Lord convince me powerfully of my own wretchedness make me to see that I am miserable and poor and blind and naked and not only dust but sin that so in all thy dispensations towards me I may lay my hand upon my mouth and heartily acknowledge that I am less then the least of thy mercies and greater then the greatest of thy judgments And O Lord grant me not only to walk humbly with my God but even with men also that I may not only submit my self to thy rebukes but even to those of my fellow Christians and with meekness receive and obey their admonitions And make me so to behave my self towards all that I never do any thing through strife or vain glorie and to that end grant that in lowliness of mind I may esteem everie other man better then my self and be willing that others should esteem them so also that I never nourish any high opinion of my self nor covet one among others but that despising the vain praise of men I may seek that praise which cometh from thee only That so instead of those mean servile Arts I have used to recommend me to the esteem of men I may now imploy all my industrie and care to approve my self to thee who resistest the proud and givest grace to the humble grant this O Lord for his sake who humbled himself unto the death of the Cross Jesus Christ For the Fear of God O Glorious Majestie who only art high and to be feared possess my soul with a Holy awe and reverence of thee that I may give thee the honour due unto thy Name and may bear such a respect to all things which relate to thee that I may never prophane any holy thing or sacrilegiously invade what thou hast set a part to thy self And O Lord since thou art a God that wilt not clear the guiltie let the dread of thy justice make me tremble to provoke thee in any thing O let me not so misplace my fear as to be afraid of a man that shall die and of the son of man who shall be made as grass and forget the Lord my Maker but replenish my soul with that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdome which may be as a bridle to all my brutish appetites and keep me in a constant conformitie to thy Holy will Hear me O Lord I beseech thee and put this fear in my heart that I may not depart from thee but may with fear and trembling work out my own salvation through Jesus Christ For Trust on God O Almightie Lord who never failest them that trust on thee give me grace I beseech thee in all my difficulties and distresses to have recourse to thee to rest and depend on thee thou shalt keep him O Lord in perfect peace whose mind is staid on thee O let me alwayes rest on this firm Pillar and never exchange it for the broken reeds of worldly succours suffer not my heart to be overcharged with the cares of this life taking thought what I shall eat or drink or wherewithal I shall be clothed but grant that having by honest labour and industrie done my part I may chearfully commit my self to thy providence casting all my care upon thee and being careful for nothing but to be of the number of those whom thou ownest and carest for even such as keep thy Testimonies and think upon thy Commandments to do them That seeking first thy Kingdome and the righteousness thereof all these outward things may be added unto me in such a measure as thy wisdome knows best for me grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ his sake For Thankfulness O most Gracious and bountiful Lord who fillest all things living with good and expectest no other return but praise thanksgiving let me O Lord never defraud thee of that so easie tribute but let my heart be ever filled with the sence and my mouth with the acknowledgement of thy mercies It is a joyfull and a pleasant thing to be thankfull O suffer me not I beseech the to lose my part in that Divine pleasure but grant that as I dayly receive blessings from thee so I may daily from an affectionate and devout heart offer up thanks to thee and grant that not only my lips but my life may shew forth thy praise by consecrating my self to thy service and walking in Holiness and Righteousness before thee all the days of my life through Jesus Christ my Lord and blessed Saviour For Contrition O Holy Lord who art a merciful embracer of true penitents but yet a consuming fire towards obstinate sinners how shall I approach thee who have so many provoking sins to inflame thy wrath and so little sincere repentance to incline thy mercy O be thou pleased to soften and melt this hard obdurate heart of mine that I may heartily bewail the iniquities of my life strike this rock O Lord that the waters may flow out even floods of tears to wash my polluted conscience my drowzy Soul hath too long slept securely in sin Lord awake it though it be with thunder let me rather feel thy terrors then not feel my sin Thou sentest thy blessed Son to heal the broken hearted but Lord what will that avail me if my heart be whole O break it that it may be capable of his healing virtue and grant I beseech thee that having once tasted the bitterness of sin I may fly from it as from the face of a Serpent and bring forth fruits of repentance in amendment of life to the praise and glory of thy grace in Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer For Meekness O Blessed Jesu who wast led as a sheep to the slaughter let I beseech thee that admirable example of Meekness quench in me all sparks of anger and revenge and work in me such a gentleness and calmness of Spirit as no provocations may ever be able to disturb Lord grant I may be so far from offering the least injury that I may never return the greatest any otherwise then with prayers and kindness that I who have so many talents to be forgiven by thee may never exact pence of my bretheren but that putting on bowels of mercie meekness long-suffering thy peace may rule in my heart make it an acceptable habitation to thee who art the Prince of peace to whom with the Father holy Spirit be all honour and glory for ever For Chastity O Holy and Immaculate Jesus whole first descent was into the Virgins womb and who dost still love to inhabit only in pure and virgin-hearts I beseech thee send thy Spirit of purity to cleanse me from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit my body O Lord is the Temple of the Holy Ghost O let me never pollute that Temple with any uncleanness And because out of the heart proceed the things that defile the man Lord grant me to keep my heart with all diligence that no impure or foul thoughts be harboured
persons should be brought into error Thou seest with what Windes with what Waves with what storms thy silly ship is tossed thy ship wherein thy little flock is in peril to be drowned And what is now left but that it utterly sink and we all perish Of this tempest and storm we may thank our own Wickedness and sinful living we discern it well and confess it we discern thy Righteousness and we bewail our unrighteousness But we appeal to thy Mercy which surmounteth all thy works we have now suffered much punishment being scourged with so many Wars consumed with such Losses of goods shaken with so many floods and yet appears there no where any Haven or Port unto us being thus tired and forlorn among so strange evils but still every day more grievous punishments and more seem to hang over our heads We complain not of thy sharpness most tender Saviour but we discern here also thy Mercy forasmuch as much grievouser plagues we have deserved But O most merciful Jesus we beseech thee that thou wilt not consider nor weigh what is due for our deservings but rather what becometh thy Mercy without which neither the Angels in Heaven can stand sure before thee much less we silly vessels of clay Have mercie on us O Redeemer which art easie to be intreated not that we be worthy of thy mercie but give thou this Glorie unto thine own Name Suffer not those which either have not known thee or do envie thy glorie continually to triumph over us and say Where is their God where is their Redeemer where is their Saviour where is their Bridegroom that they thus boast on These opprobrious words redound unto thee O Lord while by our evils men weigh and esteem thy Goodness they think we be Forsaken whom they see not amended Once when thou sleptst in the Ship and a Tempest suddenly arising threatned death to all in the Ship thou awokest at the outcrie of a few Diseiples and straightway at thine Almightie word the Waters couched the Winds fell the Storm was suddenly turned into a great calm the dum waters knew their makers voice Now in this far greater Tempest wherein not a few mens bodies be in danger but innumerable Souls we beseech thee at the crie of thy holy Church which is in danger of drowning that thou wilt awake So many thousands of men do crie Lord save us we perish the Tempest is past Mans power it is Thy word that must do the deed Lord Jesu only say thou with a word of thy mouth Cease O tempest and forthwith shall the desired calm appear Thou wouldst have spared so many thousands of most wicked men if in the City of Sodom had been found but ten good men Now here be so many Thousands of men which love the glorie of thy Name which sigh for the beautie of thy House and wilt thou not at these mens Prayers let goe thine Anger and remember thine accustomed and old mercies Shalt thou not with thy heavenly policie turn our folly into thy glory Shalt thou not turn the wicked mens evils into thy Churches good For thy mercie is wont then most of all to succour when the thing is with us past Remedie and neither the Might nor Wisdome of men can help it Thou alone bringest things that be never so out of order into order again which art the only Author and maintainer of Peace Thou framedst that old Confusion wherein without order without fashion confusedly lay the discordant seeds of things and with a wonderful order the things that of nature fought together Thou didst ally and knit in a perpetual band But how much greater Confusion is this where is no Charitie no Fidelitie no bonds of Love no reverence neither of Laws nor yet of Rulers no agreement of Opinions but as it were in a misordered Quire every man singeth a contrary note Among the Heavenly Planets is no dessention the Elements keep their place every one do the office whereunto they be appointed And wilt thou suffer thy Spouse for whose sake all things were made thus by continual discords to perish Shalt thou suffer the wicked Spirits which be authors and workers of discord to bear such a swing in thy Kingdome unchecked Shalt thou suffer the strong Captain of mischief whom thou once overthrewest again to invade thy Tents and to spoil thy Souldiers When thou wert here a man conversant among men at thy Voice fled the Divils Send forth we beseech thee O Lord thy Spirit which may drive away out of the brests of all them that profess thy Name the wicked Spirits masters of riot of covetousness of vain-glory of carnal lust of mischief and discord Create in us O our God and King a clean heart and renew thy holy Spirit in our brests pluck not from us thy holy Ghost Render unto us the joy of thy saving health and with thy principal Spirit strengthen thy Spouse and the Heardmen thereof By this Spirit thou reconciledst the earthly to the Heavenly By this thou didst frame and reduce so many Tongues so many Nations so many sundry sorts of men into one body of a Church which body by the same Spirit is knit to thee their Head This Spirit if thou wilt vouchsafe to renew in all mens hearts then shall all these forreign miseries cease or if they cease not they shall turn to the profit and avail of them which love thee Stay this Confusion set in order this horrible Chaos O Lord Jesus let thy Spirit stretch out it self upon these Waters of evil wavering Opinions And because thy spirit which according to thy Prophets saying containeth all things hath also the Science of speaking make that like as unto all them which be of thy House is one Light one Baptisme one God one Hope one Spirit so they may also have one Voice one Note one Song professing one Catholick truth When thou didst mount up to Heaven triumphantly thou threwst out from above thy precious things thou gavest Gifts amongst men thou dealtest sundry rewards of thy Spirit Renew again from above thy old bountifulness give that thing to thy Church now fainting and growing downward that thou gavest unto her shooting up at her first beginning Give unto Princes and Rulers the grace so to stand in awe of thee that they so may guide the Common-weal as they should shortly render accompt unto thee that art the King of Kings Give wisdome to be alwayes assistant unto them that whatsoever is best to be done they may espy it in their minds and pursue the same in their doings Give to the Bishops the gift of Prophesie that they may declare and interpret holy Scripture not of their own brain but of thine inspiring Give them the threefold Charity which thou once demandest of Peter what time thou didst betake unto him the charge of thy sheep Give to the Priests the love of Soberness and of Chastity Give to thy people a good will to follow thy Commandments and a readiness to obey such persons as thou hast appointed over them So shall it come to pass if through thy Gift thy Princes shall command that thou requirest if thy Pastors and Herdmen shall teach the same and thy People obey them both that the old Dignity Tranquillity of the Church shall return again with a goodly order unto the glory of thy Name Thou sparedst the Ninivites appointed to be destroyed as soon as they converted to repentance and wilt thou despise thy House falling down at thy feet which instead of sackcloth hath sighs and in stead of ashes tears Thou promisedst Forgiveness to such as turn unto thee but this self thing is thy Gift a man to turn with his whole heart unto thee to the intent all our goodness should reâ—ound unto thy glory Thou art the Maker repair the work that thou hast fashioned Thou art the Redeemer save that thou hast bought Thou art the Saviour suffer not them to perish which do hang on thee Thou art the Lord and owner challenge thy possession Thou art the Head help thy members Thou art the King give us a reverence of thy Laws Thou art the Prince of Peace breath upon us brotherly love Thou art the God have pity on thy humble beseechers be thou according to Pauls saying all things in all men to the intent the whole Quire of thy Church with agreeing minds and consonant voices for mercy obtained at thy hands may give thanks to the Father Son and Holy Ghost which after the most perfect example of concord be distinguished in property of Persons and one in nature to whom be praise and glory Eternally Amen FINIS
deliver my soul O dear Jesus who hast bought me with the precious price of thine own blood challenge now thy purchase and let not all the malice of Hell pluck me out of thy hand O blessed high Priest who art able to save them to the utmost who come unto God by thee save me I beseech thee who have no hope but on thy merits and intercession O God I confess I have defaced that Image of thine thou didst imprint upon my Soul Yet O thou faithful Creator have pity on thy creature O Jesu I have by my many and grievous sins crucified thee afresh yet thou who prayedst for thy persecutors interceed for me also and suffer not O my Redeemer my soul the price of thy blood to perish O Spirit of grace I have by my horrid impieties done despight to thee yet O Blessed Comforter though I have often grieved thee be thou pleased to succour and relieve me and say unto my soul I am thy salvation Mine eyes look unto thee O Lord in thee is my trust O cast not out my soul O Lord in the have I trusted let me never be confounded O Blessed Lord who scourgest every Son whom thou receivest let me not be weary of thy correction but give me such a perfect subjection to thee the Father of Spirits that this chastisement may be for my profit that I may thereby be partaker of thy holiness O thou Captain of my Salvation who wert made perfect by sufferings sanctifie to me all the pains of body all the terrours of mind which thou shalt permit to fall upon me Lord my fins have deserved eternal torments make me chearfully and thankfully to bear my present pains chasten me as thou pleasest here that I may not be condemned with the world Lord the waters are come in even unto my soul O Let thy Spirit move upon these waters and make them like the pool of Bethesda that they may cure whatsoever spiritual disease thou discernest in me O Christ who first sufferedst many and grievous things and then enteredst into thy glory make me so to suffer with thee that I may also be glorified with thee O dear Jesus who humbledst thy self to the death of the Cross for me let that death of thine sweeten the bitterness of mine When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death thou didst open the Kingdome of heaven to all believers I believe that thou shalt come to be my Judge I pray thee therefore help thy servant whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood Make me to be numbred with thy Saints in glory everlasting Thou art the resurrection and the life he that believeth in thee though he were dead yet shall he live Lord I believe help thou my unbelief My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is far better Lord I groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with that house from heaven I desire to put off this my tabernacle O be pleased to receive me into everlasting habitations Bring my soul out of prison that I may give thanks unto thy name Lord I am here to wrestle not only with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness O take me from these tents of Kedar into the heavenly Jerusalem where Satan shall be utterly trodden under my feet I cannot here attend one minute to thy service without distraction O take me up to stand before thy Throne where I shall serve thee day and night I am here in heaviness through many tribulations O receive me into that place of rest where all tears shall be wiped from my eyes where there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying nor pain I am here in a state of banishment and absence from the Lord O take me where I shall for ever behold thy face and follow the Lamb whither soever he goeth I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness O Blessed Jesu who hast loved me and washed me from my sins in thine own blood receive my soul Into thy hands I commend my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth Come Lord Jesu come quickly PRAYERS for their use who Mourn in secret for the PUBLICK CALAMITIES c. Psalm 74. O God wherefore art thou absent from us so long why is thy wrath so hot against the sheep of thy pasture c. Psal. 79. O God the Heathen are come into thine inheritance thy holy temple have they defiled and made Jerusalem an heap of stones c. Psal. 80. Hear O thon shepherd of Israel thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep shew thy self also thou that sittest upon the Cherubims c. A Prayer to be used in these times of Calamity O Lord God to whom vengeance belongeth I desire humbly to confess before thee both on my own behalf that of this Nation that these many years of calamitie we have groaned under are but the just yea milde returns of those many more years of our provocations against thee and that thy present wrath is but the due punishment of thy abused mercy O Lord thou hast formerly abounded to us in blessings above all people of the earth Thy candle shined upon our heads and we delighted our selves in thy great goodness Peace was within our walls and plenteousness within our palaces there was no decay no leading into Captivity and no complaining in our streets but we turned this Grace into wantonness we abused our Peace to Security our Plenty to riot luxury and made those good things which should have endeared our hearts to thee the occasion of enstranging them from thee Nay O Lord thou gavest us yet more precious mercies thou wert pleased thy self to pitch thy Tabernacle with us to establish a pure and glorious Church among us and give us thy Word to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths but O Lord we have made no other use of that light then to conduct us to the Chambers of death we have dealt proudly and not hearkned to thy Commandments and by rebelling against the light have purchased to our selves so much the heavier portion in the outer darkness And now O Lord had the overflowings of thy vengeance been answerable to that of our sin we had long since been swept away with a swift destruction and there had been none of us alive at this day to implore thy mercy But thou art a Gracious God slow to anger and hast proceeded with us with much patience and long-suffering thou hast sent thy Judgements to awake us to repentance and hast also allowed us space for it But alas we have perverted this mercy of thine beyond all the former we return not to him that smiteth us neither do we seek the Lord we are
sliden back by a perpetual backsliding no man repenteth him of his wickedness or saith what have I done 'T is true indeed we fear the rod we dread everie suffering so that we are ready to buy it off with the foulest sin but we fear not him that hath appointed it but by a wretched obstinacy harden our necks against thee and refuse to return now O God what balm is there in Gilead that can cure us who when thou wouldest heal us will not be healed we know thou hast pronounced that there is no peace to the wicked and how shall we then pray for peace that still retain our wickedness This this O Lord is our sorest disease O give us Medicines to heal this sickness heal our souls and then we know thou canst soon heal our Land Lord thou hast long spoken by thy Word to our ears by thy Judgements even to all our senses but unless thou speak by thy Spirit to our hearts all other Calls will still be uneffectual O send out this voice and that a mightie voice such as may awake us out of this Lechargie Thou that didst call Lazarus out of the grave O be pleased to call us who are Dead yea putrified in trespasses and sins and make us to awake to righteousness And though O Lord our frequent resistences even of those inward Calls have justly provoked thee to give us up to the Lusts of our own heart yet O thou boundless Ocean of mercie who art good not only beyond what we can deserve but what we can wish do not withdraw the influence of thy grace and take not thy holy spirit from us Thou wert found of those that sought thee not O let that act of mercie be repeated to us who are so desperately yet so insensibly Sick that we cannot so much as look after the Physitian and by how much our case is the more dangerous so much the more soveraigne Remedies do thou apply Lord help us and consider not so much our unworthiness of thy aid as our irremediable ruine if we want it save Lord or we perish eternally To this end dispense to us in our temporal Interest what thou seest may best secure our Spiritual if a greater degree of outward Miserie will tend to the curing our inward Lord spare not thy Rod but strike yet more sharply Cast out this Devil though with never so much Foaming tearing But if thou seest that some Return of mercie may be most likely to melt us O be pleased so far to condescend to our wretchedness as to afford us that and whether by thy sharper or gentler methods bring us home to thy self And then O Lord we know thy hand is not shortned that it cannot save when thou hast delivered us from our sins thou canst and wilt deliver us from our troubles O shew us thy mercie and grant us thy salvation that being redeemed both in our bodies and spirits we may glorifie thee in both in a chearful obedience and praise the Name of our God that hath dealt wonderfully with us through Jesus Christ our Lord A Prayer for This Church O Thou great God of recompences who turnest a Fruitful land into Barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein thou hast most justly executed that Fatal Sentence on this Church which having once been the perfection of Beautie the joy of the whole earth is now become a Scorn and derision to all that are round about her O Lord what could have been done to thy Vineyard that thou hast not done in it and since it hath brought forth nothing but wilde Grapes it is perfectly just with thee to take away the hedge thereof and let it be eaten up But O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us yet do thou it for thy Names sake for our backslidings are many we have sinned against thee O the hope of Israel the Saviour thereof in time of trouble why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarrie for a night Why shouldst thou be as a man astonied as a mightie man that cannot save Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy name leave us not deprive us of what outward enjoyment thou pleasest take from us the opportunities of our luxurie and it may be a mercie but O take not from us the means of our Reformation for that is the most direful expression of thy wrath And though we have hated the Light because our deeds were evil yet O Lord do not by withdrawing it condemn us to walk on still in darkness but let it continue to shine till it have guided our feet into the way of peace O Lord arise stir up thy strength and come and help us and deliver not the soul of thy Turtle Dove this disconsolate Church unto the multitude of the Enemie but help her O God and that right early But if O Lord our rebellions have so provoked thee that the Ark must wander in the Wilderness till all this murmuring Generation be consumed yet let not that perish with us but bring it at last into a Canaan and let our more innocent Posterity see that which in thy just judgement thou deniest to us In the mean time let us not cease to bewail that Desolation our sins have wrought to think upon the stones of Sion and pitie to see her in the dust nor ever be ashamed or afraid to own her in her lowest and most persecuted Condition but esteem the Reproach of Christ greater riches then the Treasures of Aegypt and so approve our constancie to this our afflicted Mother that her blessed Lord and Head may own us with mercie when he shall come in the glory of thee his Father with the holy Angels Grant this merciful Lord for the same Jesus Christ his sake A Prayer for the Peace of the Church LORD Jesus Christ which of thine Almightiness madest all creatures both visible and invisible which of thy godly wisdome governest and settest all things in most goodly order which of thine unspeakable goodness keepest defendest and furtherest all things which of thy deep mercy restorest the decayed renewest the fallen raisest the dead vouchsafe we pray thee at last to cast down thy countenance upon thy well beloved Spouse the Church but let it be that amiable and merciful countenance wherewith thou pacifiest all things in Heaven in earth and whatsoever is above Heaven and under the earth vonchsafe to cast upon us those tender and pitiful eyes with which thou didst once behold Peter that great Shepherd of thy Church and forthwith he remembred himself and repented with which eyes thou once didst view the scattered Multitude and wert moved with compassion that for lack of a good Shepherd they wandred as sheep dispersed and strayed asunder Thou seest O good Shepherd what sundrie sorts of Wolves have broken into thy sheep-cotes So that if it were possible the very perfect