But thou, O God, delighteft in mercy, and there is forgiveness with thee, that thou navst be feared. Thou hast sworn that thou desirest not the death of a finner, but rather that he fhould return and live; and haft fent thy Son Jefus, with the most indearing argument of the greatest love, to perfwade us to return unto our duty. Behold, O Lord, I return, with grief and affliction of spirit, that I have offended thee: detefting the thoughts of doing the like again, and refolving to be more careful, and diligent, and circumfpect, for the time to come. O let me live to the praise of thy omnipotent grace, enabling me to perform thefe refolutions in a more Arict and exact obedience to thy holy commands, the reft of my days. Mercy, mercy, I most earneftly beg, O father of mercies, for the fake of him that died for me; not meerly for the pardon of my fins, but for a divine power to enable me to fubdue them. I defire not thy infinite goodness to bear me out in rebellion against thy righteouf ness, purity, and truth; but that by thy goodness I may be partaker of them; that my repentance may be accepted; and that it may be hearty and stedfaft, never to

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be repented of. I defire no peace, quiet, and ease in my heart, but in a constant and refolute oppofition of all the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil; and in the hope I have, that, through thy gracious affiftance, it fhall be victorious.

O fettle me, I beseech thee, in this holy difpofition, that I may preserve an intire friendship with thee hereafter, by an happy agreement with thy will and pleasure in every thing. And for that end make me Strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; That being fenfible of my own great weakness, I may more earnestly depend upon thy aid from above, by an humble and vigorous faith in thy almighty goodness. Maintain fuch a clear light in my mind, that may keep me from being deceived with the vain fhadows and empty appearances of fatisfactory pleasure in any thing of this world. Fortify my will with the power of thy divine love, that I may overcome all fenfual affections, that arise in me at any time against thy facred commands: And poffefs me with fuch a lively hope of thofe good things, which Christ hath promised in the other life, that imay make me active and zealous, stedfast Hhh 2

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and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that my bour shall not be in vain in the Lord.

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Thou knoweft the fecrets of all hearts; let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon me, according as I deliberately and fincerely chufe to cleave unto thee with purpose of heart. O caft me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me: But hide thy face from my fins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a conftant Spirit in me. Make my heart to be found in thy ftatutes, that I may never be afbamed. Keep back thy fervant also from prefumptuous fins, let them not have dominion over me; Then Shall I be upright, and innocent from the great tranfgreffion: The words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart shall then be accepted in thy fight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen,

Amen.

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A Thanksgiving for hope of pardon,

Eternal, and most blessed God, the fountain of all good; from whence all creatures derive whatsoever they enjoy. They are all poor and indigent things, full of neceffities and wants, which are continually supplied out of thy fulness. But the wants of our fouls are the most lamen

table; because, befides the poverty of creatures, we have made a great many needs to ourselves, by our wilful departure from thee, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. I in particular stand in need of thy pardon, of thy converting grace, and the greater fupplies of thy Holy Spirit, which I know not how with any confidence to expect: But that all these wants are not too big for thine infinite goodness to relieve, in that thou hast been pleafed most com. paffionately to consider our miserable condition, by fending Chrift Jefus into the world, and filling him with all the treasures of thy grace and mercy, that he might difpense them to me, according to my feveral neceffities.

O how excellent is thy loving kindness, O God, how furpaffing is thy love, that will pass by the infolent offences of thy creatures against thy high authority, and foveraign goodness; and not let them eternally perifh without a remedy, for that forlorn condition, into which they have brought themselves! Bleffed, for ever bleffed, be thy sparing mercy, which hath delivered Chrift Jefus for our offences; and teftified thy acceptance of his facrifice of himself, by raising him again for our jußification. Bleffed be thy name for the gracious declaration which thou haft made, That if any man fin, we have an advo· cate with thee, Chrift Jefus the righteous, who is the propitiation for fins. I moft thankfully receive thefe glad tidings, which are worthy of all acceptation, that Jefus Chrift came into the world to fave finners. Thanks be to thy tender mercy, which hath restored me to a poffibility of recovering thy grace and favour: The finalleft hope of it I acknowledge, is more valuable than the greateft abundance of all the enjoyments and plea fures of this present life.

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