Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Prayer 47
A Prayer againſt Infidelitie and diſpaire, neceſſarie for a troubled and wounded ſpirit.
GLorious Lord God, and our moſt tender Father in Ieſus Chriſt, in whom thou haſt elected vsus before all worlds to life and glorie, and in thy due time haſt called vsus to a liuely hope of eternall happineſſe, that we might walke before thee in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe: and in thine infinite wiſedome haſt ſo diſpoſed of vsus in this eſtate of holineſſe, that thou maieſt hauehave the glory of thy free grace: and therefore as thou haſt diſcharged vsus freely of the guilt of our ſinne by the blood of thy Sonne, and accepted vsus perfectly righteous in his obedience, ſo alſo thou haſt left corruption in vsus, to be daily maiſtered and ſubdued, that ſo being thereby daily conſcious of our owne vnworthineſſe and vnſufficiency; and ſubiect in regard thereof to much diſtraction and infidelity, wee might learne ſtill to liue by faith in the Sonne of God, denying our owne righteouſneſſe, that ſtill we may be found in him, to the glorious praiſe of his free grace, and ſo may bee keept by his mighty power through faith vntounto ſaluation.
Looke graciouſly vponupon me (thine vnworthy ſeruant) who doe here vnfeignedly acknowledge before thee, that thy Foundation ſtands ſure, thou knoweſt who are thine: yet my faith is ſo weake, that I ofttimes am to ſeeke whither I am thine or no. For ſuch is my ignorance of what I ſhould know, that I ſometimes grope at the light in the noone day: neither knowing the worth of my holy calling, nor being able to vſe the meanes which may truly informe me therein: but ſomtimes ouer value mine eſtate, as if it were better with mee then it is: and ſometimes abaſe my ſelfe to bee worſe then indeed I am, or ſhould be. And my corruption ſometimes breaking out into groſſe rebellion, doth ſo hinder and obſcure my ſpirituall eye of faith, that I can neither truly diſcerne whereto I am come, neither can ſee afarre to what I ſhould attaine: yea many times it fareth ſo ill with me, that for want of ſpeedie endeauour to recouer my ſelfe by repentance, I doe not onelyonly plunge my ſelfe deeper into the ſnare of ſinne, by not applying the true remedie aright, or ſtumbling vponupon vaine helpes: but hereby many times am caſt into ſuch ſtraights, that I not onelyonly queſtion all former truth of thy grace, as if I were no better then an hypocrite, and had builded on the ſands, but alſo am ready to giuegive ouer all hope of attaining the ſame: as if either it did not belong vntounto me, or elſe it were too late to purſue and apprehend the ſame, as if thou hadſt forgot to be mercifull, becauſe I feele my ſelfe ſo miſerable: as if thy compaſſion were cleane gone, becauſe my rebellion ſeemes ſo deſperate. Hence it is (O my God) that I turne all thy comforts to be corraſiues vntounto me, and eſteeme all thy threatnings no better then flaſhes of hell and enterances to eternall vengeance. Thus am I bceome (O Lord) as one forlorne and out of minde, free among the dead, no better in mine owne account then a meere abiect and caſt a-way, whoſe hope is not onelyonly periſhed from the earth, but without hope or helpe from thee my God. And all this is iuſtly come vponupon me by reaſon of mine owne fooliſhnes, who hauehave neglected my watch, and ſo hauehave fallen from thee, and hauehave bene careleſſe of the means to reſtore me ſpeedily againe, whereby my wounds hauehave feſtered, and ſeeme to be incureable, and ſo my anguiſh is greater then I can expreſſe: my ſinnes are become a burthen that I am not able to beare, my heart within waſteth with continuall ſorrow, and I daily receiue a ſentence of death. And yet though all this bee come vponupon me, yet thy foundation ſtandeth ſure, thou knoweſt who are thine: though thou haſt chaſticed mee ſore for my folly, yet thou haſt not giuen mee ouer vntounto death, and therefore yet there is hope; though I hauehave receiued a ſentence of death: yet it is that I might dye to mine owne confidence, and truſt in thee the liuing God, who raiſeth vp from the dead: the more I feele my ſinnes a burthen which I am not able to beare, the more doſt thou inuite me to come vntounto thee, that I may be raiſed: and therefore I muſt finde my ſelfe, daily loſt in my ſelfe, that I may bee found of thee in Chriſt, not hauing mine owne righteouſnes. Though thy law doth thunder nothing but vengeance againſt me, yet thou commandeſt mee ſtill to beleeue in thy name, and therefore though thou kill mee, yet I will truſt in thee. For thou (O my God) wilt be found in the iſſues of death: thou louedſt me euen when I was thine enemie, and therefore canſt not reiect mee now I ſe…ke thee in truth. Thou haſt embraced mee with euerlaſting compaſſions, and therefore canſt not, neither wilt forſake me in my great extremitie: and thou haſt many times heretofore deliuered me from the Lyon and the Beare, from many deſperate ſnares thou haſt many times reſcued mee, and wilt thou not deliuer me from eueryevery euill worke, and preſerue mee conſtantly vntounto thy glorious appearance? yea certainely (bleſſed Lord) I beleeue, helpe my vnbeleefe. I beleeue, that thou art able to do wonderfully aboue what I can thinke or deſire, and therefore that thou wilt not deny mee what I aske in thy name. I beleeue that thou canſt bring light out of darkneſſe, and therefore thou wilt turne my darknes into light. I beleeue that all things ſhall worke together to the beſt, to thoſe which are called according to thy purpoſe, and therefore that thou wilt turne this my greateſt abaſement, to my greateſt comfort.
OnelyOnly I humbly pray thee, giuegive mee patience to waite vponupon thee vntill thou come and comfort me: ſubmit mee to thy wiſe phyſick, whereby thou maieſt heale mee, that ſo being healed, I may bee fit for comfort. O heale me therefore I humbly pray thee, by the blood of thy ſonne, waſh me throughly from all my ſinnes, and clenſe mee from all mine iniquities. Create in mee (O Lord) a cleane heart, that I may appeare all faire before thee, and renew a right ſpirit within mee, that I may worſhip thee in ſpirit and truth: Reſtore to me the ioy of thy ſaluation, that I may be perſwaded of thy louelove vntounto me, and ſtabliſh me with thy free ſpirit, that I may vnfeignedly louelove thee againe and neuer depart from thy holy couenant: grant me to renew my couenant daily with thee, that thou maieſt be for euer with me, to keepe me in thy feare: and keepe mee daily lowly in mine owne eyes, that ſtill I may bee accepted of thee in thy beloued. GiueGive mee truſt in thee, by diſtruſting mine owne deceitfull heart, eſpecially in time of temptation: and teach mee to rely on thy mighty power by faith, euen when powers and principalities doe moſt oppoſe mee. O ſtrengthen mee with the ſtrong cries of thy bleſſed Spirit, that I may be feruent in prayer, to wreſtle with thy Maieſty, that ſo thou maiſt haſten thy worke to comfort me, And though I finde not that comfort I hauehave had, or deſire: yet let this comfort me that I hauehave done thy will, and let it humble mee ſtill, that I am not fit for the comfort I doe deſire, that ſo with patience I may waite for the ſame, comforting my ſelfe, that ſeeing this is the time of my warfare, and not of my crowning, therefore if I waite for what I am not fit for, yet there is enough before mee to ſatisfie me aboundantly: and therefore grant mee ſtill to forget what is behind, and to haſten to what is before: to waite for the comming of my Lord and Sauiour, and ſo prepare my ſelfe daily to his glorious appearance. And euen ſo, come Lord Ieſus come quickly, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Edward Dering, Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families (1624)