Christ Jesus Triumphant, Prayer 1 – Prayer 4
¶ A very Godly, and hartie prayer vponupon the mynde of Christ his bitter Passion.
O Lord Iesu Christ, the euerlastyng swéetnesse and Triumph of them that louelove thée, excéedyng all ioye, and longyng, thou sauer and louer of repentaunt sinners, whiche auowest that thy delight is to be among the children of Men: and therefore in the end of tymes, becamest man for Mens sakes: remember all the foretast and gréefe of sorrow, whiche thou didst endure euen from the instant of thy conception in the humaine Nature, forth on: but most of all when the tyme of thy most healthfull Passion was at hand, accordyng too the eternall ordinaunce which God had purposed in his mynde before all worldes. Remember the gréefe and bitternesse whiche thou feltst in thy hart, euen by thine owne record, when thou saydst: My soule is heauy euen vntounto the Death. And at such tyme as thou gauest thy body and bloud to thy Disciples at thy last Supper, didst washe their féete, and comfortyng them swéetly, toldest them of thy Passion that was at hand.
Remember the sorrow, anguish, and gréefe whiche thou didst suffer throughout thy whole tender body, before thy suffering vponupon the Crosse, at such tyme as after thrice praying, thou diddest sweat water like too bloud, wast betrayed by one of thine owne Disciples, apprehended by thine owne chosen people, accused by false witnesses, condemned wrongfully by thrée Iudges in thy chosen Citie, at the tyme of the Passeouer, in the florishyng youth of thy body: and being vtterly giltlesse, wast deliuered too the Gentils, bespitted, stript out of thy owne garment, clothed with another bodies apparell, buffeted, blindfolded, bobbed with fistes, tyed to a poste, whipped, and crowned with thornes.
O most swéete Iesu, I beséech thée make me myndefull of these thy paynes and sufferinges whiche thou abodest for my finnes, that I might be discharged and set frée from them, and mine attonement be made with thy Father: through thy chastisement. Make me to abhorre my so detestable cursednesse, which could not be put away, but by thy so gréeuous punishmentes. Make me to be hartely sory for my sinnefulnesse, and to eschue my offences, whiche draw thée to the suffering of so great tormentes. Make me myndefull of thy great louelove too me, and too all mankynde, and let the infinitenes thereof, kindle an vnfayned louelove in me towardes thée and my neighbor. Let this thy vnmeasurable goodnesse bréede in me a willing mynde, and desire to abyde all thynges patiently for thy sake, and for the truth of thy Gospell: And let it ingender in me a despising of all worldly and earthly thynges, and an earnest longyng and indeuour too attayne too the Heauenly heritage, for the purchassing whereof vntoo me, and for the bringyng of me thereunto, thou hast endured these, and all other thy most bitter and intollerable tormentes.
Wherefore I beséech thée graunt me true repentaunce, amendement of lyfe, perseueraunce in all goodnesse, a stedfast fayth, and a happy death, through the merites of thy sufferings, that I may also be made partaker of thy blessed Resurrection.
AMEN.
¶ An other of the same.
WHat man is this whom I behold all bloudy, with skinne all too torne with knubs and wales of stripes, hangyng downe his head for weakenes toowards his shoulder, crowned with a garland of Thornes prickyng through his skull to the hard brayne, and nayled too a Crosse? What so haynous fault could he doe too deserue it? What Iudge could be so cruell as too put him too it? What hāgmen could hauehave so butcherly mynds, as too deale so outragiously with hym? Now I bethinke my selfe, I know him: it is Christ.
Art thou he that excellest all the children of Men in beauty? in whose lippes grace was shed most plentyfully, yea, euen with Gods owne hand? where then is that beautie of thyne? Where is that grace of thy lippes? I finde it not, I sée it not, fleshly eyes conceiue not so great a misterie. Open thou the eyes of my mynde. Bring thy Diuine light nearer vntoo mée, and giuegive mée power too looke more wistly vponupon thée.
I sée it is Iesus the sonne of God, the vnspotted Lambe, without sinne, without fault, without offence, whiche tooke my wickednesse vponupon him, too the intent that I (beyng set frée from sinne) might be brought agayn into Gods fauour: rise agayne frō my fall: returne home agayn from banishment: & attaine to the end for which I was created. That which I deserued, he suffred: and that which I could neuer hauehave attained vntounto, he geueth.
O my Redéemer, deliuerer, and Sauiour draw mée too thée, that (beyng alwayes myndefull of thy death, trustyng alwayes in thy goodnesse, and beyng alwayes thankfull for thine vnspeakeable benefites) I may be made partaker of so great reward, and not be separated from thy body through myne owne vnthankefulnes, so as thou shouldest hauehave béen borne in vayne as in respect of mée, and in vayne hauehave suffred so many torments, yea and euen most bitter death of thyne owne accord for my sake,
Amen.
¶ An other.
MY mynde beholdeth thy body crucified for my soule: O that thou wouldest also crucifie mée with thée, so as I might liue, or rather not I, but thou my Lord Christ in mée. Who will geue mée too dye with thée, that I might ryse agayne with thée too lyfe euerlastyng? Thou dyedst for mée, that I might lyue through thée. Thy flesh is crucified, O Christ: crucifie thou the power of sinne that raigneth in mée: that beyng stripped out of the old Adā, I may be trāsformed into the second Adam: to lead a new life by shakyng downe, and dispatchyng away of all wickednes, vnbeléefe, and tyranny of Sathan.
Let thy yoke become swéete, and thy burthen lightsome too mée through thy Crosse: that I (followyng thée willyngly and chearefully) may come to the same place where thou art: that is too wit, too thy most blessed, and immortall Father, from whom nothyng may euer separate vsus hereafter.
Amen.
¶ An other.
O Most high and singular obediēce, where through thou didst submit thy selfe to innumerable tormētes, yea, & euen to most bitter, & reprochfull death, because it liked thy Father too hauehave it so. O Noonetyde of feruent louelove, and Sunshine neuer drawyng towardes Euentyde, shewe vsus where thou féedest in the middest of the day, & where thou shroudest thy Shéepe from cold. O would to God wée might bée transformed intoo that Crosse of thyne, that thou mightest dwel in our harts by faith, rooted & groū ded in charitie, so as wée might with all thy holy ones, comprehend the length, breadth, height, and depth of thy Crosse, whiche excéede all the strength and wisedome of the world.
Amen.
¶ FINIS.
AT LONDON, Printed by Richard Daye, dwelling at Aldersgate, beneath S. Martines.
1579.
Cum gratia & Privilegio, Regiae Majestatis.
End of the text · John Foxe, Christ Jesus Triumphant (1579)