MONDAY EVENING.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father in whom we live, move, and have our being; to whose tender compassions we owe our safety the day past, together with all the comforts of this life, and the hopes of that which is to come: we praise thee, O Lord, we bow ourselves before thee, acknowledging we have nothing but what we receive from thee. Unto thee do we give thanks, O God, who daily pourest thy benefits upon us.
Blessed be thy goodness for our health, for our food and raiment, for our peace and safety, for the love of our friends, for all our blessings in this life; and our desire to attain that life which is immortal. Blessed be thy love, for that we feel in our hearts any motion toward thee. Behold, O Lord, we present ourselves before thee, to be inspired with such a vigorous sense of thy love, as may put us forward with a greater earnestness, zeal, and diligence in all our duty. Renew in us, we beseech, a lively image of thee, in all righteousness, purity, mercy, faithfulness and truth. O that Jesus, the hope of glory, may be formed in us, in all humility, meekness, patience, and an absolute surrender of our souls and bodies to thy holy will: that we may not live, but Christ may live in us; that every one of us may say, The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Let the remembrance of his love, who made himself an offering for our sins, be ever dear and precious to us. Let it continually move us to offer up ourselves to thee, to do thy will, as our blessed Master did. May we place an entire confidence in thee, and still trust ourselves with thee, who hast not spared thine own Son, but freely given him up for us all. May we humbly accept of whatsoever thou sendest us, and in every thing give thanks. Surely thou wilt never leave us nor forsake us. O guide us safe through all the changes of this life, in an unchangeable love to thee, and a lively sense of thy love to us, till we come to live with thee and enjoy thee for ever.
And now that we are going to lay ourselves down to sleep take us into thy gracious protection, and settle our spirits in such quiet and delightful thoughts, of the glory where our Lord Jesus lives, that we may desire to be dissolved and to go to him who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we might live together with him.
To thy blessing we recommend all mankind, high and low, rich and poor, that they may all faithfully serve thee, and contentedly enjoy whatsoever is needful for them. And especially we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness. We leave all we have with thee, especially our friends, and those who are dear unto us; desiring that when we are dead and gone, they may lift up their souls in this manner unto thee; and teach those that come after, to praise, love, and obey thee. And if we awake again in the morning, may we praise thee again with joyful lips, and still offer ourselves a more acceptable sacrifice to thee, thro’ Jesus Christ, in whose words we beseech thee to hear us, according to the full sense and meaning thereof, “Our Father, &c.”
TUESDAY MORNING.
O MOST great and mighty Lord, the possessor of heaven and earth, all the angels rejoice in blessing and praising thee, the Father of spirits: for thou hast created all things, and in wisdom hast thou made them all, and spread thy tender mercies over all thy works. We desire thankfuly to acknowledge thy bounty to us, among the rest of thy creatures, and thy particular grace and favour to us, in Jesus Christ, our merciful Redeemer. O give us a deep sense of that love which gave him to die for us, that he might be the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.
And hast thou not said, that thou wilt give thy holy Spirit to them that ask it? O Father of mercies, let it be unto us, according to thy word. Cherish whatever thou hast already given us, which is acceptable in thy sight. And since at the best we are unprofitable servants, and can do no more than it is our duty to do, enable us to do every thing which thou hast commanded us heartily, with good will, and true love to thy service.