O God, who didst visit and endow the hearts of Thy saints so graciously and richly with Thy Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, O pour out this Thy Spirit and merciful shower also upon our barren and drooping hearts, refresh Thy inheritance and comfort the miserable. Come, O Holy Spirit, and adorn us with Thy manifold gifts, that we may truly perceive and praise the great deeds of God, which were accomplished through Jesus Christ, and that we may speak, glorify and spread Thy Word with new tongues; enkindle us with the fire of Thy wholesome fervor, burn out all internal malice, together with all other fleshly lusts and desires; light the lamp of Thy truth, so that we may serve our God fervently in spirit and in faith, and with true earnestness and zeal.
O Thou God of peace, bind our hearts with the bonds of Thy peace, that we may remain and live with each other in meekness and humility, in peace and unity. O Thou God of patience, give us patience during the time of our life, and firmness unto the end. O Thou Spirit of prayer, awaken our hearts, that we may lift them together with holy hands up to God, and call upon him in every time of need; and as we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, O do Thou, as our faithful Interceder, make intercession for us with groanings which can not be uttered. O Thou gentle wind, cool and refresh our hearts in every fiery trial and anguish, be our protection and shelter in time of need, our help in affliction, our comfort in adversity.
Come, Thou mighty God, and comfort the weak, teach the miserable Thy way, help those also who have fallen, put those aright who err, hold them with Thy right hand. Come, O Thou eternal Light, Salvation and Comfort, be our Light in darkness, be our Salvation in life, be our Comfort in death, and lead us upon the straight path unto life everlasting, in order that we may praise, extol and glorify Thee, O Holy Ghost, together with our heavenly Father and His beloved Son, our only Saviour, with truly new tongues on the true day of Pentecost in heaven for ever and ever. Amen.
13. Prayer on the Festival of the Holy Trinity.
O Thou incomprehensible, eternal God, Thou King of kings, and Lord of lords, Thou, who only hast immortality and dwellest in the light which no man can approach unto, we thank Thee in humility of heart, that Thou didst come forth out of Thy light and reveal Thyself as one God in three persons. But because this exalted mystery of the holy Trinity transcends all our conception and understanding, do Thou Thyself bring our reason, which thinks itself to be wise, into captivity to Thy obedience, and do not permit its foolishness to set itself against Thy wisdom. But do Thou impress upon our hearts the living and believing knowledge, that Thou art Three and One, in order that we may steadfastly preserve this truth as a precious treasure against all error, and with the deepest humility may worship Thee, O Triune God, with equal honor, according to Thy revelation.
Give us, O holy Father, a knowledge of Thee, that Thou comest from no one, but didst beget Thy Son from eternity and together with Him lettest the Holy Spirit proceed from Thee; but also how Thou didst give Thyself to us as our Father, in order that we might, in childlike obedience and confidence, consecrate unto Thee every thing in us that is Thy work. Eternal Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ, reveal Thyself unto us also; how Thou wast begotten from eternity by Thy heavenly Father as the brightness of His glory and as the image of His essence, Light of Light, very God of very God; how Thou out of love to us didst become our brother and didst redeem us with Thy obedience, suffering and death, that we might in Thee learn to know the Father aright, and through Thee come to Him, and also enjoy the fruits of Thy salvation, here in righteousness and holiness, hereafter in the communion of Thy glory. Lord God Holy Ghost, put Thy light into our souls, in order that we may know how Thou proceedest as the essential Breath from the Father and the Son from eternity, as the true God and as a true person, also how Thou laborest faithfully at the work of our sanctification. O continue the same in power, to enlighten, purify, comfort and keep us, and to urge us to do all that is good, in order that we may through Thy operation at last appear altogether holy and pure before the throne of Thy glory.
To Thee, O Thou holy Trinity, be ascribed, by us and all creatures, praise, honor, glory and thanks to all eternity, for Thy eternal majesty and glory which Thou hast revealed unto us in Thy Word, and for all the grace and benefits with which Thou hast blessed us. Amen.
14. Prayer on the Day of John the Baptist.
Merciful God and Father in heaven, to Thee I give the humblest thanks with heart and lips, that Thou didst so mercifully visit us poor human beings through the giving of Thy dearest Son, and didst raise up our Lord Jesus as a horn of salvation in Thy church, in order that we should lay hold of the same in true faith, receive comfort, joy and salvation from the same, and sustain ourselves by it in danger and in death. Equal thanks do I owe Thee, Lord Jesus, Thou day-spring from on high, that Thou didst so gloriously enlighten, through Thy appearing, us poor, blind people who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, and didst direct our feet upon the way of divine peace. No less do I thank Thee, O God Holy Ghost, that Thou didst raise up John as a prophet of the Highest, and didst give through him the knowledge of salvation which consists in the forgiveness of sins. O holy Trinity, give me Thy grace, that I may worthily acknowledge such great benefits, and be thankful to Thee always for the same, not only in words, but also in a Christian life, and serve Thee all the days of my life in holiness and righteousness, which are pleasing to Thee, until in the land of eternity I shall behold Thee face to face, and sing, with the assembly of the chosen, the never-ending hymns of praise and thanks. Amen.