A41649:937
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.
An Evening Prayer for a Family.
O Most great, and glorious Lord God, and in Jesus Christ a loving and a gracious Father. We thy poor and unworthy Servants, being by thy good providence brought to the end of this day, desire to conclude the same with an Evening spiritual Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving. Lord we do here profess, we come not in our own names, nor in our own strength, we are unable of our selves to perform any spiritual duty after an acceptable manner. But we come in the alone name, and strength of thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ: beseeching thee for his sake to pass by our unworthiness, to quicken our dead hearts, and to carry us forth with life and vigour in the duty we are now going about.
Blessed Lord God, we do acknowledge our selves to be vile, wretched sinners: Sinners by nature, sinners by birth, sinners in the whole course of our lives, having sinned as if we had come into the World for no other end but to sin against thee. Though thou hast been pleased to restrain us from many heinous, scandalous ⟨image 142⟩sins; yet Lord, thou knowest what evil thoughts do lodge in our hearts, and what Lusts bear rule and sway there. Blessed Lord God, though we are in some measure convinced of the need and necessity that we have of Jesus Christ, that we are undone for ever without an interest in him: yet how have we slighted and rejected the tenders and offers of him in the Ministry of the Gospel, and preferred our lusts, and the pleasures of this World before him. We have indeed outwardly made profession of the Gospel, yet have we disgraced the profssion thereof by our carnal and sinful conversation. Lord, we cannot but acknowledge, our desires, cares, and endeavours have run out more after the things of this life, than after the things of a better life. We have slighted thy judgements, abused thy mercies, profaned thy Sabbaths, and polluted all thy holy Ordinances. When we have drawn near unto thee with our bodies, and honoured thee with our lips, then have our hearts been far removed from thee; when we have had communion with thine Ordinances, we have oftentimes had little communion with thee our God therein. Blessed Lord, our sins are many and heinous, yea there seemeth a kind of infiniteness in our sins: but we know and believe there is indeed an infiniteness in the mercies of thee our God, and in the merits of Jesus Christ: and therefore with an utter disclaiming of all righteousness of our own, as filthy rags, we place our whole confidence for life and salvation upon thy mercies in Christ. As thou hast laid our help upon him, so on him will we lay our hope for the pardon