Six sermons preachedSixe sermons preached

Another Prayer.

Eternal God, all mighty and most merciful, we thy unworthy servants prostrate before the throne of grace, do yield our selves body and soul unto thee, for all thy benefits, which thou from our birth hast heaped upon us, as though we had always done thy will, although we occupied about vain things, never marked, never loved, never served, never thanked thee so heartily for them, as we esteem a mortal friend for the least courtesy. Therefore we come with shame and sorrow to confess our sins, not small but grievous, not few but infinite, not past but present, not secret but presumptuous against thy express word and will, against our own conscience, knowledge and liking if any had done them but our selves. O Lord if thou shouldst require but the least of them at our hands, Satan would challenge ⟨image 92⟩us for his, and we should never see thy face again, nor the heavens, nor the earth, nor all the goodness which thou hast prepared for man: what shall we do then but appeal unto thy mercy, and humbly desire thy fatherly goodness to extend that compassion towards us, which thy beloved son our loving Saviour hath purchased so mightily, so mercifully, so graciously, & so dearly for us. We believe and know, that one drop of his blood is sufficient to heal our infirmities, pardon our iniquities, and supply our necessities, & without thy grace our strength, our guide, our life, we are able to do nothing but sin, as woeful experience too long hath taught us, and the example of those which are void thereof, whose life is nothing else but the service of the world, the flesh & the devil: therefore good Father, as thou in especial favour hast appointed us to serve thee like as thou hast ordained all other creatures to serve us: so may it please thee to send down thine heavenly spirit into this earthly mansion, to illuminate our minds, mollify our hearts, cleanse our affections, subdue our reason, regenerate our wills, purify our natures with thy spirit: so shall not thy benefits, nor thy chastisements nor thy word return void, but accomplish that, for the which ⟨image 93⟩