Lewis Bayly,
The Practice of Piety,
pp. 113-115, 117-118

Meditations to stir us up to Morning Prayer.

1. If, when thou art about to pray, Satan shall suggest that thy prayers are too long, and that therefore it were better either to omit prayers, or else to cut them shorter: meditate that prayer is thy spiritual sacrifice, wherewith God is well pleased (Heb. 13:15-16); and therefore it is so displeasing to the devil, and so irksome to the flesh. Bend therefore thy affections (will they, nill they) to so holy an exercise; assuring thyself, that it doth by so much the more please God, by how much the more it is unpleasing to thy flesh.

2. Forget not that the Holy Ghost puts it down as a special note of reprobates, “They call not upon the Lord, they call not upon God.” (Psal. 14:4; 53:4). And when Eliphaz supposed that Job had cast off the fear of God, and that God had cast Job out of his favour, he chargeth him that he restrained prayer before God (Job 15:4); making that a sure note of the one, and a sufficient cause of the other. On the other side, that God has promised that “whosoever shall call on his name shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13). It is certain that he who makes no conscience of the duty of prayer, has no grace of the Holy Spirit in him, for the spirit of grace and of prayer are one (Zech. 12:10:) and therefore grace and prayer go together. But he that can from a penitent heart morning and evening pray to God, it is sure that he has his measure of grace in this world, and he shall have his portion of glory in the life which is to come.

3. Remember, that as loathing of meat, and painfulness of speaking, are two symptoms of a sick body; so irksomeness of praying when thou talkest with God, and carelessness in hearing, when God, by his word, speaks unto thee, are two sure signs of a sick soul.

4. Call to mind the zealous devotions of the Christians in the primitive church, who spent many whole nights and vigils in watching and praying for the forgiveness of their sins, and that they might be found ready at the coming of Christ; and that David was not content to pray at morning, at evening, and at noon (Psal. 55:16-17), but he would also rise up at midnight to pray unto God (Psal. 119:62). And if Christ did chide his disciples, because they would not watch with him one hour in praying (Matt. 26:40), what chiding dost thou deserve, who thinkest it too long to continue in prayer but one quarter of an hour? If thou hast spent divers hours at a vain ball or play; yea whole days and nights in carding and dicing, to please thy flesh, be ashamed to think that praying for a quarter of an hour is too long an exercise for the service of God.

5. Consider, that if the papists, in their blind superstition, do in an unknown, and therefore unedifying tongue, fit only for the children of mystical Babylon (1 Cor. 14:14; Gen. 11:79; Rev. 17:5), mutter over upon their beads every morning and evening so many scores of ave-maries, paternosters, and idolatrous prayers, how shall they, in their superstitious devotion, rise up in judgment against thee, professing thyself to be a true worshipper of Christ? If that thou thinkest these prayers too long a task, being shorter for quantity than theirs, but far more profitable for quality, tending only to God’s glory, and thy good; and so compiled of Scripture phrase, as that thou mayest speak to God, as well in his own holy words, as in thine own native language: be ashamed that papists, in their superstitious worshipping of creatures, should show themselves more devout than thou in the sincere worshipping of the true and only God (John 17:3). And indeed a prayer in private devotion should be one continued speech, rather than many broken fragments.

6. Lastly, when such thoughts come into thy head, either to keep thee from prayer, or to distract thee in praying, remember that those are the fowls which the evil one sends to devour the good seed [Mat. 13:19], and the carcasses of thy spiritual sacrifices; but endeavour with Abraham, to drive them away (Gen. 15:11). Yet notwithstanding, if thou perceivest at times, that thy spirits are dull, and thy mind not apt for prayer and holy devotion, strive not too much for that time, but humbling thyself at the sense of thine infirmity and dullness, knowing that God accepteth the willing mind, though it be oppressed with the heaviness of the flesh (Matt. 26:41; 2 Cor. 8:12), endeavour the next time to recompense this dullness, by redoubling thy zeal, and for the time present, commend thy soul to God in prayer….

Further Meditations to stir up to Prayer in the Morning.

Think not any business or haste, though never so great, a sufficient excuse to omit prayer in the morning, but meditate:

1. That the greater thy business is, by so much the more need thou hast to pray for God’s good speed and blessing upon it, seeing it is certain that nothing can prosper without his blessing.

2. That many a man, when he thought himself surest, has been soonest crossed; so mayest thou.

3. That many a man has gone out of his door, and never come in again: many a man who rose well and lively in the morning, has been seen a dead man ere night. So may it befall thee: And if thou be so careful, before thou goest abroad, to eat and drink, to fence thy body from ill airs, how much more careful shouldst thou be to pray to preserve thy soul from evil temptations?

4. That the time spent in prayer never hinders, but furthers and prospers a man’s journey and business.

5. That in going abroad into the world, thou goest into a forest full of unknown dangers, where thou shalt meet many briers to tear thy good name, many snares to trap thy life, and many hunters to devour thy soul; it is a field of pleasant grass, but full of poisonous serpents: adventure not, therefore, to go naked amongst these briers, till thou hast prayed Christ to clothe thee with his righteousness; nor to pass through these snares and ambushments, till thou hast prayed for God’s providence to be thy guide; nor to walk barefoot through this snaky field, till having thy feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, thou hast prayed to have still the brazen serpent in the eyes of thy faith; that so if thou comest not home holier, thou mayest be sure not to return worse than when thou wentest out of thy door.

Therefore, though thy haste be never so much, or thy business never so great, yet go not about it, nor out of thy doors, till thou hast at least used this or the like short prayer:

A Brief Prayer for the Morning.

O merciful Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, I beseech thee forgive me all my known and secret sins which in thought, word, or deed, I have committed against thy Divine Majesty, and deliver me from all those judgments which are due to me for them, and sanctify my heart with thy Holy Spirit, that I may henceforth lead a more godly and religious life! And here, O Lord, I praise thy holy name, for that thou hast refreshed me this night with moderate sleep and rest; I beseech thee likewise defend me this day from all perils and dangers of body and soul: and to this end I commend myself and all my actions to thy blessed protection and government, beseeching thee, that whether I live or die, I may live and die to thy glory, and the salvation of my poor soul, which thou hast bought with thy precious blood. Bless me, therefore, O Lord, in my going out and coming in, and grant that whatsoever I shall think, speak, or take in hand this day, may tend to the glory of thy name, the good of others, and the comfort of mine own conscience, when I shall come to make before thee my last account. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ thy Son’s sake: in whose blessed name I give thee thy glory, and beg at thy hands all other graces which thou seest to be needful for me this day and ever, in that prayer which Christ himself has taught me, “Our Father,” etc.