PRAYER. GOD, whose gracious Providence vouchsafes to put us frequently in mind of our own and the world's last end, by burying every day in the silent grave of night, sweeten, we humbly beseech Thee, and render familiar to our expectation, those terrible periods of time, by our constant due use of this-to even our accounts with Thee, and fit ourselves for sleep, with a devout composure of our souls to their eternal rest; and grant that our yielding so often and so easily at the summons of our drowsy humours, to suspend for some hours all operations of the whole man, may teach our souls to reflect themselves into a more reasonable willingness, whenever Thou callest us to leave our bodies in the bed of dust, and pass into the state of their own perfect and ever-waking activity and bliss, heightened by sure hopes of a completely glorifying resurrection; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who with Thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth one God, world without end. AMEN. |