A Prayer for Families in the Method of the Lord's Prayer

A Prayer for Fainilies m the method of the Lords Prayer being but an Expositmi of it. Most glorious God, who art Power and Wisdom and Goodness itself, the Creator of all things: the Owner, the Ruler and the Benefactor of the world: though by sin, original and natural we were Thy enemies, the slaves of Satan and our flesh, and under Thy displeasure and the condemnation of Thy Law: yet Thy children redeemed by Jesus Christ Thy Son, and regenerated by Thy Holy Spirit, have leave to call Thee their reconciled Father. For by Thy covenant of grace Thou hast given them Thy Son to be their Head, their Teacher and their Saviour: and in Him Thou hast pardoned, adopted and sanctified them: sealing and preparing them for Thy

* The Lord’s Supper and other Church-ordinances are referred to in the Vlllth day’s Conference, and more fully in my ‘Universal Concord.’ — fSee my List of Baxter’s Writings. celestial kingdom and beginning in them that holy life and light and love which shall be perfected with Thee in everlasting Glory. O with what wondrous love hast Thou loved us, that of rebels we should be made the sons of God! Thou hast advanced us to this dignity that we might be elevated wholly to Thee as Thine own, and might delightfully obey Thee and actively love Thee with all our heart: and so might glorify Thee here and forever.

O cause both us and all Thy churches, and all the world, to hallow Thy great and holy name! and to live to Thee as our ultimate end: that Thy shining image and holy soul may glorify Thy divine perfection.

And cause both us and all the earth to cast off the tyranny of Satan and the flesh and to acknowledge Thy supreme authority and to become the kingdoms of Thee and Thy Son Jesus, by a willing and absolute subjection. O perfect Thy kingdom of grace in ourselves and in the world and hasten the kingdom of glory.

And cause us and thy churches and all people of the earth no more to be ruled by the lusts of the flesh and their erroneous conceits, and by self-will, which is the idol of the wicked: but by Thy perfect wisdom and holy will revealed in Thy laws. Make known Thy Word to all the world and send them the messengers of grace and peace: and cause men to understand, believe and obey the Gospel of salvation, and that with such holiness, unity and love, that the Earth which is now too like hell may be made liker unto heaven: and not only Thy scattered, imperfect flock but those also who in their carnal and ungodly minds do now refuse a holy life and think Thy word and ways too strict, may desire to imitate even the heavenly Church: where Thou art obeyed and loved and praised, with high delight, in harmony and perfection:

And because our being is the subject of our well-being, maintain us in the life which Thou hast here given us, until the work of life be finished: and give us such health of mind and body and such protection and supply of all our wants as shall fit us for our duty and make us contented with our daily bread and patient if we want it. And save us from the love of the riches and honours and pleasures of this world; and the pride, and idleness and sensuality which they cherish. And cause us to serve Thy Providence by our diligent labours, and to serve Thee faithfully with all that Thou givest us. And let us not make provision for the flesh to satisfy its desires and lusts.

And we beseech Thee of Thy mercy, through the sacrifice and propitiation of Thy beloved Son, forgive us all our sins, original and actual, from our birth to this hour: our omissions of duty and committing what Thou didst forbid: our sins of heart and word and deed; our sinful thoughts and affections, our sinful passions and discontents, our secret and our open sins, our sins of negligence and ignorance and rashness: but especially our sins against knowledge and conscience, which have made the deepest guilt and wounds. Spare us O Lord and let not our sins so find us out as to be our ruin: but let us so find them out as truly to repent and turn to Thee! Especially punish us not with the loss of Thy grace! Take not Thy Holy Spirit from us and deny us not Thy assistance and holy operations. Seal to us by that Spirit the pardon of our sins, and lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us and give us the joy of Thy favour and salvation. And let thy love and mercy so fill us not only with thankfulness to Thee: but with love and mercy to our brethren and our enemies, that we may heartily forgive them that do us wrong, as through Thy grace we hope we do. And for the time to come, suffer us not to cast ourselves wilfully into temptations: but carefully to avoid them and resolutely to resist and conquer what we cannot avoid. And O sanctify those inward sins and lusts which are our constant and most dangerous temptations: and let us not be tempted by Satan or the

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world, or tried by Thy judgments above the strength which Thy grace shall give us. Save us from a fearless confidence in our own strength. And let us not dally with the snare nor taste the bait nor play with the fire of Thy wrath: but cause us to fear and depart from evil: lest before we are aware we be entangled and overcome and wounded with our guilt and with Thy wrath, and our end should be worse than our beginning. Especially save us from those radical sins of error and unbelief, pride, hypocrisy, hard-heartedness, sensuality, slothfulness and the love of the present world and the loss of our love to Thee, to Thy kingdom and Thy ways.

And save us from the malice of Satan and of wicked men and from the evils which our sins would bring upon us.

And as we crave all this from Thee, we humbly render our praises with our future service to Thee! Thou art the king of all the world and more than the life of all the living! Thy kingdom is everlasting! Wise and just and merciful is Thy government. Blessed are they that are Thy faithful subjects. But who hath hardened himself against Thee and hath prospered? The whole creation proclaimeth Thy perfection: But it is to heaven where the blessed see Thy glory and the glory of our Redeemer, where the angels and saints behold Thee, admire Thee, adore Thee, love Thee, and praise Thee with triumphant, joyful songs, the holy, holy, holy God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, who was and is and is to come. Of Thee and through Thee and to Thee are all things. To Thee be glory for ever. Amen.