The pomaunder of prayer, newly made by Thomas Becon

The pomaunder of prayer, newly made by Thomas Becon

Table of contents

Title page

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To the moste honorable and vertuous Lady Anne of Cleue, her grace, syster to the hye and myghtye Prynce Wylliam Duke of Cleue. &c. Thomas Becon wysheth the fauor of God, long lyfe and continuall health.

¶ The Pomaūder of Prayer.

¶ A Prayer for the morning.

¶ A prayer for ye Euening.

A prayer for the forgeuenes of synne.

A prayer vnto God the father.

¶ A prayer vnto God the sonne.

¶ Unto God the holy ghost.

¶ Particular prayers to be sayed of the Magistrates.

¶ Of the ministers of Gods word.

¶ Of Subiectes or Commens.

¶ Of Fathers and Mothers.

¶ Of Children.

¶ Of Masters.

¶ Of Seruauntes.

¶ Of Mayds.

¶ Of Singlemen.

¶ Of Husbandes.

¶ Of Wyues.

¶ Of Housholders.

¶ Of all Christians.

¶ For the Grace & fauour of God.

¶ For the gift of the holy Ghost.

¶ For the true knowledge of our selues.

¶ For a pure and clene Hart.

¶ For a quiet conscience.

¶ For Faith.

¶ For Charitie.

¶ For Pacience.

❧ For Humilitie.

❧ For Mercifulnes.

For true godlynes.

❧ For the true vnderstanding of Gods word.

❧ For a lyfe agreable to our knowledge.

❧ For the health of the body

❧ For a good name.

❧ For a compitent liuing.

¶ For a pacient and thankfull hart in sicknes.

¶ For strength against the deuell, the world, and the flesh.

¶ For the helpe of Gods holy Aungels.

¶ A prayer to our Lorde Iesus Christe, called Conditor celi et terrae.

¶ For the glory of heauen.

¶ A thanks geuing vnto God for all his benefites.

¶ A praier to be said at the houre of death.

¶ Certain Godly Meditations made in the forme of prayers. by S. Augustine whiche if thou wilt rede them quietly with a feruent spirit, they will stir thee muche to deuocion.

¶ A prayer wherin, through cō memoration of Christes passion, we desire pardon of oure sinnes and continuaunce in vertue and godlines.

¶ A prayer wherin man confesseth him self to be the cause of Christs passion.

☞ Here dooth man declare vnto God the father, that the Passiō of his sōne, was for his reconciliation and attonement with God.

¶ A deuout Prayer to the holy Ghost.

☞ A prayer to the holi Trinitie.

An acknowledging of almighty God and his Maiesty.

¶ After what sorte God the father vouchedsafe to helpe mankind, and of the incarnation of the wurd, whiche is Christe, and of the geuing of thanks.

¶ Of the trust whiche a soule ought to haue in our Lorde Iesu and in his Passion.

¶ Of thexceding loue of the euer lasting father toward mankind.

Of the double nature of Christ, whiche hath mercy vpon vs, and maketh intercession for vs.

¶ Of the thankes whiche man ought to geue vnto God for the benefite of his redemption.

¶ A deuout prayer vnto Christe

¶ A prayer declaring with how great miseries this life is replenished.

¶ Of the blessednes of that life whiche God hath prepared for them that loue him.

¶ Heare doo wee complain that we be not moued nor pricked in our contem plation and prayer like as the angels be which tremble at the sight of God.

¶ A veri deuoute prayer for the geuing of thankes.

¶ In this prayer mans minde is very muche and plenteously stirred & moued, if it be said in quietnes.

A prayer in time of tribulation.

¶ A very deuout prayer to the sonne.

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Pater Noster

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¶ The versicle.

¶ Answere.

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¶ Let vs pray.

¶ A prayer for the Queens Maiestie▪.

¶ For rain if the time require.

¶ For faire wether.

¶ A praier of Chrisostome.

¶ In the time of dearth & famin.

¶ Or thus.

¶ In the time of warre.

¶ In the time of any common plage or sicknes.

A Table of the prayers cōtained in this boke.

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THE POMAVNDER of Prayer, Newly made by Thomas Becon.

ECCLE. 24. ‘¶ Pleasauntly do I smell, euē as it wer Cynamome, and svvete Balme,’

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THOMAS BECONVS SACROSĀCTAE THEOLOGIAE PROFESSOR. AETATIS SVAE .41 ANo DN̄I .1553.

Ora expressa vides, viuos imitantia vultus.

Quod potuit calamo pictor & arte videt

Mentis quā nullus potuit tibi reddere pict [...]

Effigiem scriptis, praebuit ipse suis.

To the moste honorable and vertuous Lady Anne of Cleue, her grace, syster to the hye and myghtye Prynce Wylliam Duke of Cleue. &c. Thomas Becon wysheth the fauor of God, long lyfe and continuall health.

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AMong many other godly and noble vertues, whiche God by his holy spirit hath graffed in your graces breast (most honorable Lady) the feruent affection and continuall desyre of prayinge vnto the Lord our God, hath neither the last nor the lest place in you. And as God hath wrought in you by ye holy Ghost thys godly [Page] mind to call vpon his holy name with diligent prayer, so lykewise doth your grace stur vp and confyrme that spirituall mocion wt the exercise of daily praier, least that godly affecciō shuld be quē ched, which the holy Ghost hath kindled in your heart. For your grace doth rightwell consider, yt God deliteth in nothynge more then in ye inuocacion of his blessed name, and in the sacrifice of thankes geuing for his benefits. Where the name of God is diligently called vpon, & most humble and harty thāks geuen vnto him for his fatherly and frendly giftes, there is hys blessing grace and fauoure plenteous, there [Page] is the holy Ghost present, there is a mery conscience, ther al thīgs prosper, there wanteth no good thing. Contynue therfore (most honorable Lady) as ye haue godly begun, both you and all your faithful family to call on the glorious name of the Lord our God with feruent prayer, and forget not to be thankfull vnto hym for hys benefites, wherwith aboue many other he hath richly endued your grace. So shal he be your louing Lord & gracious God, your fauorable father and strōg shilde. So shall he make your grace to prosper in al your doings, & blesse you both with longlyfe and much [Page] honor. And that your grace may haue at hand conuement prayers to pray vnto the Lord our God I thought it good, consyderyng your graces manifold vertues, to geue vnto you this my Pommaunder of prayer, wherein are breeflye contayned suche godlye prayers as are most mete in this our age to be vsed of all degrees and estates, most humbly beseching your grace to take in good part this my rude and bolde enterprise according to your accustomed gentlenesse. God, whose glory you hartely loue, whose word you ioifulli embrace, whose name you earnestly call vppon: [Page] mought vouchesafe to preserue your grace in continuall health and encrease of honoure.

Amen.

Your Graces most humble and faithfull Oratoure Thomas Becon.

¶ The Pomaūder of Prayer.

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¶ A Prayer for the morning.

I Render vnto thee (O heauenly father) most hartye thankes, by thy deare sonne Iesus Christ, that this night past thou hast vouchedsafe of thy fatherlye goodnes to preserue me from all euill, & to geue my bodye rest and slepe: I now most entierly beseche thee yt as thou hast raised vp this my body frō slepe, so likewise thou wylt delyuer my mynde from the slepe of synne, and from [Page] the darknesse of this world, that I walking in the lyght of thy blessed worde, maye onely doo that is pleasaunt in thy sight, profitable to my neighbour, and healthfull to my soule.

Amen.

¶ A prayer for ye Euening.

I Most humbly thanke the (O mercifull Father) for preseruinge me this day frō all misfortunes, and for thy other benefites wherewyth thou hast plēteously blessed me. I beseche ye forgeue me al my sinnes, wherwyth I [Page] haue offended thy fatherlye goodnes from the very beginnīg of my lyfe vnto this present houre, and take me this night into thy tuicion, ytmyne enemies maye haue no power ouer me, but that my body enioyinge a sweet slepe, my minde may continually watch vnto thee, and through fayth beholde thy blessed maiesty with a perfect hope after this frayle & transitory lyfe, to possesse ytimmortal and heauenly lyfe, where thou gloriously lyuest [Page] and reignest with thy onlye begotten sonne and ye holye Ghost one true and euerlastyng God, worldes without ende.

Amen.

A prayer for the forgeuenes of synne.

O My Lord and onely sauior Iesu Christ, which camest into thys worlde to take away the heuy burdēs of them that were loden, to seke that was lost, to call synners vnto repentaunce, to geue euerlastynge lyfe to the faithfull, and to be a mediator [Page] betwene God the father and vs: I poore & wretched sinner from the verye hart lament, and inwardly bewayle my synnefull and wretched, lyfe, desiryng the for thy promyse sake according to thy mercyfull wont, to be my mediatour and aduocate vnto God the father, that he maye forgeue me all mine olde sinnes, & so wholy possesse my hart by his blessed spirite, that he mai defēde me, against al perils to come, which the diuel, the world or [Page] the flesh imagineth against me, and so chaunge me into a new man, that mine olde sinnes being wyped awaye in thi precious bloud, I may walke frō vertue to vertue vnto the glory and praise of his blessed name.

Amen.

A prayer vnto God the father.

THy dearly beloued sōne (O most louing father) taught vs in hys holy Gospel, that to know the to be ye alone true God, is euerlasting lyfe. Graunt therfore [Page] we beseche thee, yt we may truly knowe thee, euen as we are taught by thy holye word, beleue with the hart, and cōfesse with the mouth, that thou alone art the true liuing and immortall God our heauēly father, our maker, our preseruer, and our defender, that we thus beleuing and confessing maye through thy sonne Christ be come heires of euerlastyng lyfe. And as we thus beleue and confesse of thee▪ so geue vs grace to shew forth thys [Page] our faith by godly conuersacion and vertuous liuing, ytmē seeing our good workes, may glorify thee our heuēly father, to whom be prayse for euer.

Amen.

¶ A prayer vnto God the sonne.

O Lord Iesu christ ye sōne of ye liuing God, yea, very God himself begottē of god ye father frō euerlasting & continuing true & immortal God worlds wtout end by thee al thīgs wer made both inheauen and in earth, by thee also they be cōserued & kept in a [Page] order, thou art the bryghtnesse of thy fathers glorye thou art the verye image of hys substāce, in thee are hid al ye treasures of wysedome and knowledge, in ye dwelleth al fulnes, by thee ar we reconcyled to God ye father, by thee ar we sette at peace with him, through ye bloud of the crosse, bi thee haue we free accesse vnto ye glorious throne of Gods maiestye, & by thee are we brought in through faith vnto his grace, wherin we stāde and reioyce, [Page] in hope of the glory of God: we thanke thee for all thy benefytes, & moste humbly beseeche thee to geue vs grace faithfully to beleue in thee, stedfastly to confesse thee true God and true mā, earnestlye to acknowledge thee our alone redemer, sauiour, Satisfier, Recōciler, Intercessor, Mediator and Aduocate that we altogether depending on thee and thy merites, on thy blessed passion, precious death and [Page] glorious resurrection, maye study through thy grace, so to order our lyfe in true holines and innocency, that at the day of iudgement thou mayst present vs both body and soule vnto thy heauenly father, and so for euer and euer placevs in thi glorious kingdome.

Amen.

¶ Unto God the holy ghost.

O Holy and blessed spirit, which being true and euerlasting God, with God the father and God ye sonne procedest from them bothe [Page] full of maiestie and power, which also with thy heauē ly breath quycknest ye mides of thē that afore were dead through sinne, makest mery the hartes of ye faithful penitent, bringest into ye waye of truth al suche as haue erred and are deceyued, settest at one such as wer at debate, cō fortest the soules of them ythūger and thirst after righteousnes and plenteouslye enrichest them wt diuers giftes, whyche pray vnto thee [Page] in the name of Iesu Christ: Purifye our hartes we beseeche thee with the fyre of thy loue, mortify in vs what soeuer is not thine, renue & garnishe our mindes with thy heauenly benefites and spirituall giftes, that they may be made thy temples, leade vs into all necessary trueth, suffer vs not to be caried about with diuers & straunge doctryne, but alway to remaine in that doctryne, wherof thou alone art ye author, enarme our soules [Page] against the crafty assaultes of suttil Satan, against the vain pleasures of the wicked world, and against the leude lustes of filthy fleshe, that we beeing replenished with thy holy breath, may doo ytoneli, whiche is acceptable in thy godly sight.

Amen.

¶ Particular prayers to be sayed of the Magistrates.

FOrasmuch as it is thi godli pleasure (O king of kinges, and Lorde of Lordes) to appoint me among other a ruler [Page] of thy people, geue me grace I beseeche thee, so to minister the commō weale, and so to execute my office, yt I may please thee, and hurt no man in all my doinges, but iudge equally and iustli, rule according to thy wyll, shewe my self a father vnto thy people, and so behaue my self in all myne enterprises, yt I seking thy glory, ye furtheraunce of thy blessed gospel, & the weale of ytsubiectes, may (when thou shalt render to [Page] euery man according to hys deeds) be found blameles in thy sight, through Iesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

¶ Of the ministers of Gods word.

Thou hygh Priest and O euerlasting bishop Iesus Christ, the alone teacher of all godly trueth, and the onely Curate of oure soules, whyche by thy holye worde hast appointed some of thy congregacion to be Ministers and Preachers of thy blessed lawe and Gloryous [Page] gospell, yt by this meanes, the holy ghost also working, they may call synners vnto repentaunce, preache remission of synnes in thy name, perswade vnto vertue, and disswade frō vice: forasmuch as it hath pleased thee to cal me an vnprofitable seruaūt vnto that holy office of ministracion, and to make me a preacher of thy worde: I moste humbly beseeche thee, to geue me thy holy spirite, whiche may lead me in to all trueth, instruct me with the [Page] knowledge of thy holimisteries, and through his heauenly inspiracion so prepare my harte, and order my tūg, that I may neyther thinke, breath, nor speak any thyng, but that may turne vnto thy glory and the edifying of thy flock. Graunt also that what soeuer I preache in word, I may fulfil the same in work vnto the example of that thy flock, which thou haste purchased wt thi precious bloud, yt when thou the cheef shepeheard shalt appeare I beyng [Page] found faithfull in my office, mai through thi goodnes re ceiue ye incorruptible crown of glory.

Amen.

¶ Of Subiectes or Commens.

AS it is thy godly appoītment (O Lorde God) ytsum should bear rule in this worlde to see thy glorye set forth, and the commō peace kepte, so it is thy pleasure againe, that some should be subiectes and inferiours to other in theyr vocation, although before thee there is [Page] no respecte of persons. And forasmuch as it is thy good wil to appoint me in the nū ber of subiectes, I beseeche thee to geue me a faithfull & an obediēt hart vnto the hye powers, yt there may be foūd in me no disobedience, no vn faithfulnes no reasō, no falshod, no dissimulacion, no iusurrectiō, no cōmociō, no cō spiracy, nor ani kind of rebelliō in word or in dede agaīst the ciuil magistrates but all faithfulnes, obediēce, quietnes, subiectiō, humility, and [Page] whatsoeuer els becommeth a subiecte, that I liuīg here in all lowlinesse of mynde may at the last day through thy fauoure be lifted vp vnto euerlasting glory, where thou with the father and ye holy ghost liueste & raignest very God for euer.

Amen.

¶ Of Fathers and Mothers.

THe frute of the wombe & the multitude of childrē is thy gifte and blessing (O Lorde) geuen to this ende yt they may liue to thy glory & the cōmodity of their neighbour. [Page] For asmuche therfore as thou of thy goodnes hast geuen me children, I beseeche thee geue me also grace to traine them vp euen from theyr Cradels in thy nourtoure & doctrine, in thy holy lawes & blessed ordinaūces, that from theyr very yonge age they may know thee, beleue in thee, feare & loue thee, and diligently walke in thy commaundements, vnto the praise of thy glorious name.

Amen.

¶ Of Children.

[Page]THou haste geuen a commaundemēt in thy law, O heauēly father, that children should honour theyr fathers and mothers, I moste humbly beseeche thee, therfore to breath thy holy spirit into my brest, that I maye reuerence and honoure my father & mother not oneli wt outward gestures of mi body, but also with the vnfayned affecciō of the hart, loue them, obey them, pray for them, help them, and doo for thē, both in worde and dede, [Page] whatsoeuer lyeth in my power, that thou seeing myne vnfayned harty good wil toward my Parentes mayst become my louing heauenly father, & number me among those thy children, whō thou hast appointed (from euerlasting) heires of thy glorious kyngdom, through thy welbeloued sonne Iesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

¶ Of Masters.

THy commaundement is by thine holy Apostle (O most merciful Lord Christ, ye [Page] masters should entreat their seruauntes gently, puttyng away threatninges, & doing that vnto thē, whiche is iust and equal, forasmuch as we also haue a maister in heauē with whom there is no respect of persones. Graūt I most hartely pray thee, I may so order my seruauntes that I attēpt none vnrighteousnes against them, but so vse my rule and authority ouer thē, that I may alway remember that thou art the common Lord of all, and we [Page] all thy seruauntes, again yt I mai not forget that we be all brothers hauing one father which is in heauē, and look for one glorious kingdome, where thou with the father and the holy Ghost liuest and raygnest true and euerlastyng God for euer.

Amen.

¶ Of Seruauntes.

O Lord we are cōmaunded by thy blessed Apostles, that we should honour & obey our bodely masters [Page] with fear and trembling not onely if they be good & courteous, but also though they be froward, and serue them not vnto the eye as mē pleasers, but with singlenes of hart, not churlishly answering them againe, nor picking, stealing, or conueying awaye anye parte of theyr goods vniustli, but shewing all good faythfulnes vnto our masters, as though we serued God and not men. Graunt me grace, I moste humbly beseeche thee, so to [Page] serue my master and my superiours, that there may be found no fault in me but yt I behauing my self vprightly, iustly, faithfully and truli in my vocacion, maye doo worship to the doctrine of thee my God and Sauiour in all things.

Amen.

¶ Of Mayds.

THere is nothing that becommeth a mayd better thē silence, shame fastnes & chastitye of bothe body and mynde. For these thynges [Page] beīg once lost, she is no more a maid but a Strompet in the sight of God: howsoeuer she disgiseth her selfe & dissembleth with the world I therfore moste humbly beseeche thee (O merciful Father) from whom commeth euery good and perfect gift, and without whom we are able to doo nothing, yt thou wilt so order my tong, and dispose my talke yt I speak nothing but that become mi state, age and person, nether that I delight to heare any [Page] talk, that might in any point moue me to lewdnes, seeyng that euil words corrupt good maners. Geue me also such shaine fastnes as may pluck me away from the delectacion either of thinking speaking, hearing, seing, or doing euil, that my whole delight may be in vertue, in godlines in exchewing ydlenes, in geuing my selfe continually to some godly exercyse, but aboue all thinges in thinking and speaking of thee in reading [Page] thy blessed worde and heauenly law, which is a lā tern to my feet and a light to mi pathes. Moreouer suffer neyther my minde to be defiled with euil thoughts nor my body to be corrupted with any kinde of vnclēnes, but geue me grace so to order my self in exchewing idlenes and wanton wicked cōpany, ytmy mynde being free from euill affectes, and my bodye cleare from all vnclennes, I may be found a mete temple for the holy Ghost to inhabit [Page] and if it bee thi good pleasure hereafter to call me vnto the honorable state of Matrimony, yt I may bring also vnto my husbande a pure and vndefiled body, and so liue with him in thi feare vnto ye praise and glori of thy blessed name.

Amen.

¶ Of Singlemen.

LOrd thou hast commaunded by thine holi Apostle, that we should abstaine from fornicacion, and that euerye one of vs shoulde knowe [Page] how to keep his vessel, that is to say his body in holines and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence: as doo the heathen whiche knowe not God: I beseeche thee geue me grace to behaue my selfe according to thys thy holy commaundemente▪ that in this time of my single lyfe I defile not my body wt who redom or with ani other vnclennes: but so order my self with all honesty: and purenes of life, that I may glorify thee my Lord God both [Page] in body and spirite.

Amen.

¶ Of Husbandes.

FOrasmuche (O heauenly father, as thou hast called me from the single lyfe vnto the holy state of honourable wedlocke, which is thy good and blessed ordinaūce for all them to liue in, that haue not the gift of continēcy, and hast geuen me a woman to wyfe, that I liuing with her in thy feare mai auoid al vnclēnes, I moste hartelye pray thee geue me grace to liue with her accordinge to thy godly [Page] pleasure. Kil in me al filthy & fleshly lustes. Suffer me not to delyght in any straunge fleshe, but to content my self onely with her loue, to loue her as Christe loued the congregacion, to cherishe her as I wold cherishe mine owne body, so prouide for her according to my ability, to instruct her with ye knowledge of thy blessed worde, quietly and peaceably to liue with her, and to agree together in suche perfecte concorde and vnitie, as is founde among [Page] many members in one body▪ seing now yt we also are nomore two, but one fleshe, that other seeyng our godly and quiet conuersacion, may her by be prouoked to forsake theyr filthy liuing, & so embrace the holy state of honorable wedlock vnto ye glori & praise of thi holi name.

Amē.

¶ Of Wyues.

Lord forasmuch as thou Oof thy Fatherly goodnes hast vouchedsafe to keep me from my tender age vnto thys presente and hast, now [Page] called me from mi single life vnto the holy state of honorable wedlock, that I liuing therein, might according to thine ordinaunce bring forth childrē vnto thy glori: Geue me grace I moste entierlye beseche thee to walke, worthy of mi vocacion, to know ledge my husbande to be my head, to be subiect vnto him, to learn thy blessed word of him, to reuerēce him, to obey him, to please him, to be ruled by him, peaceably and quietly to liue with him, to [Page] weare suche apparell as is mete for midegree, and bi no meanes to delight in costly Iewels and proud galaunt vestures, but alway to vse suche clothing as become a sober Christen woman, circumspectly & warely to look vnto my housholde, that nothing perish through my negligence, and alwayes haue a diligent eye, that no dishonesty, no wickednes, no vngodlynes be cōmitted in my house, but yt in it all thinges be ordeined according to thy [Page] holy wil, whiche art worthy all honour, glory and prayse for euer and euer.

Amen.

¶ Of Housholders.

TO haue childrē and seruaunts, is thy blessinge (O Lord) but not to order thē according to thy word, deserueth thy dredful cursse. Graunt therfore, that as yu hast blessed me with an houshold, so I may diligentlye watche that nothing becommitted of ye same that might offend thy fatherli goodnes, and be an occasion of turning [Page] thi blessing into curssīg but that so manias thou hast cōmitted to my charge, may exchew all vice, embrace all vertue, lyue in thy feare, call vpon thi holi name, learn thi blessed commaundementes, heare thy holy worde, and auoyding idlenes diligentlye execute them selues euerye one in his office according to theyr vocacion and callyng vnto the glorye of thy moste honorable name.

Amen.

¶ Of all Christians.

Albeit (O heauenly Father) [Page] all we that vnfaynedly professe thy holy religion, and faithfully call on thy blessed name, are thy sonnes and heyres of euerlasting glory, yet as all the members of a body haue not one office, so likewyse we being many & making one body (whereof thy dearely beloued Sonne is the head) haue not all one gifte, neyther are we all called to one office, but as it hath pleased ye to distribute, so receyue we. We therfore moste humbly pray thee, to [Page] send the spirit of loue & concord amōg vs, that without any disorder or debate, eueri one of vs may be content we our calling, quietly lyue in ye same, study to doo good vnto all men by the true and diligēt exercise therof without to muche seking of our owne priuat gain, & so order our lyfe in all points according to thy godly will, that by wel doing we mai stop ye mouthes of such foolish and ignoraunt people, as report [Page] vs to be euill dooers, & cause thē through our good works to glorify thēe our Lord god in yt dai of visitacion.

Amen.

¶ For the Grace & fauour of God.

WHosoeuer liueth wt out thy grace & fa uour (O moste gracious and fauorable Lorde) although for a time he waloweth in all kinde of fleshely pleasures, and abound with to muche wordly ryches, yet is he nothing els but ye wretched bond slaue of sathan, & [Page] the vile dūghil of syn. Al his pleasure is extreme poison, all his welth is nothing but plain beggeri. For what felicitie can ther be, where thy grace and fauour wanteth▪ But where thi grace and fauour is present (though the Deuel roar, the world rage, ye flesh swel) ther is true blissednes, vnfained pleasure & cōtinual welth. Pour down therfore thi heauēly grace & fatherly fauour vpō vs, that we beeynge assured of thy [Page] fauorable goodnes towards vs may reioyce and glory in thee, and haue mery hartes when so euer we be most assailed with any kinde of aduersitie, be it pouerty or sicknes, losse of freends, or persecution for thy names sake, to whom be glorye for euer.

Amen.

¶ For the gift of the holy Ghost.

SO frayl is our nature, so vile is our flesh, so lewd is our hart, so corrupt are our affects, so wicked are al our thoughts euen frō our child [Page] hod vpward, yt of our selues we can nether thinck, breath, speak or doo any thing yt is praise worthy in thy sight (O heauenly father) yea, except thou doost assist vs with thy mercifull goodnes all things are so far out of frame in vs, that we se nothing present in our selues but thy heauy displeasure and eternal damnacion. Uouche safe therfore (O swete father, to send thy holy spirite vnto vs, whiche may make vs new creatures, put [Page] away frō vs al fleshly lustes, fil our harts wt new affects & spiritual mociōs, & so altogether renew vs bothe in body & soule through his godly in spiracion, ytwe may dye vnto olde Adam, & lyue vnto thee in newnes of lyfe seruynge thee our Lorde God in holines and righteousnes all ye daies of our lyfe.

Amen.

¶ For the true knowledge of our selues.

IT is written in thy holye Gospel, moste louing Sauiour yt thou cammest into [Page] this world not to call ye righteous, that is such as iustifie thē selues, but sinners vnto repentaunce. Suffer me not therfore (o lord) to be in ye nū ber of those iusticiaris, which boasting their owne righteousnes, theyr owne wurks, and merits, despise that righteousnes that commeth by faith, whiche alone is alowable before thee. Giue me grace to knowe & to knowledge my selfe as I am euen ye sonne of wrath by nature, a [Page] wretched synner, and an vn profitable seruaunt, & wholy to depend on thy mercifull goodnes with strōg and vnshaken faith, yt in this world, thou mayest continually call me vnto true repentaunce, seeyng I continually sinne, and in ye worlde to come brīg me vnto euerlasting glorye.

Amen.

¶ For a pure and clene Hart.

THe hart of man naturalli is lewd and vnsearcheable through the multitude of sinns, which as in a stinking [Page] dūghil lyeth buried in it, in so much that no man is able to say: mi hart is clene and I am cleane from syn. Remoue from me therfore (O heauēly Father) my leud, stony, stuburn, stincking and vnfaithfull hart. Creat in me a clene hart free from al noisom and vngodly thoughts. Breath into my hart by thy holy spirit, godly and spirituall mocions, that out of the good treasure of the hart, I maye bring foorth good things vn to the praise and glory of thy [Page] name.

Amen.

¶ For a quiet conscience.

THe wicked is like a ragīg sea whyche is neuer in quiet, neither is ther ani peace to the vngodly, but such as loue thy law (O Lorde) they haue plenty of peace, they haue quiet mindes and contented consciences, whiche is the greatest treasure vnder ye Sun geuē of thee to so mani as seek it at thy hand wyth true faith & cōtinuall praier. Gyue me (O Lord) that ioyfull Iewell, euen a quyet [Page] mynde and a free mery conscience ytI beeing free from the damnable accusacions of Sathā, from the crafty perswacions of the worlde, from the subtil entysements of the flesh, from the heauy curs of the law, and fully perswaded of thy merciful goodnes toward me through faith in thy Sonne Christe Iesu, may quietly serue thee both bodyly and ghostly in holines and rightuousnes al the dayes of my lyfe.

Amen.

¶ For Faith.

[Page]FOrasmuche as nothīg pleaseth thee, that is doon wt out faith, appereit before the blinde world neuer so beautyful and commendable, but is counted in thy sight sinfull and damnable, yea, the selfe syn and damnacion, this is moste humbly to desyre thee (O father) for Christes sake, to breathe into my hart bi thi Spirit, this moste precious and singular gifte of faith, which worketh by Charity, whereby also we ar iustified and receiued into thy fauor, [Page] yt I truly beleeuing in thee, and fully perswaded of the trueth of thy holy word, may be made thy sonne and inheritour of euerlasting glorye, throughe Iesu Chryste our Lorde.

Amen.

¶ For Charitie.

THy cognisaunce & badge, whereby thy Disciples are knowen (O Lorde & sauiour Iesu Christe) is charitie or loue, which cometh out of a pure hart, and of a good conscience, and of faith vnfayned. I pray thee therfore [Page] gyue me this Christen loue, and perfect charitie, that I may loue thee my Lord God with all my hart, with al my minde, with all my soule, and with all my strēgths, dooing alway of very loue yt onely, whiche is pleasaunte in thy sight: again that I may loue my neighbour and Christen Brother as my self, wishing as well to him as to my self, & redy at al tymes to doo for him, what so euer lieth in my power, that when we al shal [Page] stād before thy dreadful iudgyng place, I beeing knowē by thy badge, may be nūbred among thy disciples, and so through thy mercye receyue the reward of eternall glory.

Amen.

¶ For Pacience.

WHen thou liuedst in thys world (O Lorde) Christe, thou shewedst thy self a mere mirrour of perfect pacience sufferīg quietly not ye spiteful words, but also ye cruel dedes of thi most cruel enemies forgeuing thē & praying for thē, [Page] whiche moste tyranlike hādled thee. Giue me grace (O thou moste meek and louing lamb of God) to folow this thy pacience, quietly to bear the slaunderous wordes of mine aduersaries, paciently to suffer the cruel dedes of mine enemies, to forgiue thē, to pray for them, yea, to doo good for thē, & by no meanes to go about once to auenge my selfe, but rather giue place vnto wrath, seeing yt vengeaunce is thine, and yu wilt reward, seing also that thou [Page] helpest them to theyr ryght that suffer wronge, that I thus paciently suffering all euils, may after ward raign with thee in glory.

Amen.

❧ For Humilitie.

WHat haue we, O heauēly Father, that we haue not receyued▪ Euery good gyfte, and euery perfect gift is frō aboue and cometh downe from thee, which art the father of lightes. Seyng then all yt we haue is thine whether it pertaine to the body [Page] or to the soule, how can we be proud, and boast our selues of that whiche is none of our own seing also ytas to geue, so to take away againe thou art able and wilt, whēsoeuer thy gifts be abused, and thou not knowledged to be the giuer of them. Take therfore away from me all pride & hautynesse of mynd and graffe in me true humilitie, that I may knowledge thee the giuer of al good things, be thāk full vnto thee for them, & vse [Page] them vnto thy glorye and the profyte of my neyghboure. Graunt also, that all my glorye and reioysynge maye bee in no earthly creatures, but in thee alone whiche doost mercy, equitie, and ryghtuousnes vpon earth. To thee alone be all glory.

Amen.

❧ For Mercifulnes.

THy deerelye beloued sō ne in his holy Gospell exhorted vs to be mercyfull [Page] euē as thou our heauenly Father art merciful and promisest that if we be merciful to other, we shall obtaine merci of thee, which art the father of mercies, and God of al consolacion. Graunt therfore that for asmuch as thou art oure Father, and we thy children, we may resemble thee in all our life and conuersaciō, and that as thou art beneficial & liberal, not onli to ye good, but also to the euil: so we likewise mai shew our selues merciful [Page] gentil and liberall to so many as haue nede of our healp, ytat the dredful day of dome we may be found in the number of those merciful, whom thou shalt appoint by thy onely begotten sonne to go into euerlasting lyfe, to whō with thee and the holy ghost be all honour and praise.

Amen.

For true godlynes.

IN thy law (O thou maker of heauen and earth) thou hast appoynted vs a waye to walke in, and hast commanded [Page] that we shuld tourn neither on the right hand, nor on the left, but doo according to thy good will and pleasure, with out adding of our own good entents and fleshly imaginacions. As thou hast cōmaunded, so giue me grace good Lorde, to doo. Let me neither folowe mine owne will, nor the fancies of other men, neither let me be begiled with the visar of olde customes, long vsages, fathers, decres, auncient lawes, nor [Page] any other thing that ffghteth with thy holy ordinaunces & blessed commaundemēt, but faithfully beleue & stedfastly confes yt, to be the true godlines, which is learned in thy holy Bible, & according vnto that to order my life vnto the praise of thy holy name.

Amē.

❧ For the true vnderstanding of Gods word.

O Lorde as thou alone art the Authour of the holy scriptures, so lykewyse can no manne, althoughe neuer [Page] so wise, politike and learned, vnderstand them, except he be taught by thy holy spiryt, which alone is the Scholemaster to lead the faithfull into all truth. Uouchesafe therfore I moste humbly beseeche thee to breath into my hart thy blessed Spirit, whiche may renew the senses of my minde, open my wits, reuele vnto me the true vnderstāding of thy holy misteries▪ and plant in me such a certaine and infailyble knowledge [Page] of thy truthe, that no subtyll perswasyon of mans wysdom may pluck me from thy truth, but that as I haue lerned the true vnderstāding of thy blessed wyll, so I may remayne in the same continually, come lyfe, come death, vnto the glory of thy blessed name.

Amen.

❧ For a lyfe agreable to our knowledge.

AS I haue prayd vnto thee (O heauenly Father) to be taught the true vnderstāding [Page] of thi blessed word by thi holy spirit, so I moste entierly beseech thee to giue me grace to lead a lyfe agreable to my knowledge. Suffer me not, to be of the number of them which profes that they know God with theyr mouth, but deny hym with theyr dedes. Let me not be lyke vnto that sonne which sayd vnto hys father, that he would labour in his vineyeard, and yet labored nothing at al, but went abrode lottering idely. Make [Page] me rather lyke vnto that good and fruteful land which yeldeth agayne her sede with great increase, that men seing my good workes, maye glorify thee my heauenly father

Amen.

❧ For the health of the body

I Fele in my selfe (O mercifull Sauiour) how greuous a pryson thys my body is vnto my Soule, which contynually wysheth to be loosoned oute of thys byle carcasse and to come vnto [Page] thee, seeing it hath heere no reste, but is at euery houre vexed wyth the filthy lustes of the flesh, wyth the wicked assaultes of the deuyll and the worlde, and is neuer at quiet but alway in daunger to be ouercome of her ennemyes, were it not preserued of thy goodnes by the mynistery and seruice doing of thy holy Angels. Notwythstāding (O most louing lord) forasmuch as it is thy good pleasure that my bodye and [Page] soule shall styl remain heere together as yet in this vale of mysery: I beseche thee to preserue my soule from all vyce, and my body from al sycknes that I enioying through thy benefyte the helth bothe of body and soule, maye be the more able to serue thee & my neighbour in such works as are acceptable in thy sighte.

Amen

❧ For a good name.

NOthing becometh ye professour of thy name better [Page] (O heauenly Father) thē so to behaue him selfe accordyng to hys professyon, that he maye be well reported of them, that be of the houshold of Faith, yea such synceritie and purenes of lyfe ought to be in them which profes thy holy name, that the very aduersaryes of thy truth should be ashamed once to mutter a gaynst them. Giue me grace therfore I moste intierly desyre thee soo to frame my lyfe accordinge to the rule of [Page] thy blessed word, that I may giue no man occasyō to speak euill of me, but rather so lyue in my vocacion, that I may be an exsample to other, to liue Godly and vertuously vnto the honour and praise of thy glorious name.

Amen.

❧ For a compitent liuing.

ALthough I doubt not of thy fatherly prouision for this my poore & nedy lyfe, yet for as much as yu hast bothe commaunded and taught me by thy deere Sonne to praye vnto thee for thinges [Page] necessary for thys my lyfe. I am bolde at this present to come vnto thi diuine maiesty moste humbly beseching thee that as thou hast geuen me lyfe, so thou wylte giue me meat and drincke to sustayn the same. Again as thou hast geuē me a body, so thou wilt gyue me clothes to couer it, that I hauing sufficyent for my liuing, may the more fre ly & with the quieter minde apply my selfe vnto thy seruice and honour.

Amen,

[Page]

¶ For a pacient and thankfull hart in sicknes.

WHō thou louest (O lorde) him doost thou chasten, yea euery sōne that thou receiuest, thou scourgest, & in so dooing: thou offerest thy self vnto him, as a father vn to his Sōne. For what sōne is he whom the father chast neth not? Graunt therfore I moste hartely pray thee, that whēsoeuer thou layest thy cros on me, and visitest me with thy louing scourge [Page] of sicknes. I may by no meanes striue against thy fatherly pleasure, but paciently & thankfully abide thy chastisemēt, euer being perswaded, that it is for ye helth bothe of my body and soule, & that by this meanes thou wurkest my saluacion, subduest the fleshe vnto the spirit, & makest me a new crea ture, that I may hereafter serue thee the more freely, & cōtinue in thy fear vnto my lyfes ende.

Amen.

[Page]

¶ For strength against the deuell, the world, and the flesh.

O Lorde God, the Diuell goeth about like a roring Liō, seeking whom he may deuour. The Flesh lusteth against the Spirite. The world perswadeth vn to vanities, yt we may forget thee our Lorde God, & so for euer be dāned. Thus are we miserably on euery side beseeged of cruell & vnrestful enemies, & like at eue ri moment to perish, if webe [Page] not defended with thy godly power against their tirā ny. I therfore poore & wretched siner dispairīg of mine owne strengthes, whiche in deed are none, moste hartely pray thee to endue me wt strēgth from aboue, that I may bee able through thy help with strong faith to resist Satā, with seruēt prayer to mortify ye raging lusts of the Fleshe, with continuall meditation of thy holy law, to auoyde the foolish [Page] vanities & transitory pleasures of this wicked world, that I through thy grace be ing set at libertie from the power of mine enemies, may liue and serue thee in holines & rightuousnes all the days of my life.

Amen.

¶ For the helpe of Gods holy Aungels.

AN infinit nūber of wicked Aungels are there, (O Lorde Christe) whiche without ceasing seek my de strucciō, Against this exceding [Page] great multitude of euill spirits, sēd thou me thy blessed and heauenly angels, which may pitche their tēts round about me, & so delyuer me from their tirany.

Thou (o lorde) hast deuoured hel, & ouercom ye Prince of darknes with all his ministers, yea and that not for thy self, but for them that be leue in thee. Suffer men of therfore to bee ouercome of Satan, & of his seruaunts, but rather let me triūphe ouer [Page] them (yt I through strōg faith & the help of the blessed angel hauing the victory of the hellish armi) mai with a ioisul hart sai: Death where is thy stīg? hel where is thy victory? & so for euer & euer magnifi thy holy name.

Am̄

¶ A prayer to our Lorde Iesus Christe, called Conditor celi et terrae.

OH maker of heauen and earth, king of kinges, & Lorde of Lordes, whiche of nothing didst ma [...]e me [Page] to thy image and likenes, & didst redeem me with thine owne precious bloud, whō I a siner am not wurthy to name, neither to call vpon, neither wt my hart to think vpon, humbli I desire thee, and meekly pray thee, that gentli thou doo beholde me thy wicked seruaūt, & haue merci on me, whiche hadest merry on the womā of Cā nane, and of Mari Magda lē, whiche didst forgeue the [...], & the theef hanging [Page] on ye cros. Unto the I confes, O most holy father, my sīnes which if I would, I cannot hide from thee. Haue mercy on me Christe, for I a wretche haue sore of fended thee, in pride, in couetousnes, in glotony, in lechery, in vainglory, in hatred, in enuy, inadultry, in theft, in lying in backbitīg, in sporting, in dissolute and wanton laughing, in idle wurds, in hearing, in tasting, in touching, in thinking, [Page] in sleping, in wurking, & in all wayes, in whiche I a fraill man, & moste wretched sinner might sinne. Mi default, my moste greuous default. Therfore I moste hūbly pray & beseech thy gē tlenes, which (for my helth) descended frō heuē, whiche didst holde vp king Dauid, that he should not fall into sin. Haue mercy on me, oh Lorde haue merci on me (O Christe) the which didst for geue Peter, that did forsake [Page] thee. Thou art my creatour and my helper, my maker, & my redeemer, mi gouernor, my father, my lord, my god, and my king. Thou art my hope, my trust, my gouerner, my help, my cōfort, my strength, my defence, my redemption, my life, my helth and my resurrection. Thou art my stedfastnes, my refuge or succour, my light & my help, I moste humbly & hartely desire and pray thee help me, defēd me, make me [Page] strong and cōfort me, make me stedfast, make me mery, geue me light and visit me, reuiue me again, which am dead. For I am thy makīg & thy wurk (oh Lorde) despise me not, I am thy seruant thy bondmā, although euill, although vnwurthy, & a sinner. But whatsoeuer I am, whether I bee either good or bad, I am euer thine. Therfore to whom shall I flee, except I flee vnto the if thou cast me of, who shal [Page] or will receiue me? If thou despise me, & turn thy face from me, who shal look vppon me? Recognise & knowledg me? (although vnwurthy (comming to thee, allthough I be vile & vnclene, for if I be vile and vnclene, thon canst make me clene, If I be sick, thou canst heal me. If I be dead & buried, thou canst reuiue me. For thy merci is much more, thē mine iniquitie, thou cāst forgeue me more thē I can offend. [Page] Therfore, Oh lorde, doo not cōsider nor haue respect to the number of my sinnes, but according to the greatnes of thy merci forgeue me, and haue mercy on me most wretched sinner. Say vnto my soule, I am thy helth, which saidst: I will not the death of a sinner, but rather that he liue and be conuerted, & turn to thee. Oh lorde bee not angry with me, I pray thee moste meek father for thy great mercy, I most [Page] humbely secheech thee, that thou bring me to the blis, that neuer shall ceas.

Amē.

¶ For the glory of heauen.

THe ioyes (o lorde) which thou hast prepared for them yt loue thee, no eye hath seen, no eare hath heard nether is any hart able to thīk But as the ioyes ar great & vnspeakeable, so ar there few that doo enioy them. For straight is the gate and narow is the way, whiche leadeth vnto life, and few there be that find it.

[Page]Notwithstanding, O heauenly father, thou hast a litle flocke, to whom it is thy pleasure to geue ye glorious kingdom of heauē. Ther is a certaine number of sheep, that heare thy voice, whom no man is able to pluck out of thy hand, whiche shal neuer perish to whō also thou shalt geue eternall life.

Make me therfore: O lorde of that number, whom thou frō euerlasting hast predestinate to bee saued, whose [Page] names also are written in the book of life. Pluck me out of the cōpany of ye stinkking gotes, whiche shal stād on thy left hand & be damned, & place me among those thy sheep, whiche shal stand on thy right hand and be saued. Graunt me this, o mer cifull Father, for thy deere sonnes sake Iesu Christ our Lorde. So shal I enioying this singular benefite at thy hand, & being placed in thy glorious kingdom, sing per [Page] petuall praises to thy godly maiestie, whiche liuest and reignest with thy deerely beloued sonne, and the holy ghost one true and euerlasting God. &c.

¶ A thanks geuing vnto God for all his benefites.

THy benefites, toward me O moste louing Father, are so great & infinite whether I haue respect vntomy body or vnto my soule, that I finde not in my self how to recompence any part of [Page] thine vnspeakable goodnes toward me. But yu whiche needest none of my goods, knowing our beggery, yea ournothing, requirest of vs for a recompēce of thy kindnes only ye sacrifice of praise and thanks geuing, o lorde and mercifull father, what wurthi thanks am I pore & wretched sīner able to geue the? Notwtstāding trusting on thy merci & fauorable kīd nes, I offer vnto thee in the name of Christe the sacrifice [Page] of praise, euer thanking the moste hartely for all thy benefites, whiche thou hast be stowed vpon me thine vnprofitable seruaūt from the beginning of my life vnto this presēt houre, moste hū bly beseeching the to continew thy louing kindnes to ward me, and to geue me grace to walke wurthy of this thy fatherly goodnes, that whē thou shalt call me out of this carefull life, I may enioy yt thy moste singulare [Page] last benefite, whiche is euerlasting glori through Iesus Christe our Lord, to whom with thee and the ho li ghost be al honour & praise for euer and euer.

Amen.

¶ A praier to be said at the houre of death.

O Lorde Iesu, whiche art the only helth of all mē liuing & the euerlasting life of thē which die in thy faith. I wretched sinner geue and submit my self wholy vnto thy most blessed wil. And I [Page] being sure that the thing cā not perish whiche is cōmitted vnto thy merci. O lord, geue me grace that willingly I may leaue this fraill & wicked fleshe in hope of the resurrection, whiche in better wise shal restore it to me agaī, I beseeche thee, moste merciful lorde (Iesus christ) that thou wilt by thy grace make strōg my soule agaīst all temptacions. And that thou wilt couer and defend me with the buckler of thy [Page] mercy against all ye assaults of the deuill. I see & knowledge ye there is in my self no help of saluation. But al my confidence, hope, & trust is in thy moste mercifull goodnes, I haue no merits nor good wurks, whiche I may alledge before thee. Of my sinns & euill wurks (alas) I see a great hepe, but thorow thy mercy I trust to be in the number of them to whom thou wilt not impute their sinnes: but take & [Page] accept me for rightuos and iust & to be ye enheritour of euerlasting life. Thou mercifull Lorde wast borne for my sake, yu didst suffer bothe hunger & thirst, for my sake thou didst preache & teache, thou didst pray and fast for my sake, thou didst al good wurks & deeds for my sake. Thou sufferedst moost greuous paines and torments for my sake. And finally, thou gauest thy moste precious body to die, & thy bloud [Page] to be shed on the cros for my sake. Now moste mercifull sauiour, let all these things profit me, whiche thou freely hast geuen me, that hast geuē thy self for me. Let thy bloud clense and washe away the spots and foulnes of my sinnes. Let thy righte ousnes hide & couer my vnrighteousnes. Let the merites of thy passion & bloud be satisfaction for my sinnes Geue me Lorde thy grace that my faith and saluation [Page] in thy bloud, wauer not in me, but euer be firm & constant, that the hope of thy mercy and life euerlasting neuer decay in me, that charitie wax not colde in me, finally, that the weaknes of my fleshe bee not ouercome with fear of death. Graunt me (mercifull sauiour) that whē death hath shut vp the eies of my body, yet that the eyes of my soule may stil beholde and look vpon thee, that when death hath takē [Page] away the vse of my tung & spech, yet that my hart may cry & say vnto thee. In manus tuas domine commendo spiritum meū, that is to say (O Lorde, into thy hāds I geue and commit my soule. Domine Iesu accipe spiritum meum. Lorde Iesu receiue my soule vnto thee.

Amen.

¶ Certain Godly Meditations made in the forme of prayers. by S. Augustine whiche if thou wilt rede them quietly with a feruent spirit, they will stir thee muche to deuocion.

[Page]

¶ A prayer wherin, through cō memoration of Christes passion, we desire pardon of oure sinnes and continuaunce in vertue and godlines.

BEholde (O pitiful father) thy most pitifull sōne, which suffred for me being so wicked. Be hold (o most merciful king) who suffreth, and remember (as thou art louing and kinde) for whom he suffred. Is not this (O my Lorde) that innocent whom allthough he were thy sonne, thou didst deliuer to redeme & raunsō a seruant? Is not this the author and beginner of life, whiche being led as a sheep to bee killed, & beeing made obediēt to thee, euen [Page] vnto death, was not afraid to take vpō him the moste cruell and sharp kinde of death? Cal to remembraunce (O thou distributor of all helth) that this is he whom (althoughe thou diddest beget him by thy power, yet not withstanding) thou wouldest haue to bee made partaker of mine infirmitie and weaknes. Truly this same is thy Godhed whiche did take vpō him my nature, whiche was hanged vppō the gibbet of tourment or cros, whiche in the fleshe whiche he had taken vpon him, did suffer sorowful punishment. Turn the eyes of thy maiestie (O Lord my [Page] God) toward the wurk of thine vnspekeable pitie. Look vpō thy deere sonne, whose whole body is stretched forth. Mark ye harmles and pure hands whiche doo drop and distill down innocent bloud. And I beseeche thee, bee pacified and pardon the wicked dedes whiche my hands haue cō mitted. Consider his bare & naked side, being thrust thorow cruelly with a spear, and renue and wash me with the holy fountain or well which I beleeue did flow from thens. Mark the vnspotted feet which haue not stand in the way of sinners, but alway haue walked in thy law, how thei are [Page] perced thorow wt sharp nailes, & make perfect my steps in thy paths, and make me (of thy louing kindnes) to hate all wayes of iniquitie. Remoue from me the way of iniquitie, and make me (of thy mercy) to chuse ye way of truth. I beseeche thee (o king of holy men) by this holy one of all holy ones, & by this my redemer: to make me run the way of thy commaundements, that I may be vnited & knit vnto him in spirit, whiche did not disdain to be clad in my flesh. Dost thou not look vpon and mark (o pitifull father) the head of thy moste deerly beloued sōne, a yungmā, [Page] how it leaned vpō his shoulder whē he was past the moste precious death? Beholde (o my most gentle creator) the humanitie & gentlenes of thy beloued sonne, and haue compassiō vpon the feblenes of me thy weak & feeble handy wurk. Behold O moste glorious parent) the torne & rent membres of thy most kinde & louing child, & remember gently what substance I am of. Behold the paines of God and man, and release and louse man (which is thy creature) out of miserye and bondage of sin. Behold the punishmēt of him that did redeem and pardon the offence of them [Page] that be redemed. This is he (O Lorde) whome thou didst strike for the sinnes of thy people although he be thy welbeloued, in whom was found no gile, & yet neuertheles was he rekened amongest them that were full of iniquitie.

¶ A prayer wherin man confesseth him self to be the cause of Christs passion.

WHat hast thou committed (O Lorde) that thou shouldest be so iudged? What hast thou offeded that thou shouldest be so cru elli handled and ordered? What was thy fault? what was thine offence? what was the cause of thy death? what was thoccasion [Page] of thy condemnation? I (Lorde) I am the cause of thy sorow, the fault is in me that thou wast kil led for. I haue deserued thy death I committed the offences that were auenged vppon thee. Oh meruelous kinde of iudgment, and vnspekeable disposition or ordering of misteries. The vn iust man offēdeth: and the rightwise is punished. The gilti doth euill and the innocent is beaten. The euill dooth trespas and the good is condemned. That which the euil man deserueth: the same doth the iust suffre. That which the seruāt doth amis the master maketh amends. That which mā [Page] trespasseth: God suffereth it. O (thou whiche art ye sone of god) how low did thine humilitie des cend? How greatly did thy charitie (euen as it wer) wax hote & burn towarde vs. How farr did thy pitie procede? Whither did thy beningnitie, and gentelnes grow & extend? How far did thy loue stretche? How far came thy cōpassion? for I did wrongfully: and thou wast punished. I cōmit ted the mischeuous dedes: and they were auenged vpon thee. I did the faut: and thou submitted thy self to the torments. I was proud, and thou wast humble & meeke, I was swelled and pufte [Page] vp, thou wast extenuated and ap paired. I was disobediēt, neuertheles thou being obedient, bare the paines and punishments of disobediēce. I obeyed and was, as it were a seruaunt to al exces and glotony, and thou wast punished with scarsitie and lack of food. The tree did draw me violentli vnto vnlawfull concupiscence & desires, but perfit charitie led thee vnto punishment. I presumed being forbidden: but thou didst smart therfore. I toke my pleasure, with delicatenes: thou wast vexed with the cros. I abound and haue plenty of al pleasures: thou art all to torne [Page] with naites. I doo fast the plesaunt sweetnes of the apple: & thou the bitternes of gall. Beholde (O king of glory) mine iniquitie and vngodlines: and thy pitie & goodnes is manifest. Beholde mine vnrightwisnes: and thy iustice is plainly declared. What thing (O my king & my God) shall I rēdre vnto thee, for all those things which thou hast bestowed vpon me? for nothing can be found in the hart of man, that may wurthely recompence suche rewardes. Can māns wit excogitate or imagin any thing that is wurthy to bee compared vnto thy deuine mercie▪ Nether [Page] is it the office of a creature to go about to recompence fully and iustly the aid and help of a creator. There is truly (O sonne of God in this thy merueilous dispensation and appointments) somewhat in whiche my frailnes may help a litle, if so be that my minde once pricked and stirred by thy visitacion doo punish the flesh, with the vices also and euill concupiscences therof: and this thing, if thou wilt graunt & geue me grace to doo, then shall it begin as it were to suffre and sustein sorowes and greefs, because ytthou also diddest vouchsafe to die for my sin. And so by [Page] the victori of the inward man, it shalbe armed (thou beeing a captain) for thexternall & outward victory, forasmuche as (the spiritual persecucion once ouercom) it shal not be afraid, for thy sake to be obedient vnto the material sword and cros of this world. And so the slēdernes of my state & condition (if it please thy good nes) shalbe able according to the little power therof, to answer vnto the greatnes & excellencie of my creator. And this is the heauenly medicine (O good Iesu) this is (as it were a preseruatiue of thy loue. This I beseeche thee, by thine accustomed & ancient [Page] mercies, to poure into my wounds, (the foul & filthy matter of the venemous contagion & infectiō once cast away, which may refresh & restore me to my former puritie and clennes, that when I haue fasted of the plesāt sweetnes whiche is to abide in thee) it may make me to despise & vtterly set nought by the enticements of this world, and to fear (for thy sake) none aduersities therof, and that I (remembring thine euerlasting nobilitie and excellencie) may alwayes abhor and disdain the troubles of this transitory world. Let no thing (I beseeche thee) be delectable [Page] vnto me, nor plese me wtout thee. Let no precious nor beutiful thing be acceptable vnto me but thee. Let all thīgs (I beseche thee) be counted as vile, & of no estimatiō vnto me, without the. That whiche is against thy nature: let it be irksō and greuous also vnto me, and that whiche pleaseth thee, let it be continually desired of me. Let it irk me to reioice without thee, and let it delite me to be sad for thy sake Let thy name bee an hartning vnto me, and the remembrance of thee, a consolacion and confort. Let my teares be made vnto me as bread both day & night, [Page] serching thy iustificacions. Let the law of thy mouth bee better vnto me, thē thousands of gold and siluer. Geue me an ardent desire and loue to obey thee & an extreme hatred to resist thee. I require thee (O my hope) for all thy pity and goodnesses sake to haue mercy vpon mine impitie & wickednes. Make open mine eares to thy cōmaūdemēts, & let not mine hart be enclined (I beseeche thee by thy holy name) to any euill thing, to be minded as the vngodly or wicked men. I re quire the also by thy merueilous humilitie, that I bee not moued with pride, nor yet with sinners.

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☞ Here dooth man declare vnto God the father, that the Passiō of his sōne, was for his reconciliation and attonement with God.

BEhold (O almighty God, father of my Lorde I beseeche thee of thy beningnitie and gentlenes to haue mercy vpon me, because of ye moste precious thīg that I could finde, the same I haue offred deuoutly vnto thee, the thing of moste estemacion, ytI could imagin, I haue presented it humbly vnto thee. I haue left nothyng, but I haue declared it to thy maiestie. There is nothing remaining that I may ad more, because I haue cōmitted [Page] and be taken my whole hope vnto thee. I haue sent vnto thee my aduocate and spokes man, euen thy well beloued sonne. I haue sent thy glorious childe to be a mediator betwix me & thee. I haue set (I say) an intercessour by whome I trust to get pardon and forgeuenes of my sinns. I haue sent wurd vnto wurd (that is) God vnto God, according to that whiche saint Ihon hathe in ye beginning of his gospel, wher he calleth God the wurd, saying in the beginning, was the wurd and the wurd was with God, & God was the wurd. &c. whiche wurd (as I haue said) was sent [Page] for my misdedes. And I haue rehersed vnto thee the passion of thy moste holy sonne, which passiō I beleue was suffred for me. I beleeue that the godhed which was sent of thee did take vpon him, mine humanitie & nature, in the whiche he thought not scorn to suffre buffets, bendes, spittings, mocks, yea, he took vpon him to suffer ye cros, nailes and dart. I beleeue also that his māhod being in this my nature during his infancie was trobled with creeping and scraulings, & was wrapt in clothes after the maner of other childrē, was vexed in his youth, with labours [Page] made lene, with waking & fastings, weried with iourneying, afterward whipped & all to torn and rent with diuers kindes of punishments, rekened amongst the dead, and whan it was endued with the glory of resurrectiō, he caried it into the ioyes of heauen, & placed it vpon the righthād of thy maiestie. (This I say) he is my manhod, wai & meanes of pacifying and appeasing thee and thy way and meanes of hauing mercy vpon me. Mercifully look vpon, hear the sōne whiche thou didst beget & the bond seruāt whiche he redemed. Beholde here a creator, and doo not despise [Page] a creature. Receiue the shepherd welcomed with a gentle & louing countenance, and mercifully looke vpō the sheep whiche he hathe brought home vppon his owne shoulders. This is that moste faithfull shepherd whiche by mani and diuers labours and trauailes ouer steep hilles and thorow hedlong and deepe valies did serche for his owne sheep that was straide away, whiche also when he had founde it faint and allmoste dead thorow long wanderyng, gat him self vnder it with greate reioising, and making it faste vnto him with a merueilous bonde of [Page] charitie, lifted it vp out of the depth of confusion and brought it home to the nintie and nine. Behold (O Lorde) my king and God almighty, beholde a good shepherd, whiche rēdreth to thee, that whiche thou committed to his charge. He tooke vpon him thorow thine ordinaūce to saue man, whō he hath deliuered vnto the cleane and pure from all spots thorow the washing in his bloud. Loe thy most deerly beloued sonne hathe reconciled vnto thee thy hādy wurk, whiche was gon astray far out of the way. Lo a gentle shepherd bringeth again to thy flock, him that the [Page] violent pirate & robber had driuen away. He hath brought vnto thy sight, ye seruaunt whō his owne conscience had made to rū away, that he which by him self had deserued punishmēt, by thy sonne being his sollicitour hath deserued forgeuenes, vnto whō also for his offences euerlasting fier was due: neuertheles being a souldiour vnder suche a captain, he doth hope to be brought home to his owne countrey. I was able (O holy Father) by my self to offēd thee, but I was not able of my self to pacify and appese thee. Thy welbeloued sōne (O my God) was made my helper, [Page] by taking vpon him mine humanitie, to ye intent he might cure mine infirmitie, that wherof the first occasion of thy wrath did spring: of the same, he might offer vp to thee a Sacrifice of praise. And that he might rēdre & make me also well pleasing to to thy goodnes by that thing, in the which he sitting now on thy right hand, did alwayes shew & declare him self to be equal with my substance, & as it wer felow with the same. Lo my hope, behold, in whom is all my trust. If thou despise me (as it wer right) for mine iniquitie: yet look vpō me (at the least wise) mercifully [Page] for the charitie of thy beloued sonne. Geue heed to thy sonne, wherby thou maist haue mercy vpō thy bond seruant. Look vppon the sacrament of flesh: & pardon the offences of flesh. How oft so euer thou doost remember the woundes of thy blessed sōne: so oft (I beseche thee) let mine in iquities be hid. And because flesh hath stirred thee to angre: let fleshe (I beseech thee) moue thee to mercy, that like as fleshe hath seduced & led me to sin: so fleshe may get & obtein for me remissiō For certainly it is muche ytmine iniquitie hath deserued, but much [Page] more is it, that the goodnes of my redemer may euen of right require. Mine vnrightousnes is great, but his righteousnes is bigger. For loke how much god is superior vnto man: euen so muche is my malice and euil inferior vnto his goodnes bothe in qualitie and quātitie. For what haue I sinned being a man: that the sonne of God beeing made man hath not redeemed? what pride could be in me so exceding hie: but suche humilitie as was in him, shuld bring it downe? what power of deathe was there in me so great, but the punishment whiche the Sonne of God [Page] suffred vpon the cros migght de face it & vtterly destroy it? Truly my God, if the sinnes of sinfull man should be wayed in a iust & equall balance with the loue & fauor that was in oure redemer toward vs: the East is not so far distant from the West, nor the innermost parte of the earth so muche separated from the vpper most parte of the heauē: as they should be vnlike, so muche les should mine iniquitie be, then is his goodnes. Now (O moste noble creator of light) now pardē mine offences for the vnmeasurable trauailes and paines that thy beloued sonne did sustein.

[Page]Now (I beseeche thee) let his goodnes bee set against my wickednes, his modesty and temperaūce: against mine vngracious frowardnes, and his meeknes against my ferse crueltie. Let his humilitie: recompence my pride, his pacience: mine impacience, his gentlenes: mine vnkinde churlishnes, his obedience: my disobedience, his quyetnes: mine vnquietnes, his plesaūt towardnes: my bitter frowardnes, his sweet facilitie and gentlenes: mine anger and freating fumes, to cōclude let his charitie: make amendes for my hemous and dedetestable crueltie.

Amen.

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¶ A deuout Prayer to the holy Ghost.

NOw (O almighty and holy Ghost) whiche art the loue of the deuine power, the holy participator & partner with the almighty father, and his moste blessed sōne, the moste mercifull comforter of the sorowful, I beseeche thee to slide by thy mighty power into thinward partes of mine hart, that thou dwelling there, maist make glad, and as it were lighten euery dark corner of the neglect and forletten cōtage, wt the bright shining of thy lyght, & that in visiting ye same, yu wouldest ornate & deck [Page] with ye plenteousnes of thy dew ye lothsome places therof, whiche be corrupted with filthines. Kin del the preuy wounded partes of the inner man, with thy holsom flames and with pearcing the in ward partes of my soul entrails with the dart of thy loue. Feed all the inner partes bo the of my minde & body by the illuminating and lightening with ye fire of thy holy & feruent loue. Geue me to drink of thy most pleasaūt riuer, to thintent I may haue no lust to taste any worldly things whiche be mixed with poyson. Geue sentēce with me (o lorde) and defend my cause against the [Page] vngodly nation. Teache me to doo thy wil because thou art my God. For I beleue that in whō so euer thou doost dwell: thou buildest an hous in him for the Father also & the Sonne. Blessed is that man that getteth such a gest, because that by thee, ye father and the sōne also will dwel and abide with him. Come now (O moste louing cōforter of my sorowful soule) whiche art a pro tector in all necessities and an help in troubles and aduersities Como purger of sinnes, healer and curer of woūdes. Come the strength of the fraill and feeble, the releeuer and raiser vp of thē [Page] that slide. Come the instructer & reacher of the humble and meek, the destroyer and plucker down of the proud and stubbern. Com the good and kinde father of the fatherles, the gētle iudge of widowes. Come thou whiche art a gide vnto them that ar tossed in the waues of this tempestuous world, like as a bright and notable star is to them that sail on the sea, an hauen vnto thē that are afraid of shipwrak. Com the wurship & honor of all them that liue, the only health of the dead. Come most holi ghost, come and haue mercy on me, make me meete for thee, and mercifully [Page] graunt vnto me according to ye multitud of thy great mercies ytmy basenes may please thy maiestie, and my weaknes thy allmighty power, for Iesu Christe my sauioures sake, which with the fathers and thine vnitie liueth and reigneth worlde without end.

Amen.

☞ A prayer to the holi Trinitie.

WIth all my hart and mouthe doo I confesse, praise & blesse thee, O God the father vnbegot ten, and thee, O God the sonne only begotten, also thee, O holy ghost and comfortour, to thee be glory in the world of worldes.

Amen.

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An acknowledging of almighty God and his Maiesty.

O Most high Trinitie one only power and vndeuided Ma iesty, our God; God almighty I the abiect and hin moste of al thy seruaunts, confes and acknowledge thee, and beeing the least mēbre of thy church, I wurship thee wt a due sacrifice of praise, for as much as I am able & can, according to that whiche thou hast vouchsafed to endue me wt al. And for as muche as I am destitute of outward gifts to offer vnto the. Those vowes of praise whiche I haue of the gift of thy mercy: behold, willingly & gladly [Page] I offer them to thee, which be an vnfained faith and a pure cō sciece. I beleue therfore with all my hart (O king of heauen) and Lorde of the earth, and with my mouthe doo I confes thee, the father, the sonne and holy ghost, to bee three in persons, and one in substaunce, the true and very God almighty, of one simple, in corporal and inuinsible nature, incomprehensible and of suche a nature as is not in a place, as other natures bee, and that thou hast nothing superiour or aboue thy selfe. or lower, or any thing bigger then thy self. But in all maner of meanes perfect with [Page] out all spot of deformitie, & that thou art great without quantitie, good without qualitie, euer lasting without time, life without death, strong without infirmity or wekenes, true without lying, presēt in euery place with out any situatiō or being placed in any place, to be al eueri where wtout place, fulfilling all things without stretchīg forth thy hād: going euery where without any contradiction or gaine saying, passing ouer al thinges without mouing, abiding win all things without ani kinde of proportiō, making al thinges, hauing need of nothing, gouerning al things without [Page] labor, geuing all thinges their beginning, hauing no beginning thy selfe. Making all thinges mutable and variable, thy self being without all kinde of mutabilitie, in greatnes with oute measure in power almighty, in goodnes the cheef & best, in wisdome inestimable, in counsels, intentes & purposes: terrible and fearfull. In iudgmentes most vpright & iust, in cogitations & thoughtes most secret, in wurdes true, in wurkes holy, in mercies abundant & plentiful, toward offenders most patiēt, to ward the penitēt and those that [Page] be sory for their sinnes most gen tle & louing. Alwayes the same euerlasting and continually cō tinuing immortall, and in commutable impossible to be chaū ged or altered, whom nether the amplitude or largenes of places doth make bigger, nor the short nes or littlenes of places lesser, nor any places or corners, can cō teine or pres together, neyther dooth thy will or intent vary or alter, nor familiaritie or acquaī tance corrupte thee, nor sorowful things trouble or amase the: nor glad thinges make thee plesaunt or frolike (as a man wold say) from thee can forgetfulnes [Page] take nothing, nor mindfulnes, or remembraunce geue any thing, nether are things passed vnto vs passed also vnto thee, nor things whiche to vs are to come, come toward thee, for nether beeginning dooth geue any beginning to thee, nor time any increase, nor yet chaunce geueth thee any end. But before all worldes and in worldes and by worldes into euerlasting, thou doost liue and thou hast continual praise & perpetuall glory, moste hie power & singuler honor, euerlasting king dom and rule and imperie without end, thorow the infinit and vnwery and immortall world of worlds.

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¶ After what sorte God the father vouchedsafe to helpe mankind, and of the incarnation of the wurd, whiche is Christe, and of the geuing of thanks.

HItherto (O almighty God the beholder and sercher of mine hart) haue I acknowledged thal mightifulnes of thy maiesty, & maiesty of thine almightifulnes. But now, like as with hart I beleue (whiche is counted righteousnes vnto me) so with mouth doo I confes before thee (whiche is to my saluation) after what sort and maner thou didst vouchsafe in the end of the world, to succour and aid mankinde. Thou (in deed) only (O [Page] God the father) art not red at any time, or in any place to be sēt. But of thy sonne: the Apostle writeth. When that ye time was fulfilled: God sent his sonne. In that he saith (he sent) he doth sufficiently declare that he, being sent, came into this world, when as he (being borne a very & perfect man of blessed Mary a pure Uirgin) did apeer and shew him self in ye flesh. But what is that, whiche he that is the cheef of the Euangelists dooth say? He was in the world and the world was made my him. Thither, truely, was he sent by his humanitie, where he allway is and [Page] alway hath bene by his diuinitie. The whiche sending or embassage, I beleeue withall my hart and confes with my mouth to be the consent and wurk of al the whole Trinitie. Oh holy & good father, how didst thou loue vs? How great fauour didst thou bear toward vs moste mercifull creator? whiche haste not spared thine owne sonne, but for vs wretched sinners hast deliuered him. He was obedient vnto thee vntill death, yea death vpon a cros, taking ye obligation or hād writing of our sinnes, whiche was his fleshe & fastening it vnto the cros, he crucified sin and [Page] kild death. He a lone, is amongst the dead, free from death, hauing power to put his soule for vs, & to take it again for vs. Therfore was he bothe a vanquisher and a sacrifice, and therfore was he an ouercommer, because he was a sacrifice for vs. He was bothe ye preest & sacrifice, vnto thee, and therfore was he apreest, because he was a sacrifice. Not without a cause haue I great hope in him. Forasmuche as thou wilt make whole all my diseases, for his sake that sitteth on thy right hād and dothe continually make intercession for vs. For my diseases (O Lorde) are great and many: [Page] oh they are many in number & great. For the Prince of this world (as I very well knowe & confes) hath mani things in me. But I beseche thee deliuer me, through our redeemer whiche sitteth on thy righthand, in whō ye said Prince of this world could finde none euill, that was his, of his owne committing. By him doo thou iustify me whome his self did not sin, nether was there any deceit or gile found in hys mouth. By him whiche is oure head, in whom there is not one spot of euill, deliuer me, whiche am one of his members, though I be but a little membre and feble [Page] and weake. Deliuer me (I be sech thee) from my sinnes, offences, faults, & ignoraunces. Fulfill me with thy holy vertues & make me to shine in good maners, make me (I besech the) for thy holy names sake, to cōtinue in holi wurks vntill thend, accor ding to thy will and pleasure.

¶ Of the trust whiche a soule ought to haue in our Lorde Iesu and in his Passion.

I Might dispaire verely because of my manifolde sinnes & negli gences without nūber, if it were not that thy wurd (O God) was made fleshe, and dwelt amongst vs. But I can not now dispaire [Page] because that seeing (when we were enemies) we were reconciled by the death of thy sonne: how muche more, are we (now reconciled) saued by him. For all the hope and the certitude & sure nes of all my trust, is in his precius blud whiche was shed for vs & for our saluation. In him doo I take hartening: and trusting in him: I haue a desire to come vnto the, not hauing mine owne righteousnes, but that whiche I haue through thy sōne our lorde Iesu Christe. For the whiche (O moste mercifull God and moste gentle louer of mankinde) we geue thee thāks, which through [Page] Iesus Christe thy sōne our lord, when we were not, didst mighte ly make vs, and when we were lost through our sinnes: moste merucilously didst deliuer & recouer vs again. To thy goodnes (I say) doo I geue thanks, & manifold praises doo I shew for the to the withall my hart & minde, whiche (through the vnspeakable loue) wherwith thou hast vouchesafed of thy meruelous goodnes to loue vs wretches & (vnwurthy to be loued) didst sēd that same thine only begotten sōne from thy bosome vnto our cōmon weal, to saue vs sinners whiche were at that time ye children [Page] of perdition and damnaciō. I rendre vnto thee thāks for his holy incarnation and natiuitie and for his blessed mother vpon whom he did vouchesafe to take fleshe for vs and for our saluation, to thintent that like as he is very God of God: so he might be very man of man. I geue thee thanks for his passion and cros, for his death and resurrection, for his ascention into heauen & his seat of his maiestie on thy right hand. For he the fortie day after his resurrection, ascending aboue all the heauens (his disciples seeing it) and sitting on thy right hand, did pour out his holy [Page] spirite abundantly according to his promis, vppon them whom he had chosen to be his children. I geue thee thāks for that moste sacred sheding foorth of his precious bloud, wherwith we ar re deemed, & also for the moste holy and quickning sacrifice of his body and bloud, whiche daily in thy churche we feed of & drink of, wherwith we are washed & sanctified, and are made partakers of the only high diuinitie. I geue thee thanks for thy merueilous & vnspekeable charitie & loue wherwith thou didst loue vs vnwurthi persones, and didst saue vs by thine only and be [Page] loued sōne, for so thou didst loue ye world, that thou gauest thine only begotten sonne to thintent that none which beleued in him should perish, but haue euerlasting life. This thing truly is euerlasting life, to knowe thee & also Iesus Christe, whom thou sent to be very God, by an vpright faith and wurkes wurthy for faith.

¶ Of thexceding loue of the euer lasting father toward mankind.

OH vnmesurable pitie and fatherly loue, oh inestimable charitie, that thou shouldest deliuer thy sonne to suffre death to thintent thou mightest redeem [Page] and raunsom a seruaunt. God was made mā, to the intent that man, being lost, might-be plucked out of the powre of deuels. How gētle and kinde a louer of man was thy sōne our God who thought it not enough to humble him self to be made man of the very virgin Mary: but also took vpon him the paines of the cros in sheding his bloud for vs and for our saluation. He came a pitifull God, he came for his pitie & goodnesses sake, he came to serche and to saue that which was lost. He sought the straied sheep, he sought and found, and he being a good Lorde and truly [Page] a very good & pitifull shepherd, brought him home vpō his shulders vnto the foldes of the flock. Oh charitie, oh pitie, who hathe heard any suche things? who is not astonied to cōsider the bowels of so great mercy? who wold not meruail? who would not ho nor & wurship thee for thy great charitie wherwith thou louedst vs? Thou didst send thy sōne into the similitude of fleshe, subiect to sin, that he might condemn sin for sin, that we might be made thy righteousnes in him.

For he was the very lamb with out spot, whiche took away the sinnes of the world, whiche destroyed [Page] our death by diyng him self. But what may we render, vnto thee (our God) for so great benefites of thy mercy? What praises or what thancks? Uerily, if we should haue that same knowledg and power that blessed Angels haue: yet should we not be able to requite thy so great pitie and goodnes with any thing of valure. No if all our mēbres were turned into tungs to repay vnto thee due praises: yet were not our slendernes sufficient. There is one thing that excedeth all knowledge, euen thine inestimable charitie, whiche thou didst shew vnto vs [Page] vnwurthi persons for thy goodnes & pities sake. Thy sonne (O our God) did take vpō him to be the seed of Abraham not of Angels, yea and he was made like vnto vs in all things sin onli excepted. He therfore taking mand nature not angels, and glorifying it with the stole of holi resur rection and immortalitie: caried it aboue the he auens and aboue all the melodious companies of Angels, aboue Cherubin & Seraphin, placing it vpō thy right hand. This humain nature doo Angels praise, all the powers of heauen doo tremble, to see a mā, to be God ouer thē. This truly [Page] is all my hope, all my trust. And this same humain nature is in Iesu Christe our Lorde, who is the porcion of euery one of vs, ye flesh & bloud. Therfore whereas my portion reigneth: there doo I beleue to reign. Wheras my fleshe is glorified: there doo I beleue to be glorified. Where my bloude ruleth: there do I per ceiueme to beare rule. Although I be a sinner, yet I doo not mistrust nor dispair of the communion and partaking of fauour. Although my sinnes doo hinder me & in a maner forbid me: neuertheles my substaunce requireth it. And al be it that mine offences [Page] doo exclude me: yet the cō manion of our nature dothe not expell me. For God is not so vngentle as to forget man, and not to remembre that thing whiche him self beareth, & that whiche for my sake he took vpon him, & that which for my sake he requireth. But truely the Lorde our God is lowly and meek, & wunderfull gentle, and loueth his fleshe, his membres and his bow els. In the very same God our lord Iesus Christe, who is moste gentle, louing and mercifull, in whom we are risen from death, (that is to say) from the state of perdition and eternall damnation, & euen now by him we ascend [Page] into the heauens, & now sit in the heauēs (in him I say) our flesh loueth vs. For we haue in him, & by him a prerogatiue and as it were a preferment of our bloud. For we are his mēbres & his flesh. And he is oure head, of the whiche dependeth the whole body (as it is written) a bone of my bones & flesh of my flesh & thei shalbe two, in one flesh, & no mā at ani time hateth his owne flesh but rather cherisheth and loueth it. This is a great mistery, I speak in Christe, & in the churche saith the apostle.

Of the double nature of Christ, whiche hath mercy vpon vs, and maketh intercession for vs.

[Page]WHerfore with my lips & hart, and with all the might that I may, I rendre thankes vnto thine infinit mercy. o Lorde our god) for all thy mercy, wherwith merueilously thou vouchsafed to help & succour vs that were lost, by the same thy sonne our sauior and recouerer, whiche died for our sinnes, & rose again for our iustification, and liuing, without end sitteth on thy right hand and entreateth for vs, and together with thee, taketh pitie and mercy vpō vs, because he is God thorow thee (O father) euerlasting and of one substance with thee in all things. Wherby alway [Page] he may saue vs, but for as muche as he is man in whichething he is les and inferiour vnto thee, all power bothe in heauen and in earth, was geuen vnto him, that in the name of Iesu euery knee should bow bothe of celestiall, earthly creatures, and also of infernall, that all tūgs may confes that our lorde Iesus Christe is in thy glory (O father almightie He verily was constituted of thee and ordeined to be aiudge of the quick and dead, for thou truly iudgest no man, but all thy iudgement hast geuen to thy sonne, in whose brest all trea sures of wisedom & knowledge [Page] are hid. He truly is bothe a witnes and a iudge, a iudge & a wit nes, whom no sinfull conscience can flee or auoid for al things be thei neuer so secret, are open and euen naked and vncouered vnto him. He verely whiche was vnrighteously iudged himself: shall iudge the whole world in equitie, and the people in rightousnes, and according to iustice. Therfore doo I bles thy name e uerlasting and glorify the same with all my hart (O almighty & mercifull Lorde) for ytvnspeakable and merueilous coniuntiō of godhed and manhod together in the vnitie of a person, & not [Page] after this sort, yt thone should be God, and thother man: but one and the same was bothe God & man, man and God. Neuertheles although by thy merueilous will, the wurd was made fleshe, yet nether of bothe the natures was chaunged into others substaunce. In the mistery of ye Trinitie, there is not afourth persō added. For the substaunce of the wurd of god and of man was vnited and knit together, but not cōfused & mixed, that that thing whiche was taken of vs: should be turned into god, & that which neuer had ben before that time, that is his flesh & manhod shuld [Page] be the same that had ben euer without any beginning, that is, his godhed. Oh meruellous mistery. Oh vnspeakeable felowship. Oh merueilous meeknes of the heauenli mercifulnes, which is euer wurthy merueiling and euer to be loued. We were but vile seruants & beholde we are made the sōnes of god. Yea, and heires of god together wt christe. From whence came this goodnes? and who broughte vs vnto this state? But I require the (O moste mercifull father (by thine inestimable pitie, goodnes & charitie: to make vs wurthy of these many and great promisses of the [Page] same, thy Sonne our Lord Iesu Christe. Send forth thy strength (O God) and establish the thing that thou hast wrought in vs.

Make perfect that whiche thou hast begun, that we may be able to come vnto the fulnes and per fectnes of thy pity. Make vs tho row the holy ghost to vnderstād and thorow thy sōne to deserue, and with due honor allway to wurship this great mistery of thy pitie, whiche is manifest in our fleshe. Iustified in the spirit, did appeere vnto Angels, was preched vnto nations, was bele ued to be in the world, was takē vp into heauen.

Amen.

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¶ Of the thankes whiche man ought to geue vnto God for the benefite of his redemption.

LOok how muche (O Lorde our God) we are in det vnto thee euē for so great a price wer we redeemed, with suche a great gift were we saued, and with so great abenefit helped. How muche ought we wretches to loue, dread, bles, praise, honoure and glorify thee whiche hast so loued vs, after suche facion saued vs, after suche a sorte sanctified vs, so set vs on high. To the truly doo we owe, & are bound, in as muche as we are able, euē our life and all our study or endeuour. [Page] But who hath ani thing that is not thine? But doo thou (O Lorde our God) from whom all goodnes procedeth, euen for thy holy names sake) geue vs of thy goodnes, that we may serue thee of thine owne goods and gifts & that we may please thee in truthe, & repay vnto the daily due praises for so great benefites of thy mercy. For by none other meanes can we serue or please thee, but by thine owne gifts, ytthou hast lent vs, while we be in this world. For euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue, & commeth down from the father of light, with whō there [Page] is none alteration or variablenes neither yet is he changed vn to darknes. O Lorde our God, & a pitifull God, a good God, and almighty God, an vnspekeable God, and incomprehensible, of suche a nature that can not be cō teined as in a place, o god which art the beginner of all things & the father of our Lorde Iesus Christe, whiche diddest send the same thy beloued sōne our lorde, foorth of thy bosome to oure cō mon profite, to take vpon him our life, to thintent he might geue vs his life, & that he might be perfect and very God of thee his father, and very and perfect [Page] man of his mother, a whole and a perfect God, and a whole and perfect man: and yet but one on ly Christe, bothe euerlasting: & enduring but for a space, bothe immortall and mortall, bothe a creator: and a creature, strong: & weke, an ouercommer: and one ouercomed, a nurs: and one that was nurced him self, a shepherd: and a sheep, dead for a time: and liuing with the euerlasting, pro mising to them that loued him the fredom of life. Who said to his disciples, what thing so euer ye ask the father in my name: he will geue it vnto you. For that hie Priestes sake, whiche was al [Page] so a bishop in deed, & a god shepherd, that offred him self in a sacrifice to thee, putting his life in ieoperdi for his flock: for his sake I say (I beseche thee) whiche sitteth on thy right hand & maketh intercession for vs, being our redemer & our aduocate, that thou woldest graunt vnto me that to gether with thy sonne & the holy ghost I may in al things bles and glorify thee with muche cō triciō of hart, and a fountain of teares, with muche reuerence & fear: For the gift of them that be all of one substaunce: is all one. But because abody that is corrupted doth aggrauate & burden [Page] the soule: stir vp and awake I be seche thee) my sluggishnes, with thy pricks and prouokings, and make me boldly to perseuer and continue in thy commaundements and lawes day and night Graunt me that my hart may waxe warme within me, and that in my meditation and praier I may be feruent. And for as muche as thy only sonne said.

No man can come to me except my Father that sent me, shall draw him: & again no man cometh to the father but by me, I re quire and humbly beseche thee, draw me alwaies vnto him, that he at the lēgth may bring me to [Page] thee: thether (I mean) wheras he is sitting on thyrighthand, wher as is euerlastīg life, and continu al blessednes, whereas is perfect loue, without all kinde of fear, where as is one day euerlasting, and one spirit of all men, where as is moste sure securitie & safty, secure quietnes, and quiet plesantnes, pleasaunt felicitie and happines, happy eternitie, continuall and eternall seeing and praising of thee without ende, where as thou with him, and he with thee in the communiō and vnitie of the holy ghost euerlastingly and continually liuest & reignest thorow out all worldes [Page] of worldes.

Amen.

¶ A deuout prayer vnto Christe

O Christe and God, whiche art my hope, and the true & gentle louer of mankinde, the light, the way, the life, the health, the honor and wurship of them that be thine: I beseche thee call to thy remembraunce all things that thou willingly didst suffre for thē, bothe bōds, cros, woūds, death and sepulchre, whiche after thre dayes, death being ouer comed, didst rise, wast seen of thi Disciples, reforming their harts and establishing them that were almoste enclining from thee: the forty day after didst ascend vp to [Page] heauen, which liuest euerlasting ly now, and raignest thorow out worldes, thou art my God bothe liuing and true, my father, & my God bothe holy and pitifull, my mighty king, my good shepherd, mine only Master, my best helper, one, whō I am moste bound to loue, my liuing bread, mine euerlasting preest, my guide vnto my conntrey, my true light, my holy sweetnes, my right & streight way. Mine excellent wisdō, my pure and vnfained simplicitie, my peasible cōcorde, my safe garrison, my good portiō, mine euerlasting helth, my great mercy, my strōgest patiēce, mine vnspotted [Page] sacrifice, my holy redēption, my sure & stedfast hope, my perfit charitie, my very and true resurrection, mine euerlasting life, my ioy and moste blessed vision, & continuall without ende: I humbly beseche thee, I desire and pray thee, that I may walk by thee, that I may come to the, that I may rest in thee, whiche art the way, the truthe & the life without the whiche no man can come vnto the father. Thee doo I desire & couet (O good Lorde) whiche art the brightnes of thy fathers glori, which sittest aboue the Angell called Cherubin, and doost beholde, the lowe and deep [Page] places, whiche art the true light the light ye lightneth all things, the light that neuer faileth nor goeth out, whiche the Angels haue desire to beholde. Loe my hart is before thee in thy sight, put away the darknes from it, that it may fully be replenished with the clearnes of thy loue.

Geue vnto me Lorde thy self, beholde I doo loue thee, & if that be but a thing of small valure: make me to loue the more strōgly and earnestly. I can not mesure to know how muche I lack of thy loue, nether cā I tell, how muche shoulde be sufficient for me, that my life may fulfill his [Page] course in thy loue, and not turn back vntil it be hid in the secrets of thy coūtenance. Neuertheles, this I knowe that it were euell with me, if it were not for thee (O Lorde) and that not only we thoutward things that belong vnto me, but also with the inward things. For all my riches (God except) is but meere pouer tie: but thou only art a tresure & a parcell of riches that canst nether be chaūged into better nor wurs. Thou art he, to whom it is not one thing to liue, and an other thing to liue happely, because thou art thy blessednes, thi happines, and thou art all one.

[Page]But I whiche am thy creature, to whom it is not one thing to liue, and an other to liue blessedly and happily: all, bothe in that I liue, and in that I liue happely, I ought not to at tribute nor refer it to be receiued of any body, but of thy fauour. And therfore haue we need of thee but not yu of vs, because if we were not at al, yet shouldest thou lack nothing of thy goodnes. Therfore (O lorde) it is necessary for vs to stick and cleaue vnto thee, that by thy continuall help we may be able to liue holily, vertuously, and as we ought to liue For with ye waight of our frailnes [Page] we are drawn euer downward, but by thy gift we are stir red & caried vpward: we feruent ly desire to ascend, we make certain ascensions in our harts, lifting thē vpward, & sing ye sōgs of stars, we ye fire of thy loue (I say) are we kindled & moued to go we thee. Whether go we now vpward, vnto ye peace of Ierusalē? because I was glad & did reioice in those things whice were spoken vnto me: we wil go into the hous of our Lorde: there hath he placed vs, we will haue good things, ytwe may wil or dsire no thing els, but to tari and remain ther for euer. But for as much as [Page] whiles we be clad with this bo, dy, we do as it were go a stray & are straungers vnto thee: we haue not heer an abiding place for euer but we seek for one yt is to come. Our abiding place is in heauen. Therfore thy fauor and grace being my guide, I enter in to the chamber of my hart, and sing vnto thee songs of loue (my king & my God) mourning with merueilous sighīgs in this place of my peregrinatiō, wheras thy iustices are made my songs. And when I remember Ierusalem, I extend and stretch forth toward it the sences of my hart: Ierusalem (I say whiche is my coūtrey [Page] Ierusalem which is my mother: and toward thee whiche art a king ouer her, her light, her father, her defender, her patrone, her gouernour, her keeper, her chaste and strong delite, her only and whole pleasure, & all her goodnes comes of thee, because thou art ye cheef good & the true good, & I will neuer turn back, vntil thou bring me home from this Pilgrimage (in whiche I am deformedlt scattered abrode) vnto the peace of my deerely beloued mother, wheras be ye first frutes of my spirite, and vntill thou (O God which art my mer cy) fashiō me and confirm me for euer

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¶ A prayer declaring with how great miseries this life is replenished.

I Am wunderfull wery (O lord) of this life and of this careful & painfull pilgrimage. This life is a wretched life, a life that will soon fade awai, an vncertain life a painfull life, an vnclean life, a life that wurthely may be called the maistres of all euils, ye queen of pride, full of miseries and errours whiche is not wurthy to be called a life, but rather a death, in the whiche euerihoure, we die by diuers defects & failings of nature, by mutabilities, alteratiōs & diuers kindes of deaths. How can we therfore, call this [Page] that we liue in this world, a life whiche is puffed vp and swollen often with humours, made lene and feble with sorowes, dried with angres and hot hasty furies of the minde, the air filleth it full of diseases, metes doo infect it, fasting doo extenuat and make it lean, pastimes maketh it to dissolute and rechles, pensiuenes doth consume and waste it, trouble and vexation dooth shorten and lessen it, securitie and to much ease: maketh it dul and nothing lusty, riches setteth it a flote and puffeth it vp into pride, pouertie dismayeth and discourageth it, youth dooth [Page] extoll it, age lameth it. Infirmitie breaketh it, sorow oppresseth it. And immediatly after these euils as though it were by succession, commeth death, and maketh an end of all ye ioyes of this miserable life, after suche a sorte that a man wold not think (whē he leaueth this life) to haue liued at all. This liuing death, & dying life, although it be sprinkled and mixt with these and other so rows & miseries: yet (Oh good Lorde) how many men dooth it catche and entangle with her en tising snares? & how many dothe she deceiue with her deceitfull & fals promises? And for all that [Page] she of her self is so fals & bitter, that her blinde louers can not be kept long secret nor close vnknown: yet doth she daily cause an infinite numbre of fooles to drink of the golden cup, whiche she beareth in her hand, yea and maketh them vtterly drunken with the loue of her. Happy are they, but very few of them is there that refuse her acquaintance and familiaritie or that dispise to vse her ioyes, or that neglect her frendship and felowship, least when theyr deceiuer perisheth, that they should perish also.

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¶ Of the blessednes of that life whiche God hath prepared for them that loue him.

BUt thou heauenly life, thou art she whom God hath ordeined & prepared for them that loue him, thou art the heauenly life, the blessed life, the sure life, the quyet life, the fair life, the clean life, the chastelife, the holy life, the life that knowest no death, knowest no sadnes or pen siuens, a life without spot, with out dolor, without vexatiō, with out corruption, without trouble without varietie or mutabilitie, a life moste full of plesure & dignitie, wher as is none aduersary to striue against a man, no intice [Page] ments of sinnes, where as is per fect loue without all maner of feare, wher as is day continually an done spirit of all men.

Wheras God is seen face to face and the minde is fed with this meat of life without end, I haue a very good minde and desire to mark and geue heed to thy clear nes, with thy goods, the desire and appetite of my hart is delited. Look how muche I am able to considre with my self, in musing and thinking of thy com modities: euen somuche am I rauished and rapt with thy loue with the ardaunt desire of thee, and with the sweet and comfortable [Page] remēbrace of thee, am I wunderfully delited. I haue a plesure therfore, surely to lift vp the eyes of my hart vnto thee, to erect the state of my minde, and conform or fashion the affects of my minde vnto thee: It pleaseth me to talke of thee, to hear of thee, to write of thee, to confer & meditate of thee, to rede euery day of thy blessednes and glory, and to muse often times in my minde of the things I haue red concerning thee, that at the least by suche meanes, I being vnder the sweet refreshing and comfor ting of thy liuely air, may pas from the vexations, ieoperdies, [Page] labours, & traueils of this mortall life that will soon perish, & ytin passing I may lay my weary head in thy bosom to slepe or to rest a little, for this cause doo I enter into the plesaūt medow of the holy scriptures, & in plow ing, I pluck the goodliest green herbes of sentences, and in reading I doo eat them, and in frequenting I doo meditate, and as it were cud them, and in gathering them together, at the last I lay them vp in my memory, that by suche meanes when I haue tasted of thy sweetnes, I may sumwhat les feel the bitternes of this moste wretched life. O [Page] thou moste happy life, oh kingdom whiche art blessed in deed, whiche lackest death, whiche art without ende, no time doth successifly pas at any time to thee. Wheras continual day without night knoweth no time, wheras that capitain and conquerour is accōpanied with those queres of angels, singing of himnes & songs, they sing vnto God with out ceassing, the balet of Balets of Sion. Oh moste noble head which art compassed about with a perpetuall crown, oh that par dō and forgeuenes of my sinnes were graunted vnto me, and thē immediatly, this burden of my [Page] flesh laid awai, that I might enter into thy ioyes to haue true rest, and that I might get within the goodly & beutifull walles of thy citie to receiue a crown of life at the hand of our Lord, that I might be amongst those moste holy queres, that I might stand with the moste blessed Spirites of the creator of glory, that I might see presently the countenaunce of Christe, that I might behold alwaies ye moste his & vnspekeable light, incōprehensible which cā not be cōteined as in a place. And so I should not onli be out of al feare of death: but also [Page] I might reioyse alwayes at the gifte of euerlastyng incorruption.

Amen.

¶ Heare doo wee complain that we be not moued nor pricked in our contem plation and prayer like as the angels be which tremble at the sight of God.

PArdon me (O Lorde) pardon me, mercifully forgeue me & haue mercyvpō me, spare mine ignoraunce and my great vnper fectnes, doo not reproue me as a rash felow, because I dare be so bolde which am but thy seruaūt but would to God I were ether a good seruaunt, or none vnprofitable nor euill seruaunte. And therfore am I an euill man because I prayse, blesse & wurship [Page] thee which art our God almighty, terrible and very much to be feared, I wurship thee (I saye) without contricion of hart and without a well of teares. For if so be that the angels when they wurship and praise thee, doo trē ble being fulfilled with marueilous gladnes: I whiche am a sin ner, whiles I stande before thee saying praises and offeringe sacrifice, why am I not afraid in my harte? why am I not pale in my countenaunce? why doo not my lippes quake and tremble? why is not all my body afraide? and why doo I not mourne and bewaile before thee after suche▪ a [Page] sorte that teares might springe out of mine eyes: I wolde fayne but I am not able, because I can not doo that whiche I desire to doo. This maketh me truly, wō derfully to maruell, that I am no more moued when I see with the eyes of my faith, thee which art so fearfull But who can doo any thing without the helpe of thy Grace? Except thou make our stony hartes to relent: we of oure selfs ar not able to mollifie them, but all our healthe dependeth vpon thy great mercye. O wretche that I am, how is my soule made without any feeling or perseueraunce? that it is not [Page] afrayde with ouer muche feare whiles it standeth before God & sīgeth to him his owne praises? Alas how is my hart so hardned, that myn eyes doo not gush out great fluddes of teares without ceassing, when I whiche am but a seruaunte or bondman, doo cō mon and talke in my Lorde and masters presēce? Yea a mā, with God, a creature with a creatour. I that am made of the slime of the earthe, doo speake with him that made al things of nothing? Put me before thee▪ (O Lorde) and what so euer I perceyue of my self in the secrets of my hart, [Page] I doo not keep it close from thy brotherly eares. Thou art riche in mercy & liberall in rewards, geue mè of thy goods, that with them I may serue the. For with nothīg els cā we serue or please thee, but with thin owne giftes whiche thou hast vouchsaued to bestow vpon vs. Fasten I beseche thee thy feare in myfleshe. Let my hart reioice and be glad to feare thy name. Would God my sinfull soule feared thee so muche, as that holy man the whiche saide, I alwayes: feared God as though it were greate swellīg fluddes should come and tumble vpon me. O God the geuer [Page] of all good thinges, geue me emongst thy praises, a well of teares, with the purenes of hart and reioising of mind, that I loving thee perfetly and wurthily praising thee may feel, taste and sauour, in the palace of myhart, how swet and pleasaūt thou art (O Lorde) as it is written. Doo ye tast and see how sweet & delectable the Lorde is. Blessed is the man that putteth his trustin him. Blessed is yt people whiche knoweth glad and ioifull praising. Blessed is the man whose stregth is in thee, in whose hart ar thy wayes, which going thorow the vale of misery, vse it for [Page] a well. Blessed ar the cleane in hart because they shall see God. Blessed are thay that dwell in the house of the Lorde, they shal praise thee worlde without end.

¶ A veri deuoute prayer for the geuing of thankes.

O Lorde Christe which art the wurd of the father, whiche came into this world to saue sin ners. I beseche thee by the most louing bowels of thy mercy, to amend & repaire my lyfe, make better my dedes, take thou thorderyng of my maners, take from me that whiche noyeth and hurteth me, and displeaseth the: and geue me that which thou knowest [Page] will please thee & proffit me. Who can make clean yt which is cōceiued of an vncleane sead but thou alone? Thou art the god almighty, of infinite pietie, which dost iustifie and make righteous euen those that were wicked mē and raisest again to life thē that were dead in sin, thou chaungest sinners and they are no sinners. Take away therfore from me, what so euer is in me that pleaseth not thee, for thine eyes doo see muche vnperfectnes in me. Lay thy hand I besech the of thy pitie on me, & whatsoeuer offendeth ye eyes of thy pitie, remoue it from me. In thy sight is bothe my health and my disease.

[Page]The one I beseche thee to preserue the other to cure: doo thou heale me (O Lorde) and I shal be healed: doo thou make me safe & I shal be saued. Thou I meane which dost make hole them that be diseased, & dost preserue them that be cured, which onely with a beck dost restore and repaire thinges that be decayed & fallen into ruī. For if thou wilt vouch safe to sow any good seed in the feld of my hart, of necessitie thou must pluck vp first with the hād of thy pitie, the thornes a fvices whiche be in it. Put in my harte I beseche thee, so great plentie of delectacion in the, that I may [Page] desire no earthly or carnal thing nor yet thīk vpon them, but that I may loue thee alone, yt I may haue thee only in my hart and in my mouth. Write with thy fingar in my brest, the delectable re membraunce of thy sweet name & soo that it may be blotted oute with no forgetfullnes. Write thy wil in ye tables of mine hart, and also thy iustifications, that I may alwayes & in euery place haue thee (O Lorde) before min eyes in my sight. Enflame my mind with that fire, which thou diddest send into the earth, and willedst it to be kindled, that I might offre vnto the daily with [Page] teares, a sacrifice of a troubled spirit and a repentaunt hart. O swete Christ, O good Iesu, euē according vnto my desire and euen as I hartely require thee with my whole minde, geue me thy holy and chast loue, whiche may replenish and kepe me & also fully posses me. Geue me an euident signe and token of thy loue, a flowing well of teares whiche will cōtinually run, that those teares may somwhat testifie thy loue in me, yt they may shew forth, that thei may declare how much my soule loueth thee, whiles for the great delectacion it hath in ye swetnes of thy loue: [Page] it may not refreine from teares. I call to my remembraunce fom times good lorde, that vertuous womā Ann, which came to ye tabernacle to pray ye thou woldest send her a sonne, of whō the scrip ture maketh mencion yther coū tenaunce (after her teares and prayers) was not again chaunged or altered. But whē I think apon so great vertue, cōstance & stedfastnes: I am vexed with sorow and cōfounded with shame, because I a wretchedoo perceiue my self to be fallen ouer muche from thee. For if a woman did weep after suche a sorte and continued so in weeping, which [Page] did serche for nothing els but a sonne: how ought my soule to mourne and to persist and abide in weping, that seeketh & loueth God, and hathe a desire to cum vnto him? how ought suche a soule to mourne & weep, whiche seeketh God day & night, which will loue nothing but Christ?

My teares now truly should be made vnto me, meat day & night Looke vppō me therfore (o lord) and take pitie on me because the dolours and sorowes of my hart are many in numbre. Geue me thy heauenly consolation & doo not despise nor cast away a sinfull soule for the whiche thou [Page] didst die. Geue me inward teares I beseche thee from the botome of min hart, which may wash away the spottes of my sinnes.

Replenish my soule alwayes wt heauenli delectacion and heauely mirth, yt I may obteine some litle porcion or part in thy kingdome, although not emongst the perfect men whose stepes I cannot folow: yet at the least wise emongst the inferiour sorie. The marueilous deuotiō of an other woman cumeth now vnto my minde, whiche with a vertuous loue did seek thee lying in the sepulchre, whiche when thy discipies went away and departed [Page] from thee, did remain with thee her self, whiche sat there sad and sorowfull weping long and very muche, and when she did arise she serched with a diligent eye and with many teares the corners of the sepulchre whiche was left emptie, if the might espie thee out in any place, whom she with a feruent desire sought. Yea and more ouer she went again and again to the sepulchre, but that was not ynough vnto her, nether did it satisfie her desire. For ye grace of a good wurk is to perseuer and continue in the same. And because she did loue more then other, and that [Page] in louing she wept and in weping she serched, & in searching she continued, therfore was it thy pleasure that she should first finde thee, see thee, and talke with thee before all other.

And not only this, but also she was a tidinges berer of thy glorious resurreccion vnto thy disciples, when thou didst commaund her and bid her, goo and tell my brethern that they goo vnto Galile, there they shall see me. &c. Seyng therfore that a woman did weep after suche a sorte and continued in weeping, whiche did seeke him [Page] that was aliue among the dead: whiche touched thee wt the hand of her faith: how ought a soule to mourne and to cōtinue in mourning, which beleueth in the, and with his mouth dooth acknowlege thee to be his redemer that sittest now in heauen & reignest euery where? How muche therfore ought such a soule to mourn & wepe, which loueth thee with all his hart, and with his whole desire doth couet to see thee? Oh onely refuge, the only hope of wretches, vnto whom no man nedeth at any time to pray with out hope of mercy, graunt vnto me this grace for thy sake, and [Page] for thy holy names sake, that as oft as I think vpon thee as oft as I speake of thee, write of the, rede of thee, cōfer of thee, as oft as euer I remembre thee, stand before thee, offre vp prayses, prayers and sacrifice vnto thee: so oft I may wepe aboundauntly with teares in thy sight, so yt my teares may be to me in stead of bread day and night. Thou tru ly king of Glory and master of all vertu, hast taught vs with thy wurd and with thin exsample to mourne and wepe, wher as thou saist. Blessed be they ytmourne, for they shalbe conforted. Thou didst weep for thy [Page] frende that was dead, and didst let teares fall downe plenteously for the citie whiche shulde perish. I beseche thee (O good Iesu) by those most precious teares and by all thy mercies and pieties, wherwith thou didst vouch safe meruelously to helpe & succour vs that were lost: geue me the grace to weep and to be earnestli repentaunt for my sinnes, whiche grace my soule desireth and coueteth very muche, and except it cum of thy gift: I can not haue it, but by the holy ghost whiche dooth mollify the hard harts of sinners, and prouoketh them to weping.

[Page]Geue me the grace of teares, like as thou gauest to our forfathers, whose exāples we ought to follow, that I may bewayle my self in all my life, like as thei did bewaile them selues day and night. Geue me the dew of thy grace from aboue, and also a dew of teares benethe, that my teares may be vnto me in stead of bread day and night: and that I may be made in thy sight (O Lorde my God) by the fier of thy prouocation, a fat and acceptable sacrifice. Make me to be mor tified & killed vpō thaltar of min hart, & that I may be receiued [Page] of thee as a fat and a swete smel ling sacrifice. Geue vnto me (O good Lorde) a plentefull flowing and cleare well of teares, in the whiche I may wash continu ally this foule and spotted sacrifice. For although I haue offred vp my selfe, wholy vnto thee, by the help of thy grace. Yet neuertheles in many thinges I offend thee dailly, because of my great fragilitie and weaknesse. Eeue me therfore the grace of teares (O blessed God) and most especially thorow the great swetnes of thy loue & the remembraunce of thy mercies, prepare this table for thy seruaunt in thy sight, [Page] and geue me power that as oft as I list I may be satisfied of it. Graunt vnto me for thy goodnes and pitie, that this thy cup replenished and filled full, may satisfie my thirst, that my spirit may couet thee, & that my mind may burne in thy loue, forgetting all vanitie and misery.

Heare (my God) heare, thou that art the sturrer vp, and quickner of my dull eares, heare what I desire & aske: and geue me grace to ask that which thou hearest.

O pitifull Lorde, which art wōt to be easyly entreated, be not hard to be entreated of me because of my sinnes, but for thy [Page] goodnes receiue the prayers of thy seruaunt: and graunt me theffect of my peticion & desire.

¶ In this prayer mans minde is very muche and plenteously stirred & moued, if it be said in quietnes.

O Lord Iesu, o gentle and louīg Iesu, o good Iesu which didst vouchsafe to dye for oure sinnes, & didst rise again for our iustificacion, I beseche thee by thy glorious resurrectiō, to raise me vp oute of the sepulchre of vices and all my sinnes, & geue me dayly parte in thy first resurreccion to thintēt I may receiue some part in the latter resurreccion. O most mighty king which [Page] didst ascend into heauē, with the triumphe of thy glory, and sittest on the right hand of thy father, draw me vpward towards thee, that I may run after thee in the swete sauour of thine anoyntments. Let me run & not faint when thou drawest me and leadest me running: draw the mouth of the soule that thirsteth after thee, vnto the high fluddes and streames of thine eternall a bundaunce & sacietie, yea draw me holly vnto thy self which art the liuing well, to thintent I may according to my capacitie, drinck of that wherupon I doo liue.

[Page]O my God my life, thou didst say wt thy holy & blessed mouth, If any man thirst, let him cum vnto me and drincke. O well of life, graūt vnto my thirstie soule alway to drink of thee, that according to thy holy and true pro mise, waters of life mai flow out of my belly. O well of life replenish and fill my minde full of the riuer of thy pleasure. Make my hart to be drunken as it were in thy loue, that after the maner of the that be drunken with wine, whiche forget all thinges saue ye cup: so I may forget al vain and earthly things, and continually haue nothing els in my remembraūce [Page] but the only, according as it is written, I remembred God and was delited. Geue me the holy Ghost whom those waters did signifie, whiche yu didst promise to geue to thē that thirsted after thee. Graunt I beseche thee) that I may assay to goo wt my hole desire and all my study toward yt place vnto the whiche, we beleue thon didst ascend the forty day after thy resurreccion, that in this presēt misery I may be onely in body: but in thought and desire, alwayes with thee: ytmy hart may be there where as thou art whiche art my treasure wurthy to be coueted, and much [Page] to be loued, wherwith no treasure is wurthy to be compared. In this greate flud of this life, where as wee are tossed with stormes on euery side, there is no stedfast standing or place high inough aboue the waters, no not for the foote of a doue to rest vpon in this (I say) there is no safe or quiet peace: nowhere any sure rest: euery wher battail and strife: euery where enemies and fightings without dores, & feare at home within dores. And for asmuch as the one part of vs is heauenly, and the other earthly: our bodi whiche is corrupted, doth loden and is burdenous vn [Page] to the soule. Therfore my mind whiche is my felow and frend, being weri with wādering forth of the way, is sick and lieth all to torne andrent of those things whiche it hathe passed by. It hongreth and thirsteth greatly after vanities, & I haue nothing to set afore it, because I am poor and a begger. Thou (O Lorde) my God, art riche in all good thinges, and the most plenteous geuer of the dainties of heauenly sacietie: geue meat vnto the wery, not suche as it lusteth after, but suche as is conuenient for it: gather together the disper sed: renew and refresh the corne, [Page] Loo he standeth at the dore and knocketh. I beseche thee by the bowels of thy mercy, wherwith thou being the day spring from an high hast visited vs, open the hande of thy pitie to a wretche that knocketh, & vouchsafe mercifully to bid him entre in to the, and that he may rest with thee, & be refreshed of thee, whiche art the liuing and heanenly breade, wherwith when he is once fed, and that his strength is cummed to him again: he may ascend vnto more high thinges. And being lifted vp out of this vale of misery & teares, with the wings [Page] of his godly desire, he may flye vnto the heauenly kingdome.

Let my spirit (O Lord I beseche thee) take winges as an Egle, & fly without fainting, let it flye and come to beautifulnes of thy house and to the place where thy glory dwelleth, wher as vpon ye meat tables of thy supernal citizens, it may be fed of thy secrets, in the place of thy pasture, by the most plentifull riuers sides. Let my hart rest in thee my God, my hart I say, whiche is as thoughe it were a great sea swellīg with waues. Thou which didst rebuke the winds and the sea, and there was made streight way a great [Page] calme: cum and walke vpon the fluddes of min hart, yt all things whiche belonge vnto me may be made calme & clere, that I may embrace thee whiche art mine onli God, and that I may behold thee whiche art the swete light of mine eyes, without any blind darknes of troublesom cogitacions & thoughtes. Let my minde flie (O Lorde) vndre the shadow of thy wings from heat that it being couered with the tamperatnes of thy pleasaunt colenes, may sing ioifully and say. I will lay me doune and rest in peace.

Let my memory sleep (O my [Page] God I beseeche thee) from all euils, make it to hate iniquitie & to loue righteousnes. For what cā be better or more delectable, then in the middest of the darknes of this life, and emongst the manifold and bitter miseries of the same, to desire feruentli hea uenly swetenes? to couet euerlasting blessednes? a mans mind to be holde euer there, where as he may be moste sure to haue infallible and true ioyes. O Lorde whiche for thy louing kindnes art moste wurthy to be desired and coueted of al thinges: when shall I see thee? When shall [Page] I appeare before thy face? when shall I be satisfied of thy glory? when wilt thou bring me forthe of this darke prison, that I may confesse thy name, so that afterward I be no more pricked? whē shall I passe & goo to that marueilous and beautifull house of thine, wheras the voice of gladnes and reioising doth sound in the tabernacles of iust men?

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house (O Lorde) they shall praise thee euer worlde without ende. Blessed ar they, yea blessed in dede, whom thou hast chosen, and taken into that heauenly in heritaunce. Behold (O Lord thy [Page] sainctes florish before thee like vnto lilies, for they are replenished with the plēteousnes of thy house, and thou doost geue them to drink of the flowing riuer of thy pleasure, because thou art ye well of life, and in thy light and brightnes they doo see light, soo greatly that they them selues, whiche are a light, whiche was made bright by the, o god which doost geue them light, doo shine like vnto the sonne in thy sight. O how marueilous how faire & beautifull, how acceptable are thy mancions & dwelling places of thy house, O Lord of powers. My sinfull soule doth couit to en [Page] tre into them. O Lorde I haue loued the comlynes of thy house and the place where thy glory dwelleth I asked one peticion of the Lorde, and the same will I require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lorde all the dayes of my life. Like as the hart coueteth to goo vnto ye water brooks euen so dooth my soule desire to come vnto thee. O God. When shall I come and appeare before the face of my Lord? When shal I see God after whom my soule longeth very sore? whē shal I see him in the land of ye liuing? For in this land of the dead, he can not be seen we mortal eies: what shal I doo wretch yt I am, which [Page] am fettred wt the heaui giues of mortalitie? What shall I doo? whiles we cōtinue in this body, we go astray frō ye lordé, we haue here no abidīg place for euer but we labour for one yt is to come. Our free citie is in heauē. Wo is me, me think I dwel emongst ye barbarous nations & infidels, & not emongst the faithfull Israelites, I led my life in ye tentes of Cedar. My soule hath dwelt too long with them that hate peace and quietnes. Who will geue me wings as a doue that I may flye & rest me. There is nothing that I desire or delite so muche in, as to be in my Lords cōpany, [Page] it is good for me to cleaue vnto God. Oh graunt me, (O lorde) whiles I am in this fratle membres, to stick vnto thee, as it is written, he that cleaueth vnto the Lorde is all one spirit with him. Geue me therfore I beseche thee, the winges of contempla cion, wherwith when I am appareled, I may flye vpward, and for asmuche as euery vnlucky & infortunate thing lyeth beneth: doo thou, O Lorde, holde vp my minde, lest it fall headlong, into the lowest botomes of the dark valley, and lest the shadow of the earth shulde come betwene and seperate it from thee, that [Page] art the bright sonne of rightwisnes: & lest it, once hid with the cloudes of darknes: should not haue libertie, but be letted to looke for heauēli thinges which be aboue. Therfore I doo assay to goo vpward vnto the ioyes of quietnes and peace, and vnto the delectable and pleasaunt state of light. O hold my hart with thy hand, because it can not be draw en vnto high things withoute thee. Thither doo I make haste where as moste cheef and principall peace reigneth and continu all quietnes shineth forth. Hold and gouern my spirit, and take it according to thy will, that [Page] thou beīg a guide vnto it: it mai ascend into the region and contrey of plentifulnes, whereas thou feedest Israell euerlastingly, with the food of truthe, to thintent that there, at the least wise with my swift cogitacion & thought, I may com nie thy wis dom, which remaineth aboue al things: ouer passeth all thinges and gouerneth all thinges. But alas there be many thīgs, which when my soule would fly vnto thee, doo cry oute vppō it. Commaund thē all, O lorde to holde their peace, & speak not vnto me As for my soule it self, let it geue neuer a wurd to answer. Let it [Page] pas by all thinges. Let it clime aboue al thinges that be created and come vnto thee, and that it may fasten the eyes of faith vppon thee, which art the only creator of all things. Let it couit vnto thee, and be bent towards thee, Let it think vppon thee by meditacion and contemplacion. Let it lay thee before his eyes for it self, let it rolle and tos thee in his hart: thee I say whiche art the true and cheef goodnes, and the ioy that will remayne euer without ending. Ther is surely mani cōtēplacions, in the which mans soule is marueylously fed of thee. But in none of them is my soule so much delited, nor yet [Page] ha the so good rest in, as in thee: and when as it thinketh vpon thee, and hathe thee onely in cō templatiō. Oh how much is thy swetnes, O Lorde, how meruei lousli dost thou enspire the harts of them that loue thee? How delectable is thy loue, the fruicion wherof they haue that loue nothing but thee: they seek for no thing els, they couet to think of nothing els. Happy are they whose only hope thou art, which haue no trust but in thee only & all their whole wurk is prayer. Blessed is he that sitteth solitarili alone and holdeth his peace, & standeth vpon his warde that [Page] he is set to kepe, continualli day and night, that yet whiles he is in this fratle body, he may be able to taste somewhat thy pleasaūtnes. I require thee by those thy woundes whiche bringe health vnto vs, whiche wounds thou suffredst vppon the crosse for our health, out of the which thy precious bloud wherewith thou redemed vs, did distill and drop downe: wounde this my sinfull soule, for the whiche also thou didst vouchesafe to dye.

Wounde it (I say) with the firy and mighty darte of thy greate charitie. For the wurde of God is liuely and effectuous: & more [Page] pearcing & sharp then any two edged sworde. Thou, O chosen dart & most sharp sword, whiche arte able by thy power to perce thorow the hard sheeld or buckler of mans hart, fasten & stick the shaft of thy loue in my hart, that my soule may say vnto thee, I am wounded with thy charitie, so that forth of that same woūd of thy loue, teares may flowe most plenteously bothe day and night. Strike O Lord, strike I beseech thee, this most indurated and hardened mind of mine with the sharp dart of thy loue, & perce it deper & deper into the inermost partes therof by thy mightie power, & so bring oute [Page] of my head, abundaunce of water, and out of mine eyes a very well of teares continually running thorow the great affect & maruelous desire to see thy glory, ytI may mourn day & night without taking any comfort in this life, vntill in thy heauenly wedding chambre, I may se thee my welbeloued and beautifull spouse, my god & my Lord. And that there when I see thy glorious, marueilous and beautifull face, ful of all swetnes, togither with them whiche thou haste chosen: then I say, I may wurship humbly thy maiesty: & there at the laste beeing replenished with heauenly and vnspeekable [Page] reioising of euerlasting gladnes I may euen cry out with them that loue thee (saying) Beholde that whiche I haue long desired now I haue obteined. For I am ioyned in heauen vnto him, whō when I was in earth, I loued with all my strength, with all my charitie I embrased him, vnto whom with all my loue I did stick & cleaue. Him doo I praise, blesse and wurship that liueth & reigneth God worlde without ende.

Amen.

A prayer in time of tribulation.

HAue mercie on me (o Lorde) haue mercie on me a moste wretched sinner, whiche doo cō mit [Page] wickedli, and doo suffre ther fore worthely, whiche doo sin cō tinualli, & suffre thy scourge ther fore daily. If thou take my daily tribulacion as a recompence for the euils whiche I haue cōmitted: then it is not somuch that I suffre. For it is a great deale more greuous which I haue tres passed, then yt whiche I doo suffer. Thou art iust, O Lord, & thy iudgemēt is according to right. Yea all thy iudgmentes ar iust & true, and thou, O lorde our god, art iust and righteous: for there is none iniquitie in thee. Thou dost not vniustli, nor yet cruelly scourge and punish sinners, O [Page] all mighty and mercifull God, whiche when we had no beyng at all didst mightily create and make vs. And when we were lost by oure owne faulte, thou by thy pitie and goodnes, marueilously didst recouer vs.

I know and am very certayn & sure, that our life is not led by so den motions, but it is disposed and gouerned of thee, O Lorde our god. Wherby I know thou takest care for all men, and most chiefly for thy seruaunts, whiche haue put theyr whole hope in thine oneli merci. Therfore doo I beseche & humbli require the, that thou woldst not deale with [Page] me accordīg to my sinnes, wherwith I haue deserued thine angre: but according to thy great mercifulnes, whiche exceadeth, yeathe sinnes of the hole world. Thou, O Lorde which outward ly doost punish & scourge, graunt me in wardli a pacience that wil neuer faile, so that thy praise ne uer depart away frō my mouth. Haue merci on me, o lorde, haue mercy on me & help me, as thou thinkest best to be most necessary for my body and soule. Thou knowest all thinges: thou canst doo all thinges, whiche liuest for euer and euer.

¶ A very deuout prayer to the sonne.

[Page]O Lorde Iesu Christe sonne of the liuing God, which being vpon the cros with thy handes spred abroade for the redemptiō of all mankinde didst drinke the most bitter cup of thy passion I beseche thee that thou woldest vouchsafe to geue me help this day & euer. Lo, I a poore wretch cum vnto thee, whiche art riche, a sinner vnto thee that art mercifull. Let me not retourn home contemned and dispised with no thing. I begin a hungred, let me not leaue of fasting I cum vnto thee as though. I wer famished, let me not go away vnfed. Althoughe before I eate, I sigh & [Page] sorow: yet after my sorow, geue me somwhat to eate. First of all good Iesu, I acknowledg before thy maiestie mine vnrighteousnes towards thee. Beholde, O Lorde, I was conceyued in sin & borne in the same: & thou didst wash them of from me, & sanctified me: but I afterward defiled my selfe with bigger and more greuous sinnes. For I was born in sin of necessitie, because I could be borne none otherwise. But afterward I rolled my self willingly in sinnes. Neuertheles thou, O Lorde being mindful of thy pitie, didst take me out of the house of my carnall father [Page] & out of the tents of the vngodli and hast enspired me & put me in mind to folow thee, with the ge neration of them that seeke thy face, of thē that walke in ye right pathe, of them that abide & continew emongst the lillies of chastitie: & of them that sit downe together wt the at supper of most scarcitie & least exces. But I an vnkinde person, forgetting soo many great benefites, after that I was entred into religion & holines did cōmit many vnlawful things. I did offend wunderfull vngraciously: & where I shuld of right, haue amended min euill life, and lest my sinnes: I heaped [Page] sīns vpō sinnes, & these be the euils, o Lorde wherwith I haue dishonored the, & haue spotted & defiled my self (whom thou didst creat after the similitude and lik nes of thine own self) with pride vaine glory and other many euills wherwith mine vnlucky soule is vexed, punished, torne & destroyed. Beholde, o lord mine vnrighteousnes is gon ouer my head and ar like a sore burden, ouer heauy for me to beare. And except thou, whose propertie is euer to haue mercy & to forgeue, doo lay vnder me ye right hand of thy maiesty: I shalbe cōstrained miserably to sink in to the deep and be drouned.

[Page]Geue heed, o Lord god & behold, because thou art hooly, Looke how mine enemie assaulteth me saying, God hath forsaken him, I will persecute him and catche him, because there is no mā that will deliuer him. But thou lord how long? Turne again & delyuer my soule, saue me for thy mercies sake. Haue mercy vpon thy sōne, whō thou hast brought forth with no small sorow and paine: & be not so ententife vnto mine euilnes, that thou forget thine owne goodnes: what father is there but he will deliuer his sonne? yea & what fathers is there that will not correcte his [Page] sonne and chasten him? but with the rod of pity. Therefore, O father and Lorde, although I be a sinner yet can I not chuse but be thy son, because thou hast made me, and made me again when I was mard with sinne. Repaire & amend me now, o Lord, but first of all, I being mended & chastised with thy scourge, deliuer me to thy sonne. Can a mother forget the child she bare of her wōb and sureli, although she sōtimes be forgetful: yet thou (O father, hast promised not to forget vs. Behold I cry and thou dost not heare me▪ I am vexed with sorow and thou confortest me not. [Page] What shall I say? or what shall I doo, most wretched caitife that I am? I beīg desolate of so great comforte, am cast out from the sight of thine eyes. Wo be vnto me: from how great goodnes, into how great a mischefe am I fallen? whether purposed I to go, and whether am I comen? Where am I? and where am I not? whom did I study to attein▪ vnto? and what euils haue I obteyned? I sought for good thīgs, and beholde I haue found trouble & care. Behold now I am in the state of deathe, and Iesus is not with me. And surely it were better for me to haue nothing at [Page] all, yea no beyng at all: thē to be without Iesu. It is better not to liue then to liue without life. And thou O Lorde Iesu, where be thine olde mercies? wilt thou be angry towardes me for euer? Be pacified I beseche thee, and haue mercy vpon me, and turne not thy face away frō me, which to thintēt thou mightest redeme me, didst not turne a way thy face from thē that rebuked thee and spitted vpon thee. I confes and acknowledge that I haue sinned and my conscience deserueth damnacion and the penaunce that I am able to doo is not sufficient to make amēds [Page] for mine iniquities. But sure & certain I am that thy mercy exceadeth all offences that a man can doo. Oh doo not (I beseche thee most pitifull Lorde) write my heynous sinnes against me, yt thou shuldest entre into iudgement with thy seruaunt. But ac cording to the multitude of thy mercies, cros & blot out mine in iquities. Wo be vnto me wretch that I am, when the day of iudg ment commeth, and the bookes of consciences shalbe layd wide open: when it shalbe said of me Lo, looke vpon this felow & his wurkes: What shall I doo then, O Lorde my God, when the hea [Page] uens shall reuele and shew forth mine iniquitie, & the earth shall arise vp and testifie mine iniquitie, against me? Beholde I shalbe able to geue neuer one wurd to answer. but to stande in thy presence trimbling, quaking, vtterly confounded and holding downe my head for shame. Alas wretch that I am, what shall I say? I will cry vnto thee, o lorde my God. Why am I consumed & fretted with holdīg my peace? But if I should speak: my greef would not cease. And if I hold my peace: I shalbe most bitterly vexed within me. Mourne o my soule, & lament as a widow for [Page] her first husbande, that she had in her yong age. Houle wretche & cry out with weping because thy spouse Christ hathe forsaken thee, O God almightie let not thine angre fall vpō me: because that if thou lay somuche to my charge as is dew for my sinnes: it is so muche that I can not receiue it. Sureli my power is not able for to suffre or beare it.

Haue merci vpon me least I dispeire. But in despeiring I will take hart to me and be sōwhat cōforted. For all though I haue committed so muche that thou mayst condemne me wurthely: yet thou hast not lost that wherwith [Page] thou wast wont to saue sin ners, nether dost thou reioise at the destructiō & los of them that dye, yea to thintente that dead men might liue, thou thy felf didst die: and thy deathe did kill the deathe of sinnes. And if they were reuiued again and did liue by thy deathe: I besech thee, let not me die, now ytthou liuest Send downe thy hand & power from hie, and deliuer me out of the hands of mine enemies, that they reioyse not ouer me and say, let vs deuoure him. Who euer (O good Ie su) needed to mistrust of thimerci? which whē we were thine enemies didstredeme [Page] vs with thy blud, and reconciled vs vnto God? Beholde, I being hid vnder the shadow of thy mer cy, doo come vnto the throne of thy glory requiring, & I doo rū crying and knocking vntil thou take pitie vppon me. For if thou didst call vs to pardon & forgeuenes before we laboured for pardon: how soone shall we obtein forgeuenes when we aske it? Doo not remembre, omost boū tefull Iesu, thy iustice toward a sinner? but think vpon thy liberalitie & gentlenes towarde thy creature. Doo not remēbre thine angre toward the giltie, but remembre thy pity and mercy toward [Page] a wretche. Forget me in yt I proudly did prouoke & moue thee to wrath: and look vppon a wretche that calleth vpon thee. For what is Iesus but a sauior? Therfore, good Iesu, for thine owne sake, arise and helpe me: and say vnto my soule. I am thy health and thy safegarde. I presume muche and am very bolde of thy goodnes (O Lord) because thou doost teache vs to aske, to seek and to knocke, wherfore I being admonished by thy wurd doo aske, seek and knock. And thou, O Lorde that commaundest vs to aske, make me able to receiue. Thou that geuest councell [Page] to seeke, graunte that I may finde. Thou that teachest vs to knock, opē to me when I knock, and confirme me whiche am vnstable and wauering, restore me that am lost, raise me yt am dead: and vouchsafe to direct & gouern in thy fauoure all my sences, my thoughts and dooings, that frō hensfoorth I may serue thee, I may liue toward thee and that I may commit my self vnto thee I knowe (O my Lord) that thorow this that thou hast made me, I owe and am in det vnto thee euen mine owne selfe: & because thou hast redemed me and wast made man for my sake: for this [Page] (I say I owe vnto thee more thē my selfe. Lo I haue no more: nether can I geue that whiche I haue vnto thee, without thee. But doo thou take me and draw me vnto thee, yt I may be thine in folowing & louing thee: like as I am thine in condicion &, creation, whiche liuest and reignest world without ende.

Amen.

FINIS.

§

[Page]

O God the Father of heauen: haue mercy vpon vs miserable sinners.
O God the father of heauen. &c

O God the sonne redemer of the world: haue mercy vpon vs myserable sinners.
O God the sonne, redemer of. &c.

O God ye holy Ghost proceding frō the Father & the sōne: haue mercy vpō vs miserable sinners.
O God the holi Ghost proceding &c

O holy, blessed, & glorious Trinitie, thre persōs & one god: haue merci vpō vs miserable sinners.
O holy blessed and glorious. &c.

Remember not Lorde our offē ces, nor the offēces, of oure forefathers nether take thou vengeaunce [Page] of oure sinnes. Spare vs good lord, spare thy people whō thou hast redemed with thy most precious bloud, and be not angry with vs for euer.
Spare. vs good Lorde.

From all euill & mischief, from sinne, from the crafts & assaults of the deuill, from thy wrath, & from euerlastyng damnation.
Good Lorde deliuer vs.

From all blindnes of hart, from pride vaine glory and hipocrisy, from enuy hatred and malice, & all vncharitablenes.
Good Lorde deliuer vs.

From fornication and all deadly sinne, & from all the deceits of the world, ye fleshe & the Deuill.
[Page]Good Lorde deliuer vs.

From lightenīges and tempests, from plague, pestilence & famine, from batell and murder, and frō sodain death.
Good Lorde delyuer vs.

From all sedition and priui conspiracie, from all false doctrine & heresy, from all hardnes of hart, and contempt of thy wurde and Commaundemente.
Good Lorde deliuer vs.

By the mistery of thy holy incarnation, by thy holy natiuitie and and circumcisiō, by thy baptisme fasting and temptation.
Good Lorde deliuer vs.

By thine agony & bloudy sweat, by thy cros and passion, by thy precious deathe & buriall, by thy [Page] glorious Resurrection and ascē cion, and by the comming of the holy Ghost.
Good Lorde deliuer vs.

In all time of our tribulation, in al time of our welth, in the hour of death & in the day of iudgmēt.
Good Lorde deliuer vs.

We sinners doo beseeche thee, to hear vs O Lorde God, and that it may please thee to rule and go uern thy holy Churche vniuersally in the right way.
We beseeche thee to hear vs good lorde.

That it may please thee to keep and strengthen in the true wurshipping of thee, in righteousenes and holines of life, thy [Page] seruaunt Elizabeth oure moste gratious Queen & gouernoure.
We beseeche thee to hear vs good lorde.

That it mai please the, to rule her hart in thy faith, feare, and loue and that she may euermore haue affiaunce in thee, and euer seek thy honour and glory.
We beseeche thee to hear vs. &c.

That it may please the to be her defender and keper, geuing her the victori ouer all her enemies.
We beseeche thee to hear vs. &c.

That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, Pastoures and Ministers of the Churche, with true knowledg and vnderstanding of thy wurde: and that bothe by their preaching and living [Page] they may set it furthe and shew it accordingly.
We beeseche thee to hear vs. &c.

That it may please thee to endu the Lordes of the counsell, & all the Nobilitie, with grace wisdom, and vnderstanding.
We beseeche thee to hear vs. &c.

That it may please thee to bles and keep the magistrats, geuing them grace to execute iustice and to maintain truthe.
We beseeche thee to hear vs &c.

That it may please thee to blesse and keep all thy people.
We beseeche thee to hear vs. &c.

That it may please thee to geue to all nations vnitie, peace, and concorde.
[Page]We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

That it may please thee to geue vs an hart to loue and dread the, and diligently to liue after thy Commaundements.
We beseeche thee to hear vs.

That it may please thee to geue all thy people increace of grace, to hear meekly thy wurd, and to receiue it with pure affecciō, & to bring foorth the fruits of ye spirit
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

That it may please thee to bring into the way of truthe, all suche as haue erred and are deceyued.
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

That it may please thee to strēgthen suche as doo stand, and confort and help the weak herted & [Page] to raise vp them that fall, and finally to beat down Sathan vnder our feet.
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

That it may please thee to succour, help and confort all that be in daunger, necessitie and tribulation.
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

That it may please thee to preserue all that trauell by land or by water, all women labouring of childe, all sick persons & yung children, and to shew thy pitie vp on all prisoners and captiues.
We beseeche thee to heare vs &c.

That it may please thee to defēd and prouide for the fatherles children, and widowes, and all [Page] that be desolat and oppressed.
We beseeche thee to heare vs &c.

That it may please thee to haue mercy vpon all men.
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

That it may please thee to forgeue our enemies, persecuters & slaūderers, & to turn their harts.
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c

That it may please thee to geue and preserue to our vse, the kind ly fruits of ye earth, so as in due time we may enioy them.
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

That it may please thee to geue vs true repētance, to forgeue vs all our sinnes, negligences, and ignoraunces, and to endue vs with the grace of thy holi spirit, [Page] to amende oure liues according to thy holy wurde.
We beseeche thee to heare vs. &c.

§

¶ Sōne of God: we beseech thee to heare vs.
Sōne of God we beseeche thee to. &c.

O Lambe of God that takest a way the sinnes of the worlde:
Graunt vs thy peace

O Lambe of God that takest a way the sinnes of the world.
Haue mercy vpon vs.

O Christe heare vs.
O Christe heare vs.

Lorde haue mercy vpon vs.
Lord haue mercy vpon vs.

Christe haue mercy vpon vs.
Christe haue mercy vpon vs.

Lorde haue mercy vpon vs.
[Page]Lorde haue mercy vpon vs.

Pater Noster

¶ Oure father whiche art in heauen. &c.

And lead vs not into temptaciō.

But deliuer vs from euill.

Amen.

§

¶ The versicle.

O Lorde deal not with vs after our sinnes.

¶ Answere.

Neither rewarde vs after oure iniquities.

§

O God merciful father, that dispisest not the sighing of a contrite hart, nor the desire of suche as be sorowfull, mercifully assist our prayers, that we make before thee in al oure troubles and aduersities, whensoeuer they op pres vs. And gratiously hear vs, that those euils, whiche the craft and sutteltie of the deuill or man [Page] wurketh against vs be brought to nought and by the prouidence of thy goodnes, they may be dispersed, that we thy seruaūts being hurt by no persecutions, may euermore geue thanks vnto thee in thy holy Churche, through Ie sus Christ our Lorde.

§

¶ O Lorde arise help, and deliuer vs for thy names sake.

O God we haue heard with our eares and our fathers haue declared vnto vs ye noble wurcks that thou diddest in their daies, and in the olde time before them.

§

¶ O Lorde arise, help vs, and deliuer vs for thy honour.

Glory to the father, the sonne, & to the holi ghost. Asit was in the beginning, is now. &c. Amen.

[Page]From oure enemies defēd vs, O Christe.

Graciously looke vpō oure afflictiōs. Pitifully behold the sorowes of oure hart.

Mercifully forgeue the sinnes of thy people.

Fauourably with mercy heare oure prayers.

O sonne of Dauid, haue mercy vpō vs. Bothe now and euer vouchsafe to heare vs, O Christe.

Graciously heare vs, O Christe, graciously heare vs O Lorde Christe.

O Lorde, let thy merci be shewed vpon vs.

As we doo put oure trust in thee.

¶ Let vs pray.

WE humbly beseeche chee, O father, mercifulli to loke vpō [Page] our infirmities, and for the glory of thy names sake, turn from vs all those euils yt we most righteously haue deserued: And graunt that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, & euermore serue thee in holines and purenes of liuing to thy honor & glory, through our oneli mediatour and aduocate Iesus Christe our Lorde.

Amen.

¶ A prayer for the Queens Maiestie▪.

O Lorde our heauenly Father high & mighty, king of kings, Lorde of Lordes, the only ruler of Princes, whiche doost from [Page] thy throne beholde all the dwellers vpon the earth: moste hartely we beseeche thee with thy fauour to beholde our moste gratious souerain Lady Queen Elizabeth, and so replenish her with the grace of thy holy spirit that she may alway incline to thy will and walke in thy way. Indue her plentifully with heauenli gifts. Graunt her in helth and welth long to liue, strength her that she may vanquish and ouercome all her enemies. And finalli after this life, she may attain euerlasting ioi and felicitte. Thorow Iesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

[Page]

¶ For rain if the time require.

O God heauenly father whiche by thy sonne Iesus Christe, hast promised to all thē that seek thy kingdom and the righteousnes therof, all things necessary to theyr bodely sustenaunce: sed vs we beseeche thee in this oure necessitie suche moderat rain & shoures that we may receiue the frutes of the earth to our cōfort, and to thy honor, through Iesus Christ our Lorde.

Amen.

¶ For faire wether.

O Lord God, which for ye sinne of mā diddest once drowne all the world except eight persons, [Page] and afterward of thy great mercy diddest promise neuer to destroy it so again, we humbly besech thee, that although we for our iniquities haue wurthely de serued this Plague of raine and waters: yet vpon our true repē taunce, thou wilt sende vs suche weather, wherby we may receiue the fruites of the earth in due season, and learne bothe by thy punishment to amend oure lyues, and for thy clemency to geue the praise & glory, through Iesus Christ our Lorde.

Amen.

¶ A praier of Chrisostome.

ALl mighty God whiche hast geuen vs grace at this time [Page] with one accorde to make our cō mon supplicacions vnto thee, & doost promise: that when. ii. or iii. be gathered in thy name, thou wilt graunt their requests: fulfil now (O Lorde) the desires and peticions of thy seruauntes, as may be moste expedient for thē: graūting vs in this world know ledge of thy truthe, and in the world to come life euerlasting.

Amen.

¶ In the time of dearth & famin.

O God heauenly father, whose gift it is yt the rain doth fal, the earth is frutefull, beastes increace, and fishes doo multiply. Beholde we beseche thee, the afflictions [Page] of thy people, & graunt that the scarcitie & dearth (which we doo now most iustli suffer for oure iniquitie) may through thy goodnes be mercifully tourned into cheapnes and plenti, for the loue of Iesu Christ our Lord: to whom with thee and the holy ghost. &c.

¶ Or thus.

O God mercifull father, whiche in the time of Heliseus the Prophet, didst sodēly turn in Samaria, great scarcitie and dearth into plenty and cheapnes, and extreme famine into aboundāce of victuall: haue pitie vpon vs, ytnow be punished for oure sins with like aduersitie, encrease the [Page] frutes of the earth by thy heauē ly Benedictiō: And graunt that we receiuing thy bountifull liberalitie, may vse the same to thy glory, our confort, and relief of our nedi neighbours, through Iesus Christ our Lorde.

Amen.

¶ In the time of warre.

O Almighty God, King of all kings, and gouernour of all thinges, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belōgeth iustli to punish sinners & to be mercifull vnto them that truly repēt: saue & deliuer vs (we humbly beseeche thee) from the hāds of our enemies, abate their Pride, asswage theyr malice, & [Page] confound their deuises, that we being armed with thy defence, may be preserued euermore frō all perils to glorify thee, whiche art the only geuer of all victory: through the merites of thy only sōne Iesus Christe oure Lorde.

Amen.

¶ In the time of any common plage or sicknes.

O Almighty God: which in thy wrath in the time of king Da uid didst slea with the plage of pestilence thre score & ten thousand, & yet remembring thy mercy, diddest saue the rest: haue pity vppon vs miserable sinners, that now are visited with greate [Page] sicknes & mortalitie, that like as thou diddest then commaunde thine▪ angell to cease from punishing: So it may now please the to withdraw frō vs this plague and greuous sicknes, throughe Iesu Christ oure Lorde.

Amen.

The ende of the letany.

A Table of the prayers cōtained in this boke.

A Prayer for the morning Folio. 3

A prayer for the Euening Folio. 4

A prayer for the forgeuenes of. Folio. 5

A prayer vnto God ye Father Folio. 6

A prayer vnto God the sonne Folio. 7

A prayer vnto God the holy Folio. 8

A prayer tobe said of Magist▪ Folio. 10

[Page]A prayer of ye ministers of gods wurd. Folio. 11

Of Subiects or Eomons. Folio. 12

Of Fathers and Mothers. Folio. 13

Of the Children. Folio. 14

Of Maisters. Folio. 15

Of Seruaunts. Folio. 16

Of maids. Folio. 17

Of Single men. Folio. 19

Of Husbands▪ Folio. 20

Of Wyues. Folio. 21

Of housholders. Folio. 22

Of all Christians. Folio. 23

For the grace and fauour of God. Folio. 24

For the gift of the holi Ghost Folio. 25

For the true knowledge of our selues. Folio. 26

[Page]For a pure and a clene hart Folio. 27

For a quyet conscience. Folio. 28

For faith. Folio. 29

For Charitie. Folio. 30

For pacience. Folio. 31

For humilitie. Folio. 32

For Mercifulnes. Folio. 33

For true Godlines. Folio. 34

For the true vnderstanding of Gods wurd. Folio. 35

For a life agreable to our know ledge. Folio. 36

For the helth of the body. Folio. 37

For a good name. Folio. 38

For a compitent liuing. Folio. 39

For a pacient & thankfull hart in sicknes. Folio. 40

For strength against the Deuel, the world and the Flesh. Folio. 41

[Page]For the help of Gods holy Angels. Folio. 42

A prayer to our lord Iesu Christ called Conditor celi & terrae. Folio. 43

For the glory of heauen. Folio. 47

A thankes geuing vnto God for all his benefites. Folio. 48

A prayer to be said at the houre of death. Folio. 50

A prayer wherin, throughe commemoratiō of Christes passion: we desire pardō of oure sinnes and continuance in vertue and godlines. Folio. 53

A Prayer wherin Man cōfesseth him self to be the cause of Christes passion. Folio. 56

Heer doth mā declare vnto God [Page] the Father, that the passion of his sonne was for his reconciliaciō & attōment with God. Folio. 61

A deuout Prayer to the holy Ghost. Folio. 67

A Prayer to ye holy Trinitie. Folio. 69

An acknowledging of Allmighty God and his maiestie. eodē.

After what sort God the Father vouched safe to help mākinde, & of thincarnatiō of the wurd whiche is Christe, & of the geuing of thankes. Folio. 72

Of the trust which a soule ought to haue in oure Lord Iesu and in his passion. Folio. 75

Of thexceding loue of theuerlasting Father toward mankinde. Folio. 77

[Page]Of the double nature of Christe whiche hath mercy vpon, vs and maketh intercession for vs. Folio. 81

Of the thankes whiche man ought to geue vnto God for the benefite of his redempcion. Folio. 84

A deuout prayer vnto Christ. Folio. 88

A prayer declaring with howe great miseries this life is replenished. Folio. 92

Of the blessednes of that life whiche God hath prepared for them that loue him Folio. 94

A complaint that we be not moued nor pricked in our contemplation and prayer like as [Page] the Angells be, whiche tremble at the sight of God. Folio. 96

A very deuout prayer for the geuing of thankes. Folio. 99

A prayer wherin mannes minde is very muche and plentuously stirred and moued, If it be said in quietnes. Folio. 107

A prayer in time of tribulation. Folio. 118

A very deuout prayer vnto the Sonne. Folio. 120

The Letany. Folio. 128

The ende of the. Table.

§

§

[Page]

[figure]

¶ Imprinted at London ouer Aldersgate benethe. S. Martins, by Iohn Day. 1561.

¶ Cum gratia & priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis.

[Page]

Information about this book

Title statement

The pomaunder of prayer, newly made by Thomas Becon

Becon, Thomas, 1512-1567.

Edition statement

1561

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2005-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A07044

ID [STC]

STC 1746

ID [STC]

ESTC S122350

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99857501

ID [PROQUEST]

99857501

ID [VID]

23249

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Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A07044)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 23249)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 237:13)

Source

— The pomaunder of prayer, newly made by Thomas Becon, Becon, Thomas, 1512-1567..

Extent

[1], 134, [8] leaves : port. (woodcut)

Ouer Aldersgate benethe .S. Martins, by Iohn Day,. [Imprinted at London :: 1561]. (Imprint from colophon.) (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

Creation

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Editorial practices

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