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Lord, this natural sense of ours does not see thee, for thou art God invisible; nor can our natural reason conceive of thee as we ought, for thou art boundless; nor can our wisdom do anything in thy service, for it is but foolishness and enmity to thee. And therefore we had great need of somewhat above nature when we are about thy service, even that grace of faith which thou bestowest upon thine own children, whereby they may know thee in the mirror of the gospel. Lord, we confess that this is our need, but we are not able to supply our own need. We are empty and full of need, and necessity is ours and belongs to us; but the praise of all-sufficiency belongs only to thee, for thou art God almighty, all-sufficient, infinite in wisdom, goodness, etc, and boundless in every way,1 and thou givest plentifully to those who have renewed their covenant with thee. And this made the children of men to come to thee, and to trust under the shadow of thy wings; and thou makest those who covenant with thee, and know in any measure what they are doing, to know more. Lord, out of these rich treasures of thine all-sufficiency and goodness, out of which thou hast already bestowed much upon thy people, and there is not a whit less behind, we beseech thee also to bestow upon us according to our need; that so we may be rich, and yet thou nothing poorer; for through Jesus Christ we seek it. And if we know not what our need is, we beseech thee to give us the sense of it, and keep us from that, that we think not ourselves to be in a good case when we perceive not our own need, but let us still be touched with the sense of want. Lord, if we be touched with the sense of want, and seek from thee, then we are sure that we shall find, even as sure as if we had found it already; for never was there any yet who sought to thee that was disappointed. And therefore, discover our estate to us, whatever it be, though it were never so miserable; for if our miserable estate be not discovered to us, we cannot labor to win out of it. If so be that we be yet in the state of nature, let us see that, that so we may desire to be translated into grace, and may be transplanted in Jesus Christ. And because there be many who know neither what thou, the Lord, art doing, nor what they themselves are doing, we beseech thee, O Lord, so many as belong to the election of grace illuminate their eyes and minds, and give them light from thee from above, to know thee and thine excellencies, and to know themselves and their own vileness. Lord, give us remorse for our sins. It is strange that we cannot submit to thee, the Lord; and it is strange that we are so oft called to it, and yet we cannot set our minds upon things permanent, and not fancy still upon things perishing. It is strange that we shall condemn them for fools, who seek after spiritual things, and we shall admire and advance them for wisdom, who go after the ways of the world, and seek after that. Lord, we mistake very far about the estate and condition of things; our judgments, they are perverted, and our affections are drawn away. And therefore, thou, Lord, who hast power over our hearts, and takest the scepter of thy word and commandest them as it pleases thee, we beseech thee, O Lord, to see what is wrong in us, and make everything that is in us subject to thee, and command thou heart, speech, words, and actions, that so none of them may any ways be dishonor to thee, and we may not now sin against thee, but may enter in at the way of life. Lord, to this end let thy word be spoken and accompanied by thy own Spirit, that so we may know that it is not the word of man, but the word of the living God; that so it may bring out fruit in us, and may change our hearts within, and then renew our lives without, that so our life may be honor to thee, exemplary to others, and comfortable to ourselves, through Jesus Christ, in whose, etc.