Directions and prayers for the use of the patients in the ... · fpirit. Flee fornication. Every fin that a man doth, is without the body j but be that committethfornication,fimieth

DIRECTIONSAND

PRAYERSFor the Ufb of the

PATIENTSI N T H E

FOUL WARDSOF THE

HOSPITALIn Southwark ,

Founded at the foie Cofts and Charges of

THOMAS GUT E%

LONDON:Printed in the Year MDCC XXXIV.

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PRAYERS, &c.

AS the charity of this Hofpital is ex-tended not only to fuch poor asthe hand of God has vifited with

ficknefs, lamenefs, and pain ; but even tofuch unworthy obje&s as have brought aloathfome difeafe upon themfelves, by alewd and debauched courfe of life ; fo tothefe laft this difcourfe is altogether di-rected ; that they may be excited to praiieGod for the worthy Founder of this Cha-rity i that they may be brought to a fenfeof fhame and forrow for their paft life, anda firm refolution to go and fin no more.The bufinefs of the following Difcourfe willbe to fet forth the great danger of indulgingflelhly lulls from the confideration of thefollowing particulars.

Firfi , That the fin of uncleannefs is anoffence againft reafon and the judgment ofour minds. It is a violation of that natu-ral modefty and fhamefacednefs which Godour maker has fo wrought into our frame,that we muft even put a force upon our-felves, and harden our faces, before we canconfent to commit any adt of lewdnefs.Hence it is that this fort of finners, beingconfcious to themfelves of the natural de-formity of their actions, feek for privacyand obfcurity, in order to conceal them-felves from the view of the world. As Jobhas obfcrved, ch. xxiv. ver. 15, 16, 17,sthe eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twi-light, faying, No eye /hall fee me, and dif-guifcth his face ; in the dark they dig throughhoufes, which they had marked for themfelvesin the day-time : They know not the light, forthe morning is to them even as the jhadow cfdeath •, if one knew them they are in the ter-rors of the Jhadow of death.

2. In the next place, It is a fin moftdiredftly and in the higlieft degree contraryto your chriftian -profefjion •, which requiresftr'idt purity of heart and foul, and teachesyou to keep the body in temperance, fo-bernefs, and chafi.ity : as you may read inthe following places ; 1 Theff. iv. 3, &c.This is the will of God, even your [andlifica-iion, that ye Jhould abftain from fornication :

Fbat every one of you Jhould know how to pof-fefs his vejfel in fandtification and honour •, notin the lufit of concupijcence, even as the Gen-tiles which know not God : For God hath notcalled us unto uncleannefs, but unto holinefs.Rom. xii, i. I befeech you brethren, by themercies of God, that ye prejent your bodies aliving facrifice, holy, acceptable unto. God,which is your reafonable fervice. i Cor. vi.13, 15, to the End, Lhe body is not for for-nication, but for the Lord *, and the Lord forthe body. Know ye not that your bodies arethe members of Chrijt ? Jhall I then take themembers of Chrijt, and make them the mem-bers of an harlot? God forbid. IVhat, kmzvye not that he which is joyned to an harlot, isone body ? for two (faith he) Jhall be one fiejo.But he that is joyned unto the Lord, is onefpirit. Flee fornication. Every fin that aman doth, is without the body j but be thatcommitteth fornication, fimieth againf his ownbody,. IVhat, know ye not that your body isthe temple of the holy Ghoft which is in you,which ye have• of God, and ye are not yourown ? For ye are bought with a price •, there-fore glorify God in your Body, and in yourfpirit, which are God’s. The chriftian re-ligion not only forbids all lewd actions, butlikewife lays a reftraint upon our mouths,

that no immodeft word proceed thence.ColofT. iii, 8. Put away filthy communication

out of your mouth. Ephef. iv. 29. Let nocorrupt communication proceed cut of yourmouth,

hut that which is good to the ufe ofedifying,

that it may minifler grace unto thehearers . Ch. v. Ver. 3, 4, But fornication,

and all uncleannefs, let it not he once namedamong you, hecometh faints : Neither fil-thinefs, nor foolifh talking, jefling, whichare not convenient \ hut rather giving of thanks.And not only fo, but the gofpel requireschaftity of thought, and checking everyloofe defire. And indeed it greatly con-cerns you to fet a watch over your thoughts,and to guard all the motions of the heart*becaufe the heart is the fpring of allyour words and addons r from unchaftethoughts naturally proceed immodeft wordsand unclean adions; and therefore our Sa-viour, who knew what was in man, for-bids the indulging and -taking pleafure infuch thoughts ; and diredly charges themwith the guilt of fin ; as we read. Matt,v. 27, 28. Te have heard that it was faidhy them of old time, Thou fbalt not commit a-dultery. But I fay unto you, that whofoeverlooketh on a woman to luft after her

, hathcommitted adultery with her already in hisheart.

g. Father, It is a fin which dehafes thedignity of our nature, and moll of allothers corrupts the foul. For this reafon

it is that St. Peter fo earneftly exhorts.Dearly beloved (fays he) I befeech you- as(hangers and pilgrims, abfiain from flejhlylujls , which war againji the foul, i Pet. ii. 11.Flelhly lulls are Paid to war agahift thefoul, becaufe they above all others tend toextinguifti in our minds a fenfe of virtueand religion ; and not only make us ahtogether unmindful of a future Hate, butO. . *

indeed utterly difqualify us for that holyplace into which nothing that defileth canenter. This fin taints and corrupts theimagination, inflames the paflions, enfee-bles the noble faculties of the mind, cloudsthe underllanding, depraves the will, andfb wholly pofleffes the thoughts, that ittakes them off not only from the dutiesof religion, but alfo from that neceffarycare and induftry, which every one oughtto exercife in their feveral callings andconditions of life. And when all thought-fulnels and confideration is thus extinguifh-ed, it hurries men on to be governed bymad and brutifh appetites *, and fo rendersthem more like the beafts than rationalcreatures made in the image and for thefervice of God.

4. This fin is commonly attended withmany others, and leads on the deluded fmncrby fatal fteps to the com million of themofi heinous and detejtahle vices. It not only

makes them idle, and negledf their own bu-fincfs, but at the fame time pulhes them onto luxury and extravagance ; and then tofupport and conceal their vicious and pro-fufe way of living, tempts them to theftand robbery, to lying and perjury, andat length fometimes to commit the cryingfin of murther, even the unnatural murtherof their own children, to cover the fhameof the guilty parents.

5. It is a fin moil dangerous, becaufe moddifficult to be forfaken. Of all the fnares thedevil lays for the fimple and unwary, noone entangles more than this j of all fins noone fears the (inner’s confcience more, ormakes him more deaf to good advice. Thedangerous nature and tendency of this viceis fee forth by Solomon in the following,pafliiges : Prov. ii. 18, 19, s"he bo'ufe of thejirange woman inclineth unto death, and herpaths unto the dead. None that go unto herreturn again, neither take they hold of thepaths of life. Chap. v. 3,4, 5, 6, ’Phe lips ofa flrange woman drop as an honey-comb , andher mouth is frnoother than oil: But her end isbitter as wormwood, Jharp as a two-edgedfword : Her feet go down to deaths her Jiepstake hold on hell. Lefi thou fhouldjl ponderthe path of life, her ways are moveable thatthou canjl not know them. And, ver. 22, 23,of the fame chapter. His own iniquities fhall

take the Wicked himfelf, and he Jhall he holdenwith the cords of his Jins : He jhall die withoutinfraction, and in the greatnefs of his follyhe Jhall go afiray. Chap. vii. 25,26, 27. Letnet thine heart decline to her ways, go notajlray in her -paths: For jhe haft caft down-many wounded ; yea, many Jirong men havebeen fain by her : Her houfe is the way to hell,going down to the chambers of death. Ecclef.vii. 26. I find more bitter than death, the wo-man whofe heart is fnares and nets , and herhands as bands : whojb. pleafeth God Jhall ef~cape from her, but the Sinner foall he taken byher. Whac Hill increafes the difSuky ofreclaiming fuch Tinners is, that this vicegrieves the holy fpiric of God, by whofeinfluences chriftians are renewed and fanfli-fled, and caufes hint to depart from them,and leave them under the dominion of theDevil and their own lulls, 1 Cor. iii. 16,17. Know ye not that ye are the Temple ofGod, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in

you ? If any Man defile the temple of God,him Jhall God defray : for the temple of Godis holy , which temple ye are.. When men arethus forlaken of God, and by a long con-tinuance in impudent praflices have ftupi-fied their confciences, no wonder they be-come fuch as St. Paul deferibes, Ephef iv.1.9. Who being pafl feeling, have given them-

(elves over unto, lafeivioufnejs, to work all un-

cleannefs with greedinefs. This fhould leadyou to confider before it is too late •, tocheck your unlawful defires, to break offfrom your lewd courfes, and not to fufferyourfelves to go in the way that leads to de-ftruftion, as an ox that goeth to the /laughter,or as a fool to the correction of the jlocks ; tilla dart Jirike through his liver, as a birdhajleth to the fnare, and knoweth not that it isfor his life, Prov. vii. 22, 23.

6. The conferences of indulging this fineven in this life are very dreadful. It robsthe fmner of every thing which is valuableand defirable in this world; his fubftance,his reputation, his peace, his health, andmany times even life itfelf: and in theroom of thefe, fubjects him to poverty anddiftrefs, to the contempt of his acquain-tance, and abhorrence of all fober people ;

to publick difgrace and the rod of the ma-giftrate •, to the bitter reflections of a tor-tured mind on his paft guilt and folly ;

and to fuch loathfome difeafes as eitherihorten his days, or make life itfelf aburthen. Let the unhappy fufferers fay,whether they have not found by fad ex-perience the following obfervations of So-lomon to be true : By means of a whorifhwoman , a man is brought to a piece of bread ;

and the adultrefs will hunt for the preciousLife. Can a man take fire in his bofim, and

his clothes not he burnt ? Can one go upon hotcoals , and his feet not he burnt? So is he that go-eth in to his neighbour's wife: whofbever touch-eth her, Jhall not he innocent . Whofo committethadultery with a woman, lacketh underfunding:he that doth it deftroyeth his own foul : Awound and dijhonour Jhall he get •, and his re-proach JJoall not he wiped away , Prov. vi.26, 27, See. Hear me now therefore, Oye children , and depart not from the words ofmy mouth ; remove thy way far from theftrange woman, and come not nigh the door ofher houfe \ left thou give thine honour unto 0-thers, and thy years unto the cruel \ left ftran-gers he filled with thy wealth, and thy labourshe in the houfe of a ftranger and thou mournat the lafts when thy flejh and thy body areconjumed, and fay, how have I hated infrac-tion, and my heart defpifed reproof? and havenot obeyed the voice of my teachers

,nor incli-

ned my car to them that injlrubled me ? Prov.v. 7, 8, to 13. And to the fame purpofe.Job xxxi. 9, 11, 12. If mine heart have beendeceived by a woman, or if I have laid waitat my neighbour's door •, this is an heinous.crime, yea, it is an iniquity to be punifhed bythe judges : For it is a fire that confumeth to de-ftnihiion, and would root outall mine increafe.

And now if thefe are the fad confe-quences which naturally follow this fin,-,how juftly may the folly of every offender-

in this kind be upbraided in thofe forciblewords of God himfelf by the prophet Je-remy ~ Chap. ii. 17, 19. Haft thou not-pro-cured this unto thyfelf, in that thou haft for-Jaken the Lord thy God? 'Thine own wick-ednefs Jhall correct thee, and thy hackjlidingsJhall reprove thee ; know therefore andfee, thatit is an evil thing and hitter, that thou hallforfaken the Lord thy God.

7. Laftly, It is a fm which unlefs time-ly repented of and thoroughly forfaken,cxpofes you to the fevereti Judgments ofGod in the World to come. Terrible arcihe threatnings contained in Scripture a-gainft this vice, as you may read in thefollowing texts *, i Cor., vi. 9, 10. Benot deceived, neither fornicators, nor adul-terers, nor effeminater nor abufers of them-felves with mankind, Jhall inherit the kingdomof God. Gal. v. 19- Now the works of thefiefh are manifest, which are thefe *, adultery

,

fornication, uncleannefs , lafchioujnejf murders,

drunkennefs,reveUings y and fuch-hke of the

which I tell you before, Ihave alfo told youin time fatt, that they which do fuch thingsJhall not inherit the kingdom of God. Ephef.v. 5,6. ‘This ye know, that no whoremongernorunclean perfon hath any inheritance in the king-dom of Chrifl, and of God _ Let no man de-ceive you with vain words •, for hecaufe ofthe'e tidings comeih the wrath of God upon the

children of difohedience. Col. ill. 5, 6. Mor-tify therefore your members which are upon theearth 5 fornication, uncleannefs, inordinate af-

fediion, evil concupifcenfe *, for which thingsfake the wrath of God cometh on the childrenof difohedience. Heb. xiii. 4. Marriage ishonourable in all, and the bed undefiled ; hutwhoremongers and adulterers God will judge jand fo judge, that they Jhall have their part,in the lake which burneth with fire and brim-fione which is the fecond deaths Rev. xxL 8.

In thefe paflages of fcripture you fee thewrath of God is very plainly denouncedagainft thefe fins *, your own confidenceswill witnefs againft you, and tell you, thatyou have dcferved thefe fore and terriblejudgments of God ; and there is no wayleft for you to efcape them, but by afpee-dy repentance and thorough amendment ofyour lives. Now confider this* ye thatforget God, left he tear you in pieces, andthere be none to deliver you take warningby what you have already fullered *, fin nomore, left a worfe thing come unto you :

you have experienced already in yourfelves,and feen in your wretched companions,fome of the fad confequences of a lewd andvicious life : but how little is all you fullerin this world in companion of what all im-penitent finners muft fuffer at the hands ofan almighty and angry God in that great

and terrible Day, when the Lord Jefus /hallbe revedled from heaven with his mighty an-gels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on themthat know not God, and that obey not the go-Jpel of our Lord Jefus Chrift ; who Jhall bepunifhed with everlafting deftruhiion from the■prefence of the Lord, and from the glory ofhis power? 2 Theff. i. 7, 8, 9. When thisgreat day of his wrath is come, how willyou be able to Hand ? How will you abidethat dreadful Sentence of your great judge?

Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fireprepared for the devil and his angels ? Thenin vain will it be for you to call on themountains and rocks to hide you from theface of him that fitteth on the throne, andfrom the wrath of the lamb. Knowing there-fore the terror of the Lord, be perfwaded toflee from the wrath to come. Let your fle/htremble for fear of him, and be afraid of hisjudgments. Fear him who is able to defiroyboth foul and body in hell. Bring forthfruitsmeet for repentance, crucify the fie/h with theaffebiions and lifts. Put off concerning theformer converfation, the old man which is cor-rupt according to the deceitful lufts *, and berenewed in the fpirit of your mind •, and puton the new man, which after God is createdin righteoufnefs and true holinefs. Let not finreign in your mortal body, that ye Jhould obeyit in the lufts thereof but as ye have hereto-?

fore yielded your members fervants to unclean-nefs and to iniquity , unto iniquity •, even fonow yield your members fervants to right eonfnefs, unto holinefs.

To make this advice more effectual, hereare added fome directions to aflift you in thepractice of your duty.

i. Be on your guard againft the approachesto this fin *, and refill the firft motions ofunclean defires in your minds : extinguilhthe fmalleft fparks, left they kindle thefire of lull again in you. Let not thewoman liften to the fair fpeeches of theman that would beguile her; and let theman arm himfelf with the fame cautionagainft the enticing looks and the flatteryof the tongue of a ftrange woman : luft notafter her beauty in thine heart, neither let hertake thee with her eye-lids. Prov. vi. 24, 25.Carefully fhun all temptations , and abftainfrom every thing which is apt to lead youinto the fnarc. Avoid all ill company, re-membring Solomon's advice, Prov. 1. 10.Myfon, fays he, iffinners entice thee, confentthou not: efpecially, avoid the company offuch as have formerly led you aftray. En-ter not into the path of the wicked

, and go notinto the way of evil men •, avoid it

, pafs nothy it, turn from it, and pafs away , Prov. iv.14, 15. Refrain from all lewd behaviour,immodeft geftures, lafcivious difcourfes.

foolifli talking and jelling, which arc notconvenient. Shun all immodeft books,fongs, and pidlures, and every thing whichmay tend to raife impure defires and luftfulthoughts in your minds. Unclean defirespartake of the guilt of unclean adlions ;

they naturally lead us to the commiflion ofthem, and are exprefly forbid by the gofpelof Chrift. Abftain from all intemperanceand excefs ; it is our Lord’s advice, Lukexxi. 34. Take heed to yourfelves, left at anytime your hearts he overcharged with furfcitingand drunkennefs. And tire Apoftle fays,Rom. xiii. 13, 14. Let us walk honejily asin the day ; not in rioting and drunkennefs, notin chambering and wantonnef. Learn to keepyour bodies in temperance, as the beftway to keep them in chaftity ; and makenot provifion for the flelh, to fulfil thelulls thereof. Beware of idlenefs and fothrand apply yourfelves with diligence to fbmehoneft trade or employ ment for your fup-port and maintenance j which will be ameans of keeping you out of the way oftemptations, and help you to efcape thefnare which is fo fatal to the flothful andintemperate. ’Tis the common plea oflewd women, that their wants and necefli-ties fir ft kd them into fuch a licentious way,of living : but this is a wicked and a falfepretence •, it was the inordinate love of fen-

fual pleafure, it was idlenefs, and an avcrflonto honeft labour, which firft corrupted theirminds, and then betrayed them into a vi-cious and lewd courfe of life •, out of whichnothing is fo likely to reclaim them, as re-folving to betake themfelves to feme honeft,though it be a laborious, pains taking wayof getting their bread.

2. Never think with pleafure on any ofyour paft crimes but whenever you callthem to remembrance, let it be with abhor-rence and deteftation. Reflect with fhameand forrow upon the finful aggravations ofyour guilt and folly, when you forfook theguide of your youth, and forgot the cove-nant of your God j how greatly you haveoffended him, abufed your bodies, pollutedyour fouls, and expofed yourfelves to hisdreadful vengeance. Thefe reflections willput you upon good refolutions, and helpto {Lengthen them.

3. Let your chief conversation be withperfons of fober and orderly behaviour, andexercife yourfelves frequently in religious du-ties, fitch as attending the publick worfhipof God, reading good books, meditationon divine and Spiritual things j efpecially,accuftom yourfelves to think often. Thatyou are continually in the prefence of thegreat God \ that your molt private addonsand your very thoughts are known to him

who is about your path and about ycur bed ,

and fpielh out all your ways, PfaJ. cxxxix. 3.For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and hefeeth all his goings : \There is no darknefs norJhadow of death, where the workers of iniqui-ty may hide themfelves, Job xxxiv. 21, 22.,

Thefe confederations will help to preferveyou from fecret wickednefs, and when youare aflaulted with temptations, will fugged;to your minds that faying of Jofeph, Howcan Ido this great wickednefs and fvn againftCod ? Gen. xxxix. 9.

4. Above all, pray continually and fer-vently to Almighty God, humbly confef-fmg your fins to him, and earnefrly im-ploring his holy fpirii to direct and guideyou in all your ways, to aflift and ftreng-then you againft all the temptations of theworld, the flefh,. and the devil, and efpe-cially againft the fin that moft eafily befetsyou *, and to enable you to walk in his holylaws to your life’s end. For your affiftance inthis neceflary duty, here are added a few fhortforms of devotion fitted to your condition.

A ConfeJJion.[Taken out of The whole Duty of Man.]

O Righteous Lord, who hateft iniquity,I thy finful creature caft myfelf at thy

feet, acknowledging that I moft juftly de-

ferve to be utterly abhorred and forfakenby thee ; for I have drunk iniquity likewater, gone on in a continued courfe of finand rebellion againft thee, daily commit-ted thofe things thou forbiddeft, and leavingundone thofe things thou commanded; myheart which Ihould be an habitation for thyholy fpirit, is become the feat of uncleanthoughts, of foul and difordered affections *,

and out of this abundance of the heart, mymouth fpeaketh, my hands aft; fo that inthought, word and deed I continually tranf-grefs againft thee. Nay, O Lord, I havedefpifed that goodnefs of thine which fhouldlead me to repentance, hardning, my heartagainft all thofe means thou haft ufed formy amendment. And now, OLord, whatcan I expeft from thee but judgment andfiery indignation, that is, indeed, the due!reward of my fins? But, Q Lord, there is.mercy with thee, that thou mayeft be fear-ed ; O fit me for that mercy, by giving mea deep and hearty repentance ; and thenaccording to thy goodnefs, let thine angerand thy wrath be turned away from me :

look upon me in thy fon, my bleffed Savi-our, and for the merit of his lufferings par-don all my fins. And, Lord, I befeech thee,by the power of thy grace, fo to renew andpurify my heart, that I may become a newcreature, utterly forfaking every evil way.

and living in a conftant fincere univerfaiobedience to thee all the reft of my days j

that, behaving myfelf as a good and faith-ful fervant, I may by thy mercy at the laftbe received into the joy of my Lord. Grantthis for Jefus Chrift’s fake. Amen.

For Far don and Sanctification .

OLord God, thou art moft holy, andhateft all iniquity j I blufti and am

afhamed to Jifc up my eyes to thee, when Iconfkier my own undcannefs and vilenefs j

when I think how wicked I have been ; howcontrary I have aded to the dictates of myown reafon, and the commands of thy holyword > how fhamefully I have been guiltyof fuch foul vices, as ought not fo much asto be named among chriftians. Forgiveme, I befeech thee, my manifold and moftheinous offences, for thy fon Jefus Chrijl’sfake, who came into the world to feek andto fave that which was loft, and ta lay dowahis life for finners, Have mercy upon mea miferabie Tinner ; grant me the renewinggrace of thy holy fpirit; enable me to checkmy loofe and impure defires j to fubdueevery evil inclination •, to cleanfe my£blf fromall filthinefs of flefh and fpirit; and toperfed holinefs in the fear of God ; thatbeing made free from fin, I may become

the fervant of righteoufnefs ; and living al-ways in obedience to thy commands, mayenjoy thy favour and bleffing in this life,and everiafting happinefs in the life to come,through the merits and mediation of myfaviour Jefus Chrift, Amen.

For AJJiftance agalnft Temptation.

OAlmighty and moft merciful Father,who haft taught us that thou tempteft

no man to evil, but that we are then tern-pted, when we are drawn away of our ownlulls and enticed: grant me, I befeech thee,thy grace to withftand the temptations ofmy own corrupt nature, that my flelh be-ing fubdued to the fpirit, I may ever obeythy godly motions in righteoufnefs andtrue holinefs. O Lord, leave me not inthe hour of temptation to myfelfj fullerme not to be governed by my own wickedand fenfual appetites, but let thy grace befufficient for me : do thou work in me bothto will and to do of thy good pleafure, thatfo I may be enabled to work out my ownfalvation with fear and trembling •, makeme to go in the path of thy command-ments, turn away mine eyes from behold-ing vanity, and quicken thou me in thyway ; help me to refrain my feet from evil,that'l may keep thy word j when the wick-

lay a fnare for me, let me not err from thyprecepts : hold thou me up, and I fhall beikfe ; order my fteps in thy word, and let.not any wickednefs have dominion over me.And grant that henceforth fleeing fornica-tion and all youthful lulls, and workingwith my hands the thing that is good, Imay by an honefl: and laborious induftry bepreferved from the fnare of the tempter,and live in obedience to thy holy will andcommandments all the days of my life.,through JeJus Chrift my Lord. Amen .

For Recovery of Health.

ALmighty God, creator and preferverof ail mankind, how abafhed and

■confounded may I well be, when I confiderthe great aggravation of my guilt ? I havewickedly deftroyed my health, and endan-gered my life ; I have obftinately continuedin folly and uncleannefs, when I could notbut fee that difeafes and mifery mull be theconfequence of my doings. Pardon this mywilfulnefs and madnefs, change the difpofi-tion of my mind, give me an earned: defireto become a new creature, and a firm refo-lution to forfake all my evil ways : of thygreat goodnefs reftore me again, howeverunworthy, to health, and ftrength, andfoundnefs of body, by removing th& dif*

eafes I labour under. O {pare me a little,that I may recover my ftrength, and walkbefore the Lord in the land of the livihg,and yield a conftant obedience to thy com-mandments all the reft of my days, throughJefus Chrift our Lord. Amen,

A Thanfgiving for Recovery.[Partly from The whole Duty of Man.]

IPraife and magnify thy name, O Lord,that thou haft in mercy delivered me

from the jaws of death, and reftored me tohealth again. Thou, O Lord, haft prefer-red my life from ddlrudion •, thou haft cha-ftened and eorreded me, but thou haft not.given me over unto death; make me ftricft-iy careful to fin no more, left a worfe thingcome unto me. Lord, let not this reprieve•thou haft now given me, make me fecure,as thinking that my Lord delayeth his co-ming ; but grant me, I befeech thee, tomake a right ufe of this long fyftering ofchine, and fo to employ the remainder ofmy days, that, when thou (halt appear, Imay have confidence, and not be aihamedbefore thee at thy coming. O Lord, Ihave found by this approach towards death,how dreadful a thing it is to be taken un-prepared. O let it be a perpetual admoni-tion to me to watch for my mailer’s coming *,

and when the pleafures of fin lhall again of-fer themfelves to entice me, make me toremember how bitter they will be at the laft.O Lord, hear me, and as thou haft inmuch mercy afforded me time, fo grant mealfo grace, to work out my own falvationwith fear and trembling, and to repent metruly of all my fins; that fo I may be pre-pared to meet the Lord Jefus at his fecondand dreadful coming, when he lhall executevengeance on all fuch as walk in the lullsof the flelh, and have not repented of theuncleannefs, and fornication, and lafciviouf-nefs, which they have committed. Grantthis, I befeech thee, for thy dear Son’s fake,Jefus Cbrijl my Saviour. Amen.

Our Father , which art in Heaven ; Hal-lowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom co?ne. Thywill be done in Earthy As it is in Heaven.Give us this day our daily bread. And for-give us our trefpajfesy as weforgive them thattrefpafs againjt us. And lead us not intotemptation ; but deliver us from evilforthine is the kingdom , and the power, and theglory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrifty andthe love of God, and the fellowjhip ofthe HolyGhoft, he with us all evermore. Amen,

FINIS.