A good and a Godly Prayer to be said at all tymes, of euery Christen, both man and woman, with a prayer vpon the Pater noster or Paraphrase vpon the same.
¶ Imprynted at London by John Alde, for Mychell Lodley.
Anno. 1563.
¶ The prayer Of our Lorde.
O Lorde God oure Father in heauen wee thy myserable chyldren vppon earthe, beseche thee mercifully to loke vppon vs, & lende vs thy grace, that thy name may be sanctyfyed amonge vs and in all the worlde, through the pure preachinge of thy wurde, and trew knowledge and vnderstanding of the same, and thorowe earnest charitie in our dayelye conuersation and lyuinge, seclude thou graciously from vs all false doctrine and [Page]euill lyuyng, wherby thy worthy name mighte be blasphemed and slaundered. Oh let thy kyngedome come, and be great to all synfull and blinde people, and suche as be holden captiue of the deuell and hys kyngdome, bring thou Lorde vs to trewe repentaunce & to the knowledge of the trewe say the, in Iesus Christe thy sonne. Strengthen vs Lorde with thy grace, to doo thy wil in all godlye wurkes, and to suffer the same in lyfe and in death, in well and in wo, that our wil may be alwayes broken, offered vp and mortified. Geue vs our dayly bread, preserue vs from all couetousnes and immoderate carefulnes of the belly, that of thee we may be assured to haue abundaūce [Page]of all good thinges necessarye for vs, forgeue vs our trespasses, that we maye haue a glad and a quiete consciēce in thee, in that we receiue forgiuenes of oure synnes, as we be wyllinge to forgeue all them that trespasse agaynst vs. And lead vs not into temptacion. But strengthen vs Lord with thy spirite, to subdue the fleshe to dispise the world with the vanities thereof, & to ouercome the deuel with all his crafty assaults, and finally delyuer vs from all euel, both bodely and ghostlye, temporall and eternall, for thyne is the kyngdom, the power and the glory for euer. So be it.
[Page] O Almightye and euerlastyng God, Father, sone and holy Ghoste. Thou that hast made heauen, earth and all thinges in theym conteyned, haue mercy vppon me poore wretched sinner, daylye assaulted with all kynde of miserie and wretchednes, I beseche thee o Father, for the loue of thy sōne Iesus Christ, consider my imperfection and haue mercy vpon me, encreace thy grace in me, my sauiour, my redemer, my iustifier, for I come vnto thee O Lorde, accordinge vnto thy wurde, for thou hast sayd, come vnto me all ye that labor, & are ladē & I will refreshe you, O my moste mercifull Lord & sauiour, ease me of my burdē of synne, whiche I haue vnrighteously committed [Page]in deede, wurde and thought, and refresh my soule with thy mercye, O reconcyle me with Isope and I shalbe clean, and open my lippes (O Lorde) that my mouthe maye shewe thy prayse, consider my imperfection and haue mercye vppon me, and helpe it with thy great mercies, remember thyne olde wonted mercyes, faythfull promysses made to oure forefathers, Abraham. Isaac and Iacob, and al other thy sainctes in oure sauioure Iesu Christe, who being compassed with infirmities and weakenes of the fleshe come vnto thee (O LORDE) the well of lyfe and euerlastynge fountayne of their helth and saluation, and thou mercifully susteyned them kepest them & [Page]defendest them in all their tē ptations and tribulations, yf their feete any tyme slipte or went out of the waye, and cō mitted synne against thee, yet thy mercye was alwaye redy, so that thou by thy holy spirite haddest procured them agayn by repentaunce, so that they turned again vnto the, which conuersion or turning agayn thou mercyfullye acceptest at their handes, for because they were desirous to lyue perfectly in thy sight, thou preseruedest theym, so that they be found faythful before thee, O Lorde thou arte the same, and thy years ēdure for euer. I besech thee O father bear my infirmities and imperfeccion, & helpe it likewise with thy mercye, if at any tyme I happen [Page]to fall and commytie synne against thee, yet as thou saidest by thyne Apostle Paule, lette thy grace at all tymes be sufficient for me, so that I may immediatly turne agayne betyme to repentaunce vnto thee, which conuersiō and turninge agayn, accepte alwayes at my hāds for Iesus Christes sake. So shal I be found perfect before thee, for although ye spirit be wyllynge, yet is the flesshe vntowarde and weake. Therfore doo I not lay myne own righteousnes before thee, for I knowe and confesse me, that is to saye, in my flesshe me, that is to saye, in my flesshe is nothing but playn misery, wretchednes and synne. Therfore doo I come vnto thee, & beseche thee for Christes sake to er tende thy mercyfull hand towarde [Page]me, do away myne offences, for I know (O Lorde) that all grace and goodnes commeth of thee, and therfore arte thou praysed (O Lorde) & feared in the congregation among thy sainets, for thou only arte he that geueth victory. O Lorde God of hostes, and that as thou saydest by thy Prophete Zacharie, neyther throughe an hoste of men nor through strength, but through thy spirite. Therfore I besech thee geue me not only strēgth & knowledge of thee, but also a redy earnest purpose & wyll to subdue myne affectiōs, and graunte me grace at all tymes too lyue as thou in thy holye wurd hast prescribed vnto me moreouer I besech thee make me perfecte in thy sighte, that [Page]I may rēdre cōtinual thankes by Iesus Christe vnto thee, & where as I haue not hetherto endeuoured my self, according to ye power whiche thou haste genē me to lyue after thy wil, I praye thee of forgeuenes for Christes sake thine only sōne our Lord, and now I proteste before thee through ye helpe of thy holy spirite, to order my life from henceforth accordinge to thy wurd, and to walk perfectly before thee. Neuerthelesse I besech thee for Christes sake at al times to bear the imperfection that any tyme is founde in me and delyuer me by thy power and mercye, encreace my faythe O my redemer, encreace my fayth O my fauiour encreace my fayth O my iustifier, encreace faith hope, [Page]loue, charitie and all other vertues consonaunte, & agreable to a godly lyfe, for I come vnto thee (O Lorde) the Well and euerlastinge Fountayne of all helth & saluacion. O my heauenly father, let me and al other which seek thy wurde to thentent to forsake sinne & to amēde their liues, liue in thy sight, I thanke thee (O Lord) with all my harte, soule and mynde, yt it hath pleased thee of thy great mercye and goodnes to creat and fourme me of the molde of the earth, & geue me members needefull to my body, and that it hath pleased thee to preserue alwhich (thou hast created in me) sithēs the tyme of thy creatiō vntil now, & that it hath pleased thee to deliuer me frō the hour of tēptacion, [Page]and in my tribulacion, aswel slepig as wakig whē I was forgetful of thee as whē I remembred to cal vpō thee & yt it hath pleased thee to minister to my necessities, meat, drinke and clothynge and as inward reioysing, quietnes of mynd, helth of bodie and such lyke, and that it hathe pleased thee to geue me this womā to be my wyfe as a remedie cōsolatie and comforte in al my necessities. Graunt vs grace (O Lorde) truely together to honour loue and serue thee, for I know that whatsoeuer I do, either good or euil, it shalbe re warded of thee. Lighten vs therfore dayly, I beseche thee with thy grace that we maye gouerne our selues, our housholde and chyldrē, which thou [Page]hast geuē vs in the true faith, feare and knowledge of thee, so ye it maye bee an acceptable sacrifice vnto thee, by Iesus Christe our lord. And seyng it hath plesed ye O father to lighten ye inward eies of my mynd with thy grace, & to cal me frō the great blyndenes of ignoraunce and synne, wherein al men are born, to ye knowledge of thee, let it now muche more (as sainct Paule sayth) please thee to preserue me & all other whom thou hast called, which be dayly oppressed by synne, & desire to turne and come vnto thee (of what tunge or nacion whatsoeuer thei be) thorough the whole worlde, and seing it hath pleased thee to cal me by grace to the knowledge of thy wurd, & geue me a wil to seek [Page]it to loue & beleue in it, let it be thy will to directe my wayes that I erre not, staye my feete with thy holy hād, & preserue me with thyne arme, for I am els farre to weak, for without thee I can doo nothing. O let me lyue in thy sight O Lord, and put me not oute from thy presence, but geue me a newe hart and a newe spirite, that I maye alwayes cal vpō thee in tyme of my trouble, and offer thee an acceptable sacryfyce by Iesus Christe before thee, euen the fruyte of those lyppes, which confesse thy name, geue me grace (O lord) paciently to receyue the Cup of helth & saluatiō at thy hād, & call vpon thy name in the tyme of mine aduersitie, O hear my prayer I besech thee lette my [Page]power and pleasure be alway in the frute of the tree of lyfe, whiche is in the Paradyse of God, O accept these volentary sacrifices at my handes as the sweet smell of incence, and let the lifting vp of my hādes be an euenig sacrifice, pleasāt and acceptable vnto thee thorough Iesus Christe oure Lorde, to whome be euerlasting prayse honour and glorie, now & euer. Amen.