Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Confession
A Confeſſion of ſinnes with Faith and Repentance.
O Mercifull and heauenly Father, we thy Seruants doe humbly p…oſtrate our ſelues before thy Maieſty, acknowledging here in thy ſight, our haynous offences committed againſt thy Maieſty, ſeeing and beholding thy heauie wrath againſt them: wee feele our ſelues laden, O Lord our God, with a huge company of horrible ſins, whereof the very leaſt, beeing but conceiued in thought, is ſufficient in iudgment to throw vsus downe to the euerlaſting burning lake.
Our owne conſciences (O Lord) do beare witneſſe againſt vsus of our manifold tranſgreſſions of thy bleſſed Law, of our ſecurity, ſenceleſſe blindneſſe, running headlong to deſtruction, committing ſinne after ſin, although not notorious to the world, yet horrible before thine eyes.
The thoughts of our harts riſe vp in iudgement againſt vsus: the vanity of our talke before thy Maieſty condē neth vsus, the wickedneſſe of our deeds from thy ſight reiecteth vsus: all our wicked thoughts, words, and deeds; with the inward corruption of our nature, doe altogether as it were a whole lumpe & loade of ſinne, lye heauy vponupon vsus, and with their intollerable waight, doe euen preſſe vsus downe to Hell. Wee doe daily groane vnderunder the burthen of them, inwardly lamenting our owne folly, too greedily running into them. In heauen, earth, or hell, wee ſee none able to ſuſtaine the waight of them, but euen thy dearely beloed Sonne Ieſus Chriſt, who in mercy infinite, and compaſſion endleſſe, hath ſuſtained and ouercome that endleſſe puniſhment due vntounto them in him therfore, in him moſt mercifull Father, and through him, we come to thee, being fully aſſured according to thy promiſe, that thou wilt accept & take that full recompence which hee thy deare Sonne hath made for vsus, as a iuſt ranſome for the ſinne of all thoſe, who with a true Faith take hold on him. In him therfore we ſee thine anger towardes vsus appeaſed, thy wrath ſatiſfied, and our debts paide.
Increaſe in vsus good Lord wee beſeech thee, this liuely and feeling; faith for we feel it oftentimes in vsus very weake, and troubled with many doubtes: Increaſe it in vsus O Lord, that wee may through thy holy ſpirit bee aſſured; that the puniſhment of our ſinne is fully in thy Sonne diſcharged. Make vsus, O Lord our God, to feele the ſame in our ſoules and conſciences, that I…ſus Chriſt is ours, and all that hee hath done. that we are ingrafted into his body, and made one with him, and therefore fellow-heires with him of euerlaſting life. Let vsus not onelyonly hauehave theſe words in our mouths, good Lord, but through thy holy Spirit, let vsus feele the comfort of them in our hearts, fully ſealed & ſetled in vsus, that we feeling our ſelues inwardly before thy Iudgement ſeate diſcharged, and our conſciences towards thee appeaſed, may bee ſwallowed vp with an vnfained louelove towards thy heauenly Maieſty, and towards our Bretheren for thy ſake. Make ſinne to die in vsus daily more and more, that wee may hate, deteſt, and vtterly abhorre all ſinne and wickedneſſe in all men, but eſpecially in our ſelues, that wee m…y ſtrongly, through thy holy Spirit ſette our ſelues in open defiance againſt all ſin and wickedneſſe: that wee pleaſe not our ſelues in our ſins, but ſtraightly examining ſin by the iuſt rule of thy holy Lawes, wee may vtterly from the bottome of our hearts condemne euen the leaſt ſinne in our ſelues, hauing our whole ioy, comfort, and conſolation, vponupon thoſe things which bee agreeable to thy bleſſed will, alwaies being afraide to doe any thing contrary to the ſame: that wee may euen from the bottome of our hearts, examine and try our thoughts before thy preſence, that they bee vpright & vnfained, not hypocritical in outward ſhew only & appearance, but that euen all the corners of our hearts being opned and diſcloſed before thee, we may euen as though it were openly before the face of the whole world, bring them in ſhew, knowing that a double heart is deſtitute in thine eyes: and that wee may walke alwayes as before thine eyes, not onelyonly before the eyes of man, being more carefull to walk circumſpectly in this reſpect, that we hauehave thee to be a viewer of our doings a thouſand fold more then the eyes of man. That thus wee may walke as becommeth thy Children, not onelyonly in outward ſhew, but alſo in ſincerity of hart, abhorring euen the leaſt ſinne in our ſelues, ſtriuing, reſiſting, and fighting againſt ſinne, not nouriſhing the ſame in our breaſt, but earneſtly embracing, and ſtudiouſly ſeeking after thoſe things which bee pleaſant in thine eyes: that neyther the feare of man, nor loſſe of goods, life, landes, poſſeſſions, or friends, draw vsus away from thee to doe anie leaſt thing contrary vntounto thy will and pleaſure: neither the fauour and friendſhip of man, nor yet the flattering enticements of this World, nor the vaine promotions of the ſame, do mooue vsus …ny whit from the true and endleſſe ioy, delight, & pleaſure which we ought to hauehave in thoſe things which be agreeable to thy will, and the conſtant performance of the ſame: but that alwayes to the end of our life wee may continue in thy pathes, growing and increaſing from faith to faith, from ſtrength to ſtrength, till at length, we ſhall come to thine euerlaſting reſt, Amen.