An approved medicine against the deserued plague

A Prayer to God against the Plague.

WE prostrate our souls and bodies, before thy mercy seate, O Father of mercies, & humbly confesse, that we haue most iustly procured, thy heauie indignation against vs. We haue he∣therto, spent our time in wanton ap∣petites, & carelesse abuse, of thy sin∣guler bounties, but thou hast in mer∣cie, curbed the bitte, & straytned the rayne, of our vnbrydled affections, whereby we begin to dread thy threatned Iudgements. Our sinnes are as ma∣nyfold, as manifest, (O Lord) we haue dayly heard y^e word of our sauing health, with y^e eare of grudge & contempt, ei∣ther deriding or not caring, but neuer truely repenting, at the cry thereof. Thine aboundant blessings erthie, we haue gréedely deuoured, and by our wealth, haue encreased our wickednesse But O swéete Father haue mercie, and pardon our sinnes, (euen the whole trée, with hir braunching fruits,) which at this present, we heartely disclayme, and wherewith, euen the téeth of the whole Land, hath béene set on edge, namely infidelitie, incredulitie, and all impietie. No faith, no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of thée in our

harts, though great pretence of thy Religion in our lippes, but by falsehood, and cunning circumuention, one of another, by lying lips, and decitfull tongues, vanitie, hath béene tos∣sed, one to another, pryuat pilffrie, and open stealth, robbing at home, and rouing abrode, swearing, forswaring, whor∣ring and killing, oppressing, & deuoureing, to all our powers and pollicies, euen blood vnto blood, passing by pleasure to pleasures, from profite to pride, from pride to ambition, and in ambition, to inward contempt, & outward disdaine, each one of another. Our common peace by thée, hath not yet procured our Godly peace with thée, but rather we haue taken occasion thereby, to harden our hearts against thée, which mightilie hath drawen thée to this great contrauer∣sie with vs. O Lord vnbend (in mercy) thy bow of strength, for thy stéeled Arrows, sticke fast in vs, and our putrified wounds, bewray our iniquities. Yea Lord that more is, if we by thée, tourne not spéedely to thee, the wise in thée, doe behold thy sharpned sword, with an outstretched arme, drawne out against vs. O Lord heare vs, and heale vs, for in this our sickenesse and trouble (in our mediator Christ Iesus) we call vnto thée. And Lord it is high time, for our head Citie is sicke, hir Sister Cities grone vnder this burden, their neighbor people are turned to their earth, and no part is frée, from the noysome pestilence. It flyeth by day, it walketh in the darke, it destroyeth at noone tide, & none can resist it, but onely thou O Lord, which sent it, euen thou onely (if thou wilt) canst vtterly restrayne it. O déere father forgiue vs wretched sinners, relieue vs miserable wretches, remember that we are but earth and ashes, yet in thy mer∣cie thy déere children: deliuer vs from death, and worke life in vs. Let this thy louing rodde, ridde vs, of our carnal rust, and quicken vs with thy sanctifying spirit, open our harts to thy holy word, purge our cōsciences from all dead works, and rebuild vs fit, for thy holy seruice, giue vs patience in euerie aduersitie, an humble and regardant eye, in all pro∣speritie, feruent spirits to pray to thée, and now to giue thée

no rest, till thou vouchsafe to haue mercy vppon vs. Our Prince thine holy Anoynted, prayeth for vs, hir potētates, thy preaching ministers, and sanctified people, mourne and lament. Thy wydows, and desolate Orphanes, yea thy smal and tender Infants cry, lifting vp pure hands, swéete Lord, (say they) haue mercy. And now O Lord both one and all, powring out the teares of our hearts vnto thée, most hum∣bly besech thée, relieue vs, release vs, heare vs, forgiue vs, reuiue vs, preserue vs, protect vs, deliuer vs from euill, and receaue vs into thy euerlasting fauor, through Iesus Christ our Lord: To whome with thée and the holy Ghost, thrée distinct persons and one onely our good God, be all honour and glory, for euer and euer. Amen.