Christianity in Short, Text 7
The Chriſtian's Confeſſion of his Faith, with a full Reſignation of himſelf to God, and binding himſelf in Covenant with GOD.
I Believe, Lord help thou my unbelief. I do moſt freely and heartily own, and with humble admiration and reverence, I do adore the great and dreadful, and incomprehenſibly Glorious Majeſty of Heaven and Earth. Moſt joyfully do I accept of thee, O Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt, for my only God. Thou, and thou alone art the inexhauſtible Fountain of all Being, Life, Power and Goodneſs. I acknowledge my total dependance upon thee for my Being, Life, Motion, Ʋnderſtanding, and all things; and it will be my happineſs to enjoy thy love and bleſſing.
Thou O God, art an Infinite, Eternal and Immortal Spirit, and the God and Father of Spirits, who though unſeen, art every where preſent, about me, and within me; by thy infinite power, quickning, upholding, and protecting me; by thine Infinite Wiſdom providing for me, ordering and directing me; and by thy goodneſs bleſſing me.
To thee, one Glorious God in Three Perſons, Bleſſed for ever, do I freely and wholly give my ſelf, cheerfully dedicating and reſigning my Soul and Body, with all the powers and faculties of both, to be wholly diſpoſed of by thee, in the ſervice of thee, O Bleſſed Trinity in Ʋnity, Eternal Life, Light and Love, Power, Wiſdom and Holineſs, the Author of my preſervation, Sanctification and Salvation.
Thou in a wonder of condeſcending love, offereſt thy ſelf as a gracious Father, in Jeſus Chriſt to all Believers.
Thou art the Maker of me, and all the World; I am nothing, I have nothing, I can do nothing, I hope for nothing but from thy power, wiſdom and goodneſs; to thee alone be the honour and praiſe of all. I will more ſtudy my ſelf, and other creatures, that I may learn to know, admire and love thee more. I can be proud of nothing, glory in nothing but in thee, in whom I live, and move, and have my being. I am not my own, I and all things are thine, and unto thee I freely reſign my ſelf, and all my concerns, to uſe and diſpoſe of me and them as it pleaſeth thee. Whatever thou doſt with me, thou canſt do me no wrong, no creature without thee can do me any good. 'Tis my perfection and happineſs to know and love thee, and delight in thee; Thee alone I chuſe for my portion, and thou alone ſhalt ever be enough for me.
To thee, as the Almighty Ruler of the World, I heartily ſubmit my ſelf; accepting thy Divine Will, for my only Law, by which my thoughts, words and actions are to be all governed. All thy Lawes I conſent to, as moſt holy, juſt and good, and moſt thankfully acknowledge that nothing can be better than to reſt in thy will: I will ſtudy thy will diligently, do it heartily, cheerfully ſubmit unto it, be well contented with, and joyfully praiſe thee in whatſoever thou doeſt. I will readily obey thy commands, patiently bear thy chaſtiſements, and wholly confide in thy bleſſing and protection.
I confeſs Lord, that I am born a corrupt thing, and have added a thouſand times more to that corruption; I am fallen from that knowledge, power and uprightneſs, wherein thou madeſt Adam, and am exceeding ignorant, weak and wicked, averſe from truth and goodneſs, inclined mightily to falſhood and evil; all this I ſadly feel in my ſelf, it is an heavy burden unto me.
Except I be born again of thy Spirit, be converted by thy word, made a new man, and a real change wrought both in my heart and life, I muſt remain under thy wrath and curſe, Everlaſtingly wretched. Our miſery lying in our fall from thee our Creator, to the creature, and in our deſire to pleaſe our ſelves more than thee our God; our due portion is to periſh by our own wretched choice, and having choſen to ſin with devils, 'tis but juſt we ſhare with devils in Everlaſting torments. Having wilfully broken thy Laws, we cannot hope for impunity from thee, the juſt Governour of the World, except ſome ſatisfaction be made unto thy Juſtice.
O the wonder, even raviſhing and aſtoniſhing wonder of thy rich mercy! How ſhould I ever be able to acknowedge thy unſpeakable goodneſs in thy compaſſion to ſinful men? Early and freely didſt thou promiſe us a Redeemer and a Saviour; and I do very feelingly own thy faithfulneſs and truth in performing to the full that gracious promiſe. How do I admire and adore thy wonderful wiſdom, in the rare contrivance of our reſcue, by ſending thine own Eternal, and only begotten Son, to tender himſelf unto us for a Saviour, and make us new and eaſie termes of peace and reconciliation.
Lord, on the bended knees of my Soul I do accept thy mercy, offering thy ſelf again unto me as a reconciled Father, deſiring to love, honour and obey thee for ever, and humbly beſeeching thee to own me amongſt thy adopted children.
I do humbly admire, and joyfully imbrace thine infinite love, O bleſſed JESUS, who being the great God bleſſed for ever, yet humbledſt thy ſelf to be cloathed in our weak and frail nature, to be born of a woman, made under the Law, to live a mean life in a wicked world, to expoſe thy ſelf to the temptations of Satan, to ſuffer all indignities from ſinners, to ſhed thy precious blood upon a curſed tree, and lie in a grave, and undergo the condition of the dead for us ſinful wretches.
Lord I am fully ſatisfied by thy riſing again to life the third day, that thou haſt overcome the devil and death, and given ſatisfaction to thy Father's Juſtice, and finiſhed the great work of our Redemption. I know thou art now triumphant in Heaven, inveſted with all power and glory on the Right-hand of thy Father, our prevailing advocate making interceſſion for us: and thee I comfortably expect to be our Judge at the laſt day.
Thou O Glorious Jeſus haſt Eſtabliſhed an Everlaſting Covenant of peace, and ſealed it with thy blood: and with all my Soul I praiſe thee for this thine ineſtimable love, not doubting keeping of that pardon and grace, and glory which thou therein haſt aſſured unto us, if I unfeignedly accept of thy mercy, and enter in this Holy Covenant.
O JESUS CHRIST, in all ſincerity of heart, and with all thankful love and joy I do accept of thee my only Saviour. I do moſt humbly ſubmit my ſelf to be taught by thee, and will make thy Goſpel my dayly ſtudy: I truſt in thy merits only, and give my ſelf to be governed by thy Laws, and denying my ſelf I am ready to take up thy Croſs, and bid open War to all thine enemies, and take thy eaſie Yoke and light burden upon me.
Lord the unfeigned deſire of my Soul is, that thou mayeſt be formed in me, and take full poſſeſſion of me, that I may henceforth live by the Faith of thee the Son of God. I reſolve thy will ſhall be my will, thy life my pattern, thy Law my Rule. I will ſet my ſelf to reſiſt the temptations of the devil, deſpiſe the vanities of the world, and mortifie the carnal deſires of my fleſh; all afflictions ſhall ſeem light to me, and death it ſelf better than life, that I may obey thee, and live with thee.
I conſecrate my ſelf unto thee, to dye daily unto ſin, to Crucifie the fleſh, to riſe again unto Righteouſneſs, to have my Converſation in Heaven, my heart and affections with thee my only treaſure. My confidence is in thy merits, my Prayers ſent to God in thy name and interceſſion, my practice to be conformable to thy example, the longings of my Soul to be with thee for ever.
I will do my endeavour that my thoughts, words and actions may be ſuch as thou wilt approve of in the day of Judgment; I will not envy the preſent happineſs of the wicked, nor be diſ-heartned by my ſuffering, but referr all to thy Righteous Judgment; I will watch over my heart and life, and daily examine my Conſcience, and keep it tender and good; and labour that the accuſer may have nothing to lay to my charge before thy Judgment Seat.
I do heartily accept of thee, O Holy Spirit of the Father, and the Son, for my Sanctifier, my Guide and Comforter. I embrace the Holy Scriptures, given by thy inſpiration, as the infallible truth of God; I own the Miniſtry as thine Ordinance, and every good motion of my heart, as thy work. To thee, O Holy Spirit, do I give up my ſelf in a conſtant attendance on the Word and Ordinances, and ſecret workings, longing to be quickned, enlightned, renewed and cleanſed, ſtrengthned againſt all temptations, carried on towards perfection, confirmed in the hopes of Eternal Life, and ſealed unto the day of Redemption.
I look upon my ſelf as a member of the common body of all Chriſtians, and own thee, O Bleſſed Jeſus, the only head of this thy Body the Church. I acknowledge it my Eternal Intereſt and Duty in the Holy Communion of all Believers to Worſhip thee, O Glorious God, in the Aſſemblies of thy Saints. I look upon all Chriſtians, and my ſelf amongſt them, as men ſeparated from the wicked world, enlivened by one Spirit, profeſſing one Faith of the Holy Trinity, all Covenanted together with God in one Baptiſm, bound to hold the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, loving God above all, and each other as our ſelves, with a fellow feeling of one another's ſufferings, a free Communicating to one another's neceſſities, Temporal and Spiritual, and a mutual rejoycing in one another's happineſs.
Continuing in this Holy Society, whereinto I have been graciouſly called by thy Word and Holy Spirit, I will endeavour to ſolace and comfort my ſelf in a joyful ſenſe of the bleſſed priviledges thou therein affordeſt us: Eſpecially in the pardon of my ſins by thy free mercy, through the merits of Chriſt my Saviour, and Sanctification of thy Holy Spirit, tendered unto me in the Miniſtry of thy word, and ſealed in the Sacraments: I ſhould deſerve a thouſand Hells, ſhould I go on any longer in ſin, under ſo much mercy. I reſolve therefore to attend on the Miniſtry of reconciliation all the daies of my life, and to ſtrive againſt all ſin for ever.
To this end my death ſhall be much in my thoughts, and my life a continual preparation for it. I will look upon every day as if it were my laſt, and every day renew my Covenant; So ſhall I be ready with joy when thou calleſt, O Lord, to bid farewel to all below, and come to thee. I doubt not but my body ſhall at the laſt day be raiſed again a glorious body, no longer a burden or temptation to my Soul. I will no longer waſt my time in immoderate caring for it, feeding, adorning and pampering of that which muſt ſhortly be loathſome rottenneſs, Stench and Worms meat, which now loads and tempts my Soul to ſin, and hinders its Aſcenſions towards God; but I will mortifie it, and keep it low, that thou mayeſt exalt it to glory.
O thy wonderful goodneſs who haſt provided for us poor ſinners, a Life Everlaſting, who deſerve not one ſingle moment of this Life. Lord, grant me grace to be pure as thou art pure, that I may ſee thee, and rejoyce in thee for ever, in thy Heavenly Kingdom. O when ſhall I come and appear before God? Lord, it is certain that a worldly, carnal heart, unconverted, unrenewed, is not capable of taking any pleaſure or delight in thee, nor can it find any happineſs in Heaven it ſelf, nor any reliſh in thoſe Heavenly pleaſures, which are at thy Right-hand for evermore. Cleanſe me O Lord, and renew me daily by thy Spirit, then ſhall I cheerfully bid adieu to a vain world, empty pleaſures, frail life, and a … ſelf, and feed only on the hopes of Eternal Life, and enjoying, loving, praiſing thee my God, my All for evermore; This O Lord thou haſt promiſed in thy word, this thou haſt aſſured us of, and ſealed unto us in the blood of thy Son; This thou confirmeſt unto all the Sanctified Members of thy Church by thy Holy Spirit. To all this I here moſt heartily ſay; Amen.
Come Lord Jeſus, come quickly. Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Clement Ellis, Christianity in Short (1682)