The Guide Unto True Blessedness, Prayer 3
A priuate Prayer for the pardon of ſinne and for the fauour of God.
O Lord God, mighty in power, excellent in Maieſtie, righteous in iudgement, rich in merciemercy: Thou art ſo farre from deſpiſing and driuing from thee, a weake vile ſinfull wretch as I am, that thou calleſt and draweſt ſuch vntounto thee. VntoUnto thee therefore (the God that heareſt the prayer) I am bold to approch in the name of thy Sonne my Lord Ieſus Chriſt, beſeeching thee to hold out the golden ſcepter of thy grace, and to admit me into thy preſence. Let thy power not diſmay, but ſtrengthen my weakenes: Let thy glorie not confound, but couer my vileneſſe; let thy puritie not purſue, but purge my wickedneſſe; let the riches of thy merciemercy, not diſdaine, but take pittie of my pouertie and wretchedneſſe. O Lord I can plead nothing but miſerie in my ſelfe, to make way vntounto thy merciemercy: from thee alone muſt all motiues vntounto compaſsion be drawne. For till thou didſt miraculouſly create mee, I was without any being: and if in the ſtate of creation thou ſaweſt any thing in my nature, it was thine owne, and not mine. But (woe is mee O Lord) that which I could not giuegive vntounto my ſelfe, I did by ſinning againſt thee in Adam take from my ſelfe, and deface tha… holy image of thine, which was all the contentment thy ſpirit had in me, and all the reioicing I could hauehave in my ſelfe. And ſo hauehave I imitated the patterne of that firſt ſinne, in the dayes of my vanitie, that thy ſpirit hath found no matter but of ſtrife and contention with me. My whole nature hath been an armorie of weapons, & an armie of ſouldiers, to fight againſt thee. And how that wicked warre hath been waged, by malicious thoughts, words and workes, prouoking the eyes of thy glorie, my conſcience in great part witneſſeth, and thou, O Lord, that art greater then my conſcience, canſt better tell. Yea ſince the time that I was called by thy mighty word and powerfull grace, to ſome beginnings of new obedience, thy ſpirit hath beene put to continuall ſtrife within me. My corrupt fleſh, hath ſtill maintained a rebellious partie againſt thee, and I my ſelfe (which is the height of ſhamefull trecherie) taking part with it, hauehave giuen the repulſe and foyle vntounto thy good ſpirit. I ought to hauehave ſerued thee in holineſſe, but I hauehave cauſed thee to ſerue by my ſinnes, and wearied thee with mine iniquities. I ought to hauehave beene controuled and kept in order by thee, but ſuch hath been my boldneſſe in ſinning, that I hauehave checked thee, and put to ſilence thy good grace, that rebuked ſinne in mee. I ought to hauehave liued as vnderunder couenant with thee, but (wretch that I am) I hauehave in many particulars broken my vow, falſified my faith, & violated the euerlaſting couenant. Finally what cōmandement of thine is there, O Lord, that I hauehave not tranſgreſſed? What grace, that I hauehave not abuſed? what curſe that I hauehave not deſerued? Thou haſt graciouſly diſpoſed mee, and led mee into ſome good actions; but euen in the beſt I hauehave halted, and ſtumbled, through infidelitie, ſelfeloue, and manifold infirmities; ſo that if thou challenge that which is thine owne, nothing remaineth to mine account, euen in my beſt ſeruices, but the imperfection of them. Thus ſinning perfectly, I hauehave deſerued thine abſolute curſe; but by mine imperfect obedience I can claime no portion of reward, no releaſe of puniſhment at thine hand. And now, O Lord, if thou ſtraightly markeſt iniquities, O Lord, who ſhall ſtand? But there is merciemercy with thee, that thou maiſt be feared. O Lord, there is glorie with thee, but that is not to be approached: there is wiſedome with thee, but that is not to be comprehended: there is iuſtice with thee, but that is not to bee endured: but there is mercy with thee, yea merciemercy reioicing ouer iudgement, and for that thou art for euer to bee reuerenced and adored. That linke of merciemercy being laid hold on, draweth all the golden chaine of thy glorious attributes, and reconcileth thy fearefull maieſtie vntounto poore ſinners. That linke of merciemercy, (O Father of mercies) I am bold, in the name of Chriſt, and by the hand of faith to lay hold vponupon: yet feeling the weakeneſſe and palſie of mine hand, I beſeech thee ſtrengthen my vnbeliefe. And what aſſurance I cannot hauehave from my ſaith weakely embracing thee, let me hauehave it from thy ſelfe embraced by me (yea rather embracing mee) who art mighty to ſaue. Thou didſt enable thy ſeruant Iacob, to lay hold on thee, and not to lot thee goe till thou hadſt bleſſed him. Lord giuegive me the ſame ſtrength, the ſame courage, the ſame ſucceſſe. Nay: let mee not let thee goe for any bleſſing. For what bleſſing doe I ſeeke of thee, but that thou abide with me by the preſence of thy fauor? For that bleſſing teach mee to wreſtle with thee my God, with the wreſtling of God. Thou haſt promiſed thou wilt be found of them that ſeeke thee not, and ſeekeſt them that goe aſtray from thee: ſo hauehave I found thee, or rather was found of thee, when I was thine enemie, the ſeruant of ſin, the ſouldiour of Satan. Thou foūdeſt me by thy word, reuealing the way of Saluation vntounto me: thou foundeſt me by thy ſpirit, winning my heart vntounto the obedience of faith: yea it pleaſed thee to enter into couenant with thy ſeruant, neuer to ſuffer that ſpirit and word of thine to depart from mee, but to eſtabliſh thy feare in mine heart, that I ſhould not depart from thee. GiueGive me leaue to put thee in remembrance of that promiſe of thine, wherein thou haſt cauſed mee to put my truſt, and by vertue thereof, to claime the continuance of thy fauour and louelove. Oh let it neuer be ſaid, that thou forſakeſt the workes of thine owne hands, or that thou repenteſt of ſhewing merciemercy, whoſe glorie it is to repent onelyonly of the euill. Shew thy ſelfe to bee Iehouah that changeſt not, that thy gifts and callings are without repentance, and that thou loueſt with an euerlaſting and victorious louelove, that ouercommeth all impediments. Truth it is, O Lord, that I deſerue thou ſhouldeſt be wearie of me, and from henceforth purſue me with thine hatred, ſeeing I hauehave walked ſo vnworthy of thy louelove. But though my ſins doe teſtifie againſt me, yet deale thou with me according to thy Name. Let thine owne gracious and conſtant nature moue thee. Let thine owne promiſe, and the word of thy Couenant binde thee. Let the beginnings of thine owne workemanſhip, and lineaments of thine image preuaile with thee, to continue thy merciemercy & truth towards me vntounto the end. Let it ſuffice that I know mine iniquities, and do not thou take knowledge of them. Let it ſuffice that I ſet them in order before my ſelfe by ſerious examination, and before thy Maieſtie by vnfained and heartie confeſsion: and doe not thou enter into that heauie Iudgement with mee, as to ſet them in order before mee to reprooue me for them. Let it ſuffice that I now look vp, by thy ſpirit of grace, vponupon my Sauiour whom I hauehave pierced with my ſinnes; and doe not O Lord, doe not gather my ſoule among thoſe that ſhall at the laſt day behold him to their confuſion, and waile before him for euer. Yea, Lord, therefore thou ſheweſt mee my ſinnes, that thou mighteſt ſhew mee thy merciemercy in the pardon of them; therefore thou teacheſt mee to reproue my ſelfe, that I might beleeue in thee who iuſtifieſt the vngodly: therefore thou cauſeſt the wound of my conſcience to bleed and ſmart, that I might looke to thee in Chriſt, in whom thou healeſt the broken hearted, and bindeſt vp all their ſores. Thou, O Chriſt, art annointed of God the Father, to be the author of this ſoueraigne cure. Thou art the Sunne of righteouſnes, that ſheddeſt the beames of health and ſaluation into the hearts of thy people. Thou haſt taken my fleſh vponupon thee, that, beeing the kinſman, thou mighteſt bee fit to recouer my patrimonie loſt in Adam, and to raiſe vp liuing ſeede vntounto my dead nature. O ſpread the skirt of thy garment ouer me, and ſhrowde my ſoule from the wrath of GOD my iudge. Let the ſweet perfume of thine vnualuable ſacrifice take away the odious ſauour of mine iniquities. Let the cry of thy precious blood, ſpeaking good things in the eares of God the Father, drowne the loud cry of my grieuous tranſgreſsions. Let thy glorious face and countenance, appearing before God for me, turne away his eyes from my ſinfull deformities. Let thy death be my ranſome and propitiation, to deliuer me from the wrath to come: and thine obedience the price, to purchaſe for me the kingdome of glorie. Thine it is, O Sauiour, by a double right. The one of nature, as thou are the euerlaſting Sonne, coequall with the Father, by which thou claimeſt for thy ſelfe the glorie thou haddeſt from the beginning. The other of purchaſe, by thy voluntarie ſubmiſsion, and obedience to that Law, of which thou wert the Lord and maker, which it pleaſeth thee by the Couenant of grace to diſpence to all beleeuing & repentant ſinners. Herein, herein, O Chriſt, grant that with all Saints I may hauehave my ſhare: and may enioy that, which thou in my behalfe haſt ſo fully payed for. Let the aſſurance of this thy merciemercy giuegive reſt vntounto my conſcience, from the terrors of death and hell. Let the expectation of this thy glorie ſuſtaine my ſoule, whiles I flutter about like the Doue of Noah, finding no reſt in this world, ouer-flowed with wickedneſſe; till it ſhall pleaſe thee to ſtretch forth thine hand out of the Arke of heauen, and take me to thy glorious reſt. Finally, O my Lord, being come vntounto thy kingdome; remember me thy ſeruant with the fauour of thy people, and viſit mee with thy ſaluation. Let me ſee the felicitie of thy choſen, and reioyce with the ioy of thy people, and glory with thine inheritance. Let mee in this life behold thy face in righteouſnes, and when I ſhall awake, in the reſurrection of the iuſt, let mee bee ſatisfied with thine image. To thee, O Chriſt, with the Father, and the Holy Ghoſt, one God and King euerlaſting, be all glorie, dominion, merciemercy, and ſaluation aſcribed for euer. Amen.