1

CO

DEVOTIONS

For the Ufe of

FAMILIES.

These following Forms of Prayer to be used
in Families, may be also used by
one Person alone. And then for [we]
Say [I,] and for [us] Say [me].

A Prayer and Praise for the Lord's-Day.

and

Most Glorious God, the Eternal Spi-
rit, who hast all Perfections in
of thyself, and art the Fountain of

all the Goodness that is in all thy Creatures;
the most Blessed for ever, and ever. Thou
haft created Heaven, and the things that
therein are; the Earth, and the things that
therein are; and the Sea, and the things that
are therein; and thou preservest them all:
The World is continued as it is this Day, by
thy good Providence; and we have Summer,
and Winter, Seed-time, and Harvest at their
Seafon. Thou crownest the Year with thy
Goodness, and thy Clouds drop Fulness up-
on the Earth, and thou fillest our Hearts
with Food and Gladness. There is none
like unto Thee, O Lord, there is none that
can do as thou dost. All Thy Works are
glorious, and thy Thoughts are very deep.
Thou

4

1

Devotions for the Use of Families. 289

Thou art holy in, all thy Ways, and righteous in all thy Doings, and preservest Mercy and Truth for ever. The Greatness of thy Mercy reacheth unto the Heavens, and thy Truth unto the Clouds; and thou art worthy to be celebrated with everlasting Praises. We praise Thee therefore, and magnify Thee, O Lord, whose Name is excellent throughout all the Earth. For the invisible Things of God from the Creation of the World are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even thy Eternal Power and Godhead. The Heavens declare thy Glory, O God, and the Firmament sheweth thy Handy Work. The Earth is full of thy rich Goodness. So is the great and wide Sea also, wherein are things innumerable. All these wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their Meat in due Season. Thou openest thy Hand, and fillest all things living with Plenteousness. We praise Thee therefore, in behalf of all thy Creatures throughout the whole World. They were all created by thy Almighty Power, and are all maintained by thy most bounteous Providence; and they all speak of Thee to thy Praise and Honour. Thou diffusest thy Mercies to them, in various Streams, according to their several Natures and Neceffities.

But, Lord, what is Man, that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of Man, that thou visitest. him! For thou hast made him but little lower than the Angels, and haft crowned him with Glo ry and Honour. Thou makest him to have Dominion over the Works of thy Hands: Thou haft put all things under his Feet; O Lord, our Governor, how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth.

All thy Works praise thee, O Lord, and thy Saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the Glory of thy Kingdom, and talk of thy Power That thy Power, thy Glory, and the Mightiness

T

of

i

of thy Kingdom might be known unto Men. Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and thy Dominion endureth throughout all Ages. We all decay and perish; yea the Heavens themselves wax old as doth a Garment, and as a Vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed, but thou art the fame, and thy Years shall not fail. Thou art our God, and we will praise thee; Thou art our God, and we will exalt thee.

O Lord, we thank thee, for our Creation and Kind of Being, for our immortal Souls and the Capacities thereof, and for these earthly Houses, these Tabernacles of our Bodies, which thou hast so fearfully and wonderfully made. Thine Eyes did see our Substance yet being imperfect, and in thy Book were all our Members written, which Day by Day were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. And though we were born in Sin, and brought forth in Iniquity, with a strong Propenfity and Inclination to what is evil, yet by Thee have we been upholden ever since we were born; Thou art he that took us out of our Mothers Womb, and hast preserv'd us alive on Earth, until this present Moment, whereas with many others, we might have been before now in everlasting Burnings. But thou haft not only spared us in our Sins and Provocations, and mercifully with-held from us the Evils that we have deserved, but Thou hast daily poured down thy Benefits upon us. We daily eat and drink of thy Provisions, we breathe in thy Air, tread upon thy Earth, are cloathed with thy Wool, and with thy Flax, and have all things necessary for our Souls and Bodies: And in behalf of both, we thank Thee for all thy Mercies, temporal and spiritual. Above all, we thank Thee for the Mercy of all Mercies, the Son of thy Love, thy only begotten Son, who came into the World to fave Sinners. The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt amongst us. Forasmuch as the Children are Partakers of Flesh, and Blood, he also took part of the fame, that through Death he might destroy him who had the Power of Death, i. e. the Devil, and deliver them who through Fear of Death were all their Life-time subject unto Bondage. And now we who were fome time afar off, are made nigh unto thee by the Blood of Jesus. And in him thou art a merciful and reconciled God and Father, to all that return unto thee by Faith in him: Being justified freely by thy Grace, through the Redemption that is in Jesus, whom thou hast set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood, for the Remission of Sins that are past. How excellent is thy loving Kindness, O God, unto the Children of Men! Where Sin hath abounded, thy Grace hath more abounded; and thou hast so contrived the Work of our Redemption, as to shew thy Love to Sinners, and thy Hatred to Sin, in this wonderful Dispensation of thy Wisdom and Love. Our Persons are freely justified, and our Sins are fully punished; our Debts discharged to us, and yet exacted to the utmost. For Thou hast made him to be Sin for us, who knew no Sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of thee our God in him.

And being, O Lord, that we are thine, and not our own, (for Thou hast bought us with a Price, even the precious Blood of Chrift) we would therefore here present and offer up ourselves, our Souls and our Bodies, to be a living Sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto thee, which is our reasonable Service: That for the rest of our Time here on Earth, we may glorify and please thee, our Creator and Redeemer. And Thou who art the Father of our Lord Jesus Chrift, and art able to

T2

1

do

1.

do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we are able to ask or think, according to the Power that worketh in thy Saints, do thou sanctify us throughly by thy Grace and Holy Spirit. And grant us according to the Riches of thy Grace, to be strengthened with Might by thy Spirit, in our inner Man; that Chrift may dwell in our Hearts by Faith; that we being rooted and grounded in Love, may be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the Breadth and Length, and Depth and Height, and to know the Love of Christ which passeth Knowledge, that we may be filled with all the Fulness of God.

And bless our Opportunities and Means of Grace to this end, especially those of this Day, and grant that they may end in an everlasting Sabbath.

And grant that thy Ways may be known upon Earth, thy saving Health among all Nations; and that this backfliding Nation may so repent, and turn unto Thee, as to become a righteous, and so a happy People. Remember thy gracious Servant, to whom we owe Subjection. Defend him, O Lord, under thy Wings, preserve and cherish him under thy Feathers; let thy Truth and Faithfulness be his Shield and Buckler. Bless him more and more, with thy Heavenly Gifts and Graces, and make him a Blessing to his and thy People. Let our Priests be cloathed with Righteousness; Let Sinners be converted unto Thee'; and let thy People be built up in Faith and Holiness unto Eternal Life. "And all we offer up unto Thee, in the Name of thy dear Son, who hath taught us to pray, and say, Our Father, which art in Heaven, &c.