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OTHER DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES

FOR PERSONS IN PRIVATE.

Morning Prayer.

AN ACT OF ADORATION.

HOLY, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come; heaven and earth, angels and men, the air and the sea, give glory, and honor, and thanks, to him that sitteth on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever. All the blessed spirits and souls of the righteous cast their crowns before the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Thy wisdom is infinite, thy mercies are glorious; and I am not worthy, O Lord, to appear in thy presence, before whom the angels

hide their faces. O holy and eternal Jesus, Lamb of God, who wert slain from the beginning of the world, thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign with thee for ever. Blessing, honor, glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever. Amen.

AN ACT OF THANKSGIVING.

Sing praises unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks to him for a remembrance of his holiness. For his wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye, and in his pleasure is life: heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Thou, Lord, hast preserved me this night from the violence of the spirits of darkness, from all sad casualties and evil accidents, from the wrath which I have every day deserved: thou hast brought my soul out of hell, thou hast kept my life from them that go down into the pit: thou hast showed me marvellous great kindness, and hast blessed me for ever: the greatness of thy glory reacheth unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing. O my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever. Amen.

AN ACT OF OBLATION, OR PRESENTING OURSELVES TO GOD FOR THE DAY.

Most holy and eternal God, Lord and Sovereign of all creatures, I humbly present to thy divine Majesty myself, my soul and body, my thoughts and my words, my actions and intentions, my passions and my sufferings, to be disposed by thee to thy glory, to be blessed by thy providence, to be guided by thy counsel, to be sanctified by thy Spirit, and afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory: for nothing can perish which is under thy custody; and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is thy portion, nor take it out of thy hands. This day, O Lord, and all the days of my life, I dedicate to thy honor, and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace, and the religion of all my days, to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour, Jesus, that in him, and for him, I may be pardoned and accepted. Amen.

AN ACT OF REPENTANCE.

For as for me, I am not worthy to be called thy servant, much less am I worthy to be thy son; for I am greedy of sin and impatient of reproof, desirous to seem holy and negligent of being so, transported with interest, fooled with presumption and false principles, disturbed with anger, with a peevish and unmortified spirit, and disordered by a whole

body of sin and death. Lord, pardon all my sins for my dearest Saviour's sake: thou who didst die for me, holy Jesus, save me and deliver me. Reserve not my sins to be punished in the day of wrath and eternal vengeance; but wash them away, and blot them out of thy remembrance, and purify my soul with the waters of repentance and the blood of the cross; that for what is past thy wrath may not come out against me, and for the time to come I may never provoke thee to anger or to jealousy. O just and holy God, be pitiful and gracious to thy servant. Amen.

THE PRAYER.

Bless me, gracious God, in my calling to such purposes as thou shalt choose for me, or employ me in relieve me in all my sadness, make my bed in my sickness, give me patience in my sorrows, confidence in thee, and grace to call upon thee in all temptations. O be thou my guide in all my actions, my protector in all dangers: give me a healthful body, and a clear understanding; a sanctified and just, a charitable and humble, a religious and a contented spirit: let not my life be miserable and wretched, nor my name stained with sin and shame, nor my condition lifted up to a tempting and dangerous fortune; but let my condition be blessed, my conversation useful to my neighbors, and pleasing to thee; that when my body shall lie

down in its bed of darkness, my soul may pass into the regions of light, and live with thee for ever, through Jesus Christ.

Give me thy grace, O Lord, that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time, so as I may best prevent or resist all temptation, and be profitable to the Christian commonwealth, and by discharging all my duty, may glorify thy name. Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and an active spirit, and wisdom to choose my employment, that I may do works proportionable to my person, and to the dignity of a Christian, and may fill up all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity; that when the devil assaults me, he may not find me idle, and my dearest Lord at his sudden coming may find me busy in lawful, necessary, and pious actions, improving my talent intrusted to me by thee, my Lord, that I may enter into the joy of my Lord, to partake of his eternal felicities, even for thy mercies' sake, and for my dearest Saviour's sake. Amen.

AN ACT OF INTERCESSION.

O God of infinite mercy, who hast compassion on all men, and relievest the necessities of all that call to thee for help, hear the prayers of thy servant, who unworthy to ask any petition for himself, yet in humility and duty is bound to pray for others.

O let thy mercy descend upon the whole Church;

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