We’ve been observing some lessons on prayer from Lancelot Andrewes, one of the company captains that translated the King James Bible.
Perhaps you’ve heard people say that we don’t take sin as serious today as we used to take sin. Here’s a prayer of confession from Lancelot Andrewes’ private prayer journal (notice the references to Scripture!)
Lord,
as we add day to day, so sin to sin.
The just falleth seven times a day; and I, an exceeding sinner,
seventy times seven; a wonderful, a horrible thing, O Lord.
But I turn with groans from my evil ways,
and I return into my heart, and with all my heart I turn to Thee,
O God of penitents and Saviour of sinners;
and evening by evening I will return
in the innermost marrow of my soul;
and my soul out of the deep crieth unto Thee.
I have sinned, O Lord, against Thee,
heavily against Thee; alas, alas, woe is me!
for my misery. I repent, O me!
I repent, spare me, O Lord, I repent, O me, I repent,
help Thou my impenitence.
Be appeased, spare me, O Lord;
be appeased, have mercy on me ;
I said, Lord, have mercy upon me,
heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, after Thy great goodness,
according to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine offences.
Remit the guilt, heal the wound, blot out the stains,
clear away the shame, rescue from the tyranny,
and make me not a public example.
O bring Thou me out of my trouble, cleanse Thou me from secret faults,
keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins.
My wanderings of mind and idle talking lay not to my charge.
Remove the dark and muddy flood of foul and wicked thoughts.
O Lord, I have destroyed myself;
whatever I have done amiss, pardon mercifully.
Deal not with us after our sins,
neither reward us after our iniquities.
Look mercifully upon our infirmities;
and for the glory of Thy All-holy Name,
turn from us all those ills and miseries,
which by our sins, and by us through them,
are most righteously and worthily deserved
