The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Prayers · Prayer 24
A Thankſgiuing for our redēption, purchaſed through the bloud of Chriſt, and for other both corporal and ſpirituall bleſſings.
VVHat can man ſay that hee inioyes amongſt the innumerability of all thy benefits and mercies, that he hath not receiued from thee, and for the ſame ought to be thankfull, but eſpecially ought thy glory to be magnified by vsus, for our Election, Creation Iuſtification, Sanctification, who haſt preſerued vsus from day to day, and from a thouſand dāgers threatning both body and ſoule to their vtter confuſion. O moſt gratious and louing Father, which art beloued for thy goodneſſe, honoured for thy greatneſſe reioyced in for thy happineſſe, praiſed for thy merits, and prayed vntounto for thy mercies, I acknowledge my ſelfe all too meane & vnperfect to ſound forth thy praiſes in ſuch a key as I ought, or thou deſerueſt: when I thinke thereof, a debility ceizeth vponupon all my parts, and I want words to expreſſe & powre out my ſoule before thee. Inlarge O Lord, mine vnderſtanding, that I may the more fully conceiue and apprehend thy benefites, that y• abundance thereof may teach me new language, and phraſe of more copious ſignification and content, and fill my heart with ioy aboue meaſure in the apprehenſion therof. By thy louelove I was elected, by thy goodneſſe I was created by thy ſpirit I was called, by thy mer…y I was iuſtified, by thy grace I was ſanctified, and by thy power I am preſerued, and by thy ſufferings I ſhall bee ſaued. By thy permiſſion & goodneſſe I moue, liue, and hauehave my being: naked came I out of my mothers wombe, and thou haſt cloathed mee; hungry hauehave I come to thy gates, and thou haſt fed me; harborleſſe hauehave I bene expoſed, and thou haſt taken me in: well therefore may I admire thy mercies in ſilence, but ſpeake of them as is meet I cā not, for there words forſake me, & my tongue becommeth mute. Merciful father for all theſe thy benefites hauehave I laid them to heart, reſiſted the motions of y• fleſh, the temptations of the diuell? No, I hauehave ſinned grieuoſly in thy ſight, preferred the deſires of my fleſh before ye precepts of thy law, chooſing rather a ſhort and momentary taſte of dayes in iollity and pleaſure in this world, which at their fulleſt height are euer waning, and attended on by ſorrow, then the eternall ioyes of thy kingdome in the world to come, nothing dreading ye diſpleaſure of thy Maieſty, whoſe breath ſhaketh the foundations of the earth, and maketh the ſpirits of darkneſſe to tremble, & burneth vnquenchably in ye bottomleſſe pit of hell, whoſe power is ſo infinite, y• in the twinckling of an eye, or more ſudden the ye flaſh of the lightning is able to conſume what euer his hāds hauehave made: yet notwithſtanding, ſinfull & careleſſe creature that I am, hauehave I bin bold to do wickedly, to perſeuer in the ſame, ſo now touched in conſcience by ye finger of thy good ſpirit, I am bold to ſpeake, beeing but duſt & aſhes, proſtrated before ye throne of thy maieſty, hartely to beſeech, and humbly intreate thee, that thou wilt not deale with mee according to my deſerts: for then O Lord, where ſhould I ſtand to plead my caſe? fire and brimſtone ſhould bee my portion to drinke, that hauehave drunke downe ſinnne as Behemoth drinketh downe water: but thou art gracious & compaſſionate, therfore vnderunder the ſhadow of thy wings will I ſeeke for refuge, deſiring thee to naile all my ſinnes to thy croſſe, that through thy ſufferings I may obtaine remiſſion thereof. I am a ſinner, yet redeemed by thy pretious bloud: a ſinner I am, remember thou cameſt into ye world to ſaue ſinners, wherof I am chiefe, loſt in a wilderneſſe of errours, wandring from thy preſence: helpe me, O Lord, or elſe who can deliuer me? ſaue mee, O Lord, or elſe I periſh, for there is no redemption no ſaluation without thee: heare him O Lord that cō demneth himſelfe, & caleth vponupon thee. O Sauiour, whom wilt thou ſaue, if y• ſinner ſhall deſcend to perdition that diſpaireth of himſelfe, and truſteth in thee? O bleſſed Sauiour and Redeemer of the world, aſwage my griefe heale my diſeaſes: thou haſt called me when I, like the deafe Adder, would not heare thy voyce: wilt thou then turne away thy face when my cryes come vntounto thee? wilt thou ſuffer that to bee loſt which thou purchaſeſt at ſo deere a priſe? No Lord, for thy mercies ſake, for thine owne ſake ſweet Ieſus.