Prayer for Thursday Evening.

Laurentius Laurenti, 1700.
Tr. A. Ramsey.
Awake, my soul; the rising sun
Dispels the night of mourning;
Awake, with songs of praises run
To greet the Lord returning.
He burst the gates of death today
And left the gloomy grave for aye
While all the world rejoices.
Arise, my soul, from sin and death,
To thee new life is given;
Arise and run the race of faith;
Fix thy desires on heaven
Where Jesus, thy Redeemer reigns,
And seek the things that it contains,
If thou with Him be risen.
Art thou distressed by weight of care?
Thy Savior will remove it.
Believing, thou with joy canst bear
Thy cross and learn to love it.
Cast all thy burden on the Lord;
Fear not; for He will help afford,
For now He hath arisen.
Now Judah's Lion, true and tried,
The victory obtaineth;
The Lamb of God, the Crucified,
For us salvation gaineth,
And giveth righteousness and life;
For after all the dreadful strife,
O'er every foe He triumphs.
Then up, my soul, begin the fight,
For Christ, the Victor, leadeth.
He arms thee with a victor's might;
With Him thy cause succeedeth.
Now thou can'st rise and live anew
And righteousness and peace pursue
And be a faithful servant.
Fear not the angry jaws of hell,
Nor world, nor death, nor devil.
Thy Savior lives and all is well,
Though sore has been His travail.
A Victor crowned, He as a Friend
The mean and feeble doth attend,
And therefore thou shalt conquer.
Ah, Lord, whom death could not defile,
Who from the dead hast risen,
Free us from Satan's might and guile
And save us from his prison.
O grant, that, as one body, we
May enter that new life in Thee
Which Thou for us hast gotten.

Praise be to Thee, O God, our Father, through Jesus Christ in the Holy Ghost, one, eternal God, who through Thy manifold compassion hast kept me this day, a poor sinner and miserable creature, from the fiery darts of Satan that fly by day, from the destruction that wasteth at noonday, and hast graciously protected me from a sudden and evil death. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thou art gracious and merciful, and all Thine acts are glorious. I pray Thee, O merciful God, graciously to forgive me all that I have done against Thee this day, in thought, word, or deed. Turn Thy mercy toward me, that I may slumber and rest during this coming night, and that I may never turn from Thee, who art the eternal rest. Suffer me ever to abide in Thee in the true faith, and safely to sojourn under Thy protection, so that the enemy may never come nigh unto me, nor do me injury. Lord, Thou art my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Thou art the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? My heart trusteth in Thee, and I am helped. Thou art my strength and my great shield. Thy right hand strengtheneth me. Thy right hand gladdeneth my heart, and in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge. Behold, my God, in the daytime do I cry unto Thee, and Thou hearest me, and in the night season I am not silent, and Thou answereth my prayer. I remember Thee on my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches, because Thou hast been my help. Therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice. My soul cleaves unto Thee, for Thy right hand defends me. When darkness comes over me, then Thou, O Lord, art my light and my salvation. O gracious God, vouchsafe unto me Thy grace, so that when that last hour cometh, and I lay me down on my deathbed for the eternal rest, through Thy help, in the true faith, in all confidence and trust, I may happily fall asleep for the eternal life. Meanwhile keep me in Thee, that I may ever watch and pass my days in all sobriety and moderation, and be found in Christian readiness, since I can not know the hour when Thou comest, O God, to call me hence, so that I may be worthy to stand before the Son of Man, and be not put to shame; who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.