A guide to the Holy City, or, Directions and helps to an holy life containing rules of religious advice, with prayers in sundry cases, and estates ... / by Iohn Reading ...

A thanksgiving for a Woman after her Deliverance.

O Lord God of our salvation, who mercifully enclinedst thine eare unto us in our feare and distresse: who appointedst in thy Law that she should bring a paire of mourning Turtles, who had not a spotlesse Lamb for a sacrifice of thanks-giving: it is the same thy clemency, who wilt now accept their repentance, who have not that unblemished innocency which can abide the tryall of thy severe justice, and their hearty desire to be truely thankfull, who have nothing wor∣thy thy acceptance to render unto thee: Lord therefore accept what thy selfe hast given us to bring before thee, an humble and hearty de∣sire to returne thee the fruits of our hearts and lipps, the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, as for all thy fatherly mercies, so particu∣larly for that thou hast asswaged the sorrowes of this thy servant, with a comfortable Issue: that thou hast given her patience to beare, ability to overcome her tryalls, and strength to bring forth: that by thy mercy mitigating her paines, thou hast allayed the rigour of thy sentence, which thy justice pronounced: we acknowledge thee to be the only Lord, in whose hands are the Issues of life and death, the God of our health and salvation.

And now ô Lord perfect thine own worke: as thou hast delive∣red thy servant from her feare and sorrow, so give her an heart ever to trust and rejoyce in thee: as thou hast given her this fruit of the wombe, so make him an accession to the encrease of thy Kingdome, by the spirit of regeneration: sanctify him and keep him in his tender yeares from sinne and all the malitious assaults of the enemy; give thy holy Angels charge over him to keep him in all his waies, that he may grow up in thy faith, feare, and love: so that in what e∣ver condition thy good providence shall set him, his inte∣rest and assurance may be of his election and salvation in Christ Jesus.

Lord accomplish thy worke of mercy to thy servant: repaire her

health and strength: give her a faithfull heart, carefully to imploy the same in thy service, and the holy education of those thou hast gi∣ven her: assist her in the whole remainder of her life; that she may pay all her vowes made to thee in her feare and trouble: let the tast of these bitter fruits of sinne give her a more fervent love to thy mer∣cy pardoning it, and a greater hate to all that which offendeth thee: lead her in thy waies: teach her so to number her daies, that she may apply her heart unto wisedome: make her more and more fruitfull in all good workes, and zealous of thy lawes; so that her life may ap∣peare, not only restored, but also improoved and made more happy, to the glory of thy great name, the good example of others, who shall see, as thy worke of mercy on her, so the effects of that worke, the fruits of sanctity in her, to the further assurance of her conscience be∣fore thee, confirmed by the experience of thy mercy in her delive∣rance and preservation, and to the salvation of her body and soule to all eternity, through Jesus Christ our Lord and onely Savi∣our.

AMEN.