A Prayer to be used on our Birth-Day.

God! the Creator and Preferver of all mankind, and

by whose bleffed will I was fearfully and wonderfully made in my mother's womb, and under whofe bleffed providence I have been kept up ever fince I was born; I praife and magnify thy glorious name for thy great goodness towards me; humbly befeeching thee, that I may be taught to number my days, fo as to apply my heart to heavenly wif dom; that I may know that I was born to ferve thee the living God; that I may bewail my paft fins, and spend the reft of my days in a godly, righteous and fober life; that I may finish the remainder of my days in thy fear and to thy glory; and that as thou didst (as on this day) take me out of my mother's womb to live here a little time, fo thou mayst at the laft day take me out of my grave, the womb of the earth, to live with thee for ever, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer to be used by one tempted to prefumption.

Hou O righteous Lord, who rendereft to every one ac

Tcording to his doings, have compaffion on me a guilty

finner, and fuffer me not to prefume upon thy mercy whilft I retain any affection for any kind of fin and iniquity, which I fear have made too great a feparation between thee and me, thy poor creature, for me to hope any longer for thy favour and grace, did not thy word affure me that thou art always ready to embrace a returning prodigal; I cannot therefore doubt of thy pardon, were I duly qualified and prepared for it. Therefore I humbly pray thee to discover me truely to myself; and if there be any way or wickednefs yet remaining in me, make me fenfible thereof and truly penitent, and purge it away, that I may be a real and proper object of thy fatherly compaffion; fuffer me not to encourage myself in a groundless reliance upon thy favour, whilft in the mean time I am really unfit to receive thy Holy Spirit. Neither let thy patience and forbearance hitherto with me work an expectation of my future

happiness,

happiness, upon any other terms than thofe of the gofpel; that fo I may chiefly fstudy how most effectually to make my calling and election fure; and to this end may fet myself confcientiously to obferve thy commands the remainder of my days, that I may make fuch a progrefs in holiness as that I may fafely depend upon thy mercy and protection in this world, and thy promife of eternal happiness in the world to come, not for any merits or works of my own, but purely thro' the merits of Jesus Christ my Redeemer; Amen.

A Prayer,

To be used by one troubled in mind or tempted to despair.

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Lmighty God, the father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, I approach unto thee with confufion of face, to think that I should in any wife feem to diftruft thy goodness and mercy, after I have fo abundantly experienced thy great favours, and have thy promise that thou wilt hear the prayers of those that ask any thing in thy Son's name. Oh my God! pardon me this thought, and give me thy grace to prevent its growth; and to conquer the temptation that oppreffes my heart with a fear and horrid dread, left my Portion is decreed among the Reprobates: For, O mighty Lord! I know thou art able and willing to fave me a repenting finner, therefore fpeak peace to my oppreffed foul, and give me affurance that thou art reconciled to me in the Son of thy Love; and that thou art my fword and my shield at prefent, and wilt hereafter be my exceeding great reward. Oh! lay not these doubts and fears to my charge; and fo difpofe my mind, and confirm my trust and confidence in thee, as that a remembrance of my fins may never drive me to defpair of thy mercy, but on the other hand force me to flee to my Saviour, to fue for his interceffion on my behalf; and may put me upon an unwearied attendance on my duty, thereby to fit me for a fureconfidence in his all-fufficient merits. And, moft gracious Lord! do not only pardon all my tranfgreffions, for his fake, but convince me, before I go hence and be no more feen, that thou haft done it, for my fatisfaction and comfort, that so I may here rejoice in thy favour, before I

am taken into the joy of my Lord, for Jefus Chrift's fake. A

men.

A

A Prayer in time of Temptation.

Lmighty God, and most merciful father, our present help in time of need, I flee unto thee for fuccour again ft the face of my enemy, whofe ftrength is mighty, and his malice great, and I, alas! am weak and unable to withstand his affaults by my own ftrength: but, thou,O God! who art greater than all things, fend down thy help from above, and fave me out of the jaws of the devouring lion; deliver me from the temptations that now attack me; and as I put my trust in thee, O let me never be put to confufion, nor suffer me to be tempted above that I am able to bear; but make me a way to efcape,that I may not fin against thy divine majefty. I believe that thy grace is fufficient for me; oh! deny it not to thy fervant, who now wants it, and most earnestly defires it. Make me seriously to confider the great folly and danger of fin; that its pleafures are fhort, but that its punishments are endless and intolerable; that no fatisfaction can compare with the joys of a good conscience, nor any trouble like that of a wounded fpirit. Give me a fure token of the terrible state of those who fall under the rod of thy displeasure. Convince my confcience of the finfulness of what I am now tempted unto, and fhev me its contradiction to thy will and my baptifmal vow s. Give me I pray thee the light of thy word, that I may not be deceived by this wicked world, but certainly know that how pleasant soever it may now appear, there will come a time, when this and all other enticements of this world will appear vain and contemptible; a time when all workers of iniquity fhall be destroy'd; and when a crown of righteoufnefs fhall be given to them, who have fought the good fight, and kept the faith unto the end. Grant therefore that the mighty power of thy grace may foraife my courage and ftrengthen my faith, that nothing may flop me in my chriftian warfare; but that fighting manfully under Chrift's banner, against the world, the flesh, and the devil, I may at last triumph with him in his heavenly kingdom; to whom with thee, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory world without end. Amen.

A Prayer

A Prayer to be used by one engaged (or likely to be engaged) in a Law-fuit.

Almighty God, to whom judgment belongs, to the I

of

fubmit myself, in the caufe wherein I am [likely to bel engaged: convince me, if I am under any mistake; direct and affift me under all the difficulties and incumbrances, which I am like to meet with; and in thy good time, put a happy and peaceable end to the business which I [am about to undertake, or] have begun. Oh! grant me that wifdom from above, which is peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated; that laying a fide all fondnefs and partiality, I may continually practife that chriftian law, of doing as we would that others fhould do to us. So that contending for right more than victory, nothing may be done through malice, ftrife, pride, or vain-glory; nor may I be prevailed upon to tranfgrefs the laws of justice and charity, for any worldly advantage; and grant that during the whole courfe of law, I may preferve a friendly, peaceable, and equitable temper fpirit; fubmitting the event to thy fatherly wisdom and difpofition. Let me never dare to commit any fraud or oppreffion, under the colour or pretence of law; nor venture to fupport myself in the most juft caufe, by any unlawful method; and make me prudently to confider, that whatever injuries may happen to me, by the fraud or injuftice of man, are by thy permiffion; as a trial of my patience, or a correction for my offences, or for fome other wife and good end of thy providence : let the remembrance of thy mercies and forgiveness towards me, fill my heart with fuch a christian love and compaffion, that I may never contend with my neighbour, to gratify my own corrupt nature, nor take delight in his fufferings: but let the fenfe of what thou hast done and fuffered for me banish all covetous defires from my foul, and excite in me a compaffion towards thy diftreffed members: for thy fake, forgiving my fellow-fervants, as I hope myself to be forgiven, when thou shalt come to judge the quick and the dead at the last day. And this I moft humbly beg for Jesus Christ's fake. Amen. A Prayer

A Prayer to beufed by one that deliberates upon Marriage.

M

OST gracious Lord God! who hast instituted the holy eftate of matrimony, as the only way to continue the world, and for the comfort of man's life, under the various evils, cares and labours thereof, by the mutual fociety and help that married perfons ought to have one for the other both in profperity and adverfity, and for the good of human fociety in general; grant that as I now have thoughts of entering into this State, I may fo feriously confider the chief end of its inftitution, and the folemn vow and promife I fhall then make, as not to enterprise the fame unadvisedly, lightly or wantonly, but reverently, difcreetly, advisedly, foberly, and in the fear of God, confidering that if I marry, my future happiness and mifery of life will very much depend thereupon, This is to be [And for as much as I am young, unexperienced in under the the ways of this life, and under the care and direc care of pa- tion of others, give me an obedient heart that I may rents or guar- hearken and Jubmit to the good advice, and their better judgment in this matter, even as I expect thy bleffing] grant that reafon and religion, prudence and confideration, and, above all, thy good providence may direct my choice. And let me alfo chiefly aim at religion and virtue, wifdom and discretion, and fuch other good qualities and difpofitions in a partner as are most likely to last and continue, and not only fuch as please for a time, and at laft may prove the cause of discontent; and this I beg thro' the mediation of thy Son Jefus Chrift, our Lord and Saviour; Amen,

used by one

dians.

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A Prayer to be used by a Woman when with child.

Lmighty God,the f fountain of life,and of all fpiritual and temporal bleffings; thou art God alone! and I adore thy glorious majefty and infinite wisdom, which has begun an excellent work in me, befeeching thee to perfect the same work of thy hand with due fhapes and full growth, and preferve me from all frights and accidents, which might cause me to mifcarry of this child. Oh! grant it an understanding Soul! bless