Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
A FAMILY EVENING PRAYER.
Blessed and holy Lord God, who didst make all things by thy power, who rulest all things by thy providence, and fillest all things by thy presence, we, thy unworthy creatures, beseech thee to fill our hearts with an awful sense of thee, and with humility, sincerity, and faith in Christ in our approaches to thee.
We thankfully acknowledge our absolute dependence upon thee; for our lives, and all the comforts of them, we are indebted to thy bounty. Thy hands have fashioned us in the womb, brought us into this world, and ever since we saw the light, filled us with variety of good. We adore thy sparing mercy. Justly mightest thou have brought upon us all the curses written in the book of thy law against thy transgressors: and had thy ways been as our ways, and thy thoughts like our thoughts towards our enemies, we had long since been past the power of offering to thee our thanks and praise, beyond the benefit of prayer, or the hope of pardon.
We confess, O Lord, we have been transgressors of thy law, in thought, word, and deed. We are chargeable with the workings and defilements of pride and hypocrisy, of uncharitableness and sensuality of self-love, and worldliness of heart, notwithstanding all the methods thou hast taken to heal these diseases of our souls. We have sinned against the clear revelation of thy will, and the strongest obligations binding us to comply with it. We have sinned against thy most inviting promises, and thy most dreadful threatenings: against the frequent warnings of thy Word, the renewed motions and powerful convictions of thy Spirit, and the precious blood of Christ. We have sinned against the light of our understanding, against promises and purposes of obedience, and against the strongest remonstrances of our own conscienses.
O God, we cannot recount the number of our sins, nor fully set in order all their aggravations. We should not therefore presume to ask for thy pardoning mercy, if we do not trust that thy Spirit has created within us a holy mourning for all our wickedness, and for that corruption of our nature, from whence as their fountain, all these poisonous streams have flowed. O humble us effectually, and place before us all the detestable qualities which meet together in every act of sin, that injustice and contempt towards thee, that rebellion and ingratitude which prevail in it. And oh! most merciful Father, speak peace to our souls, weary and heavy laden with guilt, through the death and sufferings of thy dear Son, and for the sake of his precious sacrifice, avert the punishment from us. Increase in us the faith whereby we only can be justified, and have peace with thee, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accompany thy pardoning mercy with thy purifying grace. Help us, O Father, thou God of all power and might, to put of the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts, and to put on the new man which is created after thine own image, in righteousness and true holiness. Give us a new heart and put within us a new spirit. O grant us a mind weaned from the pomps and pleasures, the profits and honours, and all the transitory enjoyments of the flesh; but hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Prevent us by thy grace, that we may never more commit sin with the deceitful hope of gaining advantage by it. Impress us continually with the conviction, that the gaining of the whole world can be of no recompense for the loss of the soul.
O let that solemn account we must ere long give, when the throne shall be set, the books be opened, and the dead, small, and great, stand before God, influence the whole course of our lives; O let us so believe and so obey, that when Christ shall come in the clouds with power and great glory, we may then cry out in holy raptures. Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us! This is the Lord, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!
In thy merciful protection, O God, we humbly commit ourselves, our dear friends and relations this night. The darkness is no darkness with thee, but the night is as clear as the day. Defend, we beseech thee, our persons, our dwellings, and our possessions. Refresh us with sweet sleep; and with the health and strength of our bodies, and the vigour of our minds, let us serve thee all our days, till through the gate of death we enter into that blessed kingdom, where there is no night; where we all receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls, through Jesus Christ; in dependence upon whose righteousness and intercession we farther pray: Our Father, &c.
FOR THE LORD’S DAY MORNING.