Ο A Prayer against inordinate Anger. God! who art dreadful in thy justice, when thou executeft vengeance on hardened and difobedient finners, whofe wrath is flow, but in the end fevere when provoked; give to thy fervant a meek and gentle fpirit, that I may always be flow to anger, and eafy to help and forgive; grant, that I may not be moved to intemperate wrath on every triAling occafion. Oh! let not the fun go down upon my wrath; and let it never be raised, but upon a juft caufe; and fo governed by reafon and charity, that my confcience may truly fay, I have been angry and finned not. Preferve me from a peevish and contentious fpirit, and suffer me not so far to give place to the devil, as to bear hatred and malice in my heart; that I may be able, according to thy command, to lift up holy hands in my prayers to thee without wrath. Grant, that I may not be eafily provoked, and that I may follow peace with all men, being meek, humble and merciful, bearing with the infirmities of others, and forgiving their offences, as I defire to be forgiven of thee, through the merits of my bleffed Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen. A Prayer under Loffes and Damages in our Goods and Eftate. A Lmighty God! the Creator and Preferver of all mankind, the world is thine and the fulness thereof. And fince thou haft made me to abound with many things which others want; fo if hereafter thou makeft me to want what others abound with, teach me to be content as well when I am abased and suffer need, as when I abound: for, as it will profit a man nothing to gain the whole world and to lofe his foul; foall the loffes in the world cannot undo him, whose foul is fafe in thy hands. Oh! let me not grieve therefore, as if I were undone, for what I have loft; but incline my heart to commit myself chearfully unto thee, and to be content with the inheritance thou doft chufe for me, so that at laft I may fee and obtain the joy of thy falvation, as knowing that I have in heaven a better and an enduring fubftance of good things to come. And seeing how little any thing is to be C confided confided in here on earth, let me be the more careful and induftrious to lay up treasure in heaven: grant that I may look lefs on temporal things, and be moft concerned that I lofe not that blessed state of eternal life; but that I may fo provide for the good of my foul, and be fo rich towards God, that when all here fhall fail me, thou mayft be the ftrength of my heart and my portion for ever; all which I humbly pray through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. A A Prayer in our Profperity. Lmighty and moft gracious God! thou art the portion of my cup, thou maintaineft my lot. Thou makeft me to abound and to be full of thy good things, and furroundest me on every fide with thy mercies, making my affairs fucceed fo well to my content, that I cannot but be pleafed and fatisfied with my condition. This raises in me a defire with all my foul, to acknowledge, blefs, and praise thee for all thy fpecial favours towards me; but whereas I know not what fhall be on the morrow, nor how foon the fun may be hid from my eyes, I must not fay in my profperity, I fhall never be moved. And grant that in the time of my health, and peace, and profperity, I may remember, and provide for the time of trouble, fickness and death, when the enjoyments of this world will be fo far from being able to fupport and relieve me, that they will vanifh away. Oh! give megrace not to abufe the good things of this world, but always to use them in humility, fobriety, and thy holy fear, making many others to fare the better for thy bounty towards me; and make me willing, as thou haft made me able, to refresh the bowels of fuch as want what I do enjoy ; and as freely to give, as I have received; that riches may not be kept to my hurt; but as I have opportunity, enlarge my heart to do good unto all. I chufe, O Lord! rather to be curned out of all my earthly poffeffions, than that they fhould lie in my way toftop my journey to heaven: wherefore tho' thou fhouldft make me poor, or fend me any orber aff Aion, give me therewith a refigned and contented heart, tha: I may praise thy name always; and grant that whatever here enjoy, a enjoy, may never draw my heart from its duty to the living God, who alone canft be a never-failing portion to my immortal foul. Grant alfo, O my God! that all my other plenty may be bleffed and fecured to me with the fulness of thy grace, that fo, being rich in good works, my foul may profper, and be well in thy bleffed favour, and made glad with thy faving mercy, and thy good acceptance of me, in and through the merits of thy Son, our Redeemer, Jefus Christ. Amen. For a Prayer to be used in a State of Poverty, fee Page 49. A Prayer under any injuries, abuses or provocations. O God, God, who knoweft our neceffities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking, I am fenfible that even the best of men are often infulted and evil intreated; fince thy own fon, by whom the world was made, did meet with cruel mockings and scourgings when upon earth; he was evil intreated, tempted, reviled, fpit upon, mocked, and perfecuted even unto death; and his bleffed difciples had also trials of cruel mockings and fcourgings, and of fevere bonds and imprisonments: what then am I that I should expect to escape the injuries, abuses and provocations of this world! therefore Lord, fuch as my folly and mifcarriage have made my enemies, incline my heart to peace and enable me to appease and gain them to my friendship; and fuch as hate me wrongfully, pardon their fin, open their eyes, purify their minds, and convert their hearts unto thee; that they may see their fault, be reconciled to thee, O God! and then live, as much as in them lieth, in peace with all men, that we may at last live together in heaven. But fuch as will not ceafe from hating, let thy power prevent their hurting me; or tho' they do hurt me, by thy wife permiffion, grant me such a measure of thy grace, that I may not only forgive them, but for their hatred I may be ready to return good-will; when they curfe, let me blefs, and reward their injuries with good works; and when they perfecute, grant that I may follow the example and command of thy fon, by praying for my perfecutors. Grant moreover, that I may confider all injurious treatment as thy rod, and the punishment of my fins; that inftead of endeavouring C 2 deavouring to revenge myself of my enemies, I may be dumb, meek and patient under all injuries; and for this end, mortify, I beseech thee, in all of us, the carnal mind, which is at enmity against thee, and all thofe lufts, which war in our members, from whence wars and fightings arife; and unite us all against the common enemy of our fouls; and join all our hearts to thee, in thy true fear and love, that we may not meditate revenge, but study to be quiet; and this we humbly pray in the name of that great pattern of meekness, thy Son, our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen. A Prayer for our Perfecutors. God! whofe nature and property is always to have mercy and to forgive, fhew mercy I moft humbly befeech thee to all those that perfecute me, tho' they neither fhew juf tice nor mercy towards me: pity their ignorance, remove those prejudices that blind their eyes, tweeten and foften their ipirits, that they may no longer be carried away with malice and bitter paffions; but difpose them by humility and meeknefs, and by a fincere love of truth and righteoufness, to a joyful reception and acknowledgement thereof; that they may lay afide their errors, and refolutely profefs thy holy faith; so that their repentance may turn away thine eternal vengeance, through the merits and mediation of thy Son Je fus Chrift our Saviour. Amen. A A Prayer against Covetousness. Lmighty God, the Author and Giver of all that I enjoy, govern my affections towards the things of this world, that no greedinefs of gain may tempt me to the leaft injustice, either by fraud or oppreffion; but that I may commit myself to thy providence in the use of honeft endeavours. Let not the concerns of this life make me negligent in my pursuit of the glory that is referved in the next life for those that love God and keep his commandments; that while I am fupporting a dying body, I may remember I have an immortal foul, which immediately deferves my greatest care; because because thereby alone I fhall obtain my chiefeft good. Oh ! teach me to enjoy the good things, which thou haft blessed me with, as with temperance, fo with thankfulness and charity, and readily to part with them, rather than to forfake thy truth, or to make fhipwreck of a good confcience towards God or man. And this I beg in the name, and through the merits of thy Son Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. A Prayer for temporal Bleffings, and Contentedness in any B Condition. Leffed Lord, who knowest that, while we are in this life, we stand in need of its fupplies, and haft promised to fuch as feek thy kingdom,and the righteousness thereof, the addition of all other neceffaries; and alfo haft commanded us to ask of thee our daily bread, and to caft our care upon thee for all the things we have need of for our comfort and support: grant to me fuch a child's portion, as thy wisdom fees to be convenient for me: give me fuch health and wealth, as fhall be for my good, and that while I have life to be nourished, vouchsafe to grant, that I may not want the necessary bleffings thereof: but enable me to provide honestly for myself, and add thy bleffing to my labours; which if not fufficient to fupply all my own neceffities, do thou raise up friends and means to help me, that I may never be deftitute of food and raiment ; and give me grace to be content with that provifion thy divine providence fees moft convenient for me. Let neither profperity be a means of my forgetting thee, nor adverfity cause me to murmur against thy wife distributions to the fons of men. Keep me from all unneceffary cares, and unprofitable dejections of spirit: teach me how to want, as well as how to live in plenty: fanctify all the comforts, thou haft, or fhalt please to bestow upon me, that I may use them to thy glory, and that they may raife in me that due praife, which I offer to thee my God, for all thy benefits to me, and all the world, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. A men. C 3 A Prayer |