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FAMILY PRAYER,
FROM THE WORKS OF
THOMAS WILSON, D.D.
LATE LORD BISHOP OF
SODOR and MAN.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR J. F. AND C RIVINGTON, ST. PAUl's
CHURCH-YARD.

MDCC XC.

JOSHUA XXIV. 15.
As for me and my Houfe, we will ferve
the Lord.

" This ought to be the fincere refo-
lution, and conftant practice, of every
Chriftian mafter of a family. Without
this, none can reafonably expect to have
dutiful children, or faithful fervants ; nor
juftly hope to have God's blefling."

A
FOR M
O F
FAMILY PRAYER.

MORNING PRAYER.
[Fir/7, Let one of the family read the New
Teftament Leffon appointed for the
Morning Service, or, if time will not
permit, let him devoutly read what fol-
loweth, the refl of the family ferioujly at
tending^
THE Lord hath brought us fafe to
the beginning of .this day ; let us
give him thanks for this, and for all his
mercies. . }
A 3 Let

[ 6 ]
Let us pray, that we may live in the
fear of God, and continue in love and
charity with each other:
That the Holy Spirit may direct: and
rule our hearts, teaching us what to do,
and what to avoid : ,
That the grace of God may ever be
with us, to fupport us in all danger, and
carry us through, all temptations :
That the Lord may blefs all our honeft
endeavours, and make us content with
what his Providence fhall order for us :
And that we may ferve him faithfully
this day, and every day he fhall add to
our lives.
For all which bleffings let us devoutly
pray. Then all kneeling, let one fay,
O God, by whom the whole world is
governed and prefer ved, we give thee hum
ble thanks for thy fatherly care over us ;
in preferving us from the dangers of the
night paft, and in bringing us fafe to the
beginning of another day.
We gratefully acknowledge our depen
dence on thee, for all the neceffaries, con
veniences,

17 3
veniences, and comforts of our life ; for
all the means of our well-being in this
world, and for the hope of everlafting
happinefs in thy heavenly kingdom.
We give thee thanks for the light of
thy Gofpel, and the help of thy Grace ;
and for thy promifes of pardon, through
thy Son Christ Jesus, on our fincere re
pentance and amendment.
Give us, we befeech thee, fuch a fenfe
of thy mercies as may make us truly
thankful to thee for them.
Give us grace to walk as in thy fight
in reverence and godly fear ; and preferve
us from falling again into the fins we have
repented of.
Enable us to refift and overcome temp
tation, by the grace of thy good fpirit ;
to be ferious and holy in our lives ;\true
and juft in our dealings ; watchful over
our thoughts, words and actions ; to be
diligent, contented, temperate, and mind
ful of the wants of others.
Give us grace honeftly to improve all
the talents which thou haft committed to
our truft ; and may no worldly bufinefs,
A 4 no

C 8 1
no worldly pleafures divert us from the
concerns of the life to come.
May thy bleffing be upon our perfons,
upon our labours, upon our fubftance,
and upon all that belongs to us ; and may
we never undertake any work which we
dare not beg thee to profper.
Defend us, O Lord, and all that are
near and dear to us, in all the affaults of
our enemies ; and grant that this day we
may fall into no fin, neither run into any
kind of danger ; but that all our doings
may be ordered by thy governance, to do
always that which is righteous in thy fight.
Finally we befeech thee to give us in
this world the knowledge of thy truth, and
in the world to come, life everlafting,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[Here infert the colleB or collets for the day.]
Hear us, O God, in the name and for
the fake of our blefled Redeemer, who
hath taught and commanded us when we
pray thus to fay, ^
Our Father, which art in Heaven, hal
lowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy

[ 9 •]":
Thy will be done in earth, as it is ir>
Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trefpaffes, as we for
give them that trefpafs againft us. And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever
and ever. Amen.
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the fellotvfhip
of the Holy Ghoft, be with us all. Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday Morning.
O Lord, who haft confecrated this good
day to thy fervice, give us grace fo to ob-
ferve it, that it may be the beginning of
an happy week to us, and that none of
thy judgments may fall upon us for pro
faning it. Fix in our hearts this great
truth, that here we have no abiding-place ;
that we may ferioufly and timely provide
for another life. And grant, that this
great concern may make us very defirous
to learn our duty, and to do what thou
i re-

C io ]
requireft of us. And bleffed be God that
we have churches to go to ; that we have
time fet apart for public worfhip ; that
there are paftors and teachers. O Lord
profper their labours, and give thy peo
ple grace to profit by them ; that both
may enjoy an everlafting fabbath with thy
Saints in Heaven, for Jesus Christ's
fake. Amen.

EVEN-

[ II ]

EVENING PRAYER.
[Firfl, Let one of the family read the New
Teftament Lejfon appointed for the
Evening Service ; or, if time will not
permit, what followeth.~]
BY the favour of God, we are come
to the evening of this day ; and we
are fo much nearer our latter end.
Let us ferioufly confider this, and pray
God to fit us for the hour of death.
Let us with penitent hearts, befeech
him to pardon our fins for his dear Son's
fake, and to deliver us from the punifh-
ment we have deferved.
Let us refolve to amend whatever hath'
been amifs, and pray for the affifting
grace of God :
And that we may be fafe under his
protection, who alone can defend us from
the powers of darknefs. For

E 12 ]
For all which ble flings let us devoutly
pray. fben all kneeling, let one fay,
O Lord and heavenly Father, we ac
knowledge thy great goodnefs to us, in
fpafing us when we deferve punifhment;
— in giving us the neceffaries of this life,
and in fetting before us the happinefs of
a better. O merciful God, pardon our offences,
correct and amend what is amifs in usv;
that as we grow in years, we may grow
in grace, and the nearer we come to our
latter end, the better we may be prepared
for it.
In the midft of life we are in death.
Lord, grant that thefe thoughts may
make us careful how we live, that we may
efcape the bitter pains of eternal mifery.
Take from us all ignorance, hardnefs
of heart, and too much carefulnefs for
the things of this life.
Make us an houfhold fearing Thee, O
God, fubmitting ourfelves to thy good
pleafure, and putting our whole truft in
thy mercy. Give

[ 13 1
Give us a true knowledge of ourfelves?
of the corruption of our nature, and the
neceffity of thy gracious help to fave us
from ruin.
And may the fpirit of Chrift ever live
and rule in us, poffefling our fouls with
a fincere love of Thee, O God, with an
earneft defire to pleafe Thee, and with a
dread of offending Thee !
Sanctify us wholly, we befeech Thee,
that our fpirits, and fouls, and bodies,
may be preferved blamelefs unto the com
ing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Continue to us, and to all Chriftian
Churches, the means of grace and falva-
tion ; and may the faving truths of the
Gofpel be publifhed and received in all the
world !
Vouchfafe unto us an intereft in al Ithe
prayers of thy holy Church, which have
this day been offered to the throne of
grace.— Forgive all that have injured us,
and forgive us our many offences againft
our neighbour.
Blefs, we befeech Thee, O God, all
thofe whom thy Providence hath fet
, ,• over

[ i4 ]
over us, whether in church or ftate. And
give us grace to honour and obey them
for confcience fake.
Defend us from all adverfities which
may happen to our bodies, and from all
evil thoughts which may affault and hurt
our fouls ; — and prepare us to receive
with an humble refignation whatever thy
Providence fhall think beft for us.
And, finally, we befeech Thee to give
us grace that we may lead and end our
lives in thy faith and fear, and to thy
glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hear us, O merciful God, for ourfelves
and for all mankind, not according to our
weak underftandings, but according to the
full meaning of that holy prayer, which
thy beloved Son hath taught us :
Our Father, which art in Heaven, hal
lowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trefpaffes, as we for
give them that trefpafs againft us. And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us

C 15 ]
us from evil. For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever
and ever. Amen.
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the fellowfliip
of the Holy Ghoft, be with us all ever
more. Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday Evening.
Almighty God, by whom all things
were made and are preferved, give us
hearts to know, and grace to confider this,
that we may chearfully commit ourfelves
and all that belongs to us, to thy merci
ful care ; that we may ever look up to
thee for what we want ; be thankful for
thy favours; never refill thy dealings
with us, nor neglect the means of grace
which thy Providence affords us. Bleffed
be God, who giveth us what is ever beft
for us; who keepeth us from danger,
and hath provided for us better than all
our works can deferve I The good Lord
make us mindful of our duty ; that as
9 we

we ofteri . hear how we ought to walk,
and to pleafe God, we may continue to
•do fo unto our live's end, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

FINIS.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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