PRAYER FOR GRACE — PROFESSION

My hands will I lift up
unto Thy commandments which I have
loved.
Open Thou mine eyes that I may see,
incline my heart that I may desire,
order my steps that I may follow,
the way of Thy commandments.
O Lord God, be Thou to me a God,
and beside Thee none else,
none else, nought else with Thee.
Vouchsafe to me, to worship Thee and
serve Thee
1. in truth of spirit,
2. in reverence of body,
3. in blessing of lips,
4. in private and in public;
5. to pay honour to them that have the
rule over me,
by obedience and submission,
to shew affection to my own,
by carefulness and providence;
6. to overcome evil with good;
7. to possess my vessel in sanctification
and honour;
8. to have my converse without
covetousness,
content with what I have;
9. to speak the truth in love;
10. to be desirous not to lust,
not to lust passionately,
not to go after lusts.

(THE HEDGE OF THE LAW, i.e. PRECAUTIONS)

1. To bruise the serpent's head. (Gen. iii. 15.)

2. To remember my latter end. (Deut. xxvii. 29.)
3. To cut off opportunities. (2 Cor. xi. 12.)
4. To be sober. (1 Pet. v. 8.)
5. Not to sit idle. (Matt. xx. 6.)
6. To shun the wicked. (Ps. xxvi. 5.)
7. To cleave to the good. (Rom. xii. 9.)

8. To make a covenant with the eyes. (Job xxxi. 1.)

9. To bring my body into subjection. (1 Cor. ix. 27.)

10. To give myself unto prayer. (1 Cor. vii. 5.)

11. To betake myself to penitence. (2 Pet. iii. 9.)

Hedge up, my way with thorns,
that I find not the path
for following vanity.
Hold Thou me in with bit and bridle,
lest I fall from Thee.
O Lord compel me to come in to Thee.

I believe, O Lord,
in Thee, Father, Word, Spirit, One God;
that by Thy fatherly love and power
all things were created;--
that by Thy goodness and love to man
all things have been begun anew
in Thy Word,--
Who for us men and for our salvation,
was made flesh,
was conceived and born,
suffered and was crucified,
died and was buried,
descended and rose again,
ascended and sat down,
will return and will repay;--
that by the shining?forth and working
of Thy Holy Spirit,
hath been called, out of the whole
world
a peculiar people into a polity,
in belief of the truth
and sanctity of living:--
that in it we are partakers
of the communion of saints
and forgiveness of sins
in this world;--
that in it we are waiting
for resurrection of the flesh
and life everlasting
in the world to come.--
This most holy faith
which was once delivered to the saints
I believe, O Lord;
help Thou mine unbelief,
and vouchsafe to me
to love the Father for His fatherly love,
to reverence the Almighty for His
power,
as a faithful Creator, to commit my
soul to Him in well doing;
vouchsafe to me to partake
from Jesus of salvation,
from Christ of anointing,
from the Only?begotten of adoption;
to worship the Lord
for His conception in faith,
for His birth in humility,
for His sufferings in patience and hatred
of sin;
for His Cross to crucify beginnings,
for His death to mortify the flesh,
for His burial to bury evil thoughts in
good works, for His descent to meditate upon hell,
for His resurrection upon newness of life,
for His ascension; to mind things above,
for His sitting on high, to mind the good
things on His right,
for His return, to fear His second
appearance,
for judgment, to judge myself ere I be
judged.
From the Spirit
vouchsafe me the breath of salutary
grace.
In the Holy Catholic Church
to have my own calling, and holiness,
and portion,
and a fellowship
of her sacred rites, and prayers,
fastings and groans,
vigils, tears, and sufferings,
for assurance of remission of sins,
for hope of resurrection and translation
to eternal life.