Part 322

O Most holy, righteous, and gracious God, who hatest all the workers of iniquity, and hast appointed death to be the wages of sin, but yet for the glory of thy mercy hast sent thy Son to be the Saviour of the world, and hast promised forgiveness of sin through his blood, to all that believe in him, and by true repentance turn unto thee, and that whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sin, shall have mercy; we confess that we are vile and miserable sinners, being conceived in sin; by nature children of wrath, and transgressors from the womb. All we like sheep have gone astray, and turned every one to his own way. Thou madest us, and not we ourselves. Thou boughtest us with a price, and we are not our own; therefore we should have wholly given up ourselves unto thee, and have glorified thee with our souls and bodies as being thine. Whatever we did should have been done to thy glory, and to please thee, in the obeying of thy will. But we have displeased and dishonoured thee, and turned from thee, exalting, seeking, and pleasing ourselves. Thou art the King of all the world, and thy laws are holy, just, and good. But we have denied thee our due subjection and obedience, being unruly and self-willed, minding the things of the flesh, and making provision for its lusts. We have staggered at thy word through unbelief, and have not fully placed our trust and hope in thee. We have rather feared man that is dust, and can but kill the body, than thee, that canst destroy both soul and body in hell. Thou art infinitely good, and love itself, yet have we not fully taken thee for our portion, nor loved thee with all our heart, and soul, and might, nor made thee our full desire and delight. But we have inordinately loved ourselves, and the world, and the things of the world, and lived by sense when we should have lived by faith, and cared and laboured for the food that perisheth, when we should have laboured for the one thing needful, and that which endureth to everlasting life. We have been slothful servants, yielding to temptations, ashamed of our duty, losing our precious time, when we should have been fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, cleaving to thee with full resolution, redeeming the time, and with diligence making sure our calling and election. We have not with due holiness and reverence drawn near thee, and used thy holy name, thy worship, and thy day. We have dishonoured and disobeyed our superiors, and neglected our inferiors. We have been guilty of not loving our neighbours as ourselves, and not doing to others as we would they should do to us; but have sought our own against their welfare, not forbearing and forgiving, not loving our enemies as we ought, not following peace, nor studying to do good to all according to our power. We have sinned secretly and openly, in thought, word, and deed, ignorantly and presumptuously, in passion and upon deliberation, against thy precepts, promises, and threats; against thy mercies and thy judgments, under thy patience and in thy sight; against our consciences, our purposes, and our covenants. When we were hastening to death and judgment, for which through all our lives we should have prepared, thou hast commended thy wonderful love towards us in giving thy Son to die for sinners, to reconcile us to thee, while we were enemies; and all things being made ready, thou hast sent thy messengers to invite us to come in, preaching to us the glad tidings of salvation, and freely offering us pardon and life in Jesus Christ; but we have made light of it, and neglected this great salvation, and made excuses or too long delays; undervaluing our Redeemer, his blood and merits, his offered grace and endless glory, rejecting his holy doctrine and example, resisting his Spirit, ministers, and word. We have sinned, O Lord, against thee, and against our own souls, and are not worthy to be called thy children. We have deserved everlasting wrath; to us belongeth confusion, but mercy and forgiveness to thee. Have mercy upon us, O God, according to the multitude of thy mercies. Heal our souls that have sinned against thee, and enter not into judgment with thy servants. Hide thy face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities. Cast us not away from thy presence, and avenge not upon us the quarrel of thy covenant. Wash us in the blood of the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. Accept us in thy beloved Son, who was made a curse for us, and was wounded for our transgressions, that we might be healed by his stripes. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thy face to shine upon us. Give us repentance unto life: cause us to loathe ourselves for all the evils that we have committed. Give us that broken, contrite spirit which thou wilt not despise. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Take out of us the old and stony heart, and give us a new and tender heart. Give us the Spirit of thy Son, and be our God, and let us be thy people. Enlighten our understandings to know the wonderful things of thy law, the dimensions of thy love in Christ, the mysteries of thy kingdom, and the riches of the glory of thy inheritance in the saints, and that we may approve the things that are excellent, and may escape the snares of the devil, and may hate every false way. Shed abroad thy love in our hearts by thy Holy Spirit, and cause us so to love thee, that nothing may separate us from thy love. Put thy fear into our hearts, that we may never depart from thee. Cause us to seek first thy kingdom, and its righteousness, and (as those that are risen with Christ) to seek the things that are above, and to lay up a treasure in heaven, and let our hearts and conversations be there. Mortify our earthly inclinations and desires. Crucify the world to us, and us unto the world by the cross of Christ. Cause us to live by faith, and look at the things that are unseen; and use the world as not over-using it, seeing the fashion of it passeth away; striving to enter in at the strait gate, and running so as to obtain. Let us no longer live the rest of our time to the lust of men, but the will of God, studying in all things to please thee, and to be accepted of thee. Let us not seek our own wills, but the will of him that called us; yea, let us delight to do thy will, O God; let our delight be in thy law, and let us meditate therein day and night. Cause us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world, as obedient children, not fashioning ourselves to the former lusts of our ignorance; but as he that hath called us is holy, let us be holy in all manner of conversation. Cause us to love one another with a pure heart, forbearing and forgiving one another, if any have a quarrel against another, even as Christ forgave us. Give us the wisdom which is first pure, and then peaceable. In our eyes let a vile person be contemned, but let us honour them that fear the Lord. Cause us to walk circumspectly without offence, and to be zealous of good works; to love our enemies, and not to give place to wrath; and in patience to possess our souls. Help us to deny ourselves, and take up our cross, and follow Christ; esteeming his reproach to be greater riches than the treasures of the world; that having suffered with him, we may also be glorified with him. Though we must be tempted, help us to overcome, and be faithful unto the death; and then let us receive that crown of life, through the merits and intercession of Christ Jesus our Lord and only Saviour; in whose comprehensive words we sum up our requests, saying as he hath taught us, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, &c.[192]