I am the Lord thy God, Which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, &c.
O good Lord and dear Father, who brought thy people of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand and a stretched-out power, who gayest thy law upon Mount Sinai in great thundering, lightning, and fire; who spoke by the prophets, and did send thy dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ, co-equal and co-substantial with thee in power, majesty, and glory, to take upon him our nature by the operation of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary, of whose substance he was made and born man, but pure, without sin; that we, by birth children of wrath, by him might be made thy children, children of graceocommunicating with him righteousness, holiness, and immortality, by the working of the Spirit, as he communicated with us flesh and blood (but not infected with sin, as ours is,) by the working of the same Holy Spirit; which Spirit, after his bitter death, resurrection, and ascension into the heavens, he sent plentifully, and by a visible sign, unto his apostles and disciples; by whom he published the gospel throughout the whole world, and so continually has done from age to age, does, and will do unto the end of the world, by the ministry of preaching. Thou would that we should know and believe that thou, this Almighty Lord and God, who hast thus revealed and opened thyself, art the one only, very true and eternal almighty God, who made and rules heaven and earth, and all things visible and invisible, together with this thy dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit, con-substantial and co-eternal with thee, dear Father. And not only this, but also thou would that I should know and believe, that by the same, thy dearly beloved Son, thou hast brought me from the tyranny and captivity of Satan and this sinful world, whereof the captivity of Egypt under Pharaoh was a figure; and in his blood shed upon the cross thou hast made a covenant with me, which thou wilt never forget, that thou art and wilt be my Lord and my God; that is, thou wilt forgive me my sins, and be wholly mine, with all thy power, wisdom, righteousness, truth, glory, and mercy. Wherefore. although I might confirm my faith by the innumerable mercies hitherto poured upon me most abundantly, as thy children of Israel might have done, and did confirm their faith by the manifold benefits poured upon then in the desert; yet specially the seal of thy covenant, I mean thy holy sacrament of baptism, wherein thy holy name was not in vain called upon me (O dear Father, sweet Son and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and most gracious good Holy Ghost,) should most assuredly confirm, and even on all sides seal up my faith of this covenant, that thou art my Lord and my God. Even as Abraham and thy people of Israel did by the sacrament of circumcision, which as the apostle called the seal or signal of righteousness, so dost thou call it; being but the sign of thy covenant indeed, yet thy very covenant; because as thy word is most true and cannot lie, as thy covenant is a covenant of peace infallible and everlasting, even so the sacrament and seal of the same is a most true testimonial and witness thereof.
Thou, the Almighty God, of thine own goodness hast vouchsafed not only to make me a creature after thine own image and likeness, who might have made me a beasto to give unto me a reasonable soul endued with memory, judgment, &c. who might have made me an idiot, without wit or discretion, &c.oto endue me with a body beautified with right shape, limbs, health, &c. who might have made me a cripple, lame, blind, &c.ograciously to enrich me concerning fortune, friends, living, name, &c. who might have made me a slave, destitute of all friends and helps for this life. But also thou hast vouchsafed that I, being a miserable creature, born in sin, conceived in iniquity, to whom nothing is due (more than to a Turk, Jews or Saracen) but eternal damnation, should be called into the number of thy people, enrolled in thy book, and now in thy covenant, so that thou, with all that ever thou hast, art mine; for which cause's sake hitherto thou hast kept me, cherished, defended, spared, and fatherly chastised me, and now graciously dost keep me and care for me, giving me to live, to be, and move in thee, expecting also and waiting how thou might show mercy upon me. (Isaiah xxx.) In consideration of this, most justly and reasonably thou requires that, as thou art my Lord God, so I should be thy servant and one of thy people. As thou hast given thyself wholly unto me, to be mine, with all thy power, wisdom, &c. (for he that gives himself gives all he has,) so should I be wholly thine, and give over myself unto thee, to be guided by thy wisdom, defended by thy power, helped, relieved, nod comforted by thy mercy.
First therefore to begin withal, thou commands that I should have none other gods in thy sight; that is to say, I should have thee for my Lord and God, and look for all good things most assuredly at thy hands, and therefore I should put all my trust in thee, be thankful unto thee, love thee, fear thee, obey thee, and call upon thy holy name in all my needs; and I should give this faith, love, fear, obedience, thankfulness and invocation, or prayer, to none other, no, not in my heart, but only to thee or for thee, where thou commands. To do all this, O Lord God, and that with most joyful heart, I have great cause.
For what a thing is it, that thou, Jehovah, would vouchsafe to make me, as thou hast done; to give thy Son for me, and to become my God! Oh! what am I, that thou would I should put my trust in thee? This thou does, that I might never be confounded, but might be most happy. What am I, that thou would I should fear thee, when the only cause why thou requires this of me, is not only because thou hast power to cast both body and soul into hellfire, and because they that fear thee not shall perish, but also that thou might give me thy wisdom, that it might go well with me in the evil day, that thou might reveal thy Son to me, and that thy mercy might be upon me from generation to generation. Oh! what am I, that thou would have me obey thee, not only that I should never perish with the disobedient, but that thou might give me thy Holy Spirit, and rewards innumerable? Oh! what am I, that thou would I should love thee? which thing thou dost that I might fully and wholly enjoy and possess thee; and therefore dost thou require my whole heart, that I might dwell in thee, and thou in me. What am I, that thou would I should call upon thee: Verily, because thou wilt give me whatsoever I shall ask of thee in the name of thy dear child Jesus Christ; even so thou would have me thankful, that thou might pour out upon me, yet more plentifully, all good things. So that I have great cause to put my trust in thee, to love, fear, and obey thee, to call upon thee, to be thankful unto thee, not only in respect of the hurt which else will ensue, but also in respect of the advantage which hereby comes unto me; but most of all, yea, alone for thy own sake, for thy goodness, wisdom, beauty, strength and power, truth and great mercies.
But, alas! dear Father, what shall I say? As in times past I have horribly broken this thy law, by trusting in the creatures, calling upon them, loving, fearing, and obeying many things besides thee, and rather than thee; even so at this present time I am a most miserable wretch: I am blinded through unbelief and mine own wickedness; so that I see not firmly this thy power, wisdom, goodness, &c., but waver and doubt of it. I love thee little or nothing; I fear thee less, I obey thee least of all; thankfulness and prayer are utterly quenched in me; and therefore I deserve eternal damnation. If thou shalt deal with me only according to thy justice, I am, O Lord, condemned and lost for ever, for I am very wicked; but yet, inasmuch as thou hast given thy Son Jesus Christ to be a propitiatory sacrifice slain for the sins of the whole world, so that he which believes in him shall not perish, but be saved (for so thou hast promised,) thy truth now requires thee to save me. Howbeit, here thou may say to me, that I do not believe; and therefore, notwithstanding thy truth and promise, since I believe it not, thou may most justly, according to thy justice, condemn me. O Lord God, to this I cannot otherwise answer, (my unbelief is so great,) but because thy mercy is over all thy works, and all creatures most highly commend and magnify thy goodness and love, as wherefore thou art called God; because thou art right good, and love itselfobecause of this thy mercy, gracious God, if thou wilt look thereon, and unite thy truth therewith then, good Lord, I shall be saved, and praise thy named for evermore.
