Johann Arndt (1555-1621)

O Thou gracious and gentle and condescending God,
Thou God of peace,
Father of mercy,
God of comfort;
see,
I lament before Thee the evil of my heart;
I acknowledge that I am too much disposed to
anger, jealousy, and revenge,
to ambition and pride,
which often give rise to discord and bitter feelings
between me and others.
Too often have I thus offended and grieved both Thee,
O long-suffering Father,
and my fellow-men.
Oh forgive me this sin,
And suffer me to partake of the blessing
which Thou hast promised to the peacemakers,
who shall be called children of God.
Bestow on me,
O Lord,
a genial spirit and unwearied forbearance;
a mild, loving, patient heart;
kindly looks,
pleasant, cordial speech and manners
in the intercourse of daily life;
that I may give offence to none,
but as much as in me lies live in charity with all men.
Amen

Thomas Arnold (1795-1842)

O Lord,
give Thy blessing,
we pray Thee,
to our daily work,
that we may do it in faith and heartily,
as to the Lord and not unto men.
All our powers of body and mind are Thine,
and we would fain devote them to thy service.
Sanctify them,
and the work in which they are engaged;
let us not be slothful,
but fervent in spirit,
and do Thou,
O Lord,
so bless our efforts
that they may bring forth in us the fruits of true wisdom.
Teach us to seek after truth,
And enable us to gain it;
but grant that we may ever speak the truth in love;
that, while we know earthly things,
we may know Thee,
and be known by Thee,
through and in Thy Son Jesus Christ.
Give us this day Thy Holy Spirit,
that we may be Thine in body and spirit
in all our work and all our refreshments,
through Jesus Christ Thy Son,
our Lord.
Amen

Gelesian Sacramentary (492 AD)

O God,
deliver us from earthly desires,
that no sin may reign in us,
but that we may with free spirits serve Thee,
our only Lord;
through Jesus Christ.
Amen

Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667)

O Eternal Purity!
Thou art brighter than the sun,
purer than the angels,
and the heavens are not clean in Thy sight;
with mercy behold Thy servant,
apt to be tempted with every object,
and to be overcome by every enemy.
I cannot, O God, stand in the day of battle and danger,
unless Thou coverest me with Thy shield,
and hidest me under Thy wings.
Thou didst make me after Thine image;
be pleased to preserve me so pure and spotless,
that my body may be a holy temple,
and my soul a sanctuary to entertain Thy divinest Spirit,
the Spirit of love and holiness.
Amen.

Gregorian (590 AD)

Almighty God,
who seest that we have no power of ourselves
to help ourselves,
keep us both outwardly in our bodies
and inwardly in our souls,
that we may be defended from all adversities
which may happen to the body,
and from evil thoughts
which may assault and hurt the soul;
through Jesus Christ our lord.
Amen

George Dawson (1821-1876)

Almighty God,
of Thy fullness grant to us who need so much,
who lack so much,
who have so little,
wisdom and strength.
Bring our wills unto Thine.
Lift our understandings into Thy heavenly light;
that we thereby beholding those things which are right,
and be drawn by Thy love,
may bring together to Thy service,
until at last,
body soul and spirit may be all Thine,
and Thou be our Father and Eternal Friend.
Amen

James Martineau (1805-1900)

O God,
Ever blessed and holy!
None but the angels and the redeemed
can serve Thee with a perfect joy.
Called in our measure to be perfect as Thou are perfect,
we have been most unlike Thee,
and are not worthy to be deemed Thy children.
Thirsting with momentary desires,
we have forsaken the living springs of heavenly wisdom,
of which he that drinketh shall never thirst again.
We have been slow to the calls of affection,
heedless of the duties,
hard under the sorrows,
which are Thy gracious discipline;
yet are oppressed with cares Thou layest not on us,
with ease Thou dost not permit,
and wants Thou wilt never bless.
Visit us with the wrestlings of Thy Spirit:
and lay on us the cross,
if we may but grow into the holiness,
of Christ.
Amen

James Martineau biog

Charles How (1661-1745)

My adorable God,

I humbly beseech Thee to accept the sacrifice I here,

in all humility,
desire to make to Thee,

of the remainder of my life;

to be entirely employed,

with the utmost vigour both of my soul and body,

in Thy service and adoration.

Pardon all the sins and offences of my life past,

and be pleased to bestow upon me

a steadfast faith,

an ardent love,

an humble and perfect obedience,

and a will capable of no other inclination

than what it shall continually receive

from the absolute guidance of Thy divine will;

to which I beg it may ever be perfectly subservient,

with all readiness and cheerfulness.

As all my thoughts and actions are continually before Thee,

so I humbly beseech Thee,

that they may never be unworthy

of Thy divine Presence,

for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Amen

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

O Lord,
give us all,we beseech Thee,
grace and strength to overcome every sin;
sins of besetment,
deliberation,
surprise,
negligence,
omission;
sins against Thee,
our self,
our neighbour;
sins great,
small,
remembered,
forgotten.
Amen

Liturgy of St Mark

O God of Light,
Father of Life,
Giver of Wisdom,
Benefactor of our souls,
Who givest to the faint-hearted who put their trust in Thee
those things into which the angels desire to look;
O Sovereign Lord,
Who hast brought us up from the depths of darkness to light,
Who hast given us life from death,
Who hast graciously bestowed upon us freedom from slavery,
and Who hast scattered the darkness of sin within us;
do Thou now also enlighten the eyes of our understanding,
and sanctify us wholly in soul,
body,
and spirit.
Amen

John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

I need Thee to teach me
day by day,
according to each day's opportunities and needs.
Give me,
O my Lord,
that purity of conscience which alone can receive,
which alone can improve Thy inspirations.
my ears are dull,
so that I cannot hear thy voice.
My eyes are dim,
so that I cannot see Thy tokens.
Thou alone canst quicken my hearing,
and purge my sight,
and cleanse and renew my heart.
teach me to sit at Thy feet,
and to hear Thy word.
Amen

Mozarabic pre 700AD

Guide us in Thy way,

O Lord,

and mercifully show

the fountain of wisdom to our thirsting minds;

that we may be free from sorrowful heaviness,

and may drink in the sweetness of life eternal.

Amen

Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667)

Most merciful and gracious Father,
I bless and magnify Thy name
that Thou hast adopted me into the inheritance of sons,
and hast given me a portion of my elder Brother.
Thou who art the God of patience and consolation,
strengthen me that I may bear the yoke and burden of the Lord,
without any uneasy and useless murmurs,
and inneffective unwillingness.
Lord, I am unable to stand under the cross,
unable of myself,
but be Thou pleased to ease this load by fortifying my spirit,
that I may be strongest when I am weakest,
and may be able to do and suffer every thing that Thou pleasest,
through Christ Who strengtheneth me.
Let me pass through the valley of the shadow of death
with safety and peace,
with a meek spirit,
and a sense of the divine mercies,
through Jesus Christ.
Amen

Rowland Williams (1818-1870)

O Thou hope of all the ends of the earth;
Thou on Whom our fathers hoped,
and were not confounded;
Thou, Who knowest whereof we are made,
and whereby our shortcoming,
have pity on us,
O Lord.
O Helper of the helpless,
and Stonger than the strong,
remember all who are in distress of
mind, body, or estate;
succour them according to their need.
It is meet and right,
in all things, for all men,
in joy and sorrow,
alone and all together,
to remember and worship The,
to trust in Thee,
and praise Thee,
Lord and Father, King and God,
Fountain of life and immortality,
Source of everlasting good.
Thee all the heavens hymn,
and higher spirits praise,
crying to each other,
or going on the work which Thou givest them,
and so perfecting praise.
Blessed be the Dweller of Eternity,
my Strength and my Deliverer,
my Salvation and my Refuge for ever.
Amen

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

O merciful God

full of compassion, long-suffering and of great pity,
make me earnestly repent,
and heartily to be sorry for all my misdoings;
make the remembrance of them so painful
that I may flee to Thee with a troubled spirit
and a contrite heart;
and,
O merciful Lord,
visit, comfort, and relieve me;
excite in me true repentance;
give me in this world knowledge of Thy truth
and confidence in Thy mercy,
and,
in the world to come,
life everlasting.
Strengthen me against sin,
and enable me so to perform very duty,
that whilst I live I may server Thee
in that state to which Thou hast called me;
and,
at last, by a holy and happy death,
be delivered from the struggles and sorrows of this life,
and obtain eternal happiness,
for the sake of our Lord and Saviour,
Thy Son Jesus Christ.
Amen

A F Stark (1680-1756)

Rest upon us, O spirit of Love,
and chase all anger, envy, and bitter grudges
from our souls.
Be our Comforter in trial,
when billows go over our heads;
be our Strength in the hour of weakness,
and help us to control the desires of the flesh.
Let us grow in faith and love,
in hope, patience, and humility.
See by how many temptations we are surrounded,
and preserve us from giving way to them;
show us the path wherein we should tread,
for if we trust to our own impulses we shall go astray;
but if Thou lead us
we shall run in the way of Thy commandments.
Our hearts lie open before thee;
enter now with Thy rich gifts,
strengthen, stablish, settle them.
Dwell in them and make them Thy temple,
so shall we have the pledge of our sonship,
and our salvation.
Amen