Blessed God,

Ten thousand snares are mine without and within,

Defend thou me;

When sloth and indolence seize me,

Give me views of heaven;

When sinners entice me,

Give me disrelish of their ways;

When sensual pleasures tempt me,

Purify and refine me;

When I desire worldly possessions,

Help me to be rich toward thee;

When the vanities of the world ensnare me,

Let me not plunge into new guilt and ruin.

May I remember the dignity of my spiritual release,

Never to be too busy to attend to my soul,

Never to be so engrossed with time

That I neglect the things of eternity;

Thus may I not only live, but grow towards thee.

Form my mind to right notions of religion,

That I may not judge of grace by wrong conceptions,

Nor measure my spiritual advances by the efforts of my natural being.

May I seek after an increase of divine love to thee,

After unreserved resignation to thy will,

After extensive benevolence to my fellow creatures,

After patience and fortitude of soul,

After a heavenly disposition

After a concern that I may please thee in public and private.

Draw on my soul the lineaments of Christ,

In every trace and feature of which thou wilt take delight,

for I am Thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,

Thy letter written with the Holy Spirit’s pen,

Thy tilled soil ready for the sowing, then harvest.

Copied from “The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions,” page 60.