New prayers and meditations with pious exhortations for fast-days pursuant to Their Majesties King William and Queen Mary's injunctions to suppress irreligion and prophaneness / by Tho. Watts, Vicar of Orpington and St. Mary Crey in Kent.

An Evening Prayer for Family or Closet, &c.

Lord, we call upon thee, haste thee unto us, and consider our voice, when we cry unto thee: Let our Prayers be set forth in thy sight, as the Incense; and let the lifting up of our hands be an Even∣ing Sacrifice, Psal. 141.1, 2.

O Holy, Blessed, and Glorious Trinity, three Persons and one God, look down from Heaven, the habitation of thy Ho∣liness, and of thy Glory, with Mercy upon us miserable sinners; and purifie, we beseech thee, our carnal Hearts, enlighten our Understandings, and exalt our Affections to a pious Contemp∣lation of thy glorious Attributes; to a Religious sense and admi∣ration of all thy wonderful Works, and condescending gracious Benefits to Mankind.

Thus let us learn in the profoundest Reverence, to adore and magnifie thy holy Name: And thus let us bless and praise thee for our Reason and Senses, Health and Strength, Food, and Raiment, with all the temporal Comforts and Necessaries of this Life: (Particularly for the Mercies of this Day, &c.) But most especially for thy spiritual Blessings, and for the Fountain and Foundation of them all, thy miraculous and inestimable Love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ, for all the means of grace, and hope of glory. O Father of

mercies, thou art kind even to the unthankful; yea, thus must we ever acknowledge our selves to have abundantly experi∣mented that gracious goodness of thine: For notwithstand∣ing our daily Provocations against thee, thou still heapest mercy and loving kindness upon us. All our Contempts and Despisings of thy spiritual Favours, have not yet made thee withdraw them; but in the riches of thy goodness and long∣suffering, thou still continuest to us the offers of grace and life in thy Son: And all our abuses of thy temporal Blessings, thou hast not punished with an utter deprivation of them, but art still pleased to afford us a liberal portion of them. The Sins of this day thou hast not repay'd, as justly thou might'st, by sweeping us away with a swift destruction; but hast spared and preserved us according to the greatness of thy mercy. [Here mention all particular Blessings.] What shall we render unto the Lord for all these benefits he hath done unto us? Lord, let this goodness of thine lead us to Repentance; and grant that we may not only offer thee thanks and praise, but may also order our Conversations aright, that so we may at last see the Sal∣vation of God. Grant that we may render thee not only the fruit of our lips, but the obedience of our lives; that so these Blessings here might be an Earnest of those richer Blessings thou hast prepared for them that love thee in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And Forasmuch as without thee, we are not able to please thee, mercifully grant, O God, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; to withstand the Tempta∣tions of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee the only God. And thus may it please thee to endow our Souls with these heavenly Gra∣ces and Vertues, of Faith, Hope, Love, Sincerity, Devotion, Humility, Fear, Trust, Thankfulness, Contrition, Meekness, Chastity, Temperance, Contentedness, Diligence, Justice, Cha∣rity, and perseverance in all good. O thus be pleased to make us partakers of thy Kingdom of Grace here, and Glory hereafter. And thus reign in our hearts by thy Graces now, that thou mayest receive us into thy blissful Mansions above. Oh! let there be always Oyl in our Vessels, and our Lamps

burning, ready to attend our glorious Bridegroom at the uncer∣tain hour of his coming either to Death or Judgment.

And, O everlasting God, who hast constituted and ordain'd the Services of Angels and Men in a wonderful order; merci∣fully grant, that as thy holy Angels alway do thee Service in Heaven; so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on Earth: And that we may ever imitate their chearful and absolute obedience to thy Commands, till we are translated hence to sing with them the everlasting Hallelujahs.

And O Almighty God, who seest, that we have no power of our selves to help our selves; in thy bountiful goodness provide for us daily; and keep us both outwardly in our Bodies, and inwardly in our Souls, that we may constant∣ly be supported in both; and may be defended from all ad∣versities which may happen to the Body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul. O continue ever to feed our Souls with the due and solemn administrati∣on of thy holy Word and Sacraments, and with all those hap∣py means of Grace and Salvation thou hast blessed us with in the Communion of thy holy Church; which enable us to observe thankfully and devoutly, especially in thy visible pub∣lick Worship: O may all, both Priests and People unani∣mously and piously offer up the constant Sacrifices of Praise and Prayer; duly celebrate thy Sabbaths and holy Days, and frequently approach as worthy Guests to thy holy Table; thus often commemorating, and beseeching thee, O Christ, O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the World, to grant us thy peace, and have mercy upon us, and never remove thy Candle∣stick from us miserable Sinners. And be thou pleased to pro∣vide for our Bodies Food and Raiment, with whatever else thou seest convenient and necessary for our well-being here; giving us grateful and contented hearts for all, and guiding us in such a right use of all, as may tend most to thy honour and glo∣ry, and our eternal welfare.

And O Merciful God, who hast made all Men, & hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are Penitent; create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, & acknowledging our wretch∣edness,

may obtain of thee the God of all Mercy, perfect Remis∣sion and Forgiveness; and thus O Lord, we beseech thee to Ab∣solve us from our Offences, that we may be deliver'd from the Bonds of those Sins, which by our frailty we have committed (especially this Day, &c.) O Lord, we bewail all these our ma∣nifold Sins and Wickednesses, which we from time to time most grievously have committed, by Thought, Word and Deed, against thy Divine Majesty, most justly provoking thy Wrath and In∣dignation against us. O Lord, mercifully relieve us by the com∣fort of thy Grace; and grant unto us, and to all thy Faithful Peo∣ple Pardon and Peace; that we may be cleansed from all our Sins, and serve thee with a quiet Mind. And thus too we pray thee, O God, to enable us entirely to forgive at all times, as we desire to be forgiven; to do in all things, as we would be done by; and so to love one another, that all Men may know us to be Christ's Disciples: O thus may our Light so Shine before Men, that they may see our Good Works, and Glorifie our Fa∣ther which is in Heaven. Thus, O Lord Jesus, come quickly, and deliver us by the Mystery of thy Holy Incarnation, by thy Holy Nativity and Circumcision, by thy Baptism, Fasting and Temptation; By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat, by thy Cross and Passion, by thy Pretious Death and Burial, by thy Glorious Resurrection and Ascention, and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost: And Good Lord Deliver us, In all time of our Tribulati∣on, in all time of our Wealth, in the Hour of Death, and in the Day of Judgment.

O God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that we cannot always stand upright; grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all Temptations. And O God, who art the Author of Peace, and Lover of Concord, give un∣to us thy humble Servants that peace which the World cannot give; O deliver us from te fear of all our Enemies both Spiri∣tual and Temporal, that we pass our time in rest and quietness: and lighten our darkness, we be beseech thee, O Lord, and by thy great Mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this Night; and now and evermore be pleased, O Lord, to save us, and all Mankind in all dangers Ghostly and Bodily; and to keep

us from all Sin and Wickedness, and from our Ghostly Enemy, and from everlasting Death. And particularly, we pray thee, O blessed Lord, whose Mercy is over all thy Works, to have Mercy upon all Men; and grant, that the Pretious Ransom which was paid by thy Son for all, may be effectual to the sa∣ving of all. Give thy inlightning Grace to those that are in Darkness, and thy Converting Grace to those that are in Sin. Look with thy tenderest Compassions upon the Universal Church. O be favourable and gracious unto Sion, build thou the Walls of Jerusalem; unite all those that profess thy Name to thee, by purity and holiness; and to each other by Brotherly Love. O blessed Lord, how long shall Christendom continue the vilest part of the World, a Sink of all those Abominable Pollutions, which even Barbarians detest! O let not our profession, and our Prac∣tice be always at so wide a distance! Let not the Disciples of the Holy and Immaculate Jesus be of all others the most pro∣phane and Impure! Let not the Subjects of the Prince of Peace be, of all others, the most contentious and bloody! but make us Christians in Deed, as well as in Name, that we may walk worthy of that Holy Vocation wherewith we are called: O may all with one Mind and one Mouth Glorifie thee the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have Mercy on this desolate Church, and sinful Nation; thou hast moved the Land, and divided it, heal the Sores there∣of, for it shaketh; Make us so truly to Repent of those Sins which have provoked thy Judgments, that thou also may'st turn and repent, and leave a Blessing behind thee. Bless those whom thou hast appointed our Governours, whether in Church or State; so rule their hearts, and strengthen their hands, that they may neither want Will, nor Power, to punish Wickedness and Vice; and to maintain God's true Religion and Vertue. Have pity, O Lord, on all that are in Affliction, be a Father to the Fa∣therless, and plead the Cause of the Widow; Comfort the Feeble Minded, Support the Weak, Heal the Sick, Relieve the Needy, Defend the Oppressed, and Administer to every one according to their several Necessities; Let thy Blessings rest upon all that are near and dear to us, and grant them whatsoever thou seest ne∣cessary, either to their Bodies or their Souls. (Here name all

Relations, &c.) Reward all those that have done us good; and Pardon all those that have done, or wish'd us Evil: and Work in them and us all that good, which may make us acceptable in thy sight, through Jesus Christ.

And, O Merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who art the Resurrection and the Life, in whom whosoever believeth, shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth and believeth in him, shall not die eternally: we meekly beseech thee to raise us all from the Death of Sin, to the Life of Righteous∣ness, that whenever we depart this life, we may rest in him; and that at the General Resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight, and receive that Blessing which thy Well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee, saying, Come ye blessed Children of my Father, re∣ceive the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World, Amen. Therefore, with Angels, and Arch-Angels, and all the Company of Heaven, we Laud and Magnifie thy Holy Name, ever∣more Praising thee, and saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Allmighty, Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory; Glory be to thee O God most high.

And thus Finally, we beseech thee, O Lord, to Pardon the Wandrings and Coldness of these and all our Petitions; and deal with us not according either to our Prayers or Deserts but according to our Needs, and thine own rich Mercies in Je∣sus Christ, in whose blessed Name and Words we conclude these our imperfect Prayers, saying,

Our Father, &c.

Unto thy Mercy and Protection, O God, we commit our selves this Night and for evermore. O Lord bless and keep us. Lord make thy Face to shine upon us, and be Gracious unto us. Lord lift up thy Countenance upon us, and give us Peace both now and evermore, Amen.