D

A Prayer for Perfons in a Storm at Sea.

EAREST LORD, and all-powerful Redeemer, who waft praying on the mountain, whilft thy difciples were toiling and rowing all night, and the wind was contrary;' who didft alfo appear by night to thy fervant Paul in a fhipwreck, faying, "Fear not, Paul, for God has given thee all the fouls that fail with thee;" mercifully look upon us, who are now expofed to the fame danger. Say unto our fouls, "It is I; be not afraid:" and to the winds, "Peace, be ftill;" and immediately there fhall be a great calm.

Save, LORD, or we perifh; for the waves rage horribly. Thou haft fent forth thy word, and the waters flow. O let not the deep shut her mouth upon us, and fuffer not the water-floods to fwallow us up!

We know, O LORD, for what cause this evil is come upon us. We have not feared thee, the GOD of heaven, who madeft the fea and dry land, as we ought. Therefore we are exceedingly afraid, left thou shouldft not deliver us in this needful time of trouble.

But O thou who didst once hear Jonah, when he cried unto thee out of the belly of the fish, though he was fleeing from thy prefence, hear us alfo for thy mercy's fake. For thou haft caft us into the deep, into the midst of the feas, the floods are compaffing us about, and thy billows and waves are paffing over us. Save our lives from deftruction, O LORD our GOD, and let us yet lift up our hands unto thee in thy holy temple.

But if the decree be gone forth, that our bodies muft now perish and see corruption, thy bleffed will be done. Only grant, O LORD, that our fouls may be precious in thy fight, and that we may be preserved from the ftorm of thy everlasting anger; so that when the voice of the archangel fhalt found, and the trump of God command the fea to give up its dead, we may rife to life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghoft, one God, now and for ever. Amen, and Amen.

VOL. IV.

Hh

A Thankf

ח

A

A Thanksgiving for a safe Arrival after a Voyage.

LMIGHTY and gracious LORD GOD, who art good,

and doeft good, who fendeft thy rain on the juft and on the unjust, and causeft thy fun to fhine on the evil and on the good; we thy unworthy fervants humbly beseech thee, that thou wouldst open our lips, and enlarge our hearts, to fhew forth thy praife, for letting us fee thy wonders in the deep, and for leading us through the fea, as on dry land, and bringing us to the haven where we would be,

O do thou, who didft infpire Mofes and the children of Ifrael to fing a fong unto thee, when thou broughtest them up out of the Red-fea, open our lips, O LORD, that our mouths may fhew forth thy praife: for thou art our strength and our fong, and art become our falvation. Thy right hand is become glorious in power. Who is like unto thee, O God, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?· Praise · the LORD, O our fouls, and may all that is within us praise his holy name.

We have feen thy paths in the great waters, and thy providence and power hath alone preserved us, otherwife the deep had long fince overwhelmed us, and the waters gone over our fouls. It is thy arm, O LORD, alone hath brought us this falvation. O that we may therefore praise thee for thy goodness, and declare the wonders that thou haft fhewn to us, the unworthieft of the children of men.

LORD, let us never be unmindful of thy manifold mercies, but enable us to pay thee the vows we made thee when we were in trouble. O keep us, keep us, we beseech thee, unfpotted from the world into which thou art fending us. Grant we may not turn thy grace into wantonnels, but henceforward walk fo holy, and unblaneably in all manner of converfation and godliness, that after we have pafled the waves of this troublesome world, we may arrive at the haven of eternal reft, which thou haft prepared for all that love our LORD JESUS in fincerity. Grant this, O Father, for thy dear Son's fake JESUS CHRIST our Saviour. Amen, and Amen.

A Prayer

A Prayer for a Sailor.

Thou God of the fea and dry land, who in thy ftrength

fetteft faft the mountains, and art girded about with power, who clafpeft the winds in thy fift, and holdeft the waters in the hollow of thy hand, who deckeft thyself with light, as with a garment, who fpreadeft out the Heavens like a curtain, who telleft the number of the ftars, and calleft them all by their names, who haft fet bounds to the fea which it cannot pass, and haft faid, Hitherto shall ye come and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be ftayed: 0 thou, who haft made Pleiades, Orion, and Arcturus, who layeft the beams of thy chambers in the waters, who makeft the clouds thy chariot, and walkeft on the wings of the wind: O thou almighty JEHOVAH, who hast called me by thy providence to go down to the sea in ships, and to occupy my business in the great waters; grant, that as I daily fee, fo I may daily admire thy wonders in the deep, and learn from ftorms and winds to obey thy word. They go, O LORD, when thou biddeft them go; they come, when thou commandeft them to come. But I have broken all thy commands: thou haft commanded me to go often, but alas! I go not. Thou requirest me to come and draw hear unto thee in prayer, but alas! I come not. Or if I do pray unto thee at such time as a ftorm comes upon me, yet my devotion ceafes with the ftorm, it is but like a morning cloud, and as the early dew that paffeth away.

LORD, I blush and am confounded, when I confider how often thou haft magnified thy power in my prefervation, and yet that I could continue fo ungrateful. Thou haft often heard me when I have cried unto thee, when I have been ftaggering to and fro, and been at my wit's end, when the waves went up to the heavens, and down to the hell beneath, and my foul hath fainted for very trouble: but I have forgot ten to praise thee, O LORD, for thy goodness, and to thank thee for the wonders thou haft fhewn to me, the unworthieft of the fons of men.

Thou waft with Noah in the ark, and his little family; O do thou vouchfafe to guide and protect me. Thou waft with Jonah, when he cried unto thee out of the belly of hell; hear

Hh 2

me

me alfo, now I cry unto thee out of the great deep. I would not behave more wifely in the things of this life, than in the things which belong to my everlafting peace. Let me not be fo careful to fhun a fhipwreck, and never fear making hipwreck of faith and a good conscience. Let me not be so careful to eye my compass, and yet seldom eye thy moft holy word, which alone can guide me through this world to the haven of everlasting reft. Let me not every day be folicitous to be at my wifhed-for port, and never defire to fee and enjoy thee. Let me not daily improve every wind, and continually neglect thofe glorious opportunities, which I enjoy of fitting myself for thee. Let me not fear a storm, and yet never fear that fiery tempeft, which will ere long, come upon the wicked, from thy prefence.

I

j

Keep me, O GOD, from impatience, when the winds and feas are contrary. Grant me a lively perfuafion, that thy providence ruleth all things; that thou intendeft every thing for my good, and enable me therefore patiently to tarry thy leifure, and to give thee thanks for all things that befal me, fince it is thy will in CHRIST JESUS concerning me. Let me not complain of the weather, fince that is tacitly complaining of thee, my GoD..

Keep, O LORD, I beseech thee, the door of my lips, that I may not offend thee with my tongue. O put away swearing far from me, and let me no longer, as I have done, cloath myfelf with curfing as with raiment, left, as I delight in curfing, it should happen unto me, and as I loved not bleffing, fo it may be far from me.

O let me no longer deceive my own foul, by thinking it impoffible thus to offend thee with my tongue. All things are poffible with thee, my Gop! Purify, therefore, I beseech thee, my heart: create in me a new heart; renew a right fpirit within me for out of the abundant wickedness contained therein, my mouth hath so often uttered profane things.

Keep me, O LORD, I beseech thee, unfpotted in my converfation, and let not the evil communications, to which I am daily expofed, corrupt my good manners. O let me never have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather give me courage to reprove them; and, as my life is always in thy hand, O let me not forget thy law.

5

Grant

Grant, O LORD, that the croffes I meet with, may not increase, but rather break my paffions. Let me, in the hours of watching, watch unto prayer, and teach me to endure hardness like a good foldier of JESUS CHRIST.

Keep me, O LORD, from loving unrighteous gain, and grant I may render unto Cæfar the things that are Cafar's, and pay tribute to whom tribute is due: knowing that money unjustly gotten, is but laid up to the owner's hurt, and that hereafter it will pierce me through with many forrows, and eat my flesh as doth fire. May my one business be to lay up treasures in heaven, and to secure an interest in thee, O blessed JESUS, who liveft and reigneft with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, one God, bleffed for evermore. Amen, and Amer.