Pulpit sparks, or, Choice forms of prayer by several reverend and godly divines ; used by them both before and after sermons ; with other prayers for extraordinary occasions ; together with Dr. Hewytt's last prayer.

Mr. SPARKE his Prayer before Sermon.

LEt the Words of my Mouth and the Meditations of all our hearts be now and ever acceptable in thy sight, Oh Lord my Strength and my Re∣deemer.

O Most glorious and eternal God, before whom all the World doth tremble, before whom the An∣gels

are impure, and the very Cherubims cover their faces, such is thine infinite per∣fection, Be graci∣ous notwithstanding through thy Christ & our Jesus unto us sin∣full wretches, and wretched sinners, who here presumptuously prostrate our Souls & bodies before thy sa∣cred presence, fully renouncing our own, and wholly relying on thy sons merits.

For we confesse oh Lord, we confess, that the very best of us are nothing else but Sons and Daughters of cor∣ruption, the pollution of whose nature be∣ing the sole inheri∣tance of our first Pa∣rents, is so unsavory in thy nostrils, that had our Mothers womb been our untimely Se∣pulchre, it could not have exempted us from holding up a guilty hand at the bar

of thy justice; what then shall become of us O Lord, who to this original corruption, have for so many years daily, hourly added actual transgression! and if one sin in Adam were enough to con∣demn a whole world, Lord what are a world of sins to condem one poor soul! a world of actual sins; Sins of all Magnitudes, aggrava∣tions and degrees, sins of weakness against

thee O God the Fa∣ther, who art power; sins of ignorance a∣gainst thee O God the Son, who art wisdom; and sins of malice a∣gainst thee O God the Holy Ghost, that art love.

So that if we consi∣der what we are, and what we do here, we may well hold up our hands, but hang down our heads abased at our own wretched∣ness.

For we have given up all the Faculties of our Souls, and Mem∣bers of our bodies, weapons of unrighte∣ousness, and instru∣ments of sin; our ears have been often stopt at the voyce of thy true charmers; our throats an open Se∣pulcher of the good name, and reputation of our neighbour; the poyson of Asps too oft under our lips; our eyes that should

be the lights of the bo∣dy, dark and wicked; our hands impure, and dried up from all well doing; our feet swift to shed blood of our own souls and others; our hearts treasury of all, only evill, and that continually! yet are we but clay, and thou O Lord that Pot∣ter that canst turn us into nothing, because we are thy creatures; yea, that mightest cast us into hell for ever,

because we are thy sinful creatures, were not thy mercies over all thy works!

But one deep calls upon another, our in∣numerable, sins on thine immeasurable mercies; look not on us O Lord, look not on us as in our selves mi∣serable objects of thy wrath & fury, behold us not as we are putri∣fied branches, but be∣hold us in the sound∣nesse of that root of

Iesse. Spare us good Lord, spare us for thy Son, who sparedst not thy Son for us, and re∣member not O Lord, remember not what we have so often done against thy Christ, but consider O Lord, con∣sider what our Jesus hath once for all done for us.

And not for us alone, but for thy whole Church militant how∣soever dispersed or despised through a sin∣ful

world. Be as thou hast promised a wall of fire about her, and set a continual light in the midst thereof. O Lord shine to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, reveal thy Son, and his saving Gospel to those Asiaticks, Africans, and Ame∣ricans that never heard of a crucified Jesus. Add the fulness of the Gentiles to the recolle∣ction of the Jews, that

there may at length be one sheepfold under that one good and great Shepherd Jesus Christ.

For whose sake look with a particular Eye of Mercy upon the bleeding and dying face of thy Church in these Nations; O Lord compose our unhappy differences, make up these sad breaches, which our sins have made so wide, that nothing but thine al∣mighty

hand can close them: O Lord stench the bloody issue where it is; and pre∣vent it elsewhere by a gracious mercy, by a timely melting the hearts of these obdu∣rate Nations one to∣wards another in bro∣therly compassion, one towards another in their lawful subordi∣nation.

But especially by melting all of us to∣wards thee our God

offended, in an unfeig∣ned humiliation. And that in blessing thou maist bless, we be∣seech thee O Lord, to continue those two bright Beams of thy power and wisdom, that is the lawful Ma∣gistracy and Ministry still among us; in ei∣ther sense, quench not O Lord, quench not utterly the light of Israel; and to that end blesse I pray thee all those whom thy holy

word commandeth us to pray for, viz. all Kings, Princes, and Governours, especial∣ly ours; and for the happier supply of Mo∣ses Chair, and Aarons Ephod, bless those Twins of knowledge, the two Famous Nur∣series of learning, Cambridge and Oxford; keep those Mothers from dry Brests, and from miscarrying wombs, purge those Fountains from Here∣sie

and Schism; make them again like Leba∣non, from whence may ever come fit Cedars to build up thy Tem∣ple.

And thou who art a God not only of the Mountains, but also of the Valleys, suffer that precious ointment of thy Heavenly benedi∣ction not alone to wet the head of this our Land, but likewise to distil upon the beard and skirts the Nobility

therof Gentry & comi∣nalty; bless all thy peo∣ple from the Cedar to the Hysop, from the swaier of the Scepter to the drawer of Water, from the highest Israe∣lite to the lowest Gi∣beonite. And whi∣ther now shall the di∣stressed look for help, but from the Hills? send them help O Lord from thy holy Hill; comfort with thy Staff all those whom thou hast afflicted

with thy rod; and let no bodily diseased Job, or Soul-sick Eliah desparingly sigh out a∣ny longer, is there no Balme in Gilead? is there no Physician there? But hear thou O Lord in Heaven, and have mercy; break not these bruised Reeds, but bind up the broken hearted; and for those whom thou hast stretched up∣on their beds of lan∣guishment, make thou

their beds in all their sickness; draw near unto them according to their several neces∣sities; be thou the good Physician to their bodies, and say to them as sometimes un∣to Hezekiah, I will yet add unto your dayes; however be the good Samaritan to their Souls, & as to Da∣vid, say to them, thou art their salvation. Be further entreated for this sinfull Land and

Nation! let the further cup of blood passe from it, yet not our wills but thy will be done: if the measure of our sins challenge the further vials of thy wrath, we beseech thee with unfeigned hearts give a happy victory to thy truth, and by thy mighty power preserve all those that are appoin∣ted to dy; In the mean time oh Lord give us and all other afflicted

places and persons pa∣tience, and Christian resolution, cheerfully to go through whatso∣ever thy fatherly cha∣stising hand shall in∣flict upon us; and in thy good time which is the best, Lord com∣pass us all about with songs of deliverance.

Let not my Lord be angry and I will speak unto thee yet but this once, craving a bles∣sing on thine own or∣dinance; O Lord be

present among us who are here present in thy Sanctuary, and say of this congregation as Isaac of Jacob, I have blest it, and it shall be blessed.

Bless me O Lord the most unworthy of all the Sons of Aaron; and because I am a Man of uncircumcised lips, O Lord be thou with my mouth and with my heart also as with thy servant Moses, and teach me what to say.

Lastly with Davids Key, open and pre∣pare the hearts of these thy people, that they like good Christi∣ans, hearing thy word attentively, may like good Stewards use the same carefully, and in their lives like good ground may bring forth fruits effectually, so shall thy name be glorified, their selves here somewhat farther edified, all our Souls finally saved at the se∣cond

appearing of thine only Son, our only Saviour Jesus Christ, in whose sa∣cred name, merit and Sole Mediation, we beg off thy judgments and intreat thy mer∣cies, saying as he hath taught us, & comman∣ded, Our Father, &c.