Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

his prayer;

a

me.

of living waters, for cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water ; there is in me a bent to backslide from the living God; my heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, it starts aside like a broken bow : The whole head is fick, the whole heart faint ; from the sole of the foot even to the head there is no foundness in me, but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying fores.

Lord, I come to thee us the poor publican, and I pray

“ God be merciful to me a fin“ ner;" the God of infinite mercy be merciful to

O wash me thoroughly from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin; for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my fin is ever before me. O purge me with hyffop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be wniter than snow; hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Let me be justified freely by thy grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus; take away all iniquity, and receive me graciously; heal my backslidings and love me freely; and let thy anger be turned away from me; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will say unto God do not condemn me, but deliver me from going down into the pit, for thou hast found the ransom. I have finned, Father, against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon; but I have an advocate with thee, Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for my fins. Lord remember the true David and all his troubles ; remember all his offerings, and accept his burnt-facrifice; and turn not away the face of thine anointed, who by his own blood is entered into heaven itself, appear in the presence of God for man. Remember the covenant in his blood, and be merciful to

[ocr errors]

now to

:

a

[ocr errors]

mine unrighteousness, and my fins and my iniquities remember no more.

Let me be justified by faith, and have peace with God through Jesus Chrift; and through him let me have access into that grace wherein believers stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. O make me hear of joy and gladness, that the bones which fin hath broken may rejoice. Let the blood of Christ speak better things than that of Abel: let it speak pardon and peace to my soul ; let it purge my conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Let thy Spirit witness with my spirit that I am a child of God, an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Chrift: say to my soul that thou art my. salvation.

Lord, give me a wife and an understanding heart; that which I know not teach thou me; let the Spirit of truth guide me into all truth, and cause me to understand wherein I have erred ; make thy way plain before my face, because of mine observers, and by the teaching of thy word and Spirit make me wise to salvation. Unto me, Lord, let it be given to believe, for the faith by which I am saved is not of myself, it is the gift of God; Lord, increase my faith, and perfect what is lacking in it, that I may be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Let every word of thine profit me, being mixed with faith; and enable me to look above the things that are seen, which are temporal, to the things that are unseen, which are eternal ; let my heart be purified by faith, and erable me by faith to overcome the world, to refist the adversary, and to live continually upon Jesus, drawing out of his fulr ess grace for grace.

Unite my heart to fear thy name, that I may keep thy commandments. O put thy fear into my heart, that I may never depart from thee; let me be in the fear of the Lord all the day long; deliver me from all flavifh fear that hath torment, and give me à filial fear, that I may never wilfully offend against thee any more. Give me grace, I beseech thee, to love thee the Lord my God with all my heart and loul, and mind and strength; to delight myself always in thee, and therein shall I have the desire of my heart, O circumcise my heart to love thee, that I may live ; O may the love of God be thed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghoit. O that Jesus Christ may be very precious to me, as he is to all that believe ; that he may be in my account the chiefeft of ten thousand, and altogether lovely; and though I have not seen him, yet I may love

I him, and by beliving in him may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Let the love of Chrift to me, constrain me to live, not to myself, but to him that died for me and rose again. Lord put ppon me that charity which is the bond of perfectness, that I may keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of

may

live in love and peace, that the God of love and peace may be with me; give me to love my neighbour as myself, with that love which is the fulfilling of the law; to love him with a pure heart fervently; give me, O Lord, the love of the brethren, and enable me to be kindly affectioned towards them in brotherly love, that I know I am passed froin death unto life, and all inay know I am passed from death unto life, and all may know that I am thy disciple. Lord make mr. able to love mine enemies, to bless them that curie me, to pray for them that despitefuily use me.

Lord, give me grace to deny myself, to take up my cross daily, and to follow Chrift; to keep under the body, and to bring it into subjection ; let me learn

peace, and

may

be

of Christ to be meek and lowly in heart, that I may find rest to my, soul: Hide pride from me, and clothe. me with humility, and put upon me the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in thy fight is of great price ; let anger never rest in my bosom, nor the sun go down upon my wrath; but enable me to shew

l meekness towards all men; let me have bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and long-suffering; that being merciful, as my Father which is in heayen is merciful, I may perfect as he is perfect.

Lord, teach me in every state to be content; let my conversation be without covetousness; may I be always content with such things as I have, ftill faying. The will of the Lord be done. Lord, give me grace to weep as though I wepe not, and to rejoice as though I rejoiced not, and to buy as though I possessed not, and to use this world as not abusing it, because the time is short, and the fashion of this world passeth away. May the very God of peace fanctify me wholly: And I pray God my whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 'Let goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life; when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, be thou with me that I may fear no evil; let thy rod and thy staff comfort me; redeem my foul from the

power of the grave, and receive me; guide me by thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory, through Jesus Christ, my blessed Lord and Saviour, to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, thanksgiving and praise, for ever and ever. Amen.

Pious EJACULATIONS from the PSALM3.

For the pardon of fin.-Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness; according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences : Wall mne thoroughly from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin. Turn thy face from my sins, and put out all my misdeeds; my misdeeds prevail againit me; o be thou merciful unto my fins. Enter not into judgment with thy fervant, O Lord, for in thy fight Íhali no man living be justified. For thy name's fake, O Lord, be merciful unto my sin, for it is great. Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul; O save me for thy mercies fake.

For Grace.-Ttach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee, for thou art my God. Teach me thy way, 0 Lord, and I will walk by thy truth; O knit my heart sunto thee, that I may fear thy name.

Make me a clean beart, O God, and renew a right fpirit within me; O let my heart be found in thy statutes, that I be not'afhamed. Incline my heart unto tly testimonics, and not to covetou ness. Turn away mine eyes, leít they behold vanity, and quicken thou me in thy way. I am a stranger upon earth, O hide not tly commandinents from me. Lord, teach one fo to number any days, that I may apply my heart unto wisdom.

For ibe light of Goa's countenance.--Lord, why ah. horrest thou my soul, and why hidest thou thy face from me? O hide not thy face from me, nor cait thy servant away in difpleasure. Thy loving-kindness is better than life itself. Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon me. Comfort the foul of thy servant for unto three, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. Arise for my help, while I suffer thy terrors I am dikracted. Sayanto my soul, Return unto thy rest, I am try alvation.

A Thankgiving:- I will always give thanks unto the Lord, his praise frall ever be in my mouth. Thou

« IndietroContinua »