A Golden Chain, Selection 7 – Dedication 3
A Song gathered out of the Psalmes, containing the sobbes and sighs of all repentant sinners.
A preface to preparation of prayer.LOrd heare my prayer, hearke the plaint that I doe make to thee:
Lord in thy natiue truth, and in thy iustice answer mee.
Psal. 143.1. Psal. 61.1.Regard, O Lord, for I complaine, and make my suit to thee:
Let not my words returne in vaine, but giuegive an eare to mee.
Behold, in wickednes my kind, and shape I did receiue:2A confession of sin with sorrow of heart.
And lo, my sinfull mother eke, in sinne did me conceiue:
And I with euills many one, am sore beset about:Psal. 51.5. Psal. 40.14.
My sinnes increase, and so come on, I cannot spie them out.
For why, in number they exceede the haires vponupon my head:vers. 16.
My heart doth faint for very feare, that I am almost dead.
Thus in me in perplexitie, is mine accombred spright:Psal. 143.4.
And in me in my troubled heart, amazed and afflight.
The wicked workes that I hauehave wrought, thou setst before thine eye:Psal. 90. 8.
My secret faults, yea eke my thoughts, thy countenance doth espie.
O Lord my God, if thou shalt weigh my sinnes, and them peruse:Psal. 130.3.
What one shall then escape and say, I can my selfe excuse?
In iudgement with thy seruant, Lord, oh enter not at all:Psal. 143.2.
For iustified in thy sight, not one that liueth shall.3Prayer for pardon of sinnes knowne and vnknowne.
And for thy pitie plentifull, O Lord, I thee intreat:
To grant me pardon for my sinne, for it is wondrous great.Psal. 25.10.
O Lord, what earthly man doth know, the errours of this life?
Then clense me from my secret sinnes, which are in me most rife.Psal. 19. 12.
And keepe me, that presumptuous sinnes preuaile not ouer me:vers. 13.
And then I shall be innocent, and great offences flee.
To thee, O Lord my God, loe I doe stretch my crauing hands:Psal. 143.6.
My soule desireth after thee, as doth the thirstie lands.4Faith sh…wing it selfe in desire of reconciliation with God.
As handmaids watch their mistris hands, some grace for to atchiue:Psal. 125.2.
So I behold thee, Lord my God, till thou doe me forgiue.
Lord turne thee to thy wonted grace, my silly soule vptake:Psal. 6.
O saue me not for my deserts, but for thy merciemercy sake.
My soule why dost thou faint and quaile? so sore with paine opprest:Psal. 42.
With thoughts why dost thy selfe assaile? so sore within my brest.5Faith fighteth with di…rust, and I laboureth to ouercome it.
Trust in the Lord thy God alway, and thou the time shalt see:vers. 12.
To giuegive him thankes with laud and praise, for health restorde to thee.
For why? his anger but a space doth last, and slacke againe:Psal. 30.6.
But in his fauour and his grace, alway doth life remaine.
vers. 7.Though gripes of griefe and pangs full sore, doe lodge with thee all night:
The Lord to ioy shall thee restore, before the day be light.
The Lord is kind and mercifull, when sinners doe him grieue:
Psal. 103.8.The slowest to conceiue a wrath, and readiest to forgiue.
And looke what pitie parents deare, vntounto their children beare:
vers. 13.Like pitie beares the Lord to such, as worship him in feare.
The Lord that made me knowes my shape, my mould and fashion iust:
vers. 14.How weake and fraile my nature is, and how I am but dust.
6…rayer for regeneration and Gods holy spirit.O God create in me an heart, vnspotted in thy sight:
And eke within my bowels, Lord, renue a stable spright.
With thy free spirit confirme thou me, and I will teach therefore
Psal. 51.10. vers. 12.Sinners thy waies, and wicked shall be turned to thy lore.
7Prayer for obedi…nce to God in our liues and calling.My soule is rauisht with desire, and neuer is at rest:
But seekes to know thy iudgements hie, and what may please thee best.
Ps. 119.20. vers. 5.O would to God it might thee please, my waies so to addresse:
That I might both in heart and voyce, thy lawes keepe and confesse.
Psal. 20.11.In righteousnes I doe intend, my time and daies to serue:
HaueHave merciemercy Lord and me defend, so that I doe not swerue.
8Prayer for life …uerlasting.And with thy sauing health, O Lord, vouchsafe to visit me:
Psal. 106.5.That I the great felicitie, of thine elect may see.
vers. 6.And with thy peoples ioy I may, a ioyfull minde possesse:
And may with thine inheritance, a glorying heart expresse.
9A conclusion with praising of God.The Lord the God of Israel, be blest for euermore:
vers. 46.Let all the people say Amen, praise ye the Lord therefore.
FINIS.
A TREATISE TENDING VNTOUNTO A DECLARATION; WHETHER A MAN BE IN THE ESTATE OF DAMNATION, OR IN THE ESTATE OF GRACE. and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he may discerne it, and perseuer in the same to the ende.
Reuiewed and corrected by the Author.
The points that are handled be set downe in the page following.
2. Pet. 1. vers. 10. GiueGive all diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye doe these things ye shall neuer fall.
Printed for I. P. and I. L. 1600.
The Contents of the booke.
How farre a Reprobate may goe in Christian Religion.
The estate of a true Christian in this life: which also sheweth howe farre the elect beeing called, goe beyond all reprobates in Christianitie.
A Dialogue to the same purpose, gathered out of the sauorie writings of Master Tindall and Bradford.
Howe a reprobate may performe all the religion of the Church of Rome.
The conflicts betweene Satan and a Christian.
How the word of God is to be applied aright vntounto the conscience.
Consolations for the troubled consciences of weake Christians.
A Declaration of certaine spirituall Desertions.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL AND MY CHISTIAN FRIEND MASTER Valentine Knightly, Esquire, one of her Maiesties Iustices of peace in Northampton shiere.
SIr, I pray you consider with me an especiall point of Gods word, carefully to be waied: it is this,aMat. 25. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. Luk. 13. 24. Many professors of Christ, in the day of grace, perswade themselues that they are in the estate of grace; and so the true Church esteemeth of them too: yet when the day of grace is past, they contrariwise shall finde themselues to be in the estate of dā nation remedilesse. A caueat to all protestants, of what estate or condition soeuer.A dolefull case, yet a most resolute trueth, and the reason is plaine. Men that liue in the Church are greatly annoyed with a fearefull securite and deadnes of heart; by which it comes to passe that they thinke it enough to make a common protestation of the faith, not once in all their life times, examining themselues whether they be in the estate of grace before the eternall God or not.b2. Cor. 13. 5. Psal. 119.59 And indeede it is a grace peculiar to the man Elect to trie himselfe whether he be in the estate of grace or not.
The further opening of the trueth of this point, as also the daunger of it, I hauehave enterprised in this treatise; which I am willing to bestow on you, both for the profession of the faith, which you make, as also for that Christian friendship, you hauehave shewed to me. Accept of it I pray you and vse it for your edification.cAct. 20. 32. Thus I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, that is able to builde you vp further and giuegive you an inheritance among them which are sanctified.
From Cambridge this 24. of Nouember. 1589. Your Worships to command, William Perkins.