if we are alone, we are apt to be corrupted by the evil fuggeftions of our own corrupt hearts, or of that evil one that watcheth all opportunities either to feduce or mifchief us. And fince all our ways are before Thee, and thou knoweft the fnares that are in them, and how to prevent them, or to prevent us from them, or to preferve us against them, we befeech Thee by thy Providence, preferve us from all thofe Temptations which thou knoweft to be too ftrong for us; and by thy grace preferve us from being overcome by thofe Temptations that unavoidably occur in all our actions and conditions: grant us the fpirit of watchfulness and fobriety, the spirit of moderation and humility, the fpirit of patience and wifdom, the fpirit of faith and dependance, and the fpirit of the love and fear of thy Majefty, that may fupport us against all thofe Temptations unto any fin, that may occur in the course and paffages of our lives; that though thy Providence fhould permit us to fall into Temptation, we may not fall under it, but by thy grace be delivered from the evil of it.

But deliver us from Evil.

Deliver us therefore, we pray Thee, from evil of all kinds and natures; from the evil of fin, and from the evil of fuffering; from fuch evils as may befall our fouls, either to difturb and difcompofe them, or to defile and corrupt them; from the evils that may befall our bodies by cafualties or diseases; from the evils that may befall our eftates by loffes and calamities; from the evils that may befall our good names by calumnies and flanders; from the evil that may befall our relations in any kind; from public evils to the church or state wherein we live; from private evils to ourselves or others.

For thine is the Kingdom.

And though in this fhort prayer we have been bold to afk of Thee many large and ample benefits and

mercies,

mercies, which if we look upon ourselves only, seem too great for us to afk, yet they are not too great for Thee to give; for thou art the great King and Sovereign Lord of all the World, in comparison of whom all the kings of the earth are but small inconfiderable things; and yet even their honour is much advanced by beneficence and bounty; all which nevertheless is but a drop in comparison of that ocean of goodness, and bounty, and beneficence that refides in, and hourly flows from Thee, the great Monarch of the whole world. Thy fubjects are all of thy own making; and all the good that is in them, or enjoined by them, is derived from Thee to them. The ftrength, and glory, and beauty, and excellence of thy kingdom is not derived from thy fubjects, but from thyfelf to them. And therefore, though my petitions be great, they are fit to be fuch, becaufe directed to the mighty Creator, and King and Monarch of the whole univerfe, the root and fountain of all being and goodness.

The Power.

And as thou art the Great Sovereign of all the World, and art invested with the fupreme authority; so thou art the great Creator of all things, and art invefted with infinite Power and All-fufficiency. And as thou haft the fupreme authority, so thou haft boundlefs power to grant and effect what we have afked. As thou art the great and glorious King of Heaven and Earth, and the Father of all mankind, we have reafon to be confident in thy goodness and beneficence. And as thou art the Almighty Creator, we have affurance of thy power, to give us whatfoever thy wifdom and goodnefs doth move Thee to beftow. And therefore upon both accounts we have reafon to be confident in the obtaining of what we afk in this prayer from the great Lord of all things, that is abundant in goodness, and All-fufficient in Power.

And the Glory.

And although thy infinite All fufficiency and Glory

can

can receive no increafe from thy creatures, yet give us leave with humility to prefs Thee ever with this ar gument alfo. Thou haft been pleased to declare unto us, that thy glory is the great end of all thy works; and art pleased to fet the greateft value that may be upon thy own glory; and art pleafed to command thy creatures to glorify Thee; and doft accept that small tribute of Praise and Thanksgiving, and glorifying of thy Name, from thy creatures in good part. Thou hast the glory of our dependance upon Thee, which we teftify by invoking thy great Name; thou wilt have the glory of thy goodness, thy power, thy bounty, in granting these our petitions and requests; and the glory of our Praifes and Thanksgivings for thy bounty and goodness in accepting and anfwering them; which though it cannot benefit Thee, yet it is all thy poor creatures can return unto Thee, and thou haft declared thyfelf well pleafed with it. He that offereth praife, glorifieth Thee'.

Amen.

Bleffed Lord, therefore be it according to these our petitions and defires: and fo much the rather, because these our requests are not the product of our own imaginations and weak judgments; but that Son of thine, who beft knew thy will, and what thou wouldst grant, hath taught us thus to pray; When ye pray, fay, Our Father, &c.

1 Psalm 1 52.

POEMS

POEMS UPON CHRISTMAS-DAY.

I.

CHRISTMAS-DAY, 1651.

ALMIGHTY God, when he had raised the frame
Of Heaven and Earth, and furnished the fame
With works of equal wonder, framed then
A piece of greater excellence, called Man:
Gave him a comprehenfive foul, that foared
Above the creatures, and beheld his Lord;
Infcribed him with his image, and did fill
The compafs of his intellect and will
With truth and good; gave him the custody
Of his own blifs and immortality.
And justly now his fovereign might demand
Subjection and obedience at his hand;
Were only being given, 'twere but right
His debt of duty fhould be infinite :
But here was more, a super-added dress
Of Life, Perfection, and Happiness;
Yet this great king, for an experiment
Of man's deferved allegiance, is content
To use an easy precept, fuch as flood

Both with his creature's Duty and his Good;
Forbids one fruit on pain of death, and gives
Freely the reft, which he might eat and live.
But Man rebels, and for one tafte doth choose
His Life, his God, his Innocence to lofe.

And

And now death-ftricken, like a wounded deer,
Strictly pursued by guilt, and fhame, and fear,
He feeks to lose himself; from God he flies,
And takes a wilderness of miferies;

A land of new tranfgreffions, where his curfe
Is clofer bound, his nature growing worse.
And whiles in this condition mankind lay,

A man fhould think his injured God should say-
There lies accurfed man, and let him lie
Entangled in that web of mifery

Which his own fin has fpun! I must be true
And juft, unthankful Man, thou haft thy due.
But 'twas not fo. Though Man the mastery
With his Creator's power and will dares try,
And being over-matched with power, difdains
To feek a pardon from his Sovereign;

The Great and Glorious God, the Mighty King
Of Heaven and Earth, defpifed by fuch a thing
As man, a worm of his own making, breaks
The rules of greatnefs, and his creature feeks,
His froward creature; not in fuch a way
As once he did in the cool of that day.
Wherein man finned, and hid; fuch Majefty
Had been too great for Man's ncceffity:

But the eternal Son of God, the Word

By which all things were made, the Mighty Lord,
Affumes our flesh, and under that he lays,
And hides his Greatnefs, and thofe glorious rays
Of Majefly, which had been over bright,
And too refplendent for poor morials fight;
And under this difguife, the King of Kings
The Meffage of his Father's Mercy brings;
Solicits man's return; and pays the price
Of his tranfgreffions by the facrifice

Of