Evening Prayers

IN war there is the note of charge, fitted for the onset: of recall, whereby stragglers are recalled;

And the mind of man, as it must be stirred up in the morning, so in the evening, as by a note of recall, is it to be called back to itself and to its Leader by a scrutiny and inquisition or examination of self, by prayers and thanksgivings.

A good man would rather know his infirmity, than the foundations of the earth, or the heights of the heavens.

But that knowledge of our own infirmity is not attained save by diligent inquisition, without which the mind is for the most part blind, and sees nothing of that which pertains to it.

There are many hiding places and recesses in the mind.

You must come to the knowledge of, before you can amend, yourself.

An ulcer unknown grows worse and worse, and is deprived of cure.

The heart is deceitful above all things.

The old man is bound up in a thousand folds.

Therefore take heed to thyself.

What hast thou
to-day

that

This chiefly is to be inquired:
/ done, read,
said, written,

fbefits a Christian, a priest,

a father, etc.

may confirm faith, obedience,
may increase knowledge,

the good government of mind,
of body.

may work out the salvation
of thyself,
of others.

We see that God Himself concluded each day of the old creation in no other manner than by a review of the works of each, and he saw that all were good.

Cato exacted of himself an account of every day’s business, and so also Pythagoras.

Ausonius from Pythagoras:

Nor let sweet sleep upon thine eyes descend, Till thou hast judged its deeds at each day’s end.

King David, when the day was over, communed with his own heart, and his spirit made diligent search.

In this Areopagitic nightly examination, see that thou shew thyself the judge, not the patron, of thy sins; and say in the tribunal of thy mind, say with grief and indignation: I acknowledge my transgressions, O Lord; who will set scourges over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over mine heart?

If we judged ourselves, we should not be judged.

Prayer is the guardian of the sleeping, the confidence of the waking.

We think him not safe who is undefended by the

arms and the guard of prayer. Rightly therefore teacheth Rabbi Jarchi that penitence must not be put off till the morrow. Behold the hope of fruit and eternal salvation shall have deceived itself for ever, unless even in this very night thou shalt have freed thy soul.

And if an examination of this kind takes place for some days, or at farthest one month, with penitence, it will suffice to form a perfect habit of virtue.

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THE day is gone,

and I give Thee thanks, O Lord.

Evening draws nigh;

make it bright.
As day has its evening,

so also has life:

the evening of life is age;

age has overtaken me,

make it bright.

Cast me not off in the time of old age;

forsake me not when my strength faileth.

Even to my old age be Thou He,

and even to hoar hairs carry me;

do Thou make, do Thou bear,

do Thou carry and deliver me.

Abide with me, Lord,

for it is toward evening,

and the day is far spent

of this toilful life.

Let Thy strength be made perfect

in my weakness.

The day is fled and gone;

life too is going,

this lifeless life.

Night cometh;

and cometh death,

the deathless death.

As the end of the day is near,

so too is the end of life;

we then, also remembering it,

beseech of Thee,
for the close of our life,

that Thou wouldest guide it in peace

to be Christian, acceptable, sinless, shameless,

and, should it please Thee, painless,

Lord, O Lord, gathering us together

under the feet of Thy chosen,
when Thou wilt, and as Thou wilt,

only without shame and sin.
Let us remember the days of darkness,

for they are many,

lest we be cast into outer darkness.

Let us remember to outstrip the night,

doing some good thing.

Near is judgment;

a good and acceptable answer

at the dread and awful judgment seat

of Jesus Christ
vouchsafe to us, O Lord.

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BY night I lift up my hands in the sanctuary,

and bless the Lord. The Lord hath commanded His lovingkindness

in the daytime,

and in the night His song shall be with me and my prayer unto the God of my life.

I will bless Thee while I live,

and lift up my hands in Thy name.

Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense;

and the lifting up of my hands

as the evening sacrifice.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God,

the God of our fathers,

Who hast ordained the changes of day and night.

Who givest songs in the night, Who hast delivered us from the evil of this day,

Who hast not cut off like a weaver my life, nor from day even to night made an end of me.

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LORD, as we add day to day, so sin to sin.

The just falleth seven times a day,

and I, an exceeding sinner,

fall seventy times seven:

a wonderful, a horrible thing, O Lord.

But I turn back with groans

from my evil ways,

and I return to my own heart,

and with all my heart I return to Thee.

O God of penitents and Saviour of sinners,

evening by evening I will return

in the innermost marrow of my soul;

and my soul out of the depths crieth unto Thee:

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned

grievously against Thee;

alas, alas, woe is me for my misery.

I repent, O me, I repent; spare me, O Lord;

I repent, O me, I repent;

help Thou my impenitence.

Spare me, O Lord; be merciful unto me;

I said, Lord, be merciful unto me,

heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord,
according to Thy lovingkindness,
according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies
blot out my transgressions.

Remit the guilt,

heal the wound,

blot out the stains, deliver from the shame,

rescue from the tyranny,
and make me not a public example.

O bring Thou me out of my distresses,

cleanse Thou me from secret faults,

keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins.

My wanderings of mind and idle talking

lay not to my charge.

Remove the dark and muddy flood

of foul and lawless thoughts.

O Lord, I have destroyed myself; whatever I have done amiss, mercifully pardon.

Deal not with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities.

Look mercifully upon our infirmities;

and, for the glory of Thy all-holy name,

turn from us all those ills and miseries

which by our sins, and by us through them,

are most righteously and worthily deserved.

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To my weariness, O Lord,
vouchsafe Thou rest;

to my exhaustion
renew Thou strength.

Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.

Deliver me from the terror by night, from the pestilence that walketh in darkness.

Give me sound sleep,
and to pass this night without fear.

O Keeper of Israel,
Who neither slumberest nor sleepest,
preserve me this night from all evil,

preserve my soul.

Visit me with the visitation of Thine own,

reveal to me wisdom in the visions of the night.

If not, for I am not worthy, not worthy,

at least, O sovereign Lord, O Lover of men,

let sleep be to me a breathing time,

as from toil, so from sin.

Yea, O Lord, nor let me in my dreams imagine

what may anger Thee, what may defile me.

Let not my loins be filled with illusions;

nay rather, let my reins instruct me

in the night season,

yet without grievous terror.

Preserve me from the black sleep of sin;

every earthly and evil thought put to sleep within me.

Grant to me light sleep, rid of all imaginations fleshly and satanical.

Lord, Thou, Who madest me, knowest
how sleepless are mine unseen foes,
and how feeble my wretched flesh.

Let the wing of Thy pity shelter me;
awaken me at the fitting time, the time of prayer;
and give me to seek Thee early,
in praise of Thy glory,
and for Thy service.

Into Thine hand, O Lord, I commit myself,

my spirit, soul, and body:

Thou didst make, and didst redeem them;

and, together with me, all my friends,

and all that is mine.

Thou hast graciously given them to me, Lord, in Thy goodness.

Guard my downsitting and mine uprising,

from this time forth and even for evermore.

Let me remember Thee upon my bed,

and let my spirit make diligent search;

let me awake and be still with Thee.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:

for Thou, Lord, only
makest me dwell in safety.