Family devotions for Sunday evenings, throughout the year being practical discourses, with suitable prayers / by Theophilus Dorrington.

THE PRAYER.

O Eternal and Almighty God, thou art always the same, and thy years do not fail, thou art the same yesterday, and to day and for ever, without Variableness or shadow of Change. It is upon thee, O Lord, and thy unchangeable Power, that all things else do depend, in their Beings and in all their Opera∣tions; thou fillest Heaven and Earth, and thou work∣est all in all. All thy Works praise thee, O God, and thy Saints bless thee: The invisible Things of thee are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even thy Eternal power and Godhead. And we, O Lord, are amongst the number of those whom thou hast Created, and dost preserve; thou in thy due time, didst bring us into Being at our Birth, and by thee we are hitherto sustained. It is thou that sup∣portest our frail Natures, that they fall not into the Dust; by thy careful Providence over us, we have escaped many Dangers, we have got through the weakness of Infancy, and the Heedlesness of Child∣hood; by thy Blessing has our Food nourisht, and our Cloaths warmed us, for we live not by these things alone, but by the Word which proceeds out of the mouth of God. We are in thy Hands then, O thou the Sovereign Arbiter of Life and Death: when ever thou pleasest, we return to the Dust from whence we were Created. We acknowledge it is of thy Mercy that we are not consumed, and because thy Compas∣sions fail not. And we are afraid, when we think how easily thou canst crush and destroy us, how frail our Life is, and how short and Transitory, how lit∣tle a distance we are from Eternity, and how exposed our Lives are, how many Evils and Dangers compass

us about, and how small a Matter is able to put an end to our Days: These things when we consider them, make us look upon our selves as always just at the brink of the Grave and Eternity. And while we have liv'd careless of our Duty to thee, while we have liv'd in Rebellion against thee, we have been upon the brink of Hell, and in continual Danger of falling into it. Had thy wrath been kindled against us but for a mo∣ment, which we have continually provoked, we had pe∣risht irrecoverably. Oh how great and wonderful is thy Patience and Goodness in continuing, and suppor∣ting and watching over such provoking Sinners▪ We admire, we praise thee for thy Long-suffering towards us; and since thou hast given space to do it, we repent of all our past Sins, we purpose and desire to lead a new and good Life, and we humbly sue for thy par∣doning Mercy. When we with Sorrow and Shame confess our Sins, do thou, we pray thee, forgive our Sins, and cleanse us from all Unrighteousness. Give us a true and unfeigned Repentance, and the Grace to amend our Lives according to thy Holy word. Teach us that denying all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts, we may live soberly, righteously and godly in this present World, spending the rest of our Days to thy Honour and Glory. In this way make us to seek an Inheritance in the World to come, that since we have here no long abode, no certain Duration, no abiding State, we may have a Treasure in Heaven, an Inhe∣ritance in the next World that fadeth not away. Make us so sensible of the short and uncertain condition of this our present Life, that our Affections may be wean'd from this World, and set upon the things to come; teach and inable us so to pass through things Temporal that we finally lose not the things that are Eternal.

We pray thee, let not this day be utterly lost to us, but give us Comfort and good Fruit of our Atten∣dances upon thee; O Let thy Ordinances be to us, the means of a Glorious and Eternal Life. Grant us

to lie down this Night in Peace, while thou makest us to dwell safely: Let our waking Thoughts in the Night-season instruct us. Give us cause in the Morn∣ing to rejoyce in thy Goodness, and Lord Comfort this our wretched mortal Life with thy Blessings, let us see thy Goodness in the Land of the Living.

We beseech thee, to have mercy upon all Men; Grant them to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent to their eternal Sal∣vation. Save thy People, O Lord, and bless thine heritage, govern and lift them up for ever. We pray thee, Bless these Nations wherein we live, be thou as a Wall of Fire round about us, and our defence against all thine Enemies and ours; O purge and cleanse us from our Sins, that we may be meet for the Favours of thy Providence. Grant our King and Queen a long and happy Reign over us, give them great Prosperity and Peace. Direct all our Magistrates, so to govern them∣selves in their several places, as may be to thy Glory, the good of thy Church among us, and to the Safety, Ho∣nour and Welfare of their Majesties and their Kingdoms. Teach all our People duely to fear thee, to be subject and obedient to those that are over them in Church or State, and to live in brotherly Love and Unity one a∣mong another. We humbly recommend to thy Good∣ness, O Father of Mercies, all that are in any Trou∣ble or Affliction, give them Patience and Submission to thee, and in due time deliver them. We pray thee bless all our Friends and Relations, do good to our Enemies, and make them to be at Peace with us: All this we humbly ask in the Name of Jesus Christ; and further whatever he himself hath taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, &c.