wards in Heaven; nor to reckon upon the wonted vigour of my age, but upon my prefent inability, and the nearness I am poffibly in to death, and a future ftate. Teach me a perfect fubmiffion to thy holy Will, that I may account of life, only as an opportunity of doing thee farther fervices; and may use it, whilft continued to me, to be in a great readiness for death, that whenfoever that comes, I may receive its fummons without furprize, and may willingly quit all that I have here, to depart, and be with Christ, which is far better. My time at beft is fhort; but if thou art pleased to make it shorter than might have been expected, by taking me away in the midft of my days, I commit myself into thy hands, to do with me as feemeth thee good. Only, I beseech thee, remove me not hence, till thou shalt have fitted me for a better and more lafting ftate, through Jefus Christ my only Saviour and Redeemer, Amen.

For one that is grown` Old.

MY life, O Lord, draws towards a conclufion;

and I esteem myfelf as one of those that are going down to the grave; and, confidering the years I have already lived, I cannot think it ftrange, if I fee no more good days in this world. Others that are younger may die quickly; but I know affuredly, that I must be gone in a very little time. The thread of my life wears off apace, fo that I cannot but fuppose it to be near an end. The number of my days is already extended beyond that of my contemporaries, moft of whom are gone before me; and I am not so vain as to imagine, that I can be exempt from that mortality, which is the common fate of all men. Befides, this fickness is a fresh momento to me, to put me in mind of the tottering state of my earthly tabernacle, and that I know not how speedily it may poffibly be diffolved. Wherefore my great care is to fee, that my peace be made with thee, before I go. thither, whence there is no returning. Help me, I

befeech

12 beseech thee, to do it fo fuccessfully, as that I may always have my loins girt, and my lamp burning, and be like thofe who wait for the coming of the bridegroom, in a readinefs, when foever thou fhalt call for me, whether it be at the cock-crowing, or in the morning, or perhaps this very evening. Let thy time be mine, that whenever death appears, it may not find me unprepared to receive it as thy meffenger, to conduct me hence. In a long courfe of many years, I have committed multitudes of fins; whereby I have contracted a heavy load of guilt, and must be irrecoverably undone, without thy pity. But with thee, Ọ Lord, there is mercy, that thou mighteft be feared, and with thy Son is plenteous redemption. For his fake forgive me all my paft tranfgreffions, and enable me to spend what little of my life is yet remainging, in thy fear, and to thy glory. Cleanfe and purify me, that I may have no terrifying guilt adhere to me, to make me afraid of my latter end. Strengthen me by thy grace and Holy Spirit, to fight out the good fight of faith; that, continuing thine to the laft, E and being faithful whilft I live, I may be eternally faved after death, through the merits of Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For one that has deferred his Repentance.

Bleffed and holy Lord God, who wouldft not any fhould perish, but that all should come to repentance, be merciful to me a guilty finner, who have long neglected my duty to thee, and mine own main intereft; till my fins are gone over my head, -and are, as a fore burden, too heavy for me to bear. Enter not into judgment with thy fervant; for in thy fight fhall no man living be juftified. And if no man, not the beft of men, and the moft righteous, much lefs fo vile a finner as I have been. I have provok'd thy Divine Majefty by a long feries of wickedness, for which thou mightft juftly have long fance cut me off, and given me my portion among

the

the devils, and damned fpirits. But, bleffed be thy Name, thou haft exercifed a great deal of patience and long-fuffering towards me. And I hope it is not in vain that thou haft thus graciously borne with me For I am now fully convinced of my own folly, and the evil of my ways, and do repent, and abhor myfelf in duft and afhes. Do not thou abhor me too, nor fhut up thy bowels of compaffion from me. Behold me not as an obftinate finner, but as one for whom Chrift has died, and as a penitent heartily grieved for my past disobedience, and earnestly defirous both of thy pardon, and of grace to walk more holily for the future. It is much too long that I have deferred my amendment and reformation; but, by thy bleffing and affiftance, I am fully refolv'd to do it no longer. Help me to put thefe good refo lutions in practice, renouncing all my moft beloved fins, and earnestly endeavouring to be upright and unblameable in all manner of converfation; that to day, whilft it is called to-day, I may hear thy voice, and never more dare to harden my heart against it. I know not what a day may bring forth; and for this reafon am not willing to truft to to-morrow, when poffibly it may be too late for me to think of repenting to falvation. Turn thou me, good Lord, and fo fhall I be turned; but do it, I befeech thee, immediately, and out of hand. Turn me from all mine iniquities, and make me to ferve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Make me heartily afhamed of my undutifulness and difobedience hitherto, that I should have dared to offend fo good and gracious a God; and stir up my heart to serve thee better for the time to come, that, denying all ungodliness and worldly lufts, I may live righteously, foberly, and godly, in this prefent world. Loofe me from all the bonds of my fins; and conduct me to everlasting life, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen..

For

For one that is not duly grieved for his Sins. A Gainst thee, O Lord, have I finned, and done

evil in thy fight; and what thall I now fay unto thee; I defire to be deeply humbled for all my undutiful carriage towards thee. But to my fhame I find, that I am not fo duly affected with my guilt and folly, as I ought to be. I have highly offended thee, and miferably endangered my own falvation; and though I fee and know this, yet I find, by fad experience, that I am not fo thoroughly grieved ac the fight of my fins, as were to be wish'd, and as I truly defire to be. I hope there is no fin that has its full dominion over me; none that I do not unfeignedly long and strive to shake off, and free myself from it, fo far as I, fhall be able; as I alfo moft earnestly defire and beg the forgiveness of them all, Only I am concerned and amaz'd, that I fhould not be more fenfibly griev'd at the confideration of them. Touch my foul, O bleffed God, with fuch an affecting perception of my wickedness, that I may continually lament and bewail it; that rivers of tears may run down mine eyes, because I have not kept thy law; and I may mourn in fecret for my tranfgreffions, may confefs mine iniquities, and be more heartily forry for my fin, even with a forrow that may bring forth a repentance to falvation, that is never to be repented of, O Lord, who caufedft water to flow out of the rock of ftone, break this ftony heart of mine, or rather take it away from me, and give me instead of it a heart of flesh, capable of thofe impreffions, that Ja guilty confcience is wont to make upon a returning penitent. Make me to loath my fins, and myfelf because of them; and to humble myself before thee, and in the moft fubmiffive manner to fupplicate thy grace and Holy Spirit, to lead me in the way of life, and never to give over, till I shall have obtained a bleffing, through Jefus Chrift our Lord,

Amen.

Upon

Upon a Relapfe into Sin.

Lord God Almighty juft and true, thou co Sovereign of the world, on whom is all my pendence, and from whom is all my hope and e pectation; I am afhamed and blush to appear bef thee, feeing I have of late fo highly offended th Divine Majesty. I know not how to lift up mine ee unto heaven, but am forced, with the humble public to fmite upon my breaft, and call upon thee tok merciful to me a sinner. I have finned against the from time to time, and aggravated my fins wit many heinous and dreadful circumftances, whereby render them fo much the more provoking. And th I have resolved, and promis'd, and vowed an amend ment, yet have I again broken my faith, and relap into my former guilt, and thereby cut myself from all right to thy promifes. And what can I n plead for myself? From the bar of thy juftice I to the throne of thy mercy, befeeching thee to b favourable to me, because thou delighteft in mercy and not let me be miferable, tho' I have taken th ready road to mifery. I have perverted my wars and run upon deftruction with my eyes open. An though I cannot fay I have quite forgotten thee God, yet I must acknowledge, to my own forrow a fhame, that I have offended thee more heinoufly finning against thee, when I knew myfelf in thy pr fence, and when 1 was fully convinced how evil bitter a thing fin is, how extremely difpleafing thee, and of what pernicious confequence to mytel and had profefs'd, and oftentimes taken the facrame upon it, that I would ferve thee faithfully all t days. My confcience accuses me; my heart co demns me; and thou, who art greater than my her and knoweft all things, may'st justly stop thine er when I cry unto thee in the anguifh of my foul. have finned againft Heaven, and before thee; am no more worthy to be called thy fon. I hav