look'd upon their glory but forgot the frailty Wordly Lusts hath abused our Sight and cozen'd our Understanding The Earth is thy Foot-stool we have made it our Throne Heaven is thy Throne we have made it our Foot-stool We have been for this World as tho it would never have an ending and for the VVorld to come as tho it would never have beginning Instead of laying up our Treasure in Heaven we have laid up our Heaven in our Treasure We have been gross Idolaters in paying Adorations to earthy things We have pawn'd Heaven for a few trifles and given infinite of years purchase for them We have taken our Egyptian Jewels those Temporal Blessings thou hast so plentifully cast amongst us and have made a Golden Calf of them adoring and trusting it and have fallen off from the Cause of Causes We have set up Idols in our Hearts that destroy our Happiness The VVise Man trusteth in his VVisdom the Strong Man in his Strength and the Rich Man in his Riches Thus we have brought our selves under the Curse by trusting in the arm of Flesh The Ballances of Deceit are in our hands We have wrought a deceitful Work We have walk'd in a Fool 's Paradise surveying the fading Flowers of Imaginary Felicities catching at the Apples of Sodom that vanish away in Smoke We have been serious about Trifles and trifl'd about Serious Things We have furied our selves in the pursuit of the fugitive Toys of this life which if they were put into the Ballance would prove altogether lighter than Vanity We have spent our Money for that which is not Bread and our Labour for that which satisfieth not We have wandr'd at random in the vast emptiness of the Creature What we find most perfect in this World is rather meerly Fictitious and Imaginative than Real and Substantial the best Condition of this Life being but a Variety of Vanity We have wildr'd our selves in our own Mazes and wearied our selves with meer Vanity We have sold our selves for naught With Esau we have despised our Birth-right With Cain we have gone out from the presence of the Lord. With the Prodigal we have gone into a far Countrey Every step we have set forward in Sin hath been a step backward from thee Our Habitation hath been in the midst of Deceit 't is thro Deceit that we refuse to know the Lord. We have drawn the Worlds two Brests Profit and Pleasure and fallen asleep at them but have neglected the Things that concern our Everlasting Peace We have neither delighted in the Law of God nor the God of the Law The Thefts and Wiles of Prosperity hath not only stoln us away from our selves but from God Our Desires and Affections have been journeying we know not where We have cause to be ashamed because of the Oaks that we desired and the Gardens that we have chosen We have trusted unanchor'd Hope in fleeting Streams We have pitch'd our thoughts and the restless desires of our Souls upon the Creature as tho there were nothing beyond the Creature We have stretched out our widen'd Arms beyond their Dimensions and our Hands have grasp'd beyond their Distance to incompass this inferiour Orb but we are forc'd to come off not only with Vanity of Vanities but with Vexation of Spirit We have sought the Living among the Dead Happiness where 't is not to be found We have sought Strength in Weakness Riches in Poverty Gloryin Shame and Life in Death and in this course we have forsaken our own Mercy We find by woful experience that all Wordly Enjoyments stand upon two lame Legs Insufficiency Uncertainty The end of all our Earthly Comforts eateth up the pleasure we had in them like Pharaoh's lean Kine We have sown the VVind to reap the VVhirl-wind The Magnetic Power of the VVorld hath drawn our Countenances downward which thou madest erect for the Contemplation of Thee and thy VVorks but now the Curse of the Serpent is upon us upon our Bellies do we creep and Dust do we eat all the days of our lives We are deeply sunk in the VVorlds Quicksands The Earth hath swallow'd us up alive Our Affections the Feet of our Souls have stuck fast in the mire and clay of the VVorld so that we have been hindred from running the race that hath been set before us We have wearied our selves in the way of VVickedness but the way of Truth we have not known The bewitching of VVordly trifles have obscured and hid from us the good things We have rather chosen to go astray than to walk in the sweet Rules of thy Commands Our Rest and our Lusts have shared our Time VVe are strangers to the life of Grace thro the Ignorance that is in us We have taken bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter What Poison or Gall so bitter as Sin Yet we have delighted our selves therein VVhat more sweet than thy Testimony More to be desired than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also then the honey and the honey-comb yet we nauseated them Damn'd Satan with his Orphean Aires and dexterous VVarbles with Masques and Triumphs hath inticed us along in the paths of Death Sin hath betray'd us with a Kiss Pleasure merrieth our Senses for a while but Horror followeth after and vultereth our unconsuming Hearts Sin is sweet in the commission but bitter in the recollection in the Mouth 't is as sweet as honey but in the Belly as bitter as gall Sinful Pleasures have been the Thieves that have train'd us out of the way and robb'd us With Ahab we have sold our selves to work wickedness We have made hast in the paths of Death We have not onely woven the Spider's Web but we have hatch'd the Cockatrice Egg. Our Actions have not onely been vain and unprofitable but dangerous We have not onely not been for thee but against thee We have not onely not gathered but scattered We have desp'rately invaded the most equal Rules of the Gospel We have broken thy Bonds in sunder and cast away thy Cords from us We have laid the Reins of our Loyalty upon the Neck of Licentious Liberty We have proceeded from Evil to Evil not considering thy Purity and Justice We have drawn Iniquity with the Cords of Vanity Every thought and imagination of our hearts have been evil and that continually The frame of our hearts have not onely been evil continually but our hearts have framed that which hath been evil continually Altho thou hatest iniquity with a perfect hatred yet even as a Fountain casteth forth her water so have we cast out our iniquities before thee Heaven and Earth testifie against us that thou as an indulgent Father hast brought us up as dear Children but we have rebell'd against thee We have be-leaper'd our selves with Sin and like drunken men have stagger'd in our own vomit VVe have wrought abbomination before thee As a Mill-wheel is continually turn'd round and ever drench'd with a new stream so are we continually
bail us yet whoever cometh unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast off Tho our Sins be as Crimson thou wilt make them as Snow and tho they be as Scarlet thou wilt make them as Wooll if we are willing and obedient If we confess and forsake our sins we shall find Mercy The Bruised Reed thou wilt not break the smoaking Flax thou wilt not quench Thou despisest not the desires of a Contrite Heart Our Sins shall be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Blessed be God for our Seasons of Grace and Times of Repentance That the Door of Hope standeth yet open in the Valley of Achor That the Lord is yet to be found and that we have a time to seek him And as we praise our God for the Springs above so we praise thee for our Springs below our Health Wealth Peace and Liberty with many other Blessings of this Life We humbly and thankfully acknowledg That we are capable of so much Mercy and Favour only thro the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. That Name is above every name in which we hide our selves He ever liveth to make Intercession for us Now when we look towards the Place where thine honour dwelleth towards thy Holy Habitation that we hope our Lord will not suffer us to receive Denial or to come off without Favour and Grace Let us be in thy Sight as they that find Favour SVPPLICATION GIve ear unto our Prayers attend unto the voice of our Supplications Suffer not the Sun of Mercy to set lest the dark Night of Wrath over take us Give us not only Sparing Mercy but Saving Mercy Give us not only space to repent but grace to repent In regard the Sun of Mercy shineth so warm upon us cause the fruits of Grace to grow in us Cause thy Rich Attracts to gain the Obedience of our Hearts Bind us to the Good behaviour with the Bands of thy Love that they may charm our Evil Spirits Shed abroad thy Love in our Hearts that Love may beget Love that thy unspeakable Love unto us may beget in us some Love unto thee Fasten thy Goodness so upon us that it may lead us to Repentance That we may not only be thankful for Mercy but fruitful under Mercy Fill us with the Apprehension of thy Goodness that the Sun of Divine Favour may be as the Manna that lieth on the top of all our outward Blessings that our Souls may feed upon it That the glorious Productions of thine Omnipotency may charm our Hearts to Reflect on the Cause of Causes and the Being of Beings God forbid that we should any longer suck poison out of the sweet Flowers of thy Mercy and Goodness The Spider gathers Poison out of the same Flower where the Bee gathers Honey Because Judgment is not executed speedily therefore the Hearts of the Children of Men are wholly set in them to do Evil. But Long-suffering leadeth the Children of God to Repentance The same Heat that softens Wax hardeneth Dirt. We are depraved and base by Degeneration make us worthy by Regeneration We were shapen in Iniquity and in Sin did our Mothers conceive us The Root in which we were conceived and born hath put forth innumerable of Branches they are spread forth into many Actual Transgressions We are conceived born brought up and grown to full Stature in Sin so that now we are under the Chains of an habituated Course of Sin and without help from Heaven those Chains will reserve us to Eternal Chains O Lord break these Bonds in sunder and cast away these Cords from us Separate Sin which thou so much hatest from the Souls thou so much lovest Separate Sin from us else it will separate us from thee Cause the Law of the Spirit of Life that is in Christ Jesus to free us from the Law of Sin and Death Deliver us from the Tyrannical Power of Sin that we may turn unto thee from whom we have deeply revolted Wash away our Filth and purge our Blood by the Spirit of Judgment and the Spirit of Burning Thou who takest away the Sins of the World take away the World of our Sins Cast out the Bond-woman and her Seed Subdue our unruly Inclinations to do Evil. Bridle our Unrestrained Licencious and Distempered Passions Cashier the Turbulent Rout of our Corrupt Affections We have cause with the Men of Jericho to complain of our Stinking Waters throw in Salt to heal them Sin is never kindlily cast out but by the Introduction of Grace Sin reigneth cause Grace to step in and exauctorate and dethrone it Destroy the Weakness and the Moth cause our Corruptions to flee into Hell ever to be forgotten seal up the root of Evil. We want a Touch of the Lord to heal our Bloody Issues Shut up the Womb and dry up the Breasts of Sin Melt down our Lusts and cause them to wither at the Root Thou madest Man upright but he hath found out many Inventions Create in us New Hearts and renew right Spirits within us Frame our Hearts fit for thy own purpose that we may will and do according to thy own good pleasure We have all been Examples of Sin make us all Examples of Reformation That Old Things may pass away and all Things may become New Vassallize our Rebellious Affections Our Iniquities swallow us up alive O break the Bars of Death conquer the Powers of Darkness lead Captivity Captive Deliver us from Sin that great Murderer that let Death into rhe World It bringeth innumerable of Evils to incompass us It keepeth us fast bound in the dreadful Expectation of the Revelation of thy insupportable Wrath and fiery Indignation who art a Sin hating and Sin avenging God Suffer not the God of this World to blind our Eyes but give us a perfect sight of Sin as it is the deadly Enemy of our Eternal Peace That we may hate Sin more than ever we loved it That we may not only dislike Sin but that our dislike may increase and swell into a hatred of Sin That we may not only loath Sin but leave Sin That we may sly from Sin altho robed in Successes and Triumphs That we may not only fall out with Sin but fall off from Sin Secure us from the pernicious Effects of the Devils Malice suffer him not to add poison to our Lusts nor paint to the Objects Suffer us not to be carried away by the heady Stream of any base Affection Strengthen us that when we meet with temptations we may quit our selves like Men and be strong in the Lord and in the power of thy Might Put on thy Armour upon us that we may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil That our Loins may be girt about with Truth and having on the Breast-plate of Righteousness and our Feet shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace and the Shield of Faith to quench the Fiery Darts of the Wicked
with the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit in the Inner Man then we shall be more than Conquerors One Deep calleth to another the depth of our Weakness to the depth of thy Strength the depth of our Folly to the depth of thy Wisdom the depth of our Poverty to the depth of thy Riches the depth of our Miseries to the depth of thy Mercies Suffer not thy Displeasure to kindle and break out into a Flame against us Turn from us that Wrath that as a just recompence of our Provocations are due unto us Spare us according to the multitude of thy Mercies Lord Jesus thou art the hope of Israel with the Lord there is mercy and with thee there is plenteous redemption Let thy Obedience recompence our Obstinacy thy Abstinence our Superfluity thy Meekness and Patience our Pride Irefulness and Enmity Let thy Charity recompence our Malice thy Devotion our Dulness Love our unkindness thy holy and precious Death our wretched sinful Lives But forasmuch as thou resistest the Proud but giveâ—â— Grace to the Humble thou fillest the Hungry with good things but the Rich thou sendest empty away Therefore empty us of our Laodicean Riches discover our Spiritual Poverty and set home to our Consciences the weight and danger of our Sins Suffer not our Consciences to let us be quiet until they have drawn us before thee in all Humility and Brokenness of Spirit in Bitterness as one is in Bitterness for the loss of their First-born and confessing our selves loathing the Persons as well as the Actions With Detestation and Self-abhorrency and with indeclinable Resolves of Amendment of Life In regard there must be a Resurrection of our Actions as well as of our Persons if our Sins rise not again in this World to bring us to shame and confusion of face and unfeigned and sincere Repentance they will rise again in the World to come and be as so many Ghosts and Devils and torment us for ever and ever We had better judge our selves than put God to judge us Therefore O God by thy powerful voice raise our Sins that are graved in oblivion and set them in order before us that we may break them down by repentance Thou canst teach us to gather Grapes of Thorns and Figgs of Thistles because all things are possible unto thee There is no Evil so great but thou canst bring good out of it We turn Gold into Dross but thou canst turn Dross into Gold again Therefore be intreated thou Almighty One that in regard we are such miserable Sinners that our Sins may make us humble for humility is in the sight of God of great price And in regard we are so evil that we may be more charitable in judging of others let our own unworthiness hang so in our light that we may not be too busie in medling with others And in regard we are such great Debtors to Divine Justice that we may be more charitable in forgiving others That we may take heed of taking our Brother by the Throat lest thou call us to an account and cast us into prison until we have paid the utmost farthing And in regard we are such notorious Criminals that we may adore the light of the glory of God that shineth in the face of Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of his grace And in regard we have spent so much time in rebellion and yet thou art ready to shew mercy that therefore we may look upon our selves in future as persons ingaged to walk before thee in righteousness and holiness all our days Spiritualize our Affections every day more and more Irradiate our Souls with high apprehensions and so elevate us unto thy self where true Riches are to be had We stand as poor Beggars without but in consideration how thou feedest thy people with delicacies in the perfection of righteousness peace and joy O God we have heard with our ears and our Fathers have declared unto us the noble works that thou dost in Heaven and Earth O Lord arise help and deliver us for thine honour Bring us out of the Land of Egypt and out of the house of Bondage that thou maist feed us with Manna from Heaven and that we may offer unto God acceptable Sacrifices Make out unto us that thou art our God and we thy peculiar people That we may live in absolute resignation subjection and love unto thee Discover unto us the things beyond the World that our Affections may be taken off from the World The wise man trusteth in his wisdom the strong man in his strength and the rich man in his riches The ship-wrack'd man catcheth hold on what is next him Adam ship-wrack'd us all and we are floating in a Deluge of Calamity Man is born unto trouble as the Sparks flie up ward and in this wretcheduess we naturally catch hold on something Self-preservation being a clear Dictate of Nature But our ignorance and misapprehension make us to catch at deceitful things that fill every one that trust in them with disappointment some on Honour some on Pleasure some on Riches And here they abide until God shew them a more excellent way What ever the Objects of our Souls are we shall not desert them until better Objects be discovered unto us Altho it be an unsatisfied satisfaction that we enjoy by any sublunary thing yet when we know of no better we hold fast by what we have Therefore we pray for some Discoveries of that glory that shall afterward be revealed of those never-dying comforts for our never-dying souls 'T is but an unquiet quiet and a restless rest that we enjoy from the Creature We pray for the Contentment above the World which is better than the World without that Contentment Ever since thou dravest out the Man we have been seeking rest but have found none As Noah's Dove could find no rest for the sole of her foot until she return'd into the Ark again neither is there any rest for us until we return and center in our God Now when we turn our faces towards thee for we know not what to do but our Eyes are towards thee take us into the Ark of the Covenant We are very much foil'd with walking after the sight of our own eyes and desires of our own hearts take us into thy protection that we may lay us down in peace for thou makest thy people to dwell in safety Embrace us in the arms of thy mercy Hide us under the Covert of thy Wings cover us with the Canopy of thy Love that we may feel thy Power supporting us and thy Goodness supplying us That we may rejoyce in thee as our Treasure and rest in thee as our Center In this far Countrey we thought to have met with great matters when we ran away from thee but we find nothing but Husks which Swine feed upon and gladly we would fill our Bellies with them but cannot Here is no soul-suitable nor soul-satisfying good