thou givest it to thy loved a. And that having laid us down and slept, we have waked again; thou hast lightened our eyes, so that we have not slept the sleep of death b. Thou hast preserved us from the pestilence that walketh in darkness c, and from the malice of the rulers of the darkness of this world d, the roaring lion that goes about seeking to devour e; he that keeps Israel, and neither slumbers nor sleeps, has kept us, and so we have been safe g. But we cannot say with thy servant David, that when we awake we are still with thee h, or that our eyes have prevented the night-watches, that we might meditate on thy wordi; but vain thoughts still lodge within us k. O pardon our sins, and cause us to hear thy lovingkindness this morning, for in thee do we trust: cause us to know the way wherein we should walk, for we lift up our souls unto thee; teach us to do thy will, for thou art our God, thy Spirit is good, lead us into the way and land of uprightness l. And now let the Lord preserve and keep us from all evil this day, yea, let the Lord preserve our souls; Lord preserve our going out and coming inm: Give thine angels charge concerning us, to bear us up in their hands, and keep us up in all our ways n. And give us grace to do the work of the day in its day, as the duty of the day requires o. 2. In our evening prayers. Thou, O God, makest the out-goings of the evening, as well as the morning, to rejoicep; for thereby thou callest us from our work and our labour, and biddest us a Psal. cxxvii. 2. d Eph. vi. 12. h Psal. cxxxix. 18. / Psal. cxliii. 8, 10. o Ezra, iii. 4. b Psal. xiii. 3. e 1 Pet. v. 8. c Psal. xci. 6. k Jer. iv. 14. rest awhile a. And now let our souls return to thee b, and repose in thee as our rest, because thou hast dealt bountifully with us c; so shall our sleep be sweet to us d. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with his benefits, who hath this day preserved our going out and coming ine; and now we have received from thee our daily bread, we pray Father forgive us our trespasses g. And we will lay us down and sleep: for thou, Lord, makest us to dwell in safety h: make a hedge of protection, (we pray thee,) about us, and about our house, and about all that we have round about i. Let the angels of God encamp round about us, to deliver usk: that we may lay down, and none may make us afraid l. Into thy hands we commit our spirits m: that in slumberings upon the bed, our ears may be opened and instruction sealed n: and let the Lord give us counsel, and let our reins instruct us in the night season o: visit us in the nightp, and try us, and enable us to commune with our own hearts upon our beds q. Give us to remember thee upon our bed, and to meditate upon thee in the night-watches r, with the saints that are joyful in glory, and that sing aloud upon their beds s. 3. In craving a blessing before meat. Thou, O Lord, givest food to all flesh, for thy mercy endures for ever t. The eyes of all things wait on theeu; but especially thou givest meat to them that fear thee, being ever mindful of thy covenant x. a Psal. civ. 23. d Jer. xxxi. 26. h Psal. iv. 8. Į Job xi. 19. o Psalm xvi. 7. e Ps. lxviii. 19, cxxi, 8. g Matt. vi. 11, 12. i Job i. 10. m Psal. xxxi. 5. Psal. xxxiv. 7. n Job xxxiii. 15. 9 Psalm iv. 4. t Psalm cxxxvi.25. Thou art our life, and the length of our days a, the God that hast fed us all our life long unto this day b. Thou givest us all things richly to enjoy, though we serve thee but poorly c. Thou hast not only given us every green herb, and the fruit of the trees, to be to us for meat d, but every moving thing that liveth, even as the green herb e. And blessed be God, that now under the Gospel we are taught to call nothing common or unclean g, and that it is not that which goes into the man that defiles the man h, but that every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused; for God hath created it to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth i. We acknowledge we are not worthy of the least crumb that falls from the table of thy providence k; thou mightest justly take away from us the stay of bread and the stay of waterl, and make us to eat our bread by weight, and to drink our water by measure, and with astonishment m; because when we have been fed to the full, we have, forgotten God our Maker n. But let our sins be pardoned, we pray thee, that our tables may not become a snare before us, nor that be made a trap, which should have been for our welfare o. We know that every thing is sanctified by the word of God and prayerp; and that man lives not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God q, and therefore, according to our master's example, we look up to heaven, and pray for a blessing upon our food r; abundantly bless our provisions s. Lord, grant that we may not feed ourselves without feara, that we may not make a god of our belly b, that our hearts may never be overcharged with surfeiting or drunkenness c, but that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we may do all to the glory of God d. 4. In returning thanks after our meat. Now we have eaten and are full, we bless thee for the good land thou hast given use. Thou preparest a table for us in the presence of our enemies, thou anointest our head, and our cup runs over g. Thou, Lord, art the portion of our inheritance, and of our cup, thou maintainest our lot, so that we have reason to say, the lines are fallen to us in pleasant places, and we have a goodly heritage h. Especially we bless thee for the bread of life, which came down from heaven, which was given for the life of the world. Lord, evermore give us that bread, and wisdom to labour less for the meat which perisheth, and more for that which endures to everlasting life i. The Lord give food to the hungry, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared k. Let us be of those blessed ones that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God, and shall eat of the hidden mannam. 5. When we are going on a journey. Lord, keep us in the way that we should go n, and let no evil thing befall us o; let us have a prosperous journey by the will of Godp, and with thy favour let us be compassed wherever we go as with a shield q. Let us walk in our way safely, and let not our foot stumble, or dash against a stone r. a Jude 12. o Psal. xci. 10. b Phil. iii. 19. e Deut. viii. 10. c Luke xxi. 34. Psal. xxiii. 5. Psal. cxlvi. 7. n Gen. xxviii. 20. q. Psal. v. 12. Direct our way unto every thing a, and enable us to order all our affairs with discretion b, and the Lord send us good speed, and show kindness to us c. And the Lord watch between us when we are absent the one from the other d. 6. When we return from a journey. Blessed be the Lord God of Abraham, who hath not left us destitute of his mercy and his truth e. All our bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee g, for thou keepest all our bones. It is God that girdeth us with strength, and maketh our way perfecth. 7. In the evening before the Lord's day. Now give us to remember, that to-morrow is the Sabbath of the Lordi, and that it is a high day k, holy of the Lord and honourable 7, and give us grace so to sanctify ourselves, that to-morrow the Lord may do wonders among us m; and to mind the work of our preparation, now the sabbath draws on n. When thou sawest every thing that thou hadst made in six days o, behold all was very good, but in many things we have all offended p. O that by repentance and faith in Christ's blood, we may wash not only our feet, but also our hands, and our head, and our heart q, and So may compass thine altar, O Lord r. Now give us to rest from all our own works s, and to leave all our worldly cares at the bottom of the hill, while we go up to the mount to worship God, and return to them t. We bless thee, Lord, who hath showed us light, and a 1 Thess. iii. 11. o Gen. i. 31. b Psal. cxii. 5. c Gen. xxiv. 12. g Psal. xxxv. 10. John xix. 31. n Luke xxiii. 54. q John xiii. 9. t. Gen. xxii. 5. |