Jacobs ladder, or, The devout souls ascention to Heaven, in prayers, thanksgivings, and praises in four parts ... : with graces and thanksgivings : illustrated with sculptures / by Jo. Hall.

A Prayer for a Family for Wed∣nesday Evening.

MOst Glorious Lord God, whose dwelling is in the highest heavens. And yet behold∣est the lowly and the humble upon earth; we blush and are ashamed to lift up our eyes unto heaven, be∣cause we have sinned against thee, which dwellest in the heavens; But look down we beseech thee, from heaven thy dwelling place, and be∣hold the humility of thy servants here on earth, which prostrate themselves at the foot-stool of thy mercy, confessing their own guilti∣ness, begging pardon for our sins;

we confess, O Almighty Creator, that thou madest us at the first, af∣ter thine own Images; thou cloathedst us with Innocency, as with a Garment; thou seatest us in Paradice, a place of all delight and P••easure; But we have defaced thine Image, we have cast off our first Covering; we have thrust our selves out of that pleasant place; we ran away from thee, and were not obedient to thy Voice. And we do still shut our Eyes, O Lord, that we might not see, and we have refused to be ruled by thy Law. The law of sin in our flesh, doth dayly capt••vate us; The root of sin, which lyeth hidden in us, doth every day put forth new branches; all the parts, and faculties, of our bodies, and souls, are as so many Instru∣ments of unrighteousness, to fight against thy Divine Majesty. Our hearts imagine wicked things; our mouths utter them, and our hands put them in practise; Thy

Mercys are every day renewed unto us, and our sins are every day mul∣tiplyed against thee; in the day of health, and prosperity, we forget thee, and we never think upon thee, in the day of sickness, and adversi∣ty; Thy benefits heaped upon us, do not allure us to obey thee; nei∣ther do thy Judgments inflicted upon others, make us afraid to of∣fend thee; what couldst thou have done, O Lord, more for us? or, what could we have done more a∣gainst thee? Thou didst send thy Son, in the fulness of time, to take our nature upon him, to fulfil thy Law for us, and to be Crucified for our sins; but we have not followed the example of his Holy Life, but have every day afresh, Crucified him by our sins; and now O Lord, if we should become our own Judg∣es, we cannot but confess, that, we have deserved everlasting tor∣ments in Hell fire; but there is mercy with thee, O Lord, there∣fore

will we not despair; our sins are many in number, but thy mer∣cys are without number; the weight of our sins is great, but the weight of thy Sons Cross was great∣er; our sins press us down to hell, but thy mercy in Christ Jesus, rais∣eth us up; by Satan we are accus∣ed, but by Jesus Christ we are de∣fended; By our own Consciences, we are condemned, but by Jesus Christ, we are absolved and pardon∣ed; in us there is nothing but Sin, Death, and Damnation; in him there is treasured up for us, Righteousness, Life and Salvation; we are poor, Christ is our Riches; we are naked, he is our covering; We are exposed to thy fury pursu∣ing of us, he is the buckler of our defence, and our refuge; he is the Rock of our Salvation, and in him do we trust; Guide us, O Lord, by thy holy Spirit, to amend what is amiss in us, increase all gifts and graces, which thou hast already giv∣en,

and give unto us what thou best knowest to be wanting; Be gracious, and favourable to thy whole Church, especially to that part of it among us; Bless thy Ser∣vant and our soveraign Lord, King Charles; our gracious Queen Ka∣tharine, and all the Royal Family; we beseech thee also to be gracious to the Kings Council, the Nobility, the Magistracy, the Ministry, the Gentry, the Commonalty; Forget not, O Lord, all those that are un∣der the Cross, and affliction; Cloth the Naked, feed the Hun∣gry, visit the Sick, deliver the Cap∣tives, defend the Fatherless and Widow, releive the Oppressed, con∣firm and strengthen those that suf∣fer Persecution for Righteousness sake; cure those that are broken in heart, speak peace unto their con∣sciences, that are tormented with the sence of their sins; stand by those that are ready to depart out of this life, and when the house of

their earthly Tabernacle shall be destroyed, then Lord receive their Souls. And now O Lord, we bless, and praise thy Name, for our Health, Maintenance and Liberty, for preserving us ever since we were born, for blessing us in all that we have put our hands unto this day; Let thy mercy still be continued unto us, we beseech thee; let the eye of thy providence, which never slumbereth nor sleep∣eth, watch over us, and let the hand of thy power, Protect, and de∣fend us; Cover us this Night, un∣der the Shadow of thy Wings, that no evil happen unto us; Grant that our bodies may be refreshed this night, with such moderate rest, that we may be the fitter, for the works of our vocation, and thy service the next morning; Hear us we beseech thee for Jesus Christ his sake, our Lord, and only Saviour; in whose Name, and Words, we call upon thee, further Praying, Our Father, &c.