Occasional Prayers

O Most mighty Lord our Father, and God everlasting, full of pity and compassion, we acknowledge and confesse, that we be not worthy to lift up our eyes to heaven, much less to present our selves before thy Majestie, with confidence that thou wilt heare our prayers, and grant our requests, if we consider our own deserving: For our consciences doe accuse us, and our sins witnesse against us, and we know that thou art an upright Judge, which doest not justifie the sinners and wicked men, but punishest the faults of such as transgresse thy Commandements. Yet most mercifull Father, sith it hath pleased thee to command us to call upon thee in all out troubles and adversities, promising even then to helpe us, when we feele our selves (as it were) swallowed up by death and desperation: wee utterly renounce all wordly confidence, & flee to thy Soveragine bounty, as our onely stay and refuge, beseeching thee not to call to remembrance our manifold sins and wickednesse, whereby we continually provoke thy wrath and indignation against us, neither our negligence & unkindnesse, which have neither worthily esteemed, nor in our lives sufficiently expressed the sweet comfort of thy Gospel revealed unto us, but rather accept the obedience and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, who by offering by his body in sacrifice once for all, hath made sufficient recompence for all our sinnes. Have mercie therefore upon us, O Lord, and forgive us our offences. Teach us by thy holy Spirit, that we may rightly weigh them, and earnestly repent for the same: and so much the rather, O Lord, because that the reprobate, and such as thou hast forsaken, cannot praise thee, nor call upon thy Name: but the repenting heart, the sorrowfull minde, the conscience oppressed, hungring and thirsting for thy grace, shall ever set forth thy praise and glorie. And albeit wee be but worms and dust, yet thou art our Creatour, and wee be the worke of thine hands: yea, thou art our Father, and we thy chidren: thou art our Shepherd, and wee thy flocke: thou art our Redeemer, and we thy people whom thou hast bought: thou art our God, and wee thine inheritance. Correct us not therefoe in thy anger, O Lord, neither according to our deserts punish us, but mercifully chastise us with a fatherly affection, that all the world may know that at what time soever a sinner doeth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his heart, thou wilt put away his wickednesse out of thy remembrance, as thou hast promised by thine holy Prophet.

Finally, forasmuch as it has pleased thee to make the night for man to rest in, as thou hast ordained him the day to travaile in: Grant, O deare Father, that we may so take our bodily rest, that our soules may continually watch for ye time that our Lord Jesus Christ shall appeare for our deliverance out of this mortall life, and in the meane season, that we, not overcome by any fantasies, dreames, or other temptations, may fully set our mindes upon thee, love thee, feare thee, and rest in thee: Furthermore, that our sleepe be not excessive, or overmuch, after the unsatiable desires of our flesh: but onely sufficient to content out weake nature, that wee may bee the better disposed to live in godly conversation, to the glory of thy holy Name, and profit of our brethren. Amen.