A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

O Almighty God, and my most gracious Father in Jesus Christ, I humbly confess, that I am a most wretched sinner, and altogether unworthy to be in the Covenant of grace and salvation: For I was not only conceived and borne in sin and corruption, whereby thy glorious Image was defaced in me; but I have added thereunto many actual sins, by breaking thy Commandments, in thought, word and deed; whereby I have deserved thy just anger in this life, and eternal death in the world to come. But seeing thou hast vouchsafed to receive me into thy Covenant, of thy free mercy, giving me the sign thereof, the Sacrament of Baptism; and hast sent thy Son Jesus Christ to dye for, and by his death to redeem the young as well as the old; I beseech thee, for his sake, to pardon all my sins, and to wash them all away in his most precious blood; to receive me into thy love and favour, and to make me thine own child by adoption and grace. Give me thine holy Spirit to sanctify, rule and govern me; that according to my age and small ability, I may labour to serve thee. Make me daily to increase in grace, as I increase in years; enlighten my mind with the knowledge of thee, and my Saviour Christ and his truth. Sow in me the seeds of faith, and let it show it self as soon as I am capable thereof, in repentance and true obedience. Make me loving, dutiful and awful to my Parents and Governors, and let me learn by obeying them in my tender youth, to obey thee in my riper age. Give me grace to hearken to their good admonitions and instructions, and to profit and amend by their reproofs and chastisements. Make me humble, courteous and meek, modest and sober, diligent to please in all good things, and virtuous in my whole course of life, that so I may increase in favour with thee and all good men. And as I beg these benefits at thy hands, so I yield unto thee all humble and hearty thanks and praise, for all benefits, both spiritual and temporal vouchsafed unto me; and namely, for that it hath pleased thee to give me quiet rest and sleep this night past, and hast safely preserved me from all perils and dangers to which my frail life is daily subject. Continue (O Lord) thy love and favour towards me for ever; and especially this day take me ⟨p. 961⟩into thy fatherly protection;

O Almighty God, and my most gracious Father in Iesus Christ, I humbly confesse, that I am a most wretched sinner, and altogether vnworthy to bee in the Couenant of grace and saluation: For I was not onely conceiued and borne in sinne and corruption, whereby thy glorious Image was defaced in me; but I haue added thereunto many actuall sinnes, by breaking thy Commandements, in thought, word and deed; whereby I haue deserued thy iust anger in this life, and eternall death in the world to come. But seeing thou hast vouchsafed to receiue me into thy Couenant, of thy free mercy, giuing me the signe thereof, the Sacrament of Baptisme; and hast sent thy Sonne Iesus Christ to dye for, and by his death to redeeme the young as well as the old; I beseech thee, for his sake, to pardon all my sinnes, and to wash them all away in his most precious blood; to receiue me into thy loue and fauour, and to make mee thine owne child by adoption and grace. Giue me thine holy Spirit to sanctifie, rule and gouerne me; that according to my age and small ability, I may labour to serue thee. Make me daily to increase in grace, as I increase in yeeres; inlighten my mind with the knowledge of thee, and my Sauiour Christ and his truth. Sow in me the seeds of faith, and let it shew it selfe assoone as I am capable thereof, in repentance and true obedience. Make mee louing, dutifull and awfull to my Parents and Gouernours, and let mee learne by obeying them in my tender youth, to obey thee in my riper age. Giue me grace to hearken to their good admonitions and instructions, and to profit and amend by their reproofes and chastisements. Make me humble, courteous and meeke, modest and sober, diligent to please in all good things, and vertuous in my whole course of life, that so I may increase in fauour with thee and all good men. And as I beg these benefits at thy hands, so I yeeld vnto thee all humble and hearty thankes and praise, for all benefits, both spirituall and temporall vouchsafed vnto me; and namely, for that it hath pleased thee to giue mee quiet rest and sleepe this night past, and hast safely preserued mee from all perils and dangers to which my fraile life is daily subiect. Continue (O Lord) thy loue and fauour towards mee for euer; and especially this day take mee