"Eternal praises and thanks be rendered to thee, O Lord of my health and strength, in whose hands are
the ways of life, and issues of death. I looked for extreme danger, and
behold safety; I looked for outcries of sorrow, but behold showers of
joy; I looked for sudden death, and behold present life to me and my
sweet Babe. O that my heart were a skillful indicter, and my tongue as
the pen of a ready scribe, to write down thy praises, and record the
wondrous things thou hast done for my soul. Thou hast delivered my life
from death; mine eyes from tears. Thous hast dealt graciously with me
above my desert, enabled me above my strength, delivered me above my
hope; and therefore I will rejoice in thee above measure, and magnify
thee without end. Thou hast shut the mouth of the pit which would have
swallowed me, therefore will I open my mouth in thy praises. Thou hast
made good thy promises unto me, therefore I will make good my vows unto
thee. Thou hast given me the fruit of my womb, therefore will I return
unto thee the fruit of my lips. Now I have felt thy strength in my
greatest weakness, I have tasted thy goodness in my bitter pangs, I will
therefore call upon thee in my troubles, and will praise thee in my
deliverance, and depend upon thee as well in want as in plenty, in
sickness as in health, in death as in life. Thou mightest most justly
have deprived me of the benefit, and my infant of the hope of life. Thou
mightest deservedly have cut off the root and the branch in the same
moment, for both were at thy mercy, and liable to a curse; but thy mercy
is over all thy works. Thou art good to them that are evil; gracious to
them that are ungracious, merciful to them that are most sinful. Thou
desirest not the death of a sinner, but of sin. Thou wouldest that all
should live, and here sow the seeds, and in heaven reap the fruit of
immortality. For to this end thou breathedst into us the life of nature,
to make us capable of the life of grace, that thereby we may attain the
life of glory. Therefore dost thou bring us into the light of this
world, and settest us in the way, that walking the paths of thy
commandments, we might in the end arrive at our country in heaven. This
life of nature thou hast now give to my child, and continued it to me;
add now I beseech thee, grace to nature, and glory to grace hereafter,
that as we now live in thee by nature, so we may live to thee by grace,
and hereafter forever live with thee in glory. Thou hast ordained
strength out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, and justly mayest
expect praise from them. Gracious Lord, first give my infant strength,
and then receive praises from it. The hidden treasure which for many
months thou laidst up in me, is now safely taken out of me, and
delivered to me; therefore I now offer it to thee in thy holy Temple.
Accept that from me which thou hast given to me. Receive that into thine
hands which thou hast put into mine arms, wash it in the font of
baptism, regenerate it by thy Holy Spirit; feed it with the sincere milk
of thy Word, till it hath knowledge to choose the good, and refuse the
evil. As it groweth in years, and stature and strength; so grant that it
may grow in thy grace and favour, and increase in wisdom, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. So be it. "
Amen.
Now unto the King immortal, everlasting, invisible, unto God only wise, be honour and glory forever and ever, Amen.
1 Tim. 1.17
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