Pilgrim72
Puritan Board Junior
Here is a prayer of Thomas Manton's, found in Farewell Sermons.
Doctor Manton's Prayer at Covent Garden.
O Lord God, all that we can do is nothing of ourselves, we can do nothing; Oh let us have the gracious Assistance of thy Spirit at this time; let thy love constrain us; say unto us, Thou art our Salvation. Do not say that we shall fill up the measure of our iniquities, and there shall be no hope for us. O Lord, we are ashamed that we have waited so long in thine ordinances, and have got no more profit to our poor souls; but we have given up our hearts to the pleasures and vanities of this world, that are but for a season; even those that thou hast drawn out after thee, do not walk worthy of thee (answerable to that blessed hope of future happiness) in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, Jesus Christ is to many of us become a stumbling-block, and a rock of offence while our hearts are carried out after the world with such strong affections. Oh! when shall we carry ourselves so, as those that profess themselves to be seekers of a better life? We come into thy presence now for strength, do thou manifest thyself to us; thou hast promised to pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh; Oh let it be unto us according to thy promise.
O Lord, our hearts naturally are averse to thee, so that of ourselves we shall never be able to do anything that may be well-pleasing to thee; but do thou regulate us by thy blessed Spirit, that we may observe thy statutes and do them, and that thy commands may not be grievous to us, that it may not be burdensome for us to do the work of God; O Lord, when shall our hearts be made sound in thy statutes? We wait upon thee in the use of thine ordinances, that we may have a new supply from thee, that at length we may come to see that thou art at work with us to save our souls; O help us to be followers of them, who with faith and patience do follow thee, & to do nothing unbecoming our holy call: suffer us not to swerve from thy commandments, but let us have a constant and earnest desire after thee.
Let the choicest of thy mercies come down on our Sovereign Charles King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland; let his heart be guided by thee, & let him always set thee before his eyes that under the shadow of his government, we may have peace in all godliness and honesty: Bless him in his relations, in his councils. Teach our senators wisdom: Be with all thy faithful magistrates and ministers, let them be a terror to evil doers, and an encouragement to them that do well. Be with us in the way of thy worship; we are here met together to hear and handle thy holy Word, Oh do thou command it to light upon all our hearts, let it come in the evidence and demonstration of thy Spirit; and all for Christ's sake; for whom we bless thee: to him, with thee and thy Holy Spirit, be praise and glory for evermore.
Doctor Manton's Prayer at Covent Garden.
O Lord God, all that we can do is nothing of ourselves, we can do nothing; Oh let us have the gracious Assistance of thy Spirit at this time; let thy love constrain us; say unto us, Thou art our Salvation. Do not say that we shall fill up the measure of our iniquities, and there shall be no hope for us. O Lord, we are ashamed that we have waited so long in thine ordinances, and have got no more profit to our poor souls; but we have given up our hearts to the pleasures and vanities of this world, that are but for a season; even those that thou hast drawn out after thee, do not walk worthy of thee (answerable to that blessed hope of future happiness) in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, Jesus Christ is to many of us become a stumbling-block, and a rock of offence while our hearts are carried out after the world with such strong affections. Oh! when shall we carry ourselves so, as those that profess themselves to be seekers of a better life? We come into thy presence now for strength, do thou manifest thyself to us; thou hast promised to pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh; Oh let it be unto us according to thy promise.
O Lord, our hearts naturally are averse to thee, so that of ourselves we shall never be able to do anything that may be well-pleasing to thee; but do thou regulate us by thy blessed Spirit, that we may observe thy statutes and do them, and that thy commands may not be grievous to us, that it may not be burdensome for us to do the work of God; O Lord, when shall our hearts be made sound in thy statutes? We wait upon thee in the use of thine ordinances, that we may have a new supply from thee, that at length we may come to see that thou art at work with us to save our souls; O help us to be followers of them, who with faith and patience do follow thee, & to do nothing unbecoming our holy call: suffer us not to swerve from thy commandments, but let us have a constant and earnest desire after thee.
Let the choicest of thy mercies come down on our Sovereign Charles King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland; let his heart be guided by thee, & let him always set thee before his eyes that under the shadow of his government, we may have peace in all godliness and honesty: Bless him in his relations, in his councils. Teach our senators wisdom: Be with all thy faithful magistrates and ministers, let them be a terror to evil doers, and an encouragement to them that do well. Be with us in the way of thy worship; we are here met together to hear and handle thy holy Word, Oh do thou command it to light upon all our hearts, let it come in the evidence and demonstration of thy Spirit; and all for Christ's sake; for whom we bless thee: to him, with thee and thy Holy Spirit, be praise and glory for evermore.
