have compaffion upon their blindness and ignorance, their gross errors and wicked practices. Send forth, I beseech thee, thy light and thy truth, to scatter that thick darkness which covers the nations, and overspreads so great a part of the world; that thy way may be known upon earth, and thy faving health among all nations. Bless and preferve thy church dispersed over the face of the earth, restore to it unity and concord in the acknowledgment of the truth, and the practice of righteousness and goodness. Remove out of it all errors and corruptions, all offences and scandals, all divisions and dissensions, all tyranny and ufurpation over the minds and confciences of men, that they who profess the fame faith, may no longer persecute and destroy one another; but may be kind and tender hearted one towards another, as it becomes brethren, and those that are heirs of the same common falvation. I beseech thee more especially, to be merciful to that part of thy church which thou hast planted in these kingdoms. Pity the distractions and heal the breaches of it. Purge out of it all impiety and profaneness; take away thofe mistakes, and mutual exafperations, which cause so much distemper and difturbance; and restore to it piety and virtue, peace and charity. Endue the Pastors and Governors of it with the spirit of true religion and goodness, and make them zealous and diligent to promote it in those who are under their instruction and care. Give them wisdom to difcern the best and most proper means of composing the differences of this miferably divided church, the heart to endeavour it, and by thy bleffing upon their endeavours the happiness to effect it. And I befeech the, O Lord, of thy great goodnefs to blefs all my relations and friends; particularJy my dearest confort the Queen. I acknowledge thy special providence in bringing us together, and thereby giving me the opportunity and means of being inftrumental in rescuing these nations from mifery and ruin. And as thou hast been pleased to unite us 2 : in the nearest relation; so I beseech thee to preserve and continue that entire love and affection between us, which becomes that relation. And if it be thy blessed will, and thou seest it best for us, bless us with children to fit upon the throne of these kingdoms, and to be a blessing to them for many gene rations. Be merciful also, O God, to my native country; let true religion and righteousness be established among them, as the surest foundation of their peace and profperity. Bless all my allies: O righteous Lord, thou lovest righteousness, and hatest falshood and wrong, da thou stand by us in the maintenance of that just cause in which we are engaged, and bless us with us nion and good success. And in thy good time, O Lord, restore peace to Christendom; put an end to those bloody wars and defolations, wherewith it hath been so long and fo miferably harassed: And, when thou seest it best and fittest, manifest thy glorious justice in giving check to that ambition and cruelty, which hath been the cause of so great calamities, to so great a part of the world. O God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thy felf: Lift up thy self, thou Judge of the earth, and render a reward to the proud: Scatter the people that delight in war: Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but do thou establish the just. Be merciful, O God, to all that are in affliction or distress; that labour under poverty or perfecution or captivity; under bodily pains and diseases, or under temptation and trouble of mind: be pleased to fupport and comfort them, and in thy due time to deliver them according to thy great mercy. Forgive, I beseech thee, most merciful Father, to all mine enemies, all their malice and ill-will towards me; and give them repentance and better minds; which I heartily beg of thee for them, as I myself hope for mercy and forgiveness at thy hands through the merits and mediation of Jesus Chrift, my most merciful God and Saviour. A thank A thankful acknowledgment of the mercies of God, both temporal and spiritual; and above all, for the redemption of mankind by the humiliation and Sufferings of his Son in our nature. BLeffed and glorious Lord God, the great Crea tor, and Preferver, and Governor of all things; my Saviour and Deliverer, and continual Benefactor: I acknowledge, I admire, I adore, thy infinite excellencies and perfections: And let all the creatures in heaven and earth say, Amen. I Render thanks to thee, most gracious God, for innumerable favours conferred upon me thy poor creature, and most unworthy; for my being, for my reason, and for all other endowments and faculties of foul and body; for thy continual care and watchful providence over me from the beginning of my life, and through the whole course of it: For all the happy circumstances of my birth and education: For the pious care of my dear, and ever honoured mother and grandmother, and of all others who had the charge of me in my tender years: For thy unwearied patience towards me, after so many and fo great provocations: And for thy merciful and wonderful preservation of me from innumerable dangers and deaths, to which I have been exposed all my life. I will still hope in thy goodness, O Lord, who has been my trust from my youth; by thee have I been holden up from the womb, my praise shall be continually of thee. Above all I adore thy tender mercy and compassion to me and all mankind, in sending thy only Son into the world, to redeem us from fin and mifery, and by fuffering in our nature, and dying in our stead, to purchase for us eternal life. I bless thee for the light of the glorious gospel, for the knowledge and sense of my duty towards thee: for delivering me from temptations too hard for me, and supporting me under ma ny: For the directions, and assistance, and comforts of thy holy Spirit: For restraining me by thy grace, and reclaiming me from the ways of fin and vanity; and for all the gracious communications of thy goodness, whereby thou hast inclined my heart to love and fear thee, and enabled me in any measure to do thy will. For these and all other thy blessings and favours to me, which are more than can be numbered, I render unto thee, most gracious God, all poffible praise and thanks by Jesus Christ my blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen. A prayer to God, to prepare my heart for the worthy receiving of the holy Sacrament, and to make me partaker of the blessings and benefits of it. I Come to thee, O my Lord God, from whom are the preparation of the heart, and the good difposition of our minds for thy worship and service. Fit me, O Lord, by hearty contrition for my fins, and a fincere resolution of a better course, to approach thy altar. Accept of the expiation which thy, Son hath made of all my tranfgreffions by the facrifice of himself, as of a Lamb without spot and blemish. Let the remembrance of my fins, and of his bitter sufferings for them, pierce my very heart, and engage me for ever to love and serve him, who laid down his life for me. Cleanse me, O Lord, from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, that I may be a meet guest for thy holy table, and a real partaker of those blessings and benefits which are represented in the facrament of Christ's body and blood. Strengthen, O God, all good resolutions in me; enable me, by thy grace, faithfully to perform the conditions of that covenant which I made in baptifm, and intend to renew in the holy facrament, by dedicating my self entirely, and for ever to the service of my blessed Redeemer, who hath loved me, and washed me from my fins in his own blood. To him be all honour and and glory, thanksgiving and praise, love and obedience, for ever and ever. Amen. Short meditations and ejaculations at the communion. Before the Minister begins the service. Lift up my foul to thee, my God, humbly im. I ploring thy bleffing upon me, and gracious af sistance of me in the holy action I am now about. Forgive my want of due preparation, and accept of my fincere defire to perform an acceptable service to thee, through Jesus Chrift. Before the receiving of the bread. Lord, I am not worthy of the crumbs which fall from thy table. After the receiving of it. Greater love than this hath no man, that a man lay down his life for his friend. Herein hath God commended his love ve to us, that whilst we were enemies, he gave his Son to dy for us. Before the receiving of the cup. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits? I will take the cup of falvation, and I will bless the name of the Lord. After the receiving of it. Bleffed be God for his unspeakable gift, his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemp |