O Eternall God, most holy and most Glorious, which dwellest in the highest heavens, and with righteousnesse and truth swayest the Scep­ter of the whole world, thou that art unto the wicked and rebellious wretches a terrible Judge and a consuming [Page 2] fire, but to the humble and repentant sinners a strong tower of defence, and their exceeding great reward. We the most miserable and wretched of all thy creatures, though the most noble by creation; for they in their kinds and severall conditions doe thee ho­nour and service, but we whom thou hast plac'd in this world for a more singular and extraordi­nary glorifying of thee; have not onely made our selves more vile then the basest creatures, and more sencelesse in thy [Page 3] service then the beasts that perish; but have even combin'd with Sa­tan, with hell and with all the powers of dark­nesse, to blaspheme and dishonour thy great name, to profane thy Sabbaths, to breake all thy holy Lawes & Com­mandements. O LORD wee thus sinfull and un­worthy, are here asha­med and confounded in thy presence; for our ini­quities are increased over our heads, and our tres­passes are growne up un­to the heavens, so that if now in thy just judge­ment, [Page 4] thou shouldst come against us, as wee have many times, and doe daily most justly pro­voke thee, it had beene farre better for us wee had never beene borne; Satan would challenge us for his, we should ne­ver see thy face againe, nor the heavens, nor the earth, nor all the goodnesse which thou hast prepared for man. From the foule polluti­on of Originall sinne, which hath universally infected and possest all the powers and parts both of our soules and [Page 5] bodies as from a filthy puddle, have issued all kindes of impurities, many workes of dark­nesse and fearefull trans­gressions, both in our thoughts, words and actions. Much pro­fanesse and hardnesse of heart, pride and hypo­crisie, contempt of the power of godlinesse and godly men, a sencelesse neglect of thy word and judgements, of the way to Heaven and the salva­tion of our owne soules. Even the best of us be­fore our calling, weari­ed our selves in the vaine [Page 6] pleasures and sinnefull fashions of this wretched world, being detain'd by the policies of hell, either in notorious sinne­fullnesse, or onely for­mall hypocrisie. Wee walked with boldnesse in the way of darknesse and of death, after the devices and desires of our owne wicked hearts, in much bitternesse and malice against thy chil­dren and their sincerity. Nay and since it hath pleased thee to illighten our understandings with saving knowledge, and to pull us by the power [Page 7] of thy good Spirit out of the slaverie of sinne and Satan into the glori­ous liberty of thy chil­dren: Our best actions and thy good graces in us, have beene fouly stain'd by privie pride and secret hypocrisie; wee many times stay thy blessings from us by our dullnesse and un­towardnesse at religious exercises, and by reason wee doe not faithfully those good things which wee know, wee have the knowledge of many evill things kept from us which wee unadvisedly [Page 8] commit. And whereas heretofore in our new birth, the sins of our un­regeneration have woful­ly vext and disquieted our consciences; yet such is the wretchednesse of our corrupted nature, that wee have sometimes looked back upon them even with delight, if we have escap'd relapse and backsliding, we doe not with that thankfullnesse and cheerefullnesse, as we ought, embrace in this happy time of grace and peace, those good meanes which thou hast ordained for our com­fort [Page 9] and salvation; So that indeed wee walke not worthy of that bles­sed vocation whereunto wee are called, but by our many slips, imper­fections and carelesnesse, wee bring much dis­comfort upon our soules, disgrace to our Christian profession, dishonour to thy Majesty, and offence to our brethren. O LORD wee beseech thee for thy holy names sake, and for thy rich mercies in CHRIST JESVS to pardon us all these our offences, and to forgive us all our sinnes knowne [Page 10] and unknowne, howsoe­ver, or whensoever com­mitted, since or before our calling, and to bury them in the death and Passion of our blessed SAVIOVR, and to hide them in His righteous­nesse for evermore. There is no comfort to be expected to our con­science wounded with the terrour of sinne, ei­ther in Heaven or in Earth, in Angell, Saint, or mortall man, but one­ly in the spotlesse justice of thy deare Sonne. Per­swade therefore we be­seech thee, upon a good [Page 11] ground, with plentifull assurance every one of our soules, that his pre­cious blood was shed for our sins in particular, that wee may sensibly feele the forgivenesse of our sinnes and rejoyce in the hope of eternall life.

And for the time to come wee humbly in­treate thee, to mortifie in us all sinfull affecti­ons, unruly lusts, and un­lawfull desires, to sub­due in us the power of sinne, and every corrup­tion whereby Satan keepes us any way in his slaverie, or at any time [Page 12] gets the dominion over us. Save us we beseech thee from idlenesse, worldlinesse, profanesse, security and all occasions whereby thy good Spi­rit is grieved in us, our graces weakned, and thy great Name dishonou­red. Vouchsafe us the Spirit of judgement, that wee may discerne betwixt the short span of this wretched life, and the length and breadth of immortality, that we never preferre the plea­sures of sinne for a mo­ment, and a little glory and preferment in this [Page 13] world, before the testi­mony of a good con­science, and that excel­lent waight of glory laid up in Heaven for all thy children. Make us faith­full and conscionable in our Callings, zealous and sincere in all religi­ous duties and services, and wisely resolute to stand for thy honour and truth against all opposi­tion either by divels or wicked men. And so direct, we beseech thee, and sanctifie all our courses, that for a few and evill daies in this vale of teares, wee may [Page 14] so store our selves with spirituall comfort, with a sound heart, with a strong faith and a good conscience, that we may stand firme and sure at the day of our visitation, and when upon our deaths bed we shall bee set upon, by the weake­nesse of our owne flesh, the terrors of death, the fearefullnes of the grave, and the firiest darts of Sa­tan, we may comfortably passe thorow them all, in the name and power of thy Son, and be receiv'd with joyfulnes & triumph into those sacred mansi­ons, [Page 15] which he hath alrea­dy made ready in Hea­ven for all those that tru­ly love and feare thee.

In his blessed name we powre out our soules in thankfullnesse, for all those many blessings and comforts which thou hast vouchsafed us, both upon our soules and bo­dies, both for this life and a better. For our health, wealth and liberty, our peace, plenty and pro­sperity, our food, appa­rell and preservation from our infancy to this very hower, and for all the good meanes of all [Page 16] these. For the free passage of thy glorious Gospell now so many yeares amongst us. But amongst all other temporall bles­sings of our times, let us never forget, nor we, nor all our posterity for ever, how it pleased thee in our daies miraculously to magnifie the glory of thy mercy in our won­derfull deliverance from the most secret, bloody, and fiery plot of the Gun-powder Treason, that great astonishment of men and Angels. All these outward comforts both publicke and parti­cular [Page 17] are excellent and pretious; yet they are such as wee have com­mon with the reprobates and those that shall ne­ver see thy face with comfort, but after a short time spent in the misera­ble pleasures of this vaine world, shall bee turn'd to hell and ever­lasting fire. Wee there­fore more especially magnifie thy great name for the more speciall pledges and tokens of thy infinite love, for that it hath pleased thee to confirme and seale unto us by our effectuall cal­ling, [Page 18] and the earnest of thy good Spirit, our Election to eternall life from all eternity, our par­ticular Redemption from the powers of hell by the death of thy Sonne, and an undoubted assurance of the joyes of Heaven in the world to come. Increase in us good LORD, wee beseech thee, daily more and more this blessed assu­rance, which we infinite­ly esteeme more deare then tenne thousand worlds, by making us to grow in repentance and faith, and spirituall [Page 19] wisedome, and framing us to the obedience of thy Sonne in all know­ledge, love and obedi­ence.

Furthermore gracious Father, wee humbly in­treate thee, with the bowels of thy tenderest compassions to be mer­cifull unto thy whole Church and every mem­ber thereof. Fence it mightily wee pray thee with the Spirit of truth, knowledge, and zeale and constancy, that in these worst and last daies it may make a strong re­sistance against the great [Page 20] maine floods of Popery, Schisme, profanesse and Atheisme.

Be gracious unto this sinnefull Kingdome, and enter not into judgement with the horrible and crying sinnes, and the many fearefull provoca­tions thereof.

In the same looke downe with the speciall eye of providence and protection upon our dread Soveraigne JAMES, by thy grace King of great Brittaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the truly Catholike faith, [Page 21] and in all causes, and over all persons▪ next and immediatly under thy Sonne CHRIST JESVS in all his Do­minions supreme Gover­nour. O LORD as thou hast enlarg'd his royall heart even as the sand which is on the sea­shore for understanding, learning and wisedome, so wee beseech thee to continue unto him a pro­portionable measure of holinesse, zeale and san­ctification for the execu­tion of that great place wherin thou hast set him, and the enlargement of [Page 22] thy Kingdome here on earth. Settle his crowne fast upon his head, that he may long and religi­ously raigne over us in despight of all his ene­mies both at home and abroad. Vouchsafe all the graces of thy good Spirit unto his gracious Queene, Plant the true feare of thy great Name in the Princely heart of his Sonne, and let thy watchfull providence and thy loving mercies for ever rest upon all that royall family. In­spire his Honourable Privie Counsell, his [Page 23] Nobility, Gentry, and Magistracy with spiritu­all wisedome and hea­venly understanding. Leade them all into thy Sanctuary, and teach them out of thy holy Word, first and chiefly those things which con­cerne thy honour and glory, the good of the people which depend upon them, and lastly the comfort of their own soules at the dreadfull day of judgement, when they shall give an account of their stewardships.

Enrich we pray thee with thy best graces all [Page 24] the Reverend Bishops and Ministers of this Land, Endew them plen­tifully with knowledge, zeale, sincerity and dis­cretion, that by their faithfullnesse and con­scionable discharge of their duties, the many multitudes in this Land that lie in darknesse, ig­norance, profanesse, Po­pery and Schisme may be brought to the know­ledge of thy truth, into a holy obedience to thy heavenly Gospell to their owne everlasting salvation.

Blesse and be mercifull [Page 25] to both our Universities, Oxford and Cambridge. Comfort all thy distres­sed children whereso­ever, or howsoever affli­cted, whither with Pe­stilence, Warre, Famine, banishment, sicknesse, poverty, imprisonment, disquietnesse of minde, vexation of conscience, want of spirituall com­fort, or what other crosse or calamity soever it pleaseth thee to exercise them with. Give them in the meane time a sure faith in thy promises, and inward comfort in thy blessed Spirit, and [Page 26] in thy good time a hap­py deliverance, whither by life or death, as it shall be best for thy glo­ry and the good of their owne soules.

Lastly, gracious Fa­ther for this sacred busi­nesse wee have now in hand, wee humbly be­seech thee to blesse and sanctifie unto us at this time the preaching and hearing of thy holy Word, it is the ordi­nance of thy owne in­finite wisedome, it is the glorious instru­ment which thou hast appointed for the con­version [Page 27] and salvati­on of the soules of men. But unto us mise­rable wretches it hath beene many times tho­row the barrennesse of our hearts, the secret and deceitfull corruptions of our nature, much sleepi­nesse and drowsinesse, but as water spilt on the ground, and even the breath of thy Ministers scattered in the aire. For­give us deare Father all our former untoward­nesse, irreverence and unprofitablenes in these holy exercises; and now at length before we goe [Page 28] downe into our graves, into black and cruell ha­bitations, from whence we must never returne to praise thee upon earth; let us feele thy divine finger working in us effectually at the prea­ching of thy Word. Let us have the sence of thine Omnipotency in conquering our corrup­tions and temptations, that we being thorowly sanctified both in our soules and bodies, for­saking all our knowne sinnes, and labouring with sincerity to please thee in all things, may [Page 29] have our fruit in holi­nesse, and the end ever­lasting life. Heare us, &c.

O LORD our GOD, we pray thee bee mercifull unto us, stirre up we beseech thee our dull hearts, out of a true sence of our sinnes and miseries, and a lively faith▪ in CHRIST JESVS, and his preti­ous deservings, to lift up our soules in prayers and praises unto thee.

O LORD how are [Page 31] we bound to magnifie thy great Name, for all the loving kindnesse and great mercies vouchsa­fed us; for preserving us this night past from the ills▪ and dangers, which no doubt have befallen many of our brethren, as good by nature as our selves; for refreshing our fraile bo­dies with quiet rest and sleepe, and bringing us in health, in strength, and vigour of body to see the light of this day; for that it hath pleased thee to reveale unto us the mysteries of godli­nesse, [Page 32] and some measure of saving truth, which thou hast hid from many thousands of the greatest and wisest of the world; For that thou hast pre­serv'd us from many fearefull transgressions and excesses of iniquity, to which our corrupt na­ture would otherwise have led us. For giving us the being of reasona­ble creatures, and being borne in this blessed time and part of the world, when and where thy glorious Gospell is on foot, for the continu­ance of our health and [Page 33] strength of body, for the usefullnesse and vigour of the powers of our soules and sences, of which for abusing them, we have deserv'd ere this, to have beene feare­fully deprived. For our ingenuous and godly e­ducation, for our Chri­stian company and good counsell we have many times by thy mercies enjoyed. For thy Word and Sacraments, the glo­rious meanes of our con­version and continuance in grace. For many gra­cious mercies, by which thou hast laboured gent­ly [Page 34] and fairely to draw us unto thee. For those judgements which thou hast sent to humble us, and to bring us to repen­tance. For the inlarging of our time for storing our selves with Grace, and comfort against the day of our visitation. For our freedome from many miseries, crosses and vexations which be­fall other our brethren better then our selves. For that it hath pleased thee by thine everlasting decree out of thine owne boundlesse goodnesse and blessed pleasure to [Page 35] save us from many thousand others which perish everlastingly, and to make us heires of end­lesse happinesse, as we are verily perswaded, in the world to come. For preventing and follow­ing us with thy saving graces.

O LORD, we pray thee, to open our eyes daily more and more, to see and acknowledge these thy great and unde­served mercies upon us; and to enlarge our hearts sincerely and feelingly to magnifie thy great Name for the same. And [Page 36] as wee humbly intreate thee upon the knees of our soules for pardon and remission of all other sinnes, so especially for our monstrous and hare­full ingratitude for thy great and many mercies towards us most wicked and sinfull creatures. We are ashamed and con­founded that so much favour, and mercy, and long forbearance should bee extended to such rebellious and carnall wretches as we are. For besides that naturall pol­lution we drew from the loines of our sinnefull [Page 37] parents, wee have heapt up a great measure of actuall sinnes, since we had the use and exercise of reason, and power and ability to sinne. O LORD our GOD, wee humbly beseech thee to give us a full sight of them all, and a true sence of thy great wrath & in­dignation against them. Let us have remorse and compunction in our hearts and consciences for them all, in our af­fections a perfect hate and detestation of the least corruptions and in­firmities. And bee thou [Page 38] pleas'd, gracious Father, thorowly to purge and wash our soules with the precious blood of thy deare Sonne, deliver us quite, wee beseech thee, from the guilt, horrour and damnation due unto them. And grant that hereafter wee may walke consciona­bly and carefully in all our waies, that we suffer no more our poore soules to bee stained with these foule pollutions we have formerly delighted in. Wee confesse and ac­knowledge to our shame and confusion, that wee [Page 39] have many times vowed betwixt thee and our owne soules, that wee would watch more care­fully over our owne hearts, least they should breed and nourish pro­fane, idle and wandering thoughts and imaginati­ons; over ourtalke, least wee should offend with our tongue, that wee would be more zealous and faithfull in the du­ties of our calling, in sanctifying thy Sab­baths, receiving thy Sa­craments, hearing thy Word, in Christian con­ference, company, me­ditation [Page 40] and all other holy duties: but alas, all these good purposes have beene but as the morning dew, we have even in short time bro­ken our vowes, growne cold againe, dull and formall, to the much greefe of thy good Spi­rit, and discomfort of our owne soules. Now LORD wee pray thee deale mercifully with us in this point, forgive our many frailties and infirmities herein; and at length thorowly san­ctifie us, draw our affe­ctions from the false glo­ry [Page 41] and sinfull pleasures of this vaine world, and fasten them there, where true, sound and lasting comfort is to be enjoy­ed. Give us wise and understanding hearts, that we may see and per­ceive those things that belong to thy glory and the salvation of our own soules, and sanctified wills and holy affecti­ons to follow and pur­sue them with all ear­nestnesse, zeale and fer­vency of spirit. Let us even this day get some ground against Satan, and forwardnesse in the [Page 42] course of Sanctification. Let us store our selves with some new godly purposes and holy reso­lutions to doe thy will, and keepe thy righteous commandements. Fill our hearts daily more and more with all sa­ving graces and the vir­tues of CHRIST JE­SVS. Cause us perpe­tually to keepe in minde, and consider that we are but as pilgrims and strangers here in this world, that wee must shortly depart hence, and never returne againe, but presently come to [Page 43] judgement, and receive an everlasting reward ac­cording to our workes. Weaken wee beseech thee daily more and more the power of sinne in us, let us feele it de­cay and loose its hold and haunt in us, and strengthen in us the power of grace, the new man, and all spirituall comforts.

Neither pray wee for our selves onely, but for all thy deare children, fellow heires with us of everlasting happinesse in what part of the world soever they be. LORD [Page 44] we pray thee to be con­tinually present with them with all thy com­forts and mercies, let thy good Spirit leade them into all truth, let the wings of thy provi­dence and protection stretch over them all. And such as yet lie in profanesse and under the shadow of death, hasten their conversion, reveale unto them the glorious comforts of grace, and let the powers of dark­nesse hold them no lon­ger.

LORD be mercifull unto this sinnefull King­dome [Page 45] wherein we live, and enter not into judge­ment with the horrible rebellions and fearefull abominations thereof. Stay the rage of pro­phanesse that fearefully overflowes in all places, to thy great dishonour and griefe of thy chil­dren. Stop the crying sinnes of the time, and re­cover thine owne glory out of the hands of thy creatures whosoever they be. Glorifie thine owne selfe, and refresh and cheere up thy chil­dren. Prosper thy Gos­pell amongst us, grant it [Page 46] a free and comfortable passage, send it where it is not, keepe and prosper it where it is, let thy bles­sings ever follow it, and thy mighty power up­hold it. Oppose thy selfe against them that oppose against it, and let them know, that it is thine owne glory that is in hand, and that they set themselves against the mighty GOD of Heaven and Earth. Dis­burden thy Church wee pray thee of all ignorant, factious and scandalous Ministers, and plant in their roomes men of care [Page 47] and conscience, sensible of the great charge they have undertaken, truly fearing thee, and hol­ding it their greatest comfort in this world to save the soules of men.

Blesse we pray thee our Prince and people, Magistrates and Mini­sters, all degrees and estates from the highest to the lowest. Sanctifie and furnish every one of them with all needfull graces fit both for the faithfull discharge of those particular places wherein thou hast set them, and that they may [Page 48] doe thee the best and ut­most service they can possibly.

Direct and guide with the Spirit of wisedome all his Counsellors, that they may chiefly and principally advise those things, which may make for the advancement of thy glory, and comfort of thy children.

Be mercifull to all Christian Families, to this familie here present, continue thy grace and mercy upon it, and let thy loving kindnesse and comforts of salvation ne­ver depart from it.

[Page 49] Remember in mercy and love all mourners in Sion. Comfort all those that are any waies affli­cted, binde up the bro­ken and contrite heart with thy sweetest com­forts. Give strength and life of grace to those that are babes in CHRIST, recover those that are fallen, preserve those that stand, uphold those that are declining, continue all in their first love, &c. and increase in every one of them daily more and more christian resolution, zeale and for­wardnesse, that they may [Page 50] glorifie thee in all their courses farre more then ever they have done heretofore.

Lastly, we pray thee be mercifull to all those, whom thou hast made, in more speciall manner, the instruments of thy goodnesse and favour un­to us, all that thou hast bound unto us with any bond of nature of friend­ship, or any way made deare unto us, Those who remember us in their prayers, or com­mend themselves to our most unworthy supplica­tions; LORD we pray [Page 51] thee bee mercifull un­to them, let the light of thy countenance shine upon them, put Religi­on, thy feare and love every day more and more into their hearts and soules, and let the comforts of godlinesse ever rest upon them. And grant that wee may all with one minde, heart and soule, love, feare, reverence and glo­rifie thy great Name; that so after a few daies, spent religiously in this vaine and wretched world, wee may live and raigne with thee [Page 52] everlastingly, in the glo­rious and endlesse plea­sures of the life to come, Heare us, &c.

O LORD we beseech thee gratiously to accept this our Morning sacrifice of prayers and thankes-giving, that we poore wretches offer un­to thee the GOD of all glory and Majesty.

LORD take from us all dullnesse of heart, all wicked and wandring thoughts; put into our soules the spirit of prayer [Page 54] with affection, zeale and fervency, that wee may rightly and reverently call upon thy great and glorious Name.

O Eternall GOD, most mighty and most fearefull, which dwellest in the highest Heavens, and with thy wise providence dire­ctest all things [...]o an ex­cellent end; Thou which art to the wicked and rebellious wretches a ter­rible Judge and consu­ming fire; but to the humble and repentant sinners a strong tower of [Page 55] defence, and their ever­lasting reward. We the unworthiest of all thy creatures, though the most noble by Creati­on; for they in their kindes and severall con­ditions doe thee honour and service, but wee whom thou hast plac'd in this world for a more excellent glorifying of thee, have not onely made our selves more vile then the basest crea­tures, and more sence­lesse in thy service then the beasts that perish, but have even conspir'd with Hell, Satan and all [Page 56] the powers of darknesse to blaspheme and disho­nour thy great Name, to profane thy Sabbaths, to breake all thy holy Lawes and Commande­ments. Wee O LORD thus wretched and un­worthy are here asha­med and confounded in thy presence, for our ini­quities are increased over our heads and our tres­passes are growen up un­to the heaven, and so grievous are they that if thou shouldest require but the least of them at our hands, Satan would chalenge us for his, and [Page 57] we should never see thy face againe, nor the Heavens, nor the Earth, nor all the goodnesse which thou hast pre­pared for man. The thoughts of our hearts rise up in judgement a­gainst us; for whereas they should be medita­ting of thy mercies and goodnesse, of honouring thee in our vocations, whereas they should be knit fast unto thy blessed Word, O LORD, they are for the most part idle, wicked, entising, and full of the corrupti­on of our raging con­cupiscence. [Page 58] The vanity of our talke condem­neth us, for whereas our words should be spent in defending thy honour and truth, in reprehen­ding the horrible sinnes of those amongst whom wee live, in giving grace to those that heare us, they are for the most part full of profanesse, worldlinesse and lying. The wickednesse of our deeds cry continually for vengeance and cur­ses upon us; for besides our many and grosse sins, even our best actions are fearefully infected with [Page 59] privy pride and hypo­crisie, whereas they should wholy and prin­cipally bee directed to thy honour and glory, they are fouly stained and corrupted with by­respects of credit, plea­sure or profit. In hea­ring thy blessed Word, which wee should count the very crowne and gar­land of all our delights, we feele in our selves great want of due pre­paration, reverent atten­tion, meditation and pra­ctise. In our prayers that inestimable comfort of a regenerate soule, wee [Page 60] are grievously vexed with dullnesse, weari­nesse and by-thoughts. In all other good duties of obedience to thy ho­ly Commandements, we want that courage, zeale and spirituall wisdome, which those excel­lent mercies thou hast vouchsafed us require at our hands. O LORD for thy great mercies sake forgive us these great sinnes. When we looke upon the vilenesse of our soules, by reason of these many transgres­sions, we see nothing be­fore our eyes but thy [Page 61] heavy wrath, and everla­sting curse, the torments of hell and endlesse con­fusion; but yet herein standeth our comfort, wee know that to them which truly thirst after thy kingdome, which is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the HO­LY GHOST, which faithfully desire to serve thee in sincerity, though they bee encompassed with many weakenesses, Thou art a Father of in­finite mercies and ever­lasting compassions, and wilt passe by many infir­mities of thy deare chil­dren. [Page 62] Wee humbly therefore beseech thee, most gracious Father, to bury all our sinnes both before and since our cal­ling in the grave of CHRIST JESVS, and hide them in his righteousnesse for ever­more. There is no helpe or comfort to be had ei­ther in Heaven or in Earth, in Angels, Saints, or mortall men to our wounded consciences, but onely in the spotlesse justice of thy deare Son. Give assurance therefore we beseech thee to eve­ry one of our soules, [Page 63] that his pretious bloud was shed for our sinnes in particular, that wee may sensibly feele the forgivenesse of our sins, and rejoyce in the hope of eternall life.

In His blessed name we give thee all possible thankes, for those many mercies and comforts which thou hast plenti­fully bestowed upon us most unworthy wret­ches.

We thanke thee deare Father for our health, wealth and liberty; for our peace, plenty and prosperity; for our food [Page 64] and apparell; for our preservation from our cradle to this howre, and all the good meanes of these; but more es­pecially for the more speciall tokens of thy great love; for these we have common with the reprobates, and those which shall never see thy face with comfort, but after a short time spent in the miserable pleasures of this vaine world, shall be turn'd to hell and everlasting fire. We thanke thee for chu­sing us before all worlds to be heires of Heaven [Page 65] and Citizens with thy Saints. We thanke thee for confirming unto us our Election by our effe­ctuall calling. O happy be that blessed time, when thy good Spirit put the first motions into our hearts to become thy children. This is the blessing wee infinitely esteeme before al world­ly comforts, and where­in is the preciousnesse of all true joy and content­ment. O most loving and gracious Father, we beseech thee goe for­ward with the worke of this our New-birth that [Page 66] thou hast begun in us, and never take away thy hand unto the day of JESVS CHRIST. Thou hast promised, that whom thou hast lo­ved once, thou wilt love for ever, and thou art without all shadow of change, and sooner shall the mountaines bee cast into the Sea before one jot of thy gracious promise fall unto the ground, or one title of thy Word be unaccom­plisht. Take from us therefore wee beseech thee all privy pride and hypocrisie, all vanity [Page 67] and vaine-glory, all dull­nesse, backwardnesse and security in thy ser­vice, which hang so fast on, which cleave so close unto our soules, and fearefully hinder us in the course of godlinesse, but above all things let us never fall backe a­gaine into the grosse and horrible sinnes of our un­regeneration. Reveale unto us we beseech thee all our sinnes, give us tender consciences and a continuall increase in spi­rituall wisedome and heavenly understanding, untill we come unto that [Page 68] happy strength by which the world is crucified un­to us and wee unto the world, and bee able to say out of the powerfull feeling of thy goodnesse upon our soules, with thy blessed servant David, GOD is our hope and strength and helpe in trou­bles ready to bee found. Therefore will we not feare though the earth bee moo­ved, and though the mountaines fall into the midst of the Sea. Though the waters thereof rage and be troubled, and the moun­taines shake at the same.

GOOD LORD bee [Page 69] mercifull with the bow­ells of thy Fatherly compassions unto thy Church, and every mem­ber thereof. Be grati­ous unto this sinnefull Kingdome, and enter not into judgement with the horrible sins thereof. And in the same looke downe we beseech thee, with the speciall eye of providence and prote­ction upon the excellent instrument of thy glory our most gracious So­veraigne. Give him the spirit of zeale, wisedome and governement, that he may long and religiously [Page 70] raigne over us in de­spight of all his ene­mies both at home and abroad. Blesse all his Counsellors, both our Universities, Oxford and Cambridge, the Nobili­ty of this Land, the Gen­try, all inferiour Magi­strates, all Judges and Justices of Peace, those that are imployd in figh­ting thy battells either by Land or Sea. Give to every one a spirit to his calling. Leade them all into thy Sanctuary, and teach them out of thy holy Word first and chiefly those things [Page 71] which concerne thy ho­nour and glory, the good of the people that depend upon them, and lastly the salvation and comfort of their owne soules at the dreadfull day of judgement, when they shall give an ac­count of their steward­ships. Enrich wee be­seech thee with many graces of zeale, faith­fullnesse and sincerity the Ministers and Prea­chers of thy holy Word; blesse their labours that some good may come of them, increase their number, place over [Page 72] every Congregation a faithfull and religious Watchman, that may go in and out before thy people in soundnesse of doctrine and upright­nesse of conversation. Touch the hearts of the many multitudes of this Land, that at length they may turne unto thy truth, and so be delivered out of the tyranny and pow­er of Satan, to the free­dome of thy deare Son CHRIST JESVS our LORD. Give successe, good LORD, and pro­sper all those which in their good purposes [Page 73] seeke the preferment of thy truth by good and lawfull meanes.

Blesse all them that thou hast joyned unto us with any bond of love, kinred, or acquaintance, all those whose hearts thou hast stird up to doe us good any manner of waies; and those also which wish and worke us evill if they belong unto thee.

Comfort O LORD with thy sweetest com­forts all thy children which are vexed either in soule, or body, whe­ther by Pestilence, Fa­mine, [Page 74] Warre, poverty, imprisonment, sicknesse or banishment: trouble of conscience, vexation of spirit, disquietnesse of minde, want of spi­rituall comfort, or what­soever kinde of afflicti­on of body, or mind thou dost try them with. Give them in the meane time faith in thy promi­ses, and comfort in thy Spirit, and in thy good time a happy delive­rance, whether by life or by death, as it shall be best to thy honour and glory and good of their owne soules.

[Page 75] But especially as we are bound at this time, we humbly intreate thy loving kindnesse and tender mercies, for our poore afflicted brethren and sisters here about us in London, Oxford, and many other places of this Land. O LORD stay thy revenging hand; Though wee bee but wormes and dust, yet thou art our Creator, and we the worke of thy hands. Thou art our Fa­ther, and wee thy chil­dren, Thou art our Shep­heard, and we thy sheep, Thou art our Redeemer [Page 76] and wee the people whom thou hast bought, Thou art our GOD, and we thine inheritance. Forget not therefore O LORD to be gracious, and shut not up thy lo­ving kindnesse in dis­pleasure; turne thee a­gaine at the last, and bee gracious unto thy ser­vants.

And grant wee be­seech thee that these great judgements may effect and worke that for which they were sent, even true humilia­tion, and undissembled repentance, that we all [Page 77] turning unto thee in truth and sincerity, thou maist turne unto us with thy mercies and everla­sting compassions. And whereas we whom of thy great goodnesse thou hast thus long time spa­red, are as deepe as those whom the Plague hath consumed. Wee beseech thee make us wise by their afflictions, and so informe us in thy feare, that we may frame the rest of our life in all holy obedience accor­ding to thy will.

Lastly most gracious LORD, wee humbly [Page 78] beseech thee to take us this day under the sha­dow of thy wings. Let thy Omnipotency be a brazen wall unto us, let thy mighty hand and stretched out arme en­compasse us, let thy care­full providence watch over us, and thy blessed Angels pitch about us. And sith wee now enter into the affaires of this day, let not we beseech thee the delights, bene­fits and honours of this life ensnare our soules, or make a breach into our consciences: for these weake and carnall com­forts [Page 79] will never follow us unto the darke places, but when wee shall sit downe in the dust, and say unto corruption thou art our father, and to the worme thou art our mo­ther and sister, then they will all leave us; nay they will turne to worme-wood and bit­ternesse. Sanctifie we be­seech thee our thoughts, knit them fast unto thy holy Word, and the necessary businesses of our vocation. Keepe, we pray thee, in a san­ctified moderation all the affections of our [Page 80] hearts, and stirre our passions that none of them breake out upon us either to dishonour thy Majesty, disquiet our owne consciences, or disgrace our Christi­an carriage. Let all our words be seasoned with grace, religion and cha­rity. Let every action into which we shall en­ter this day or ever here­after, be just and lawfull, and in them blesse us with sincerity of heart, with a godly end and good meanes. O LORD, we beseech thee give us the spirit of judgement, [Page 81] that wee may discerne betweene the short span of this wretched life, and the length and breadth of immortality, that wee never esteeme the pleasures of sinne for a moment, before eternall and everlasting joyes, but even count the best things of this world as dung, as vanity and nothing, nay as worse then vanity and lesse then nothing, for the winning of CHRIST JESVS, and that ex­cellent waight of glory laid up in Heaven for all thy servants. Worke [Page 82] in our hearts wee be­seech thee a perfect de­testation even of our sweetest and lest sinnes; let us ever looke upon them in their true nature, and greatest ouglinesse, as accompanied with thy heavie displeasure and fearefullest judge­ments; that wee may loath them as a Serpent, and so cease for ever to offend thee in them. And whereas wee are every day afresh to en­ter combat, not with flesh and blood, but with the Prince of dark­nesse, the rulers of the [Page 83] ayer, the spirituall craf­tinesse and pollicies of hell; vouchsafe us wee beseech thee the com­pleate armour of true Christians. The brest­plate of righteousnesse, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit; but above all the shield of faith, that wee may manfully fight against our corruptions, that we may quench all the fiery darts of Satan, tread the malicious Ser­pent under our feete, and at our last and greatest fight in godly triumph and through the might [Page 84] and merits of our Cap­taine JESVS CHRIST, may say with gladnesse and joy, O death where is thy sting, O hell where is thy victory. And in the meane time, for as much as every day wee step neerer our grave, and approach neerer un­to thy presence, and that great and fearefull judgement before thy throne, even for our idle words and wan­dring thoughts, give unto us we beseech thee every day a new grace, a new strength in the course of regeneration, [Page 85] more full assurance of the remission of our sins, till with a wise heart, we have such a feeling of the glory of GOD, and of eternall life, that wee make up our account with the world, and bee at a point with all that is under the Sun. And sith at that day we must an­swer not onely for the sinnes of our owne per­sons, but for many sins of those that depend upon us, if we labour not to bring them unto GOD; for sinnes com­mitted by our ill exam­ple; for sinnes that we [Page 86] have seene and heard in others, and have not grieved & religiously re­prehended them. LORD we beseech thee give us an exact and precise care over all our waies; over our generall cal­ling of Christianity and those particular callings wherein thou hast pla­ced us. And let us ne­ver be hindered or dis­couraged in any good thing by the profane and malicious reproaches of wicked and carnall men, and the many oppositi­ons of Satan; and the rather because to us it is [Page 87] a blessed marke that we are translated out of darknesse into light, and that we will not runne with them unto the same excesse of ryot: but to them it is a token of perdition. For why should we, good LORD, for the vaine and unjust censures of mortall wret­ches turne from thee for this little inch of time, and hereafter receive everlasting confusion.

LORD prepare our dull and unprepared soules to powre out our petitions with humility, zeale and reverence un­to thy great Majesty. LORD make our hearts as mountaines of myrrhe and Incense to send up prayses and thankes-gi­ving to the Sanctuary where thy honour dwel­leth.

[Page 89] MOst mighty and most glorious God, thou that inhabitest eter­nity, and dwellest in the light that no man can attaine unto; at whose terrible presence the mountaines melt away and the Angels hide their faces, yet our most gracious and mercifull Father in CHRIST JESVS, vouchsafing from the height of Hea­ven to looke upon us vile wormes and dust with the eye of tender compassion, wee thy wretched and sinnefull [Page 90] servants, heires of cor­ruption, children of wrath, sonnes of disobe­dience; doe in the name and mediation of thy deare Sonne our blessed Saviour prostrate our selves before thy throne of grace and mercy-seate, begging and cra­ving at thy hands par­don and remission for all our sins. LORD they are most grievous and manifold, most horrible and intollerable. To the originall corruption of our sinfull nature, where­in we were conceived, we have added all kindes [Page 91] of actuall transgressions. All the time before our calling wee gave our selves to wantonnesse, to worke all uncleannesse even with greedinesse, we drunke up sinnes like water, and fed upon ini­quity as the horse-leach on corrupt bloods, we drew iniquitie with cords of vanity, and sinne as with cart-ropes. All our thoughts, words and deeds were menstru­ous, filthy and abhomi­nable, nothing but a sla­vish service of the world, the flesh and the divell; since our calling when [Page 92] we should have beene most pure, sincere and sanctified, we have sin­ned grievously, although not notorious to the world, yet horribly be­fore thine eyes in privy pride, hypocrisie, dull­nesse, security, want of zeale and forwardnesse in thy service; nay LORD we have had many fearefull backsli­dings into our grossest sinnes, &c. so that now they are become as ma­ny in number as the Starres in Heaven, as great as the mountaines, as red as scarlet; for [Page 93] CHRIST JESVS his sake, for thy infinite mer­cies sake, and for thy holy Names sake, bury them all in the blessed and bloody wounds of our deare SAVIOVR, that they never rise up at the dreadfull day of judgement to give testi­mony against our soules to our utter confusion. Hide them all in the bottomelesse Ocean of thy endlesse mercy that they die out of thy re­membrance everlasting­ly. And send we be­seech thee into every one of our soules that [Page 94] happy and heavenly as­surance of the remission of our sinnes, whence springeth joy and con­tentment most precious and unvaluable, infinite more worth then ten thousand worlds.

LORD wee blesse, praise and magnifie thy great and glorious name, for all those great mer­cies, benefits and com­forts, which out of thy immeasurable bounty thou hast plentifully be­stowed upon us.

First and chiefly wee humbly thanke thee, for that it hath pleased thee [Page 95] of thy meere favour and love to elect us before the foundation of the world, to be heires of thy immortall King­dome, for creating us af­ter thine owne image, for redeeming us with the precious blood of thy deare Sonne, for calling us into the glori­ous liberty of thy sons, for justifying us, for san­ctifying us with thy ho­ly Spirit, for the joyfull hope of glorification in the world to come. Con­firme unto us we beseech thee these great and incomparable blessings [Page 96] with the sacred testi­mony of thy holy Spi­rit. Let thy blessed Spi­rit tell our spirits that we are thy Elect. Let our sweet Saviour CHRIST JESVS say unto our soules I am your salva­tion. Seale our salva­tion unto our soules with the pledge, seale and ear­nest of thy holy Spirit.

Furthermore most gratious Father we hum­bly thanke thee, for that extraordinary and uni­versall blessing vouchsa­fed this Land by our gra­cious and religious King it is the greatest that ever [Page 97] the face of this earth en­joyed, that ever thou bestowedst on thy dea­rest children. For when wicked men and all the world, as thou knowest, expected that this Land should have beene clo­thed with fiery persecu­tions, bloody warres, and all manner of cala­mities as with a garment; Thou that sittest in Hea­ven, and laughest the vaine plots and devises and wicked men to scorne, against all ex­pectation hast covered it with peace, joy, plenty, prosperity, the free pas­sage [Page 98] of thy Gospell, as the seas are covered with water. Put we pray thee into the heart of every one in this Land a true and continuall thankfull­nes, a godly and religious resolution to serve thee in holines and righteousnes all the daies of their life. And LORD we beseech thee continue that good worke that thou hast be­gun, and let him and his posterity in thy feare and true religion, if it be thy blessed pleasure, sit upon the throne of this Land, so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth. Let his [Page 99] Scepter long flourish in his hand, and set his crowne fast upō his head. O mightily preserve him from all the sonnes of violence and mischiefe. Let all those that with forraine invasion attempt the destruction of his person, and desolation of this Land become like Iabin and Sisera that pe­rished at Endor, like Zeba and Zalmunna that be­came as the dung of the earth. Let all unnaturall practises, and home-bred conspiracies perish as the untimely fruit of a wo­man and never see the [Page 100] Sun. Inflame his royall heart with true zeale, and love of thy blessed truth, and as thou hast enlarged his kingdomes, so give him a princely and religious courage to enlarge thy Kingdome, and utterly to confound all Heresie, Schisme and the kingdome of Anti­christ. Blesse all his pri­vie Counsellors with wisedome from above, that they may put these things into his heart, which chiefly concerne thy honour and glory, the good of thy Church, the safety of his Person [Page 101] and quiet of this Land. Blesse with severall gra­ces all inferiour Magi­strates, that they may all faithfully and religiously discharge the severall places wherein they stand. Blesse all his peo­ple with religion and loyalty, the Ministery with learning, zeale and sincerity. O LORD go out with his Captaines and men of warre that fight thy battels.

We thanke thee also deare Father for bles­sings more particularly concerning us, for deli­vering us from Popery, [Page 102] Idolatry, and Superstiti­on, and illightning our understanding with thy blessed truth. Confirme it we beseech thee unto us daily more and more, that if need require, we may confirme it with our dearest bloods.

We thanke thee for giving us a taste of the powers of the world to come. Crucifie we be­seech thee unto us con­tinually the lusts and cor­ruptions of our sinnefull flesh, that the graces and comforts of regeneration may daily receive in us strength and perfection.

[Page 103] We thanke thee for remooving from over our heads those heavie judgements and violls of thy wrath, that our crying sins have conti­nually called for from Heaven; even all disea­ses and infirmities of bo­dy, all terrours and vexations of conscience, all civill deaths and tor­ments, all shame and confusion; even that the earth should have ope­ned his mouth and swal­lowed us quick, the wa­ter drowned us, the fier consumed us, vengeance from Heaven overtaken [Page 104] us, thy other creatures devoured us. Grant we beseech thee that here­after by sound and un­dissembled repentance, and by agodly life wee may abandon them and the feare of them for evermore.

VVE thanke thee most mercifull Father for our health, wealth, food, raiment, preservation from our cradle to this hower; for thy releeving us in all our needs and necessities, for comforting us so father­ly in all our tribulations and distresses, for sparing us so long a time of re­pentance and for infinite more blessings which [Page 106] neither our hearts can thinke, nor tongues ex­presse.

Now one thing deare LORD will we beg at thy hands, and that will we crave for evermore, that thou wouldst give us grace and power by thy blessed Spirit to di­rect and dispose all these excellent blessings both eternall and temporall, chiefly and principally to the honour of thy great Name, to the sal­vation of our soules, and the good of thy Church. And to this end roote we beseech thee out of [Page 107] our soules all pride, ma­lice, envy, covetous­nesse, selfe-love, hypo­crisie; take from us all swearing, lying, vaine and unprofitable talking, al thoughts of Atheisme, Infidelity, uncleanenesse, all the menstruous filthi­nesse of our abhomina­ble nature. And plant we beseech thee and in­graft deepely into our soules the true feare of thy glorious Name, true humility, true zeale and devotion, true sorrow and repentance for all our sinnes, true spiritu­all wisdome and heaven­ly [Page 108] understanding, true hope and charity; but above all things a true, strong and a lively faith truly to apprehend the death and Passion of our deare Saviour, and in particular and effectu­ally to apply it to our sinfull soules. LORD make it ever powerfull and invincible, but espe­cially in all times of our crosses and afflictions; but LORD make it most triumphant and glorious even at the hower of death, at our last visitati­on, when the divell shall set before the eyes of our [Page 109] soules the blacke and ougly catalogue of all our sins, and when hee shall prepare his firiest darts to wound our soules to death, O then let the light of thy hea­venly countenance shine upon us, O then let▪ thy blessed Spirit comfort us with his sweetest comforts, let the fresh bleeding wounds of our deare Saviour appeare gracious and effectuall to our distressed soules.

Blesse good LORD, protect and defend thy Church wandring farre and wide over the face [Page 110] of the whole earth. Let thy mighty hand and stretched out arme en­compasse it, let thy Om­nipotency bee a brazen wall about it; leade it we beseech thee into all truth, concord and since­rity; save it from all schismes, errors and he­resies; mightily fence it from bloody Tyrants, hellish Atheists and mer­cilesse Polititians.

Comfort we beseech thee all those that bee comfortlesse, and distres­sed with sorrow, need, sicknesse, imprisonment, banishment, slanderous [Page 111] tongues, or any other crosse or calamity. Espe­cially good LORD, speake comfortably unto them in whose soules are the arrowes of thine in­dignation, and the ve­nome thereof drinkes up their spirit, those that groane under the burthen of a vexed conscience, and those that suffer per­secution for the testimo­ny of thy truth. LORD give them faith, patience and constancy to abide their triall, and a joyfull issue to all their tempta­tions.

And as at this time we [Page 112] are bound wee humbly intreate thy tender mer­cies and loving kindnesse for all those in this Land that thou hast heavily visited with the Plague of Pestilence. For CHRIST JESUS sake if it be thy blessed pleasure command thy Angell to cease from stri­king, put up the sword of judgement, which in great wrath and indigna­tion thou hast drawne out against them. And LORD in the meane time give them joy and comfort in thy holy Spi­rit, that howsoever they [Page 113] be strangely and feare­fully tormented in their body in this life, yet they may be assured of eternall happinesse in the life to come. And teach we beseech thee both them and us by thy holy Spirit to take a right view of all our sins, the true causes of thy wrathfull displeasure, and faithful­ly to repent for the same. And so much the rather O LORD, because the reprobate and such as thou forsakest cannot praise thee nor call upon thy Name, but the bro­ken heart, the sorrowfull [Page 114] mind and a conscience hungring after righte­ousness shall ever set forth thy praise and glo­ry.

Lastly most loving Father we beseech thee take us into thy defence and protection this night, let thy carefull provi­dence watch over us, let thy blessed Angels pitch about us, preserve us from all perills and dangers, from all the assaults of Satan, from vaine, idle, and wicked dreames. Grant unto our bodies comfortable rest and quiet sleepe, but let [Page 115] our soules continually watch for the comming of our Saviour in the clouds to end these last and worst daies. Amen, even so come LORD JESVS, that we with thee and the rest of thy Elect may joyfully and triumphantly ascend un­to the heavenly Jeru­salem, there to enjoy fullnesse of joy and plea­sures at thy right hand for evermore.

Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.

O LORD prepare our dull and unpre­pared hearts with feare and humility to enter the presence of thy great and glorious Majesty.

O Most gracious God, our loving and mer­cifull Father in CHRIST JESVS. We thy poore and sinfull servants most humbly beseech thee, at this time to blesse, and [Page 117] sanctifie unto us the hea­ring of thy holy Word, it is the glorious instru­ment which thou hast appointed for the con­version and salvation of the soules of men. But unto us miserable wret­ches and full of polluti­on, it hath beene many times through the bar­rennesse of our hearts, the secret and deceitfull corruptions of our na­ture, but even the breath of thy Ministers scatte­red in the ayre, and as water spilt upon the ground. Whereas it might be unto some be­ing [Page 118] humbly and reve­rently received, as a two edged sword, that would enter through even unto the dividing asunder of the soule and the spirit, and of the joynts and the marrow, that would breake in peeces their hard hearts, and strike their consci­ence with terrour and remorse for their sinnes, a necessary step to rege­neration. And whereas it might be unto others a pretious restorative to repaire the ruines of their conscience, and to put life into their dead zeale [Page 119] and affections, graciously to enforme them in all the parts of their cal­lings; it is but even as a witnesse of our cold­nesse, sencelessenesse and unthankefullnesse, regi­stred in the booke of our conscience against the day of our visitati­on. LORD wee be­seech thee out of thy tender compassions to forgive us all our for­mer untowardnesse, irre­verence and unprofita­blenesse in these holy exercises. And now at length before wee goe downe into our graves, [Page 120] into black and cruell ha­bitations, from whence wee must never returne to praise thee upon earth, let us feele thy divine power working in us effectually at the preaching of thy Word, let us have a sence of thy Omnipotency in in conquering our cor­ruptions and temptati­ons, let thy powerfull Spirit stirre up our hearts, and quicken our affections to embrace the power of religion and true godlinesse, that so being freed from sinne by the blood of [Page 121] CHRIST, and forsa­king all our knowne sinnes, and labouring sincerely to please thee in all things, wee may have our fruit in holi­nesse, and the end ever­lasting happinesse.

MOst mercifull Fa­ther we humbly be­seech thee to give every one of us grace to let these things sink deeply into our hearts. Blesse we beseech thee our wills and affections with san­ctified desires to enter­taine them, our memo­ries with faithfullnesse to retaine them, our mindes with serious me­ditations to digest them, [Page 123] our hearts with fervency and prayer for thy blessings upon them, our lives with practise and piety to profit by them. LORD we see clearely that all our pleasures shall die and perish, that our honours shall be laid in the dust, that our gold and silver shall canker, and the rust of of them shall be a wit­nesse against us at the last day, that outward per­formances of religious duties without inward sanctification, shall have their portion with Hy­pocrites in the lake [Page 124] which burneth with fire and brimstrone. Where then shall appeare the lyar, the swearer, the drunkard, the profaner of the Sabbath, the un­cleane person, the proud, the idle, the malicious, the carelesse in his cal­ling, even without time­ly and sound repentance, in the bottomelesse pit of the lowest hell. O then we beseech thee, graci­ous Father, to vouchsafe us in time wise and un­derstanding hearts, the spirit of judgement to discerne betweene the short span of this misera­ble [Page 125] life, and the length and breadth of eternity. Let us now at length make a through and deepe search into the state of our soules and consciences, and if wee find that we be not yet possest of that inward sincerity and true hap­pinesse; let us for ever hereafter, with greatest fervency, earnestnesse and contention of spirit hunger and thirst, labour and strive after saving grace, the power of reli­gion and true godlinesse, that so for a few and evill daies, we stand wisely [Page 126] and resolutely for thy honour and truth, and with comfort and cou­rage running the race of sanctification, may bee provided and furnished with assurance of glory, clearenesse of consci­ence, strength of faith against the day of our visitation, that when we shall lie downe upon our deaths-bed, and wee know not how soone, we may be able to meete with the fearefull temp­tations of our sinnefull flesh, the fiery darts of Satan, to encounter with the pangs of death, and [Page 127] terrours of the grave, and so passe with joy­fullnesse and triumph to those glorious mansions of light and blessed im­mortality with thee in the highest heavens.

Lastly Gracious Fa­ther, for this present ho­ly businesse we have now in hand; we humbly be­seech thee to let thy blessings bee mightily upon thy Word at this time, that it may pierce and enter through to the dividing asunder of the soule and the spirit, of the joynts and the mar­row, and to discover the [Page 128] very thoughts and in­tents of the heart. Keepe we pray thee out of our hearts and heads all troubles, cares, wan­drings, humours, passi­ons, prejudice, distra­ctions, deadnesse or whatsoever other cursed let shall be suggested by the divell, or our owne wicked hearts. So sancti­fie unto our soules this holy ordinance of thine, that we may handle and heare it with all feeling power and reverence as the Word of thee the true and everliving GOD, and as that by which we [Page 129] must be judged at that last dreadfull day. Make it to be a Word of con­version and enlargement to all them that are yet in the snares of the divell & waies of death: but of strengthening, encou­ragement and comfort to those that are alrea­dy thine, that so by thy mercifull blessing it may prove unto every one of us, the savour of life unto life, and thy migh­ty power unto us for sal­vation, and that for the LORD CHRIST JE­SVS his sake: In whose glorious Name and me­diation [Page 130] we beg these and all other needfull bles­sings, concluding in his owne prayer, Our Fa­ther, &c.

[Page 131] O LORD heare us in these our weake re­quests, and grant them unto us, and all other things necessary for us, for our bodies, our soules, our callings, or this present action, and for every member of thy Church; wee beg them all in the name and mediation of CHRIST JESVS thy Sonne and our onely SAVIOVR, to whom with thee and the holy Spirit, be all praise and power, and [Page 132] might, and dominion and thankesgiving ascribed at this time and ever­more hereafter, A­men.

BLessed are all they that heare the Word of GOD, beleeve it and doe it. The grace of our LORD JESVS CHRIST, and the love of GOD the Fa­ther in him, and the most comfortable fellowship, [Page 133] helpe and communion of GOD the HOLY GHOST, be with us all, blesse us, preserve us and keepe us, and every member of his Church in faith, a good, quiet and peaceable conscience, the rest of this day and evermore hereafter.

LORD GOD who hast created all things for the use and comfort of man, and man for thy owne glory; Make we beseech thee these thy creatures wholesome for our bodies, and us thankfull for them for CHRIST JESVS his sake.

MOst holy and righ­teous LORD GOD, we humbly and heartily thanke thee for our pre­servation this night past, pardon wee beseech thee unto us the sinnes thereof; And now pre­pare and sanctifie us, for a right and comfortable serving of thee in this morning sacrifice, and holy duties we take in hand. Illighten our [Page 136] mindes and inlarge our hearts by thine owne good Spirit, that wee may rightly conceive of the great mystery of grace and true meaning of thy holy Word, that we treasure it up in our memories with an holy greedinesse, and after walke by the strength thereof, with all fruit­fullnesse and power in all thy waies, all the daies of our life, and that for thy CHRIST his sake.

O LORD our GOD, thou clearely seest and beholdest from Heaven, what hearts we now bring into thy glorious presence from the businesse of this day, how full of earthlinesse, deadnesse, listlesnesse and unfitnesse to speake unto thee. Wee pray thee for CHRIST his sake to possesse, quic­ken and sanctifie them by thy blessed Spirit, that they may bee ever feeling and fruitfull in [Page 138] these holy exercises. Make us every day more and more wise, with all thy Saints and elect chil­dren unto our eternall salvation in the right un­derstanding, beleeving and obeying of thy bles­sed Word, and great mystery of godlinesse, in JESVS CHRIST our LORD.

O LORD our GOD, high and mighty, great and fearefull, which dwellest in the highest Heavens and light that no man can attaine unto, which by thy great power hast created Heaven and Earth and all things therein contained, and by thy wise providence [Page 140] directest every thing un­to an excellent end.

If thou shouldest deale with us in justice, wee deserve to bee plagued with all the horrible and fearefull plagues of Egypt in this world, and hereafter to be perpetually damned, both in body and soule in the lake of hell fier, where there is nothing but endlesse woe, wee­ping and gnashi [...]g of teeth. If there bee any sinne we have not com­mitted, it was because we wanted meanes, oppor­tunity, enticement, temp­tation, [Page 141] or something, not for want of a sinfull dis­position in us. If thou shouldest deale with us, as we have dealt with thee, wee should bee presently damned eter­nally. If thou shoul­dest be as carelesse of us, as we have beene of thee, and the salvation of our soules, we should never see thy face in Heaven.

O LORD fright our heart with a true sight and sence of all our sins.

O LORD perswade our hearts, that since thou didst not curse and [Page 142] damne us, when we lay wallowing in horrible sinnes, thou wilt not now cast us away when wee are converted, &c. Thou wilt rather pitty us for our infirmities then con­demne us for them.

Perswade our soules by that good experience we have had of thy goodnesse that thou wilt be our GOD for ever. Let us not so much feare and abhorre the punish­ment and guilt of sin, but also the power and ty­ranny, whereby we are enforced to offend so loving and so gracious a Father.

[Page 143] Give us soundnesse of knowledge, purity of heart, holinesse of life, contempt of the world, conquest over our sinnes, the comforts of thy bles­sed Spirit, a joyfull ex­pectation of our delive­rance from sin and sor­row. The spirit of meek­nesse and wisedome, the spirit of courage and constancy, the spirit of love and joy, and of a sound mind.

Let us be just in our dealings, conscionable in our callings, merci­full, courteous.

Let us so comprehend [Page 144] the glorious state to come, that we may bee willing to bee dissol­ved and to bee with CHRIST.

LORD grant that in the middest of a darke world, we may see the brightnesse of thy Hea­venly Kingdome, and in this weake tabernacle of small continuance, we may know the dwelling place, which wee shall have for ever in the re­surrection of the just.

Thou that hast the issues of death in thy hand, I beseech thee in mercy set before mine [Page 145] eyes alwaies the remem­brance of thy judgement seate, and my last end, whereby I may be daily stirred up to consider in what great danger I stand through the horri­ble punishments due un­to my sins.

Set before us the short­nesse of our owne life, the vanity of all things we enjoy, the excellent waight of glory prepa­red for all those that love thee, the plagues of the wicked, that great ac­count we must make at our death, that great and terrible day, that having [Page 146] these things in our sight wee may not put our hands to any iniquity.

O LORD at this time goe out with the Armies of thy Saints, and that fight thy battells in the whole Christian world. Pardon we pray thee and passe by all their and our sinnes: Helpe us to repent, to renew covenant with thee, and to feare before thee, that they may more cheerefully, cou­ragiously and successive­ly defend their righteous cause. But infatuate we beseech thee the coun­sells, [Page 147] and strike faintnesse into the heart of al them, that lift their hearts or swords against the king­dome of Jesus Christ.

And now find out and call to account the blas­phemies, idolatries, cru­elties and insolencies of thine and our adversa­ries, and all the blood of the Martyrs of JESVS CHRIST which they have spilt as water upon the ground. And if they will not returne unto thee, returne it now O LORD GOD of re­compences into their bosomes in fury and in [Page 148] jealousie. Make them like a wheele, &c. Psal. 83. 13.

Thou hast promised ever to helpe thy people in the needfull time of trouble, even now LORD is the season for thy suc­cour. And therefore we pray thee for JESVS CHRIST his sake to stirre up thy selfe like a man of warre against all those boisterous and railing Rabsakees, that band and combine them­selves to put out the glo­ry of Israels, or any of thine anointed. And give us LORD in the meane [Page 149] time pittifull, compassio­nate and fellow-feeling hearts over the wofull calamities and miseries of thy people in these parts, that we may powre out our hearts more fer­vently unto thee, and give thee no rest untill for thine owne names sake thou become glo­rious in giving delive­rance and victory unto thy poore humble ser­vants, that trust in thee alone, and call upon thy name.

O LORD of Hosts, GOD of Israel, which dwellest betweene the [Page 150] Cherubims, thou art ve­ry GOD alone over all the kingdomes of the earth, thou hast made the Heavens and the Earth, Encline thine eares O LORD and heare, Open thine eyes O LORD and see the blasphemies and bloody desolations which thine and our enemies have cruelly brought upon thine owne people.

O LORD put on the garments of thy just in­dignation for clothing.

O LORD tread downe our enemies in thy wrath, and make [Page 151] them drunken in thine indignation, and bring downe their strength to the earth.

O LORD we are all as an uncleane thing, and all our righteousnesse as filthy rags, and wee all do fade as a leafe, and our iniquities like the winde have taken us away.

Rise up O LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee, flee before thee. Returne O LORD to the many thousands of Israel, Numb. 10. 35.

Let thy people eate [Page 152] up the Nations their ene­mies, and bruise their bones, and shoote them through with their ar­rowes, Numb. 24. 8. That in our songs of praise and solemne thankes giving hereafter thy whole Church may joyfully sing and say, It was not our owne arme or our own sword, O Lord God of Hoasts, that did save us, but thy right hand, and thy holy arme, and the light of thy countenance, because thou didst favour them, Psal. 44. 3.

O Lord, though our [Page 153] iniquities testifie against us, deale with us accor­ding to thy Name: for our rebellions are many, we have sinned against thee.

O thou hope and holy one of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why art thou as a stranger in the Land, as one that passeth by to tarry for a night, &c. Ier. 14. 9.

See Daniels Prayer, Dan. 9. 4. &c.

O Lord God destroy not the people of thine inheritance.

O Lord our God, thou [Page 154] art God of gods and Lord of lords, a great God, mighty and terri­ble, which accepteth no persons nor taketh re­ward, &c. Deut. 10. 17. &c. with all reverence and lowlinesse of spirit, we acknowledge, adore, and onely rely upon thy greatnesse, thy mighty hand and stretched out arme, Deut. 11. 2.

And finally we most humbly thanke thee, for that it hath pleased thee to keepe us this day, and all the daies and times of our lives; beseeching thee that thou wouldest [Page 155] receive us this night in­to thy holy keeping, that we may have quiet rest, not of bodies alone, but of our bodies also resting from all those things, that are contrary to thy most holy will, attending whilst thou raisest us up in the mor­ning, to doe all those things that thou hast ap­pointed us.

Grant that we laying our bodies downe to rest, may be thereby put in mind of our long rest of death: that as we do now lay downe our bo­dies in bed, so we may [Page 156] be thereby admonished, that hereafter they shall bee laid downe in the grave, to be consumed to dust, earth and ashes, from whence they were taken; that we having this before our eyes may bee stirred up in mind warily to walke in this our pilgrimage, not knowing when the time shall be of our departure, but alwaies to be found ready with our lamps of pure faith clearely bur­ning, that we may be ac­cepted to meere the Bridegroome, when our Saviour shall call us to [Page 157] judgement at the last day.

LORD we deserve that thou shouldst leave us to the vilenesse of our owne hearts, and to the corruptions we nourish in them, and sith wee have so often neglected and abused those good meanes which thou hast ordained for our com­fort and salvation, wee even deserve that thou shouldest take them quite from us, or turne them to be curses unto us; we deserve that thou shoul­dest say to the ignorant, be ignorant still, to the [Page 158] filthy, be filthy still, to the malicious be malici­ous still, &c. till we have fild up the measure of our iniquiries; so that at length thou mightest have a full stroke at our destruction, &c.

GRant that thy Word may bee delivered according to the true meaning of thy Word, as it is left unto us by thy holy Prophets and Apo­stles, that it may be divi­ded with conscience, wisdome and discretion; with all plainenesse and evidence, to the capaci­ty of those that are most simple amongst us. And blesse we beseech thee [Page 160] our conceptions and me­mories that we conceive a right use of those things that shall be deli­vered, and retaine them in our mindes with full purpose of heart to put them in practise, &c.

O LORD bee merci­full unto us, pardon and forgive us all our sinnes, our many abuses of thy great benefits and mercies, especially of thy holy Word, passe by we beseech thee our [Page 161] many infirmities and weaknesses. Sanctifie un­to us at this time our hearing, reading and conferring of thy sacred Word. Blesse our con­ceptions and memories, that we may rightly con­ceive it, and reteine it in our minds with full pur­pose of heart to practise it in our lives and con­versations. Range into order our worldly and wandring thoughts, that we may with reverence and attention receive it, meditate of it and lay it close unto our hearts, that so by thy good [Page 162] blessing wee may bring forth much and good fruit.

ANd as we are speci­ally and extraordi­narily bound at this time, wee humbly and heartily thanke thee, for the safe and comforta­ble returne of our graci­ous Prince CHARLES. It hath beene from thy great mercy and good­nesse, [Page 164] that thou hast gone in and out before him, and walkt by him in his most dangerous journey, and kept him in all his waies. That thou hast beene a brazen wall and fiery pillar about him, both by Land and Sea, and preserv'd him, from every hurtfull snare both of soule and body, and broughtst him with peace and comfort a­gaine unto his Fathers house. Blessed and boun­tifull LORD GOD, we heartily praise and mag­nifie, we humbly admire and adore, the length, [Page 165] and breadth and height and depth of thy free grace and love therein to thy Church and Gospell and all that are true of heart. Enlarge our hearts, we pray thee, with all heartinesse and truth to blesse thy great and holy Name, the fountaine of all blisse, the author of all our good, the well­spring of immortality and life wherein we live and move and have our being, both naturall, spi­rituall and eternall. And good LORD goe on with that glorious and happy worke of blessing [Page 166] him still, so settle and establish the feare of thy great Name and truth of our blessed Religion in his Princely heart, that he may stand therein like Mount Sion, and never be removed. So guide and direct, by thine own mercifull hand all those great affaires, which any waies concerne him, and with wisdome from the brest of the everlasting counsell of the LORD JESVS, that hee may hereafter prove a glo­rious and renowned In­strument for the ad­vancement of the Gospel [Page 167] of JESVS CHRIST that the heavenly lampe of thy blessed truth may shine faire and pure up­on us all our daies, and afterwards upon our children, and childrens children to the worlds end, and the comming of JESVS CHRIST the second time.

STay thy wrath most gratious Father, wee humbly intreate thee in this heavie judgement that is growing upon us by this unseasonable weather. Thou hast rich­ly loaden and crowned the earth with abun­dance of thy goodnesse and bounty. Add this mercy we pray thee, to give a convenient season [Page 169] season to gather it in comfortably. We con­fesse and acknowledge before thee, we farre ra­ther deserve that thou shouldst raine downe fire and brimstone upon our heads for our many horrible sinnes, that great one the contempt of thy Word, which makes us worse then Sodomites, then that thou shouldest answer us in this our de­sire. But wee beseech thee in mercy make us first sensible of thy just displeasure, to be hum­bled to the heart root, to part from all our evill [Page 170] waies, and to seeke thy face and favour extraor­dinarily, and then returne unto us in thy wonted compassion and love.

WE confesse unto thee, mercifull LORD GOD, that out of the consideration of our owne many polluti­ons and imperfections, and the glorious purity of thy holy nature, wee finde and feele our selves [Page 171] most unworthy, and very fearefull to speake unto thy Majesty, either for our selves or others: yet because it hath pleased thee to give us a com­mandement and charge to performe this duty of praying one for another, and having a gracious promise annexed of pre­vailing with thee, if our prayers be faithfull and fervent. We are bold here upon the knees of our soules, with all the instancy and fervency our poore dull hearts can possibly to intreate thy favour and mercy, for [Page 172] thy servant our deare Christian Brother that lies here amongst us up­on his bed of sicknesse under thy visiting hand. Oh blessed LORD, we humbly beseech thee for thy CHRIST his sake, thy holy Names sake, thy infinite mercies sake, thy covenant sake to looke downe from Hea­ven upon him with the eye and affection of ten­der-heartednesse & love▪ Let the loving counte­nance and cheerefull face of JESVS CHRIST shine comfortably upon him, let the powerfull [Page 173] presence of thy sanctify­ing spirit possesse his heart wholy with all the graces of salvation, and blessings of Heaven, let the word of thy grace put quickning life and sanctifying power into his soule, that it may be rais'd from earth and sin to rest and peace in the bosome of thy compas­sions. Deale with him, we pray thee, as thou usest to deale with those whom thou fashions and frames for the joyes and pleasures of the life to come.

Sanctifie O LORD [Page 174] unto him this present sicknesse, let it by thy blessings upon it breake and plow up his heart soundly and thorowly to search and to try his waies, that so out of the abundance of his feeling, he may powre out a most plentifull and sincere confession of his sinnes before thee, and groanes and sighs and desires un­utterable for pardon and remission of them all in the blood of thy Sonne.

Let it we pray thee beget and bring forth in him those blessed effects and happy ends, which [Page 175] in such cases thou art wont to worke upon the soules of holy men and women. Let him upon this occasion bee truly humbled under thy mighty hand, with sight of his owne vilenesse, frailty and sinfull mise­ries, that from thence may spring in him an un­fained and longing desire after CHRIST, and comforts of salvation. Let him shake off all car­nall security, depen­dance or confidence up­on the arme of flesh, or upon any glory and va­nity in this life. Let his [Page 176] repentance upon this oc­casion be performed un­to thee with more since­rity, universality and thorownesse then ever heretofore.

O Mercifull LORD GOD, upon the knees of our soules, and from the ground and bottome of our hearts we humbly beseech thee, that wherein soever [Page 177] Satan hath any waies blinded him, or his own heart deceived him, or how farre soever the image of CHRIST hath beene defaced and decayed in him. All his omissions of good duties, all his defects and wants in faith, repentance, prayer, obedience, &c. or whatsoever, I say wee most humbly beseech thee to forgive and par­don them all for the pas­sions sake of thine onely Sonne. Whatsoever at any time since hee had his being, he hath either thought, or said, or done [Page 178] amisse, doe it away deare LORD, as though it had never beene, and drowne it for ever in the bottomelesse sea of thine owne mercy. Thou hast promised by thy Pro­phet Isa. 44. 22. that thou wilt put away the trans­gressions of thy people like a cloud, and their sins as a mist. Now we pray thee let the inflamed heate of thy everlasting love shed thorow the bloody wounds of thy Son, and shining through the Sonne of righteous­nesse upon his soule, dis­perse and dissolve into [Page 179] nothing all his iniquities, transgressions and sins. Thou hast promised by thy Prophet Micah 7. 19. That thou wilt cast them all into the bottome of the Sea. Now blessed LORD GOD, we pray thee, as that mighty host of Pharaoh sunke into the red Sea like a stone, so that neither Sonne of man, nor Sun of Heaven ever saw their faces any more; so let all his sins bee swallowed up for ever in the red sea of CHRIST JESVS his blood, that they never show their faces againe [Page 180] to his shame, discomfort or confusion.

Thou hast told us with thine owne mouth, that thou inhabitest eternity, and dwells in the high and holy place, and yet with him also, that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to give life to them that are of a contrite heart; we humbly intreate thee for CHRIST JESUS his sake, that thou wouldest make good this promise to this thy servant, to the utmost sweetnesse and comfort thereof.

[Page 181] O blessed LORD GOD, let thy glorious presence shine into his heart with all those sweet refreshings, with which thou art wont to fill those happy soules which depart in thy fa­vour and at peace with thee. Let the pretious deservings and saving blood-shed of CHRIST JESVS appeare fresh unto the eye of his faith: And let the blessed An­gell ministring Spirits to thy chosen, at thy ap­pointed time carry his soule with peace and comfort into the bosome of thy glory.

[Page 182] O LORD he is now going the way of all flesh, and his habitation is remooving from him like a Shepheards tent. Helpe now LORD in this time of need. Com­fort him, wee beseech thee, with all the strength of Heaven. Thou hast within the rich treasury of thy mercy, thine own tender hearted bowells of compassions, the un­valuable blood shed of thy deare Sonne, the un­utterable comforts of thy good Spirit, the pre­tious promises of life, and all the joyes of Hea­ven, [Page 183] and he hath a poore soule that hungers and thirsts and longs for thy mercy and favour, be­fore all the world. O LORD our GOD wee humbly pray thee crown that soule of his with them all. Let thine own omnipotent hand en­compasse him, let the strong arme of the Sonne of GOD mightily pro­tect him from all infer­nall power, let the Spi­rit of all comfort raise in his heart those heavenly raptures and sweet exul­tations of spirit, which are wont to fill the soules [Page 184] of them which are rea­dy to lay hold upon a crowne of life, let thy blessed Angels at thine owne time, carry his soule into the bosome of Abraham, there to raigne with thee in rest, and joy thorow all eternity.

O LORD our GOD, remember us wee pray thee in mercy con­cerning that heavie and sore judgement of the Plague of Pestilence [Page 185] that fearefully walketh in darknesse, and wasteth at noone day, which thy just wrath hath kindled in the chiefe City of this Kingdome. Wee pray thee, good Father, to blesse us with care and wisedome to meete thee now at first with truly re­morsefull and repentant hearts, both for our own personall sinnes, and the crying abhominations of the times: Let us seeke thee with fervency and truth in daies of humilia­tion and fasting, and cry mightily unto thee that so turning al unto thee with [Page 186] unfained repentance and sincere resolution to a­mend, thou maist in mer­cy heale our Kingdome, and turne thine indigna­tion away from us.

MOst gratious GOD, sith by thy good providence we are met together at this time so­lemely to humble our selves, and afflict our soules in thy glorious presence, and before thy pure eye, we humbly be­seech thee to give unto [Page 187] every one of us spiritu­all ability, and the saving assistance of thy Holy Spirit, that we may all doe it unfainedly, fruit­fully, effectually, in the name of JESVS CHRIST.

O Most mighty, and blessed LORD GOD, our ever loving Father in JESVS CHRIST. We poore wretches, thy unwor­thiest servants, do heere humbly prostrate our selves, our soules and bo­dies before thy Throne of grace, acknowledging [Page 188] from our hearts, that we are the vilest of all Thy Creatures, by reason of our manifold, and hai­nous sins, we are defiled and polluted in every power and part both of body and soule, to the very heart roote, and from the beginning of our being, we laid at first a bloudy foundation with Adam in Paradise, which utterly undid all mankinde, and had our hands in that horrible re­bellion, which brought all mischiefs and mise­ries, all sinne and sorrow upon all the sonnes and [Page 189] daughters of Adam from the Creation to the end of the world, yea and all those Hellish woes and tortures which shall lie upon damned soules everlastingly. O LORD strike our hearts with re­morse for This sin, of which we take so little notice, that we may bee humbled for it, all the daies of our life; Wee came into this world ve­ry sinkes of all impuri­ty, concupiscence, and filth, we brought with us understandings starke blinde in all heavenly things; wills stubborne, [Page 190] froward, rebellious to every good word and worke: Memory sinfull and defiled: hard and stony hearts, raging and bedlam passions, earthly and sensuall thoughts and imagina­tions, dead and guilty consciences; eyes full of Adultery, wanton­nesse, and wandrings, eare open to all rot­ten and ribald talke, tongues set on fire by hell, hands full of iniqui­ty, feete ready to carry us to all manner of villany, and vanity: even bodies and soules in­grafted [Page 191] into the cursed communion of the Di­vell, and wicked spirits, by reason of that origi­nall corruption, and crookednesse which we drew from the loines of our sinfull Parents. And this hereditary masse of naturall filth, lurkt in our natures like venome and poison, which made us odious and abominable in thy sight before wee were able to sin: when wee had power to serve the Divell, it broke out upon us into as many fearefull transgressions and abominable lusts, as [Page 192] could possibly proceed from so empoysoned a fountaine. And since that time, good Lord thou knowest we have borne our selves like Traytors and rebells a­gainst thy holy Majesty: we have actually trans­grest all thy blessed Lawes and Commande­ments, every manner of way, in thought, word, and deed: fearefully wounding our conscien­ces, greeving thy good spirit, and treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath.

O Lord wee have [Page 193] grievously sinned against Thee, by contempt of thy Word, The crying sinne of this place: by Atheisme, ignorance, profanenesse, unbeliefe, distrust of thy provi­dence, carnall security, pride, hypocrisie; By fearelissnesse, and forget­fullnesse of thy great Majesty, Love of this world, and putting from us the evill day: by im­patiency, discontent, in­ward Idolatry in prefer­ring some Creature be­fore the mighty LORD of Heaven and Earth: By the grosse neglect, or [Page 194] wicked abuse of all the parts and kinde of thy Divine Worship: Pre­tious and powerfull are those heavenly Ord [...]nan­ces of thine. Thy Word preached or read, pray­er, meditation, confe­rence, vowes, fasting, use of good bookes, good company and the like, some of those have been utterly neglected by us, others quite mard by formality and sloth.

We have highly di­shonoured thy Majesty, by taking thy great name in vaine: in want of due esteeme, and an holy use [Page 195] of thy Titles, Attri­butes, Ordinances, Crea­tures, Workes of justice and mercy abroad in the world.

We have fearefully polluted thy Sabboths, and profaned all thy Or­dinances upon those blessed daies.

And as we have thus wickedly neglected thy Worship and Service in the first place, so wee have beene justly given over to beare our selves wretchedly, and unwor­thily towards our bre­thren: we have behaved our selves unthankfully [Page 196] to our Superiours: proud­ly to our Equals, unmer­cifully to our Inferiours.

Though it may bee we have kept our hand from the grosse act of murder: yet LORD thou know'st our tongues have beene swords, and our hearts full of blood.

We have beene defi­led with all manner of abominable lusts in our inward parts.

Our noble spirits that can never die, have been basely chained downe to the earth; and kept in a wicked and dunghill slavery, and bondage to [Page 197] the world and worldly things.

In our tongues we have beene guilty of a world of wickednesse.

But above all, our hearts have beene rest­lesse fountaines of all ill: innumerable litters, and swarmes of vaine, vile, filthy Thoughts, affecti­ons, and desires have continually bred in them; very thorough-faires have they beene for Sa­tans impure suggestions, to walke up and downe in: in regard of malicious thoughts, very slaughter-houses; in regard of un­cleane [Page 198] lusts, very stewes, and brothel-houses; in regard of the heate of boyling concupiscence, very hot-houses, and as the Prophet Hos. 7. 4. speakes, like a bakers Oven. And LORD our GOD, these are but the heads of our sins: The branches, streames, and particulars are infinite, able to sinke us into the bottome of ten thousand hells: And that which makes our sinnes a great deale more sinfull, wee have wretchedly and stubbornely committed them against many [Page 199] meanes of sanctification; against the ministery of thy Word; against ma­ny Sermons and gratious invitations; against the motions of thy Spirit, the checks of our con­science, the light of our knowledge; against our vowes, and promises, Thy many fatherly cor­rections, great mercies, and miraculous patience.

Good LORD wee beseech thee to open our eyes, that wee may see the length, and breadth, the height and depth of this our wofull misery: The least of all [Page 200] our sins without repen­tance may justly bring upon us all manner of plagues and judgements in this world; dispaire and horror upon our beds of death, and ever­lasting misery and tor­ment in the world to come. What height of horror then, and depth of hell doe all our feare­full pollutions, and pro­vocations all our life long deserve at thine hands?

Now good LORD our GOD helpe us, and for the blood of CHRIST give unto [Page 201] every one of us before thee this day, true, and saving repentance, unfai­ned godly sorrow for them all. Let them all now come into our mindes, and be represen­ted to the eye of our con­science, as so many fiery Scorpions, out of which, except we take as it were the stings, by turning from them, while it is called to day; they will sting hereafter with everlasting horrour. Let us looke upon them, as upon so many foule feinds, (sin made the glo­rious Angels damned [Page 202] spirits) how foule then doe they make us, who are sons and daughters of Adam: Let us behold them as so many foule and bloody instruments of CHRIST his death, and cruell cut-throats to our owne soules, &c.

Let us cast our eye al­so upon thy pure eye, and infinite indignation against sin: by conside­ring how in thy fierce wrath thou threwest downe so many glorious Creatures from Heaven. How thou cast Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit out of [Page 203] Paradise, drownedst the whole world, Cursedst Sodome and Gomorrah as it were with hellish flame upon earth into ashes, cast off thine owne peo­ple who had beene so deare unto thee: puts sometimes a guilty en­raged conscience even into an hell above ground, and hast created and provided the never dying worme, and un­quenchable fire, even all the torments in hell, for impenitent sinners.

O LORD let these considerations, of the foulenesse of our sinnes, [Page 204] and the fearefullnesse of the curse due thereunto; but above all the be­holding of JESVS CHRIST, dying and bleeding upon the crosse; make every one of our hearts to breake and burst and bleede within us for them all: That wee may heartily, and abundantly mourne over him whom wee have pierced with them. And then most mercifull Fa­ther we humbly beseech thee be graciously plea­sed to open upon us the blessed fountaine for sin and for uncleanenesse, [Page 205] even the blood of that Immaculate Lambe JE­SVS CHRIST the ho­ly and the Righteous: Breake thine own sweete Name which is to for­give iniquity, transgressi­on and sin, as a sweete perfume upon our bro­ken hearts, and let our poore soules cast them­selves for ever, with a lively and fruitfull faith into the armes of JESVS CHRIST for everla­sting safety, and for ever cleave to all the promi­ses in thy blessed Booke, as to the surest Rocke, and let the soundnesse of [Page 206] the Truth of this our cleaving unto Christ, be hereafter testified, and manifested, by an hearty abandoning of all sin; by all the workes of piety, justice, mercy, and truth, by a sincere respect to all thy Commandements, by a fruitfull partaking of all thy Holy Ordi­nances, by a spirituall performance of all Chri­stian Duties, by a con­stant growing in all hea­venly graces; and com­fortable going on in the path that is called Holy unto our dying Day.

And LORD our GOD, [Page 207] we being thus sincerely humbled, truly comfor­ted and reconciled un­to thee in the face of Christ; we humbly be­seech thee to enable us by thy might, to cry mightily unto thee for pardon, and reformation of the sins of this King­dome, which are many and hainous, and have provoked thee many a yeare; and to prevaile with Thee in Christs Name, for favour, and mercy upon all our deare brethren and sisters that are now groaning un­der thy visiting hand. [Page 208] Good LORD wee be­seech thee upon this oc­casion, and blessed op­portunity strike through the heart of every one in this land with a true remorse, and godly sor­row, both for his owne personall sins, and all the crying abominations of the time: That so we all turning unto thee with unfained repen­tance, and sincere resolu­tion to amend, thou mayest in mercy com­mand thine Angell to cease from striking, heale our land and turne thine indignation away from us.

[Page 209] It is a heavy judge­ment, and horrible sick­nesse, which devoures now and eates up thy people in our chiefe Ci­ty: And is fearefully scattered in many places abroad: It is called thine hand, thy sword, the stroake of thine Angell, the snare of the Fowler, the noysome Pestilence, the terrour by night, the arrow that flieth by day, the destruction that wa­steth by noone-day, and walketh in the darknesse. O Lord our God, let us be humbled propor­tionably to the extraor­dinary [Page 210] terror of thy hea­vie hand.

Thou Lord art ac­quainted with the an­guish of all hearts, with the griefes, and groanes, the necessities, and wants of all distressed ones. And all those poore soules that are still affli­cted under thy mighty hand, with the grievous Pestilence in any part of this Kingdome▪ lie in a most rufull, comfortlesse, and desolate state, ordi­narily they are destitute of all outward comforts; they want the Physitions both of soule and body, [Page 211] the presence, and com­forts of their friends, neighbours, and all those who are dearest unto them. They are vexed with the rage of a hor­rible disease, assaulted with the fearefull sight of all their sinnes, the pangs of death, and ter­rour of thy dreadfull Tribunall, we humbly beseech thee most mer­cifull Lord, to ease, comfort, succour, and relieve them all, farre above that which we can either thinke, or speake in their behalfe.

Especially Holy Fa­ther, [Page 212] we pray thee blesse every one of them, with a right, and holy use of this thine heavy hand upon them, give them saving sorrow, and true repentance, the blood of thy Sonne, pardon of all their sins, perswasion of thy love, peace of con­science, patience to en­dure their great extre­mities; and a full recom­pence of all their out­ward desolations, with the sweete, and inward consolations of thy bles­sed Spirit. And so sancti­fie good LORD this sore judgement to the [Page 213] whole Kingdome, that we may all come from under thy visiting hand, as gold out of the fur­nace, refined from the drosse of our corrupti­ons, and filth of sin, and so fitted and sanctified for the more sincere and glorious service of thy great Majesty unto our dying day.

O LORD our GOD, thou beholdest now from Heaven, what hearts we bring now in­to thy glorious pre­sence, how full of dead­nesse, [Page 214] earthly-minded­nesse, listlesnesse, and unfitnesse to performe any holy duty with hea­venly minds and spiritu­all affections, we pray thee to stirre them up, and quicken them by thy Holy Spirit, that they may bee ever fee­ling, and fruitfull in the use of all the Ordinan­ces, give every one of us spirituall ability, and helpe from Heaven, to goe through it with life, and power effectually and pleasingly to thy great Majesty in the name of CHRIST.

O Eternall GOD, great and fearefull, strong and mighty, yet merci­full, and gratious, long-suffering, abundant in goodnesse, and truth: keeping mercy for thou­sand, forgiving iniqui­ty, transgression and sin: we poore wretches, vi­lest creatures doe heere humbly cast downe our selves, at the foot of thy [Page 216] great and glorious Ma­jesty, acknowledging from our hearts, that we are most unworthy to come into thy presence, or to call upon thy dreadfull, and Holy Name. For thou art a GOD of infinite Maje­sty, and glory, and dwel­lest in light that no man can attaine unto, and we are vile wormes, dust, and ashes, dwelling in houses of flesh, and Ta­bernacles of clay, where­in we can doe nothing but sin. Thou art a con­suming fire, and we are even as stubble before [Page 217] thee, ready to bee de­voured by thy fierce wrath, if thou shouldest deale with us, as we have deserved. Thou art a GOD of pure eyes, and canst not behold iniqui­ty, and we are encom­passed, and laden with all manner of polluti­ons and sinfullnesse. Be­side that bloudy rebelli­on with Adam in Para­dise, and cursed Leprosy of Originall sin, which hath universally corrup­ted all the faculties▪ and powers of body and soule, filling them with all Hellish poyson, con­fusion [Page 218] and pronenesse to ill, The whole world hath beene worse for us, since wee came into it, There is nothing in Hea­ven or in Earth, but so farre as in us lay, we have polluted, wronged, di­shonoured and abused it one way or other.

1. We have villanou­sly stroke at the Apple of thy pure eye; Holy Fa­ther, many and many a time, with filthy thoughts, abominable lusts, and fearefull pro­vocations, we have pres­sed thy mercies, even as a cart is pressed which is [Page 219] full of sheaves, we have shamefully abused the riches of thy goodnesse, forbearance, and long-suffering, leading us to repentance.

2. We have dishonou­red thy deare Sonne, by despising him in his Mi­nistery, neglecting his many gratious invitati­ons, persecuting him in his members, and shed­ding his bloud in the Sa­crament.

3. We have grieved thy good Spirit, by put­ting backe his holy mo­tions, or smoothering them by worldlinesse, [Page 220] lusts, and earthly de­lights.

4. We have vexed thy blessed Angels, so much as in us lies, be­sides many other waies, even in this house of thine, with unreverence, drowsinesse, sleepinesse, and the like, where they are beholding with delight the misteries re­vealed in the Gospell.

5. We have wofully abused all thy creatures, they should have mini­stred to us continuall matter of heavenly me­ditation upon thy great­nesse, and goodnesse, [Page 221] power, and providence, &c. but our earthly minds have made no such ho­ly use of them, but wee have covetously and sen­sually abused them to our owne ends, and car­nall contentments.

6. Even this Kingdome, gratious Father, wherein we have beene borne, and bread, and enjoyed many good things, hath beene much worse for us; For we have had our hands LORD thou knowest in pulling downe upon us, this horrible sicknesse of the plague of Pestilence, and other [Page 222] judgements, both tem­porall, and spirituall: and without true, and timely repentance, are likely enough to hasten the de­stroying sword, and be­some of destruction to make an end of us.

7. We have abused all thy fatherly correcti­ons, and chastisements laid upon us in love, and for our good, they should have brought forth in us the peaceable and glori­ous fruits of Righteous­nesse, but they have ra­ther begot murmuring, impatiency, and discon­tentment.

[Page 223] 8. We have abused thy mercies, which have beene heaped abundant­ly upon us above mea­sure, and without num­ber, even to increase our security, and presumpti­on and forgetfullnesse of the evill day.

9. We have abused the most gracious, and glorious day of visi­tation that ever any peo­ple enjoyed upon earth: passing over it very un­profitably, like sons, and daughters of confusion, not gathering any such stock and store of grace, against our ending houre [Page 224] as we might plentifully have done.

10. We have abused all thy blessed Ordinan­ces, those heavenly con­duits of all spirituall blessings, grace, and com­fort: By our unprepa­rednesse before, irreve­rence in the use of them, fruitlesnesse, and want of practise afterward.

11. We have wretch­edly abused our owne bodies, and soules, by abandoning them to the service of Satan, and ma­king all our members instruments of unrigh­teousnesse to sin. Feare­fully [Page 225] were they infected with Originall sin at first, but we have made them much more sinfull by our actuall transgressions ever since; we have added a great deale of folly in re­spect of the mystery of CHRIST: every way LORD thou knowest we are become excee­ding sinfull.

We humbly intreate thee in the name of the LORD JESVS to il­lighten our mindes, and open our eyes, to see the length, and breadth, the height, and depth, of this our sinfull misery, for [Page 226] which thou mightest justly bring upon us all the curses in thy booke, and all the torments in hell, and in the meane time plague us with gi­ving us over to more hardnesse of heart, blind­nesse of minde, dead­nesse of conscience, sla­very under our lusts, a reprobate sence, and to be finally sealed up with the spirit of slumber a­gainst the day of ven­geance, which are farre worse then all the plagues of Egypt.

1. Thou mightest Holy Father even thine [Page 227] owne selfe for our many dishonours, and disobe­dience against thee draw that sword against us, that would eate flesh and drinke blood: suffer that wrath to be kindled in thy bosome against us, which would burne unto the bottome of Hell: come against us as a Beare robbed of her whelps, and rent the caule of our hearts, and teare us in peeces like a Lyon when there is none to helpe.

2. Thine owne deare Sonne might for ever deny us his pretious [Page 228] bloud, to wash away the least staine from our sin­full soules.

3. Thy Holy Spirit might never more put any motion into our hearts.

4. Thy blessed An­gels might take no more charge over us, or be mi­nistring spirits unto us for our good, but leave us as a prey to that roaring Lyon, and his damned Angels.

5. All the Creatures might come justly ar­med against us, with their severall stings and rage to make an end of us, for [Page 229] rebelling against thee their Creator.

6. This Kingdome wherein we live, might justly fall into the mouth of some horrible confu­sion, and we inwrapt in the miseries and desola­tions thereof.

7. All crosses, afflicti­ons, and thine angry visitations upon us, might be unto us the ve­ry beginnings of Hellish paines.

8. Thy many mercies unto us which should leade us unto repen­tance, might onely serve to far us against the day [Page 230] of slaughter.

9. The day of our gratious visitation might end, and the Sun set upon the Prophets.

10. All thy blessed Ordinances might bee unto us the savour of death unto death.

11. Our bodies and soules might bee most justly cast into the bot­tome of Hell, there to be tormented with the dam­ned for ever and ever.

O LORD our GOD, we humbly beseech thee for the LORD JESUS his sake, let a serious con­sideration of this our sin­fullnesse [Page 231] and cursednesse breake our stony hearts into peeces, make them burst and bleed within us, and good LORD our GOD, we being thus sincerely humbled, let us get faster hold upon the LORD JESVS, with a sound and fruitfull faith then heretofore; by a stedfast looking upon him, and all his suffe­rings, and satisfactions, from his comming from thy bosome untill his returning unto thy right hand againe: by survay­ing all the promises of of life sealed with his [Page 232] blood: by cleaving to his sweetest name: which is to forgive iniquity, transgression and sin: and resting our selves with a thankfull, and joyfull acknowledgement upon that blessed mystery of his free grace, which reacheth from everla­sting to everlasting, &c.

MOst mighty and most glorious Lord God of Heaven and Earth, our light and life, our Sun and shield: the strength of our hearts, and our portion forever. Thou art the Author of all our good, the foun­taine of all our blisse, the well-spring of immor­tality and life, wherein we live, and move, and have our being, even [Page 234] our naturall, spirituall, and eternall being. And therefore to thy great and glorious Majesty, we render from the bottome of our hearts, all possible praise, and thankesgi­ving, for all those glori­ous mercies, and richest favours which thou from time to time, hast abundantly and plenti­fully vouchsafed unto us most rebellious, un­thankfull, and undeser­ving wretches.

We thanke thee for the well-head, and first fountaine of them all, thy love towards us, and of [Page 235] all our good every way, even the good pleasure of thine own good will, thy free grace, and that mercy that reacheth from everlasting to ever­lasting.

We thanke thee for putting us into this world in the best, and blessed part and time thereof. We might have beene borne, and lived in the time of the flood, and so beene drown'd and damn'd, or within the compasse of that al­most foure thousand yeares betweene the Creation and the com­ming [Page 236] of CHRIST, out of the partition wall, and so have had no meanes or ordinary possi­bility of salvation. But have lived, and dyed in cursed Paganisme, and Heathenish Idolatry; we might have lived in that darke and damned mid-night, and have beene choakt with the doctrine of divels: wee might have lived at this time of the world, but amongst Turks, Pagans, Infidels, where wee should never have heard savingly of JESVS CHRIST: It's thy [Page 237] infinite mercy wee have beene borne, and bread, and brought up in this happy time of the world, and blessed corner of the Earth, this illightned Goshan, where we have enjoyed or might have enjoyed, the glorious Gospell of our blessed GOD with such purity, power, and peace.

We thank thee blessed GOD for making us reasonable Creatures, capable of grace and im­mortality. Thou migh­test have let us lie for ever in that abhorred state of being nothing, [Page 238] and wee should never have dishonoured thee: Thou mightest have made us of those Angels that are become wicked spirits, and then we had beene irrecoverably lost: Thou mightest have made us Toads, or Ty­gers, vermine, or any vild thing: and we should never have prooved such Traytors, and rebells a­gainst thee as we have beene.

O LORD, we praise thee, that thou hast made us of thy noblest Crea­tures, and given us under­standings like the An­gels [Page 239] of GOD, so that if we be not cursedly cru­ell to our owne soules, they may be saved ever­lastingly by the meanes that we enjoy.

We blesse thee Holy Father, for thy Fatherly care of us, being yet in our mothers wombe, wonderfully, and feare­fully made: For that miraculous mercy in bringing us into this world, and giving us leave to see this light. For thy gratious watch­ing over us while wee hung upon our mothers breasts, since that time [Page 240] for thy mercifull conti­nuance to us of our life, health, liberty, outward meanes, the use of our wits, limbs, senses; for all the good wee have had by good yoake-fel­lowes, good Parents, good children, good ser­vants, good neighbours, good governours, or any of thy good creatures, for every step we have made upon this Earth, every bit of bread we have put into our mouthes, for every draught of aire we have drawne into these fraile bodies, and bles­sings more then heart can [Page 241] thinke, or tongue tell, and which we can nei­ther possibly remember or expresse.

Above all, we of this place are bound to praise thy goodnesse most mer­cifull GOD, for that most incomparable Jew­el, that ever this world had, or sons of men en­joyed, the Ministery of the Word, and meanes of salvation, the disco­very of the mystery of CHRIST, and revela­tion of all thy blessed counsells. By the power whereof so many a­mongst us, as have truly [Page 242] tasted how gratious and glorious thou art in CHRIST, doe blesse, magnifie, and admire, the bottomelesse depth, and infinite height of thy free grace, for our hap­py conversion from Sa­tan to the living GOD, for our change from na­ture to grace, a greater and more glorious work then the Creation of the world, wherein thou hast improved thine owne infinite mercie, the unva­luable merit of thy Sonne, and the mighty worke of the HOLY GHOST, to make us of [Page 243] limbs of the divell mem­bers of CHRIST, O blessed be that happy time, that ever we were so new borne.

Wee thanke thee for pardoning all our sins, the least of which would have damned us everla­stingly: for renewing upon our soules the bles­sed image of the LORD JESVS, the least glimpse whereof is infinitely more worth then the whole world.

We thank thee for the LORD JESVS, and every drop of his preti­ous blood, and all other [Page 244] sweetnesse wee finde in him; for thy good Spi­rit, and his gratious pre­sence and residence in our soules; for thy bles­sed selfe, and all the sweete Communion we have with thy holy Ma­jesty; for the prayers of thy children, Commu­nion of Saints and the Intercession of JESVS CHRIST.

We thanke thee hear­tily for any power or conquest thou givest us at any time over our sins; for all our ability to doe thee any service, in any part or kinde of thy wor­ship; [Page 245] for all those afflicti­ons and temptations which thou hast sanctifi­ed for our spirituall good; for all the sweete and heavenly dewes of spirituall joy, which thou hast at any time shed in­to any of our hearts, from the throne of grace by the influence of thy holy Spirit.

Blessed GOD, wee thanke thee infinitely for those glorious mansions of rest, for our everla­sting blessings and peace purchased for us, with the blood of CHRIST: for every moment of [Page 246] eternity in the highest Heavens; where wee shall fully and for ever enjoy pleasures without end and past imaginati­on. O blessed Joyes! O blessed Eternity! O ever­blessed GOD!

Furthermore gratious Father, wee heartily praise thee for all those publique favours and blessings, which in great mercy thou hast from time to time vouchsafed unto this Kingdome, wherein we have had a large and comfortable part.

We thanke thee good [Page 247] Father for the happy de­liverance of this King­dome from the fiery and bloudy times of Queene Mary; for raising up Queene Elizabeth, who raised Religion as it were by a miracle from the dead: for all her mi­raculous deliverances from the cruell conspi­racies of the bloody Pa­pists, especially that in 88. For all her blessed daies, wherein so many Holy Saints were sent to Heaven.

We thanke thee mer­cifull GOD, for delive­ring us from the rage [Page 248] and bloud of that day so long looked for by the Papists, at Queene Eliza­beths death; for the quiet and happy succession of King Iames of blessed memory, and all the peace and prosperity, and freedome from Po­pery, and the destroy­ing sword, especially the Powder-plot.

We thanke thee, Fa­ther, most heartily, for the gratious setling of King CHARLES in the Royall Throne, for his life and safety, and the happy daies we en­joy under his blessed [Page 249] raigne: and that thou hast put into his royall heart to give us this bles­sed liberty, and glorious opportunity, thus to humble our selves, and afflict our soules in pub­lique before thy glori­ous Majesty. We hum­bly intreate thee in the name of CHRIST let every one of us receive at thy bountifull hands grace and power to doe it unfainedly, effectually, and savingly. For that purpose let thy blessings fall abundantly from Heaven upon every soule here present, by the Mi­nistery [Page 250] of thy Word, settle fast we pray thee by the finger of thy Holy Spirit in our memories, judgement, affections, hearts and consciences, all those points of Holy Truth with which wee have beene acquainted with this day, that by thy mercifull blessing they may prove thy arme and power to every one of us for our salvation, for the conversion of those who are yet uncalled, and the setting forward of those that are already thine, in the waies of life, all holy conversation, and neerer [Page 251] communion with thy blessed Majesty.

At last we cannot but reflect with compas­sionare hearts upon the grievous miseries and bleeding sorrowes of all our brethren and sisters afflicted with the plague of Pestilence. Thou art a pitifull GOD, full of tendernesse, meltings, and compassions; thou art the Father of mer­cies, and GOD of all comforts; now we hum­bly intreate thee for thy deare Sonnes sake, for thy infinite mercies sake, for thy holy names sake, [Page 252] of all thy loves unto the LORD JESVS, and that with all the earnest­nesse and fervency our poore dull hearts can possibly: that thou woul­dest bee pleased to cast downe thy compassio­nate eye upon them all, stay the hand of thy de­stroying Angell, spare them good LORD, de­stroy not the people of thine inheritance, put up we pray thee thy arrowes into thy quiver, and thy sword into the sheath, now at the joynt suppli­cations of all thy deare children who are in this [Page 253] Kingdome, who are even now wrastling with thee with all fervency of spi­rit, let our poore prayers, and all theirs, even now meeting at the throne of grace, bee mightily strengthened and tende­red unto thee by the in­tercession of the LORD JESVS, and pull downe speedily upon us this mercy and gratious deli­verance, that we may praise thee for ever­more.

Lastly blessed LORD we humbly beseech thee to pardon in mercy all those corruptions, infir­mities, [Page 254] faylings, defects and imperfections which have beene mingled with these holy duties, sprin­kle all our services, sacri­fices and persons with the blood of that imma­culate Lambe JESVS CHRIST, the holy and the Righteous: ac­cept them and us grati­ously in him in whom thou art well pleased, in whom thy soule doth in­finitely delight.

And so good Father we put our selves under the wings of thy gratious providence, for our safe­ty and preservation, and [Page 255] our soules into the hands of the Holy Ghost for our further Sanctificati­on, and finall salvation in the name of JESVS CHRIST, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost, even to thee ho­liest Father, to thee dea­rest Saviour, to thee sweetest Spirit, be ascri­bed eternity, infinite­nesse, and everlasting­nesse of glory and praise world without end.

O My good and mer­cifull LORD GOD, most holy and deare Fa­ther in JESVS CHRIST, I the vilest of all thy creatures and the worst that ever thou madest, by reason of mine owne horrible sins, doe here come unto thee upon the bended knees of my bleeding soule to intreate thee and beg at thy [Page 257] hands with all the instan­cy and fervency my poore, dull, cold heart can possibly for par­don, grace and mercy, for favour, compassion and abundant forgive­nesse. O LORD my GOD, thou knowest me full well, and thorowly, even to the bottome of my heart and beginning of my being: for besides that I came into this world loaden with an heavie burden and con­fused Babell of crooked­nesse and corruption, in every part both of soule and body: thou knowest [Page 258] what a cursed confluence of all manner of polluti­ons, filthinesse, uncleane­nesse, strange abomina­tion, abominable lusts, and every villanous cor­ruption that is wont to spring out of our impoy­soned nature, made my poore soule a very sinke and Sodom before I was converted.

Reckon up here unto GOD particulars, out of abundance of feeling, with a plen­tifull and sincere confession, and then goe on.

Thus O LORD thou [Page 259] knowest, when thou very mercifully at the first didst call and knocke at my heart by the Ministe­ry of thy Word, with what stubbornenesse, re­luctancy and delaies I withstood the worke of thy blessed Spirit for the salvation of my owne poore soule. How loath I was to open the eyes of my understanding to let in the heavenly light of that holy truth, which onely could make mee gracious here and glori­ous in thy Kingdome hereafter. And when thou hadst something [Page 260] conquered the hardnesse of my heart, so that in some measure I saw the hatefullnesse of my sin, and felt the horror of thy wrath for them. O LORD thou knowest I did not so grieve, sorrow and take on, as so great and grie­vous a sinner ought to have done, I did not mourne for them as the mourning of Hadadrim­mon in the valley of Me­giddo, I was not sorry for them as one is sorry for his first borne. I was not throwne downe into the dust, and into the place of Dragons, and into that [Page 261] depth of humiliation which the villany and variety of my many most horrible transgressions, farre as much as the sins of the vilest wretch that ever lived upon earth, re­quired at my hands. Nay, and when after the sence and acknowledge­ment of my vile and damnable estate, I saw the blood and merits of my blessed Redeemer to be the onely meanes to save me from out of hell, I did not feele in my selfe that hunger and thirst, that panting and lon­ging, those groanes, sup­plications [Page 262] and strong cries for that soveraigne and saving Plaister to heale my wounded soule, as mine owne misery and the excellency of my CHRIST should have moov'd me unto. And when at length it plea­sed thee upon thy owne free mercy to offer unto my sorrowfull and sinne­full soule thy deare Son, and all his pretious suffe­rings, my unbeleeving and naughty heart did not embrace, and lay hold upon him with that fastnesse and faithfullnes as the certainty of thy [Page 263] promises, the truth and sweetnesse of thy mercy most plentifully revea­led in thy Word doe straitly enjoyne mee. Thus LORD even eve­ry step of my passage out of nature into Grace, out of corruption into Christianity, and the snares of the divell into the kingdome of Christ, was, as thou knowest, fearefully hindred with the hardnesse of my own corrupt heart, and fowly polluted with the lusts and rebellions of my sin­full nature.

Nay, and that which [Page 264] grieves me the most, and should justly make my heart even to bleede within me, since I gave my name unto religion, came into the commu­nion of Saints, and en­tred the waies of new obedience, I have beene dragd back by the cruell pollicie of Satan, and the accustomed yeelding­nesse of my sensuall dis­positions into some vile and hatefull abominati­ons of the daies of my vanity, and time of unre­generation: and also overtaken with some new knowne scandalous [Page 265] sins, to the grieving of thy good Spirit, the grie­vous wounding of my conscience, and the dis­gracing of my profession. I have beene very slack and slow, and faint-hear­ted in promoting thy glory, furthering good causes and performing holy duties. I have beene very dull and cold, co­wardly and formall in all the waies of godlines, and my Christian war­fare, in respect of many Christians, who have not neere beene so great sinners before they were converted, or receiv'd [Page 266] the thousand part of those favours from thee, as I have done. I have beene too heavie, heart­lesse and uncomfortable in my profession, confe­rences, godly exercises and practises of grace; I have not so rejoyced, as I ought, in all the good things which thou hast done for me, I have not walked so cheerefully towards a crowne of life, as formerly towards the damnation of hell. Nay, LORD, and even in those things, wherein I should have the greatest comfort, when I examine [Page 267] my naughty and deceit­full heart, I finde nothing but confusion of face. Even my prayers, hea­ring and reading the Word, receiving the Sa­crament, meditations, conferences, &c. are so mingled with temptati­ons, worldly thoughts, by-respects, deadnesse and drowsinesse of spi­rit, so mard with privie pride, and secret hypo­crisie, that I cannot re­member them without griefe of heart; neither dare I thinke upon them without prayer for the pardon of their imper­fections. [Page 268] I finde great matter of humiliation in the best of them, and I know thou mightest there also finde much matter of damnation, if thou shouldest deale with me as I have deserved. O LORD my GOD, this is my state, nay and in­deed a thousand times worse and more wofull yet then I or the tongue of an Angell can make it. And I have nothing in the world to say for my selfe, I have none to goe unto either in Heaven or in Earth, but onely to in­treate my blessed Redee­mer [Page 269] to speake unto thee in my behalfe, to make intercession for me with his glorious merits and pretious blood-shed: and to flee unto those melting bowells of thy Fatherly compassions and tender­heartednesse, with which thou art wont to meete and fall upon the neck of every humbled, sorrow­full and broken-hearted sinner. I do therefore be­seech thee, mercifull LORD, upon the bowed knees of my sin-grieved heart to pardon and put away all my many horri­ble, hainous and abomi­nable [Page 270] sins in the pretious blood of thine own deare Son. It is onely the preti­ous blood of that spot­lesse Lambe which hath power and force to turne the deepest staine of scar­let and crimson sins into the whitenesse of snow & wooll. And there was ne­ver poore, sinfull wretch had more need of the multitude of thy mercies, and abundance of that sa­ving blood to doe away the multitude of my sins, and to wash & purge and rinze my filthy and polluted soule. I pray thee therfore for Christ [Page 271] Jesus his sake, for thy ho­ly names sake, for thine infinite mercies sake, and for thine own Covenants sake, to make good unto me the true sweetnesse, & utmost comfort of all those gracious promises of life, which ere flowed from thy free mercy, through the Passion of thy Son upon any poore soule, who sought thee with truth of heart, & tru­ly lov'd the glory of thy name. I strangely deceive mine owne heart if I doe not hunger and thirst for thy favour and pleased countenance more then [Page 272] for all the treasures of the earth, & the glory of the whole world Make mine heart I pray thee, as thou wouldst have it, and then be a Sun & shield unto it, and crowne it with al the comforts of Heaven, as thou hast promised: then seale unto it for ever the sure mercies of David, & the salvations of the life to come. And I beseech thee also, to be so loving and mercifull to my lon­ging spirit, so tender­hearted and kinde to my trembling heart, that I may feele in my consci­ence the sprinkling of the [Page 273] blood of thy Son, for the appeasing of it, & that my poore soule may sensibly know what great things thou hast done for it, and that thou art reconciled unto it for ever in Christ Jesus. Above all things fill my heart with the joyfull feeling of thy mercies in the pardon of my sins▪ that so my quie­ted soule may sweetly sleepe, and solace it selfe everlastingly in that peace which passeth all understanding, and in the bosome of thy compassi­ons. And for the time to come, I pray thee, to help [Page 274] me more and more to re­new & increase my repē ­tance, to better & inlarge my obedience: and put to thine owne holy hand to strengthen every grace thou hast given me. O Lord my God, I could never yet get neere that hand & hatred over my sins, as I have infinitely desired. I beseech thee now at length let mee feele thy speciall com­fortable power mightily assisting me in this holy businesse. The sins of my youth have beene most hatefull, execrable and a­bominable, both to God [Page 275] and man, nay and I have been guilty of many hor­rible villanies, which have beene only knowne to thy All-seeing eye and mine owne corrupt con­science. I pray thee bles­sed Lord, for thy Christ his sake, to worke in my heart godly sorrow, true loathing, sound repen­tance and humiliation for them all, in some good measure answerable and proportionable to their heighnousnesse and ex­cesse. Oh grant mee that happinesse, that I may look back upon all those fowle pollutions, and sin­full [Page 276] vanities of my unre­generate time without ei­ther sensuall delight, or slavish horror; even with a sincere hatred and hea­vie mourning. Let me see them without any des­pairefull feare, being assured they are done a­way with the blood of thy Son, as though they had never been: & with­out any secret delight, lest I renew and multiply their guilt & grievousnes upon my poore soule, which they have too fearefully wounded al­ready. And Lord I pray thee also, put quickning [Page 277] life, power and feeling into my heart and affecti­ons in the performance of every holy duty, which is the very heart and soule of a pleasing sacrifice and service unto thee. Increase in me an holy feare, reverence & respect to all thy Com­mandements. Cause and continue in me a sincere, universall, and constant obedience unto them all, & that not from any sla­vish feare, private end or by-respect, but for con­science sake, a soule-like feare of thee and love of thy glory. And if at any [Page 278] time, as it is ordinary with Gods children, it shall please thee to exer­cise me with any crosse, disgrace, slander, discoū ­tenance, losse of goods, disease of body, terror of soule, or the like, I pray thee ever sweeten & san­ctifie them unto mee by thy blessing: & grant that I may ever obediently with all peace of heart, & patience of spirit submit to thy will & wisedome therein; being fully assu­red that to me, which am in Christ, the sting, curse and poyson of them is most certainely pulled [Page 279] out by the Passion of thy Son. And resting ever up­on thy sweet & pretious promises, that thou ha­ving given me Christ Je­sus, will never deny me any truly needfull and and comfortable thing, while the world stands. And that all things, even the rage of Satan, the malice of men, the mise­ries of this life, nay even the sins of my soule, in an holy sence, by thy bles­sings shall turne unto my everlasting good.

Add I pray thee, daily more and more strength and life, and new degrees [Page 280] unto all these graces, which it hath pleased thee in some measure to plant in my soule of thy owne free mercy, and for the mediation of▪ thy Son. Increase my know­ledge in the great myste­ry of grace, my reliance and trust in thee, as one most powerfull, merci­full and true; my hope and patient expectation of thy presence, and assi­stance in all things that are to come; my love of thee, thy Word, thy chil­dren and all things that belong unto thee; my zeale & courage for thy [Page 281] glory and truth & good causes and good men; feare of thy great name; humblenesse and lowli­nesse of minde. The Spi­rit and power of Prayer; Patience and contented­nesse in all troubles and trials, &c. or what other holy virtue thou hast in great mercy vouchsafed unto me. Grant I pray thee and give me grace to imploy and improove them all to the utmost & for the best advantage in procuring thee glory, good unto thy Church and comfort unto mine owne soule.

[Page 282] Blesse I pray thee and be mercifull to all crea­tures, and to the whole world. Draw, if it be thy blessed pleasure Turks, Infidels, Jewes, to the light and acknowledge­ment of thy saving truth, and the salvation of their soules. Blesse our King specially and prin­cipally, and all his Domi­nions. Roote out of them wee pray thee, all igno­rance, profanesse, pope­ry, pride, oppressions and all the workes of the di­vell. Purge we humbly and earnestly beseech thee this Church and [Page 283] Kingdome wherein wee live, and that mightily and speedily from all disorders, sedition, facti­on & corruptions, which any way dishonour thy Majesty, vex thy children or hinder a free and glo­rious passage of the Gos­pell of thy Sonne. Blesse the people committed to my charge, my owne Family, my friends, my goods, house, cattell and all things that any waies belong unto mee. Re­member I beseech thee with speciall love and tender-heartednesse all thy deare children wher­soever [Page 284] they be, especial­ly those who desire my prayers for them, and have made the troubles of their soules knowne unto me. I pray thee for thy Christ his sake, let them fare the better for the poore prayers of thy weake and unworthy servant.

Gratious Lord, I praise and magnifie from the ground and bottome of my heart, thy glorious name, and the sweetnesse of thy mercy for that golden chaine of com­fortable providence, which thy mercifull [Page 285] hand hath linkt together for my good ever since I was borne. Thou ga­vest mee a most loving and kinde Father, a very skillfull and learned Schoole-master, worthy and ingenuous educati­on, &c. Thou preservedst me mightily and almost miraculously from may­ming or suddaine death. Thou followedst mee bountifully with thy fa­vours at the University; and didst infinitely a­bove all hope and ex­pectation, raise up varie­ty of meanes from time to time for my mainte­nance [Page 286] there, &c. Thou broughtst me at length fairely, easily and uncor­ruptly into this place and pastorall charge I now injoy. Thou hast given me out of thine own free, immediate mercy a deare and loving Wife, incomparably the fittest for me that could have beene found upon the face of the whole earth. But above all, the com­forts which thou hast brought unto my poore soule by my Booke have beene most unspeake­able and glorious. Bles­sed for ever be thy glo­rious [Page 287] name therefore, &c. In a word, I am verily perswaded there was ne­ver wretch upon earth, that receiv'd so many mercies, favours and comforts from thee, and return'd so little thanke­fullnesse, service and obedience unto thee. O Lord my God, forgive I pray thee the infinite dis­proportion of thine im­measurable bountifull­nesse to me, and my most weake imperfect and sin­full obedience & service unto thee. O forgive it, forgive it for Christ Je­sus his sake, &c.