O Almightie, most iust and mer­cifull God, we here acknow­ledge our selues most vnwoor­thy to lift vp our eies vnto hea­uen, for our conscience doth ac­cuse vs, & our sins do reprooue vs. Wee knowe also that thou, Lord, being a iust iudge, must needes punish the sinnes of them which trans­gresse thy Lawe. And when wee consider and examine all our whole life, wee finde nothing in our selues, that deserueth anie other thing but eternall damnation. But because thou, O Lorde, of thy vnspeakable mercie, hast com­maunded vs in all our necessities to call onelie vpon thee, and hast also promised, that thou wilt heare our Prayers, not for anie our desert (which is none) but for the merits of thy Sonne our onely Sauiour Iesus Christ, whome thou hast ordeined to be our onlie Mediatour and In­tercessour. We lay away all confidence in man, and doe flee to the throne of thy onelie mercie, by the intercession of thy only Sonne our Sauiour Iesu Christ. And first of all, wee doe most la­ment and bewayle, from the bottome of our [Page]hearts, our vnkindnesse and vnthankefulnesse towardes thee our Lorde, considering that be­sides those thy benefites which wee enioy as thy creatures, common with all mankinde, thou hast bestowed many and singular speciall bene­fites vpon vs, which wee are not able in heart to conceyue, much lesse in wordes worthily to expresse. Thou hast called vs to the knowledge of thy Gospell. Thou hast released vs from the harde seruitude of Sathan. Thou hast deliue­red vs from all horrible and execrable Idolatry, wherein wee were vtterly drowned, and hast brought vs into the most cleare and comforta­ble light of thy blessed worde, by the which wee are taught how to serue and honour thee, and howe to liue orderly with our neighbours in trueth and veritie. But wee most vnminde­full in times of prosperitie, of these thy great benefites, haue neglected thy commandements, haue abused the knowledge of thy Gospell, and haue followed our carnall libertie, and ser­ued our owne lustes, and through our sinnefull life, haue not worshipped and honoured thee as we ought to haue done. And nowe, O Lorde, be­ing euen compelled with thy correction, wee doe most humbly confesse that wee haue sinned, and haue most grieuously offended thee by many and sundry wayes. And if thou, O Lorde, wouldest now being prouoked with our disobedience, so deale with vs as thou might, and as we haue de­serued, there remayneth nothing els to be looked [Page]for, but vniuersall and continual plagues in this world, and hereafter eternall death and damna­tion, both of our bodies and of our soules. For if we shoulde excuse our selues, our owne conscien­ces would accuse vs before thee, and our owne disobedience and wickednesse woulde beare wit­nesse against vs. Yea, euen thy plagues and pu­nishmentes which thou doest nowe lay vpon vs in sundry places, doe teach vs to acknowledge our sinnes. For seeing, O Lord, that thou art iust, yea euen iustice it selfe, thou punishest no peo­ple without desert. Yea, euen at this present O Lorde, wee see thy hand terribly stretched out to plague vs, and punish vs. But although thou shouldest punish vs more grieuously then thou hast done, and for one plague send an hundreth, if thou shouldest powre vpon vs all those thy te­stimonies of thy most iust wrath, which in times passed thou powredst on thy owne chosen people of Israel: yet shouldest thou doe vs no wrong, neyther could wee deny but wee had iustly deser­ued the same. But yet, O mercifull Lord, thou art our God, and wee nothing but dust and ashes: Thou art our creatour, and we the worke of thy handes: Thou art our pastor, we are thy flocke: Thou art our redeemer, and we thy people redee­med: Thou art our heauenly father, we are thy children, wherefore punish vs not, O Lorde, in thine anger, but chasten vs in thy mercy. Re­gard not the horror of our sinnes, but the re­pentaunce thereof: Perfite that worke which [Page]thou hast begunne in vs, that the whole worlde may know, that thou art our God and mercifull deliuerer. Thy people of Israel often times of­fended thee, and thou most iustly afflicted them: but as oft as they returned to thee, thou diddest receiue them to mercie. And though their sinnes were neuer so great, yet thou alwayes turnedst away thy wrath from them, and the punishment prepared for them, and that for thy couenant sake, which thou madest with thy seruantes, A­braham, Isaac, and Iacob. Thou hast made the same couenant with vs (O heauenly Father) or rather a couenant of more excellencie and effica­cie, and that namely through the mediation of thy deare Sonne Iesus Christ our Sauiour, with whose most precious blood, it pleased thee that this couenant should be, as it were, written, sealed, and confirmed. Wherfore, O heauenly Fa­ther, we nowe casting away all confidence in our selues or any other creature, doe flee to this most holy couenant & Testament, wherein our Lord & Sauiour Iesus Christ, once offered himselfe a sacrifice for vs on the crosse, hath reconciled vs to thee foreuer. Looke therefore, O mercifull God, not vpon the sinnes which wee continually com­mit: but vpō our mediatour & peace maker Iesus Christ, that by his intercession thy wrath may be pacified, & we again by thy fatherly countenance relieued and comforted. Receaue vs also into thy heauenly defence, and gouerne vs by thy holy spirite, to frame in vs a newenesse of life, therein [Page]to laude and magnifie thy blessed name for euer, and to liue euery of vs according to the seuerall state of life whereunto thou Lorde hast ordeyned vs in godly feare & trembling before thee. And al­though we are vnworthy (O heauenly father) by meanes of our former foule life, to craue any thing of thee: yet because thou hast commaunded vs to pray for all men, wee most humbly here vp­on our knees beseech thee, saue and defende thy holy Church, be mercifull, O Lorde to all com­mon weales, Countreyes, Princes, and Magi­strates, and especially to this our Realme, and to our most gracious Queene and gouernour Queene Elizabeth, increase the number of god­ly Ministers, indue them with thy grace to bee found faithfull and prudent in their office, defend the Queenes Maiesties Councell, and all that be in aucthoritie vnder her, or that serue in any place by her commaundement for this Realme. We commend also to thy fatherly mercy, all those that be in pouertie, exyle, imprisonment, sicknes, or any other kinde of aduersitie, and namely those whome thy hand now hath touched with any contagious and dangerous sickenesse, which wee beseech thee, O Lorde, of thy mercie (when thy blessed will is) to remoue from vs, and in the meane time, graunt vs grace and true repen­tance, stedfast faith, and constant patience, that whether we liue or dye, wee may alwayes conti­nue thine, and euer praise thy holy name, and be brought to the fruition of thy Godhead. Graunt [Page]vs these and all other our humble petitions (O mercifull father) for thy deare sonnes sake Ie­sus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Eternall and euerliuing God, most mercifull Father, which of thy great long suffering and patience, hast hitherto suffered and borne with vs most miserable offenders, who haue so long strayed out of thy way, and bro­ken all thy lawes and commaundements, and haue, neither by thy manifolde benefites besto­wed vpon vs vnworthie and vnthankefull sin­ners, nor by the boyce of thy seruauntes and preachers, by continuall threatninges out of thy holy word, hitherto ben moued, either as thy children, of loue to returne vnto thee our most gratious Father, either for feare of thy iudge­mentes, as humble and lowely seruants to turne from our wickednesse. And therfore, most righ­teous Iudge, thy patience being (as it were) o­uercome at the last, with our obstinate vnrepen­tance, thou best most iustly executed those thy ter­rible threates now partly vpon vs, by plaging vs so (with most dreadful & deadly sicknes) whereby great multitudes of vs are dayly afflicted & con­sumed. [Page]We beseech thee, O merciful Father, that in thy wrath thou wilt remember thy old great merices, and to correct vs in thy iudgments, and not in thy iust anger, lest we bee all consumed and brought to nought. Looke not so much vp­on vs and our deseruings, O most righteous iudge, to take iust vengeance on our sinnes: but rather remember thy infinite mercies, O most mercifull Father, promised to vs by thy dearely beloued Sonne our Sauiour Iesus Christ, for whose sake, and in whose name, we doe earnest­ly and humbly craue mercie and forgiuenesse of our sinnes, and deliuerance from this horrible sicknesse, being thy iust punishment and plague for the same. And as thy holy worde doeth testifie, that thy people of all ages, being iustly plaged for their sinnes, and yet in their distresse vnfained­ly turning vnto thee, and suing for thy mercie, obteined the same: So like wise we most worthi­ly nowe afflicted with greuous and dreadfull plagues for our iniquites, pray thee, O mercifull Father, to grant vs thy heauenly grace, that we may like wife both truely and vnfeinedly repent, and obteine thy mercie, and deliuerance from the same, which we beseech thee, O Father of al mer­cies, and God of all consolation, to graunt vs, for the same Iesus Christes sake, our onely Sauiour, Media­tour and aduocate. Amen.

IT had bene the best for vs, O most righteous Iudge, & our most merci­full Father, that in our wealthes and quietnes, and in the middest of thy manifold benefites continually bestowed vpon vs most vnworthy sinners, wee had of loue hearkened to thy voyce, & turned vnto thee our most louing and gracious father: For in so doing, we had done the parts of good and obe­dient louing children. It had also bene well, if at thy dreadfull threats out of thy holy word con­tinually pronounced vnto vs by thy seruauntes our preachers, we had of feare, as corrigible ser­uants, turned frō our wickednes. But alas we haue shewed hitherto our selues towardes thee, neyther as louing children (O most merciful fa­ther) neyther as tolerable seruants, O Lorde most mightie. Wherefore now we feele thy heauy wrath, O most righteous Iudge, iustly puni­shing vs with grieuous and deadly sicknesse and plagues, we doe now confesse and acknowledge, and to our most iust punishment doe find in deede, that to bee most true, which wee haue so often heard threatned to vs out of thy holy scriptures, the worde of thy eternall veritie: that thou art the same vnchangeable God, of the same iustice that thou wilt, and of the same power that thou canst punish the like wickednesse and obstinacie of vs impenitent sinners in these dayes, as thou hast done in all ages heretofore. But the same [Page]thy holy Scriptures, the word of thy trueth doe also testifie, that thy strength is not shortened, but that thou canst, neyther thy goodnes abated, but that thou wilt, helpe those that in their di­stresse do flee vnto thy mercies, and that thou art the same God of all, rich in mercie towardes all that call vpon thy name, and that thou doest not intend to destroy vs vtterly, but fatherly to cor­rect vs, who hast pitie vpon vs, euen when thou doest scourge vs, as by thy sayd holy worde, thy gracious promises, & the examples of thy saintes in thy holy Scriptures expressed for our comfort, thou hast assured vs. Graunt vs, O most merci­full father, that wee fall not into the vttermost of all mischiefs, to become worse vnder thy scourge, but that this thy rodde may by thy heauenly grace, speedily worke in vs the fruite and effect of true repentance, vnfayned turning and conuer­ting vnto thee, and perfect amendement of our whole liues, that as we through our impeniten­cie, doe nowe most worthily feele thy iustice puni­shing vs: so by this thy correction, wee may also feele the sweete comfort of thy mercies, gracious­ly pardoning our sinnes, and pitifully releasing these grieuous punishmentes, and dreadfull plagues. This we craue at thy hands (O most merciful father) for thy deare Sonne our Sauiour Iesus Christs sake. Amen.