672 Prayers before his ConfeCratron Vol. H. feeching thee to take pity of them, and to bring them to the knowledge of it, that they may be Paved. And becaufe our bleffed Saviour hath promifed, that all that do his Will shall know his Doctrine: Grant, O Lord, that I may never knowingly offend thee in any thing, or negle& to do what I know to be thy Will and my Duty. Grant, O Heavenly Father, thefe my humble and hearty requefts, for his fake who is the way, the truth, and the life, my bleffed Saviour and Redeemer Jefus Chrift. Amen. Prayers sited by him the day before his Confecration At 30. i 691. the day beforemy Confecration to the Arch-bi/hoprick, which was IV onWhit-funday, at St. Mary-le-bow, when, onWhit- funday Eve, I retired to Edmonton, to fpend that day in Piffling andPrayer, to implore the bleng ofAl- mighty God upon that action, and the ajjfanceof his Grace and Holy Spirit to be vouchfafed to-hisfinful and unworthy Servant, whom his wife Providence, and the importunate defire of theirMajeflies King William and .QueenMary, the' beftofPrin- ces , (whomGod ingreat Mercy to a moil finful andpervert People bath by a mode fignal Providencefet upon the Throne ofthefe Kingdoms, andfeet (I trufi) to be our Deliverers andBenefallorsfor many Generationsyet to come) have called to the Go. vernment andCondut`l of this miferable difiraHed Church ina very difficult and dan.. gerous time. Ibegan with afhort Prayer to Almighty God to prepare my Heart for the duty of this day, and to ajifl me in the difcharge of it, infifth a manner as might be accep- table in his fight, thro' Jefus Chrift my bleffed'Saviour andRedeemer. Iproceeded next tin a Thankfgiving to Almighty God for his Mercy and Goodnefs to nie in the conduEl ofmy whole life, from my fill entrance into the World to this day, which ivas to this effeil. Almighty and eternal Lord God, and molt merciful Father, I proftrate myfelf before thee this day, in a molt humble and thankful acknowledgment of thy great Mercy and Goodnefs vouchfafed to me a finful Creature, and thy molt unprofitable Servant (not worthy to be called thy Son) in the conduâ of my whole life, from my firft coming into the World to this prefent day. And in the firft place I defire to biefs thy great and glorious Name, that I was Chu,, bornofhoneft and religious Parents, tho' of a low and obfcurecondition. Who am 17. t6, 17. I, 0 LordGod, or what is nyHoufe, that thou haft brought me hitherto ? andhaft regardedme according to the Eflate ofa Man ofhigh degree, O LordGod ! I biefs thee likewife for all the happy Circumftances ofmy Birth andEducation; that I was born in a time and placewherein thy true Religion was preached and profeffed. I biefs thee for the great care of my good Parents to bring me up in the Knowledge and Fear of thee, the only trueGod, and ofhim whom thou ballfent, Jefus Chrifl, whom to know is Eternal Life; and I biefs thee, my Lord, for him in whom all the Nations of the Earth are bleffed, whom in the fulnefs oftime, thou waft pleated to fend into the World to be the Saviour and Redeemer ofMan- kind. I beefs thee that thou waft pleated to give,my ever honoured and good Father the Heart to give me, out of the fmall Mate thou gavel[ him, fo liberal an Edu- cation, whereby I was put iüto a Capacity to ferve thee. Forgive I befeech thee, O Lord, that I have made no better ufe of the Talents and opportunities wherewith thou haft entrufted me, and accept of that little which by thy Grace I have been en- abled ftncerely to do for thee. I biefs thee , O Lord, for the continual and boun- tiful füpport of thyProvidence, whereby thou haft alto enabled me to return to my Parents and their Children the kindnefs I received from them, and to be fä11 as a Father to them. I blefs thee that thou haft fo mercifully and fo many times pre- tented
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=