night past; and forasmuch as thou hast commanded by thy holy word that no man should be idle, but all occupied in godly and virtuous exercises, every man according to his calling, we most humbly beseech thee that thine eyes may attend upon us, daily defend us, cherish, comfort, and govern us, and all our counsels, studies, and labours, in such wise that we may spend and bestow this day according to thy most holy will, setting thee always before our eyes, living in thy fear, working that may be found acceptable before thy Divine Majesty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So be it.

A PRAYER TO BE SAID IN THE MORNING AT YOUR UPRISING.

ETERNAL God and heavenly Father, seeing that by thy great mercy we have quietly passed this night, grant, we beseech thee, that we may bestow this day wholly in thy service; so that all our thoughts, words, and deeds, may redound to the glory of thy name and good example of our brethren. And as it hath pleased thee to make the sun to shine upon the earth to give us bodily light; even so vouchsafe to illuminate our understanding with the brightness of thy Spirit, to direct us in the way of righteousness, so that what thing soever we shall apply ourselves unto, our special care and purpose may be to walk in thy fear, and to serve and honour thee, looking for all our wealth and prosperity to come from thy only blessing, and that we may take nothing in hand which shall not be agreeable to thy most blessed will. Furthermore, that we may in such sort travail for our bodies and for this present life, that we may have always a further regard,

that is to wit, to the heavenly life which thou hast promised to thy children and in the mean season, that it may please thee to preserve and defend us both in body and soul; to strengthen us against all the temptations of the devil, and to deliver us from all perils and dangers that might happen unto us. And forasmuch as to begin well and not to continue is nothing, we beseech thee to receive us not only this day into thy holy protection, but also for the time of our whole life, continuing and increasing in us daily thy grace and good gifts thereof, until thou shalt bring us to that happy state, where we shall fully and for ever be joined unto thy Son Jesus Christ our Saviour, which is the true light of our souls, shining day and night perpetually. And to the end that we may obtain such grace at thy hand, vouchsafe, most merciful Father, to forgive and forget all our sins which we have heretofore committed against thee, and for thine infinite mercies' sake to pardon the same, as thou hast promised to those that ask of thee with unfeigned heart. For whom, as for ourselves, we make our humble petitions unto thee in the name of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, in such sort as he hath taught us, saying, Our Father, which art in heaven, &c.

ANOTHER PRAYER FOR THE MORNING.

WE

E humbly and heartily give thanks unto thee, O heavenly Father, through thy dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, that to thy innumerable benefits hitherto poured upon our souls and upon our bodies, thou hast kept us this night past from many evils, spiritually and corporally, and now of

thy mercy dost offer and give us time to repent, and to amend our lives, so that we might live henceforth not as we will, but as thou wilt: and as our bodies do draw continually nearer and nearer their end, (the grave, I mean,) so our souls might approach to their end, that is heaven, and not to hell. For in one state we stand not still, but either we are nearer and nearer the happy state of life, or else the unhappy condition of death eternal. Wherefore we beseech thee to be merciful unto us, good Father; and as of thy goodness thou givest us time to repent and to live godly, so of the same thy goodness in Christ we humbly beseech thee to give us thy gracious gift of true, holy, perfect, and perpetual repentance, that we may more and more lament our former sinful life, trusting unfeignedly in thy rich mercy, through the merits of Jesus Christ, for the pardon of all our sins, and that we may unfeignedly purpose, and effectually labour, to amend our lives this day and so long as we have to live, in all our doings and words, and even in our very thoughts, to the praise of thy holy name and good example of our brethren. And forasmuch as thou knowest our weakness, our ignorance, and great untowardness to carry any great cross or affliction, we beseech thee, our sweet Father, so to tem

per

and order all things towards us this
day and for ever, that we be never
further proved and tempted,
than thou wilt so help us in
the same, as may be most
to thy glory and our
salvation, through
Jesus Christ our

Lord. Amen.

AN EVENING PRAYER.

LORD God, Father everlasting and full of pity, we acknowledge and confess that we be not worthy to lift up our eyes to heaven', much less to present ourselves before thy majesty with confidence that thou wilt hear our prayers and grant our requests, if we consider our own deservings. For our consciences do accuse us, and our sins witness against us, and we know that thou art an upright judge, which dost not justify the sinners and wicked men, but punishest the faults of all such as transgress thy commandments. Yet, most merciful Father, since it hath pleased thee to command us to call on thee in all our troubles and adversities, promising even then to help us, when we feel ourselves as it were swallowed up of death and desperation*, we utterly renounce all worldly confidence, and flee to thy sovereign goodness, as our only stay and refuge; beseeching thee not to call to remembrance our manifold sins and wickedness, whereby we continually provoke thy wrath and indignation against us, neither our negligence and unkindness, which have neither worthily esteemed, nor in our lives sufficiently expressed, the sweet comfort of thy Gospel revealed unto us; but rather to accept the obedience and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, who by offering up his body in sacrifice once for all hath made a sufficient recompence for all our sins. Have mercy therefore upon us, O Lord, and forgive us our offences. Teach us by thy Holy Spirit, that we

1 Luke xv. 4 Ps. xviii.

2 Exod. xx.
5 Ps. LXXIX.

3 Ps. L.
• Heb. ix. x.

may rightly weigh them, and earnestly repent for the same: and so much the rather, O Lord, because that the reprobate and such as thou hast forsaken cannot praise thee, nor call upon thy name; but the repenting heart, the sorrowful mind, the conscience oppressed, hungering and thirsting for thy grace, shall ever set forth thy praise and glory. And albeit we be but worms and dust1o, yet thou art our Creator, and we be the work of thy hands; yea, thou art our Father, and we thy children"; thou art our Shepherd, and we thy flock; thou art our Redeemer, and we the people whom thou hast bought; thou art our God, and we thine inheritance. Correct us not therefore in thine anger, O Lord, neither according to our deserts punish us 12; but mercifully chastise us with a fatherly affection, that all the world may know, that at what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sin from the bottom of his heart, thou wilt put away all his wickedness out of thy remembrance, as thou hast promised by thy holy prophet 13

Finally, forasmuch as it hath pleased thee to make the night for man to rest in, as thou hast ordained him the day to travail, grant, O dear Father, that we may so take our bodily rest, that our souls may continually watch for the time that our Lord Jesus Christ shall appear for our deliverance out of this mortal life 14, and in the mean season, that we be not overcome by any fantasies, dreams, or other temptations 15, but may fully set our minds upon thee, love thee, fear thee, and