An Evening Prayer, to be Used in Private Families
AN EVENING PRAYER,
TO BE USED IK PBIVATE FAMILIES.
O Eternal God, and our most loving and dear Father! we, thy unworthy children, do here fall dowTi at the foot of thy great Majesty, acknowledging from our hearts, that we are altogether imworthy to come near thee, or to look towards thee: because thou art a Grod of infinite glory, and we are most vile and abominable sinners, such as were conceived and bom in sin and corruption, such as have inherited our father's corruptions, and also have actually transgressed all thy holy statutes and laws, both in thoughts, words, and deeds, before we knew thee; and since, secretly and openly, with ourselves and with others.
Our particular sins are more than can be numbered; for who knoweth how often he offendeth ? But this we must needs confess against ourselves, that our hearts are fbU of pride, covetousness, and the love of this world ; full of wrath, anger, and impatience ; full of lying, dissembling, and deceiving; full of vanity, hardness, and profaneness; full of infidelity, distrust, and self-love; full of lust, tmcleanness, and all abominable desires; yea, our hearts are the very sinks of sin, and dunghiUs of aU filthiness.
And besides all this, we do omit the good things we should do; for there are in us great wants of faith, of love of zeal, of patience, of contentment, and of every good grace; so as thou hast just cause to proceed to sentence of judgment against us. as most
EVENING PEATEE.
damnable transgressors of all thy holy commandments: yea, such as are sunk in our rebellions and have many times and often committed high treason against thy Majesty; and therefore, thou mayest justly cast us all down into hell-fire, there to be tormented with Satan and his angels for ever.
And we have nothing to except against thy Majesty for so doing: since therein thou shouldest deal with us but according to equity and our just deserts.
Wherefore, dear Father, we do appeal from thy justice to thy mercy; most humbly entreating thee to have mercy upon us, and freely to forgive us all our sins past whatsoever, both new and old, secret and open, known and unknown, and that for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator.
And we pray thee, touch our hearts with true grief and unfeigned repentance for them, that they may be a matter of continual sorrow and heart-smart unto us, so as nothing may grieve us more than this, that we have offended thee, being our special friend and Father.
Give us, therefore, dear Father, every day more and more sight and feeling of our sins, with true humiliation under the same.
Grive us also that true and lively faith whereby we may lay sure hold on thy Son Christ, and all his merits, applying the same to our own souls ; so as we may stand fully persuaded that whatsoever he hath done upon the cross, he hath done for us particularly, as well as for others.
Give us faith, good Father, constantly to believe all the sweet promises of the gospel, touching remission of sin and eternal life, made in thy Son Christ.
O Lord, increase our faith, that we may altogether rest upon thj promises, which are all yea and amen.
Yea, that we may settle ourselves, and
KVEWUfG PSA.TJEB.
all that we have wholly upon them: hoth our souls, bodies, goods, name, wives, children, and our whole estate, knowing that all things depend upon thy promises, power, and providence; and that thy word doth support and bear up the whole order of nature.
Moreover, we entreat thee, O Lord, to strengthen us from above to walk in every good way, and to bring forth the finiits of true faith in all our particular actions, studying to please thee in all things and to be fruitful in good works, that we may shew forth unto all men, by our good conversation, whose children we are; and that we may adorn and beautify our most holy profession by walking in a Christian course, and in £J1 the sound fruits and practice of godliness, and true religion.
To this end, we pray thee, sanctify our hearis by thy Spirit, yet more and more: sanctify our souls and bodies, and all our corrupt natural faculties, as reason, understanding, vrill, and affections, so as they may be fitted for thy worship and service, taking a delight and pleasure therein.
Stir us up to use prayer, watchfulness, reading, and meditation in thy law, and all other good means whereby we may profit in grace and goodness from day to day.
Bless us in the use of the means, that we may daily die to sin, and live to righteousness: draw us yet nearer unto thee: help us against our manifold wants.
Amend our great imperfections, renew us inwardly more and more, repair the ruins of our hearts, aid us gainst the remnants of sin.
Enlar^ our hearts to run the way of thy commandments, direct all our steps in thy word, let no inquity have dominion over us.
Assist us against our special infirmities and master sins, that we may get the victory over them all, to thy glory, and
EVENING PUATEE.
the great peace and comfort of our own consciences.
Strengthen us, good Father, by thy grace and Holy Spirit, against the common corruptions of the world, as pride, whoredom, covetousness, contempt of thy gospel, swearing, lying, dissembling, and deceiving. dear Father, let us not be overcome of these filthy vices, nor any other sinful pleasures and fond delights, wherewith thousands are carried headlong to destruction.
Arm our souls against all the temptations of this world, the flesh, and the devil; that -we may overcome them all through thy help, and keep on the right way to life, that we may live in thy fear, and die in thy favour, that our last daj-^s may be our best days, and that we may end in great peace of conscience.
Furthermore, dear Father, we entreat thee not only for ourselves, but for all our good brethren, thy dear children scattered over the face of the whole earth, most humbly beseeching thee to bless them all, to cheer them up, and glad them with the joy of thy countenance, both now and always.
Guide them all in thy fear, and keep them from evil, that \hey may praise thy name.
In these dangerous days, and declining times, we pray thee, Lord, raise up nursing fathers, and nursing mothers unto thy church.
Eaise up also faithful pastors, that thy cause may be carried forward, truth may prevail, religion may prosper, thy name only may be set up in the earth, thy Son's kingdom advanced, and thy will accomplished.
Set thyself against all adversary power, especially that of Rome, antichrist, idolatr}'^, and atheism: curse and cross all their counsels, frustrate their devices, scatter their forces, overthrow their armies.
When they are most wise, let them be most foolish; when they are
EVEKING PEATEB.
most strong, let them be most weak.
Let them know, that there is no wisdom nor counsel, power nor policy, against thee, the Lord of Hosts.
Let them know that Israel hath a God, and that thou which art called Jehovah, art the only ruler over all the world.
Arise, therefore, O most mighty God, and maintain thine own cause against all thine enemies; smite through all their loins, and bow down their backs; yea, let them aU be confounded, and turned backward that bear ill-will vmto Sion.
Let the patient abiding of the righteous be joy; and let the wicked be disappointed of their hope.
But of all favour, we entreat thee, O Lord, to shew special mercy to thy church in this land wherein we hve.
Continue thy gospel amongst us yet with greater success, purge thy house daily more and more, take away all things that offend.
Let this nation be a place where thy name may be called upon, and an harbour for thy saints.
Shew mercy to our posterity, dear Father, and have care of them, that thy gospel may be left unto them as a most holy inheritance.
Defend us against foreign invasion, keep out idolatry and popery from amongst us.
Turn from us those plagues which our sins cry for; for the sins of this land are exceeding great, horrible, and outrageous, and give thee just cause to make us spectacles of thy vengeance to all nations: that by how much the more thou hast lifted us up in great mercy and long peace, by so much the more thou shouldest press us down in great wrath and long war.
Therefore, dear Father, we most humbly entreat thee, for thy great name's sake, and for thy infinite mercies' sake, that thou wouldest be reconciled to this land, and discharge it of all the horrible sins thereof.
Drown them,
ETENING PEATEE.
Lord, in thy infinite mercy througli Christ, as it were in a bottomless gulf, that they may never rise up in judgment against us.
For although our sins be exceeding many and fearful, yet thy mercy is far greater.
For thou art infinite in mercy: but we cannot be infinite in sinning.
Give us not over into the hands of the idolaters, lest they should blaspheme thy name and say, where is their God in whom they trusted?
But rather, dear Father, take us into thine own hands, and correct us according to thy wisdom: for with thee is mercy, and deep compassion.
Moreover, we most humbly beseech thy good Majesty, to bless our most gracious king James, and to shew much mercy to him in all things.
Guide him in thy fear, and keep him in all his ways, working in his soul unfeigned sorrow for sin, true faith in the promises, and a great care to please thee in all things, and to discharge the duties of his high place, in all zeal of thy glory, and faithfulness towards thy Majesty : that as thou hast crowned him here in earth, so he (spending his days here below in thy fear) may after this life, be crowned of thee for ever in the heavens.
We beseech thee also, to bless his majesty's most honourable privy counsellors.
Counsel them from above, let them take advice of thee in all things; that they may both consult, and resolve of such courses as may be most for thy glory, the good of the church, and the peace of this our commonwealth.
Bless the nobility, and all the magistrates in the land, giving them all grace to execute judgment and justice, and to maintain truth aiid equity.
Bless all the faithful ministers of the gospel, increase the number of them, increase thy gifts in them: and so bless all their labours in their seve-
ETEJTKfG PBASrEB.
ral places and congregations, that they all may be instruments of thy hand to enlarge thy Son's kingdom, and to win many souls unto thee.
Comfortthe comfortless with all needful comforts.
Forget none of thine that are in trouble; but as their afflictions are, so let the joys and comforts of thy
Spirit be unto them; and so sanctify unto all "thine, their afflictions and troubles, that they may tend to thy glory, and their own good.
Give us thankful hearts for all thy mercies, both spiritual and corporeal : for thou art mercy merciful unto us in the things of this life, and infinitely more merciful in the things of a better life.
Let us deeply j>onder and weigh all thy particular favours towards US; that by the due consideration thereof, our hearts may be gained yet nearer unto thee, and that therefore we may both love and obey thee, because thou art so kind and loving unto us; that even thy love towards us may draw our love towards thee, and that becaiise mercy is with thee, thou mayest be feared.
Grant th^e things good Father, and all other needful graces for our souls or bodies, or any of thine throughout the whole world, for Jesus Christ's sake.
In whose name, we further call upon thee, as he hath taught us in his gospel, saying, " Our Father which ark in heaven," &c.