Jefu, thou compaffionate Lover of Souls; I come unto thee, for thy Merits are infinite, and far furpass not only mine, but the whole World's Offences; I will therefore hope in thy Name, in thy Merits, and in thy Interceffion; thou art Almighty, and art able to relieve me; thou art all Goodness, and therefore willing to affift me. I confefs with Grief of Heart, that my Sins are many and very great; but greater is thy Mercy to penitent Sinners. Great is the Malice of the Powers of Darkness, and great is my own Weaknefs: but much greater is thy Power and Goodness: Therefore when my Fears prefs hard upon me, I will hope in thy Mercy, and put my Truft aud Confidence in thee. The holy Scriptures affure me, that thou art able to fave unto the utmost all that come unto God by thee; and thou haft promifed, that those who come unto thee, thou wilt by no Means caft out: hear me, I beseech thee, O merciful Saviour, in this my diftreffed Condition; fpeak Peace to my troubled Confcience; comfort and fupport me under all Dejections of Mind; give me Patience and Submiffion under thine afflicting Hand; and, if it be thy Will, a fpeedy and happy Deliverance from my prefent

present Mifery; and fay unto my Soul, I am thy Salvation.

V. Have Mercy upon me, O blessed Spirit, God of Love, thou powerful Advocate and fweeteft Comforter: Infufe thy Grace into my Heart, and scatter there thy chearful Beams. Purify my Soul, and strike me through with the Darts of thy Love: Kindle fuch a holy Flame in my Breaft, as may burn up all the Drofs of fenfual Affections, and may poffefs, and purify and strengthen my drooping Soul. Come, Holy Spirit, in much Mercy come, and make me fit to receive thee into my Heart: Difpel those black irregular Thoughts and Apprehenfions, which terrify and difcompose my Mind: And be thou to me a kind Comforter, and mighty Defence in all my Wants and Diftreffes, and my ready Helper in this Time of Need.

To him, therefore, who is able to keep us from falling, and to prefent us faultlefs before the Prefence of his Glory, with exceeding Joy, to the only wife God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, be Glory and Majefty, Dominion and Power; and mayeft thou receive from me, from Men, and Angels, continual Praise and Thanksgiving, S 6

Obe

Obedience, Love, and Adoration, for ever

and ever.

Amen.

A Prayer for a Perfon under Scruples of Confcience, or under Fears and Doubts of his fpiritual Condition.

I.

O Moft bleffed and gracious God, who alone canft heal a wounded Spirit, and quiet a troubled Mind; look with Pity on thy Servant, oppreffed with a Load of Mifery: Unto thee do I cry for Help: 0 thou great Phyfician of Soul and Body, uphold and comfort my weak and dejected Spirit, ftrengthen it against all inordinate vain Fears and Terrors, and deliver me from all unprofitable Troubles of Mind, and caufeless Scruples of Confcience.

Thou alone canft relieve me; grant therefore, merciful Lord, to me thy Servant, Pardon, and Peace; and that I may be cleanfed from all my Sins, and ferve thee with a quiet Mind, and glorify thy Goodness with a thankful and chearful Heart all my Days.

II. I take little Delight in any Thing! do, no not in my fpiritual Exercifes, which once were, and still fhould be, moft delightful

8

lightful to me. Eafy Things are become difficult, and difficult Things feem almost impoffible to me; and I am full of Fears, Jealoufies, and Sufpicions; but most of all am I apt to fear in this fad Condition, that I have loft thy Favour. I am greatly indifpofed for my own Bufinefs, loth to do any Thing, and find a great Backwardness even in praying unto thee, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.

Direct me to proper Means for the Removal of my Doubts and Scruples, and let me hearken to the wife Counfels and Advice of a prudent fpiritual Guide, and fuch other Perfons as I fhall confult with; and make me always willing and ready to follow wife Inftructions; and fuffer me not to be led away by the Delufions of the Devil, or my own foolish and perverfe Will.

O Lord, hear this Prayer, which in Anguifh of Spirit I make unto thee, for Jefus Chrift his Sake. Amen.

III. O thou bleffed Jefus, who waft made Man, and in our Nature tookeft our Infirmities, Sin only excepted, and waft a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief, and once in Anguifh of Spirit upon the Crofs, criedft out to thy Father and our Father, My God, my God, why haft thou

forfaken

forfaken me? O thou most merciful, faithful, and unchangeable High-Prieft, I befeech thee by thy infinite Compaffion, to look down from Heaven with an Eye of Pity upon me, who am a miferable Object of thy Pity, being fore let and hindreď in the Courfe of my Chriftian Duties, by unaccountable Sadnefs and Dejection of Spirit. Thou knoweft, O Lord, how often, and how exceedingly my Soul is troubled, and caft down; thou feeft how much it is difquieted within me, and how grievous it is to me to be thus oppreffed; and how uneafy my prefent State is.

I befeech thee, O bleffed Saviour, hear my Complaint, and take away this Plague from me. It is with this moft earnest Petition, that I now come before the Throne of thy Mercy. Remove this Diftemper, I befeech thee, whether it be in my Body, or in my Soul, or in both: 0 fpeak the Word, and I fhall be whole. I afk this in Submiffion to thy Will and Pleasure. If it is fent to me to punish me for my paft Sins, or restrain me from Sins to come, or to make me humble, or exercife my Patience and my Trust in thee; not my Will, but thine be done.

ke me content to bear it, though it be a