The Practice of Piety

O Most gracious God, and loving Father, who art about my bed, ¹and knowest my down lying, and mine uprising, and art near unto all that call upon thee, in truth and sincerity, I wretched sinner do beseech thee, to look upon me with the eyes of thy mercy, and not to behold me as I am in my self: For then thou shalt see but an unclean and defiled creature, conceived in sin, and living in iniquity: so that I am ashamed to lift up mine eyes to heaven, ²³knowing how grievously I have sinned against ⟨p. 406⟩heaven, and before thee: For,⁴ O Lord, I have transgressed all thy commandments and righteous laws, not only through negligence and infirmity, but oftentimes through wilful presumption, contrary to my knowledge: yea, contrary to the motions of thy holy spirit reclaiming me from them, so that I have wounded my conscience, and grieved thy holy spirit, by whom thou hast sealed me to the day of redemption. ⁵Thou hast consecrated my soul and body, to be the temples of the holy Ghost: I wretched sinner have defiled both, with all manner of pollution and uncleanness. My eyes in taking pleasure to behold vanity, ⁶mine ears in ⟨p. 407⟩hearing impure and unchaste speeches,⁷ my tongue in leasing and evil speaking: my hands are so full of impurity, that I am ashamed to lift them up unto thee: and my feet have carried me after mine own ways:⁸ my understanding and reasoning which are so quick in all earthly matters, are only blind, and stupid, when I come to meditate or discourse of spiritual and heavenly things: my memory, which should be the treasury of all goodness, is not so apt to remember any thing, as those things which are vile and vain. Yea, Lord, by woeful experience I find, that naturally, all the imaginations of the thoughts of mine heart,