Holy Living
Jeremy Taylor
Kingdoms are in love with thee; kings lay their crowns and sceptres at thy feet; and queens are thy handmaids, and wash the feet of thy servants.
A Prayer to be said in any Affliction, as Death of Children, of Husband or Wife, in great Poverty, in Imprisonment, in a sad and disconsolate Spirit, and in Temptations to despair. O eternal God, Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, with much mercy look upon the sadnesses and sorrows of thy servant. My sins lie heavy upon me, and press me sore, and there is no health in my bones by reason of thy displeasure and my sin. The waters are gone over me, and I stick fast in the deep mire, and my miseries are without comfort, because they are punishments of my sin: and I am so evil and unworthy a person, that though I have great desires, yet I have no dispositions or worthiness toward receiving comfort. my sins have caused my sorrow, and my sorrow does not cure my sins; and unless for thine own sake, and merely because thou art good, thou shalt pity me and relieve me, I am as much without remedy as now I am without comfort. Lord, pity me! Lord, let thy grace refresh my spirit! Let thy comforts support me, thy mercy pardon me, and never let my portion be amongst hopeless and accursed spirits; for thou art good and gracious, and I throw myself upon thy mercy. Let me never let my hold go, and do thou with me what seems good in thine own eyes. I cannot suffer more than I have deserved; and yet I can need no relief so great as thy mercy is; for thou art infinitely more merciful than I can be miserable, and thy mercy, which is above all thy own works, must needs be far above all my sin and all my misery. Dearest Jesus, let me trust in thee for ever, and let me never be confounded. Amen.
Ejaculations and short Meditations to be used in time of Sickness and Sorrow, or Danger of Death. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.298 Hide not thy face from me in the time of my trouble, incline thine ear unto me when I call; O hear me, and that right soon, For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burnt up as it were with a firebrand. My heart is smitten down and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread; and that because of thine indignation and wrath; for thou hast taken me up and cast me down: thine arrows stick fast in me, and thine hand presseth me sore.299 There is no health in my flesh because of thy displeasure; neither is there any rest in my bones by reason of my sin. My wickednesses are gone over my head, and are a sore burden too heavy for me to bear. But I will confess my wickedness and be sorry for my sin. O Lord,
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Psalm cii. 1-4, 10. Psalm xxxviii. 2-4, 18.
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