'men, and not to be discouraged at any difficulties or oppo'fitions they may meet with. O God, hear their prayers ⚫ for themselves and others; defend them from the rage of fatan, and from the malice of evil men; perfect holiness 'more and more in their hearts; and unite them more to one another in thy truth, and in the bond of love; and ⚫ make them zealous of all good works, according to the 'command and example of Jefus Chrift, who went about doing good; for whofe fake I beseech thee to hear me.

Amen.

The following Prayers and Thanksgivings are fuited to the Twelve ARTICLES of the Belief.

A Prayer to One GOD and Three Perfons.

ALmighty and everlasting God, who haft given unto all

thy fervants grace by the confeffion of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the divine Majefty to worship the Unity; I beseech · thee, that thou wouldft keep me ftedfaft in this faith, and evermore defend me from all adverfities; who livest and reigneft one God, world without end. Amen.

A Thanksgiving for the Birth of Christ.

IT is very meet, right, and my bounden duty, that I should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty everlafting God, becaufe thou didst give Jefus Chrift thine only Son to be born as at this time for me; who, by the operation of the Holy Ghoft, was made very man of the fubftance of the virgin Mary his mother, and that without spot of fin to make me clean from fin: therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, I laud and magnify thy glorious name, evermore praifing thee, and faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hofts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord moft high. Amen.

A Prayer

A Prayer for the Benefits of Chrift's Death. Befeech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into my heart, that as I have known the incarnation of thy Son Jefus Christ, by the meffage of an angel; fo by his crofs and paffion I may be brought unto the glory of his refurrection, through the fame Jefus Chrift, my Lord. Amen.

A Thanksgiving for the Refurrection.

Almighty God, who, through thy only begotten Son Jefus Chrift, haft overcome death, and opened unto me the gate of everlasting life; I humbly befeech thee, that as by thy special grace, guiding and affifting me, thou dost put into my mind good defires, fo by thy continual help I may bring the fame to good effect, through Jesus Christ, my Lord, who liveth and reigneth, with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

IT

A Thanksgiving for the Afcenfion.

Tis very meet, right, and my bounden duty, that I fhould at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Everlasting God, through thy moft dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, my Lord, who after his moft glorious refurrection manifeftly appeared to his apoftles, and in their fight afcended up into heaven, to prepare a place for me; that where he is, thither we might alfo afcend, and reign with him in glory. Therefore with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, I laud and magnify thy glorious name, evermore praifing thee, and faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hofts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord, most high, Amen.

A Prayer for Preparation for Judgment. Almighty God, give me grace, that I

away

caft may the works of darkness, and put upon me the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, (in which thy Son Jefus Chrift came to vifit the world in great humility;) that in the last day, when he fhall come again in his glorious Majefty to judge both the quick and dead, I may rife to the

life immortal, through him, who liveth and reigneth, with thee and the holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

A Thanksgiving for the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft. IT is very meet, right, and my bounden duty, that I fhould at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Everlasting God, through Jefus Chrift, my Lord; according to whofe most true promise, the Holy Ghoft came down from heaven, with a fudden great found, as it had been a mighty wind, in the likeness of fiery tongues, lighting upon the apoftles to teach them, and to lead them into all truth; giving them both the gift of divers languages, and alfo boldnefs, with fervent zeal, conftantly to preach the gospel unto all nations whereby the world hath been brought out of darkness and error into clear light and true knowledge of thee and of thy Son Jesus Christ. Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, I laud and magnify thy glorious name, evermore praifing thee, and faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hofts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord most high. Amen,

A Prayer for the Prefervation of the Church.

;

O Lord, I beseech thee to keep thy church and houshold

continually in thy true religion, that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace, may evermore be defended by thy mighty power, through Jefus Chrift, my

Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Forgiveness of Sins.

Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more

ready to hear than I to pray, and art wont to give more than either I defire or deferve; pour down upon me the abundance of thy mercy, forgiving me thofe things whereof my confcience is afraid, and giving me thofe good things, which I am not worthy to afk, but through the merits and mediation of Jefus Chrift thy Son, my Lord. Amen,

A Prayer

I

A Prayer for the Profeffion of our Faith in the Resurrection. Believe, that, by the virtue of the refurrection of Jefus Chrift, all the dead fhall rife, bad as well as good; for death is fwallowed up in victory. I believe, that, by the almighty power of Jefus Chrift, all fhall rife with the fame bodies they had on earth; that their scattered duft shall be gathered into the fame form again; that my foul shall be reunited to my body; that I fhall be judged both in body and soul for the fins committed by both; that the bodies of the wicked fhall be fitted for torments, and the bodies of the faints changed in quality, and made glorified bodies, immortal and incorruptible, fitted for heaven, and eternally to love and enjoy God; for which glorious vouchfafement I do most humbly pray, and will always pray and love my Creator and Redeemer, to whom, with the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer for Life Everlasting.

GRANT, O Lord, that as I am baptifed into the death of thy bleffed Son our Saviour Jefus Chrift, fo by continually mortifying my corrupt affections, I may be buried with him, and that through the gate and the and the grave I may pafs to a joyful refurrection, for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rofe again for me, thy Son Jefus Christ my Lord. Amen.

A fhort Paraphrafe or Explication

OF THE

of death

LORD's

PRAYE R.

THIS

Our Father which art in Heaven.

HIS is a folemn invocation on God, as the maker and governor of the world, and as the Father of all chriftians in Chrift Jefus; in whofe name alone it is, that I fay, and hope for the acceptance of this prayer. And I fay our Father and not my Father, because I believe God to be a common Father, whom may all refort unto, and also that I may

declare

declare my communion with, and good-will to all my brethren of the fame houshold of faith. And I add which art in heaven, because the throne of his power and glory is in heaven. Hence we learn, that God is the fountain of all goodness, and is able and willing to fupport us; that we ought to pray for others, as well as ourfelves; and to join together in common prayer for common wants; and that, whenever we prefent our petitions to him, we ought to do it with the most ferious confideration, the profoundest humility, and the utmost devotion and reverence we are capable of. There is one thing farther to be taken notice of upon this head: That the expreffion, Our Father which art in Heaven,' wherewith our Lord teaches us to begin this Prayer, is a Preface both to the Whole Prayer, and to every Petition in particular.

THE

Hallowed be thy Name.

HE Name of God is here to be extended and applied not only to God himself, his titles and attributes, but to his word and ordinances, and to places, times, perfons, and things feparated from common ufe, and fet apart for the honour and fervice of his name; that all and every one of them may be treated after an holy manner, by having fuch efteem and regard paid to them, as is due to each of them refpectively. And from hence we learn, that the glory of God should be our chief aim, and the governing end of all our actions; that his name ought to be adored and magnified by us, and all the world; and that we should endeavour to promote the honour of it, by an exemplary behaviour in all other inftances of piety and holiness.

Thy Kingdom come.

HERE we pray for the coming of the kingdom of our Lord Jefus Chrift; a kingdom of a fpiritual nature; founded in direct oppofition to the kingdom of fatan, and for the deftruction of fin and death; having its beginning in grace here, and its completion in eternal glory hereafter. Therefore in this petition we pray, that God would bring all thofe, who are yet in a state of darkness, into the pale of Christ's church; and that his grace would fo rule in the hearts

of