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2. That where it is begun it may be carried on, and at length perfected, and the foundation that is well laid may be happily built upon.

Fulfil in us all the good pleasure of thy goodness, and the work of faith with power.a

Let the God that has begun a good work in us, perform it unto the day of Christ.b

Perfect, O God, that which concerns us: thy mercy, O Lord, endures for ever; forsake not the work of thine own hands.c

Lord, let thy grace be sufficient for us, and let thy strength be made perfect in weakness, that where we are weak, there we may be strong,d strong in the Lord, and the power of his might.e

More particularly we must pray for grace.

1. To teach and instruct us, and make us knowing and intelligent in the things of God.

Give us so to cry after knowledge, and to lift up our voice for understanding, to seek for it as silver, and to search for it as for hid treasure, that we may understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.g

Give us all to know thee, from the least even to the greatest,h and to follow on to know thee ;i and so to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, as may be life eternal to us.k

Give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, that the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and may experience what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power./

Open thou our eyes, that we may see the wondrous things of thy law and gospel.m

Give us to know the certainty of those things wherein we have been instructed; and let our knowledge grow up to all riches of the full assurance of understanding.

a 2 Thess. 1.11.
b2 Cor. 12.9, 10.
A Heb. 8. 11.
Eph. 1. 17, 18, 19.

¿ Phil., 1. 6.
e Eph. 6. 10.
i Hosea 6. 3.
m Psalm 119. 18.

c Psalm 138. 8.
g Prov. 2. 3, 4, 5,
k John 17. 3.

to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, even of the Father and of Christ.a

Deal with thy servants according to thy mercy, and teach us thy statutes; we are thy servants, give us understanding, that we may know thy testimonies. Let our cry come before thee, O Lord; give us understanding, according to thy word,b that good understanding which they have that do thy commandments, whose praise endureth for ever.c

2. To lead us into and keep us in the way of truth; and if in any thing we be in an error, to rectify our mistake.

Let the Spirit of truth guide us into all truth,d and cause us to understand wherein we have erred.e

That which we see not, teach thou us,g and enable us to prove all things, as to hold fast that which is good.h

Lord, grant that we may not be as children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Christ in all things, who is the head.ż

Lord, give us so to do thy will, as that we may know of the doctrine whether it be of God;k and so to know the truth, as that the truth may make us free, may make us free indeed./

Enable us, we pray thee, to hold fast the form of sound words, which we have heard in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus,m and to continue in the things which we have learned and been assured of.n

2. To help our memories, that the truths of God may be ready to us, whenever we have occasion to use them.

Lord, let thy Spirit teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance, whatsoever thou hast said unto us; that the word of Christ may dwell richly in us in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.p

Lord, grant that we may give a more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we let

a Luke 1.4.

c Psalm 111. 10. g Job 34. 32. k John 7.17. n2 Tim. 3. 14.

b Psalm 119. 124, 125. 169.

d John 16. 13.

h1 Thess. 5. 21.
/ John 8. 32.36.
o John 14. 26.

e Job 6. 24.

i Eph. 4, 14, 15
m 2 Timothy 1. 13.
Col. 3. 16.

them slip, and may keep in memory what hath been preached to us, and may not believe in vain.a

Lord, make us ready and mighty in the scriptures that we may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.b and being well instructed into the kingdom of heaven, may, as the good householder, bring out of our treasure things new and old.c

4. To direct our consciences, to show us the way of our duty, and to make us wise, knowing, judicious Christians. Lord, give us a wise and an understanding heart,d that wisdom which in all cases is profitable to direct ;e that wisdom of the prudent which is to understand his way.g

This we pray, that our love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment, that we may discern things that differ, and may approve things that are excellent; that we may be sincere, and without offence unto the day of Christ, and may be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.h

O that we may be filled with the knowledge of thy will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that we may walk worthy of God unto all-pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.i.

Teach us thy way, O God, and lead us in a plain path, because of our observers.k

When we know not what to do, our eyes are up unto thee: then let us hear the Lord behind us, saying, This is the way, walk in it, that we turn not to the right hand nor to the left.m

Order our steps in thy word, and let no iniquity have dominion over us.n

5. To sanctify our nature, to plant in us all holy principles and dispositions, and to increase every grace in us. The very God of peace sanctify us wholly; and we pray God, our whole spirit, and soul, and body may be

a Heb. 2. 1,
d1 Kings 3.9.
Phit 1. 9, 10, 11
12 Chron. 20. 12.

b Acts 18. 29.
e Eccl. 10. 10.
i Col. 1. 9. 10. .
m isa. 30.21.

c 2 Timothy 3.17.
g Prov. 14, 8.
K Psalm 27. 11.
n Psalm 119. 133.

preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus. Christ; for faithful is he that calleth, who also will do it.a

Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right. spirit within us; and cast us not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit away from us; restore unto us the joy of thy salvation, and uphold us with thy free Spirit.b

Write thy law in our hearts, and put it in our inward part,c that we may be the epistles of Christ, written by the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart,d that the law of our God being in our heart, none of our steps may slide,e and we may delight to do thy will, O God,g may delight in the law of God after the inward man.h

O that we may obey from the heart that form of doctrine into which we desire to be delivered, as into a mould, that our whole souls may be leavened by it ;i and that we may not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our mind ;k may not fashion ourselves after our former lusts in our ignorance,/ but as obedient children, may be holy in all manner of conversation, as he who hath called us is holy.m

(1.) We must pray for faith.

Unto us (Lord) let it be given to believe in for the faith by which we are saved is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.o

Lord increase our faith,p and perfect what is lacking in it,q that we may be strong in faith, giving glory to God.r

Lord, give us so to be crucified with Christ, as that the life we may live in the flesh we may live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us ;s and so to bear about with us continually the dying of the Lord Jesus, as that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal bodies.t

a 1 Thess. 5.23.24.
d 2 Cor. 3. 3.
h Rom. 7. 22.
Rom. 12 2.

o Eph. 2.8.
7 Rom. 4, 20.

b Psalm 51, 10, 11, 12.
e Psalm 37.31,

i Rom. 6. 17.
m 1 Peter 1. 14.
Luke 7, 6,
8 Gal. 12. 20.

F

c Heb. 8. 10. g Psalm 40. 1.

Matt. 13, 23, n Phil. 1. 29.

1 Thess, 3, 10, i 2 Cor. 4. 10,

As we have received Christ Jesus, the Lord enable us so to walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as we have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.a

Let every word of thine profit us,b being mixed with faith, by which we receive thy testimony, and set to our seal that God is true.c

We beseech thee, work in us that faith which is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen,d by which we may look above the things that are seen, that are temporal, and may look at the things that are not seen that are eternal.e

Enable us by faith to set the Lord always before us,g and to have our eyes ever towards him,h that we may act in every thing, as seeing him that is invisible, and having a respect to the recompense of reward.i

Let our hearts be purified by faith,k and let it be our victory overcoming the world. And let us be kept from fainting, by believing that we shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.m

2. We must pray for the fear of God.

Lord, work in us that fear of thee, which is the beginning of wisdom,n which is the instruction of wisdom, and which is a fountain of life,o to depart from the snares of death.p

Unite our hearts to fear thy name,g that we may keep thy commandments, which is the whole duty of man.r O put thy fear into our hearts, that we may never depart from thee.s Let us all be devoted to thy fear t And let us be in the fear of the Lord every day, and all the day long.v

(3.) We must pray that the love of God and Christ may be rooted in us, and in order thereunto, that the love of the world may be rooted out of us.

Give us grace, we beseech thee, to love thee the Lord our God, with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and

a Col. 2, 6, 7. 'd Heb. 11. 1. Psalm 25. 15. (1 John 5.4. e Prov. 15. 33. Eccl. 12, 13. Prov.23, 17,

b Heb.4.2.
e 2 Cor. 4. 18.
Heb. 9. 26, 27.
m Psalm 27. 13.
Prov. 14. 27,
* Jer. 32. 40,

c John 3.33.
g Psalm 16. 8.
k Acts 15. 9.
n Prov. 1. 7.
g Psalm 86. 11.
Psalm 119.38.

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