OUR CHAPTER VI. Occasional Addresses. Morning Prayer. UR voice shalt thou hear in the morning, in the morning will we direct our prayer unto thee, and will look up; for our souls wait for thee.a It is thou, O God, that hast commanded the morning, and caused the day spring to know its place. The day is thine, the night also is thine, thou hast prepared the light and the sun.b With the light of the morning, lift upon us the light of thy countenance; let the day spring from on high visit us, to give us the knowledge of salvation, through the tender mercies of our God; c and let the sun of righteousness arise upon our souls with healing under his wings; d and let our path be as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.e It is of thy mercy, O Lord, that we are not consumed, even because thy compassions fail not, they are new every morning.f a Psalm v. 3 6 Psalm lxxiv. 16 c Luke i. 77, 78. d Mal. iv. 2. e Prov. iv. 18. fLam. iii. 22, 23. We thank thee that we have laid us down,g have had where to lay our head, and have not been wandering in desarts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth; i and have slept and have not been full of tossing to and fro till the dawning of the day, and that wearisome nights are not appointed to us.k Thou hast preserved us from the pestilence that walketh in darkness, and from the malice of the rulers of the darkness of this world,m the roaring lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour; n he that keeps Israel, and neither slumbers nor sleeps, has kept us, and we have been safe.o And now may the Lord preserve and keep us from all evil this day, yea, may the Lord preserve our souls: Lord, preserve our going out and coming in. Give thine angels charge concerning us, to bear us up in their hands, and keep us in all our ways.q And give us grace to do the work of the day in its day, as the duty of the day requires.r Psalm iii. 5. b Mark viii. 20. ; Heb. xi. 38. k Job vii. 34. m Eph. vi. 12. n 1 Pet. v. 8. o Psalm cxxi. 4. p Ps. cxxi. 7, 8. 9 Psalm xci 11, 12. r Ezra iii. 4. In our Evening Prayers. THOU, O God, makest the out-goings of the evening and the morning to rejoice.s Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with his benefits, and who hath this day preserved our going out and coming in : And now we have received from thee our daily bread, we pray thee, forgive us our trespasses.u And may we lay us down and sleep; for thou, Lord, makest us dwell in safety.w Let the angels of God encamp round about us, that we may lie down and none make us afraid.* Into thy hands we commit our spirits.y Give us to remember thee upon our beds, and to meditate upon thee in the night watch es.z Enable us to commune with thee and with our own hearts upon our beds.a In craving a Blessing before Meat. THOU, O Lord, givest food to all flesh, for thy mercy endures for ever.b The eyes of all wait on thee; c but espe * Job xi. 19. s Psalm lxv. 8. t Ps. lxviii. 19. u Matt. vi. 11, 12. Psalm iv. 8. x Ps. xxxiv. 7. y Psalm xxxi, 5. z Psalm. lxiii. 6. c Ps. cxlv. 15. Ps. cxxxvi. 25, a Psalm iv. 4. cially thou givest meat to them that fear thee, being ever mindful of thy covenant.d Thou art our life and the length of our days,e the God that hath fed us all our life long unto this day.ƒ Thou givest us all things richly to enjoy, though we serve thee but poorly.g We acknowledge we are not worthy of the least crumb that falls from the table of thy providence.h According to our Master's example, we look up to heaven, and pray for a blessing upon our food; i abundantly bless our provision.k Grant that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we may do all to the glory of God./ In returning Thanks after Meat NOW we have eaten and are full, we bless thee for the good land thou hast given us.m Especially we bless thee for the bread of life, which came down from heaven, and which was given for the life of the world: Lord, evermore give us that bread, and wisdom to labor less for the meat that perisheth, d Ps. cxi. 5. g 1 Tim. vi. 17. Ps. cxxxii. 15. e Deut. xxx. 20. 1 Cor. x. 31. fGen. xlviii. 15. i Matt. xiv. 19. m Deut. viii. 10. and more for that which endures to everlasting life.n The Lord give food to the hungry, and send portions to the needy.o Let us be of those blessed ones that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. In the Evening before the Lord's Day. NOW give us to remember that to-morrow is the Sabbath of the Lord,g and that it is a high day, holy of the Lord, and honorable,r and give us grace to sanctify ourselves ; & and may the Lord do wonders among us.t Give us rest from all our own works, and may we leave all our worldly cares. For the Morning of the Lord's Day. WE bless thee, Lord, that the light we see, is the Lord's,u that we see one more of the days of the Son of man,w a day to be spent in thy courts, which is better than a thousand. elsewhere.x Oh, that we may be Lord's day,y and that we in the Spirit on the may call the Sab o Psal. cxlvi. 7. Exod. xvi. 23. x Ps. lxxxiv. 10. r John xix. 31. Psal. cxviii. 27. y Rev. i. 10. |