then, my soul, to fly to such a friend, whose arms are open to embrace thee, whose eyes are open to behold thee, whose lips are open to plead for thee, whose wounds are open to ease thy pains, whose ears are open to hear thy prayers. His Prayer. O GOD, that madest all things to serve man, that man might the more cheerfully serve thee; that gavest him power to continue in that perfect state thou madest him, and a will to use that power to thy glory and his own comfortI, the unhappy son of my unhappy parents, made more unhappy by mine own transgressions, do here in all humility and contrition, acknowledge myself the miserable subject of thy utter wrath, Lord, I have lost the power to do what thou commandest, and am only left to suffer what thy displeasure shall lay upon me. But yet, O God, thy mercy is no less infinite than thy justice, and far more infinite than my sins, and hast promised life to all believers. Give therefore dust and ashes leave, O Lord, to claim this gracious promise; and what thou hast commanded to be done, O give me power to do. Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord, for in thy sight shall no flesh be justified: look not upon thy servant, O God, but through the blood of thy Son, and let the merits of a Saviour outcry the demerits of a sinner. Remember not what I, a sinner, have done but call to thy remembrance what he my Saviour hath suffered. Oh! let his bloody sweat anoint my bleeding wounds, and accept his death as the full wages of my offences. Lord, I am sick, I fly to him as my physician; I am a trespasser, I fly to him my advocate; I am a suitor, I fly to him my mediator; I am a delinquent, I fly to him my sanctuary; I am a sinner, I fly to him my saviour. Let the shamefulness of his death expiate the sinfulness of my life; and let the willingness of his obedience satisfy for the wilfulness of my rebellion. Let my sins, that cry louder than the sins of Cain, be washed in his blood, which speaks better things than the blood of Abel. Remember thy promises to those that believe; Lord, I believe; Lord, help my unbelief; quicken my soul with faith; inflame my affections with love, and fill my mouth with prayers, that knowing him I may believe in him, and believing in him I may love him, and loving him I may praise him with Hosannas here in the Church militant, and Hallelujahs in the Church triumphant. 191 THE POOR MAN. His Want. God that created all things for man's use, created man for his service, who by the accommodation of all the creatures might be enabled the better to do service to his Creator: but when the proud disloyalty of man rebelled, the creature that knew not how to serve man on such conditions, returned to his first Creator, to be anew disposed of by him according to his pleasure. How dare I then presume to expect from his hands what I have disinherited myself of by my rebellion? Or how can I, a dog, claim any interest in the children's bread? How dare I, a sinner, intrude into the portion of the righteous? And if the righteous only shall inherit the land, in what quarter lies my inheritance? If blessings be the proper dues of sons, what is due to me the greatest of all sinners? I am no son, and therefore no heir, that insomuch what I possess I enjoy not by right, but usurpation. What have I that I can call my own? or wherein can my title prove a right? I am wretched, for I am a sinner; I am poor, for I want the thing I have; I am blind, for I cannot see my wants; I am naked, for I cannot hide my shame. I can challenge nothing but my sin, my sorrow, my punishment, my shame; I can see nothing but that I am wretched and poor, and blind and naked; I can expect nothing but what I first must receive; I can receive nothing but what must first be given: nothing can be given but by prayer; prayer hath no virtue but by faith, and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. How then shall I supply this emptiness? by what means shall I relieve my wants? by what art shall I |