liberal to the needy, open and free
in all my communications, without base
ends, or greedy designes, or unworthy
arts of gain; but let my strife be to gain
thy favour, to obtain the blessedness of doing
good to others, and giving to them
that want, and the blessedness of receiving
from thee pardon and support, grace and
holiness perseverance and glory, through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
For TUESDAY.
A Prayer against Lust.
I.
O Eternal Purity, thou art brighterthen the Sun, purer then the Angels,
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and the Heavens are not clean in thy sight,with mercy behold thy servant apt to be
tempted with every object, and to be
overcome by every enemy. I cannot, O
God, stand in the day of battel and danger,
unless thou coverest me with thy
shield, and hidest me under thy wings.
The fiery darts of the Devil are ready to
consume me, unless the dew of thy grace
for ever descend upon me. Thou didst
make me after thy image: be pleased to
preserve me so, pure and spotless, chaste
and clean; that my body may be a holy
Temple, and my soul a sanctuary to entertain
thy divinest Spirit, the Spirit of love
and holiness, the Prince of Purities.
II.
REprove in me the spirit of Fornicationand Uncleanness, and fill my
soul with holy fires, that no strange fire
may come into the Temple of my body,
where thou hast chosen to dwell. O cast
out all those unclean spirits which have
unhallowed the place where thy holy feet
have trod: Pardon all my hurtfull
thoughts, all my impurities, that I who
am a member of Christ, may not become
the member of a harlot, nor the slave of
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the Devil, nor a servant of lust and unworthydesires: But do thou purifie my
love, and let me seek the things that are
above, hating the garments spotted with the
flesh; never any more grieving thy holy
Spirit by filthy inclinations, with impure
and phantastick thoughts; but let my
thoughts be holy, my soul pure, my body
chaste and healthful my spirit severe, devout
and religious, every day more and
more; that at the day of our appearing,
I may be presented to God washed and
cleansed, pure and spotless by the blood
of the holy Lamb, through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For WEDNESDAY.
A Prayer against Gluttony and Drunkenness.
I.
O Almighty Father of Men and Angels,who hast of thy great bounty
provided plentifully for all mankinde to
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support his state, to relieve his necessities,to refresh his sorrows, to recreate his labours;
that he may praise thee, and rejoyce
in thy mercies and bounty: Be thou
gracious unto thy servant yet more, and
suffer me not by my folly to change thy
bounty into sin, thy grace into wantonness.
Give me the spirit of temperance
and sobriety, that I may use thy creatures
in the same measures, and to the same
purposes which thou hast designed, so as
may best enable me to serve thee, but not
to make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the
lusts thereof: Let me not, as Esau, prefer
meat before a blessing; but subdue my
appetite, subjecting it to reason and the
grace of God, being content with what is
moderate, and useful, and easie to be obtained;
taking it in due time, receiving it
thankfully, making it to minister to my
body, that my body may be a good instrument
of the soul, and the soul a servant
of thy Divine Majesty for ever and
ever.
II.
PArdon , O God, in whatsoever I haveoffended thee by meat and drink and
pleasures; and never let my body any
more be oppressed with loads of sloth and
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delicacies, or my soul drowned in seas ofwine or strong drink; but let my appetites
be changed into spiritual desires, that
I may hunger after the food of Angels,
and thirst for the wine of elect souls, and
may account it meat and drink and pleasure
to do thy will, O God. Lord let me
eat and drink so, that my food may not
become a temptation, or a sin, or a disease;
but grant that with so much caution
and prudence I may watch over my appetite,
that I may in the strength of thy
mercies, and refreshments, in the light of
thy countenance, and in the paths of thy
Commandments, walk before thee all
the dayes of my life acceptable to thee in
Jesus Christ, ever advancing his honour,
and being filled with his Spirit, that I
may at last partake of his glory, through
the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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For THURSDAY.
A Prayer against Envy.
I.
O Most gracious Father, thou Springof an Eternal Charity, who hast so
loved mankinde, that thou didst open thy
bosome, and send thy holy Son to convey
thy mercies to us; and thou didst create
Angels and Men, that thou mightest have
objects to whom thou mightest communicate
thy goodness: Give me grace to follow
so glorious a precedent that I may
never envy the prosperity of any one,
but rejoyce to honour him whom thou
honourest, to love him whom thou lovest,
to commend the vertuous, to discern the
precious from the vile, giving honour to
whom honour belongs, that I may go to
heaven in the noblest way of rejoycing in
the good of others.
II.
O Dear God, never suffer the Devil torub his vilest Leprosie of Envy upon
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me; never let me have the affections ofthe desperate and damned; let it not be
ill with me, when it is well with others,
but let thy holy Spirit so over-rule me
for ever, that I may pity the afflicted,
and be compassionate, and have a fellow-feeling
of my brothers sorrows, and that
I may as much as I can promote his good,
and give thee thanks for it, and rejoyce
with them that do rejoyce; never censuring
his actions curstly, nor detracting
from his praises spitefully, nor upbraiding
his infelicities maliciously, but pleased in
all things which thou doest or givest, that
I may then triumph in spirit, when thy
Kingdome is advanced, when thy Spirit
rules, when thy Church is profited, when
thy Saints rejoyce, when the devils interest
is destroyed, truly loving thee, and truly
loving my brother; that we may all together
joyn in the holy Communion of
Saints, both here and hereafter, in the
measures of grace and glory, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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For FRIDAY.
A Prayer against Wrath and inordinate Anger.
I.
O Almighty Judge of Men and Angels,whose anger is alwayes 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 easie 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 entercourse
of others; never be moved to an intemperate
anger for any injury that is done
or offered; let my anger ever be upon a
just cause, measured with moderation and
reason, expressed with charity and prudence,
lasting but till it hath done some
good, either upon my self or others.
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II.
LOrd let me be ever courteous, andeasie to be intreated; 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, apt to
make amends, and desirous to be reconciled.
Let no sickness, or cross accident,
no imployment or weariness, make me angry
or ungentle, and discontent, or unthankful,
or uneasie to them that minister
to me; but in all things make me like
unto 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 passion
obeys my reason, and my reason is religious,
and 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 Son and Servant for
ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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For SATURDAY.
A Prayer against weariness in well-doing.
I.
O My God, merciful and gracious, mysoul groans under the loads of its
own infirmity, when my spirit is willing,
my flesh is weak; my understanding foolish,
and imperfect, my will peevish and listless,
my affections wandring after strange
objects, my fancy wilde and unfixed, all
my senses minister to folly and vanity;
and though they were all made for Religion,
yet they least of all delight in
that. O my God pity me, and hear me
when I pray, and make that I may pray
acceptably. Give me a love to Religion,
an unwearied spirit in the things of God.
Let me not relish or delight in the things
of the world, in sensual objects, and transitory
possessions; but make my eyes look
up to thee, my soul be filled with thee,
my spirit ravished with thy love, my understanding
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imployed in the meditationof thy Law, all my powers and faculties
of soul and body wholly serving thee,
and delighting in such holy ministeries.
II.
O Most gracious God, what greaterfavour is there then that I may, and
what easier imployment can there be then
to pray thee, to be admitted into thy presence,
and to represent our needs, and that
we have our needs supplied onely for asking
and desiring passionately and humbly.
But we rather quit our hopes of heaven,
then buy it at the cheapest rate of humble
prayer. This, O God, is the greatest
infirmity and infelicity of man, and hath
an intolerable cause, and is an unsufferable
evil.
III.
O Relieve my spirit with thy graciousness,take from me all tediousness of
spirit, and give me a laboriousness that
will not be tired, a hope that shall never
fail a desire of holiness not to be satisfied
till it possesses, a charity that will alwayes
increase; that I making Religion the business
of my whole life, may turn all things
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into Religion, doing all to thy glory,and by the measures of thy Word and of
thy Spirit, that when thou shalt call me
from this deliciousness of imployment,
and the holy ministeries of grace, I may
pass into the imployment of Saints and Angels,
whose work it is with eternal joy
and thanksgiving to sing praises to the
mercies of the great Redeemer of Men,
and Saviour of Men and Angels, Jesus
Christ our Lord: To whom, with the Father
and the Holy Ghost, be all honour
and worship, all service and thanks, all
Glory and Dominon for ever and ever.
Amen.
A Prayer to be said by a Maiden, before she enters into the state of Marriage.
I.
O Most glorious God, and my mostindulgent Lord and gracious Father,
who doest bless us by thy bounty,
pardon us by thy mercy, support and
guide us by thy grace, and govern us
sweetly by thy providence; I give thee
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most humble and hearty thanks, thatthou hast hitherto preserved me in my
Virgin state with innocence and chastity
in a good name, and a modest report. It
is thy goodness alone, and the blessed
emanation of thy holy Spirit, by which
I have been preserved, and to thee I return
all praise and thanks, and adore and
love thy goodness infinite.
II.
ANd now, O Lord, since by thy dispensationand over-ruling providence
I am to change my condition, and enter
into the holy state of Marriage, which
thou hast sanctified by thy Institution, and
blessed by thy Word and Promises, and
raised up to an excellent mystery, that it
might represent the Union of Christ and
his Church: Be pleased to go along with
thy servant in my entring into, and passing
through this state, that it may not be a
state of temptation or sorrow, by occasion
of my sins or infirmities, but of holiness
and comfort, as thou hast intended
it to all that love and fear thy holy
Name.
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III.
LOrd bless and preserve that dear personwhom thou hast chosen to be
my Husband; Let his life be long and
blessed, comfortable and holy, and let me
also become a great blessing and comfort
unto him; a sharer in all his joyes, a refreshment
in all his sorrows, a meet helper
for him in all accidents and chances of
the 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, and 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 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 rejoyce in thee, having
our portion in the love and service of God
for ever and ever.
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IV.
O Blessed Father, never suffer anymistakes 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 alwayes please thee,
and by this learn and practise 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, and the dowry of blessed
children, we may for ever dwell together
in the embraces of thy love and glories,
feasting in the Marriage-supper of the
Lamb to eternal ages, through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. Amen.
A Prayer for a holy and happy
Death.
O Eternal and holy Jesus, who bydeath hast overcome death, and by
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thy Passion hast taken out its sting, andmade it to become one of the gates of heaven,
and an entrance to felicity; have
mercy upon me now and at the hour of
my death; let thy grace accompany me
all the dayes 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 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 intire till the
last of my dayes, and grant that I may die
the death of the righteous, free from debt
and deadly sin, having first discharged all
my obligations of Justice, leaving none
miserable and unprovided in my departure;
but be thou the portion of all my
friends and relatives, and let thy blessing
descend upon their heads, and abide there
till they shall meet me in the bosome 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
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assistance and guard of Angels, with thereception of the holy Sacrament, with patience
and dereliction of my own desires,
with a strong faith, and a firm and humbled
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
Kingdome, O eternal and holy Jesus.
Amen.