Works, Part 4 · Prayer
MAISTER GREENEHAMS PRAYER.
O God most mightie, glorious and righteous: O father most louing, gracious, and merciful, which keepest couenant and mercy in Iesus Christ for all those which receiuing the first fruites of thy holy spirit, walke before thee in vprightnesse of their heart: wee thy vnworthy children come vntounto thee in the name of thy onelyonly begotten sonne Iesus Christ our Lord: beseeching thee to renue and encrease thy holy spirit in vsus, and to purifie our hearts more and more by faith, that we may hauehave a clearer sight, and a surer perswasion of thy fatherly goodnesse vntounto vsus, and that wee may more readily performe our dutifull obedience vntounto thee. For wee doe acknowledge and confesse vntounto thy sacred Maiestie, that we hauehave yet neuer hitherto worthily esteemed thy mercies towards vsus, nor sufficiently expressed the fruites of our bounden dutie towards thee: but that still we remaine ignorant, and forgetfull of many good things, which wee ought, and might know. And we confesse Lord, wee are slacke vntounto those things which thy holy sp…t offereth to our mindes, vnapt to doe them, soone wearie of wel-doing; and wherein we please thee something, we please our selues too much. Moreouer wee likewise confesse that we are ignorant of many euill things, that wee hauehave done, doe, or may doe: forgetfull of diuers things, which sometime wee hauehave hadde knowledge and remorse of. And now the things which come to our remembrance, and are in our sight, doe not appeare to be so…sinfull in any measure as they are, and ought of vsus to be regarded. Yea wee are beguiled ere euer we are aware with our present corruptions, and they cleane so fast vntounto vsus, that wee can hardly leaue them, but most hardly bee brought to true repentance of them. We beseech therefore thy sacred Maiestie, to worke in vsus by thy holy spirit, a wise and carefull searching out of and into our sinnes, that by the lawe wee may be conuinced of them, awakened by thy threatnings, rebuked for them by thy iudgements, executed vponupon the wicked, and exercised toward thy children, seruants, and friends, that so wee may feare and tremble for them. And by the serious premeditation of the vncertaine houre, of a most certaine death, of the day of thy generall, ineuitable and dreadfull iudgement, of the horrible and euerlasting paines of the wicked in the helles, and their losse of the inestimable ioyes of the heauens, stirre vp our dead hearts to seeke thee O Father in thy Christ, and thy sonne our Lord and Sauiour in the Gospell. And finally, we pray that we may bee euen confounded in our selues, by the fruitfull remembrance of thy blessed sufferings, the most precious blood-sheading and death of our Lord Iesus Christ, that so we may be humbled after that manner and measure thy children should bee: beseeching thee, that wee may so aforehand accuse our selues before thy blessed Maiestie, that our aduersarie may hauehave no power hereafter to accuse vsus, so iudge our selues that we be not iudged by thee: so with shame, sorrow, feare, and trembling, acknowledge the vilenes of our sinnes wholely before the throne of thy iustice, that wee finde it to be a throne of grace and merciemercy vntounto vsus in Iesus Christ our Lord.
Now O Lord, the searcher of the hearts and reynes, thou knowing this to be the humble and single desire of our hearts, wee flye vntounto thee for refuge, beseeching thee by thy holy spirit to worke in vsus a clearer sight of the wisedome of our Lord Iesus Christ, wherby our minds may be further cleared from blindnes, and we hauehave a clearer sight of the whole ministerie of our saluation in him; and graunt vsus God a fuller perswasion of the discharge of all our sinnes in his death, and of the imputation of his righteousnesse vntounto vsus, in his resurrection: that the guiltinesse of our conscience may daily more and more goe away from vsus, and peace of the same be confirmed in vsus; especially in the time of our temptation and trouble, the day of our death, and the hou…e of iudgement. And next (most mercifull Father) graunt vsus a more powerfull experience of his death, killing sinne in vsus, and of his resurrection, raising vsus vp vntounto a new life, that daily we may be lesse sinful, and more holy, righteous, and sober in this present life: that so also wee may hauehave a more sure and stedfast hope in his redemption, and may more strongly resist the vanities of this world, in false pleasures, profits, and glories: and more patiently endure all manner of miseries of the same, which may befall vsus, vntill his glorious appearing when hee shall come to be glorious in his Saints, and made maruellous in al those which beleeue in him, Amen.
Furthermore O Lord, whereas we are priuie to our selues, ere it is knowne vntounto others, or vntounto thee, that thereby any sinne or sinnes more strange in vsus through our corrupt nature or custome, or the temptation of others, or of the tempter; wee beseech thee that there we may labour to finde the precious death of our Lord Iesus Christ more powerfull in subduing the same: and whereas through vnabilitie of nature, want of meanes, or grace, we are weaker in any duties of well-doing, there we may striue to finde the vertue of his glorious resurrection more effectuall in raising vsus vp in meanes of life: so that our familiar corruptions being cured, and our speciall infirmities being relieued, wee may be also endued, as with generall graces meete for all Christians, so with such peculiar graces as may be meete for our callings, and inable vsus to glorifie thy holy name, build vp others in well-doing, and treasure vp the fruites of a good conscience, for our selues at all times, and especially in our neede. And in this behalfe the desire of our heart is, that thy holy spirit worke in vsus the renouncing of our reason so farre forth as it is blinde, and the crucifying of our affections so farre forth as they be corrupt, that so we may offer them vp with soule and bodie in sacrifice of humiliation: and that hauing receiued these graces, we may also offer them vp in sacrifice of obedience vntounto thy gracious Maiestie. And wherein soeuer we hauehave, doe, or shall with thy graces obey thee, we desire to offer vp thy graces, our obedience, and our selues in a sacrifice of thankesgiuing, and praising of thy holy and blessed name, through Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen. All thy waies O Lord, we acknowledge to bee merciemercy and truth; we beseech thee therfore, giuegive vsus the holy fruites of al the good meanes thou hast heretofore wrought our good by: as thy holy and sweete promises preached vntounto vsus, read of vsus, meditated vponupon by our selues, or conferred of with others, the prayers, thankesgiuings, Psalmes & Hymnes of our selues, our friends and thy Church, thy sacred Sacraments, the ministrie of thy holy Angels, the communion of thy Saints, and admonition which hath beene giuen vsus for our good: most humbly entreating, that wee may hauehave sanctified vntounto vsus the remembrance of thy former mercies bestowed vppon thy Church, vponupon any member therof, or vponupon our selues, either in benefits, or in crosses: and albeit our nature is most impatient either of reproches offered vntounto vsus by our enemies, or any iniuries by our friends, yet herein we …eruently aske of thy wise and merciful goodnes, that wee may reape a good fruite euen of such euill meanes. And because wee grow to bee acquainted with the pride of our spirits, and sloath fulnesse of our flesh, and few meanes are left vsus, and many offences (by our selues conceiued; by others and Sathan offered) doe alreadie, and are daily like more to assaile vsus: O Lord, thou which hast beene our God, euen from our first birth, especially since our new birth, be thou the God of our middle age, yea of our old dayes, (if we liue so long) vntill thou finish the last worke of our new birth begun and continued thus farre in vsus. To this ende wee aske of thee that we may vow (and receiuing grace from thee, wee doe vowe) to vse all these forenamed good meanes of our saluation, more mercifully, than yet euer wee vsed them; in vsing of them wee aske more feare of thy Maiestie, faith of thy promises, purenesse of our hearts, louelove vntounto others, and withall, blessing and fruite more aboundant, that our latter workes may be better then our former.
Wofull experience (O blessed Sauiour) teacheth, and moueth vsus to call vponupon thee, as for these former things, so to be preserued and protected by thy almightie and mercifull grace, from our owne corruption to come, from all Sathans temptation and accusations, from all manner of contagion of the vngodly in their iniuries, reproches, and their benefits, praises, their …orceries, inchantments, yea from any hurt of thy children (as they bee not regenerate) and from any hurt by thy creatures, so farre forth as any of these things may hurt our saluation. Former experience O mightie God and mercifull Father, ought not onelyonly to teach, but also to enforce vsus to giuegive thee thankes, praise, and glory, for thy former mercies vponupon vsus and thy Church bestowed: but wherein thou hast prouided for vsus many arguments of strength, of faith: or ignorance, forgetfulnes, negligence, and want of reuerence of thy mercies receiued, minister iust cause of humiliation: and therefore in some faith in, and thankfulnesse for thy former mercifull blessings, and yet in much weaknesse, in the merits of Iesus Christ our Lord: with our whole heart, wee beseech thee giuegive vsus a good portion of thy spirit, to call carefully thy benefites to our remembrance, wisely to vnderstand them, and reuerently to regard, and truly to be thankfull for them, in mind, in heart, in word, and deed, through Iesus Christ our Lord and onelyonly Sauiour. Amen. Wee beseech thee most mightie God and mercifull Father, to make partakers of our praiers, and thankesgiuings, all the whole Church, and eueryevery member thereof, especially where dutie most chargeth, promise bindeth, necessitie craueth, and thy glory chalengeth, &c.
FINIS.