A41649:928
A word to sinners, and a word to saints The former tending to the…
A word to sinners, and a word to saints The former tending to the awakening the consciences of secure sinners, unto a lively sense and apprehension of the dreadful condition they are in, so long as they live in their natural and unregenerate estate. The latter tending to the directing and persuading of the godly and regenerate unto several singular duties. As also a word to householders stirring them up to the good old way of serving God in and with their families, from Joshua's resolution, Josh. 24. 15. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Set forth especially for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of St. Sepulchres Parish, London by Tho. Gouge, late pastor thereof.A word to sinners, and a word to saints The former tending to the awakening the consciences of secure sinners, unto a lively sense and apprehension of the dreadfull condition they are in, so long as they live in their natural and unregenerate estate. The latter tending to the directing and perswading of the godly and regenerate unto several singular duties. As also a word to housholders stirring them up to the good old way of serving God in and with their families, from Joshuah's resolution, Josh. 24. 15. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Set forth especially for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of St. Sepulchres Parish, London by Tho. Gouge, late pastor thereof.
London: printed for George Sawbridge, 1668
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
A Morning Prayer for a Family.
Blessed Lord God, who art great and glorious in thy self, good and gracious in and through thy beloved, Jesus Christ. A God glorious in thy justice to execute vengeance upon the wilful, and impenitent; but gracious in thy mercy to pass by the offences of poor penitent sinners. Lord, hadst not thou been exceeding good and gracious unto us, we might this night have slept the sleep of death: and from the darkness of the night been sent away into outer darkness. But such hath been thy mercy and goodness unto us, as to add another day unto our lives: most meet therefore it is that we should consecrate the same unto thee, by offering up a Morning Sacrifice of Prayer and thanksgiving. Lord we acknowledge our great unworthiness to come into thy presence, to present our Prayers and supplications unto thee. But though we are unworthy, yet Christ is worthy. We beseech thee therefore for his sake to look graciously upon us; to pass by our unworthiness, and to strengthen our weakness. To this end as we draw near unto thee, so be thou pleased to draw near unto us, enabling us to pray as with humility and sincerity; so with zeal and fervency of spirit, and with faith in Jesus Christ, looking for audience and acceptance in and through him. Blessed Lord God, we cannot but acknowledge, thou didst at first create us in a blessed and happy estate, even after thine ⟨image 139⟩own image, endowing us with true knowledge, holiness, and righteousness. But we soon fell from that state of innocency and blessedness, in the loins of our first Father Adam; and implunged our selves with him into a dreadful gulf of sin and misery. For, O Lord, besides the guilt of Adams sin, we have contracted from him a Mass of corruption, which hath poisoned our very natures: polluted and defiled all the faculties of our souls, with all the parts and members of our bodies. So that we may more truly in regard of our spiritual uncleanness, cry out Unclean, Unclean, than the Leper under the Law in regard of his bodily uncleanness. And O Lord, to this corruption of our natures we have added many many actual sins of our own: which as they have been heinous in their quality, so in their number and multitude have far exceeded the hairs of our heads, and the sands on the Sea-shore, which cannot be numbered. The which we have committed through the whole course of our lives, from our infancy to this present time.