A05817:580
The Practice of Piety
The practise of piety directing a Christian how to walk that he may please God.The practise of pietie directing a Christian how to walke that he may please God.
London: printed for John Hodgets, 1613London: printed for Iohn Hodgets, 1613
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Evening Prayer for a Family.
Euening Prayer for a Familie.
O Eternal GOD, and most graciour Father, we thine unworthy Servants, here ⟨p. 469⟩assembled, do cast down our selves, at the foot-stool of thy grace, acknowledging that we have inherited our Fathers corruption, and actually in thought, word and deed, transgressed all thy holy commandments. So that in us naturally, there dwelleth nothing that is good: for our hearts are full of secret pride, anger, impatience, dissembling, lying, lust, vanity, profaneness, distrust, too much love of our selves, and the world, too little love of thee, and thy Kingdom: but empty and void of faith, love, patience, and every spiritual grace. If thou therefore shouldest but enter into judgement with us, and search out our ⟨p. 470⟩natural corruptions, and observe all the cursed fruits and effects that we have derived from thence: Satan might justly challenge us for his own, and we could not expect any thing from thy Majesty, but thy wrath, and our condemnation, which we have long ago deserved. But good Father, for Jesus Christ thy dear Sons sake, in whom only thou art well pleased, 1and for the merits of that bitter death, and bloody passion, which we believe that he hath suffered for us: have mercy upon us, pardon and forgive us all our sins, and free us from the shame and confusion which are due unto us for them: that they may never seize upon us to ⟨p. 471⟩our confusion in this life, nor to our condemnation in the world which is to come. And forasmuch as thou hast created us to serve thee, as all other creatures to serve us: so we beseech thee inspire thy holy Spirit into our hearts that by his illumination and effectual working, we may have the inward sight, and feeling of our sins and natural corruptions, and that we may not be blinded in them through custom, as the Reprobates are: but that we may more and more loath them, and be heartily grieved for them, endeavouring by the use of all good means to overcome and get out of them. Oh let me feel the power of Christs death, killing