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Truly we have great cause and just reason for us, wherefore we should return to thee continually, God almighty and merciful, for the manifestations of thy love and providence, and for the magnifying of thy mercies towards us, who are so unworthy a people. Blessed be thou, the Lord, who hast revealed the curses of thy law to us, and hast told us what the wages of breaking thy law is; that so we, apprehending it, may be humbled for it, and so eschew it. And blessed be thou, the Lord, who hast revealed thy mercies to us in the gospel, that so we may repent and believe, and be saved through Christ. The greatness of thy mercy cannot be manifest to us, and yet it is necessary for us to see it: Lord, give us a light to see it, that thou, who art so ready to forgive sin, may also redeem us from all iniquity. And, Lord, give us grace to consider what we have been, and what we now are. It is nothing for us, albeit we have been born in sin, if so be that now we resolve to forsake it; and therefore make us in time to interrupt the course of sin and iniquity by true and unfeigned repentance; that so our thoughts may be brought up to heaven. And we beseech thee, O Lord, because nature has been sensible in us, to make faith to be as sensible now: we regret that we have found so great testimony of nature in us, and yet so little testimony of regeneration. Lord, create clean hearts, and renew right spirits within us; and let us know what it is, to be partakers of the divine nature; that so, albeit our natural part be always looking downward, yet the spiritual part may be always looking upward. Lord, it is thy Spirit in us that must do this; for if fire be put in earth itself, it ascends and smokes upward; even so if we get the fire of thy Spirit, we will ascend also. Blessed be thou, the Lord, who hast not cast our lot to live in these parts where religion has not shined, but has cast it in such a part where the message of salvation is clearly revealed; and has trysted our time1 with this time. Lord, but this be an exceeding great favor, if we could consider of it aright! And if we could think upon it, it would make us to tolerate all other hard things that we have. Lord, we beseech thee to continue this light among us; and not only to continue it among us, but also to spread it through all other parts in the world; and bring in both Jews and Gentiles, who are not yet brought in to thee. Thou, who brought in Rahab the harlot, hast thine own chosen once elsewhere, and will call them when it pleases thee; we beseech thee to hasten their calling. We entreat thee, O Lord, that the ruins that have been made in thy house elsewhere, and within this land, may be made up again. And those who stand in the breach, albeit that of themselves they be but weak, yet stand thou beside them, and then they have strength enough: albeit we be weak of ourselves, yet we are sure, if we trust in thee, then we are strong enough.2 And because it is only thee, and thine honor, that we are seeking, and not ourselves, nor our own honor; but that thou, the Lord, may shine throughout the land in thy truth, and may rule in thy kirk; Lord, we beseech thee to be with us, and still make thy glory to continue among us.
For this end we recommend to thy gracious care and providence all those whom thou hast set in authority over us, especially our king, etc. Lord, it is very material for us that their hearts should be wrought upon by thee; and therefore we entreat thee, because we cannot win in to their hearts, and although we could win in, yet we can do no good, therefore, good Lord, teach every one of them, in the places that thou hast put them in, to fear thy name, to cry to thee, the Lord God, and to stand for thy truth; so that the Lord may be served in his own house, according to his own will. And grant, Lord, that they may cause open the book of the law, and read it, and see what it says; and so there may be a blessing both upon them and upon their posterity: that idolatry, superstition, and will-worship may be banished out of the land, and everything may be done in thy house, according to thy will. It is strange that men will have their will to be done in their house, and yet will not give thee, the Lord, thy will in thy house: ay, would any be content that any other should take charge to rule his house, but especially his enemy? And indeed our will is enmity to thee. Lord, give every one of them grace to take to heart what is their duty, and to follow that; and bless every one of them, who give their heart and their hand for the defense of the good cause. Lord, let them find comfort in the defense of it; and let them find faith daily increasing into them; that so they may go on in the defense thereof, by all lawful means.
Bless all the congregations in the land who are crying for a blessing from thee to it. If ever there was a time for us to cry mightily to heaven, and more than ordinarily, this is the time, when our life and our death, our well-being and our woe, is set before us; and except thou put to thy hand and help the matter, it will turn to our woe and destruction. And how shall thou put to thy hand to help, if so be we will not cry to thee for help? And if so be that we cry not incessantly in our prayers, albeit deliverance come, there is no promise that we shall have any comfort in it. And, therefore, in the poor weak measure of faith that we have, we come now, presenting ourselves before the throne of thy grace, beseeching thee to be merciful to us, and to continue the light of thy truth with us, that so the blessing of the Lord may be upon us here and hereafter. And, indeed, we may be confident, if so be we will go on into our prayers, thou wilt do it; for if so be thou had had a purpose to destroy us, we would not have gotten leave to have done that which we have done; and these things which now we see to be abominations in thy worship, we would not have seen them to be so; and therefore, good Lord, what thou hast begun among us, perfect it, to thy glory and our comfort, and the good of these who come after us. Bless this congregation, Lord; according to the several temptations that every one of us has to do with, pity us, we beseech thee. And thou who openest a backdoor to all thine own in their troubles, let us find a way of escape, we beseech thee, in thine own time; and pity these among us who are in any distress. We beseech thee, O Lord, because our life is daily wearing away, and it will be well with us if so be we serve and honor thee, and find thee working for us, and find ourselves thankful to thee for it; then we shall have double cause to gratify thee, if thou dost so to us. And therefore give us grace to observe what thou, the Lord, art doing for us; for if so be that we do not observe thee, the more good we receive, we will be the worse; but if so be that thou shalt work for us, and our thankfulness shall also show itself, then our comfort shall be great. Lord, we beseech thee to give us eyes to see thy dealing for us, that so our thankfulness to thee, it may be begun here, and may hereafter be perfected in the heavens, in and through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ. To whom, etc.