ALMIGHTY and eternal God, we desire to praise thy holy name for so graciously raising us up, in soundness of body and mind, to see the light of this day.
We bless thee in behalf of all thy creatures; for _the eyes of all look unto thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season_. But above all we acknowledge thy inestimable benefits bestowed upon mankind in Christ Jesus. We thank thee for his miraculous birth, for his most holy life, his bitter agony and bloody death, for his glorious resurrection on this day, his ascension into heaven, his triumph over all the powers of darkness, and his sitting at thy right hand for ever more.
O God, how great was thy love to the sinful sons of men, to give _thy only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, might not perish, but have everlasting life_! How great was that love which hath committed our souls to one so _mighty to save_! Which hath chosen us to be thy sons and heirs, together with Christ Jesus, and set such an high priest over thy house and family, to make intercession for us, to pour thy blessings upon us, and to send forth his angels to _minister unto them who shall be heirs of salvation_! O the riches of thy grace, in sending the Holy Ghost, to make us _abound in hope_, that we shall one day rise from the dead, and after our short labours here, rest with thee in thy eternal glory.
O that we could begin this day, in devout ♦meditations, in joy unspeakable, and in blessing and praising thee, who hast given us such good hope and everlasting consolation! Lift up our minds above all these little things below, which are apt to distract our thoughts; and keep them above, till our hearts are fully bent to seek thee every day, in the way wherein Jesus hath gone before us, tho’ it should be with the loss of all we here possess.
♦ “mediations” replaced with “meditations” per Errata
We are ashamed, O Lord, to think that ever we have disobey’d thee, who hast redeemed us by the precious blood of thine own Son. O that we may agree with thy will in all things for the time to come! and that all the powers of our souls and bodies may be wholly dedicated to thy service! We desire unfeignedly that all the thoughts and designs of our minds, all the affections and tempers of our hearts, and all the actions of our life, may be pure, holy, and unreproveable in thy sight.
_Search us_, O Lord, _and prove us; try out our reins and our heart. Look well if there be any way of wickedness in us, and lead us in the way everlasting_. Let thy favour be better to us than life itself; that so in all things we may approve our hearts before thee, and feel the sense of thy acceptance of us, giving us a joy which the world cannot give.
Make it our delight to praise thee, to call to mind thy loving-kindness, and to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Help us to _take heed to ourselves, lest at any time our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting or drunkenness, or the cares of this life: to have our conversation without covetousness, and to be content with such things as we have: to possess our bodies in sanctification and honour: to love our neighbour as ourselves, and as we would that others should do to us, do even so to them. To live peaceably, as much as lieth in us, with all men: to put on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit: and to take those who have spoken in the name of our LORD, for an example of suffering affliction and of patience; and when we suffer as Christians, not to be ashamed, but to glorify thee our |God| on this behalf._
And accept, good Lord, of all the praises of all thy people met together this day. O that _thy ways were known upon all the earth, thy saving health among all nations_! And that all Christian kings especially, may be filled with thy holy Spirit, and be faithful subjects of the Lord Jesus _the King of Kings and Lord of Lords_. O that thy _priests may be cloathed with righteousness, and thy saints rejoice and sing_; that all who are in distress may trust in thee, the _help of their countenance and their_ God. O Lord, hear us, and make thy face to shine upon thy servants, that we may _enter into thy gates with thanksgiving, and into thy courts with praise: that we may be thankful unto thee and bless thy name_. Amen, for Jesus Christ’s sake, in whose words we conclude our imperfect prayers, saying, “Our Father, &c.”
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