I. When you awake, let your hearts thus move towards God: Thou, Lord, who art the life of all the world, hast mercifully preserved me in life this night, when I could do nothing to keep myself. I thank thee for my health, and rest, and peace. Oh! now let thy mercies to me be renewed with the day: and let me spend this day in thy protection, by the help of thy Spirit, in love and faithful service to thee, and in watchfulness against my corruptions and temptations; for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

II. Those that have opportunity to pray secretly before family prayer, should speak freely, without book, from the feeling of their own wants, if they are able: if not, they may use the same prayer which is for families, so far as their wants and cases

are the same.

III. A Morning Prayer for a Family..

O, all-mighty, all-seeing, and most gracious God, who hast created us and all things for thy glory! we, sinful worms, encouraged by thy own command and promise, and the mediation of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, do humbly cast down ourselves before thee, to acknowledge thy mercies, to confess our sins, to beg thy grace, and to tender thee our praise and service.

We thank thee that thou hast made us reasonable creatures, to know, and love, and serve our Creator, and capable of everlasting happiness in thy glory. We thank thee that we, who were born in sin, and were thy enemies in our fleshly state, were not forsaken by thee in our sins, nor left with the devils to helpless desperation; but have a sufficient Saviour given us by thy love, who hath redeemed us by his blood, and given a free pardon and title to life, in his covenant of grace, to all that heartily accept him as their Lord and Saviour. We thank thee for his holy Gospel, for his holy example, for his Holy Spirit, given to his apostles, ministers, and all true believers. We thank thee for our birth, our education, our friends, our health, our peace and liberty, and all our comforts of this life. We thank thee for our public teaching and our private helps, the comfort of thy holy worship, and all the means of our salvation; but especially that thou hast blessed any of it to our good, and didst not forsake our sinful souls, and give us over to the blindness of our own minds, and the hardness of our hearts, and the slavery of our fleshly desires and wills. How great was that mercy, which did not only spare our lives, and keep us out of hell while we were

sinning, but at last convinced any of us of our sin and misery, and awakened our sleepy souls unto repentance, and made us know the vanity of this world, and the certainty and glory of the life to come, that we might know thee and seek thee, our end and happiness! How great was thy mercy, which opened to us the mysteries of thy Gospel, and drew us to thy Son, as the way to thee!

But, alas, we have ill requited thee for thy love; our original sin hath been too fruitful in our sinful lives; our childhood and youth was spent in too much folly, and fleshly sensuality! How long did we forget our God and our souls, our death and our everlasting state, as if we had no life to live but this, and we had been made to live and die like beasts! How long did we live in ignorance and unbelief, and little knew the nature and office, our want, and the worth and riches of Christ! How long did we live before thy love in Christ did melt us; and before we knew the life of faith; and before we were brought to the hatred of sin, and love of holiness, and before that ever we loved thee, our God, and the heavenly kingdom, above this world! Alas! we were deceived by the vanities here below, and followed the sinful desires of the flesh, and resisted thy Spirit which moved us to repent and turn to thee. And since we consented to thy holy covenant, we have too often yielded to temptations, and loved thee so coldly, and served thee so slothfully, and lived so unfruitfully, and made so ill an use of thy mercies, and of our afflictions, that thou mightest justly have taken thy Spirit from us, and suffered us to return to our former misery.

But O do not enter into judgment with us; forgive us for his sake, who is the sacrifice and propitiation for our sins. Charge not upon us the sins of our corrupted nature, or of our lives; of our childhood, youth, or riper age; our sins of omission or commission, of knowledge or of ignorance, of rashness or negligence, of sinful lust, passion, or of sloth. Wash us in the blood, and accept us for the merits of the perfect holiness and sufferings, of our Redeemer. We dare not come to thee, but in his name, nor expect any pardon or mercy from thee, but for his sake, and by his hand. Let our hearts be sincere in consenting to his covenant by a lively faith, that we may be one with him, our blessed Head, and may receive the continual communications of his Spirit. Our souls are by corruption dead to God, and dark through ignorance, error, and unbelief, and disaffected to thee

and to thy holy ways, till that Spirit do quicken, illuminate, and sanctify us. O give us this Spirit, the greatest of thy gifts on earth! Let him dwell by a new and holy nature in us; let him fill our hearts with holy life, that we may live to thee and die to sin; and with holy light, that we may know thee in Christ, and know thy word, and believe thy truth; and with holy love, that our whole desire may be to thee, and our delight be in thee; and being pleased in thee, we may, through Christ, be pleasant to thee for ever. O let not our ignorance and unbelief prevail! Let not our love to thee be still so cold, our desire so dull, nor our endeavours so slothful: nor our hopes of heaven so faint and weak! Let not the pleasures, or riches, or honours of this world ever steal our hearts away from thee nor our fleshly desires overcome thy Spirit: govern our affections, thoughts, words, and actions, our senses, our appetites, and our passions by thy grace. Deliver us from selfishness, and teach us to love our neighbours as ourselves, and to wrong no man in our thoughts, or words, or deeds; but to do all the good that we can to others, to their souls and bodies. Save us from the devilish sin of pride, and all the fruits of it; and make us humble and low in our own eyes, and to loathe ourselves for all our sins; and to be patient, if we are vile in the eyes of others. Save us from temptations, and confirm our wills, that they may not easily be drawn to sin. Especially save us from those great heart-distempers, which are most powerful in us, and which we least hate and resist. Give us such public and private helps for our souls, as we most need; and bless them Make us faithful in all the duties of our relations, in kingdom, church, and family, as we are superiors, inferiors, or equals; that we may have the comfort of them all. Mercifully dispose of our persons, our friends and affairs. Provide for and protect our bodies, and make us contented with our daily bread, and patient if, for our sins, we want it. Be merciful to the afflicted, and give such seasonable deliverance to the sick, the poor, the oppressed, and the broken-hearted, as is most for their own and others' good, and for thy glory. Continue thy gospel to these and all the rest of the churches; furnish them all with skilful, holy, and diligent pastors; and bless their labours to the increase of holiness, love, and peace. Rebuke the ignorance, pride, and uncharitableness which do still divide us; and give us the knowledge, humility, and love, which must unite and heal us. Bless the King, and all in authority, with

to us.

the wisdom, holiness and justice, which are necessary to the welfare of themselves and us. Teach them to govern, and us to obey, as the subjects of thee the King of kings. Revive knowledge and holiness in all the churches through the world, and lead them into the way of peace and concord, and save them from their sins and enemies! Deliver all deceived and oppressed nations, especially Christians, from the tyranny, seduction, and malignity of their deceivers and oppressors. Pity the many kingdoms of the world that are drowned in heathenism, infidelity, and Mahometanism. Subdue the powers that rebel against thee, and let the kingdoms of the world be the kingdoms of Christ. Open a way for the Gospel to them; and send them meet teachers for so great a work; that thy name may be hallowed, and thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever. The world and all therein are thine: whatever pleaseth thee thou dost. Thy enemies and ours are in thy power; thou givest life to all the living; and thy mercies are over all thy works. Heaven and earth are continued by thy power and will; and all things in them are ordered by thy wisdom. Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be feared; wise art thou, and absolutely to be obeyed. Good art thou, and unmeasurably to be loved. The image and glory of thy perfection shineth in thy wonderful works. But above all in our glorified Redeemer and his triumphant church, where thy light enlighteneth, thy love inflameth, and thy glory glorifieth the blessed spirits of that glorious world, where angels and saints in beholding, and loving, and praising thy glory, are filled with everlasting joy: for of thee, and through thee, and to thee, are all things. To thee be the glory for ever. Amen.

A shorter Prayer for the Morning, in the method of the Lord's Prayer, being but an exposition of it.

Most glorious God, who art power, and wisdom, and goodness itself, the Creator of all things, the Owner, the Ruler, and the Benefactor of the world, but specially of thy church and chosen ones though by sin original and actual we were thy enemies, the slaves of Satan and our flesh, and under thy dis

pleasure and the condemnation of thy law, yet thy children redeemed by Jesus Christ, thy Son, and regenerated by thy Holy Spirit, have leave to call thee their reconciled Father: for by thy covenant of grace thou hast given them thy Son to be their Head, their Teacher, and their Saviour: and in Him thou hast pardoned, adopted, and sanctified them, sealing and preparing them, by thy Holy Spirit, for thy celestial kingdom, and beginning in them that holy life, and light, and love, which shall be perfected with thee in everlasting glory. O with what wondrous love hast thou loved us, that of rebels we should be made the sons of God! Thou hast advanced us to this dignity, that we might be devoted wholly to thee as thine own, and might delightfully obey thee, and entirely love thee, with all our heart, and so might glorify thee here and for ever.

O cause both us, and all thy churches, and all the world, to hallow thy great and holy name, and to live to thee as our ultimate end; that thy shining image on holy souls may glorify thy divine perfection.

And cause both us and all the earth to cast off the tyranny of Satan and the flesh, and to acknowledge thy supreme authority, and to become the kingdoms of thee and thy Son, Jesus, by a willing and absolute subjection. O perfect thy kingdom of grace in ourselves and in the world, and hasten the kingdom of glory!

And cause us, and thy churches, and all people of the earth, no more to be ruled by the lusts of the flesh, and their erroneous conceits, and by self will, which is the idol of the wicked; but by thy perfect wisdom and holy will, revealed in thy laws, make known thy word to all the world, and send them the messengers of grace and peace; and cause men to understand, believe, and obey the Gospel of salvation, and that with such holiness, unity, and love, that the earth, which is now too like to hell, may be made liker unto heaven, and not only thy scattered, imperfect flock, but those also who in their carnal and ungodly minds do now refuse a holy life, and think thy word and ways too strict, may desire to imitate even the heavenly church where thou art obeyed, and loved, and praised, with high delight, in harmony and perfection.

And because our being is the subject of our well being, maintain us in the life which thou hast here given us, until the work of life be finished. And give us such health of mind and body, and such protection and supply of all our wants, as shall best fit