The fourth part of the true watch containing prayers and teares for the churches. Or A helpe to hold up the hearts and hands of the poorest servants of God, untill our Lord Iesus Christ shall have rescued his glorie, kingdome, and people in all the world, and fully prepared the way to his most glorious appearing.

VI. A prayer for knowledge and right use of the meanes, whereby wee may bee made Gods Children, and grow up in the assurance thereof▪ and so b•…•… established in grace con∣tinually.

OH most gracious God,* 1.1 and mercifull Father, the onely fountaine of wise∣dome and grace, forsomuch as every one who hath any sparke of grace or true wise∣dome, desires to bee in the blessed estate of thy Chil∣dren, to have thy love and fa∣vour, to grow up in the as∣surance thereof, as the chiefest happinesse in this world; per∣swade us and all thy people aright, what are the ordinary meanes whereby thou beget∣test thy Children to a lively hope: That thou dost it or∣dinarily* 1.2 and usually, even by the same meanes, whereby thou diddest first gather thy Church in the daies of our Sa∣viour: and after that, so won∣derfully and speedily spread* 1.3 it over the face of the earth, e∣ven by the sincere preaching of thy heavenly word, and

namely of thy sacred Gos∣pell.

That howsoever the world* 1.4 accounts that foolishnesse, yet thou hast ordained it to be the immortall seede, whereby* 1.5 thine are begotten anew, and thus made thy Children by grace, and to be thy mighty* 1.6 power unto salvation, to make all thine to beleeve, and in beleeving, to make them partakers of thy favour and love, and so to give them e∣ternall life. And that this* 1.7 saving kinde of preaching stands, as the preaching of Paul did, not in the intising speech of mans wisedome, but in the plaine evidence of thy Spirit, & of power. That* 1.8 so our faith may bee apparant to bee wrought, not by the wisedome of men, but onely by thy divine and mighty po∣wer alone.

Perswade all thy people

moreover, that as thou doest beget all thine a-newe by this thy heauenly voyce,* 1.9 the sincere preaching of thy Gospell, and in calling them makest them thy Children; so thou feedest and nourishest them, and all thy Graces in them by the same principal∣ly; and next therunto by the right use of thy holie Sacra∣ments,* 1.10 the reuerent reading* 1.11 of the same blessed word, and other holy bookes grounded* 1.12 thereupon, with sacred Me∣ditations,* 1.13 conference with the godly, practise of all holy duties, carnest supplications and prayers, for a right and sanctified use, & for thy bles∣sing upon everie one of these meanes, and the like, to make them all effectuall heereun∣to.

Good Father, perswade •…•…ll who thus desire to bee thy Children, and in thy favour;

and to have all others like∣wise,* 1.14 partakers with them of the same mercy, to seeke by all holy meanes the establi∣shing and advancement of thy sacred Ministery, & that them selves, and all others may de∣pend upon the conscionable, faithfull, and sincere Mini∣sters, Pastors, and Teachers, whom thou hast ordayned in this respect, to succeed in the place of holy Paul, and the o∣ther Apostles for the gathe∣ring together of the Saints,* 1.15 for the worke of the Mini∣stry, and for the edification of the body of Christ, and bee wholly affraid of all Anaba p∣tisticall fancies or separations, or of any way vvithdrawing themselves from under the meanes ordayned by thee for their salvation, to lye open to Sathan, and his delusions.

Oh gracious Father, who so tenderest thy Children and

chosen flocke, as thou hast set* 1.16 Kings & Princes in thy place for the care and comfort of them above all other of the earth; perswade, and move effectually the heartes of all those whom thou hast ap∣pointed to be thus as Fathers to thy children; as namely, all Governours, and principally the cheefe whom thou hast specially ordayned to bee the prime foster-Fathers unto those thy deere Children, in al the parts of the world. That they by all the meanes & po∣wer that thou shalt ever vouchsafe to put into their hands, may looke to see thy* 1.17 people committed to their charge, to be furnished with such conscionable, sincere, & faithfull Pastors and teachers, as by whom they may be first begotten, and after nourished and fed, so as they may grow up to the measure of the age

of the fulness in Christ, and be provided likewise for all o∣ther gracious meanes & helps belonging hereunto.

Thus in like manner, wee* 1.18 humbly intreate thee most mercifull God, and tender fa∣ther, that by the mighty ope∣ration of thy heavenly Spirit, thou wilt thorowly perswade and move all those, whome thou hast in a peculiar manner separated unto this worke of winning of soules unto thee, or who have or shall any way enter heereupon; that they may wisely consider, that principall part of their Voca∣tion and Function, namely, to endeavour to make al their. Congregations to bee thine owne Children, carrying live∣ly thy image, and bearing up∣on them the markes of thy Children.

Cause them to seeke ten∣derly* 1.19 to nourish and comfort

them as in thy place and pre∣sence, and ever to preserve & * 1.20 keepe them from Sathan, and all his cursed agents and in∣struments; as from all sedu∣cing Iesuites and Seminaryes, who compasse sea and land to make all sorts the children of the divell, worse then them∣selves; and so from all other deceyvers, and all the delusi∣ons of this evill world. Grant that thus they may study to be able, each according to their places, at all times whensoever thou shalt call them to an account, and chie∣fly* 1.21 at the great day, to present them with all confident bold∣ness and joy before thy hea∣venly Majesty, saying vvith the Prophet, Lord heere am I, and the children thou hast given me, by my Ministry, or any way cōmitted to my charge. Hearken unto us, Oh graci∣ous Father in these our hum∣ble

supplications, & all other things which thou knowest to be needfull for us, or thy whole Church, or any part thereof, for Iesus Christ our Lord, and onely Saviour.

Notes

• * 1.1

  To pray to know the right meanes of getting Gods favour & growing therein.
• * 1.2

  As in the daies of our Saviour and the Primi∣tive Church.
• * 1.3

  By the sin∣cere preach∣ing of his Gospell.
• * 1.4

  Though the world count it foolishne•…•…▪
• * 1.5

  The immor∣tall seed.
• * 1.6

  Gods mighty power to sal∣vation.
• * 1.7

  That this stands not in the inticing speech of mans wise∣dome, but in the plaine e∣vidence of Gods Spirit.
• * 1.8

  A•…•…d why.
• * 1.9

  That God nourisheth his children by the same meanes of the word.
• * 1.10

  Sacraments.
• * 1.11

  Good books.
• * 1.12

  Meditations.
• * 1.13

  Prayers.
• * 1.14

  To seeke to this end the establishing & advance∣ment of thy sacred Mini∣stery, and to depend thereon.
• * 1.15

  Ephes. 4. 11.
• * 1.16

  To stirre up the hearts of Kings and Princes to this holy care.
• * 1.17

  To see their people fur∣nished with holy & con∣scionable Ministers.
• * 1.18

  That the Mi∣nisters may study to make all the people the Children of God.
• * 1.19

  To nourish them as in his place.
• * 1.20

  To keepe them from Sathan and all his agents
• * 1.21

  To be able to present them with all confident boldness be∣fore his Ma∣iesty.