The Prayer on Tuesday Evening.

For a true and sincere repentance.

Thou great and glorious God! Father of all mercies and comforts, who takest pleasure in thofe that come unto thee with faith, and willeft not the death of a finner, but rather that he should be converted and live; look down, I be feech thee, with pity and compaffion upon me, who fall low on my knees before thee, confeffing that I have provoked thy Divine Majefty, in divers in ftances of my finful life. But now I flee unto the arms of thy mercy, for pardon and forgiveness. O let the infinite merits of my dear Redeemer make fatisfaction for me in the pardon and forgiveness of all my fins.

Lay not to my charge, O Lord, the fins that I have this day been guilty of; but let thofe and all the other follies of my life paft be for ever blotted out of thy remembrance; and receive me, I befeech thee, into thy favour, which I value above all the happinets of this world, O grant me a lively fenfe of the folly and danger of fin, that I may truly and fincerely abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good, and with an unwearied diligence follow after the things

which

which make for my everlafting peace. But, O Lord! because I am a weak and frail creature, and encompaffed about with many temptations, vouchsafe to ftrengthen and affift me with thy grace, that thro' thy most mighty power I may be enabled to withstand all the allurements of the world, the flesh, and the devil: particularly [bere mention the fins you are moft guilty of.] Let thy Holy Spirit direct and rule my heart, that I may think and do always fuch things as be rightful and pleafing in thy fight. And

Give me fuch a fortitude and refolution, as will fupport me under all dif couragements, carry me through all trials, and enable me to triumph over the great enemy of my falvation: that having, by thy divine affiftance, fought the good fight, and finished my courfe, I may at last receive that crown of glory, which thou haft promifed to thy faithful foldiers and fervants, through the merits of the great Captain of our falvation, Jefus Chrift the righte ous, who is the propitiation for our fins.

And now, O Father of all mercies! in a humble fenfe of thy great goodness, I adore and praife thy glorious majefty for all thy manifold bleflings and mercies, particularly for thofe of the day past; Í blefs thee, O Lord, for whatever good I G 3 have

have done, and whatever evil I have efcaped; for preferving me in health and fafety; for providing fo plentifully for me; but above all, I praise and magnify thy holy name, for the redemption of the world, by the death and paffion of thy dear Son.

O give me grace to make a right use and improvement of thefe and all thy other mercies: be thou pleafed, O Lord, ftill to continue to me thy favour and protection; preferve me this night from all evil, but especially from that of fin; give thy holy angels charge over me, that no evil accident may come near to hurt me; and raise me up again in health and fafety, with a heart full of love to thee and zeal to thy fervice, through Jefus. Christ our Lord, in whofe most holy name and words, I prefume to call upon thee, faying, Our Father, &c.

The Meditation for Wednesday Morning.

On self-examination.

Let a man examine himfelf, and fo let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. 1 Cor. xi. 23.

1.

R

Emember, O my foul, how we did conclude our last meditation, and that promise and refolution we have made truly to repent of all our former fins, which

must

must be a fenfe, a forrow, and a confeffion of all our former fins, and a steadfast purpofe or refolution to lead a new life; according to that good direction and admonition of the church, who exhorteth us, to examine our life and converfation by the rules of God's commandments: and whereinfoever we shall perceive ourselves to have of fended, either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail our own finfulness, and confefs ourSelves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment. Such an examination of our confciences, if it be frequent, is one of the best instruments of a Chriftian life, and therefore it ought not to be neglected, when we have time and leisure for fo great a work. Because when we make a folemn profeffion of repentance, we ought to be particular in confeffing our fins to God, and in bewailing the several aggravations of them. Now it is impoffible to do this to any purpose, except we fearch our own minds, and compare our actions with the rule of God's word.

2. This method, no doubt, is an admirable means to improve us in virtue, and the most effectual way to keep our conscience awake, and to make us ftand in awe of ourselves, and afraid to fin, when we know before-hand that we must give fo fevere an account to ourselves of all

Our

our ungodly, unjuft, and uncharitable actions; of all our vain and filthy fpeeches; of all our wanton, proud, and covetous thoughts; by which our nature is defiled, God is made our enemy, and we are excluded the kingdom of heaven, without repentance.

3. Is not then this our duty? nothing can poffibly be plainer. We must bethink ourselves, bow we have spent our life paft? what commands of God we have tranfgreffed? what we have neglected? what we have done which was forbidden by God? and what we have not done which was commanded? And, moreover,

.

4. After we have thus laboured to gain a true fenfe of our fins, we must endeavour for contrition, or a forrowful bewailing of our own finfulness, in thought, word, and deed, which must always bear fome proportion to the degrees of our fins; according to that holy refolution of the royal Pfalmift, I will declare my iniquity, and be forry for my fin. And this will neceffarily teach us that we must confess ourfelves to God, not in general terms, that we are finners with the rest of mankind; but by a fpecial declaration to God of all our most heinous fins, with all their feveral aggravations, laying open our fores

to