The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Prayers · Prayer 15
A meditation of Gods louelove and mercy towards vsus and our vnthankefullneſſe▪ towards him alluding to the phraſe of S. Auguſtine.
Miſerere mei Domine indigna facientis & Digna Patientis.
ETernall, Almighty & moſt mercifull God vponupon the knees of our harts we proſtrate our ſelues, our ſoules and bodies at the throne of thy grace, being altogether wretched and vnworthy ſinners, vnworthy of the leaſt of thoſe benefittes, that hauehave not fallen vntounto vsus ſeldome, now and than and that in a weake and reſtrayned meaſure▪ but in bundles and ſhewes of a large allowance dayly and howerly throwne vponupon vsus from thy royall and plentifull hand, as though we had alwayes performed thy will and our delight and been to walke wholy in the pathes of thy commandements, which we hauehave been ſo far from, witneſſe (deare God) our owne conſciences that we hauehave derided them and ſet them at light, trod them vnderunder foot, vponupon the leaſt aduantage or occation, nay in ſport and merriment, and to ſhew vsus men of reſolutions preſumptuouſly we hauehave taken them in vaine, and that in ſo careleſſe and high ameaſure that it is thy vncomprehended mercy, that before this thou haſt not abridged our dayes, cut vsus off and caſt vsus into the bottomleſſe pitte of hell, from whēce there is no redemption or thought of mercy but in vayne: wherefore bouldened by this one mercy of thine, thy patience, and long ſuffering, (more then all our deſerts can euer recompence) we will preſume to begge another, which is that thou wilt touch our harts with a godly ſorrow for our ſinnes, not ſmall but greuious, not a handful but innumerable, not paſt but preſent, not ſecret but exemplary and open in the face of God and man, ſo that if thou ſhouldeſt deale with vsus according to our deſerts, Sathan would reioyce, but we ſhould mourne, neuer to ſee thy face againe, the ſun nor the moone, the day nor the night (although a perpetuall darkeneſſe) the heauen nor the earth, nor any other of the bleſſed workes of thine hands that of thine infinit goodnes thou haſt prepared for man: what ſhall wée then doe but vnderunder the wings of thy mercy ſéeke our refuge, beſeching thee to extend thy goodneſſe and compaſſion towards vsus, which thy dearly beloued ſonne our Sauiour and redemer with a louelove aboue all louelove hath ſo dearly purchaſed for vsus by his innocent and pretious bloud, the leaſt drop whereof is ſufficient to heale all our wounds, and to waſh away all our iniquities, to releiue all our wantes, and blot out all our tranſgreſſions but without thy grace, a light vntounto our feet and a lanthorne vntounto our pathes we are able to do nothing but ſinne, loſing our ſelues in the thicke miſts of iniquity: Therefore good father as thou haſt appointed all the creatures in the world to ſerue man, and haſt ordayned him only to ſerue thee, ſo giuegive vsus grace that we, conſidering the largeneſſe of our priuiledge and the honour thou haſt indued vsus withall, with changed affections our willes and natures regenerate and purified by thy gratious ſpirit we may ſerue thee in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe all the dayes of our life, vntill we be renued to the image of thy ſonne, in whom thou art well pleaſed, and in vsus wilt be well pleaſed if we diſpleaſe not thee to pleaſe our ſelues, if we be angry with our ſinnes, the deuil, our vanities and all that would ſeperate vsus from thee, and with harty repentance for our former miſdeedes, and a zealous indignation againſt our ſelues that euer wee hauehave fallen into ſo beaſtly corruption, taking héed that wee fall not againe into the ſame relapſe▪ vponupon paine of thy heauy diſpleaſure, and yet there is no cauſe O God, moſt iuſt, why thou ſhouldeſt bee pleaſed with ſinners which art diſpleaſed with ſinne, but for his ſake that dearly payd therefore in the heat and burthen thereof, and ſinned not, the boſome of whoſe merry, (in this deſert of his) if it be not open with Abrahams to receiue vsus poore and impotent Lazars, with the rich glutton we goe downe into hell, from the which deliuer vsus for thy mercies ſake ſweet Sauiour Chriſt.
Amen.