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

The PRAYER.

OH most merciful and gracious God; thy mercy is everlasting, and thy truth endures from Generation to Generation. Thou hast helped us in our low Estate through the greatness of thy Mercy: When we had ren∣dred our selves deserving of everlasting Misery, and ut∣ter Rejection from thy favour and care, thou didst then take care for us, and laidst help upon One that is migh∣ty, and able to save to the uttermost: Oh who can con∣ceive, or express the Love of God to us in Christ Jesus! It passes knowledge. We give thee, O Lord, most hum∣ble and hearty Thanks for this thy unspeakable Gift. We thank thee for our Saviour's excellent Doctrins and Instructions, whereby he shews us the way to happiness; for his most holy and good Life, whereby he leads us in the way to it, and is become an encouraging Pattern and Example of Well-doing; We bless thee for his merito∣rious Death, whereby he has made an Attonement for our Sins, has purchased for us thy sanctifying Grace, and thy infinite, eternal Favour. Oh what reason have we to say, what shall we render unto the Lord for all his Benefits! How many ways, O Lord, hast thou deserved our high∣est praises, our supream Affections, and our best Obedi∣ence? But, Oh how unsensible have we, ungrateful wretches been of this thy great Mercy? How backward and slow to comply with the just and reasonable Terms of Salvation? We are loth to part with our Sins, even for the Love of Jesus, or to wean our Affections from this World, for the hopes of Heaven. Yea, we are apt to fall into the guilty and pernicious folly of turning the Grace of God into wantonness, of encouraging our selves to continue in our Sins, upon presumption on thy

Mercy in Christ Jesus, and of expecting Salvation by him while we have neglected the terms and conditions of obtaining it. O Lord, awaken us at length to a due and wise Care of our own Souls: Of thy infinite Mercy, pardon our past Neglects, and give us, for the sake of Jesus Christ, what thou requirest, that we may be partakers of the great Salvation. Give us an unfeigned Repentance for all our past Transgressions; stedfast and sincere purpo∣ses of new Obedience. Give us an humble, lively Faith in him, such as may engage us to follow him, make us love and chuse his Commands, ready to deny our selves for his sake, and to devote our selves entirely to him, to live to him that died for us; let it bring forth much fruit in a diligent and industrious Obedience, and seek, and expect our acceptance and reward, only by Vertue of his Merits and spotless Righteousness. Let such a Faith, we pray thee, be formed or promoted in us by the Ordinances we have this day enjoyed. Let us lie down in peace with thee this Night, and repose our selves under the protection of thy Providence. If it please thee, that we shall awake again in this World, let our Hearts be full of a thankful Sense of thy Mercies, and a Concern to shew forth thy Praise in the Course of our Lives.

We humbly recommend to thy Mercy and Favour all Mankind; beseeching thee to enlighten those that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of Death; to bring into the way of thy Truth, all such as have erred, and are de∣ceived: To replenish thy Church abundantly with the Gifts and Graces of thy good Spirit; to comfort and re∣lieve any of thy Servants, that are desolate and afflicted; to prosper those that seek the Peace of thy Jerusalem. We implore thy Mercy upon the Land of our Nativity: Lord, let Peace and Righteousness, Charity and Piety, setle and abound among us. Rule and guide thou our Rulers in thy Fear: Teach our Teachers: Bless, com∣fort, and encourage thy Ministers, both in Church and State, with a Loyal, Obedient, Peaceable, and Loving People. Grant that we may all live to thy Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. In whose own words we fur∣ther say.

Our Father, &c.