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III.

An act of oblation, or presenting ourselves to God for the day. Most holy and eternal God, lord and sovereign of all the creatures, I humbly present to Thy divine majesty myself, my soul and body, my thoughts and my words, my actions and intentions, my passions and my sufferings, to be disposed by Thee to Thy glory, to be blessed by Thy providence, to be guided by Thy counsel, to be sanctified by Thy Spirit, and afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory; for nothing can perish which is under Thy custody, and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is Thy portion, nor take it out of Thy hands. This day, O Lord, and all the days of my life, I dedicate to Thy honour, and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace, and the religion of all my days to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour, Jesus; that in Him and for Him, I may be pardoned and accepted. Amen.

IV.

An act of repentance or contrition.

For as for me, I am not worthy to be called Thy servant; much less am I worthy to be Thy son; for I am the vilest of sinners and the worst of men; a lover of the things of the world, and a despiser of the things of God; proud and envious, lustful and intemperate, greedy of sin, and impatient of reproof; desirous to seem holy, and negligent of being so; transported with interest; fooled with presumption and false principles; disturbed with anger, with a peevish and unmortified spirit, and disordered by a whole body of sin and death. Lord, pardon all my sins for my sweetest Saviour's sake: Thou who didst die for me, holy Jesus, save me and deliver me: reserve not my sins to be punished in the day of wrath and eternal vengeance; but wash away my sins, and blot them out of Thy remembrance, and purify my soul with the waters of repentance, and the blood of the cross; that for what is past Thy wrath may not come out against me; and for the time to come I may never provoke Thee to anger or to jealousy: O just and dear God, be pitiful and gracious to Thy servant. Amen.

V.

The prayer, or petition.

Bless me, gracious God, in my calling to such purposes as Thou shalt choose for me, or employ me in: relieve me in all my sadnesses; make my bed in my sickness; give me patience in my sorrows, confidence in Thee, and grace to call upon Thee in all temptations. O be

Thou my guide in all my actions, my protector in all dangers: give me a healthful body, and a clear understanding; a sanctified and just, a charitable and humble, a religious and a contented spirit: let not my life be miserable and wretched, nor my name stained with sin and shame, nor my condition lifted up to a tempting and dangerous fortune; but let my condition be blessed, my conversation useful to my neighbours, and pleasing to Thee; that when my body shall lie down in its bed of darkness, my soul may pass into the regions of light, and live with Thee for ever, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

VI.

An act of intercession or prayer for others, to be added to this or any other office, as our devotion, or duty, or their needs, shall determine us.

O God of infinite mercy, who hast compassion on all men, and relievest the necessities of all that call to Thee for help, hear the prayers of Thy servant, who is unworthy to ask any petition for himself, yet in humility and duty is bound to pray for others.

For the church.

O let Thy mercy descend upon the whole church; preserve her in truth and peace, in unity and safety, in all storms, and against all temptations and enemies; that she, offering to Thy glory the neverceasing sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving, may advance the honour of her Lord, and be filled with His Spirit, and partake of His glory.

Amen.

For the king.

In mercy remember the king; preserve his person in health and honour, his crown in wealth and dignity, his kingdoms in peace and plenty, the churches under his protection in piety and knowledge, and a strict and holy religion; keep him perpetually in Thy fear and favour, and crown him with glory and immortality. Amen.

For the clergy.

Remember them that minister about holy things; let them be clothed with righteousness, and sing with joyfulness. Amen.

For wife or husband.

Bless Thy servant [my wife or husband] with health of body and of spirit. O let the hand of Thy blessing be upon his [or her] head, night and day; and support him in all necessities, strengthen him in all temptations, comfort him in all his sorrows, and let him be Thy

servant in all changes: and make us both to dwell with Thee for ever in Thy favour, in the light of Thy countenance, and in Thy glory. Amen.

For our children.

Bless my children with healthful bodies, with good understandings, with the graces and gifts of Thy Spirit, with sweet dispositions and holy habits; and sanctify them throughout in their bodies, and souls, and spirits, and keep them unblameable to the coming of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

For friends and benefactors.

Be pleased, O Lord, to remember my friends, all that have prayed for me, and all that have done me good [here name such whom you would specially recommend]; do Thou good to them, and return all their kindness double into their own bosom, rewarding them with blessings, and sanctifying them with Thy graces, and bringing them to glory.

For our family.

Let all my family and kindred, my neighbours and acquaintance [here name what other relation you please], receive the benefit of my prayers, and the blessings of God; the comforts and supports of Thy providence, and the sanctification of Thy Spirit.

For all in misery.

Relieve and comfort all the persecuted and afflicted; speak peace to troubled consciences; strengthen the weak, confirm the strong; instruct the ignorant; deliver the oppressed from him that spoileth him, and relieve the needy that hath no helper; and bring us all by the waters of comfort, and in the ways of righteousness, to the kingdom of rest and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

To God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; to the eternal Son, that was incarnate and born of a virgin; to the Spirit of the Father and the Son, be all honour and glory, worship, and thanksgiving, now and for ever. Amen.

Another form of prayer for the morning.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Our Father, &c.

I.

Most glorious and eternal God, Father of mercy, and God of all comfort, I worship and adore Thee with the lowest humility of my

soul and body, and give Thee all thanks and praise for Thy infinite and essential glories and perfections, and for the continual demonstration of Thy mercies upon me, upon all mine, and upon Thy holy catholic church.

II.

I acknowledge, dear God, that I have deserved the greatest of Thy wrath and indignation, and that if Thou hadst dealt with me according to my deserving, I had now at this instant been desperately bewailing my miseries in the sorrows and horrors of a sad eternity. But Thy mercy triumphing over Thy justice and my sins, Thou hast still continued to me life and time of repentance; Thou hast opened to me the gates of grace and mercy, and perpetually callest upon me to enter in, and to walk in the paths of a holy life, that I might glorify Thee and be glorified of Thee eternally.

III.

Behold, O God, for this Thy great and unspeakable goodness, for the preservation of me this night, and for all other Thy graces and blessings, I offer up my soul and body, all that I am, and all that I have, as a sacrifice to Thee and Thy service; humbly begging of Thee to pardon all my sins, to defend me from all evil, to lead me into all good; and let my portion be amongst Thy redeemed ones, in the gathering together of the saints, in the kingdom of grace and glory.

IV.

Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world, that in all things that shall happen I may have an evenness and tranquillity of spirit; that my soul may be wholly resigned to Thy divinest will and pleasure, never murmuring at Thy gentle chastisements and fatherly correction, never waxing proud and insolent though I feel a torrent of comforts and prosperous successes.

V.

Fix my thoughts, my hopes, and my desires, upon heaven and heavenly things; teach me to despise the world, to repent me deeply for my sins; give me holy purposes of amendment, and ghostly strength and assistances to perform faithfully whatsoever I shall intend piously. Enrich my understanding with an eternal treasure of divine truths, that I may know Thy will; and Thou, who workest in us to will and to do of Thy good pleasure, teach me to obey all Thy commandments, to believe all Thy revelations, and make me partaker of all Thy gracious promises.

VI.

Teach me to watch over all my ways, that I may never be surprised by sudden temptations or a careless spirit, nor ever return to folly and vanity. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips, that I offend not in my tongue, neither against piety nor charity. Teach me to think of nothing but Thee, and what is in order to Thy glory and service; to speak nothing but Thee and Thy glories; and to do nothing but what becomes Thy servant, whom Thy infinite mercy by the graces of Thy Holy Spirit hath sealed up to the day of redemption.

VII.

Let all my passions and affections be so mortified and brought under the dominion of grace, that I may never by deliberation and purpose, nor yet by levity, rashness, or inconsideration, offend Thy divine majesty. Make me such as Thou wouldest have me to be: strengthen my faith, confirm my hope, and give me a daily increase of charity, that this day and ever I may serve Thee according to all my opportunities and capacities, growing from grace to grace; till at last by Thy mercies I shall receive the consummation and perfection of grace, even the glories of Thy kingdom, in the full fruition of the face and excellencies of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; to whom be glory and praise, honour and adoration, given by all angels, and all men, and all creatures, now, and to all eternity. Amen.

To this may be added the prayer of intercession for others whom we are bound to remember, which is at the end of the foregoing prayer; or else you may take such special prayers which follow at the end of the fourth chapter [for parents, for children, &c.].

After which, conclude with this ejaculation.

Now and in all tribulation and anguish of spirit, in all dangers of soul and body, in prosperity and adversity, in the hour of death and in the day of judgment, holy and most blessed Saviour Jesus, have mercy Amen. upon me, save me, and deliver me and all faithful people.

¶ Between this and noon usually are said the public prayers appointed by authority; to which all the clergy are obliged, and other devout persons that have leisure to accompany them.

After noon, or at any time of the day, when a devout person retires into his closet for private prayer, or spiritual exercises, he may say the following devotions.

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