Matthew Henry's Method for Prayer:

Abridged for E-books

Edited and revised by Ligon Duncan

with William McMillan

Executive Production by Dan Arnold

Copyright 2009, Dan Arnold and Ligon Duncan.

Publisher, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Inc, 1716 Spruce St Philadelphia PA 19103 USA. Smashwords Edition.

A Method for Prayer was written by Matthew Henry, March 25, 1710. For ease of reading, the editors have sought to update some of the author's language.

All Scripture from New International Version of the Bible, unless otherwise noted. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

This article may be duplicated in its entirety and without edit, including this full disclaimer for personal, small group, non-commercial use. No more than 200 copies may be made. No electronic use beyond email is permitted. Any use other then those listed herein are forbidden without prior written permission. All rights reserved. ARMHNIVC.

Material from this book, as well as other resources related to Biblical prayer, may also be accessed online at http://www.matthewhenry.org

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Preface to the E-Reader Version

Matthew Henry’s Method for Prayer was re-introduced to the public almost fifteen years ago. Things have changed significantly in the publishing world since then, to say the least! The original reprint of Matthew Henry’s classic included a number of appendices, which are absent from the present version.

These omissions are not because the material was inferior – far from it! The simple reason was that the appendices have not been modernized to accord with the various newer translations that are available for e-reading platforms. However, the entire book is always available online at www.matthewhenry.org

With that one caveat, we offer Matthew Henry to a world that he could have scarcely dreamed of. However, even though technology has advanced beyond the world of the 18th century, man’s spiritual needs have remained the same. Particularly today, Christians yearn for closer fellowship with God. Henry’s words concerning prayer, then, are as relevant now as they have ever been.

I wish also to express my deepest gratitude to the man who has made this e-version of Henry’s book available, Mr. Dan Arnold. Without Dan’s support, neither this book nor the website would have made Henry’s words accessible to so many people.

Also, there are other Bible versions available of this book, as well as daily emails taken directly from Henry's material to help you pray the Bible. All of these can be found at the web address listed above.

I think Matthew Henry would be embarrassed that his book has received so much attention. At the same time, I think he would be grateful to see the latest technology used to honor the Lord Jesus Christ by getting Scriptural prayers into the hands of a new generation of readers – and book formats.

May the Lord bless you as you pray the Bible,

J. Ligon Duncan, III

Jackson, Mississippi

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 1

OF THE FIRST PART OF PRAYER, WHICH IS ADDRESS TO GOD,

ADORATION OF HIM, WITH SUITABLE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,

PROFESSIONS, AND PREPARATORY REQUESTS

Introduction to Adoration

Our spirits being composed into a very reverent and serious frame, our thoughts gathered in, and all that is within us charged in the name of the great God carefully to attend the solemn and awful service that lies before us and to keep close to it, we must, with a fixed attention and an application of mind and an active lively faith, set the Lord before us, see his eye upon us, and set ourselves in his special presence, offering our bodies to him as living sacrifices, which we desire may be holy and pleasing to God and a reasonable act of worship; (1) and then bind these festal sacrifices with ropes and take them up to the horns of the altar, (2) in such thoughts as these:

Let us now lift up our hearts, with our eyes and hands, to God in heaven. (3)

Let us strive to lay hold of God, (4) to seek his face, (5) and to ascribe to him the glory due his name. (6)

To you, O LORD, we lift up our souls. (7)

Let us now enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body. (8)

Let us now in undivided devotion attend to the Lord, (9) and let not our hearts be far from him when we draw near with our mouths and honor him with our lips. (10)

Let us now worship God, who is a Spirit, in spirit and in truth, for such are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. (11)

Address God with Reverence and Awe

Having thus engaged our hearts to approach God. (12)

1. We must solemnly address ourselves to that infinitely great and glorious Being with whom we have to do, as those who are possessed with a full belief of his presence and a holy awe and reverence of his Majesty, which may be done in such expressions as these:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come! (13)

O you whose name is the LORD, who alone are the Most High over all the earth! (14)

O God, you are our God, earnestly we seek you; (15) our God, and we will praise you, our fathers’ God, and we will exalt you. (16)

O you who are the true God, the living God, the one only living and true God, and the eternal King! (17) The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (18)

And may we thus distinguish ourselves from the worshipers of false gods.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, they are vanity and a lie, made by the hands of men; those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. (19) But he who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD Almighty is his name, (20) God over all, forever praised. (21)

Their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede; (22) for he is the Rock of ages, the LORD, the LORD is the Rock eternal: (23) His name endures forever, and his renown through all generations, (24) when the gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens. (25)

Reverently Adore God

2. We must reverently adore God, as a Being transcendently bright and blessed, self-existent, and self-sufficient, an infinite and eternal Spirit who has all perfections in himself, and give him the glory of his titles and attributes.

O LORD our God, you are very great, you are clothed with splendor and majesty, you wrap yourself in light as with a garment; (26) and yet to us, you make darkness your canopy, (27) for we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness. (28)

This is the message which we have heard from you, and we set our seal to it that it is true: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all; (29) and, God is love; whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in him. (30)

You are the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows, and from whom comes every good and perfect gift. (31)

You are the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. (32)

We must acknowledge his Being to be unquestionable and past dispute.

The heavens declare your glory, O God, and the skies proclaim the work of your hands, (33) and your eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen and understood from what has been made. (34) So they are fools without excuse, who say, “There is no God;” (35) for surely the righteous are rewarded, surely there is a God who judges the earth (36) and heaven too.

We therefore come to you believing that you exist and that you powerfully and bountifully reward those who earnestly seek you. (37)

Yet we must understand and own his nature to be incomprehensible.

We cannot fathom the mysteries of God; we cannot probe the limits of the Almighty. (38)

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. (39)

Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise? (40)

And his perfections to be matchless and without compare.

Who is a God like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? (41)

Who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you. (42)

Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. (43)

No creature has an arm like God’s, or can thunder with a voice like his. (44)

And that he is infinitely above us and all other beings.

You are God and not man; you do not have eyes of flesh, nor do you see as a mortal sees. Your days are not like those of a mortal, or your years like those of a man. (45)

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are your thoughts higher than our thoughts and your ways than our ways. (46)

All nations before you are like a drop in a bucket or as dust on the scales; you weigh the islands as though they were fine dust; they are as nothing; they are regarded by you as worthless and less than nothing. (47)

Acknowledge God's Eternality and Omnipresence

Particularly in our adorations we must acknowledge:

(A.) That he is an eternal God, immutable, without beginning of days or end of life or change of time.

You are the King eternal, immortal, invisible. (48)

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God; (49) the same yesterday and today and forever. (50)

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (51)

You are God and do not change; therefore is it that we are not destroyed. (52)

Are you not from everlasting, O LORD, our God, our Holy One? (53) The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. (54)

(B.) That he is present in all places, and there is no place in which he is included or out of which he is excluded.

You are a God nearby and not a God far away; no one can hide himself in secret places so that you cannot see him, for you fill heaven and earth. (55)

You are not far from each one of us. (56)

We cannot go anywhere from your presence or flee from your Spirit: If we go up to the heavens, you are there; if we make our bed in the depths, in the depths of the earth, you are there; if we rise on the wings of the dawn, if we settle on the far side of the sea, even there your right hand will guide us, your right hand will hold us fast, (57) for we can never outrun you.

Recognize God's Perfect Knowledge and Unsearchable Wisdom

(C.) That he has a perfect knowledge of all persons and things, and sees them all, even that which is most secret, at one clear, certain, and unerring view.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account, even the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (58)

Your eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good: (59) They range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to you. (60)

You search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve. (61)

O God, you have searched us and you know us, you know when we sit and when we rise; you perceive our thoughts from afar. You discern our going out and our lying down; you are familiar with all our ways: Before a word is on our tongue, you know it completely, O LORD. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, too lofty for us to attain. (62)

Darkness is as light to you. (63)

(D.) That his wisdom is unsearchable, and the counsels and designs of it cannot be fathomed.

Your understanding, O Lord, has no limit, for you determine the number of the stars and call them each by name. (64)

You are wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom; (65) your wisdom is profound and your power is vast. (66)

How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; (67) all according to the purpose of your will. (68)

Oh, the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (69)

Acknowledge God's Incontestable Sovereignty and Irresistible Power

(E.) That his sovereignty is incontestable, and he is the owner and absolute Lord of all.

The highest heavens belong to the LORD, (70) and all the hosts of them. The earth is yours and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. (71) In your hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to you as well. The sea is yours, for you made it, and your hands formed the dry land. (72) Every animal of the forest is yours, and the cattle on a thousand hills. (73) You are therefore a great God, the great King above all gods. (74)

In your hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. (75)

Your dominion is an eternal dominion; your kingdom endures from generation to generation: You do as you please with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back your hand or say to you, “What have you done?” (76) or, “Why are you doing that?”

(F.) That his power is irresistible, and the operations of it cannot be controlled.

We know, O God, that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. (77) You are strong; (78) and nothing is impossible with you. (79)

All authority is yours, both in heaven and on earth. (80)

You kill, and you make alive; you wound, and you heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of your hand. (81)

You have power to do what you have promised. (82)

Acknowledge God's Purity and Justice

(G.) That he is a God of unspotted purity and perfect rectitude.

You are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel: (83) Holy and awesome is your name; (84) praise be to your holy name. (85)

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; (86) with you the wicked cannot dwell. (87)

You are the Rock, your works are perfect, all your ways are true and just; a faithful God who does no wrong. (88) You are our Rock, and there is no wickedness in you. (89)

You are righteous in all your ways, (90) and holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD. (91)

(H.) That he is just in the administration of his government, and never did, nor ever will do, wrong to any of his creatures.

You are always righteous, O God, when we bring a case before you, (92) and will be proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. (93)

Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong: for he repays a man for what he has done. (94)

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. (95) And though clouds and thick darkness surround you, yet righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. (96)

Acknowledge God's Unchanging Truth and Greatness

(I.) That his truth is invariable, and the treasures of his goodness inexhaustible.

You are good, and your love endures forever. (97)

Your love is great toward us, (98) and your faithfulness continues through all generations. (99)

You have proclaimed your name: The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. (100) And this name of yours is our strong tower. (101)

You are good, and what you do is good, (102) good to all; and you have compassion on all you have made. (103) But surely God is in a special manner good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. (104)

O that you would cause your goodness to pass in front of us, (105) that we may taste and see that the LORD is good; (106) and your love may be ever before us. (107)

(J.) Lastly, that when we have said all we can of the glorious perfections of the Divine nature, we fall infinitely short of the merit of the subject.

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power? (108)

The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power, and in his justice and great righteousness, (109) he is exalted above all blessing and praise. (110)

Praise God for His Heavenly Splendor and Glory

3. We must give to God the praise of that splendor and glory wherein he is pleased to manifest himself in the upper world.

You have established your throne in heaven, (111) and it is a throne of glory, high and exalted, and before you the seraphs cover their faces. (112) And it is in compassion to us that you hold back the face of that throne, spreading your clouds over it. (113)

You make your messengers winds, and your servants flames of fire. (114) Thousands upon thousands of them minister to you, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before you, to do your pleasure. (115) They are mighty ones who do your bidding, who obey your word. (116) And we have come by faith and hope and holy love into a spiritual communion with thousands upon thousands of angels and the spirits of righteous men made perfect, even to the joyful assembly and the church of the firstborn, to the heavenly Jerusalem. (117)

Give Glory to God as the Creator of the World

4. We must give glory to him as the Creator of the world and the great Protector, Benefactor, and Ruler of the whole creation.

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive blessing and honor and glory and power, for you created all things, and by your will, and for your praise, they were created and have their being. (118)

We worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water; (119) who spoke, and it came to be; who commanded, and it stood firm; (120) who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light; “Let there be an expanse,” and he made the expanse; (121) and he made all very good; (122) and they endure to this day according to your laws, for all things serve you. (123)

The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. (124)

You sustain all things by your powerful word, (125) and in you all things hold together. (126)

The earth is full of your creatures, so also is the vast and spacious sea. (127) The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time: You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. (128) You preserve both man and beast, (129) and give food to every creature. (130)

You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you, (131) whose kingdom rules over all. (132)

A sparrow will not fall to the ground apart from your will. (133)

You formed the man at first from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life, and so he became a living being. (134)

From one man you made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and you determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. (135)

You are the Most High, who is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes, (136) for from you man gets justice. (137)

Hallelujah! The Lord God Almighty reigns (138) and works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, for the praise of his own glory. (139)

Give Honor to the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

5. We must give honor to the three persons in the Godhead distinctly, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that great and sacred name, into which we were baptized and in which we assemble for religious worship, in communion with the universal church.

We pay our homage to three that testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; for these three are one.(140)

We praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, (141) and the eternal Word, who was with God in the beginning and was God, through whom all things were made; without whom nothing was made that has been made; (142) and who, when the time had fully come, (143) became flesh and made his dwelling among us and showed his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (144)

And since it is the will of God that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father, (145) we adore him as the radiance of his Father’s glory and the exact representation of his being; herein joining with the angels of God, who were all bidden to worship him. (146)

We pay homage to the exalted Redeemer, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, (147) confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (148)

We also worship the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, whom the Son has sent from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, (149) and who is sent to teach us all things and to remind us of everything; (150) who indited the Scriptures, holy men of God writing them as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (151)

Acknowledge your Dependence on God and your Obligations to Him

6. We must acknowledge our dependence upon God and our obligations to him as our Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor.

You, O God, made us, and not we ourselves, and therefore we are not our own but yours, we are your people and the sheep of your pasture; (152) let us therefore worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker. (153)

You, Lord, are the former of our bodies, and they are fearfully and wonderfully made and curiously wrought. Your eyes saw our unformed bodies, and all the days ordained for us were written in your book before one of them came to be. (154)

You have clothed us with skin and flesh and knit us together with bones and sinews; you have given us life and showed us kindness, and in your providence have watched over our spirits. (155)

You are the Father of our spirits, (156) for you form the spirit of man within him (157) and give us breath. (158) The Spirit of God has made us; the breath of the Almighty gives us life. (159) You endow the heart with wisdom and give understanding to the mind. (160)

You are God our Maker, who teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air. (161)

We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand. (162)

You brought us out of the womb and made us trust in you even at our mothers’ breast; from birth we have been cast upon you (163) and have relied on you. You are our God from our mothers’ womb, and therefore we will ever praise you. (164)

In you, O God, we live and move and have our being, for we are your offspring. (165)

In your hand you hold our life and all our ways, (166) for a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps, (167) but our times are in your hands. (168)

You are the God who has been our shepherd all our life to this day and has delivered us from all harm. (169)

It is because of your great love that we are not consumed, for your compassions never fail: They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (170)

If you take away our breath, we die and return to the dust out of which we were taken. (171)

Who can speak and have it happen if you have not decreed it? From your mouth, O Most High, both calamities and good things come. (172)

Own your Relation to God

7. We must declare this God to be our God and own our relation to him, his dominion over us, and propriety in us.

We said to the LORD, “You are our God; apart from you we have no good thing; (173) even if we are righteous, what do we give to you?” (174)

You are our King and our God: (175) Other lords besides you have ruled over us, but from henceforth your name alone do we honor. (176)

We declare this day that the LORD is our God and that we will walk in his ways, that we will keep his decrees, commands, and laws, and that we will obey him and give ourselves to him, to be his people, his treasured possession as he has promised, that we may be a people holy to the LORD our God; (177) and may be to him for his renown and praise and honor. (178)

O LORD, truly we are your servants, we are your servants, born in your house, and you have freed us from our chains: (179) We have been bought at a price, and therefore we are not our own, (180) and so we submit to the Lord (181) and bind ourselves to him in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten. (182)

Save us, for we are yours; we have sought out your precepts; (183) it is your own, Lord, that we give you, and that which comes from your hand. (184)

Acknowledge the Privilege of Drawing Near to God in Prayer

8. We must acknowledge it an unspeakable favor and an inestimable privilege, that we are not only admitted, but invited and encouraged to draw near to God in prayer.

You have commanded us to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, with thanksgiving, and to be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints; (185) to continue in prayer, and in everything, by prayer and petition, to present our requests to God. (186)

You have directed us to ask and seek and knock; and have promised that it will be given to us, we will find, and the door will be opened to us. (187)

You have appointed for us a great High Priest, in whose name we may approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (188)

You have assured us, that while you detest the sacrifice of the wicked, the prayer of the upright pleases you; (189) and that he who sacrifices thank offerings honors you; (190) and the sacrifice of thanksgiving will please the LORD more than that of an ox or a bull with its horns and hoofs. (191)

You are he who hears prayer, and therefore to you all men will come. (192)

You say, “Seek my face!” And our hearts answer, “Your face, LORD, we will seek.” (193) For, should not a people inquire of their God? (194) To whom shall we go but to you? You have the words of eternal life. (195)

Express your Unworthiness to Draw Near to God

9. We must express the sense we have of our own meanness and unworthiness to draw near to God and speak to him.

But will God really dwell on earth with men, that God whom the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain, (196) with man, who is but a maggot – a son of man, who is only a worm? (197)

Who are we, O Sovereign LORD, and what are our families, that you have brought us this far to present ourselves before the Lord? (198) That we have through Christ an access to the Father by one Spirit? (199) And yet, as if this were not enough in your sight, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servants. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD? (200)

What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him, (201) and thus magnify him?

May the Lord not be angry, if we, who are nothing but dust and ashes, are so bold as to speak to the Lord of glory. (202)

We are unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servants; (203) nor is it right to take the children’s bread and toss it to such as we are; but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table; (204) and you richly bless with mercy all who call on you. (205)

Humbly Profess the Desire of your Heart for God

10. We must humbly profess the desire of our hearts towards God, as our felicity and portion and fountain of life and all good to us.

Whom have we in heaven but you? And earth has nothing we desire besides you or in comparison with you. When our flesh and our heart fail, be the strength of our heart and our portion forever; (206) the portion of our inheritance in the other world and of our cup in this, and then we will say that the boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places, and that we have a delightful inheritance. (207)

Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts; our souls yearn for you in the night, and in the morning our spirits long for you. (208)

As the deer pants for streams of water, so our souls pant for you, O God. Our souls thirst for God, for the living God, who by day directs his love, and at night his song is with us – a prayer to the God of our life. (209)

O that we may come hungering and thirsting after righteousness, (210) for you fill the hungry with good things, but send the rich away empty. (211)

O that our souls may thirst for you, and our bodies long for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water; that we may behold your power and your glory, as we have seen you in the sanctuary. Your love is better than life; our souls will be satisfied as with the richest of foods, and then with singing lips our mouths will praise you. (212)

Profess your Believing Hope and Confidence in God

11. We must likewise profess our believing hope and confidence in God and his all-sufficiency, in his power, providence, and promise.

In you, O God, we have taken refuge; let us never be put to shame; (213) indeed, no one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame. (214)

Our souls find rest in God alone; our salvation comes from him. He alone is our rock and our salvation. Our salvation and our honor depend on God; he is our mighty rock and our refuge; our hope comes from him. (215)

When we have no refuge, and no one cares for our life, we cry to you, O LORD, “You are our refuge, our portion in the land of the living.” (216)

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (217) We will trust in your unfailing love, O God, forever and ever, and in your name we will hope, for it is good. (218)

We have put our hope in your word; O remember your word to your servants, for you have given us hope. (219)

Entreat God's Favorable Acceptance

12. We must entreat God’s favorable acceptance of us and our poor performances.

Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” But this we say, “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD,” and that shall fill our hearts with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. (220)

We have sought your face with all our heart, (221) for in this we labor, that whether at home in the body or away from it, we may please the Lord. (222)

O LORD, hear our prayer, listen to our cry for mercy; in your faithfulness come to our relief, (223) and be near us whenever we pray to you; (224) for you have not said to Jacob’s descendants, “Seek me in vain.” (225)

You who hear the young ravens when they call, (226) do not turn a deaf ear to us, for if you remain silent, we will be like those who have gone down to the pit. (227)

May our prayer be set before you like incense, and the lifting up of our hands be acceptable in your sight like the evening sacrifice. (228)

Entreat God's Favorable Acceptance

13. We must beg for the powerful assistance and influence of the blessed Spirit of grace in our prayers.

Lord, we do not know what we ought to pray for, but let your Spirit help us in our weakness and intercede for us. (229)

O pour on us a spirit of grace and supplication, (230) the Spirit of sonship who teaches us to cry, “Abba, Father;” (231) that we may find in our hearts to pray this prayer: Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide us; let them bring us to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell; to God, our joy and our delight. (232)

O Lord, open our lips, and our mouths will declare your praise. (233)

14. We must make the glory of God our highest end in all our prayers.

This is what you, O Lord, spoke of: That among those who approach you, you will show yourself holy; in the sight of all the people you will be honored. (234) We therefore worship before you, O Lord, that we may bring glory to your name; (235) and therefore we call on you, that you may deliver us, and we may honor you. (236)

For from you and through you and to you are all things. (237)

Rely on Jesus Alone for Acceptance with God

15. We must profess our entire reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for acceptance with God and come in his name.

We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, (238) for we are before you in our guilt (239) and cannot stand before you because of our sins; (240) but we make mention of Christ’s righteousness, even of his only, who is The LORD Our Righteousness. (241)

We know that even spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God only through Christ Jesus, (242) nor can we hope to receive anything but what we ask of you in his name; (243) and therefore make us accepted in the One you love, (244) that other angel, who puts much incense to the prayers of saints and offers them up on the golden altar before the throne. (245)

We come in the name of the great High Priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, (246) and is therefore able to save completely all those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (247)

Look upon our shield, O God: look with favor on your Anointed One, (248) in whom you have by a voice from heaven declared yourself to be well pleased; Lord, be well pleased with us in him. (249)

1 Romans 12:1.

2 Psalm 118:27.

3 v. Lamentations 3:41; John 17:1.

4 Isaiah 64:7.

5 Psalm 27:8.

6 Psalm 29:2.

7 Psalm 25:1.

8 Hebrews 10:19-20.

9 1 Corinthians 7:35.

10 Isaiah 29:13.

11 John 4:23-24.

12 Jeremiah 30:21.

13 Revelation 4:8.

14 Psalm 83:18.

15 Psalm 63:1.

16 Exodus 15:2.

17 v. Jeremiah 10:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

18 Deuteronomy 6:4.

19 Psalm 115:4, 8.

20 Jeremiah 10:16.

21 Romans 9:5.

22 Deuteronomy 32:31.

23 Isaiah 26:4.

24 Psalm 135:13.

25 Jeremiah 10:11

26 Psalm 104:1-2.

27 Psalm 18:11.

28 Job 37:19.

29 1 John 1:5.

30 1 John 4:16.

31 James 1:17.

32 1 Timothy 6:15-16.

33 Psalm 19:1.

34 Romans 1:19-20.

35 v. Psalm 14:1; Romans 1:20.

36 Psalm 58:11.

37 Hebrews 11:6.

38 Job 11:7.

39 Psalm 145:3.

40 Psalm 106:2.

41 Exodus 15:11.

42 Psalm 89:6, 8.

43 Psalm 86:8, 10.

44 Job 40:9.

45 Job 10:4-5.

46 Isaiah 55:9.

47 Isaiah 40:15, 17.

48 1 Timothy 1:17.

49 Psalm 90:2.

50 Hebrews 13:8.

51 Psalm 102:25-27.

52 Malachi 3:6.

53 Habakkuk 1:12.

54 Isaiah 40:28.

55 Jeremiah 23:23-24.

56 Acts 17:27.

57 Psalm 139:7-10.

58 Hebrews 4:12-13.

59 Proverbs 15:3.

60 2 Chronicles 16:9.

61 Jeremiah 17:10.

62 Psalm 139:1-4, 6.

63 Psalm 139:12.

64 Psalm 147:4-5.

65 Isaiah 28:29.

66 Job 9:4.

67 Psalm 104:24.

68 Ephesians 1:11.

69 Romans 11:33.

70 Psalm 115:16.

71 Psalm 24:1.

72 Psalm 95:4-5.

73 Psalm 50:10.

74 Psalm 95:3.

75 Job 12:10.

76 Daniel 4:34-35.

77 Job 42:2.

78 Psalm 62:11.

79 Luke 1:37.

80 Matt 28:18.

81 Deuteronomy 32:39.

82 Romans 4:21.

83 Psalm 22:3.

84 Psalm 111:9.

85 Psalm 30:4.

86 Habakkuk 1:13.

87 Psalm 5:4.

88 Deuteronomy 32:4.

89 Psalm 92:15.

90 Psalm 145:17.

91 Psalm 93:5.

92 Jeremiah 12:1.

93 Psalm 51:4.

94 Job 34:10-11.

95 Psalm 36:6.

96 Psalm 97:2.

97 Psalm 136:1.

98 Psalm 117:2.

99 Psalm 100:5.

100 Exodus 34:6-7.

101 Proverbs 18:10.

102 Psalm 119:68.

103 Psalm 145:9.

104 Psalm 73:1.

105 Exodus 33:19.

106 Psalm 34:8.

107 Psalm 26:3.

108 Job 26:14.

109 Job 37:23 (v. KJV).

110 Nehemiah 9:5.

111 Psalm 103:19.

112 Isaiah 6:1-2.

113 Job 26:9 (v. KJV).

114 Psalm 104:4 (v. KJV).

115 Revelation 5:11.

116 Psalm 103:20-21.

117 Hebrews 12:22-23.

118 Revelation 4:11.

119 Revelation 14:7.

120 Psalm 33:9.

121 Genesis 1:3, 6-7.

122 Genesis 1:31.

123 Psalm 119:91 (v. KJV).

124 Psalm 74:16-17.

125 Hebrews 1:3.

126 Colossians 1:17.

127 Psalm 104:24-25 (v. KJV).

128 Psalm 145:15-16.

129 Psalm 36:6.

130 Psalm 136:25.

131 Nehemiah 9:6.

132 Psalm 103:19.

133 Matthew 10:29.

134 Genesis 2:7.

135 Acts 17:26.

136 Daniel 4:25.

137 Proverbs 29:26.

138 Revelation 19:6.

139 Ephesians 1:11-12.

140 1 John 5:7 (v. KJV).

141 Matthew 11:25.

142 John 1:1-3.

143 Galatians 4:4.

144 John 1:14.

145 John 5:23.

146 Hebrews 1:3, 6.

147 Revelation 1:5.

148 Philippians 2:11.

149 John 15:26.

150 John 14:26.

151 2 Pet 1:21.

152 v. Psalm 100:3 (margin); 1 Corinthians 6:19.

153 Psalm 95:6.

154 Psalm 139:14-16.

155 Job 10:11-12.

156 Hebrews 12:9.

157 Zechariah 12:1.

158 Jeremiah 38:16.

159 Job 33:4.

160 Job 38:36.

161 Job 35:10-11.

162 Isaiah 64:8.

163 Psalm 22:9-10.

164 Psalm 71:6.

165 Acts 17:28.

166 Daniel 5:23.

167 Jeremiah 10:23.

168 Psalm 31:15.

169 Genesis 48:15-16.

170 Lamentations 3:22-23.

171 Psalm 104:29.

172 Lamentations 3:37-38.

173 Psalm 16:2.

174 Job 35:7.

175 Psalm 44:4.

176 Isaiah 26:13.

177 Deuteronomy 26:17-19.

178 Jeremiah 13:11.

179 Psalm 116:16.

180 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

181 2 Chronicles 30:8.

182 Jeremiah 50:5.

183 Psalm 119:94.

184 1 Chronicles 29:16.

185 Ephesians 6:18.

186 Philippians 4:6.

187 Matthew 7:7.

188 Hebrews 4:16.

189 Proverbs 15:8.

190 Psalm 50:23.

191 Psalm 69:30-31.

192 Psalm 65:2.

193 Psalm 27:8 (margin).

194 Isaiah 8:19.

195 John 6:68.

196 2 Chronicles 6:18.

197 Job 25:6.

198 2 Samuel 7:18.

199 Ephesians 2:18.

200 2 Samuel 7:19.

201 Psalm 8:4.

202 Genesis 18:27, 30.

203 Genesis 32:10.

204 Matthew 15:26-27.

205 Romans 10:12.

206 Psalm 73:25-26.

207 Psalm 16:5-6.

208 Isaiah 26:8-9.

209 Psalm 42:1-2, 8.

210 Matthew 5:6.

211 Luke 1:53.

212 Psalm 63:1-3, 5.

213 Psalm 31:1.

214 Psalm 25:3.

215 Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7.

216 Psalm 142:4-5.

217 Psalm 20:7.

218 Psalm 52:8-9.

219 Psalm 119:81, 49.

220 Psalm 4:6-7.

221 Psalm 119:58.

222 2 Corinthians 5:9.

223 Psalm 143:1.

224 Deuteronomy 4:7.

225 Isaiah 45:19.

226 Psalm 147:9.

227 Psalm 28:1.

228 Psalm 141:2.

229 Romans 8:26.

230 Zechariah 12:10.

231 Romans 8:15.

232 Psalm 43:3-4.

233 Psalm 51:15.

234 Leviticus 10:3.

235 Psalm 86:9.

236 Psalm 50:15.

237 Romans 11:36.

238 Daniel 9:18.

239 Ezra 9:15.

240 Psalm 130:3.

241 Jeremiah 23:6.

242 1 Peter 2:5.

243 John 16:23.

244 Ephesians 1:6 (v. KJV).

245 Revelation 8:3.

246 Hebrews 4:14-15.

247 Hebrews 7:25.

248 Psalm 84:9.

249 Matthew 3:17.

****

CHAPTER 2

OF THE SECOND PART OF PRAYER, WHICH IS

CONFESSION OF SIN, COMPLAINTS OF OURSELVES, AND

HUMBLE PROFESSIONS OF REPENTANCE

Introduction and Acknowledgement of the Need for Lowliness before God

Having ascribed to God the glory due his name, (1) we must next take shame to ourselves, which is our due, and humble ourselves before him in the sense of our own sinfulness and vileness; and herein also we must give glory to him, (2) as our Judge, by whom we deserve to be condemned, and yet hope, through Christ, to be acquitted and absolved.

In this part of our work,

1. We must acknowledge the great reason we have to lie very low before God and to be ashamed of ourselves when we come into his presence and to be afraid of his wrath, having made ourselves both odious to his holiness and obnoxious to his justice.

O our God! We are too ashamed and disgraced to lift up our faces to you, our God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. (3)

We are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. (4)

We are unworthy – how can we reply to you? We put our hand over our mouth (5) and bury our face in the dust – there may yet be hope (6) – crying out with the convicted leper under the law, “Unclean, unclean!” (7)

If you place no trust in your holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in your eyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water! (8)

When our eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty, we have reason to cry, “Woe to us! We are ruined.” (9)

Dominion and awe belong to you; you establish order in the heights of heaven. Your forces cannot be numbered; and upon whom does your light not rise? How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? (10)

You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? (11) You, our God, are a consuming fire, (12) and who knows the power of your anger? (13)

Even if we were innocent, our mouth would condemn us; if we were blameless, it would pronounce us guilty. (14) Though we wished to dispute with you, we could not answer you one time out of a thousand. (15)

If our consciences are clear, that does not make us innocent, for it is the Lord who judges us (16) – the Lord, who is greater than our hearts and knows everything. (17) But we ourselves know that we have sinned, Father, against heaven and against you, and are no longer worthy to be called your children. (18)

Take Hold of the God-Given Encouragement you Have to Confess Sin

2. We must take hold of the great encouragement God has given us to humble ourselves before him with sorrow and shame, and to confess our sins.

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. With you is unfailing love, yes, with our God is full redemption; he himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. (19)

Your sacrifices, O God, are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise; (20) indeed, though you are the high and lofty One – he who lives forever, whose name is holy; (21) though heaven is your throne, and the earth is your footstool, yet this is the one you esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at your word, (22) to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (23)

You have graciously assured us that he who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (24) And when a poor penitent said, “I will confess my transgression to the LORD,” you forgave the guilt of his sin; therefore, let everyone who is godly, in like manner, pray to you while you may be found. (25)

We know that if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us; but you have said that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (26)

Confess and Bewail your Original Corruption

3. We must therefore confess and bewail our original corruption in the first place, that we were the children of apostate and rebellious parents, and the nature of man is depraved and wretchedly degenerated from its primitive purity and rectitude, and our nature is so.

Lord, you made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes; (27) and despite his riches, man does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. (28)

Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned: Through that one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, (29) including all of us.

We are a brood of evildoers; (30) our father was an Amorite and our mother a Hittite, (31) and we ourselves were called (and not miscalled) rebels from birth; and well do you know how treacherous we are. (32)

The nature of man was planted a choice vine of sound and reliable stock, but it has become a corrupt, wild vine, (33) producing the grapes of Sodom and the clusters of Gomorrah. (34) How the gold has lost its luster, and the fine gold become dull! (35)

Surely we were sinful at birth, sinful from the time our mothers conceived us. (36) For, who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one! (37) Like the rest, we are by nature objects of wrath, because, by nature, children of disobedience. (38)

All people have corrupted their ways, (39) we have all turned aside, we have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (40)

Lament your Disposition to Evil and Confess

your Blind Understanding and Stubborn Will

4. We must lament our present corrupt dispositions to that which is evil, and our indisposedness to, and impotency in, that which is good. We must look into our own hearts and confess with holy blushing:

(A.) The blindness of our understandings, and their unaptness to admit the rays of the divine light.

By nature we are darkened in our understandings and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in us due to the hardening of our hearts. (41)

The things that come from the Spirit of God are foolishness to the man without the Spirit, and, if left to ourselves, we cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (42)

We are skilled in doing evil; we know not how to do good. (43) We know nothing, we understand nothing; we walk about in darkness. (44)

God speaks – now one way, now another – though we do not perceive it. (45) We are ever hearing but never understanding; (46) and we see people, yet they look like trees walking around. (47)

(B.) The stubbornness of our wills, and their unaptness to submit to the rules of the divine law.

We have within us a sinful mind, which is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. (48)

You have written for us the many things of your law, but we have regarded them as something alien, (49) and our corrupt hearts have been sometimes ready to say, “Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?” (50) And that we would certainly do everything we said we would. (51) For we have followed the ways of our own heart and whatever our eyes have seen. (52) We have followed our sinful nature’s desires and thoughts. (53)

The sinews of our neck have been iron, (54) and we have made our hearts as hard as flint. We have refused to pay attention; stubbornly we have turned our back and stopped up our ears (55) like a cobra that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be. (56)

How we have hated discipline! How our heart has spurned correction! We have not obeyed our teachers or listened to our instructors. (57)

Lament and Confess your Vain Thoughts and Carnal Affections

(C.) The vanity of our thoughts, their neglect of those things which they ought to be conversant with and dwelling upon those things that are unworthy of them and tend to corrupt our minds.

Every inclination of the thoughts of our heart is evil, only evil, and that all the time, (58) and it has been so from our childhood. (59)

O how long have we harbored wicked thoughts! (60) Those schemes of folly which are sin! (61) From within, out of the heart, come evil thoughts; (62) which plot mischief on the bed (63) and carry the heart with the fool’s eyes to the ends of the earth. (64)

But God is not in all our thoughts; (65) it is well if he is in any of them. We have deserted the Rock, who fathered us, and have forgotten the God who gave us birth: (66) We have forgotten him days without number, (67) and our hearts have followed worthless idols and become worthless themselves. (68) Our inward thought having been that our house will remain forever; this our way is our folly. (69)

(D.) The carnality of our affections, their being placed upon wrong objects and carried beyond due bounds.

We have set our hearts on earthly things, which should have been set on things above, where our treasure is, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God; (70) these are the things which we should seek.

We have clung to worthless idols and forfeited the grace that could have been ours; (71) have forsaken the spring of living water, for cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (72)

We have panted after the dust of the ground, (73) and have been full of care as to what we shall eat and what we shall drink and what we shall wear, the things which the pagans run after, and the righteousness thereof. (74)

We have lifted up our souls to idols (75) and set our eyes on what is nothing; have fixed our eyes on what is seen, which is temporary, but the things that are eternal, have been forgotten and postponed. (76)

Lament and Confess the Corruption of your Entire Being

(E.) The corruption of the whole man: Irregular appetites towards those things that are pleasing to sense, and inordinate passions against those things that are displeasing, and an alienation of the mind from the principles, powers, and pleasures of the spiritual and divine life.

We are born of the flesh; we are flesh. (77) Dust we are: (78) We have borne the likeness of the earthly man; (79) and nothing good lives in us, that is, in our sinful nature. For we have the desire to do what is good, but we cannot carry it out; for what we do is not the good we want to do; no, the evil we do not want to do – this we keep on doing. (80)

We have a law at work within the members of our bodies which is waging war against the law of our minds and making us prisoners of the law of sin at work within our members; so that when we want to do good, evil is right there with us, (81) and most easily entangles us. (82)

Our whole head is injured, our whole heart afflicted; from the sole of our foot to the top of our head there is no soundness – only wounds and welts and open sores. (83)

There is in us a determination to turn from the living God: (84) Our hearts are deceitful above all things and beyond cure; who can understand them? (85) They start aside like a faulty bow. (86)

Lament and Confess your Sins of Omission

5. We must lament and confess our omissions of duty, our neglect of it and triflings in it, and that we have done so little since we came into the world of the great work we were sent into the world about, so very little to answer the end of our creation or of our redemption, of our birth and of our baptism; and that we have profited no more by the means of grace.

We have been as fig trees planted in the vineyard, and you have come many years seeking fruit from us but have found none; and therefore we might justly be cut down and thrown into the fire for using up the soil: (87) You have come looking for good grapes, but behold only bad ones, (88) for we have been empty vines bringing forth fruit for ourselves. (89)

We have known the good we ought to do, but have not done it. (90) We have hid our Master’s money, and therefore deserve the doom of the wicked and lazy servant. (91)

We have been unfaithful managers who have wasted our Lord’s possessions, (92) for one sinner destroys much good. (93)

Money has been put in our hands to get wisdom, which we have had no desire to get, (94) or like the fool our heart has been inclined to the left. (95)

Our youth and vigor were meaningless, (96) and we are finishing our years with a moan. (97)

We have not recognized or improved the time of God’s coming to us; (98) have not stored provisions in summer nor gathered food at harvest, though we have had commanders, overseers, and rulers. (99)

We are slow of heart to understand and believe; (100) and though by this time we ought to be teachers of others, we are yet to learn the elementary truths of God’s word: We have need of milk and cannot bear solid food. (101)

We have undermined piety and hindered devotion to God; (102) have not called on your name or striven to lay hold of you. (103)

We have come before you as your people come and sat before you as your people sit and listened to your words, when our hearts at the same time have been greedy for unjust gain. (104) And thus have we brought the torn and the crippled and the diseased for sacrifice, have offered that to our God, which we would not have offered to our governor; and have vowed and sacrificed to the Lord a blemished thing, when we had in our flock an acceptable male. (105)

Bewail your Many Actual Transgressions, Especially your Pride

6. We must likewise bewail our many actual transgressions, in thought, word, and deed.

We have sinned, Father, against heaven and against you: (106) We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; (107) for the God who holds in his hand our life and all our ways, we have not honored. (108)

Against you, you only, have we sinned and done what is evil in your sight; (109) we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us, (110) though they are holy, righteous, and good. (111)

Who can discern his errors? Forgive our hidden faults. (112)

We stumble in many ways; (113) and our sins are more than the hairs of our head. (114)

As a well pours out its water, so do our hearts pour out wickedness, (115) and this has been our way from our youth up: we have not obeyed you. (116)

Out of the evil stored up in us, we have brought forth many evil things. (117)

(A.) We must confess and bewail the workings of pride in us.

We have every reason to be humbled for the pride of our hearts, (118) for we have thought of ourselves more highly than we ought, and have not thought of ourselves with sober judgment, (119) nor have we walked humbly with our God. (120)

We have leaned on our own understanding (121) and trusted in ourselves (122) and have sacrificed to our own net. (123)

We have sought our own honor more than the honor of him who sent us, (124) and have been proud for that which we should have been filled with grief. (125)

Bewail your Anger, Love of the World, and Love of the Flesh

(B.) The breaking out of passion and rash anger.

We have lacked self-control and have therefore been like a city whose walls are broken down. (126)

We have been quickly provoked, and anger has resided in our laps. (127) And when our spirits have been provoked, we have spoken rashly with our lips, (128) and have been guilty of that brawling and bitterness which we should have gotten rid of. (129)

(C.) Our covetousness and love of the world.

Our life has not been free from the love of money, (130) nor have we learned to be content, whatever the circumstances, with what we have. (131)

Who can say that he is clean from that love of money which is a root of all kinds of evil, (132) that greed which is idolatry? (133)

We have sought great things for ourselves when you have said, “Seek them not.” (134)

(D.) Our sensuality and flesh-pleasing.

We have set our minds on what the sinful nature desires more than on what the Spirit desires, (135) and have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence, and have fattened ourselves as in a day of slaughter. (136)

We have thought about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature, (137) even those sinful desires which war against our souls; (138) and in many instances, have acted as if we had been lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. (139)

When we were eating and drinking, were we not just feasting for ourselves? (140)

Bewail your False Security, Fretfulness, and Impatience

(E.) Our security and unmindfulness of the changes we are liable to in this world.

We have put off the evil day (141) and feeling secure have said, “We will never be shaken,” (142) as if tomorrow will have to be like today, or even far better. (143)

We have encouraged ourselves to take life easy; to eat, drink, and be merry, as if we had plenty of good things laid up for many years, when perhaps this very night our lives will be demanded from us. (144)

We have been ready to put our hope in wealth, rather than in God; (145) to put our trust in gold, and say to pure gold, “You are our security.” (146)

(F.) Our fretfulness and impatience and murmuring under our afflictions, our inordinate dejection and distrust of God and his providence.

When you have disciplined us, and we have been disciplined, we have been like an unruly calf; (147) and though our own folly has ruined our life, yet our heart has raged against the LORD; (148) and thus in our time of trouble, we have become even more unfaithful to the LORD. (149)

We have either despised the LORD’s discipline or resented his rebuke; (150) and if we falter in times of trouble, how small is our strength. (151)

We have said in our alarm, “We are cut off from your sight!” (152) and, “The LORD has forsaken us, our God has forgotten us”; (153) as if God would never show his favor again, as if he had forgotten to be merciful and had in anger withheld his compassion. (154) This has been our infirmity.

Bewail your Lack of Love for Others

(G.) Our uncharitableness towards our brethren, and unpeaceableness with our relations, neighbors, and friends, and perhaps injustice towards them.

We have been very guilty concerning our brother; (155) for we have not made every effort to do what leads to peace or to mutual edification. (156)

We have been ready to judge our brother and to look down on our brother, forgetting that we must shortly stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (157)

Contrary to the royal law of love, we have boasted and been proud, have been rude and self-seeking; have been easily angered, have delighted in evil, (158) and have secretly gloated over disaster. (159)

We have been conceited, provoking and envying one another, (160) when we should have considered how to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (161)

We have not had pity on those who are in need; (162) and we have turned away from our own flesh and blood. (163) Indeed, perhaps we have shown ill will toward our needy brother, (164) and have insulted the poor. (165)

And if in anything we have wronged our brother or taken advantage of him, (166) if we have walked in falsehood or our foot has hurried after deceit or our hands have been defiled, (167) Lord, discover it to us, that if we have done wrong, we will not do so again. (168)

Bewail your Sins of the Tongue and Spiritual Sloth

(H.) Our tongue sins.

When words are many, sin is not absent, (169) nor can a man full of talk be vindicated. (170)

While the lips of the righteous nourish many, (171) our lips have gushed folly (172) and known what is perverse. (173)

Much unwholesome talk has come out of our mouths; that foolish talk and coarse joking, which are out of place, and little of that which is helpful for building others up according to their needs and which might benefit those who listen. (174)

If men will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken, and if by our words we must be acquitted and by our words we must be condemned, (175) woe to us! We are ruined! For we are of unclean lips, and we live among a people of unclean lips. (176)

What would become of us, if God should turn our own tongues against us and bring us to ruin? (177)

(I.) Our spiritual slothfulness and decay.

We have been lacking in zeal, and have not kept our spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (178)

The things which remain are about to die, and our deeds have not been found complete in the sight of God. (179)

We have watched the wind, and therefore have not planted; have looked at the clouds, and therefore have not reaped; (180) and with the sluggard have frightened ourselves with the fancy of a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets, and have turned on our beds as the door on its hinges, (181) still crying, “A little sleep, a little slumber.” (182)

We have lost our first love; (183) what has happened to all of our joy? (184)

Our love has been like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. (185)

And that which is at the bottom of all is the sinful, unbelieving heart in us, which inclines us to turn away from the living God. (186)

Acknowledge the Great Evil of Sin, its Sinfulness and Foolishness

7. We must acknowledge the great evil that there is in sin, and in our sin; the malignity of its nature and its mischievousness to us.

(A.) The sinfulness of sin.

O that sin might be recognized as sin to us and appear in its own colors, and that through the commandment we might see it to be utterly sinful, (187) because it is lawlessness. (188)

By every willful sin we have in effect said, “We don’t want this man to be our king.” (189) And, “Who is the LORD, that we should obey him? (190) And thus have we blasphemed the LORD (191) and put his law behind our back. (192)

(B.) The foolishness of sin.

You know our folly, O God; and our guilt is not hidden from you. (193) We were foolish in being disobedient, (194) and our desires are foolish and harmful. (195)

Folly was bound up in our hearts when we were children; (196) for though vain man would be wise, he is born like the wild donkey’s colt. (197)

Our way has been our folly, (198) and in many instances we have done very foolishly. (199)

We have been senseless and ignorant, and even as brute beasts before God. (200)

Acknowledge the Great Evil of Sin, its Unprofitableness and Deceitfulness

(C.) The unprofitableness of sin.

We have sinned and perverted what was right, but it did not profit us. (201)

What benefit did we reap from those things that we are now ashamed of, seeing that they result in death? (202) And what good will it be if we should gain the whole world, yet forfeit our souls? (203)

(D.) The deceitfulness of sin.

Sin has deceived us, and through the commandment put us to death, (204) for our hearts have been hardened by sin’s deceitfulness; (205) and by our own evil desire, we have been dragged away and enticed. (206)

It has promised us freedom, but has made us slaves of depravity; (207) has promised us that we will not surely die and that we will be like God; (208) but it has flattered us and spread a net for our feet. (209)

The pride of our heart, particularly, has deceived us. (210)

Acknowledge that Sin is an Affront to the Holy God and Damages the Soul

(E.) The offense which by sin we have given to the Holy God.

We have dishonored God by breaking the law, (211) and have spurned the Holy One of Israel and bitterly provoked him to anger. (212) And many a thing that we have done has displeased the LORD. (213)

God has been grieved by our adulterous heart and our eyes that have lusted after our idols. (214)

We have tested him and tried him and angered him in the wilderness, (215) have rebelled, and grieved his Holy Spirit, (216) and pressed him with our iniquities, as a cart is pressed when loaded with grain. (217)

We have grieved the Holy Spirit of God, with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption. (218)

(F.) The damage which by sin we have done to our own souls and their great interests.

By our sins we have sold ourselves; (219) in sinning against you, we have wronged our own souls. (220)

Our iniquities have separated us from our God, (221) and have deprived us of good; (222) and by them, our minds and consciences have been corrupted. (223)

Our own wickedness has punished us, and backslidings have rebuked us, and we cannot but consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for us when we forsake the LORD our God and have no awe of him. (224)

O what fools are they who mock at sin! (225)

Consider your Evil Sins in Light of your Moral Knowledge

and Profession of Faith

8. We must aggravate* our sins and take notice of those things which make them more heinous in the sight of God and more dangerous to ourselves.

We bewail before you all our sins and all our rebellion in our sins. (226)

(A.) The more knowledge we have of good and evil, the greater is our sin.

We have known our Master’s will but have not done it, and therefore deserve to be beaten with many blows. (227)

We have known the way of the LORD and the requirements of our God, and yet have broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds. (228)

We have known God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, and yet we have not only continued to do them but have approved of those who practice them. (229)

We have taught others, and yet have not taught ourselves; (230) and while we claim to know God, we have in actions denied him. (231)

(B.) The greater profession we have made of religion, the greater has been our sin.

We call ourselves citizens of the holy city and rely on the God of Israel and invoke his name, but not in truth or righteousness. (232) For we have dishonored that worthy name by which we have been called, (233) and by doing this we have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt. (234)

We have confessed the name of the Lord, and yet have not turned away from wickedness. (235)

Consider your Evil Sins in Light of the Mercies and Warnings of God

(C.) The more mercies we have received from God, the greater has been our sin.

You have reared us as children and brought us up, but we have rebelled against you. (236)

We have ill repaid you, O Lord, as foolish and unwise people: You are our Father, our Creator, who made us and formed us, yet our mark has not been the mark of your children. (237)

We have not responded to the kindness you have shown us. (238)

(D.) The fairer warning we have had from the word of God and from our own consciences concerning our danger of sin and danger by sin, the greater is the sin if we go on in it.

Even after many rebukes, we have remained stiff-necked, (239) and have kept on in our willful ways. (240)

You have sent to us, saying, “Do not do this detestable thing that we hate!” But we have not listened or paid attention. (241)

The word of God has been to us: Do and do, and rule on rule; (242) and though we have looked at our faces in a mirror, yet we have gone away and immediately forgotten what we look like. (243)

Consider your Evil Sins in Light of the Corrections

you have Received and the Vows you have Made

(E.) The greater afflictions we have been under for sin, the greater is the sin if we go on in it.

You have struck us, but we have not grieved; we have refused correction and have made our faces harder than stone, (244) and the rod has not driven the folly out of our hearts. (245)

You have punished us with the rod of men and with floggings inflicted by men, (246) yet we have not returned to you who struck us, nor have we sought the LORD Almighty. (247)

When some have been overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah were, we have been like burning sticks snatched from the fire, yet we have not returned to you, O LORD. (248) And when your hand has been lifted high, we have not seen it. (249)

(F.) The more vows and promises we have made of better obedience, the greater has been our sin.

We have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant which we have made before you, (250) but being treacherous, we have betrayed with treachery. (251)

Did we not say, “We would not transgress, (252) we would offend no more?” (253) We did, and yet we have returned with the dog to its vomit; (254) we have returned to folly after God has promised peace. (255)

Understand the Condemning Nature of Your Sin

9. We must judge and condemn ourselves for our sins, and own ourselves liable to punishment.

And now, O our God, what can we say after this? For we have disregarded the commands. (256) We have sinned, what have we done to you, you watcher of men? (257)

We know that the law curses everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law; (258) that the wages of every sin is death; (259) and that for these things’ sake God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (260)

And we are held accountable to God; (261) the Scripture declares us prisoners of sin; (262) and therefore you might justly be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor. (263)

If you should make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line, (264) you might justly separate us to all evil, according to all the curses of the covenant, and blot out our names from under heaven. (265)

You might justly declare on oath in your anger that we should never enter your rest; (266) might justly strip us naked and bare, and take away our grain when it ripens, (267) and put into our hands the goblet that makes men stagger, and make us drain it to its dregs. (268)

You have been just in all that you have been pleased to lay upon us; for you have acted faithfully, while we have done wrong. (269) Indeed, you, our God, have punished us less than our sins have deserved. (270)

You therefore shall be proved right when you speak and justified when you judge; (271) and we will accept the punishment for our sins, (272) and humble ourselves under your mighty hand, (273) and say, “The LORD is just.” (274)

Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? (275) No, we will bear the LORD’s wrath, because we have sinned against him. (276)

Give Glory to God for His Patience and Willingness to be Reconciled

10. We must give to God the glory of his patience and long-suffering towards us and his willingness to be reconciled.

O the riches of the patience and forbearance of God! (277) How patient he is with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (278)

You have not treated us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities, (279) but you rather long to be gracious to us. (280)

The sentence for our crimes against you has not been quickly carried out, (281) but you have given us time to repent and make our peace with you, (282) and call even faithless people to return to you, having promised to cure us of backsliding; and therefore, behold we come to you, for you are the LORD our God. (283)

Surely the Lord’s patience means salvation; (284) and if the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not now have showed us all these things. (285)

And O that this kindness of God might lead us toward repentance! (286) For though we have been unfaithful to our God, yet in spite of this there is still hope for us in Israel. (287)

You have said it and have confirmed it with an oath, that you have no pleasure in the death of sinners, but rather desire that we should turn and live. (288) Therefore will we rend our hearts, and not our garments, and return to the LORD our God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing. (289)

Humbly Profess your Sorrow and Shame for Sin

11. We must humbly profess our sorrow and shame for sin and humbly engage ourselves in the strength of divine grace, that we will be better and do better for the future.

Lord, we repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near, (290) to which you have exalted your Son, Christ Jesus, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. (291)

Our ears had heard of you but now our eyes have seen you. Therefore we despise ourselves and repent in dust and ashes; (292) therefore will we be like doves of the valley, moaning because of our sins. (293)

Oh, that our heads were springs of water and our eyes fountains of tears! We would weep day and night (294) for our transgressions, and might in such a manner sow in those tears as that at last we may reap in joy; may now go forth weeping, carrying seed to sow, and may in due time return with songs of joy, carrying in our sheaves with us. (295)

Our guilt has overwhelmed us like a burden too heavy to bear; (296) but weary and burdened, we come to Christ, who has promised us that in him we shall find rest for our souls. (297)

O knowing the afflictions of our own hearts, (298) may we look on him whom we have pierced, and may we mourn and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (299) That we may sorrow with godly sorrow, which brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret; (300) and that we may remember and be ashamed and never again open our mouth because of our humiliation, when you make atonement for us. (301)

And, O that we may produce fruit in keeping with repentance! (302) And may never return again to folly; (303) for what more have we to do with idols? (304) Sin shall not be our master, for we are not under the law but under grace. (305)

We have strayed like lost sheep; seek your servants, for we have not forgotten your commands. (306)

1 Psalm 29:2.

2 Joshua 7:19.

3 Ezra 9:6.

4 Daniel 9:8.

5 Job 40:4.

6 Lamentations 3:29.

7 Leviticus 13:45.

8 Job 15:15-16.

9 Isaiah 6:5.

10 Job 25:2-4.

11 Psalm 76:7.

12 Hebrews 12:29.

13 Psalm 90:11.

14 Job 9:20.

15 Job 9:3.

16 1 Corinthians 4:4.

17 1 John 3:20.

18 Luke 15:21.

19 Psalm 130:3-4, 7-8.

20 Psalm 51:17.

21 Isaiah 57:15.

22 Isaiah 66:1-2.

23 Isaiah 57:15.

24 Proverbs 28:13.

25 Psalm 32:5-6.

26 1 John 1:8-9.

27 Ecclesiastes 7:29.

28 Psalm 49:12, 20.

29 Romans 5:12, 19.

30 Isaiah 1:4.

31 Ezekiel 16:3.

32 Isaiah 48:8.

33 Jeremiah 2:21.

34 Deuteronomy 32:32.

35 Lamentations 4:1.

36 Psalm 51:5.

37 Job 14:4.

38 Ephesians 2:2-3 (v. KJV).

39 Genesis 6:12.

40 Psalm 14:3.

41 Ephesians 4:18.

42 1 Corinthians 2:14.

43 Jeremiah 4:22.

44 Psalm 82:5.

45 Job 33:14.

46 Matthew 13:14.

47 Mark 8:24.

48 Romans 8:7.

49 Hosea 8:12.

50 Job 21:15.

51 Jeremiah 44:17.

52 Ecclesiastes 11:9.

53 Ephesians 2:3.

54 Isaiah 48:4.

55 Zechariah 7:11-12.

56 Psalm 58:4-5.

57 Proverbs 5:12-13.

58 Genesis 6:5.

59 Genesis 8:21.

60 Jeremiah 4:14.

61 Proverbs 24:9.

62 Matthew 15:19.

63 Micah 2:1.

64 Proverbs 17:24.

65 Psalm 10:4.

66 Deuteronomy 32:18.

67 Jeremiah 2:32.

68 Jeremiah 2:5.

69 Psalm 49:11, 13 (v. KJV).

70 v. Colossians 3:1-2; Matthew 6:21.

71 Jonah 2:8.

72 Jeremiah 2:13.

73 Amos 2:7 (v. KJV).

74 Matthew 6:31-33.

75 Psalm 24:4.

76 2 Corinthians 4:18.

77 John 3:6.

78 Genesis 3:19.

79 1 Corinthians 15:49.

80 Romans 7:18-19.

81 Romans 7:21, 23.

82 Hebrews 12:1.

83 Isaiah 1:5-6.

84 Hosea 11:7.

85 Jeremiah 17:9.

86 Hosea 7:16.

87 v. Luke 13:6-7; Matthew 3:10.

88 Isaiah 5:4.

89 Hosea 10:1 (v. KJV).

90 James 4:17.

91 Matthew 25:18, 26.

92 Luke 16:1.

93 Ecclesiastes 9:18.

94 Proverbs 17:16.

95 Ecclesiastes 10:2.

96 Ecclesiastes 11:10.

97 Psalm 90:9.

98 Luke 19:44.

99 Proverbs 6:7-8.

100 Luke 24:25.

101 Hebrews 5:12.

102 Job 15:4.

103 Isaiah 64:7.

104 Ezekiel 33:31 (v. KJV).

105 Malachi 1:8, 14.

106 Luke 15:18.

107 Romans 3:23.

108 Daniel 5:23.

109 Psalm 51:4.

110 Daniel 9:10.

111 Romans 7:12.

112 Psalm 19:12.

113 James 3:2.

114 Psalm 40:12.

115 Jeremiah 6:7.

116 Jeremiah 22:21.

117 Matthew 12:35.

118 2 Chronicles 32:26.

119 Romans 12:3.

120 Micah 6:8.

121 Proverbs 3:5.

122 Proverbs 28:26.

123 Habakkuk 1:16.

124 John 7:18.

125 1 Corinthians 5:2.

126 Proverbs 25:28.

127 Ecclesiastes 7:9.

128 Psalm 106:33.

129 Ephesians 4:31.

130 Hebrews 13:5.

131 Philippians 4:11.

132 1 Timothy 6:10.

133 Colossians 3:5.

134 Jeremiah 45:5.

135 Romans 8:5.

136 James 5:5.

137 Romans 13:14.

138 1 Peter 2:11.

139 2 Timothy 3:4.

140 Zechariah 7:6.

141 Amos 6:3.

142 Psalm 30:6.

143 Isaiah 56:12.

144 Luke 12:19-20.

145 1 Timothy 6:17.

146 Job 31:24.

147 Jeremiah 31:18.

148 Proverbs 19:3.

149 2 Chronicles 28:22.

150 Proverbs 3:11.

151 Proverbs 24:10.

152 Psalm 31:22.

153 Isaiah 49:14.

154 Psalm 77:7, 9-10.

155 Genesis 42:21 (v. KJV).

156 Romans 14:19.

157 Romans 14:10.

158 1 Corinthians 13:4-6.

159 Proverbs 17:5.

160 Galatians 5:26.

161 Hebrews 10:24.

162 1 John 3:17.

163 Isaiah 58:7.

164 Deuteronomy 15:9.

165 James 2:6.

166 1 Thessalonians 4:6.

167 Job 31:5, 7.

168 Job 34:32.

169 Proverbs 10:19.

170 Job 11:2 (v. KJV).

171 Proverbs 10:21.

172 Proverbs 15:2.

173 Proverbs 10:32.

174 v. Ephesians 4:29; 5:4.

175 Matthew 12:36-37.

176 Isaiah 6:5.

177 Psalm 64:8.

178 Romans 12:11.

179 Revelation 3:2.

180 Ecclesiastes 11:4.

181 Proverbs 26:13-14.

182 Proverbs 6:10.

183 Revelation 2:4.

184 Galatians 4:15.

185 Hosea 6:4.

186 Hebrews 3:12.

187 Romans 7:13.

188 1 John 3:4.

189 Luke 19:14.

190 Exodus 5:2.

191 Numbers 15:30.

192 Nehemiah 9:26.

193 Psalm 69:5.

194 Titus 3:3.

195 1 Timothy 6:9.

196 Proverbs 22:15.

197 Job 11:12 (v. KJV).

198 Psalm 49:13 (v. KJV).

199 2 Samuel 24:10.

200 Psalm 73:22.

201 Job 33:27 (v. KJV).

202 Romans 6:21.

203 Matthew 16:26.

204 Romans 7:11.

205 Hebrews 3:13.

206 James 1:14.

207 2 Peter 2:19.

208 Genesis 3:4-5.

209 Proverbs 29:5.

210 Obadiah 3.

211 Romans 2:23.

212 v. Isaiah 1:4; Hosea 12:14.

213 2 Samuel 11:27.

214 Ezekiel 6:9.

215 Psalm 95:9-10.

216 Isaiah 63:10.

217 Amos 2:13 (v. KJV).

218 Ephesians 4:30.

219 Isaiah 50:1.

220 Proverbs 8:36 (v. KJV).

221 Isaiah 59:2.

222 Jeremiah 5:25.

223 Titus 1:15.

224 Jeremiah 2:19.

225 Proverbs 14:9 (v. KJV).

* The author means that we must look at our sins in the worst light, to see just how evil they are, taking into account the persons we have offended, the nature of the offense, the circumstances of our sin, etc. See the Westminster Larger Catechism, Questions 150 and 151. Editor.

226 Leviticus 16:21.

227 Luke 12:47.

228 Jeremiah 5:4-5.

229 Romans 1:32.

230 Romans 2:21.

231 Titus 1:16.

232 Isaiah 48:1-2.

233 James 2:23.

234 2 Samuel 12:14.

235 2 Timothy 2:19.

236 Isaiah 1:2.

237 Deuteronomy 32:5-6 (v. KJV).

238 2 Chronicles 32:25.

239 Proverbs 29:1.

240 Isaiah 57:17.

241 Jeremiah 44:4-5.

242 Isaiah 28:13.

243 James 1:23-24.

244 Jeremiah 5:3 (v. KJV).

245 Proverbs 22:15.

246 2 Samuel 7:14.

247 Isaiah 9:13.

248 Amos 4:11.

249 Isaiah 26:11.

250 Jeremiah 34:18.

251 Isaiah 24:16.

252 Jeremiah 2:20 (v. KJV).

253 Job 34:31.

254 2 Peter 2:22.

255 Psalm 85:8.

256 Ezra 9:10.

257 Job 7:20.

258 Galatians 3:10.

259 Romans 6:23.

260 Ephesians 5:6.

261 Romans 3:19.

262 Galatians 3:22.

263 Ezra 9:14.

264 Isaiah 28:17.

265 Deuteronomy 29:20 (v. KJV).

266 Psalm 95:11.

267 Hosea 2:3, 9.

268 Isaiah 51:17.

269 Nehemiah 9:33.

270 Ezra 9:13.

271 Psalm 51:4.

272 Leviticus 26:43 (v. KJV).

273 1 Peter 5:6.

274 2 Chronicles 12:6.

275 Lamentations 3:39.

276 Micah 7:9.

277 Romans 2:4.

278 2 Peter 3:9.

279 Psalm 103:10.

280 Isaiah 30:18.

281 Ecclesiastes 8:11.

282 Revelation 2:21.

283 Jeremiah 3:22.

284 2 Peter 3:15.

285 Judges 13:23.

286 Romans 2:4.

287 Ezra 10:2.

288 Ezekiel 33:11.

289 Joel 2:13-14.

290 Matthew 3:2.

291 Acts 5:31.

292 Job 42:5-6.

293 Ezekiel 7:16.

294 Jeremiah 9:1.

295 Psalm 126:5-6.

296 Psalm 38:4.

297 Matthew 11:28.

298 1 Kings 8:38.

299 Zechariah 12:10.

300 2 Corinthians 7:10.

301 Ezekiel 16:63.

302 Matthew 3:8.

303 Psalm 85:8.

304 Hosea 14:8.

305 Romans 6:14.

306 Psalm 119:176.

****

CHAPTER 3

OF THE THIRD PART OF PRAYER, WHICH IS PETITION

AND SUPPLICATION FOR THE GOOD THINGS

WHICH WE STAND IN NEED OF

Introduction to Petition

Having opened the wounds of sin, both the guilt of it and the power of it, and its remainders in us, we must next seek unto God for the remedy, for healing and help, for from him alone it is to be expected, and he will for this be inquired of by us. (1) And now we must affect our hearts with a deep sense of the need we have of those mercies which we pray for, that we are undone, forever undone, without them; and with a high esteem and value for them, that we are happy, we are made forever, if we obtain them; that we may like Jacob wrestle with him in prayer, as for our lives and the lives of our souls. But we must not think in our prayers to prescribe to him or by our importunity to move him. He knows us better than we know ourselves and knows what he will do. (2) But thus we open our wants and desires, and then refer ourselves to his wisdom and goodness; and hereby we give honor to him as our Protector and Benefactor, and take the way which he himself has appointed of fetching in mercy from him, and by faith plead his promise with him: And if we are sincere herein, we are, through his grace, qualified according to the tenor of the new covenant to receive his favors, and are to be assured that we do and shall receive them. (3)

But now, Lord, what do we look for? Truly our hope is in you. Save us from all our transgressions; do not make us the scorn of fools. (4)

All our longings lie open before you, O Lord; our sighing is not hidden from you, (5) even the groans that words cannot express; for, he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit. (6)

We do not think that we will be heard because of our many words, for our Father knows what we need before we ask him; (7) but our Master has told us that whatever we ask the Father in his name, he will give it to us. And he has said, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (8)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (9)

Earnestly Pray for the Forgiveness of your Sins

1. We must earnestly pray for the pardon and forgiveness of all our sins.

Lord, we come to you, as the poor tax collector who stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast; and we pray his prayer, ‘God have mercy on us sinners.’ (10) The God of infinite mercy be merciful to us.

O wash away all our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin, for we know our transgressions, and our sin is always before us. O cleanse us with hyssop, and we will be clean; wash us, and we will be whiter than snow; hide your face from our sins and blot out all our iniquity. (11)

Forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more. (12) O cancel all our great debt. (13)

Let us be justified freely by your grace through the redemption that came by Jesus, (14) from everything which we could not be justified from by the law of Moses. (15)

O let not our sin be our downfall; (16) but let the LORD take away our sin, that we may not die, (17) not die eternally, that we may not be hurt by the second death. (18)

Sweep away our offenses like a cloud, our sins like the morning mist; we return to you, for you have redeemed us. (19)

Do not bring your servants into judgment, O Lord, for no one living is righteous before you. (20)

Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously; heal our waywardness and love us freely; let your anger be turned away from us, for in you the fatherless find compassion. (21)

Though our sins have been like scarlet, let them be as white as snow; and though they have been red as crimson, let them be like wool; that being willing and obedient, we may eat the best from the land. (22)

We will say to God, “Do not condemn us, (23) but spare us from going down to the pit, for you have found a ransom for us.” (24)

Plead with God His Goodness and Readiness to Forgive Sin

For the encouraging of our faith and the exciting of our fervency in this petition for the pardon of sin, we may plead with God:

A. The infinite goodness of his nature, his readiness to forgive sin, and his glorying in it.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (25)

You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love; (26) you do not always accuse, nor will you harbor your anger forever. (27)

You, even you, are he who blots out our transgressions, for your own sake, and remembers our sins no more. We are here to review the past for you, to argue the matter together, and to state the case for our innocence in Christ, (28) who has taken our judgment.

And now, we plead with you, let the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: “The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.” In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of your people, just as you have pardoned them even until now. (29)

For who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of your inheritance? Who does not stay angry forever but delights to show mercy? O that you would have compassion on us, and tread our sins underfoot, and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. (30)

Plead with God the Merit and Righteousness of Jesus Christ

B. The merit and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we rely upon as our main plea in our petition for the pardon of sin.

We know that as you are gracious and merciful, so you are the righteous God who loves justice (31) and does not leave the guilty unpunished. (32) We cannot say, “Be patient with us, and we will pay back everything,” (33) for all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (34) But Jesus Christ has become for us righteousness from God: (35) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (36)

We have sinned, but we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (37)

It is God who justifies, who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us; (38) and his blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (39)

We desire to consider everything loss for the sake of Christ, and rubbish, that we may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of our own, but that which is through faith in Christ. (40)

This is the name by which we will call him: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (41) In him, Lord, we believe; help us overcome our unbelief! (42)

Lord, remember David and all the hardships he endured; (43) the Son of David, remember all his sacrifices and accept his burnt offerings; (44) and do not reject your Anointed One, (45) who by his own blood has entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. (46)

Have you not yourself presented your Son, Christ Jesus, as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood, to demonstrate your justice for the remission of sins, to demonstrate your justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus? (47) And we now receive reconciliation. (48)

Plead with God His Promises of Pardon

C. The promises God has made in his word to pardon and absolve all those who truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel.

Lord, is not this the word which you have spoken, that if the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts, and turn to the LORD, you will have mercy on him, and to our God, for you will freely pardon, (49) will pardon abundantly?

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against you. (50)

Is not this the covenant which you have made with the house of Israel, that you will take away their sins; (51) that you will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more; (52) that search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found? (53)

Have you not said that if the wicked man turns from all of the sins he has committed and follows your decrees, he will live, he will not die; none of his sins will be remembered against him? (54)

Have you not appointed that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in Christ’s name to all nations? (55)

Did you not promise that when the sins of Israel were put upon the head of the scape-goat, they should be sent away into the desert to a solitary place? (56) And as far as the east is from the west, so far have you removed our transgressions from us. (57)

O remember your word to your servants, for you have given us hope. (58)

Plead with God your Misery Because of Sin,

Along with the Blessed Condition of Pardoned Sinners

D. Our own misery and danger because of sin.

For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive our iniquity, though it is great. (59) For troubles without number surround us; our sins have overtaken us, and we cannot see. Be pleased, O LORD, to save us; O LORD, come quickly to help us. (60)

O do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. (61)

Remember not the sins of our youth and our rebellious ways; according to your love remember us, for you are good, O LORD. (62)

E. The blessed condition which they are in whose sins are pardoned.

O let us have the blessedness of those whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; of that man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. (63)

O let us have redemption through Christ’s blood, even the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of your grace that you have lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (64) That being in Christ Jesus, there may be no condemnation for us. (65)

That our sins, which are many, being forgiven us, we may go in peace: (66) And no one living in Zion will say, “I am ill,” if the sins of those who dwell there are forgiven. (67)

Pray for Reconciliation with God that you may Know His Peace

2. We must likewise pray that God will be reconciled to us, that we may obtain his favor and blessing and gracious acceptance.

A. That we may be at peace with God and his anger may be turned away from us.

Being justified through faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through him let us gain access into that grace in which believers now stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (68)

Do not be a terror to us, for you are our refuge in the day of disaster. (69)

In Christ Jesus let us, who were once far away, be brought near by the blood of Christ; for he himself is our peace, who has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, and, that he might reconcile us to God through his cross, has put to death their hostility, thus making peace. Through him, therefore, let us, who have made ourselves foreigners and aliens, become fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. (70)

You are not angry: If only there were briers and thorns confronting you! You would march against them in battle; you would set them all on fire. But you have encouraged us to come to you for refuge and make peace with you, yes, to make peace with you. (71) O let us therefore submit to you and be at peace, for in this way prosperity may come to us. (72)

Heal us and we shall be healed; save us and we shall be saved, for you are the one we praise. (73) Do not be angry with us forever but revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you. Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. (74)

Pray for Reconciliation with God that you may be

in Covenant with Him and Know His Favor

B. That we may be taken into covenant with God and admitted into a relationship with him.

Be our God, and take us to be to your people, (75) and make us willing troops on your day of battle. (76)

Though we are no more worthy to be called your children, (77) for how should you put us, who have been rebellious, among the children and give us the pleasant land? But you have said that we shall call you our Father and not turn away from following you. (78) Shall we not therefore call to you, ‘Our Father, our friend from our youth. (79)

Lord, we hold fast to your covenant, (80) to you we bind ourselves in an everlasting covenant; (81) O that you would cause us to pass under your rod and bring us into the bond of the covenant, (82) that we may become yours. (83)

Make with us an everlasting covenant, your faithful love promised to David. (84)

C. That we may have the favor of God and an interest in his special love.

We have sought your face with all our hearts, O God; be gracious to us according to your promise, (85) for your favor lasts a lifetime; (86) yes, your love is better than life itself. (87)

LORD, make your face shine upon us and be gracious to us; LORD, turn your face toward us and give us peace. (88)

Remember us, O LORD, when you show favor to your people, come to our aid when you save them, that we may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that we may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise. (89)

Pray for Reconciliation with God that you may have

His Blessing and Abiding Presence

D. That we may have the blessing of God.

O God, be gracious to us and bless us and make your face to shine upon us; yes, let God, our God, give us his blessing. (90)

May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless us from Zion; (91) bless us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. (92)

Oh, that you would bless us! (93) Bestow your blessing upon us, even life forevermore; (94) for you, O LORD, bless, and it shall be blessed. (95)

Let us receive blessing from the LORD, even vindication from God our Savior. (96)

Do you have only one blessing? Indeed, you have many blessings! Bless us too, our Father! (97) Yes, let the blessing given to Abraham come to us, which comes to the Gentiles by faith; (98) and the blessing of Jacob, for we would not let you go unless you bless us. (99)

E. That we may have the presence of God with us.

If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here; (100) never leave us, never forsake us. (101)

O do not cast us from your presence or ever take your Holy Spirit from us; (102) but let us always live with the upright before you. (103)

Pray for a Sense of Assurance

3. We must pray for the comfortable sense of our reconciliation to God and our acceptance with him.

A. That we may have some evidence of the pardon of our sins and of our adoption.

O let us hear joy and gladness; let the bones which sin has crushed rejoice. (104)

Say to each of us, “Take heart, Son, Daughter; your sins are forgiven.” (105)

Let the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve you, the living God! (106)

Let your Spirit testify with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. (107)

Say to our souls, “I am your salvation.” (108)

Pray for a Well-Grounded Peace of Conscience

B. That we may have a well-grounded peace of conscience, a holy security and serenity of mind arising from a sense of our justification before God and a good work wrought in us.

The Lord of peace himself give us peace, all peace, at all times and in every way: (109) That peace which Jesus Christ has left with us, which he gives us; such a peace as the world can neither give nor take away; such a peace as that our hearts may not be troubled or afraid. (110)

Let the fruit of righteousness in our souls be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. (111)

Promise peace to your people, your saints, and let them not return to folly. (112)

O create praise on the lips, ‘Peace, peace to those far and near,’ and restore comfort to your mourners. (113)

Where the men of peace are, let your peace find them out and rest on them. (114)

Bring us word of your unfailing love, and let us taste that you are good, for we have put our trust in you. (115)

Let the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus; (116) and let that peace rule in our hearts, since to this we have been called. (117)

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (118)

Pray for God's Grace to Fortify you Against Everything Evil

4. We must pray for the grace of God and all the kind and powerful influences and operations of that grace.

We approach the throne of grace, so that we may receive not only mercy to pardon, but grace to help in every time of need: (119) grace for seasonable help.

From the fullness that is in Jesus Christ (in whom it pleased the Father that all his fullness should dwell), let every one of us receive one blessing after another. (120)

A. We must pray for grace to fortify us against every evil thought, word, and work. Having been earnest for the removing of the guilt of sin, that we may not die for it as a crime, we must be no less earnest for the breaking of the power of sin, that we may not die by it as a disease, but that it may be mortified in us.

O let no sin be our master, because we are not under law but under grace. (121)

Let the sinful nature be crucified in us, with its passions and desires, that living by the Spirit, we may not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (122)

Let our old self be crucified with Christ so that the body of sin may be done away with, that henceforth we may not serve sin. And do not let sin reign in our mortal bodies (in our immortal souls) so that we should obey its evil desires, but being set free from sin, let us become slaves to righteousness. (123)

Through Christ Jesus, let the law of the Spirit of life set us free from the law of sin and death. (124)

Give us grace to put off the old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, that we may put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (125)

That the world may be crucified to us, and we to the world, through the cross of Christ. (126)

Pray for God's Grace to Fortify you Against Satan's Temptations

And that the temptations of Satan may not overcome us.

We pray that we may not fall into temptation; (127) or, however, that no temptation may seize us except what is common to man. And let the faithful God never let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, but when we are tempted, may he also provide a way out so that we can stand up under it. (128)

Put on us the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes, to stand our ground when the day of evil comes, and after we have done everything, to stand. May the belt of truth be buckled around our waste, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Give us the shield of faith, with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and the helmet of salvation; and let the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, be always ready for us. (129)

Enable us to resist the devil, so that he may flee from us; (130) to resist him, standing firm in the faith. (131) And the God of peace crush Satan under our feet, and do it soon. (132)

Pray for God's Grace to Equip you for Everything Good

and to Beget and Sustain New Life

B. We must pray for grace to equip us for every good thought, word, and work, that we may not only be kept from sin, but may be in everything as we should be, and do as we should do.

Let Christ become for us not only righteousness from God, but wisdom, holiness, and redemption. (133)

Let us be planted together in the likeness of Christ’s death and resurrection, that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (134)

(1.) That the work of grace may be wrought there, where it is not yet begun.

Lord, teach transgressors your ways and let sinners turn back to you. (135) Let the disobedient be turned to the wisdom of the righteous and make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (136)

Let those be made alive who are yet dead in transgressions and sins: (137) Say to them, “Live!” Yes, say to them, “Live!” And the time shall be a time of love. (138)

Open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified. (139)

By the blood of the covenant, free the prisoners from the waterless pit, so that we may return to your fortress as prisoners of hope. (140)

Let the word of God prevail to the demolishing of strongholds and the demolishing of arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and let every thought be taken captive to make it obedient to Christ. (141)

(2.) That where it is begun it may be carried on and at length perfected, and the foundation that is well laid may be happily built upon.

By your power, fulfill in us every good purpose and every act prompted by our faith. (142)

Let the God who began a good work in us carry it on to completion until the day of Christ. (143)

Fulfill, O God, your purposes for us; your love, O LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands. (144)

Lord, let your grace be sufficient for us, and let your power be made perfect in weakness, that where we are weak, there we may be strong, (145) strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (146)

Pray for Grace to Instruct you in the Things of God

C. More particularly, we must pray for grace:

(1.) To teach and instruct us, and make us knowing and intelligent in the things of God.

Give us so to call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, to look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, that we may understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. (147)

Give us all to know you, from the least of us to the greatest, (148) and to press on to know you; (149) and so to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent, as may be eternal life to us. (150)

Give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know Christ better. Enlighten the eyes of our heart in order that we may know the hope to which he has called us and the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints; that we might experience his incomparably great power for us who believe—that power which is like the working of his mighty strength. (151)

Open our eyes that we may see wonderful things in your law and gospel. (152)

Give us to know the certainty of the things we have been taught; (153) and let our knowledge grow up to the full riches of complete understanding, in order to know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. (154) Deal with your servants according to your love and teach us your decrees. We are your servants; give us discernment that we may understand your statutes. (155) May our cry come before you, O LORD; give us understanding according to your word, (156) that good understanding which they have who follow your precepts, for to you belongs eternal praise. (157)

Pray for Grace to Keep you in the Way of Truth

(2.) To lead us into, and keep us in, the way of truth; and if in anything we are in error, to rectify our mistake.

Let the Spirit of truth guide us into all truth (158) and show us where we have been wrong. (159)

Teach us what we cannot see; (160) and enable us to test everything and hold on to the good. (161)

Lord, grant that we may not be as infants, tossed back and forth, and blown here and there be every wind of teaching and by the craftiness of men; instead, speaking the truth in love, may we in all things grow up into Christ who is the Head. (162)

Lord, give us so to do your will, so that we may know that your teaching comes from God; (163) and that we may know the truth, so that the truth may set us free, may set us free indeed. (164)

Enable us, we pray, to keep the pattern of sound teaching, which we have heard, with faith and love in Christ Jesus, (165) and to continue in what we have learned and have become convinced of. (166)

Pray for Grace to Bring God's Truth to your Memory

(3.) To help our memories, that the truths of God may be ready to us, whenever we have occasion to use them.

Lord, let your Spirit teach us all things and remind us of everything you have said to us, (167) that the word of Christ may dwell in us richly in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. (168)

Lord, grant that we may pay more careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away, (169) and may hold firmly to the word that has been preached to us, and may not believe in vain. (170)

Lord, give us a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, (171) so that we may be thoroughly equipped for every good work, (172) and having been well instructed about the kingdom of heaven, may, like the good house owner, bring out of our storeroom new treasures as well as old. (173)

Pray for Grace to Direct your Conscience and Make you Wise

(4.) To direct our consciences, to show us the way of our duty, and to make us wise, knowing, judicious Christians.

Lord, give us a wise and discerning heart, (174) that skill which in all cases brings success; (175) that wisdom of the prudent which is to give thought to their ways. (176)

This we pray: that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern things that differ and understand what is best; that we may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (177)

O that we may be filled with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding; that we may live lives worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. (178)

Teach us your way, O God, and lead us in a straight path because of our observers. (179)

When we do not know what to do, our eyes are upon you; (180) then let us hear the Lord behind us, saying, “This is the way; walk in it,” so that we do not turn to the right or to the left. (181)

Direct our footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over us. (182)

Pray for Grace to Sanctify your Nature

(5.) To sanctify our nature, to plant in us all holy principles and dispositions, and to increase every grace in us.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify us through and through; and we pray God, may our whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; for the one who calls us is faithful and he will do it. (183)

Create in us a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Do not cast us from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and grant us a willing spirit, to sustain us. (184)

Write your law on our hearts and put it in our minds, (185) that we may be letters from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts; (186) that the law of our God being in our heart, our feet may not slip, (187) and we may desire to do your will, O God, (188) may delight in God’s law in our inner being. (189)

O that we may wholeheartedly obey the form of teaching to which we were entrusted, (190) that our whole souls may be leavened by it; (191) and that we may not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind; (192) that we may not conform to the evil desires we had when we lived in ignorance, but as obedient children, may we be holy in all we do, as he who called us is holy. (193)

Pray for Faith

(a.) We must pray for faith.

Lord, grant to us to believe; (194) for the faith by which we are saved is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God. (195)

Lord, increase our faith (196) and supply what is lacking in it, (197) that we may be strengthened in our faith and give glory to God. (198)

Lord, give us so to be crucified with Christ that the life we live in the body, we may live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us; (199) and so to always carry around with us the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal bodies. (200)

Just as we have received Christ Jesus as Lord, enable us to continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as we have been taught, overflowing with thankfulness. (201)

Let every word of yours be of value to us, being combined with faith, (202) by which we accept your testimony and certify that God is truthful. (203)

We beg you, work in us that faith which is sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, (204) by which we may fix our eyes not on what is seen, which is temporary, but on what is unseen, which is eternal. (205)

Enable us by faith to set the LORD always before us (206) and to have our eyes ever on him, (207) so that we may act in everything as seeing him who is invisible and may look ahead to our reward. (208)

Let our hearts be purified by faith, (209) and let it be our victory that overcomes the world. (210) Let us be kept from fainting by believing that we shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. (211)

Pray for the Fear of God and for the Love of God to be Rooted in you

(b.) We must pray for the fear of God.

Lord, work in us that fear of you, which is the beginning of wisdom, (212) which teaches a man wisdom, (213) and which is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death. (214)

Give us undivided hearts, that we may fear your name, (215) that we may keep your commandments, which is the whole duty of man. (216)

O inspire us to fear you, so that we may never turn away from you. (217) Let us all be devoted to your fear; (218) and let us always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. (219)

(c.) We must pray that the love of God and Christ may be rooted in us and, in order to that end, that the love of the world may be rooted out of us.

Give us grace, we beg you, to love you, the Lord our God, with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, which is the first and greatest commandment; (220) to set our love upon you (221) and to delight ourselves always in you; and therein we shall have the desires of our hearts. (222)

Circumcise our hearts to love you, the Lord our God, with all our heart and with all our soul, that we may live. (223)

O that God may pour out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit! (224)

O that Jesus Christ may be very precious to us, as he is to all who believe, (225) that he may be in our account outstanding among ten thousand and altogether lovely; and that he may be our lover and our friend: (226) That though we have not seen him, yet we may love him; and even though we do not see him now, we believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. (227)

Let Christ’s love for us constrain us to live no longer for ourselves, but for him who died for us and was raised again. (228)

And, Lord, grant that we may not love the world or anything in the world, because if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; (229) grant that we may set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. (230)

Pray for a Tender Conscience and God-Wrought Love

(d.) We must pray that our consciences may be always tender and that we may live a life of repentance.

Lord, remove from us our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. (231)

Make us afraid of every kind of evil, (232) and careful not to be outwitted by Satan, since we are not unaware of his schemes. (233)

Lord, give us the happiness which they have who fear you always, (234) that when we think we are standing firm, we may be careful that we don’t fall. (235)

(e.) We must pray to God to work in us charity and brotherly love.

Lord, put on us that love which binds all virtues together in perfect unity, (236) that we may keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (237) and may live in the love of peace, that the God of love and peace may be with us. (238)

Lord, give us to love our neighbor as ourselves, with that love which is the fulfillment of the law, (239) to love one another deeply, from a pure heart, (240) that by this all men may know that we are Christ’s disciples. (241)

And as we have been taught by God to love each other, give us to abound therein more and more; (242) and as we have opportunity, to do good to all people, (243) and as far as it depends on us, to live at peace with everyone, (244) always making every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (245)

Lord, make us able to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to pray for those who persecute us, and to do good to those who hate us; (246) bearing with each other and forgiving one another in love, as the Lord forgave us. (247)

Pray for the Grace of Self-Denial and Humility

(f.) We must pray for the grace of self-denial.

Lord, give us grace to deny ourselves, to take up our cross daily, and to follow Christ, (248) to beat our bodies and make them our slaves. (249)

Lord, keep us from being lovers of ourselves, (250) from being wise in our own eyes and leaning on our own understanding. (251)

Lord, grant that we may not seek only our own good, but everyone the good of others also. (252)

And grant that none of us may live to himself alone or die to himself alone, but whether we live or die, may we belong to the Lord, and live and die to him. (253)

(g.) We must pray for humility and meekness.

Lord, give us all to learn from Christ to be gentle and humble in heart, that we may find rest for our souls; (254) and that herein our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. (255)

Lord, keep pride from us, (256) and clothe us with humility, (257) and put upon us the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in your sight. (258)

Lord, give us grace to live lives worthy of the calling we have received, being completely humble, gentle, and patient, as we bear with one another in love. (259)

Let anger never reside in our laps, (260) nor the sun ever go down while we are still angry; (261) but enable us to show true humility toward all men, because we ourselves also were at one time foolish and disobedient. (262)

Let us be clothed as becomes God’s chosen people, holy and dearly love, with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, (263) that being merciful, just as our Father in heaven is merciful, (264) we may be perfect as he is perfect. (265)

Pray for the Graces of Contentment and Patience

(h.) We must pray for the graces of contentment and patience, and a holy indifference to all the things of sense and time.

Lord, teach us to be content whatever the circumstances; let us know what it is to be in need and what it is to have plenty; let us be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (266) And let godliness with contentment be great gain to us, (267) and a little with the fear of the LORD and quietness, be better than great wealth with turmoil. (268)

Lord, grant that our lives may be free from the love of money and we may always be content with what we have; (269) still saying, “The Lord’s will be done.” (270)

Enable us by standing firm to gain life; (271) and let perseverance finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (272)

Lord, give us grace to mourn as though we did not, to be happy as if we were not, to buy something as if it were not ours to keep, and to use the things in the world as if not engrossed in them, because the time is short and this world in its present form is passing away. (273)

Pray for the Grace of Hope

(i.) We must pray for the grace of hope; a hope in God and Christ, and a hope of eternal life.

Let perseverance produce character in us, and character, hope—a hope that does not disappoint us. (274) Through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, let us have hope (275) and be saved by hope. (276)

Let the God of Jacob be our help, and our hope always be in the LORD our God. (277)

Let us be given a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (278) and let that hope be to us as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, entering the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. (279)

Let us have Christ in us, the hope of glory, and never be moved from the hope held out in the gospel; (280) but enable us to show diligence to the end, in order to make our hope sure. (281)

Pray for Grace to Preserve you from Sin

(j.) We must pray for grace to preserve us from sin and all appearances of it and approaches towards it.

Now we pray to God that we may not do anything wrong, (282) but may we become blameless and pure, as the children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation. (283)

Turn our eyes away from worthless things, and preserve our life according to your word. (284) Keep us from deceitful ways, and be gracious to us through your law. (285)

Let not our hearts be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let us not eat of their delicacies. (286)

O forgive us our hidden faults; keep your servants also from willful sins: May they not rule over us, but let us be blameless and innocent of great transgression; (287) and grant that hereby we may prove ourselves blameless before you, by keeping ourselves from sin. (288)

Let us hide your word in our hearts, that we might not sin against you; (289) and may your grace be at all times sufficient for us, (290) ready to us, and mighty in us; and never give us up to our own lust, to follow the stubborn inclinations of our evil hearts. (291)

Enable us to be very careful how we live—not as unwise but as wise, (292) so carefully that we may cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity (293) to slander the noble name of him to whom we belong, (294) and by doing good may we silence the ignorant talk of foolish men (295) and in every way make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. (296)

Pray for Grace to Govern your Tongue

D. We must pray for grace to enable us both to govern our tongues well and to use them well.

Lord, enable us to watch our ways and keep our tongue from sin, and to keep our mouth as it were with a muzzle, (297) that it may not be hasty to utter anything. (298)

Set a guard over our mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of our lips, (299) so that we may not stumble in word. (300)

Let our conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt; (301) and enable us always to bring good things out of the good stored up in us. (302) Let our mouth utter wisdom, and our tongue speak what is just; (303) and do not let your words depart from our mouth, or from the mouths of our children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever. (304)

Enable us always to speak with wisdom, and let faithful instruction be on our tongue. (305) Give us to know what is fitting, (306) that our tongue may be as choice silver, and our lips may nourish many. (307)

Pray for Grace to Direct, Quicken, Strengthen,

and Assist you that you may Walk Wisely

E. We must pray for grace to direct and quicken us to, and to strengthen and assist us in, our duty, in the whole course of our life.

Let the grace of God, which has appeared to us and to all men, bringing salvation, effectually teach us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (308)

(1.) That we may be prudent and discreet in our duty.

You have said, “If any man lacks wisdom, he should ask it of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (309) Lord, we want wisdom, make us as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves, (310) that wisdom may brighten our faces (311) and may be better to us than weapons of war. (312)

Enable us to be wise in the way we act toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. (313)

Give us to order all our affairs with discretion and to be careful to lead a blameless life, in a blameless way, with a blameless heart. (314)

Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Honest in your Duty

(2.) That we may be honest and sincere in our duty.

Let our “wisdom” not be that from below, which is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil; instead, let it be wisdom that comes from heaven, which is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (315)

O that we may always conduct ourselves in the world in the holiness and sincerity that are from God, not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. (316)

Lord, uphold us in our integrity, and set us in your presence forever; (317) may integrity and uprightness protect us, because our hope is in you. (318)

May our hearts be blameless toward your decrees, that we may not be put to shame; (319) and let our eyes be good, that our whole body may be full of light. (320)

Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Diligent in your Duty

(3.) That we may be active and diligent in our duty.

Lord, as long as it is day, quicken us to do the work of him who sent us, because night is coming, when no one can work; (321) and whatever good our hands find to do, to do it with all our might, for in the grave, where we are going, there is neither working nor knowledge. (322)

Lord, grant that we may never be lacking in zeal, but full of spiritual fervor, serving the Lord; (323) that we may stand firm and be moved by nothing, always giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. (324)

Lord, make us zealous for good purposes; (325) and whatever we do, enable us to work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. (326)

Lord, enable us to do the work of every day in its day, as the duty of the day requires, (327) making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil, (328) that when our Lord comes, he may find us doing so. (329)

Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Courageous in your Duty

(4.) That we may be resolute and courageous in our duty, as those who know that though we may be losers for Christ, we shall not be losers by him in the end.

Lord, teach us to endure hardship like good soldiers of Christ Jesus, (330) that we may not fear the reproach of men or their insults, (331) nor be ashamed of Christ or his words, (332) knowing whom we have believed, even one who is able to guard what we have entrusted to him for that day. (333)

Though prison and hardships are facing us, Lord, grant that none of these things may move us, and that we may consider our lives worth nothing to us, if only we may finish the race with joy. (334)

Enable us to commend ourselves to God in every way, and then to pass through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report, with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left, (335) as those who care very little if they are judged by any human court, for it is the Lord who judges us. (336)

Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Cheerful in your Duty

(5.) That we may be pleasant and cheerful in our duty.

Lord, enable us to be joyful always, (337) to rejoice in the Lord always, because he has said it again to us: Rejoice! (338) So that we may go on our way rejoicing, may eat our food with gladness, and drink our wine with a joyful heart, as we shall have reason to do if God now favors what we do. (339)

Give us grace to serve you, the LORD our God, joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity; (340) and to sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of our God is great. (341)

Let us have that cheerfulness of heart which is good medicine, (342) and deliver us from that anxious heart which weighs a man down (343) and that worldly sorrow which brings death. (344)

Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may do your Duty

Always and Everywhere

(6.) That we may do the duty of every condition of life, every event of providence, and every relation wherein we stand.

Lord, enable us when times are good to be happy, but when times are bad to consider: for you have made the one as well as the other. (345) Enable us to add to our knowledge self-control; and to self-control, perseverance. (346)

Give us grace to remain with you in the situation you called us to, (347) and in all our ways to acknowledge you; and be pleased to direct our paths. (348)

Let those who were slaves when they were called be the Lord’s freemen; and those who were freemen when they were called, be Christ’s slaves. (349)

Let all in every relation live together in unity, that it may be as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. (350) O that we may live together as joint-heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder our prayers. (351)

Give us grace to show proper respect to everyone, to love the brotherhood of believers, to fear God, (352) and to submit ourselves to the governing authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. (353)

Pray for Grace to Assist you that you may be Universally Conscientious

(7.) That we may be universally conscientious.

O that we may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. (354)

O that our ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then we would not be put to shame when we consider all your commands. (355)

Teach us, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then we will keep them to the end. Give us understanding, and we will keep your law and obey it with all our heart. Direct us in the path of your commands, for there we find delight. Turn our hearts toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. (356)

We pray that out of your glorious riches you may strengthen us with power through your Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith; and that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (357) and may participate in the divine nature. (358)

And let Christ’s love compel us to no longer live for ourselves but for him who died for us and was raised again. (359)

Pray for Grace to Make you Wiser and Better Every Day

F. We must pray for grace to make us wiser and better every day than another.

Lord, give us to grow with God-caused growth; (360) to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; (361) to hold to our ways; and, having clean hands, to grow stronger. (362)

Let our path be like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. (363)

We have not yet obtained, nor have we already been made perfect; Lord, grant that therefore, forgetting what is behind, we may strain toward what is ahead, toward the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. (364)

Be like the dew to us that we may blossom like a lily and send down our roots like a cedar of Lebanon; that our shoots may grow and our splendor may be like an olive tree. (365) And let the sun of righteousness rise upon us with healing in its wings, so that we may go out and leap like calves released from the stall. (366)

Pray for the Support and Comfort you Need in your Afflictions

G. We must pray for the effectual support and comfort under all the crosses and afflictions that we meet with in this world.

We know that we are born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward; (367) but in six calamities be pleased to rescue us, and in seven let no harm befall us. (368)

Let the eternal God be our refuge, and underneath be the everlasting arms, (369) so that the spirit you have made may not grow faint before you, (370) nor the soul that you have redeemed. (371)

Let us be strengthened with all power according to your glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience and joy. (372)

Let your decrees be the theme of our song wherever we lodge; (373) and let your statutes, which are our heritage forever, be always the joy of our hearts. (374)

When we are hard pressed on every side, yet let us not be crushed; and when we are perplexed, let us not be in despair; (375) but sorrowful, and yet always rejoicing; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (376)

Pray for Preserving Grace

H. We must pray for grace to preserve us to the end and to fit us for whatever lies before us between this and the grave.

Lord, rescue us from every evil attack and bring us safely to your heavenly kingdom; (377) keep us from falling, that we may be presented before your glorious presence without fault and with great joy. (378)

Lord, make our love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else; strengthen our hearts so that we will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (379)

If Satan asks to sift us as wheat, yet let Christ’s intercession prevail for us, so that our faith may not fail. (380)

Until we are taken out of the world, protect us from the evil one and sanctify us by the truth; your word is truth. (381)

Build us up, we pray, in our most holy faith, and keep us in God’s love as we wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life. (382)

Grant that we may continue to call on you as long as we live; (383) and until we die, may we not deny our integrity; that we will maintain our righteousness and never let go of it; and that our consciences may not reproach us as long as we live. (384)

Pray for the Grace Needed to Die Well

I. We must pray for grace to deliver us from death* and to carry us well through our dying moments.

Show us, O LORD, our life’s end and the number of our days; let us know how fleeting are our lives and that our days are a mere handbreadth; that each man’s life is but a breath, (385) and our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. (386)

Lord, teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom, (387) and make us to discern what our end will be! (388)

Lord, make us always ready, dressed ready for service with our lamps kept burning, because the Son of man will come at an hour when we do not expect him. (389)

Keep us all the days of our hard service, waiting for our renewal to come; and then you will call, and we will answer. (390)

Bring us to the grave like sheaves gathered in season; (391) satisfy us with life, whether it is long or short, and show us your salvation. (392)

And when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, be with us, that we may fear no evil, let your rod and your staff comfort us. (393)

Let goodness and love follow us all the days of our life, and let us dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (394) May kindness and faithfulness be with us. (395)

Redeem our life from the grave, and take us to yourself; (396) guide us with your counsel, and afterward take us into glory. (397)

Pray for Grace to Fit you for Heaven

J. We must pray for grace to fit us for heaven and that we may at length be put in possession of eternal life.

Lord, make us meet to partake of the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light; (398) let God himself work us to this very purpose, and give us the Spirit as a deposit in our hearts, guaranteeing what is to come. (399)

O that we may now have our citizenship in heaven and may eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus, who will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (400)

O that we may set our minds on things above, and that our life may be hidden with Christ in God, that when Christ, who is our life, appears, we also may appear with him in glory; (401) that when he appears, we may be like him, may see him as he is, (402) may see his face in righteousness, and when we awake, may be satisfied with seeing his likeness. (403)

When we are gone, let us be welcomed into eternal dwellings, (404) in the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God, (405) that we may be together with the Lord forever, (406) to see as we are seen and know as we are known. (407) And in the meantime, help us to encourage each other with these words, (408) and having this hope in us, to purify ourselves, just as Christ is pure. (409)

And may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage our hearts and strengthen us in every good deed and word. (410)

Pray for the Good Things of Life and Preservation in Calamities

K. We must pray for the good things of life, with a humble submission to the will of God.

Lord, you have told us that godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life, as well as the life to come; (411) and that if we seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, other things will be given to us; (412) and therefore, we cast all our care about these things on you, who cares for us, (413) for our heavenly Father knows that we have need of all these things. (414)

(1.) We must pray to be preserved from the calamities to which we are exposed.

You, Lord, are our refuge and our fortress, and under your wings will we find refuge; your faithfulness will be our shield and rampart; let us therefore not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day. Having made the Most High our dwelling and the LORD our refuge, let no harm befall us and no disaster come near our tent. (415)

Let the Lord be our keeper, even he who watches over Israel and neither slumbers nor sleeps. Let the LORD be our shade at our right hand, that the sun may not harm us by day, nor the moon by night. Let the LORD keep us from all harm, let him watch over our life; the Lord watch over our coming and going both now and forevermore. (416)

Lord, put a hedge around us and our houses and everything we have; (417) and take away sickness from among us. (418)

Pray for Daily Supplies of Comfort and Support

(2.) We must pray to be supplied with the comforts and supports we daily stand in need of.

O may the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. (419) O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. (420)

Let our sons in their youth be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace. Let our barns be filled with every kind of provision; and let there be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets. Blessed are the people of whom this is true; indeed, rather, blessed are the people whose God is the LORD. (421)

Let us be blessed in the city and blessed in the country; let our basket and our kneading trough be blessed; let us be blessed when we come in and when we go out. (422)

Let your good providence so order all events concerning us that they may be made to work for our good, as you have promised they shall to all who love you, who have been called according to your purpose. (423)

Grant us to trust in the LORD and do good, and then we shall dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture; be pleased also to make our righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of our cause like the noonday sun. (424)

Let us be protected from the lash of the tongue and not fear when destruction comes; let us have a covenant with the stones of the field, and let the wild animals be at peace with us; let us know that our tent is secure, and let us take stock of our property and find nothing missing. (425)

And if God will be with us and will watch over us on this journey during our pilgrimage in this world, and will give us food to eat and clothes to wear so that we may return safely to our heavenly Father’s house, then the LORD will be our God. (426)

Plead the Promises of God for the Enforcing of your Petitions

L. We must plead the promises of God for the enforcing of all our petitions, put these promises in suit, and refer ourselves to them.

Lord, you have given us many great and precious promises, (427) which are all “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ. (428) Now may it be to your servants as you have said. (429)

Grant us to draw water with joy from these wells of salvation, (430) to nurse and be satisfied at those comforting breasts; (431) and now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servants, and do as you have promised. (432)

Deal with us according to the tenor of the everlasting covenant, which is arranged and secured in every part, and which is all our salvation and all our desire. (433)

Turn to us and have mercy on us, as you always do to those who love your name; (434) do immeasurably more for us than we are able to ask or imagine, (435) and meet all our needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (436)

1 Ezekiel 36:37 (v. KJV).

2 John 6:6.

3 Mark 11:24.

4 Psalm 39:7-8.

5 Psalm 38:9.

6 Romans 8:26-27.

7 Matthew 6:7-8.

8 John 16:23-24.

9 1 John 5:14-15.

10 Luke 18:13.

11 Psalm 51:1-3, 7, 9.

12 Hebrews 8:12.

13 Matthew 18:32.

14 Romans 3:24.

15 Acts 13:39.

16 Ezekiel 18:30.

17 2 Samuel 12:13.

18 Revelation 2:11.

19 Isaiah 44:22.

20 Psalm 143:2.

21 Hosea 14:2-4.

22 Isaiah 1:18-19.

23 Job 10:2.

24 Job33:24.

25 Psalm 86:5, 15.

26 Nehemiah 9:17.

27 Psalm 103:9.

28 Isaiah 43:25-26.

29 Numbers 14:17-19.

30 Micah 7:18-19.

31 Psalm 11:7.

32 Exodus 34:7.

33 Matthew 18:26.

34 Isaiah 64:6.

35 1 Corinthians 1:30.

36 2 Corinthians 5:21.

37 1 John 2:1-2.

38 Romans 8:33-34.

39 Hebrews 12:24.

40 Philippians 3:7-9.

41 Jeremiah 23:6.

42 Mark 9:24.

43 Psalm 132:1.

44 Psalm 20:3.

45 2 Chronicles 6:42.

46 Hebrews 9:24.

47 Romans 3:25-26.

48 Romans 5:11.

49 Isaiah 55:7.

50 Daniel 9:9.

51 Romans 11:27.

52 Jeremiah 31:34.

53 Jeremiah 50:20.

54 Ezekiel 33:15-16.

55 Luke 24:47.

56 Leviticus 16:22.

57 Psalm 103:12.

58 Psalm 119:49.

59 Psalm 25:11.

60 Psalm 40:12-13.

61 Psalm 79:8-9.

62 Psalm 25:7.

63 Psalm 32:1-2.

64 Ephesians 1:7-8.

65 Romans 8:1.

66 Luke 7:47, 50.

67 Isaiah 33:24.

68 Romans 5:1-2.

69 Jeremiah 17:17.

70 Ephesians 2:13-19.

71 Isaiah 27:4-5.

72 Job 22:21.

73 Jeremiah 17:14.

74 Psalm 85:5-7.

75 Hebrews 8:10.

76 Psalm 110:3.

77 Luke 15:19.

78 Jeremiah 3:19.

79 Jeremiah 3:4.

80 Isaiah 56:4.

81 Jeremiah 50:5.

82 Ezekiel 20:37.

83 Ezekiel 16:8.

84 Isaiah 55:3.

85 Psalm 119:58.

86 Psalm 30:5.

87 Psalm 63:3.

88 Numbers 6:25-26.

89 Psalm 106:4-5.

90 Psalm 67:1, 6.

91 Psalm 134:3.

92 Ephesians 1:3.

93 1 Chronicles 4:10.

94 Psalm 133:3.

95 1 Chronicles 17:27.

96 Psalm 24:5.

97 Genesis 27:38.

98 Galatians 3:14.

99 Genesis 32:26.

100 Exodus 33:15.

101 Hebrews 13:5.

102 Psalm 51:11.

103 Psalm 140:13.

104 Psalm 51:8.

105 Matthew 9:2.

106 Hebrews 9:14.

107 Romans 8:16-17.

108 Psalm 35:3.

109 2 Thessalonians 3:16.

110 John 14:27.

111 Isaiah 32:17.

112 Psalm 85:8.

113 Isaiah 57:18-19.

114 Luke 10:6.

115 v. Psalm 143:8; 1 Peter 2:3.

116 Philippians 4:7.

117 Colossians 3:15.

118 Romans 15:13.

119 Hebrews 4:16.

120 v. John 1:16; Colossians 1:19.

121 Romans 6:14.

122 Galatians 5:24, 16.

123 Romans 6:6, 12, 18.

124 Romans 8:2.

125 Ephesians 4:22, 24.

126 Galatians 6:14.

127 Matthew 26:41.

128 1 Corinthians 10:13.

129 Ephesians 6:11, 13-17.

130 James 4:7.

131 1 Peter 5:9.

132 Romans 16:20.

133 1 Corinthians 1:30.

134 Romans 6:4.

135 Psalm 51:13.

136 Luke 1:17.

137 Ephesians 2:1.

138 Ezekiel 16:6, 8 (margin).

139 Acts 26:18.

140 Zechariah 9:11-12.

141 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

142 2 Thessalonians 1:11.

143 Philippians 1:6.

144 Psalm 138:8.

145 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

146 Ephesians 6:10.

147 Proverbs 2:3-5.

148 Hebrews 8:11.

149 Hosea 6:3.

150 John 17:3.

151 Ephesians 1:17-19.

152 Psalm 119:18.

153 Luke 1:4.

154 Colossians 2:2.

155 Psalm 119:124-125.

156 Psalm 119:169.

157 Psalm 111:10.

158 John 16:13.

159 Job 6:24.

160 Job 34:32.

161 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

162 Ephesians 4:14-15.

163 John 7:17.

164 John 8:32, 36.

165 2 Timothy 1:13.

166 2 Timothy 3:14.

167 John 14:26.

168 Colossians 3:16.

169 Hebrews 2:1.

170 1 Corinthians 15:2.

171 Acts 18:24.

172 2 Timothy 3:17.

173 Matthew 13:52.

174 1 Kings 3:9.

175 Ecclesiastes 10:10.

176 Proverbs 14:8.

177 Philippians 1:9-11.

178 Colossians 1:9-10.

179 Psalm 27:11.

180 2 Chronicles 20:12.

181 Isaiah 30:21.

182 Psalm 119:133.

183 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

184 Psalm 51:10-12.

185 Jeremiah 31:33.

186 2 Corinthians 3:3.

187 Psalm 37:31.

188 Psalm 40:8.

189 Romans 7:22.

190 Romans 6:17.

191 Matthew 13:33 (v. KJV).

192 Romans 12:2.

193 1 Peter 1:14-15.

194 Philippians 1:29.

195 Ephesians 2:8.

196 Luke 17:5.

197 1 Thessalonians 3:10.

198 Romans 4:20.

199 Galatians 2:20.

200 2 Corinthians 4:10.

201 Colossians 2:6-7.

202 Hebrews 4:2.

203 John 3:33.

204 Hebrews 11:1.

205 2 Corinthians 4:18.

206 Psalm 16:8.

207 Psalm 25:15.

208 Hebrews 11:26-27.

209 Acts 15:9.

210 1 John 5:4.

211 Psalm 27:13.

212 Psalm 111:10.

213 Proverbs 15:33.

214 Proverbs 14:27.

215 Psalm 86:11.

216 Ecclesiastes 12:13.

217 Jeremiah 32:40.

218 Psalm 119:38 (v. KJV).

219 Proverbs 23:17.

220 v. Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:30.

221 Psalm 91:14 (v. KJV).

222 Psalm 37:4.

223 Deuteronomy 30:6.

224 Romans 5:5.

225 1 Peter 2:7.

226 Song 5:10, 16.

227 1 Peter 1:8.

228 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.

229 1 John 2:15.

230 Colossians 3:2.

231 Ezekiel 11:19.

232 1 Thessalonians 5:22.

233 2 Corinthians 2:11.

234 Psalm 128:1.

235 1 Corinthians 10:12.

236 Colossians 3:14.

237 Ephesians 4:3.

238 2 Corinthians 13:11.

239 Romans 13:9-10.

240 1 Peter 1:22 (v. KJV).

241 John 13:35.

242 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10.

243 Galatians 6:10.

244 Romans 12:18.

245 Romans 14:19.

246 Matthew 5:44 (v. KJV).

247 Colossians 3:13.

248 Matthew 16:24.

249 1 Corinthians 9:27.

250 2 Timothy 3:2.

251 Proverbs 3:7, 5.

252 1 Corinthians 10:24.

253 Romans 14:7-8.

254 Matthew 11:29.

255 Philippians 2:5.

256 Job 33:17.

257 1 Peter 5:5.

258 1 Peter 3:4-5.

259 Ephesians 4:1-2.

260 Ecclesiastes 7:9.

261 Ephesians 4:26.

262 Titus 3:2-3.

263 Colossians 3:12.

264 Luke 6:36.

265 Matthew 5:48.

266 Philippians 4:11-12.

267 1 Timothy 6:6.

268 Proverbs 15:16.

269 Hebrews 13:5.

270 Acts 21:14.

271 Luke 21:19.

272 James 1:4.

273 1 Corinthians 7:29-31.

274 Romans 5:4-5.

275 Romans 15:4.

276 Romans 8:24.

277 Psalm 146:5.

278 1 Peter 1:3.

279 Hebrews 6:19-20.

280 Colossians 1:27, 23.

281 Hebrews 6:11.

282 2 Corinthians 13:7.

283 Philippians 2:15.

284 Psalm 119:37.

285 Psalm 119:29.

286 Psalm 141:4.

287 Psalm 19:12-13.

288 Psalm 18:23.

289 Psalm 119:11.

290 2 Corinthians 12:9.

291 Jeremiah 7:24.

292 Ephesians 5:15.

293 2 Corinthians 11:12.

294 James 2:7.

295 1 Peter 2:15.

296 Titus 2:10.

297 Psalm 39:1.

298 Ecclesiastes 5:2.

299 Psalm 141:3.

300 James 3:2.

301 Colossians 4:6.

302 Matthew 12:35.

303 Psalm 37:30.

304 Isaiah 59:21.

305 Proverbs 31:26.

306 Proverbs 10:32.

307 Proverbs 10:20-21.

308 Titus 2:11-14.

309 James 1:5.

310 Matthew 10:16.

311 Ecclesiastes 8:1.

312 Ecclesiastes 9:18.

313 Colossians 4:5.

314 Psalm 101:2.

315 James 3:15, 17.

316 2 Corinthians 1:12.

317 Psalm 41:12.

318 Psalm 25:21.

319 Psalm 119:80.

320 Matthew 6:22.

321 John 9:4.

322 Ecclesiastes 9:10.

323 Romans 12:11.

324 1 Corinthians 15:58.

325 Galatians 4:18.

326 Colossians 3:23.

327 Ezra 3:4 (v. KJV).

328 Ephesians 5:16.

329 Luke 12:43.

330 2 Timothy 2:3.

331 Isaiah 51:7.

332 Mark 8:38.

333 2 Timothy 1:12.

334 Acts 20:23-24.

335 2 Corinthians 6:4, 7-8.

336 1 Corinthians 4:3-4.

337 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

338 Philippians 4:4.

339 Ecclesiastes 9:7.

340 Deuteronomy 28:47.

341 Psalm 138:5.

342 Proverbs 17:22.

343 Proverbs 12:25.

344 2 Corinthians 7:10.

345 Ecclesiastes 7:14.

346 2 Peter 1:6.

347 1 Corinthians 7:24.

348 Proverbs 3:6 (v. margin).

349 1 Corinthians 7:22.

350 Psalm 133:1, 3.

351 1 Peter 3:7.

352 1 Peter 2:17.

353 Romans 13:1, 5.

354 Colossians 4:12.

355 Psalm 119:5-6.

356 Psalm 119:33-36.

357 Ephesians 3:16-20.

358 2 Peter 1:4.

359 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.

360 Colossians 2:19.

361 2 Peter 3:18.

362 Job 17:9.

363 Proverbs 4:18.

364 Philippians 3:12-14.

365 Hosea 14:5-6.

366 Malachi 4:2.

367 Job 5:7.

368 Job 5:19.

369 Deuteronomy 33:27.

370 Isaiah 57:16.

371 Psalm 71:23.

372 Colossians 1:11.

373 Psalm 119:54.

374 Psalm 119:111.

375 2 Corinthians 4:8.

376 2 Corinthians 6:10.

377 2 Timothy 4:18.

378 Jude 24

379 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13.

380 Luke 22:31-32.

381 John 17:15, 17.

382 Jude 20-21.

383 Psalm 116:2.

384 Job 27:5-6.

* We must all die (save those alive when the Lord comes), so the author directs us to ask for deliverance not from the inevitable fact of death, but from the fear and power of death. Editor.

385 Psalm 39:4-5.

386 1 Chronicles 29:15.

387 Psalm 90:12.

388 Deuteronomy 32:29.

389 Luke 12:35, 40.

390 Job 14:14-15.

391 Job 5:26.

392 Psalm 91:16.

393 Psalm 23:4.

394 Psalm 23:6.

395 2 Samuel 15:20.

396 Psalm 49:15.

397 Psalm 73:24.

398 Colossians 1:12.

399 2 Corinthians 5:5.

400 Philippians 3:20-21.

401 Colossians 3:2-4.

402 1 John 3:2.

403 Psalm 17:15.

404 Luke 16:9.

405 Hebrews 11:10.

406 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

407 v. 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12.

408 1 Thessalonians 4:18.

409 1 John 3:3.

410 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.

411 1 Timothy 4:8.

412 Matthew 6:33.

413 1 Peter 5:7.

414 Matthew 6:32.

415 Psalm 91:2, 4-5, 9-10.

416 Psalm 121:4-8.

417 Job 1:10.

418 Exodus 23:25.

419 Psalm 90:17.

420 Psalm 118:25.

421 Psalm 144:12-15.

422 Deuteronomy 28:3, 5-6.

423 Romans 8:28.

424 Psalm 37:3, 6.

425 Job 5:21, 23-24.

426 Genesis 28:20-21.

427 2 Peter 1:4.

428 2 Corinthians 1:20.

429 Luke 1:38.

430 Isaiah 12:3.

431 Isaiah 66:11.

432 v. 2 Samuel 7:25; 1 Chronicles 17:23.

433 2 Samuel 23:5 (v. KJV).

434 Psalm 119:132.

435 Ephesians 3:20.

436 Philippians 4:19.

****

CHAPTER 4

OF THE FOURTH PART OF PRAYER, WHICH IS THANKSGIVINGS FOR THE MERCIES WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM GOD,

AND THE MANY FAVORS OF HIS WE ARE INTERESTED IN

AND HAVE AND HOPE FOR BENEFIT BY

Introduction and Exhortation to Stir Yourself Up to Praise God

Our errand at the throne of grace is not only to seek the favor of God, but to ascribe to him the glory due his name, (1) and that not only by an awful adoration of his infinite perfections, but by a grateful acknowledgment of his goodness to us, which cannot indeed add anything to his glory, but he is pleased to accept of it and to reckon himself glorified by it, if it comes from a heart that is humbly sensible of its own unworthiness to receive any favor from God, that values the gifts and loves the giver of them.

1. We must stir up ourselves to praise God with the consideration both of the reason and of the encouragement we have to praise him.

We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds. (2)

Let our souls praise the LORD, and let all our inmost being praise his holy name; yes, let our souls praise the LORD and not forget any of his benefits. (3)

We will praise the Lord, for it is good, it is pleasant, (4) and it is fitting for the upright to praise him; (5) yes, it is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night. (6)

We will exalt you, our God the King; we will praise your name for ever and ever: Every day will we praise you and extol your name for ever and ever; we will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (7)

We will sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. O let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King; let the saints rejoice in this honor, and may the praises of God be in their hearts and in their mouths. (8)

We will praise the LORD all our life; we will sing praise to our God as long as we live. (9) And when we have no being on earth, we hope to have a being in heaven, to be doing it better.

We are here through Jesus Christ to offer to you a sacrifice of praise, which we desire to do continually—the fruit of lips that confess your name. (10) And you have said that he who sacrifices thank offerings honors you, (11) and that this also will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. (12)

We will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. (13)

Be Particular in your Thanks to God,

Marvel at His Good Nature and Kind Providence

2. We must be particular in our thanksgivings to God,

(A.) For the discoveries which he has made to us in his word of the goodness of his nature.

We give thanks to the God of gods, to the Lord of lords, for his love endures forever. (14)

Your goodness is your glory, (15) and it is for that which all you have made praises you, and your saints do extol you. (16)

You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love, (17) and have told us that you do not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men, but though you bring grief, yet you will show compassion, so great is your unfailing love. (18)

You delight in those who fear you, who put their hope in your unfailing love. (19)

(B.) For the many instances of his goodness.

(1.) The goodness of his providence relating to our bodies and the life that now is; and this,

(a.) First, With reference to all the creatures and the world of mankind in general.

You have stretched out the heavens like a tent, (20) and in them you have pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. (21) And you cause your sun to rise on the evil and the good, and send rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (22)

When we consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the sun, the moon, and the stars, which you have set in place, Lord, what is man that you are mindful of him? (23) For truly the light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun: (24) All glory be to the Father of the heavenly light, (25) who gives orders to the morning and shows the dawn its place. (26)

Thank God for the Many Instances of His Goodness and Kind Providence

You have not left yourself without testimony among the nations: You have shown kindness by giving them rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; you provide them with plenty of food and fill their hearts with joy. (27)

You cover the sky with clouds; you supply the earth with rain and make grass grow on the hills. You provide food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. (28)

You cause it to rain on a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland. (29)

You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it; you drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. (30)

You make springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; and by them the birds of the air nest, they sing among the branches. (31)

You have set the earth on its foundations, it can never be moved; and have set a boundary the waters of the sea cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. (32) You have shut up the sea with doors and fixed limits for it, saying, “This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt.” (33) And you have made good what you have sworn: that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. (34)

Your covenant with the day and with the night is not broken; (35) but still you appoint the sun to shine by day and decree the moon and stars to shine by night, (36) and are faithful to that covenant of providence: That as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. (37)

The highest heavens belong to you, but the earth you have given to man, (38) and you have put everything under his feet and made him ruler over the works of your hands; (39) so that the fear and dread of man is upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, and they are given into his hands, (40) because you had a favor to him, and you delight in mankind. (41)

You make grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. (42)

You give all men life and breath and everything else; (43) and the earth if filled with your love, O LORD. (44)

All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time: When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. This, your glory, shall endure forever, and you rejoice in these works. (45)

It is through your goodness, O Lord, that generations come and generations go, (46) and that you have not blotted out the name of that corrupt and guilty race from under heaven. (47)

Thank God for Making you in His Image

(b.) Secondly, With reference to us in particular.

(1) We must give thanks that he has made us reasonable creatures, capable of knowing, loving, serving, and enjoying him, and that he has not made us like the beasts that perish.

We praise you because we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and our souls, our nobler part, know that full well; (48) for no one knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him. (49)

You have made us of that rank of beings which is a little lower than the heavenly beings and is crowned with glory and honor; (50) for it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding, (51) and the spirit of man is the LORD’s lamp. (52)

Our bodies are capable of being the temples of the Holy Spirit, and our souls of having God’s Spirit live in them; (53) we therefore honor you with our bodies and with our spirits, which are yours. (54)

You, Lord, have formed us for yourself that we might proclaim your praise. (55)

Thank God for Preserving you

(2) We must give thanks for our preservation, that our lives are prolonged, and the use of our reason and understanding, our limbs and senses, are continued to us.

It was owing to your good providence that we did not perish at birth, and die as we came from the womb; that there were knees to receive us, and breasts that we might be nursed. (56)

Though we were called rebels from birth, (57) yet by your power we have been upheld since our conception and carried since our birth; (58) and you preserve our lives and keep our feet from slipping. (59)

Our whole being shall exclaim, “Who is like you, O LORD?” (60) For you protect the bones, not one of them will be broken. (61)

We lie down and sleep, for you, O LORD, make us to dwell in safety. (62)

You have commanded your angels concerning us to guard us in all our ways; to lift us up in their hands, so that we do not strike our foot against a stone. (63) And they are all ministering spirits sent to serve for the good of those who will inherit salvation. (64)

Thank God for Granting you Recovery from Danger

(3) For signal recoveries from danger by sickness or otherwise.

When perhaps there has been but a step between us and death, (65) and when we felt the sentence of death in our hearts, (66) and have been ready to say, “In the prime of our life must we go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of our years?” Yet in your love you have kept us from the pit of destruction; you have put all our sins behind your back. (67)

When the cords of death have entangled us, and the anguish of the grave has come upon us, we have called upon the name of the LORD and have found that the LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. When we were in great need, he saved us; he has delivered our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from stumbling. We will therefore walk before the LORD in the land of the living. (68)

Thank God for the Supports and Comforts of this Life

(4) For the supports and comforts of this life, which have hitherto made the land of our pilgrimage easy and pleasant to us.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. (69)

You make us lie down in green pastures, you feed us beside quiet waters; you prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies; you anoint our head, and our cup overflows. (70)

It may be we were sent forth without purse or bag, but did we lack anything? Nothing, Lord. (71)

The lamp of God has shone upon our heads and by his light we have walked through darkness; God’s intimate friendship has blessed our house. (72)

You have richly provided us with everything for our enjoyment, (73) and into our hands have brought plentifully. (74)

Many times we have eaten to the full and reveled in your great goodness. (75)

When we remember how the LORD our God has led us all the way in the desert for so many years, (76) we must here set up a stone and name it Ebenezer, for thus far has the LORD helped us. (77)

Thank God for your Successes and Good Relationships

(5) For success in our callings and affairs, comfort in relations, and comfortable places of abode.

It is God who arms us with strength and makes our way perfect, (78) who has blessed the work of our hands; (79) and it may be that so prosperous will our future be, that our beginnings will seem humble. (80)

Our homes have been safe and free from fear, and there has been no rod of God upon us; (81) so that shouts of joy and victory have resounded in our tents (82) from day to day.

It may be we had only our staff when we crossed this Jordan, but now we have become two groups; (83) and it is God who sets the lonely in families. (84)

If we have enjoyed life with our relations, (85) and they have been to us as a loving doe, as a graceful deer, (86) we must give you thanks for it, for every creature is that to us, and no more, that you make it to be.

Thank God for the Measure of Peace you Experience

(6) For our own share in the public plenty, peace, and tranquility.

When we have eaten and been satisfied, we have reason to praise you for the good land you have given us, (87) a land which the eyes of the LORD our God are continually on, from the beginning of the year to its end. (88)

You grant peace to our borders and satisfy us with the finest of wheat: (89) We are delivered from the voice of the archers at the watering places; there, therefore, will we recite the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous acts of his warriors in Israel. (90)

We thank you that the powers that are set over us are God’s servants to do us good, (91) that they work for the good of our people and speak up for their welfare. (92)

Thank God for His Grace to your Soul and

for Designing Man's Redemption and Salvation

(2.) The goodness of his grace relating to our souls, and the life that is to come.

But especially praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (93)

(a.) First, We must give God thanks for his kindnesses to the children of men, relating to their better part and their future state and his favors to the church in general.

(1) We must give thanks for his gracious design and contrivance of man’s redemption and salvation, when he was lost and undone by sin.

O how wonderfully did the kindness and love of God our Savior appear, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy he saved us: (94) We had destroyed ourselves, but you, you only, are our helper. (95)

When we were thrown out into the open field, and no one looked on us with pity, you saw us kicking about in our blood, and you said to us, “Live!” Yes, you said to us, “Live!” And the time was a time of love. (96)

When the ransom for a life was costly, so that no payment would ever be enough, and no man could redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him, (97) then you were pleased to find a ransom, that we might be spared from going down to the pit. (98)

When we had to die, and were like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, then did you devise ways so that the banished people might not remain forever estranged from you. (99)

When you did not spare the angels who sinned, but sent them to hell, (100) you said concerning the rage of mankind, “Don’t destroy it, there is yet some good in it.” (101)

Herein appears God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. (102)

Thank God for His Eternal Purposes and

Counsels Concerning Man's Redemption

(2) For the eternal purposes and counsels of God concerning man’s redemption.

We ought always to thank you, O God, because from the beginning you have chosen some to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit: (103) That there is a remnant chosen by grace, (104) whom you have chosen in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in your sight; in love you predestined them to be adopted as your sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with your pleasure and will—to the praise of your glorious grace. (105)

They were yours, and you gave them to Christ; (106) and this is your will, that you should lose none of all that you have given him, but raise them up at the last day. (107)

Thank God for the Appointing of the Redeemer

and His Gracious Condescension

(3) For the appointing of the Redeemer and God’s gracious condescension to deal with men upon new terms, receding from the demands of the broken covenant of innocency.

We bless you that when sacrifice and offering you did not desire, and in them you were not pleased, that then the eternal Son of God said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will, O God, and a body you have prepared for me”: (108) And that, as it is written about him in the scroll, he desired to do your will, O God; your law was within his heart. (109)

You have bestowed strength on a warrior, a young man from among the people. You have found David your servant; with your sacred oil you have anointed him: (110) You have set him above his companions by anointing him with the oil of joy, (111) and promised that your hand would sustain him and your arm would strengthen him, and that you would appoint him your firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. (112)

We bless you that the Father now judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son; that as he has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man; (113) that the Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands; (114) and that the counsel of peace is between them both. (115)

That he is your servant, whom you uphold, your chosen one in whom you delight, (116) your Son, whom you love, with him you are well pleased; (117) that you have made him to be a covenant for the people; (118) and that through him we are not under law but under grace. (119)

That God so loved the world as to give his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (120)

Thank God for the Early Indication of His Gracious Design

(4) For the early and ancient indication of the gracious design concerning fallen man.

We bless you that as soon as man had sinned, it was graciously promised that the seed of the woman should break the serpent’s head; (121) and that in the Old Testament sacrifices, Jesus Christ was the lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. (122)

And for their faith, the ancients, though none of them received what had been promised, were commended—were commended as righteous men. (123)

We bless you for the promise made to Abraham, that in his seed all peoples on earth should be blessed; (124) and to Jacob, that the Shiloh should come, and the obedience of the nations is his; (125) and that the Patriarchs rejoiced at the thought of seeing Christ’s day; they saw it and were glad. (126)

(5) For the many glorious instances of God’s favor to the Old Testament church.

We adore that wisdom, peace, and goodness with which you brought the vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it; you cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. (127)

And it was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. (128)

We bless your that the Jews were entrusted with the very words of God, (129) that they had the adoption as sons, the divine glory, and the covenant, the receiving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises: (130) And that not one word has failed of all the good promises you gave through your servant Moses. (131)

We bless you for all that which you did at many times and in many ways speak to our forefathers through the prophets, (132) those men who spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, (133) and prophesied of the grace that was to come to us, predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow, and that they were not serving themselves but us, when they spoke of those great things—things that even angels long to look into. (134)

And especially we bless you that you have planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (135)

Thank God for the Wonderful Incarnation of the Son of God

(6) For the wonderful and mysterious incarnation of the Son of God and his coming into the world.

We bless you that when the time had fully come, you sent your Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (136)

That the eternal Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and there were those who saw his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (137) Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great, that God appeared in a body. (138)

We bless you that for this reason he was born, and for this he came into the world, to testify to the truth; (139) and we believe and are sure that he is the Holy One of God; (140) that it is he who should come, and we are to look for no other.

We bless you that the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost; (141) that he has come that we may have life, and have it to the full; (142) and that the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. (143)

Lord, we receive it as a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—even the worst. (144)

We bless you that since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity: That it is not angels he helps, but us, and was made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people; and that he is not ashamed to call them brothers. (145)

And that the firstborn was brought into the world with a charge given to all God’s angels to worship him. (146)

Thank God for His Gracious Owning of Christ in His Undertaking

(7) For God’s gracious owning of him in his undertaking, and in the carrying of it on.

We bless you that you were reconciling the world to yourself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them, and that you have committed to us the message of reconciliation. (147)

That you have yourself made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples; (148) that he was set apart and sealed and sent into the world; (149) and that the Father who sent him did not leave him alone, for he always did those things that pleased him. (150)

Glory be to God in the highest, for in and through Jesus Christ there is on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (151)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (152)

We thank you for the authority you have granted him over all people, that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. (153)

Thank God for Christ's Holy Life, Excellent Doctrine, and Glorious Miracles

(8) For his holy life, his excellent doctrine, and the glorious miracles he wrought to confirm his doctrine.

We bless you for the assurance we have, that he is a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform the miraculous signs that he did if God were not with him. (154)

That in these last days you have spoken to us by your Son, (155) whose teaching was not his own; it came from him who sent him, (156) and he spoke as one who had authority; (157) and that we are encouraged to come and learn from him, because he is gentle and humble in heart, and in learning of him we shall find rest for our souls. (158)

We bless you that he has left us an example, that we should follow his steps, in that he committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth, and when they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; (159) and his food and drink was to do the will of his Father; (160) in that he was holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners. (161) O that we may be armed with the same attitude; (162) and that we may be like him in this world, (163) and that we may walk as he did. (164)

We bless you that the very work that he did testifies that the Father had sent him; (165) that by his power the blind received sight, the lame walked, those who had leprosy were cured, the deaf heard, the dead were raised, and the good news was preached to the poor, (166) and even the winds and the waves obeyed him, (167) for which we praise the God of Israel. (168) Surely he was the Son of God! (169)

Thank God for the Great Encouragement Christ Gave

to Poor Sinners to Come to Him

(9) For the great encouragement Christ gave to poor sinners to come to him.

We bless you that Jesus Christ did not come to call the righteous, but sinners (such as we are) and that he had authority on earth to forgive sins; (170) that he came to save his people from their sins, (171) and is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world; (172) and that he is (to his honor, not to his reproach) a friend to tax collectors and sinners. (173)

We thank you for the gracious invitation he gave to those who are weary and burdened to come to him for rest: (174) And for the assurance he has given that whoever comes to him, he will never drive away. (175)

That he made a gracious offer that whoever is thirsty may come to him and drink. (176)

Thank God for the Cross of Christ and All Its Benefits

(10) For the full satisfaction which he made to the justice of God for the sin of man by the blood of his cross, for the purchases, victories, and triumphs of the cross, and for all the precious benefits which flow to us from the dying of the Lord Jesus.

Herein indeed God demonstrates his own love for us: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us, that we might be reconciled to God through the death of his Son. (177) This is love: Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, (178) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world; (179) that he tasted death for everyone, so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil. (180)

We bless you that by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy, (181) that he has finished transgression, put an end to sin, atoned for wickedness, and brought in everlasting righteousness. (182)

That he has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. (183)

That what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God has done by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man, who by a sacrifice for sin, condemned sin in sinful man. (184)

That he was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, and that the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed: And that the LORD having laid on him the iniquity of us all, it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer. (185)

That appearing to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself, he did by the eternal Spirit offer himself unblemished to God, and entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. (186)

That he has disarmed the powers and authorities, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross, and has canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us, taking it away, nailing it to the cross. (187)

That he is our peace, who having destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile, has created in himself one new man out of the two, and in this one body has reconciled both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. (188)

That he has loved us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve God. (189)

O how high and deep and long and wide is that love of Christ that surpasses knowledge! (190) That great love of God for us! (191)

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise, because he was slain, and with his blood he purchased men for God. (192)

Thank God for Christ's Resurrection

(11) For his resurrection from the dead on the third day.

We thank you that as he was delivered over to death for our sins, so he was raised to life for our justification, (193) and was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead. (194)

That though he was dead, yet he is alive and lives for ever and ever, and holds the keys of death and Hades; (195) and since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. (196)

That Christ has indeed been raised from the dead and is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep; that as in Adam all died, so in Christ all might be made alive, and each in his own turn. (197)

That God would not let his Holy One see decay, but freed him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him, and so declared to all the house of Israel that God has made this Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ. (198)

And that for this very reason Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and living, (199) and that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live together with him. (200)

Thank God for Christ's Ascension into Heaven

(12) For his ascension into heaven, and his sitting at God’s right hand there.

We bless you that our Lord Jesus has returned to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God; (201) has ascended on high, having led captives in his train and received gifts from men, even from the rebellious—that you, O LORD God, might dwell there. (202)

That he who went before us (203) has entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence, (204) a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne. (205)

That he has set down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, (206) with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him. (207)

That he has gone before, to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house, where there are many rooms; (208) and though where he has gone, we cannot follow now, yet we hope to follow later, (209) when he shall come back to take us to be with himself, that we also may be where he is. (210)

Thank God for Christ's Intercession

(13) For the intercession which he ever lives to make in the virtue of his satisfaction.

We thank you that having bore the sin of many, he makes intercession for the transgressors, (211) and prays not only for those given to him while he was upon earth, but for all who will believe in him through their message; that all of them may be one. (212)

That we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, (213) who is therefore able to save completely all those who come to God as a Father, through him as a Mediator, because he always lives to intercede for them. (214)

That we have a High Priest selected from among men and appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins, who is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray; and that he has become the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. (215)

Thank God for the Dominion and Sovereignty

to which the Redeemer has been Exalted

(14) For the dominion and sovereignty to which the Redeemer is exalted.

We thank you that because our Lord Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross—therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, and every tongue confess (as we do at this time) that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (216)

That all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, (217) that you have set him over the work of your hands and have put everything under him, and so have crowned him with glory and honor. (218)

That he is King of kings and Lord of lords, (219) that the Ancient of Days has given him authority, glory, and sovereign power, an everlasting dominion and a kingdom that will never be destroyed. (220)

That the government is on his shoulders, and that he is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace; and of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. (221)

That you have installed him as a King on Zion, your holy hill, (222) and that he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (223) will reign until he has destroyed all opposing dominion, authority, and power, (224) until all his enemies are made his footstool, (225) and then he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, so that God may be all in all. (226)

Thank God for the Assurance you have of Christ's Second Coming

(15) For the assurance we have of his second coming to judge the world.

We bless you that you have set a day when you will judge the world with justice by the man you have appointed; you have given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. (227)

That in that day the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels, punishing those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus: (228) And will come to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed; (229) for he will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. (230)

That he will then send out his angels to weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil, (231) and to gather together his elect from the four winds; (232) and then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (233)

And we then, in keeping with your promise, look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness: Lord, grant that since we are looking forward to this, we may make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him; (234) and then Come, Lord Jesus! Come soon! (235)

Thank God for the Sending of the Holy Spirit

(16) For the sending of the Holy Spirit to supply the want of Christ’s bodily presence, to carry on his undertaking, and to prepare things for his second coming.

We bless you that when our Lord Jesus went away, he sent us another Counselor to be with us forever—the Spirit of truth, (236) who will bring glory to the Son by taking what is his and making it known to us. (237)

That being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, (238) he has poured it out as streams of living water. (239)

Blessed be God for the signs, wonders, and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, with which he testified to the great salvation. (240)

And blessed be God for the promise that as earthly parents, though they are evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, so our Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him, (241) that promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. (242)

Thank God for the Covenant of Grace

(17) For the covenant of grace made with us in Jesus Christ and all the exceeding great and precious privileges of that covenant, and for the seals of it.

We thank you that in Jesus Christ you have made an everlasting covenant with us, your faithful love promised to David, (243) and that though the mountains may be shaken and the hills be removed, yet this covenant of your peace will never be removed. (244)

That you have given us very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature; (245) and that this covenant of which Jesus Christ is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. (246)

That though you punish our sin with the rod and our iniquity with flogging, yet you will not take your love from us nor betray your faithfulness; you will not violate your covenant or alter what your lips have uttered. (247)

That because you wanted to make the unchanging nature of your purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, you have confirmed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. (248)

That baptism is appointed to be a seal of the righteousness which is by faith, as circumcision was; (249) that it assures us of the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit; and that this promise is for us and our children. (250) And that the cup in the Lord’s Supper is the blood of the New Covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (251)

Thank God for the Scriptures

(18) For the writing of the Scriptures and the preserving of them pure and entire to our day.

We thank you that we have the Scriptures to study, and that in them we have eternal life, for it is they that testify about Christ, (252) and that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. (253)

That everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope; (254) and that we have this most certain word of the prophets, as a light shining in a dark place. (255)

That the vision has not become to us words sealed in a scroll, (256) but that we hear the wonders of God in our own tongue. (257)

We thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that the things which were hidden from the wise and learned, and which many prophets and kings desired to see, but did not, are revealed to us little children: Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. (258)

Thank God for the Ministry and Other Ordinances

(19) For the institution of ordinances, and particularly that of the ministry.

We thank you that you have not only revealed your word to Jacob, but your laws and decrees to Israel, to us: You have done this for no other nation; they do not know your laws. (259)

That the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them; (260) and that he has put his sanctuary among them forever (261) and there will meet with the children of Israel. (262)

We thank you that you have made known to us your holy Sabbath, (263) and that there still remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. (264)

And that when the Lord Jesus ascended on high, he gave gifts to men, not only prophets, apostles, and evangelists, but pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ; (265) and that while they teach us to obey everything Christ has commanded, he has promised to be with them always, to the very end of the age. (266)

Thank God for Planting His Church in the World

(20) For the planting of the Christian religion in the world and the setting up of the gospel-church, in despite of all the opposition of the powers of darkness.

We thank you that the preaching of Jesus Christ, by the command of the eternal God, and the gospel which was made known so that all nations might believe and obey him, (267) has divine power to demolish strongholds: (268) That the Lord worked with it and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it, (269) so that Satan fell like lightning from heaven. (270)

That though the gospel was met with strong opposition, (271) yet it spread widely and grew in power, (272) and multitudes turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven. (273)

Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: (274) And the exalted Redeemer rode out with his bow and with his crown, as a conqueror bent on conquest, (275) and nations were brought forth in a moment. (276)

Thank God for the Preservation of Christianity in the World to this Day

(21) For the preservation of Christianity in the world unto this day.

We bless you that though the enemies of Israel have greatly oppressed them from their youth up, have greatly oppressed them, yet they have not gained the victory over them; though plowmen have plowed their back, yet the righteous LORD has cut them free from the cords of the wicked. (277)

That Jesus Christ has built his church on a rock, which the gates of Hades cannot overcome; (278) but his line will be established forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. (279)

Thank God for the Martyrs and Confessors who have Gone Before You

(22) For the martyrs and confessors, the lights of the church, and the good examples of those who have gone before us to heaven.

We bless you for all those who have been enabled to commend themselves as servants of God in great endurance, in troubles, in distresses, (280) who when they have been brought before kings and governors on account of Christ’s name, it has resulted in their being witnesses, and you have given them words and wisdom that none of their adversaries were able to resist or contradict. (281)

That those who for Christ’s sake faced death all day long and were considered as sheep to be slaughtered, were in all these things more than conquerors, through him who loved them. (282)

That they overcame the accuser of the brothers by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by not loving their lives so much as to shrink from death. (283)

We bless you for the cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded, (284) for the tracks of the sheep, (285) for the ancients who were commended (286) and are now, through faith and patience, inheriting what has been promised. (287) Lord, give us to follow their example, as they followed the example of Christ. (288)

Thank God for the Communion of Saints

(23) For the communion of saints, that spiritual communion which we have in faith and hope and holy love, and in prayers and praises with all good Christians.

We bless you that if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, (289) even with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours. (290)

That because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, (291) and that though there are different kinds of gifts and services and workings, yet there is the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God, who works in all men. (292)

We thank you that all the scattered children of God (293) are united in him who is the head of the body, the church; (294) so they are all our brothers and companions in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. (295)

Thank God for the Hope of Eternal Life and

for the Work of the Spirit within you

(24) For the prospect and hope of eternal life, when time shall be no more.

We thank you for the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him; (296) the inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade—kept in heaven for us. (297)

That having here no enduring city, (298) we are encouraged to seek the better country—the heavenly one, the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (299)

That we are resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, has promised, (300) and that all true believers, by grace, (301) have eternal life in them. (302)

(b.) Secondly, We must give God thanks for the spiritual mercies bestowed upon us in particular, especially if we are called with an effectual call and have a good work of grace begun in us.

(1) We must bless God for the striving of his Spirit with us, and the admonitions and checks of our own consciences.

We bless you that you have not given us over to a depraved mind; (303) that our consciences are not seared; (304) that you have not said concerning us, “They are joined to idols, leave them alone;” (305) instead, your Spirit is still contending with us. (306)

We thank you for the requirements of the law written on our hearts, our own consciences also bearing witness, and our own thoughts now accusing, now even defending us. (307)

Thank God for Every Spirit-Wrought Inward Change

(2) We must bless God if there be a saving change wrought in us by his blessed Spirit.

And has God by his grace brought us out of the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Son he loves? (308) Has he called us into fellowship with Jesus Christ, (309) and brought us, who by nature were far away, near through his blood? (310) Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory. (311)

We always thank God for those to whom the gospel has come, not simply with words, but with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. (312)

You have loved us with an everlasting love; you have drawn us with loving-kindness, (313) led us with cords of human kindness and with ties of love. (314)

When the strong man, fully armed, guarded his house in our hearts, and his possessions were safe, one stronger than he attacked him and took away the armor in which he trusted and divided up the spoils. (315)

Thank God for the Remission of Sins and Peace of Conscience

(3) We must give thanks for the remission of our sins and the peace of our consciences.

We bless you for the redemption we have through Christ’s blood, even the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of your grace that you have lavished on us. (316)

That you have forgiven all our sins and healed all our diseases; (317) and in your love, have kept us from the pit of destruction: for you have put all our sins behind your back. (318)

When you led us into the desert, yet there you spoke tenderly to us, and gave us back our vineyards, and made the Valley of Achor a door of hope. (319)

Thank God for the Powerful Influences of Divine Grace

(4) For the powerful influences of the divine grace to sanctify and preserve us, to prevent our falling into sin, and to strengthen us in doing our duty.

You have not snuffed out the smoldering wick, nor broken the bruised reed, (320) nor despised the day of small things, (321) but having had God’s help to this very day, we remain standing. (322)

In the day when we called, you answered us; you have made us bold and stouthearted. (323)

We have always been with you; you have held us by the right hand when our feet had almost slipped, and we had nearly lost our foothold. (324)

We have reason never to forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved our lives, and if your law had not been our delight, we would have many a time perished in our affliction; (325) for your decrees are the theme of our song wherever we lodge. (326)

Unless the Lord had given us help, we would soon have dwelt in the silence of death: But when we said, “Our feet are slipping,” your love, O LORD, supported us; and when anxiety was great within us, your consolation brought joy to our souls. (327)

Thank God for Sweet Communion with Him in Holy Ordinances

(5) For sweet communion with God in holy ordinances, and the communications of his favor.

We have feasted on the abundance of your house; you have given us drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (328)

You have brought us to your holy mountain and given us joy in your house of prayer, (329) and we have found it good to be near God. (330)

We have reason to say that one day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, and that we would rather be doorkeepers in the house of our God than dwell in the tents of the wicked; for the LORD God is a sun and shield, he bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless: O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. (331)

We have delighted to sit in your shade, and your fruit has been sweet to our taste; you have taken us to the banquet hall, and your banner over us has been love. (332)

Thank God for Gracious Answers to your Prayers

(6) For gracious answers to our prayers.

We have reason to love you, O LORD, because you have heard our cries for mercy; and because you have turned your ear to us, we will call on you as long as we live. (333)

Out of the depths we have cried to you, O LORD, (334) and you have heard our vows and given us the heritage of those who fear your name. (335)

Indeed, before we have called, you have answered; while we were still speaking, you have heard, (336) and have said: Here am I, (337) and have been near us whenever we pray to you. (338)

You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry. (339)

Praise be to God, who has not rejected our prayer or withheld his love from us; (340) for we have prayed and have gone away, and our faces have no longer been sad. (341)

Thank God for Support Under your Afflictions

(7) For support under our afflictions, and spiritual benefit and advantage by them.

You have comforted us in all our troubles, (342) have seen our affliction and known the anguish of our souls; you have shown your wonderful love to us when we were in a besieged city. (343)

When afflictions have flowed into our lives, comforts have much more overflowed. (344)

Though no affliction seems pleasant at the time, but painful; later on, however, it has produced a harvest of righteousness and peace, and has proved to be for our good, that we may share in your holiness. (345)

We have had reason to say that it was good for us to be afflicted so that we might learn your commands; for before we were afflicted we went astray, but afterwards we obeyed your word. (346)

It has been but for a little while that we may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials; and we beg that all the trials of our faith may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though we have not seen him, we love him; and even though we do not see him now, we believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, and are longing to receive the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls. (347)

Thank God for the Performance of His Promises

(8) For the performance of God’s promises.

Do good to your servants according to your word, O LORD; (348) you remember your covenant forever, the word you commanded, for a thousand generations. (349)

Not one word has failed of all the good promises that you have promised to your servant David and your people Israel. (350)

And now, how can we repay the LORD for all his goodness to us? Let our souls be at rest once more and repose in him as their rest, for he has been good to us: We will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD; (351) for the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (352)

We will extol the LORD at all times; yes, his praise will always be on our lips; (353) we will sing to the LORD as long as we live; (354) and we hope to be shortly with those blessed ones who dwell in his house above and are still praising him, who day and night never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” (355)

1 Psalm 29:2.

2 Psalm 75:1.

3 Psalm 103:1-2.

4 Psalm 92:1.

5 Psalm 33:1.

6 Psalm 92:1-2.

7 Psalm 145:1-2, 7.

8 Psalm 149:1-2, 5-6.

9 Psalm 146:2.

10 Hebrews 13:15.

11 Psalm 50:23.

12 Psalm 69:31.

13 Isaiah 63:7.

14 Psalm 136:2-3.

15 Exodus 33:19.

16 Psalm 145:10.

17 Psalm 145:8.

18 Lamentations 3:33, 32.

19 Psalm 147:11.

20 Psalm 104:2.

21 Psalm 19:4-5.

22 Matthew 5:45.

23 Psalm 8:3-4.

24 Ecclesiastes 11:7.

25 James 1:17.

26 Job 38:12.

27 Acts 14:17.

28 Psalm 147:8-9.

29 Job 38:26-27.

30 Psalm 65:9-11.

31 Psalm 104:10-12.

32 Psalm 104:5, 9.

33 Job 38:10-11.

34 Isaiah 54:9.

35 Jeremiah 33:20.

36 Jeremiah 31:35.

37 Genesis 8:22.

38 Psalm 115:16.

39 Psalm 8:6.

40 Genesis 9:2.

41 Proverbs 8:31.

42 Psalm 104:14-15.

43 Acts 17:25.

44 Psalm 119:64.

45 Psalm 104:27-28, 30-31.

46 Ecclesiastes 1:4.

47 Deuteronomy 29:20.

48 Psalm 139:14.

49 1 Corinthians 2:11.

50 Psalm 8:5.

51 Job 32:8.

52 Proverbs 20:27 (v. margin).

53 1 Corinthians 6:19, 3:16.

54 1 Corinthians 6:20 (v. KJV).

55 Isaiah 43:21.

56 Job 3:11-12.

57 Isaiah 48:8.

58 Isaiah 46:3.

59 Psalm 66:9.

60 Psalm 35:10.

61 Psalm 34:20.

62 Psalm 3:5.

63 Psalm 91:11-12.

64 Hebrews 1:14.

65 1 Samuel 20:3.

66 2 Corinthians 1:9.

67 Isaiah 38:10, 17.

68 Psalm 116:3-6, 8-9.

69 Psalm 68:19.

70 Psalm 23:2, 5.

71 Luke 22:35.

72 Job 29:3-4.

73 1 Timothy 6:17.

74 Job 12:6 (v. KJV).

75 Nehemiah 9:25.

76 Deuteronomy 8:2.

77 1 Samuel 7:12.

78 Psalm 18:32.

79 Job 1:10.

80 Job 8:7.

81 Job 21:9.

82 Psalm 118:15.

83 Genesis 32:10.

84 Psalm 68:6.

85 Ecclesiastes 9:9.

86 Proverbs 5:19.

87 Deuteronomy 8:10.

88 Deuteronomy 11:12.

89 Psalm 147:14.

90 Judges 5:11 (v. margin).

91 Romans 13:4.

92 Esth 10:3.

93 Ephesians 1:3.

94 Titus 3:4-5.

95 Hosea 13:9.

96 Ezekiel 16:5-6, 8 (v. KJV).

97 Psalm 49:7-8.

98 Job 33:24.

99 2 Samuel 14:14.

100 2 Peter 2:4.

101 Isaiah 65:8.

102 1 Corinthians 2:7.

103 2 Thessalonians 2:13.

104 Romans 11:5.

105 Ephesians 1:4-6.

106 John 17:6.

107 John 6:39.

108 Hebrews 10:5-7.

109 Psalm 40:7-8.

110 Psalm 89:19-20.

111 Psalm 45:7.

112 Psalm 89:21, 27.

113 John 5:22, 26-27.

114 John 3:35.

115 Zechariah 6:13 (v. KJV).

116 Isaiah 42:1.

117 Matthew 17:5.

118 Isaiah 49:8.

119 Romans 6:14.

120 John 3:16.

121 Genesis 3:15.

122 Revelation 13:8.

123 Hebrews 11:39, 2, 4.

124 Genesis 12:3.

125 Genesis 49:10 (v. margin).

126 John 8:56.

127 Psalm 80:8-9.

128 Psalm 44:3.

129 Romans 3:2.

130 Romans 9:4.

131 1 Kings 8:56.

132 Hebrews 1:1.

133 2 Peter 1:21.

134 1 Peter 1:10-12.

135 Hebrews 11:40.

136 Galatians 4:4-5.

137 John 1:14.

138 1 Timothy 3:16 (v. margin).

139 John 18:37.

140 John 6:69.

141 Luke 19:10.

142 John 10:10.

143 1 John 3:8.

144 1 Timothy 1:15.

145 Hebrews 2:14, 16-17, 11.

146 Hebrews 1:6.

147 2 Corinthians 5:19.

148 Isaiah 55:4.

149 v. John 10:36; 6:27.

150 John 8:29.

151 Luke 2:14.

152 1 John 4:9.

153 John 17:2.

154 John 3:2.

155 Hebrews 1:2.

156 John 7:16.

157 Matthew 7:29.

158 Matthew 11:29.

159 1 Peter 2:21-23.

160 John 4:34.

161 Hebrews 7:26.

162 1 Peter 4:1.

163 1 John 4:17.

164 1 John 2:6.

165 John 5:36.

166 Matthew 11:5.

167 Matthew 8:27.

168 Matthew 15:31.

169 Matthew 27:54.

170 Matthew 9:13, 6.

171 Matthew 1:21.

172 John 1:29.

173 Matthew 11:19.

174 Matthew 11:28.

175 John 6:37.

176 John 7:37.

177 Romans 5:8, 10.

178 1 John 4:10.

179 1 John 2:2.

180 Hebrews 2:9, 14.

181 Hebrews 10:14.

182 Daniel 9:24.

183 Galatians 3:13.

184 Romans 8:3.

185 Isaiah 53:5-6, 10.

186 Hebrews 9:26, 14, 12.

187 Colossians 2:14-15.

188 Ephesians 2:14-16.

189 Revelation 1:5-6.

190 Ephesians 3:18-19.

191 Ephesians 2:4.

192 Revelation 5:12, 9.

193 Romans 4:25.

194 Romans 1:4.

195 Revelation 1:18.

196 Romans 6:9.

197 1 Corinthians 15:20, 22-23.

198 Acts 2:27, 24, 36.

199 Romans 14:9.

200 1 Thessalonians 5:10.

201 John 20:17.

202 Psalm 68:18.

203 Hebrews 6:20.

204 Hebrews 9:24.

205 Revelation 5:6.

206 Hebrews 8:1.

207 1 Peter 3:22.

208 John 14:2-3.

209 John 13:36.

210 John 14:3.

211 Isaiah 53:12.

212 John 17:20-21.

213 1 John 2:1.

214 Hebrews 7:25.

215 Hebrews 5:1-2, 9.

216 Philippians 2:8-11.

217 Matthew 28:18.

218 Hebrews 2:7-9 (v. KJV).

219 Revelation 19:16.

220 Daniel 7:13-14.

221 Isaiah 9:6-7.

222 Psalm 2:6.

223 Luke 1:33.

224 1 Corinthians 15:24-25.

225 Hebrews 10:13.

226 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28.

227 Acts 17:31.

228 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8.

229 2 Thessalonians 1:10.

230 1 Thessalonians 4:14.

231 Matthew 13:41.

232 Matthew 24:31.

233 Matthew 13:43.

234 2 Peter 3:13-14.

235 Revelation 22:20.

236 John 14:16-17.

237 John 16:14.

238 Acts 2:33.

239 John 7:38.

240 Hebrews 2:4, 3.

241 Luke 11:13.

242 Ephesians 1:13-14.

243 Isaiah 55:3.

244 Isaiah 54:10.

245 2 Peter 1:4.

246 Hebrews 8:6.

247 Psalm 89:32-34.

248 Hebrews 6:17-18.

249 Romans 4:11.

250 Acts 2:38-39.

251 Matthew 26:28 (v. margin).

252 John 5:39.

253 2 Timothy 3:16.

254 Romans 15:4.

255 2 Peter 1:19.

256 Isaiah 29:11.

257 Acts 2:11.

258 v. Luke 10:21; 1 Peter 1:10.

259 Psalm 147:19-20.

260 Revelation 21:3.

261 Ezekiel 37:26.

262 Exodus 29:43 (v. KJV).

263 Nehemiah 9:14.

264 Hebrews 4:9.

265 Ephesians 4:8, 11-13.

266 Matthew 28:20.

267 Romans 16:25-26.

268 2 Corinthians 10:4.

269 Mark 16:20.

270 Luke 10:18.

271 1 Thessalonians 2:2.

272 Acts 19:20.

273 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10.

274 Revelation 12:10.

275 Revelation 6:2.

276 Isaiah 66:8.

277 Psalm 129:1-4.

278 Matthew 16:18.

279 Psalm 89:29.

280 2 Corinthians 6:4.

281 Luke 21:12-13, 15.

282 Romans 8:36-37.

283 Revelation 12:10-11.

284 Hebrews 12:1.

285 Song 1:8.

286 Hebrews 11:2.

287 Hebrews 6:12.

288 1 Corinthians 11:1.

289 1 John 1:7.

290 1 Corinthians 1:2.

291 1 Corinthians 10:17.

292 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.

293 John 11:52.

294 Colossians 1:18.

295 Revelation 1:9.

296 James 1:12.

297 1 Peter 1:4.

298 Hebrews 13:14.

299 Hebrews 11:16, 10.

300 Titus 1:2.

301 Acts 18:27.

302 1 John 3:15.

303 Romans 1:28.

304 1 Timothy 4:2.

305 Hosea 4:17.

306 Genesis 6:3.

307 Romans 2:15.

308 Colossians 1:13.

309 1 Corinthians 1:9.

310 Ephesians 2:13.

311 Psalm 115:1.

312 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 5.

313 Jeremiah 31:3.

314 Hosea 11:4.

315 Luke 11:21-22.

316 Ephesians 1:7-8.

317 Psalm 103:3.

318 Isaiah 38:17.

319 Hosea 2:14-15.

320 Matthew 12:20.

321 Zechariah 4:10.

322 Acts 26:22.

323 Psalm 138:3.

324 Psalm 73:23, 2.

325 Psalm 119:92-93.

326 Psalm 119:54.

327 Psalm 94:17-19.

328 Psalm 36:8-9.

329 Isaiah 56:7.

330 Psalm 73:28.

331 Psalm 84:10-12.

332 Song 2:3-4.

333 v. Pss 130:2; 116:1-2.

334 Psalm 130:1.

335 Psalm 61:5.

336 Isaiah 65:24.

337 Isaiah 58:9.

338 Deuteronomy 4:7.

339 Psalm 10:17.

340 Psalm 66:20.

341 1 Samuel 1:18.

342 2 Corinthians 1:4.

343 Psalm 31:7, 21.

344 2 Corinthians 1:5.

345 Hebrews 12:10-11.

346 Psalm 119:71, 67.

347 1 Peter 1:6-9.

348 Psalm 119:65.

349 Psalm 105:8.

350 1 Kings 8:56, 66.

351 Psalm 116:12, 7, 13.

352 Psalm 100:5.

353 Psalm 34:1.

354 Psalm 104:33.

355 Revelation 4:8.

****

CHAPTER 5

OF THE FIFTH PART OF PRAYER, WHICH IS INTERCESSION,

OR ADDRESS AND SUPPLICATION TO GOD FOR OTHERS

Introduction and Exhortation to Pray for the Whole Lost World of Mankind

The Lord Jesus has taught us to pray, not only with but for others; and the apostle has appointed us to pray for all the saints, (1) and many of his prayers in his epistles are for his friends. And we must not think

that when we are in this part of prayer, we may let fall our fervency and be more indifferent because we ourselves are not immediately concerned in it, but rather let a holy fire of love, both to God and man here, make our devotions yet more warm and lively.

1. We must pray for the whole world of mankind, the lost world; and thus, we must show proper respect to everyone, (2) and according to our capacity, do good to all people. (3)

We pray, as we are taught, for all men, believing that this is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth and of Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. (4)

O look with compassion upon the world that is under the control of the evil one, (5) and let the prince of this world be driven out, (6) who has blinded their minds. (7)

O let your ways be known on earth, (8) that barbarous nations may be civilized, and those who live without God in the world may be brought to the service of the living God; (9) and thus, let your salvation be known among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; yes, may all the peoples praise you: May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. (10)

O let your salvation and your righteousness be revealed to the nations, and let all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God. (11)

O make the nations your Son’s inheritance, and the ends of the earth his possession; (12) for you have said, “It is too small a thing for him to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept”; but you will also make him a light for the Gentiles. (13)

Let the kingdom of the world become the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ. (14)

Pray for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Lands

2. For the propagating of the gospel in foreign parts and the enlargement of the church, by the bringing in of many to it.

O let the good news be preached to all creation, (15) for how can men believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? (16) And who can send out workers but the Lord of the harvest? (17)

Let the people living in darkness see a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, let light dawn. (18)

Add to your church daily those who are being saved; (19) enlarge the place of its tent, lengthen its cords, and strengthen its stakes. (20)

Bring your children from the east and gather them from the west; say to the north, “Give them up!” And to the south, “Do not hold them back.” Bring your sons from afar and your daughters from the ends of the earth. (21) Let them be accepted as offerings on your altar, and adorn your glorious temple; let them fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests. (22)

In every place let incense and pure offerings be brought to your name; and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let your name be great among the nations, (23) and let the Gentiles become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (24)

O let the earth be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (25)

Pray for Jewish Conversions, Churches Threatened by Islam,

and Churches on the Mission Field

3. For the conversion of the Jews.

Let the branches which have been broken off not persist in unbelief, but be grafted in again into their own olive tree! And though Israel has experienced a hardening in part, yet let the full number of the Gentiles come in, and let all Israel be saved. (26)

Let them be made to look on the One they have pierced; (27) and that they turn to the Lord, let the veil which is upon their hearts be taken away. (28)

4. For all churches that are groaning under the yoke of Islamic tyranny.

Let the churches of Asia, that were golden lampstands, (29) which the Lord Jesus delighted to walk among, be made so again. (30)

Restore to them their liberties as in days of old and their privileges as at the beginning; thoroughly purge away their dross, and remove all their impurities, (31) and restore their fortunes, like streams in the Negev. (32)

5. For the churches on the mission field.

Be the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; (33) and let your people have the blessing which came on the head of Joseph and on the brow of the one separated from his brothers, even to the bounty of the age-old hills. (34)

Create peace to those far and near. (35)

And let those who feast on the abundance of the seas and on treasures hidden in the sand, summon peoples to the mountain, that they may offer sacrifices of righteousness. (36)

Pray for the Universal Church

6. For the universal church, wherever dispersed, and for all the interests of it.

Our heart’s desire and prayer to God for the gospel-Israel is that it may be saved. (37)

In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. (38) May there be peace within her walls and security within her citadels. For the sake of our brothers and friends, we will say, “Peace be within her.” (39)

O that we may see the prosperity of the gospel-Jerusalem all the days of our life and peace upon Israel. (40) And that, thus, we may have reason to answer the envoys of the nations, saying, “The LORD has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge. (41)

Save your people, O Lord, and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever. (42) Give strength to your people, and bless your people with peace; (43) surround them with your favor as with a shield. (44)

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love; (45) for you know those who are yours, and give to all who confess the name of the Lord to turn away from wickedness. (46)

We pray for all who believe in Christ, that all of them may be one; (47) and since there is one body and one Spirit and we have been called to one hope – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, (48) give to all Christians singleness of heart and action. (49)

Let the message of the Lord in all places spread rapidly and be honored. (50)

Pray for the Conversion of Non-Christians who are Hostile to Christianity

7. For the conviction and conversion of atheists, deists, and infidels, and of all who are out of the way of truth, and of profane scoffers, and those who disgrace Christianity by their vicious and immoral lives.

O teach transgressors your ways, and let sinners turn back to you. (51)

O grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, (52) the truth as it is in Jesus, (53) the truth that leads to godliness, (54) that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil. (55)

Let those who are as sheep going astray return to Jesus Christ, the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. (56)

Show those fools their folly and misery who have said in their hearts, “There is no God,” and who are corrupt and whose deeds are vile. (57)

Lord, maintain the honor of the Scriptures, the law and the testimony, and convince those who do not speak according to that word, that it is because they have no light of dawn. (58) You have exalted above all things your name and your word; (59) magnify the law, magnify the gospel, and make both glorious. (60)

Let those who will not be won by the word, be won over by the behavior of Christians, (61) which we beg may be such in everything that they who do not believe may be convinced by all and judged by all, may be brought to worship God, exclaiming that God is really among them. (62)

Pray for the Health, Purity, and Holiness of the Church

8. For the amending of everything that is amiss in the church, the reviving of primitive Christianity and the power of godliness, and, to that end, the pouring out of the Spirit.

Lord, let your Spirit be poured out upon your churches from on high, and then the desert shall become a fertile field, (63) then judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. (64)

Let what is unfinished be straightened out, (65) and let every plant that our heavenly Father has not planted be pulled up by the roots. (66)

Let the Lord whom we seek come to his temple like a refiner’s fire and a launderer’s soap, and let him purify the Levites and all the offspring of Israel, and refine them like gold and silver, that they may bring to the Lord offerings in righteousness, acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years. (67)

Let religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless flourish and prevail everywhere; (68) that kingdom of God among men, which is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (69) O renew your deeds in our day, in our time make them known; (70) and let these times be times of reformation. (71)

Pray for the Defeat of the Enemies of the Church

9. For the breaking of the power of all the enemies of the church and the defeating of all their designs against her.

Let all who take their stand and gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One, who would break their chains and throw off their fetters, plot in vain. Let the One enthroned in heaven laugh at them and scoff at them; rebuke them in your anger, and terrify them in your wrath. (72) Give them, O LORD, what you will give them; give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry. (73)

Make them like tumbleweed, O our God, like chaff before the wind; cover their faces with shame, so that men will seek your name, O LORD. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD – that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. (74)

Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men, (75) and wherein the arrogant enemies treat your church arrogantly, make it to appear that you are above them. (76)

May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame, and be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow. (77)

Let no weapon forged against your church prevail, and let every tongue that accuses it be refuted. (78)

Make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations, and let all who try to move it injure themselves, though all the nations of the earth should be gathered against her. (79) So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength. (80)

Lord, let the man of lawlessness be overthrown with the breath of your mouth and destroyed by the splendor of your coming: And let those be undeceived who have been long under powerful delusions to believe the lie, and let them love the truth. (81)

Let Babylon fall and sink like a millstone into the sea, (82) and let the kings of the earth who have given their power and honor to the beast, (83) be wrought upon at length to bring it into the new Jerusalem. (84)

Pray for the Relief of Suffering Churches and Persecuted Christians

10. For the relief of suffering churches and the support, comfort, and deliverance of all who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

We desire in our prayers to remember those in prison for the testimony of Jesus as if we were their fellow prisoners, and those who are being mistreated as if we ourselves were suffering. (85) O reach down from on high and rescue them from their foes, and bring them out into a spacious place. (86)

O let not the scepter of the wicked remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. (87)

Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old, and make a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed of the LORD might cross over. (88)

Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, now arise, O LORD, and protect them from those who malign them. (89)

O strengthen the patient endurance and faithfulness of your suffering saints, (90) that they may wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (91)

O let the year of your redemption come, (92) and the year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause. (93)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (94)

Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name. (95)

Lord, arise and have compassion on Zion, and let the time to show favor to her, yes, the appointed time, come; yes, let the Lord rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. Lord, respond to the prayer of the destitute and do not despise their plea. (96)

Sovereign LORD, we beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small! (97) For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. (98)

May the groans of the prisoners come before you; by the strength of your arm preserve those who for your name’s sake are condemned to die. (99)

Let those whose teachers are hidden, again see their teachers, though they have the bread of adversity and the water of affliction. (100)

Pray for the Nations of the World and for your Own Nation

11. For the nations around us and all the countries of the world.

You, LORD, rule over the nations: (101) Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? (102) You sit on your throne, judging righteously; judge the world therefore in righteousness, and govern the peoples with justice. (103)

Lord, hasten the time when you will make wars cease to the ends of the earth; (104) when nation will not take up sword against nation, nor kingdom against kingdom, but swords will be beaten into ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks, and they will not train for war anymore. (105)

Make kings foster fathers, and their queens nursing mothers, to the Israel of God. (106)

And in the time of these kings, let the God of heaven set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, even the kingdom of the Redeemer. (107) And whatever purposes there are in men’s hearts, Lord, let your purposes prevail, (108) and fulfill the purposes of your heart through all generations. (109)

12. For our own land and nation, which we ought in a special manner to seek the welfare of, that in its peace, we may have peace.

(A.) We must be thankful to God for his mercies to our land.

We bless you that you have planted us on a fertile hillside (110) and have not given us the wasteland as our home or the salt flats as our habitat, (111) but the land we inhabit yields its harvest. (112)

Lord, you have shown favor to our land. (113) We have heard with our ears, and our fathers in the faith have told us, what work you did for us in their days, and in days long ago, (114) and as we have heard, so have we seen; for within you temple, O God, we have meditated on your unfailing love. (115)

You have given us a desirable land, (116) it is Immanuel’s land, (117) it is a valley of vision; (118) you have put your sanctuary among us, and your dwelling place is with us. (119)

We live in safety under our own vine and fig tree, (120) and there is peace to him who goes out and to him who comes in. (121)

And because the LORD loved our people, therefore he has set a good government over us, to maintain justice and righteousness; (122) to be a terror to evildoers and a protection and praise to those who do well. (123)

(B.) We must be humbled before God for our national sins and provocations.

But we are a sinful people, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers; (124) and a great deal of reason we have to grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done among us. (125)

Wickedness increases among us, and the love of many has grown cold. (126)

We have not been forsaken nor forgotten by our God, though our land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel. (127)

Pray Earnestly for National Mercies and

the Blessing of the Gospel Ministry in your Nation

(C.) We must pray earnestly for national mercies.

(1.) For the favors of God to us and the tokens of his presence among us, as that in which the happiness of our nation is bound up.

O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, do not be like a stranger in the land or like a traveler who stays only a night; but be always in the midst of us: We bear your name, do not forsake us! Although our sins testify against us, yet do something for the sake of your name; though our backsliding is great, and we have sinned against you. (128)

Restore us to yourself, O Lord God of hosts, and then make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. O awaken your might; come and save us. (129)

Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation; yes, let that salvation be near those who fear you, that your glory may dwell in our land. Let love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other: Let faithfulness spring forth from the earth and righteousness look down from heaven. Indeed, let the LORD give what is good: Let righteousness go before him and prepare the way for his steps. (130)

(2.) For the continuance of the gospel among us and the means of grace and a national profession of Christ’s holy religion.

O let the throne of Christ endure forever among us, (131) even the place of your sanctuary, that glorious throne exalted from the beginning. (132)

Let our lampstand never be removed from its place, though that is what we deserve, because we have forsaken our first love. (133) Never do to us as you did to your place in Shiloh, where you first made a dwelling for your name. (134)

Let us never know what a famine of the word means; nor ever be made to stagger from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth, searching for the word of God. (135)

Let wisdom and knowledge be the sure foundation of our times and a rich store of salvation, and let the fear of the LORD be our treasure: (136) Let the righteous flourish among us, and let there be those who will fear you in our land, as long as the sun and the moon endure, through all generations, that prosperity may abound, (137) and the children not yet created may praise the Lord. (138)

Pray for the Continuance of your Nation's Outward Peace and Tranquility

(3.) For the continuance of our outward peace and tranquility, our liberty and plenty, for the prosperity of our trade and a blessing upon the fruits of the earth.

Let God himself be a wall of fire around us and the glory within us, (139) yes, let his gospel be our glory, and over that glory let there be a canopy; and create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing of flaming fire by night. (140)

May there be peace within our walls and security within our citadels, (141) the prosperity both of merchandise and husbandry, that Zebulun may rejoice in his going out and Issachar in his tents. (142)

Make salvation for us our walls and ramparts, and to that end, let the gates be opened that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. (143)

Make peace our governor and righteousness our ruler; let violence never be heard in our land, nor ruin or destruction within our borders, but let us call our walls Salvation and our gates Praise: (144) Never let our land be called Deserted and Desolate, but let the Lord take delight in us, and let our land be married to him. (145)

Let our peace be like a river and, to that end, our righteousness like the waves of the sea. (146) Let that righteousness abound among us which exalts a nation, and deliver us from sin, which is a disgrace to any people. (147)

Never make our skies like bronze and our ground like iron, (148) nor take away your grain when it ripens and your new wine when it is ready, (149) but give us rain moderately, both autumn and spring rains in season, and assure us of the regular weeks of harvest, (150) giving us fair weather also in its season. Let our land yield its increase and the trees their fruit, that we may eat all the food we want and live in safety in our land. (151)

Bless us with abundant provisions, and satisfy our poor with food, (152) that those who harvest it may eat it and praise the LORD. (153) Do not blow it away, for then when we expect much, it will turn out to be little, (154) but bless our blessings, that all the nations may call us blessed and a delightful land. (155)

Pray for the Moral Decency and Civility of your Nation

(4.) For the success of all endeavors for the reformation of manners, the suppression of vice and profaneness, and the support of religion and virtue, and the bringing of them into reputation.

O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. (156) Spirit many to rise up for you against the wicked and to take a stand for you against evildoers. (157)

Let the Redeemer come to Zion and turn godlessness away from Jacob; (158) and let the filth of Jerusalem be cleansed from its midst by the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of fire. (159)

Let all iniquity stop her mouth, (160) and let the infection of that plague be checked by intervening judgment. (161)

Let those who are striving against sin never grow weary or lose heart. (162)

Remove the spirit of impurity from the land, (163) and purify the lips of the people, that they may call on the name of the LORD. (164)

Set us in praise, fame, and honor high above all the nations by making us a holy people to the LORD our God. (165)

Pray for the Healing of your Nation's Unhappy Divisions and

Success Against your Nation's Enemies

(5.) For the healing of our unhappy divisions and the making up of our breaches.

For the divisions that are among us, there are great searchings of heart; (166) for there are three against two and two against three in a family. (167) But is our wound as wide as the sea, which cannot be healed? (168) Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of our people? (169) Lord, mend the fractures of our land, for it is quaking. (170)

We beg in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that there may be no divisions among us, but that we may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (171)

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give us a spirit of unity among ourselves as we follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (172) and promote the salvation we share. (173)

Lord, keep us from judging one another and looking down on one another, and enable us to make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification; (174) that living in love and peace, the God of love and peace may be with us. (175)

Let nothing be done out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but everything in humility, (176) and grant that our gentleness may be evident to all, because the Lord is near. (177)

(6.) For victory and success against our enemies abroad who seek our ruin.

Rise, O LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you; but return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of your Israel. (178)

Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. Through God let our forces gain the victory; indeed, let God himself trample down our enemies, (179) and give them as dust to our sword and as windblown chaff to our bow. (180)

Let us be a people saved by the LORD, our shield and helper and our glorious sword; (181) and make our enemies sensible that the Lord fights for us against them. (182)

Those who risk their lives for us on the heights of the field, (183) train their hands for war and their fingers for battle; (184) give them the shield of your victory, and let your right hand sustain them, (185) and shield their heads in the day of battle. (186)

Pray for your Head of State

(7.) For all orders and degrees of men among us and all we stand in any relation to.

(a.) For our Head of State, that God will protect his person, preserve his health, and continue his life and government long a public blessing.

Endow our ruler with your justice, O God, and your righteousness, that he may defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor. (187)

Let his rule be established through righteousness (188) and made secure through love. (189) Give him long life and length of days, forever and ever, and through the victories you give, may his glory be great. Make him glad with the joy of your presence: through the unfailing love of the Most High let him not be shaken. (190)

Clothe his enemies with shame, but let him be resplendent, (191) and continue him long, very long, a foster father to your Israel. (192)

Pray for the Safe and Righteous Continuation of your Civil Government

(b.) For the safe and righteous continuation of our civil government, that a blessing may attend it, that peace and truth may be established in our days and secured to posterity, and that the hopes of our adversaries and all their aiders and abettors may be extinguished.

Lord, preserve to us the lamp which you have set up for your Anointed One, (193) so the next generation would know you, even the children yet to be born, that they would put their trust in God and keep his commands. (194)

Let the gospel-believing church abide before God forever: O appoint love and faithfulness to protect it, then will we ever sing praise to your name. (195) Thus, let the Lord save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah, and the children of your servants will inherit it, and those who love your name will dwell there. (196)

Let the design of those who would choose a leader to go back to Egypt, (197) be again defeated, and let not the fatal wound that has been given to the beast be healed anymore. (198)

Let our eyes see Jerusalem, the city of our festivals, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved: Let none of its stakes be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. Let the LORD be our Mighty One and be to us like a place of broad rivers and streams; for the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us. (199)

Pray for all who are Employed in the Conduct of Public Affairs

(c.) For the advisers, cabinet members, members of Congress or Parliament, the ambassadors and envoys abroad, and all who are employed in the conduct of public affairs.

Counsel our counselors, and teach our elders wisdom: (200) O give them a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD, to enable them to delight in the fear of the LORD. (201)

O do not silence the lips of trusted advisers nor take away the discernment of elders, (202) nor ever let what would bring the nation peace be hidden from the eyes of those who are instructed with the nation’s counsels. (203)

Make it to appear that you preside in the great assembly and judge among the “gods,” (204) and that when the nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, the God of Abraham himself is among them; and let the kings of the earth belong to the Lord, that he may be greatly exalted. (205)

Let those who are of us build the ancient ruins and raise up the age-old foundations; that they may be called Repairers of the Broken Walls and Restorers of Streets with Dwellings. (206)

Pray for your Judges and Judicial Rulers

(d.) For the magistrates, the judges, and justices of peace in the several counties and corporations.

Make those who rule over us righteous, ruling in the fear of God; (207) and let those who judge remember that they are not judging for man but for the LORD, who is with them whenever they give a verdict, that therefore the fear of the LORD may be upon them. (208)

Make them capable men – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, (209) so that justice may roll on like a river and righteousness like a never-failing stream! (210)

Enable our magistrates to defend the cause of the weak and fatherless, to maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed, to rescue the weak and needy, and to deliver them from the hand of the wicked; (211) and let rulers never be a terror to good works, but to the evil. (212)

Pray for the Ministers of God's Holy Word and Sacraments

(e.) For all the ministers of God’s holy word and sacraments, the masters of assemblies.

Teach your ministers how they ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, (213) that they may not preach themselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, (214) and may do their best to present themselves to God as approved, workmen who do not need to be ashamed and who correctly handle the word of truth. (215)

Grant them a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, (216) that by them they may be thoroughly equipped for every good work, (217) in their teaching showing integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned. (218)

Enable them to devote themselves to reading, to preaching, to teaching; to be diligent in these matters; (219) to give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word; (220) to give themselves wholly to them, and to persevere in them, that they may save both themselves and their hearers. (221)

Let words be given to them, so that they may open their mouths and fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, that they may declare it as they should, (222) as competent ministers of the new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit, (223) and let them obtain mercy of the Lord to be trustworthy. (224)

Let their arms stay strong and limber because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob; (225) and let them be filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, (226) to declare to your people their rebellion and the house of Jacob their sins. (227)

Make them sound in the faith, (228) and enable them always to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine, (229) gently instructing those who oppose them; and let not the Lord’s servants quarrel; instead, let them be kind to everyone and able to teach. (230)

Make them good examples to the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity; (231) and let them be pure who carry the vessels of the LORD, (232) and let HOLY TO THE LORD be written upon their foreheads. (233)

Lord, grant that they may not labor to no purpose or spend their strength in vain and for nothing, (234) but let the Lord’s hand be with them, that many may believe and turn to the Lord. (235)

Pray for the Educational Institutions and Common Citizens of your Nation

(f.) For all the universities, schools, and nurseries of learning.

Let the schools of the prophets be replenished with every good and perfect gift from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights. (236)

Cast salt into these fountains and heal its waters, (237) so that from them may issue streams which shall make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. (238)

(g.) For the common people of the land.

Give grace to all the subjects of this land, that they may, under the government God has set over us, live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness, (239) living together in unity, that the Lord may bestow a blessing upon us, even life forevermore. (240)

Let all of every denomination who fear God and do what is right, be accepted by him; (241) yes, may those who love your salvation say continually, “The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servants.” (242)

Pray for the Young and the Old

(h.) For the several ages and conditions of men, as they stand in need of mercy and grace.

(1) For those who are young and setting out in the world.

Lord, give to those who are young to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, (243) that thereby they may be kept from the vanity which childhood and youth are subject to, and may be restrained from walking in the way of their heart and in the sight of their eyes, by considering that for all these things God will bring them to judgment. (244)

Lord, make young people self-controlled, (245) and let the word of God live in them, that they may be strong and may overcome the evil one. (246)

From the womb of the dawn let Christ receive the dew of your youth, (247) and let him be formed in the hearts of those who are young. (248)

Keep those who are setting out in the world from the corruption in the world caused by evil desires; (249) and give to those who have been well-educated, to keep the pattern of sound teaching (250) and to continue in what they have learned. (251)

(2) For those who are old and of long standing in profession.

There are some who are old disciples of Jesus Christ; (252) Lord, give them still to bear fruit in old age and to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; he is our Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” (253)

Now the days of trouble have come and the years have approached when they say that they find no pleasure in them, (254) let your consolation bring joy to their souls. (255)

You have said, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.” You have made them, Lord; we beg you, carry, sustain, and rescue them. (256)

Those whom you have taught from their youth up and to this day have declared all your marvelous deeds, now, also, when they are old and gray, do not forsake them; do not cast them away when they are old; do not forsake them when their strength is gone. (257)

Let every gray head be a crown of splendor to those who have it, being attained by a righteous life, (258) and give them to know whom they have believed. (259)

Pray for the Rich and the Poor, your Enemies and your Friends

(3) For those who are rich and prosperous in the world, some of whom perhaps need prayers as much as those who request them.

Lord, keep those who are rich in this present world from being arrogant and putting their hope in uncertain riches, and give them to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment: That they may do good, be rich in good deeds, and be generous and willing to share; so that they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age. (260)

Though it is hard for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, yet with you this is possible. (261)

(4) For those who are poor and in affliction, for such we have always with us.

Lord, make those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom, (262) and give to them to receive the gospel.

O that the afflicted of the flock may wait upon you and may know the word of the Lord. (263)

Many are the troubles of the righteous, good Lord, deliver them from them all; (264) and though no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful, later on, however, let it produce a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (265)

(5) For our enemies and those who hate us.

Lord, enable us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who persecute us. (266)

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing; (267) and do not hold their malice against us against them, (268) and work in us a disposition to bear with others and to forgive in love, (269) as you require we should when we pray. (270)

And grant that our ways may so please the LORD that even our enemies may live at peace with us. (271)

Let the wolf and the lamb lie down together, and let there be none to harm or destroy on all your holy mountain; let not Ephraim be jealous of Judah, nor Judah be hostile toward Ephraim. (272)

(6) For our friends and those who love us.

And we wish for all those whom we love in truth, that they may enjoy good health and that all may go well with them; especially, that their souls may get along well. (273)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with their spirits. (274)

1 Ephesians 6:18.

2 1 Peter 2:17

3 Galatians 6:10.

4 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 6.

5 1 John 5:19.

6 John 12:31.

7 2 Corinthians 4:4.

8 Psalm 67:2.

9 Ephesians 2:12.

10 Psalm 67:2-4.

11 Psalm 98:2-3.

12 Psalm 2:8.

13 Isaiah 49:6.

14 Revelation 11:15.

15 Mark 16:15.

16 Romans 10:14-15.

17 Matthew 9:38.

18 Matthew 4:16.

19 Acts 2:47.

20 Isaiah 54:2.

21 Isaiah 43:5-6.

22 Isaiah 60:7-8.

23 Malachi 1:11.

24 Romans 15:16.

25 Isaiah 11:9.

26 Romans 11:17, 23-26.

27 Zechariah 12:10.

28 2 Corinthians 3:15-16.

29 Revelation 1:11-12.

30 Revelation 2:1.

31 Isaiah 1:25-26.

32 Psalm 126:4.

33 Psalm 65:5

34 Genesis 49:26 (v. KJV).

35 Isaiah 57:19.

36 Deuteronomy 33:19.

37 Romans 10:1.

38 Psalm 51:18.

39 Psalm 122:7-8.

40 Psalm 128:5-6.

41 Isaiah 14:32.

42 Psalm 28:9.

43 Psalm 29:11.

44 Psalm 5:12.

45 Ephesians 6:24.

46 2 Timothy 2:19.

47 John 17:20-21.

48 Ephesians 4:4-6.

49 Jeremiah 32:39.

50 2 Thessalonians 3:1.

51 Psalm 51:13.

52 2 Timothy 2:25.

53 Ephesians 4:21.

54 Titus 1:1.

55 2 Timothy 2:26.

56 1 Peter 2:25.

57 Psalm 14:1.

58 Isaiah 8:20.

59 Psalm 138:2.

60 Isaiah 42:21.

61 1 Peter 3:1.

62 1 Corinthians 14:24-25.

63 Isaiah 32:15.

64 Psalm 94:15.

65 Titus 1:5.

66 Matthew 15:13.

67 Malachi 3:2-4.

68 James 1:27.

69 Romans 14:17.

70 Habakkuk 3:2.

71 Hebrews 9:10 (v. KJV).

72 Psalm 2:1-5.

73 Hosea 9:14.

74 Psalm 83:13, 16, 18.

75 Psalm 9:20.

76 Exodus 18:11.

77 Psalm 129:5-6.

78 Isaiah 54:17.

79 Zechariah 12:3.

80 Judges 5:31.

81 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 8, 10-11.

82 Revelation 18:2, 21.

83 Revelation 17:17.

84 Revelation 21:26.

85 Hebrews 13:3.

86 Psalm 18:16-17, 19.

87 Psalm 125:3.

88 Isaiah 51:9-10.

89 Psalm 12:5.

90 Revelation 13:10.

91 Lamentations 3:26.

92 Isaiah 63:4.

93 Isaiah 34:8.

94 Psalm 14:7.

95 Psalm 74:21.

96 Psalm 102:13, 16-17.

97 Amos 7:5.

98 Daniel 9:17.

99 Psalm 79:11.

100 Isaiah 30:20.

101 Psalm 22:28.

102 Jeremiah 10:7.

103 Psalm 9:4, 8.

104 Psalm 46:9.

105 Isaiah 2:4.

106 Isaiah 49:23.

107 Daniel 2:44.

108 Proverbs 19:21.

109 Psalm 33:11.

110 Isaiah 5:1.

111 Job 39:6.

112 Psalm 85:12.

113 Psalm 85:1.

114 Psalm 44:1.

115 Psalm 48:8-9.

116 Jeremiah 3:19.

117 Isaiah 8:8.

118 Isaiah 22:1.

119 Ezekiel 37:26-27.

120 1 Kings 4:25.

121 2 Chronicles 15:5 (v. KJV).

122 1 Kings 10:9.

123 Romans 13:3.

124 Isaiah 1:4.

125 Ezekiel 9:4.

126 Matthew 24:12.

127 Jeremiah 51:5.

128 Jeremiah 14:7-9.

129 Psalm 80:2-3.

130 Psalm 85:7, 9-13.

131 Psalm 45:6.

132 Jeremiah 17:12.

133 Revelation 2:4-5.

134 Jeremiah 7:12.

135 Amos 8:11-12.

136 Isaiah 33:6 (v. KJV).

137 Psalm 72:5, 7 (v. margin).

138 Psalm 102:18.

139 Zechariah 2:5.

140 Isaiah 4:5.

141 Psalm 122:7.

142 Deuteronomy 33:18.

143 Isaiah 26:1-2.

144 Isaiah 60:17-18.

145 Isaiah 62:4.

146 Isaiah 48:18.

147 Proverbs 14:34.

148 Deuteronomy 28:23.

149 Hosea 2:9.

150 Jeremiah 5:24.

151 Leviticus 26:4-5.

152 Psalm 132:15.

153 Isaiah 62:9.

154 Hag 1:9.

155 Malachi 3:10, 12.

156 Psalm 7:9.

157 Psalm 94:16.

158 Romans 11:26.

159 Isaiah 4:4 (v. margin).

160 Psalm 107:42 (v. KJV).

161 Psalm 106:30 (v. KJV).

162 Hebrews 12:3-4.

163 Zechariah 13:2.

164 Zeph 3:9.

165 Deuteronomy 26:19.

166 Judges 5:16 (v. KJV).

167 Luke 12:52.

168 Lamentations 2:13.

169 Jeremiah 8:22.

170 Psalm 60:2.

171 1 Corinthians 1:10.

172 Romans 15:5-6.

173 Jude 3.

174 Romans 14:10, 19.

175 2 Corinthians 13:11.

176 Philippians 2:3.

177 Philippians 4:5.

178 Numbers 10:35-36.

179 Psalm 60:11-12.

180 Isaiah 41:2 (v. KJV).

181 Deuteronomy 33:29.

182 Exodus 14:25.

183 Judges 5:18.

184 Psalm 144:1.

185 Psalm 18:35.

186 Psalm 140:7.

187 Psalm 72:1, 4.

188 Proverbs 25:5.

189 Proverbs 20:28.

190 Psalm 21:4-7.

191 Psalm 132:18.

192 Isaiah 49:23.

193 Psalm 132:17.

194 Psalm 78:6-7.

195 Psalm 61:7-8.

196 Psalm 69:35-36.

197 Numbers 14:4.

198 Revelation 13:11-12.

199 Isaiah 33:20-22.

200 Psalm 105:22.

201 Isaiah 11:2-3.

202 Job 12:20.

203 Luke 19:42.

204 Psalm 82:1.

205 Psalm 47:9.

206 Isaiah 58:12.

207 2 Samuel 23:3.

208 2 Chronicles 19:6-7.

209 Exodus 18:21.

210 Amos 5:24.

211 Psalm 82:3-4.

212 v. 1 Peter 2:14; Romans 13:4.

213 1 Timothy 3:15.

214 2 Corinthians 4:5.

215 2 Timothy 2:15.

216 Acts 18:24.

217 2 Timothy 3:17.

218 Titus 2:7-8.

219 1 Timothy 4:13, 15.

220 Acts 6:4.

221 1 Timothy 4:15-16.

222 Ephesians 6:19-20.

223 2 Corinthians 3:6.

224 1 Corinthians 7:25.

225 Genesis 49:24.

226 Micah 3:8.

227 Isaiah 58:1.

228 Titus 1:13.

229 Titus 2:1.

230 2 Timothy 2:24-25.

231 1 Timothy 4:12.

232 Isaiah 52:11.

233 Exodus 28:36.

234 Isaiah 49:4.

235 Acts 11:21.

236 James 1:17.

237 2 Kings 2:21.

238 Psalm 46:4.

239 1 Timothy 2:2.

240 Psalm 133:1, 3.

241 Acts 10:35.

242 Psalm 35:27.

243 Ecclesiastes 12:1.

244 Ecclesiastes 11:9.

245 Titus 2:6.

246 1 John 2:14.

247 Psalm 110:3.

248 Galatians 4:19.

249 2 Peter 1:4.

250 2 Timothy 1:13.

251 2 Timothy 3:14.

252 Acts 21:16 (v. KJV).

253 Psalm 92:14-15.

254 Ecclesiastes 12:1.

255 Psalm 94:19.

256 Isaiah 46:4.

257 Psalm 71:17-18, 9.

258 Proverbs 16:31.

259 2 Timothy 1:12.

260 1 Timothy 6:17-19.

261 Matthew 19:24, 26.

262 James 2:5.

263 Zechariah 11:11 (v. KJV).

264 Psalm 34:19.

265 Hebrews 12:11.

266 Matthew 5:44 (v. margin).

267 Luke 23:34.

268 Acts 7:60.

269 Colossians 3:13.

270 Mark 11:25.

271 Proverbs 16:7.

272 Isaiah 11:6, 9, 13.

273 3 John 2.

274 Phlm 25.

****

CHAPTER 6

OF THE CONCLUSION OF OUR PRAYERS

Introduction and Comprehensive Petitions

We are commanded to pray always, (1) to pray continually, (2) to devote ourselves to prayer, (3) because we must always have in ourselves a disposition to the duty, must be constant in it, and never grow weary of it or give it up; and yet we cannot be always praying, we must come down from this mount. Nor may we be over long, so as to make the duty a task or toil to ourselves or those that join with us. We have other work that calls for our attendance. Jacob wrestles with the angel, but he must go for the day breaks. (4) We must therefore think of concluding. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, must be ended. (5) But how shall we conclude so as to have the impressions of the duty kept always in the imagination of the thought of our heart?

1. We may then sum up our requests in some comprehensive petitions, as the conclusion of the whole matter.

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip us with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ. (6)

Now may the Lord direct our hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. (7)

And the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after we have suffered a little while, himself restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast. (8)

But now, Lord, what do we look for? Truly our hope is in you; (9) and on you do we depend to be to us God Almighty, a God all-sufficient. (10)

Do for us immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to your power that is at work within us: (11) and meet all our needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (12)

Beg for the Acceptance of your Prayers for Christ's Sake

2. We may then beg for the audience and acceptance of our poor weak prayers, for Christ’s sake.

Now may the God of Israel grant us what we have asked of him. (13)

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer. (14)

May your eyes be open to your servants’ pleas and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you, for they are your people and your inheritance. (15)

O our God, may your ears be attentive to the prayers that we have offered: O do not reject your anointed One; remember the great love promised to David your servant, (16) even Jesus, who is at God’s right hand and is also interceding for us. (17)

Lord, you have assured us that the Father will give us whatever we ask in Christ’s name. (18) We ask all these things in that name, that powerful name which is above every name; (19) that precious name which is like perfume poured out. (20) O make your face shine upon us, (21) for the Lord’s sake, who is your Son, whom you love, (22) and whom you always hear. (23) Good Lord, give us to listen to him, and be well pleased with us in him. (24)

Beg for the Forgiveness of What has been Amiss in your Prayers

3. We may then beg for the forgiveness of what has been amiss in our prayers.

Lord, we have not prayed as we ought: (25) who is there who does what is right and never sins? (26) Even when we want to do good, evil is right there with us, for we have the desire to do what is good, but we cannot carry it out: For the good we want to do is not what we do; (27) so that you might justly refuse to listen, even if we offer many prayers. (28) But we have a great High Priest, who bears the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be; (29) for his sake, forgive all the guilt and sin of your people, even all the guilt of our sacred gifts, and receive us graciously and love us freely (30) and do not deal with us according to our folly. (31)

Commend Yourself to the Grace of God

4. We may then recommend ourselves to the conduct, protection, and government of the divine grace, in the further services that lie before us and in the whole course of our life.

And now, may we be enabled to go from strength to strength, till we appear before God in Zion; and as we pass through the valley of Baca, may it be made a place of springs, and may the rain of the divine grace and blessing cover it with pools. (32)

Now speak, Lord, for your servants are listening. (33) What message does my Lord have for his servants? (34) Grant that we may not turn a deaf ear to the law, for then our prayers would be detestable, (35) but may listen to God, so that he may listen to us. (36)

And now, may the LORD our God be with us as he was with all our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our heart to himself, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations. And may our hearts be fully committed to the LORD our God all our days, (37) and continue so till the end, that then we may rest, and then at the end of the days may we rise to receive our allotted inheritance. (38)

Conclude with Solemn Praises of God

5. We may conclude all with doxologies or solemn praises of God, ascribing honor and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and sealing up all our praises and prayers with an affectionate Amen.

Now praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. (39)

Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, forever, who alone does marvelous deeds, and praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. (40) Yes, let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD. (41)

To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. (42)

Now to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (43)

To God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (44)

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (45) To him be honor and might forever, (46) to him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (47)

To him who is able to keep us from falling and to present us before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, now and forevermore! Amen. (48)

Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. Amen, Hallelujah! (49)

And now, we prostrate our souls before the throne and worship God, saying, “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen! (50) To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever”; (51) and let the whole creation say, “Amen! Amen!”

Sum up your Prayer with the Lord's Prayer

6. It is very proper to sum up our prayers in that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (52)

1 Luke 21:36.

2 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

3 Colossians 4:2.

4 Genesis 32:24.

5 Psalm 72:20.

6 Hebrews 13:20-21.

7 2 Thessalonians 3:5.

8 1 Peter 5:10.

9 Psalm 39:7.

10 Genesis 17:1.

11 Ephesians 3:20.

12 Philippians 4:19.

13 1 Samuel 1:17.

14 Psalm 19:14.

15 1 Kings 8:51-52.

16 2 Chronicles 6:40, 42.

17 Romans 8:34.

18 John 16:23.

19 Philippians 2:9.

20 Song 1:3.

21 Numbers 6:25.

22 Matthew 17:5.

23 John 11:42.

24 Matthew 17:5.

25 Romans 8:26.

26 Ecclesiastes 7:20.

27 Romans 7:21, 18-19.

28 Isaiah 1:15.

29 Exodus 28:38.

30 Hosea 14:2, 4.

31 Job 42:8.

32 Psalm 84:6-7.

33 1 Samuel 3:9.

34 Joshua 5:14.

35 Proverbs 28:9.

36 Judges 9:7.

37 1 Kings 8:57-58, 61.

38 Daniel 12:13.

39 Psalm 41:13.

40 Psalm 72:18-19.

41 Psalm 106:48.

42 Romans 16:27.

43 Galatians 1:3-5.

44 Ephesians 3:21.

45 1 Timothy 1:17.

46 1 Timothy 6:16.

47 1 Peter 5:11.

48 Jude 24-25.

49 Revelation 19:1, 4.

50 Revelation 7:11-12.

51 Revelation 5:13.

52 Matthew 6:9-13 (margin).

****

CHAPTER 7

A PARAPHRASE ON THE LORD’S PRAYER,

IN SCRIPTURE EXPRESSIONS

The Lord’s prayer being intended not only for a form of prayer itself, but a rule of direction, a plan or model in little, by which we may frame our prayers; and the expressions being remarkably concise and yet vastly comprehensive, it will be of good use sometimes to lay it before us, and observing the method and order of it, to dilate upon the several passages and petitions of it, that we may use it the more intelligently; of which we shall only here give a specimen in the assistance we may have from some other Scriptures.

1. Our Father in heaven.

O Lord our God, doubtless you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name, (1) and we will from this time cry to you, “Our Father, you are our friend from our youth.” (2)

Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? (3) You are the Father of our spirits, to whom we ought to submit to and live. (4)

You are the Father of the heavenly lights, (5) the Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort: (6) the Everlasting Father (7) from whom and through whom and to whom are all things. (8)

You are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (9) whose glory was that of the One and Only, who came from the Father, who is at your side, (10) the craftsman at your side, who is filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in your presence. (11)

You are in Christ, our Father and the Father of all believers, whom you have predestined to be adopted as sons, (12) and into whose hearts you have sent the Spirit of the Son, teaching them to cry “Abba, Father.” (13) How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! (14) That the Lord God Almighty should be a Father to us, and we should be to him for sons and daughters; (15) and that to all who receive Christ, to those who believe in his name, you should give the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God and his grace. (16)

O that we may receive the full rights of sons, (17) and that as obedient and genuine children we may conform ourselves to the example of him who has called us, who is holy; (18) and may be imitators of God as dearly loved children (19) and conformed to the likeness of his Son, who is the firstborn among many brothers. (20)

Enable us to come to you with humble freedom and confidence, (21) as to a Father, a tender Father, who spares us as a man spares his son who serves him; (22) and as having One who speaks to the Father in our defense, (23) who yet has told us that the Father himself loves us. (24)

You are a Father, but where is the honor due you? (25) Lord, give us grace to worship you as becomes children, with reverence and awe. (26)

You are a Father, and if earthly parents, though they are evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will our Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (27) Lord, give us a spirit of grace and supplication. (28)

We come to you as prodigal children who have gone from our Father’s house to a distant country; but we will set out and go back to our Father, for in his house there is food to spare, and if we continue at a distance from him, we starve to death. Father, we have sinned against heaven and against you and are no longer worthy to be called your children, make us like your hired men. (29)

You are our Father in heaven, (30) and therefore to you, O Lord, do we lift up our souls. (31) We lift up our eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven: As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God; (32) a God whom the heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain, (33) and yet whom we may approach, (34) having a High Priest who went before us, who has gone through the heavens. (35)

You, O God, live in a high and holy place, (36) and holy and awesome is your name. (37) God is in heaven and we are on earth, (38) therefore should we carefully find our words to argue with him; (39) and yet through a Mediator, we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place. (40)

Look down, we beg you, from heaven and see from your lofty throne, holy and glorious, (41) and take pity on us and help us. (42)

Heaven is the firmament of your might: (43) O answer us from your holy heaven, with the saving power of your right hand; send us help from your sanctuary, and grant us support from Zion. (44)

And, O that since heaven is our Father’s house, (45) we may have our citizenship there, (46) and may set our hearts on things above. (47)

2. Hallowed be your name.

And now, what is our petition, and what is our request? (48) What do we want you to do for us? (49) This is our heart’s desire and prayer in the first place, (50) Father in heaven, let your name be sanctified. We pray that you may be honored as a holy God. (51)

We desire to exalt the Lord our God, to worship at his footstool, at his holy hill, and to praise his great and awesome name, for he is holy, for the LORD our God is holy. (52) You are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. (53)

We glory in your holy name, and therefore shall our hearts rejoice, (54) because we trust in your holy name, (55) to which we will always give thanks, and glory in your praise. (56)

Lord, enable us to glorify your holy name forever, by praising you with all our heart, (57) and by bearing much fruit, for this is to our heavenly Father’s glory. (58) O that we may be to our God for his renown and praise and honor, (59) that being called out of darkness into his wonderful light to be a people belonging to God, we may declare the praises of him who called us. (60)

O that we may be your children, the work of your hands, that we may keep your name holy, and acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and stand in awe of the God of Israel, (61) and may be to the praise of your glory. (62)

Enable us to use whatever gift we have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms, that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ: And if we suffer, enable us to suffer as Christians and to praise God that we bear that name; (63) for this is our eager expectation and hope, that always Jesus Christ will be exalted in our bodies, whether by life or by death. (64)

Lord, enable others to glorify you, even the strong peoples to honor you, and the cities of ruthless nations to revere you; (65) but especially let the Lord be great – even beyond the borders of Israel. (66) Let them in the east give glory to the LORD; let them exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. (67) O let all the nations you have made come and worship before you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name: For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. (68)

O let the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy, let his name be praised among the Gentiles, and let them rejoice with his people. (69) O let your name be great among the nations, (70) and let all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations bow down before you; and let them proclaim your righteousness to a people yet unborn. (71)

Lord, may you yourself dispose of all things to your own glory, both as King of the nations (72) and King of the ages: (73) Do everything in conformity with the purpose of your will, (74) that you may show your greatness and your holiness, and may make yourself known in the sight of many nations, that you are the LORD. (75) O show the holiness of your great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and let them know that you are the LORD, when you show yourself holy through us before their eyes. (76)

Father, glorify your own name: you have glorified it, glorify it yet again. (77) Father, glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. (78) O give him the name that is above every name, (79) and in all places and in everything let him have the supremacy. (80)

Lord, what will you do for your own great name? (81) Do this for your great name: Pour out your Spirit on all people, (82) and let the word of Christ dwell richly in the hearts of all. (83) Be exalted, O Lord, among the nations, be exalted in the earth; (84) be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (85) Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might. (86) Do great things with your glorious and everlasting arm, to make for yourself a glorious and everlasting name. (87)

O let your name be great forever, then men will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ (88)

3. Your kingdom come.

In order to the sanctifying and glorifying of your holy name, Father in heaven, let your kingdom come; for yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all: Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things, and in your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. (89) And we desire to tell of the glorious splendor of your kingdom, for it is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. (90)

You rule forever by your power, your eyes watch the nations – O let not the rebellious rise up against you; but through the greatness of your power let your enemies cringe before you. (91)

O make it to appear that dominion belongs to you and that you rule over the nations; (92) make it so evident, that they may say among the nations, “The LORD reigns”; (93) that all mankind may fear and proclaim the works of God (94) and may say, “Surely there is a God who judges the earth.” (95) Make all the kings of the earth to know that Heaven rules, even that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes; and to praise and to exalt and to glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (96)

O let the kingdom of your grace come more and more in the world, that kingdom of God which does not come with careful observation, that kingdom of God which is within men. (97) Let it be like yeast in the world, diffusing its relish, until it works all through the whole, and like a mustard seed, which, though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, is the largest of garden plants. (98)

Let the kingdom of the world become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Take your great power and reign, though the nations are angry. (99) Set up your throne there where Satan has his throne, (100) let every thought be made obedient to you, (101) and let the law of your kingdom be made great and glorious. (102)

Let that kingdom of God, which is not a matter of talk but of power, (103) be set up in all the churches of Christ. Extend your mighty scepter from Zion, and rule in holy majesty. (104)

Where the strong man, fully armed, has long guarded his own house, and his possessions are safe, let Christ, who is stronger, attack him and take away the armor in which the man trusted and divide up the spoils. (105)

O give to the Son of man authority, glory, and sovereign power, that all peoples, nations, and men of every language may worship him and judgment may be pronounced in favor of the saints of the Most High. (106)

Let the kingdom of your grace come more and more in our land and the places where we live. There let the word of God spread rapidly and be honored, (107) and do not let the kingdom of God be taken away from us, which is what we deserve, and given to a people who will produce its fruit. (108)

Let the kingdom of your grace come into our hearts, that they may be the temples of the Holy Spirit. (109) Let no sin rule over us. (110) A ruin! A ruin! Make the power of corruption there a ruin! And let him come to whom our hearts rightfully belong, and give them to him; (111) make us willing, more and more willing, on your day of battle. (112) Rule in us by the power of truth, that being on the side of truth, we may always listen to Christ’s voice, (113) and may not only call him, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do what he says. (114) And let Christ’s love command us and compel us, (115) and his fear be with us to keep us from sinning. (116)

O let the kingdom of your glory be hastened; we believe it will come. We eagerly await the Savior, the Lord Jesus, (117) to come on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. (118) We hope that he shall appear to our joy; (119) we long for his appearing; (120) we are looking forward to the day of God and speed its coming; (121) make us ready for it, (122) that we may then lift up our heads with joy, knowing that our redemption draws near. (123) And, O that we may have such firstfruits of the Spirit that we ourselves may groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies; (124) and may we have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is best of all. (125)

Blessed Jesus, be with your ministers and people, as you have said, ‘Always, to the very end of the age.’ (126) And then, as you have said, ‘Yes, I am coming soon,” even so, Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly! (127) When the mystery of God shall be accomplished, (128) come away, our lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains. (129)

4. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And as an evidence that your kingdom comes, and in order to the sanctifying of your name, Father in heaven, let your holy will be done. We know, O Lord, that whatever pleases you, that you do, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths; (130) your purpose will stand, and you will do all that you please: (131) Even so may it be, Holy Father, not our will, but yours be done. (132) As you have planned, so let it be, and as you have purposed, so let it stand. (133) Do everything in conformity with the purpose of your will. (134) Make even those to serve your purposes who have not known you, and who do not so intend, nor is this what they have in mind. (135)

Father, let your will be done concerning us and ours: (136) We are ready; He is the LORD, let him do what is good in his eyes; (137) the Lord’s will be done. (138) O give us to submit to your will in conformity to the example of the Lord Jesus, who said, “Not as I will, but as you will”; (139) and to say, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (140) Shall we accept good from the Lord, and not trouble? (141)

Father, let the Scriptures be fulfilled, the writings of the prophets, which cannot be broken. (142) Though heaven and earth disappear, let not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, disappear from your word. (143) Do what is written in the Book of Truth, (144) and let it appear that your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. (145)

Lord, give grace to each of us to know and do the will of our Father in heaven. (146) It is God’s will that we should be sanctified. (147) May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify us through and through. (148) O let us be filled with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (149) and equip us with everything good for doing your will. (150) O let the time that is past suffice for doing what the flesh chooses to do, (151) and for having lived following the ways of this world. (152) And from henceforth, grant that it may always be our food and drink to do the will of our Father and to finish his work; (153) not to do our will but his who sent us, (154) that we may be of those who shall enter the kingdom of heaven, (155) and not of those who shall be beaten with many blows. (156)

Lord, give grace to others also to know and do your will; to test and approve what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God; (157) not to be foolish, but to understand what the Lord’s will is; (158) and then give them to stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured: (159) And let us all serve our generations according to that will. (160) And when we have done the will of God, let us inherit the promises; (161) and let that part of the will of God be done. Lord, let the promise you have made concerning your servants be established forever, and do as you have promised. (162)

We rejoice that your will is done in heaven; that the holy angels do your bidding and always obey your word; (163) that they always see the face of our Father. (164) And we lament that your will is so little done on earth, so many of the children of men having been taken captive by Satan to do his will. (165) O that this earth may be made more like heaven! And saints more like the holy angels! And that we who hope to be shortly as the angels of God in heaven, (166) may now, like them, not stop praising him; (167) may now, like them, resist and withstand Satan; (168) may be as flames of fire (169) and fly swiftly, (170) and may go straight ahead wherever the Spirit goes; (171) may serve for the good of others, (172) and thus may come into communion with thousands upon thousands of angels. (173)

5. Give us today our daily bread.

You, O God, who have appointed us to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness, have promised that if we do so, other things will be given to us as well: (174) And therefore, having prayed for the sanctifying of your name, the coming of your kingdom, and the doing of your will, we next pray, Father in heaven, give us this day, and day by day, our daily bread. (175)

Keep falsehood and lies far from us; give us neither poverty nor riches, but give us only our daily bread. Otherwise, we may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or we may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of our God. (176)

Lord, we do not ask for delicacies, for that food is deceptive, (177) nor do we pray that we may live in luxury every day, for we would not in our lifetime receive our good things; (178) but we pray for that bread which sustains man’s heart. (179) We desire not to eat food gained by fraud, (180) nor to drink any stolen water, (181) nor would we eat the bread of idleness; (182) but if it is your will, may we eat the fruit of our labor, (183) that we may settle down and earn the bread we eat; (184) and if we have food and clothing, grant us to be content with that, (185) and to say, “We have received ample supply and even more.” (186)

Bless all our skills, O LORD, and be pleased with the work of our hands; (187) and give us wherewithal to provide for our relatives, especially for our immediate family, (188) and to leave an inheritance, as far as is just, for our children’s children. (189) May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands. (190) May the LORD bless his land with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness; but above all, let us have the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush, even the blessing that was on the head of Joseph and on the brow of the prince among his brothers. (191)

But if the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, if the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, if there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet let us rejoice in the LORD, let us be joyful in God our Savior. (192)

Father, we do not ask for bread for a great while to come, but only that we may have this day our daily bread; for we would learn, and let the Lord teach us, not to take thought for tomorrow, what we shall eat, or what we shall drink, or what we shall wear, but we cast the care on you, our heavenly Father, who knows that we need all these things; who feeds the birds of the air, though they do not sow or reap, and will much more feed us, (193) who are worth more than many sparrows. (194)

Nor do we pray for daily bread for ourselves only but for others also. O satisfy your poor with food. (195) Let all who walk righteously and speak what is right dwell on the heights: Let their refuge be the mountain fortress, let their bread be supplied, and let water not fail them. (196)

6. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And, Lord, as duly as we pray every day for our daily bread, we pray for the forgiveness of our sins; for we are all guilty before God, have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (197) We all stumble in many ways every day. (198) Who can tell how often he offends? (199) If you kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. (200) God, have mercy on us sinners! (201)

We have wasted our Lord’s possessions, (202) we have buried the talents we were entrusted with, (203) and have not responded to the kindness shown us, (204) and thus we came to be in debt. The Scripture has declared that the whole world is a prisoner of sin; (205) we have done such things that deserve death, (206) things for which God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (207) Our debt is more than ten thousand talents; it is a great debt, and we are not able to pay it; we are far from being able to say, “Be patient with us, and we will pay back everything.” (208) Justly, therefore, might our adversary hand us over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, to be thrown into prison, the prison of hell, until we should have paid the last penny. (209)

But blessed be God, there is a way found out of agreeing with our adversary; for if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. (210) For his sake, we pray, blot out all our transgressions, (211) and do not bring us into judgment. (212) He is our guarantee, (213) who restored what he did not steal, (214) that blessed Arbiter, who has laid his hand upon us both, (215) through him let us be reconciled to God, (216) and let the written code that was against us and that stood opposed to us, be cancelled and taken away, being nailed to the cross of Christ, that we may be made alive with Christ, who forgave us all our sins. (217) Forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more. (218)

Grant us, we pray, to receive reconciliation, (219) to know that our sins have been forgiven. (220) Promise peace to us, (221) and let us hear joy and gladness. (222) Let the blood of Jesus, your Son, purify us from all sin (223) and cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (224)

And as an evidence that you have forgiven our sins, we entreat you, give us grace to forgive our enemies, to love those who hate us, and to bless those who curse us; (225) for we acknowledge that if we do not forgive men their sins, our Father will not forgive our sins. (226) And therefore, we forgive, Lord; we desire heartily to forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another, even as the Lord forgave us. (227) Far be it from us to say that we will pay others back for wrong, (228) or that we should take revenge, (229) but we pray that we may get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice; and that we may be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us. (230) O make us merciful, just as our Father in heaven is merciful, (231) who has promised that with the merciful he will show himself merciful. (232)

7. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

And, Lord, forasmuch as there is in us a determination to turn from you, (233) so that when our sins are forgiven, we are ready to return to folly, (234) we pray that you will not only forgive us our debts but take care of us, that we may not do wrong again. (235) Lord, lead us not into temptation. We know that no one should say when tempted, “God is tempting me,” for God does not tempt anyone; (236) but we know that God is able to make all grace abound to us (237) and to keep us from falling and present us without fault. (238) We therefore pray that you will never give us over to our stubborn hearts to follow our own devices, (239) but restrain Satan, who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour; (240) and grant that we may not be unaware of his schemes. (241) O let not Satan have us, to sift us like wheat; or, however, let not our faith fail. (242) Let not the messengers of Satan be permitted to torment us; but if they be, let your grace be sufficient for us, that where we are weak, there we may be strong, (243) and may be more than conquerors through him who loved us. (244) And may the God of peace crush Satan under our feet, and do it soon. (245) And since our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers and authorities and the powers of this dark world, let us be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (246)

Lord, grant that we may never fall into temptation, (247) but having prayed, may we post a guard; (248) and let your wise and good providence so order all our affairs and all events that are concerning us, that no temptation may seize us except what is common to man, and that we may never be tempted beyond what we can discern, resist, and overcome through the grace of God. (249) Lord, do not lay any obstacles before us, that we should stumble over them and perish. (250) Let nothing be a stumbling block to us, (251) but give us that great peace which they have who love your law, for nothing can make them stumble. (252)

And lead us, we pray, into all truth; (253) guide us in your truth and teach us, for you are God our Savior. Show us your ways, O LORD, teach us your paths, (254) the paths of righteousness: O guide us in those paths for your name’s sake, that we may be led beside quiet waters. (255)

And deliver us, we pray, from the evil one; keep us, so that the evil one cannot harm us; (256) so that he does not sow his weeds in the field of our hearts; (257) so that we be not ensnared by his schemes or wounded by his flaming arrows. (258) Let the word of God live in us, that we may be strong and may overcome the evil one. (259)

Deliver us from every evil thing, we pray, that we may not do anything wrong: (260) O deliver us from every evil attack; (261) save us from our sins; (262) redeem us from all wickedness, (263) especially the sin that so easily entangles. (264) Keep pride from us; (265) keep us from deceitful ways: (266) Let us not eat of sinners’ delicacies; (267) turn our hearts toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain; (268) and keep us from speaking rash words: (269) But especially keep your servants from willful sins, may they not rule over us. (270)

Preserve us, we pray, that no harm may befall us, (271) and keep us from evil, that it may not hurt us. (272) O you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes, show us the wonder of your great love, and keep us as the apple of your eye, hide us in the shadow of your wings. (273) Guard what we have entrusted to you. (274) You who have delivered us, please deliver us now, for on you we have set our hope that you will continue to deliver us, (275) will deliver us from all our fears. (276) O make us to live in safety and grant that we may be at ease, without fear of harm. (277) And bring us safe at last to your holy mountain, where there are no painful briers or sharp thorns, (278) nothing to harm or destroy. (279)

8. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Father in heaven, let your kingdom come, for yours is the kingdom, you are the God who is in heaven, and you rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. (280) Let your will be done, for yours is the power, and nothing is too hard for you; (281) let your name be sanctified, for yours is the glory, and you have set your glory above the heavens. (282)

Father in heaven, supply our wants, pardon our sins, and preserve us from evil, for yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory; and you are Lord over all, who richly blesses all who call on you. (283) None can forgive sins but you alone; (284) may your strength be displayed in pardoning our sins: (285) And since it is the glory of God to pardon sin (286) and to help the helpless, help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. (287)

We desire in all our prayers to praise you, for you are great and most worthy of praise. We praise your kingdom, for it is an everlasting kingdom and endures through all generations, (288) and a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness. (289) You are loving; surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. (290) We praise your power, for your arm is endued with might: your hand is strong, your right hand exalted, and yet righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. (291) We praise your glory, may the glory of the Lord endure forever. (292) Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. (293) O let God be praised in his sanctuary and praised in his mighty heavens; let him be praised for his acts of power and praised for his surpassing greatness. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah. (294)

And forasmuch as we know that he hears us—whatever we ask, according to his will, in faith—we know that we have what we asked of him, (295) we will glory in his praise. (296) Now we know that the Lord hears his Anointed and, for his sake, will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand: (297) And therefore in token not only of our desire, but of our assurance to be heard in Christ’s name, we say, Amen, Amen.

1 Isaiah 63:16.

2 Jeremiah 3:4.

3 Malachi 2:10.

4 Hebrews 12:9.

5 James 1:17.

6 2 Corinthians 1:3.

7 Isaiah 9:6.

8 Romans 11:36.

9 Ephesians 1:3.

10 John 1:14, 18.

11 Proverbs 8:30.

12 Ephesians 1:5.

13 Galatians 4:6.

14 1 John 3:1.

15 2 Corinthians 6:18.

16 John 1:12-13.

17 Galatians 4:5.

18 1 Peter 1:14-15.

19 Ephesians 5:1.

20 Romans 8:29.

21 Ephesians 3:12.

22 Malachi 3:17.

23 1 John 2:1.

24 John 16:27.

25 Malachi 1:6.

26 Hebrews 12:28.

27 Luke 11:13.

28 Zechariah 12:10.

29 Luke 15:13, 17-19.

30 Matthew 6:9.

31 Psalm 86:4.

32 Psalm 123:1-2.

33 1 Kings 8:27.

34 Ephesians 3:12.

35 v. Hebrews 4:14; 6:20.

36 Isaiah 57:15.

37 Psalm 111:9.

38 Ecclesiastes 5:2.

39 Job 9:14.

40 Hebrews 10:19.

41 Isaiah 63:15.

42 Mark 9:22.

43 Psalm 150:1 (v. KJV).

44 Psalm 20:6, 2.

45 John 14:2.

46 Philippians 3:20.

47 Colossians 3:1.

48 Esth 5:6.

49 Matthew 20:32.

50 Romans 10:1.

51 Leviticus 10:3.

52 Psalm 99:5, 3, 9.

53 Psalm 22:3.

54 Psalm 105:3.

55 Psalm 33:21.

56 Psalm 106:47.

57 Psalm 86:12.

58 John 15:8.

59 Jeremiah 13:11.

60 1 Peter 2:9.

61 Isaiah 29:23.

62 Ephesians 1:12.

63 1 Peter 4:10-11, 16.

64 Philippians 1:20.

65 Isaiah 25:3.

66 Malachi 1:5.

67 Isaiah 24:15.

68 Psalm 86:9-10.

69 Romans 15:9-10.

70 Malachi 1:11.

71 Psalm 22:27, 31.

72 Jeremiah 10:7.

73 Revelation 15:3.

74 Ephesians 1:11.

75 Ezekiel 38:23.

76 Ezekiel 36:23.

77 John 12:28.

78 John 17:1.

79 Philippians 2:9.

80 Colossians 1:18.

81 Joshua 7:9.

82 Joel 2:28.

83 Colossians 3:16.

84 Psalm 46:10.

85 Psalm 57:11.

86 Psalm 21:13.

87 Isaiah 63:5, 12, 14.

88 1 Chronicles 17:24.

89 1 Chronicles 29:11-12.

90 Psalm 145:11, 13.

91 Psalm 66:7, 3.

92 Psalm 22:28.

93 Psalm 96:10.

94 Psalm 64:9.

95 Psalm 58:11.

96 Daniel 4:25-26, 37.

97 Luke 17:20-21.

98 Matthew 13:31-33.

99 Revelation 11:15, 17-18.

100 Revelation 2:13.

101 2 Corinthians 10:5.

102 Isaiah 42:21.

103 1 Corinthians 4:20.

104 Psalm 110:2-3.

105 Luke 11:21-22.

106 Daniel 7:14, 22.

107 2 Thessalonians 3:1.

108 Matthew 21:43.

109 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19.

110 Psalm 119:133.

111 Ezekiel 21:27.

112 Psalm 110:3.

113 John 18:37.

114 Luke 6:46.

115 2 Corinthians 5:14.

116 Exodus 20:20.

117 Philippians 3:20.

118 Matthew 24:30.

119 Isaiah 66:5 (v. KJV).

120 2 Timothy 4:8.

121 2 Peter 3:12.

122 Matthew 24:44.

123 Luke 21:28.

124 Romans 8:23.

125 Philippians 1:23.

126 Matthew 28:20.

127 Revelation 22:20.

128 Revelation 10:7.

129 Song 8:14.

130 Psalm 135:6.

131 Isaiah 46:10.

132 Luke 22:42.

133 Isaiah 14:24.

134 Ephesians 1:11.

135 Isaiah 10:7.

136 1 Samuel 3:12.

137 v. 1 Samuel 3:18; 2 Samuel 15:26.

138 Acts 21:14.

139 Matthew 26:39.

140 Job 1:21.

141 Job 2:10.

142 v. Matthew 26:56; John 10:35.

143 Matthew 5:18.

144 Daniel 10:21.

145 Psalm 119:89.

146 Matthew 12:50.

147 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

148 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

149 Colossians 1:9.

150 Hebrews 13:21.

151 1 Peter 4:3.

152 Ephesians 2:2.

153 John 4:34.

154 John 6:38.

155 Matthew 7:21.

156 Luke 12:47.

157 Romans 12:2.

158 Ephesians 5:17.

159 Colossians 4:12.

160 Acts 13:36.

161 Hebrews 10:36.

162 1 Chronicles 17:23.

163 Psalm 103:20.

164 Matthew 18:10.

165 2 Timothy 2:26.

166 Matthew 22:30.

167 Revelation 4:8.

168 Daniel 10:13.

169 Psalm 104:4.

170 Daniel 9:21.

171 Ezekiel 1:12.

172 Hebrews 1:14.

173 Hebrews 12:22.

174 Matthew 6:33.

175 Luke 11:3.

176 Proverbs 30:8-9.

177 Proverbs 23:3.

178 Luke 16:19, 25.

179 Psalm 104:15.

180 Proverbs 20:17.

181 Proverbs 9:17.

182 Proverbs 31:27.

183 Psalm 128:2.

184 2 Thessalonians 3:12.

185 1 Timothy 6:8.

186 Philippians 4:18.

187 Deuteronomy 33:11.

188 1 Timothy 5:8.

189 Proverbs 13:22.

190 Psalm 90:17.

191 Deuteronomy 33:13, 16.

192 Habakkuk 3:17-18.

193 Matthew 6:31-32, 26.

194 Matthew 10:31.

195 Psalm 132:15.

196 Isaiah 33:15-16.

197 Romans 3:19, 23.

198 James 3:2.

199 Psalm 19:12.

200 Psalm 130:3-4.

201 Luke 18:13.

202 Luke 16:1.

203 Matthew 25:18.

204 2 Chronicles 32:25.

205 Galatians 3:22.

206 Romans 1:32.

207 Ephesians 5:6.

208 Matthew 18:24-26.

209 Matthew 5:25-26.

210 1 John 2:1-2.

211 Psalm 51:1.

212 Psalm 143:2.

213 Hebrews 7:22.

214 Psalm 69:4.

215 Job 9:33.

216 2 Corinthians 5:20.

217 Colossians 2:13-14.

218 Hebrews 8:12.

219 Romans 5:11.

220 1 John 2:12.

221 Psalm 85:8.

222 Psalm 51:8.

223 1 John 1:7.

224 Hebrews 9:14.

225 Matthew 5:44 (v. margin).

226 Matthew 6:15.

227 Colossians 3:13.

228 Proverbs 20:22.

229 Romans 12:19.

230 Ephesians 4:31-32.

231 Luke 6:36.

232 Psalm 18:25 (v. KJV).

233 Hosea 11:7.

234 Psalm 85:8.

235 Job 34:32.

236 James 1:13.

237 2 Corinthians 9:8.

238 Jude 24.

239 Psalm 81:12.

240 1 Peter 5:8.

241 2 Corinthians 2:11.

242 Luke 22:31-32.

243 2 Corinthians 12:7, 9-10.

244 Romans 8:37.

245 Romans 16:20.

246 Ephesians 6:12, 10.

247 Matthew 26:41.

248 Nehemiah 4:9.

249 1 Corinthians 10:13.

250 Jeremiah 6:21.

251 Romans 14:13.

252 Psalm 119:165.

253 John 16:13.

254 Psalm 25:4-5.

255 Psalm 23:2-3.

256 1 John 5:18.

257 Matthew 13:25.

258 Ephesians 6:11, 16.

259 1 John 2:14.

260 2 Corinthians 13:7.

261 2 Timothy 4:18.

262 Matthew 1:21.

263 Titus 2:14.

264 Hebrews 12:1.

265 Job 33:17.

266 Psalm 119:29.

267 Psalm 141:4.

268 Psalm 119:36.

269 Psalm 106:33.

270 Psalm 19:13.

271 Psalm 91:10.

272 Psalm 121:7.

273 Psalm 17:7-8.

274 2 Timothy 1:12.

275 2 Corinthians 1:10.

276 Psalm 34:4.

277 Proverbs 1:33.

278 Ezekiel 28:24.

279 Isaiah 11:9.

280 2 Chronicles 20:6.

281 Jeremiah 32:17.

282 Psalm 8:1.

283 Romans 10:12.

284 Mark 2:7.

285 Numbers 14:17.

286 Proverbs 25:2.

287 Psalm 79:9.

288 Psalm 145:3, 13.

289 Psalm 45:6-7.

290 Psalm 62:12.

291 Psalm 89:13-14.

292 Psalm 104:31.

293 Gloria Patri.

294 Psalm 150:1-2, 6.

295 1 John 5:15.

296 Psalm 106:47.

297 Psalm 20:6.

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About the author

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) is best remembered for his Commentary on the Whole Bible, which he began in 1704. He completed Genesis through Acts by the time of his death. He was born near Whitchurch (Salop), England. He began preaching at the age of 23 and spent most of his ministry as pastor of a church in Chester (1687-1712).

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About the Alliance

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals seeks to call the twenty-first century Church to a modern reformation through broadcasting, events, publishing, and distribution of reformed resources. Broadcasts include The Bible Study Hour with James Boice, Every Last Word featuring Philip Ryken, God’s Living Word with Bible teacher Richard Phillips, and Dr. Barnhouse & the Bible with Donald Barnhouse. Events include the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology; many regional conferences, and Reformation Societies who continue to join the pursuit of reformation in the Church. reformation21 is our online magazine; God’s Word Today, our online daily devotional, MatthewHenry.org; Alliance Books, as well as CD and MP3 resources.

You may find other Alliance resources at:

http://www.matthewhenry.org – The complete text of Henry’s classic work is available for easy on-line access. Also, you may sign up for daily emails from the book.

http://www.AllianceNet.org – your source for reformed resources – AllianceNet.org.

Eternity Magazine – formerly Evangelical Ministries, renamed Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals – AllianceNet.org.

http://www.reformation21.org – the online magazine of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals – reformation21.org

http://www.ReformedResources.org – the online store of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals providing 60 years of reformed resources and teaching.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

1716 Spruce Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3