O ALMIGHTY and Everlasting Lord God, the Father of the Faithful, and of their Seed, who lookest down from Heaven thy dwel­ling place, and hast seen the travels of Jacob, and the wearisome toyl of the stock of Israel; Take pity of the Sons of men, and let not the wicked­ness of their ways call longer for Vengeance from thy Justice; But let thy mercy, Holy and Merci­ful Lord God, breath forth upon the remnant that is left.

[Page 5] Let it be known to the World it hath a Saviour, for whose sake thou wilt spare it, and not for the sake of those that dwell therein. Cause the fierce waves of advers;ity and persecution to cease from overwhelming thy Church; and let the calm still voice of thy most gracious and holy Spirit inspire all thy people to embrace the tenor of thy most holy and peaceable Gospel, in loving thee above all things, and their Neighbour as themselves.

Lord thou delightest not in Sacrifices nor with thousands of Rams, or Ten thousand of Rivers of Oyl, art thou pleased: Will I eat the Flesh of Bulls, saith the Lord? or drink the Bloud of Goats? But thou requirest of us to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. This is thy Law which we have all transgresled, and we have given thee in stead thereof the Services of strange Fires, the Fruits of untempered Zeal, and uncharitable Perswasions.

We all cry out, We are thy Children and thy Ser­vants; and yet by our unbrotherly Affections it cannot appear we are the Children of one Father; nor by strange and different Duties that we are the Servants of one Lord. What shall then be­come of us, if thou (O Lord) deal with us ac­cording to our deservings? The whole Earth is corrupt before thee.

[Page 6] There is none that doth good, no not one. Nation ri­seth up against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom; and the love of all men is waxed cold.

The Rulers are not ruled by thy most Holy Law: The Sun is gone down over the Prophets, who make the People to err, biting with their lips, and cry Peace, Peace, when War is in their hearts.

Thy Houses are laid waste as a plowed Field, and the holy places of thy worship polluted with the sins of men: The Son dishonoureth the Father, and the Daughter riseth up against her Mother; and a man's Enemies are those of his own House.

Lord into what a Deluge of sin are we cast by our vile corruptions, which cry every day (like one deep upon another) for a Deluge of thy Judgments, if in the Days of Vengeance thou didst not remember Mercy!

VVherefore (O most gracious and merciful Lord God, who didst preserve the Ark amongst the mighty waters, and hadst compassion upon Lot and his Family in the midst of Sodom)

Look down, we beseech thee, on the Troubles and Afflictions of thy Church, lying under thy most heavy Rod.

Have mercy upon her, and suffer not her great and powerful Enemies, the VVorld, the Flesh and [Page 7] the Devil, to distract or divide her Members from her head Christ Jesus; But let the Doctrine and Example of thy Son, reconcile all differences, ari­sing among all Christian People.

Let not the variety of mens Minds and Opini­ons, any more than the variety of their Langua­ges, Customs and Manners, break the Bonds of Charity and brotherly Love among Members of the same Body, Subjects of the same Kingdom, and Brethren of the same Houshold of Faith.

It is true, O Lord, that thou hast said, Offen­ces shall come; but thou hast pronounced a wo to those by whom they do come.

Thou hast foretold thy Church of her calami­ties; and that one effect of thy coming should be to send a Sword, and not Peace.

But we acknowledge, O Lord, (and with con­fusion of Face do we acknowledge and confess,) That all these, even all these great Evils are come upon us from the Principle of our most vile and corrupt Natures, perverting thy most holy word, to serve the variable ends of Humane Interests and Passions.

Forgive, Lord, all those from whom Offences do come; as also, all those to whom they come; and blot out the Hand-writing that is against us, [Page 8] for all our mutual and reciprocal Offences and Gainsayings whatsoever.

Let there be an end of all Envyings, Strifes and Divisions, and Whatsoever is corrupt and carnal among all that profess thy Name: Teach all Con­gregations to know the bond of Evangelical Peace, that whether it be of Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, that we are all Christ's, and Christ is thine.

Lastly, we beseech thee, O Lord, to give us Grace to add to Faith Vertue, and to Vertue Know­ledge; to Knowledge Temperance, and to Tem­perance Patience; to Patience Godliness, and to Godliness Brotherly-kindness, and to Brotherly-kindness Charity, which is the bond of all perfecti­on, Amen.