(3) DEVOTIONS For the USE of FAMILIES and particular PERSONS. Diretions and Players for the Morning. A Ejaculations. Wake, O my foul! and fing Directions. THE best preparation for in Spending the day well, is to refolve when you first awake I laid me down and flept, and rofe the morning, and to firive as earnestly as you can, to keep all up again: for the Lord fuftain'd me. worldly thoughts out of your Lord raise me up at the last day, that mind, till you have presented I enter into the joy of the Lord. lifting up with your first breath, the firft fruits of the day to God, may Awake, O my foul! to righteoufnefs your foul to the Creator and and fin not; that we may be glorified Preferver of all things, in these or fuch like pious fentences, as together when I shall be awakened by are printed on the next column. the laft trumpetto appear before the judgment-feat of Chrift. Glory be to thee, O Lord! for watching over me this night. Directions. While your body is bufied in dreffing itself, adorn your mind with spiritual and religious meditations. Let the mifcarriages of others, and your own daily experience, teach you to guard against those temptations into which business or company too fre quently lead us: And refolve to embrace, and contrive to the utmost, how to improve every occafion that fall offer it felf, for the fervice of God, the good of our neighbour, and the falvation of your own foul, in the courfe of that day. Then being dreffed, according to your ability and prefent calling, kneel down before God, and feal your good refalutions with the following preparatory Prayer. A Preparatory Prayer, for God's Grace and Affiftance. A Sfift me mercifully, O Lord! in all my fupplications and prayers; and difpofe the way of thy fervant towards the attainment of everlasting falvation; that among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, 7 may ever be defended by thy moft gracious and ready help, thro' Jefus Chrift, our Lord. Amen. Leffed Lord! who haft caufed all holy fcriptures to be written for our learning: grant that may in fuch wife hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digeft them; that may, by patience,and comfort of thy holy word, embrace and ever hold fast the bleffed hope of everlasting life, which thou Directions. Then rifing from your knees, if your time and business will permit, improve your foul by reading fome portion of holy Scripture, more especially of the New Teftament. But first befeech your heavenly Father to affift you with his Holy Spirit, that you may fo underfland and make you wife into falvation, practife his Word, that it shall in fome fuch form as you will read in the next column. And confider, as you read thofe facred haft given me in my Saviour, Jefus books, that they demand your Christ. Amen. Or, particular attention, and submiffion of judgment to believe all that is contained therein; and that God is fpeaking to you in his holy word. This will excite your endeavours, as much as you can, to fuit your affections to God's commands; raife in you a dread to provoke him, whose aw ful Majefty has revealed his threatnings against finners; a ready obedience to his will, in mifes; and a hearty thanksgivhope of obtaining his divine proing for the multitude of his mercies. In reading the great myfteries of faith, proftrate your reafon to revelation, and lift up heart continually to God in fome fhort fentence agreeable to the fubject you are reading, af your Lord grant me thy grace to make ter the manner of those fet in my calling and election fure. the next column. But Take notice never to read more at a time on one fubject, than God has given thee a capacity to retain. Or, rather read a little at a time, and digeft it well for thy comfort and practice, than tire the weakness of the flesh, and fo reap no benefit from the fountain of falvation. And if time hall permit, read fome part of the useful inftructions of this New Whole Duty of Man; for, variety is found, not only to please, but to be the best way to inftruct human nature. And then offer up your morning facrifice of prayer and thankf giving to God: if you have leifure and opportunity, in publick, at church, or in your family, or otherwife by yourself, in that, or fome fuch form as follows, if on a Weekday; but if on a Sunday, then use the prayer for Sunday Morning. The The Morning Prayer for every Day. N. B. On Sunday inftead of this prayer use that for Sunday Morning, on page 8. Oft gracious Lord God! the spring of all our comforts here, and the fure and certain foundation of all hopes hereafter, in whom I live, move, and have my being. Lookdown from heaven upon me,who humbly beg leave to renew my thanks to thy Divine Majefty. confefs, that under thy protection, I have this night flept fecure; and praised be thy holy Name, that I am now in health and fafety; therefore as long as live," will magnify thee for my creation, my preservation, and all the bleffings and comforts enjoy. Oh then! most merciful Father forgive me all the unworthy returns have made for the manifold favours have received from thee, and grant me for the time to come, fuch a sense of thine infinite goodness and mercy, that may love thee with all my heart, with all my foul, and with all my ftrength, that may study to please thee in all things, and be afraid of nothing fo much as thy wrath and indignation. And that 7 may serve thee as ought to do, preferve me from all the power of infnaring objects, and make me truly fenfible of the vanity of this world; neither permit me to be brought under the dominion of those lufts, which war against the foul. Grant me a right understanding of thy will, and grace fo to ufe this world, as not to abuse it; fo that neither the cares of this life, nor the deceitfulness of riches may ever make me neglect the great work of my falvation. Create in me, O God! a clean heart, and root out thereof all covetous affections and defires, and let it be my great care and concern to lay up a treasure in heaven, and provide for eternity; fo that being delivered from pride and vain-glory; from a fond conceit of myself, or a mean opinion of others, from a cenforious and uncharitable fpirit, from an envious and malicious temper, and from all thofe finful and corrupt affections, that are fo hateful in thy fight, may be endued with that wisdom which is from above, which is first pure and then peaceable, with that meeknefs and humility, which is in thy fight of fo great price, and with all those holy and chriftian difpofitions that thou lovest, and which thou delighteft to find in the fons of men. Oh! grant A 3 grant me always a true fenfe of my own frailty, of the shortnefs and uncertainty of this life, and of the eternity of that which is to come, that may always be careful so to live, as fhall wish I had done when come to die. Let neither fickness nor death ever surprise me, nor find me in a state un provided; but grant, that may finish the great work of my falvation before the night comes, when no man can work; that fo having laid up a good foundation of hope and comfort against the day of trouble and fickness, may,whenever thou fhalt be pleased to call me hence, chearfully refign up my foul into thy hands; and this moft humbly pray through the merits and for the fake of thy dear Son Jefus Chrift my Saviour. Affift me, O Lord, this day in all my honeft labours and endeavours, and grant that may take nothing in hand but what is agreeable to thee my God, to whom alfoy humbly beg leave to commend my foul and body, and all that stand in any, relation to me, befeeching thee of thy great goodness to take us under thy protection, and defend us from all evil, and lead us in the way we should go, fo that whilft we are engaged about things temporal, we may not forget the things that are eternal, nor be unmindful of that great account which we muft give when thou fhalt call us to judgment at the last day. Oh! leave us not to ourselves, but guard us from those snares and temptations that every-where furround us in this body of corruption. Guide us by thy good Spirit through the affairs and business of this life, that we may at laft arrive at that place of everlasting reft and peace, which thou haft prepared for those who truly and fincerely love and fear thee, through the merits and interceffion of thy beloved Son Jefus Christ our Lord; in whose most comprehenfive words, offer my imperfect prayers, faying as thou hast taught us, Our Father, &c. Directions. up Here if your time will permit, add the prayers of general Interceffion and Thankf giving, as you find them on pages 7 and 8, before you use the concluding Prayer. The concluding Prayer. HE Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of all now and for evermore, Amen. The MR The Interceffion. Oftgracious God! who art loving unto every man, and whose mercy is over all thy works, befeech thee to extend thy pity and compaffion to the whole race of mankind; let the bright beams of thy gospel shine into the corners of all the earth, that those that fit in darkness may come to the knowledge and practice of thy laws, and their fouls be fayed in the great day, when thy Son Chrift Jefus fhall come to judge the earth. And most humbly pray, that thou wilt pardon the great and crying fins of this nation, and turn from us the evils which we have most justly deserved; ftop all prophaneness, irreligion, and impiety, and compofe all our unhappy animofities in church and state, so that truth and juftice, brotherly love and charity, may ever flourish and abound. Defend thy holy catholick church, and that part especially of the communion of faints, which thou haft planted in these kingdoms; heal the breaches and divifions thereof; and for the fake of us all, preferve thy fervant GEORGE, our king; protect his person, direct his counfels, profper his government, and make him an inftrument in thy hand, of great good to these kingdoms and all his fubjects. Direct the paftorsand governours of thy church, with a fpirit of true religion and goodness, and make them zealous and diligent to promote it in all those whom thou haft committed to their care. Adorn the nobility, the magistrates and gentry, and commons of these realins, with wifdom, grace and good understanding, that they may all study to serve thee, and to discharge the duties of their feveral stations, always remembering the great account, which they must one day give at the judgment-feat of Chrift. Relieve all that are in any affliction or distress; that labour under poverty or perfecution, under bodily pains or diseases, or under temptation or trouble of mind, and in thy good time deliver them out of all their trouble and diftrefs. Blefs with the choicest of thy graces all my friends and relations [particularly my father and mother, my brothers and fifters, my dear wife and children (if you have any fuch near relations)] pardon all our fins, unite our hearts in a mutual love of each other; and vouchfafe to every one of us, and to all others that either pray A 4 for |