A Godly Letter to the Faithful in London, Part 32 – Index
¶Gods ſentence maye be chaunged.
ANd when we ſe the plagues of God / hū ger / peſtilence / or warre / commynge or apearing to raygne / then ſhould we with lamentable voyces & repēting hartes call vntounto God / that it wolde pleaſe hys mercy to withdrawe his hādes / for with ſuche as do aleage / that God may not chaūge hys ſentēce & oure prayers / therefore to be in vayne / can I in no wyſe agree / beynge otherwyſe taughte in the ſcripture by hys infallable & eternall veritie. He ſayeth: I ſhall deſtroye this nacion frome the face of the earth / and when Moyſes adreſſed to pray for thē the Lorde procedeth ſaying: Suffer me that I may vtterly deſtroy them / and then Moyſes falleth on hys face flatling / and fourtye dayes contineweth in prayer / for the ſaluation of the people / to whome at the laſte obtayned forgeuenes. Dauid in the vehement plague / lamentable calleth vntounto God / & the kynge of Niniue ſayeth:2. King. laſt. who knoweth / yf God ſhalbe conuerted and led backe by repentaunce.Iona. 3. And be tourned from the furor of hys wrath / that we periſh not / which examples & ſcriptures are not written in vayne / but too certefye vsus / that God of hys natiue goodnes will metigate by our prayers offered by Ieſus Chriſt / although he hath threatened to puniſh or preſently by puniſhing / which he doth teſtefye by his owne wordes ſaying:Ierem. 18 Yf I hauehave propheried againſt any nacion or people / that thei ſhalbe deſtroyed. And yf they repent of theyr iniquitie / it ſhall repent me of the euel / which I hauehave ſpoken agaynſt them.…a…enes in praier. This I write lamenting the great couldnes of men / which vnderunder ſo longe ſcorgis of God / is nothing kyndled to prayer by repentaunce / but carkeſe ſlepe in weked lyfe / euen as though their continuante warres / vrgent famyne / cotidian plagues off peſtilence / and other contagious inſolent and ſtraunge maladis / were not the preſent ſignes of Gods wrath prouoked by our iniquite.
¶A plague threatned too Englande.
O Englande / A plague threatened to Englāde.let thy inteſtiue batteries & domeſticall murther / prouoke the to purety of lyfe / according to the worde / whiche openly hath bene proclaymed in the / other wiſe the cuppe of the Lordes wrathe / thou ſhalt ſhortly drinke of. The multitude ſhall not eſcape / but ſhall drynke the dregges / and hauehave the cuppe broken vponupon their heades / The godlye puniſſhed.for iudgement beginninge in the houſe of the Lorde / commonly the leaſt offendor is fyrſt puniſhed / to prouoke the more weked too repentaunce. But O Lorde / infinite mercye / yf thou ſhalt puniſhe / make not conſumacion / but cut awaye the proude & luxuriant braū ches / which beare no fruyte / and preſerue the cō mon wealths / of ſuche as geue ſuccour & herber / to thy contempned meſſengers / which lōge hauehave ſuffred exile in deſerte / ſo be it.
FINIS.
¶Here after foloweth a Confeſſion
OMnipotent and euerlaſting God father of our LORDE Ieſus Chryſte whoo be thy eternall prouidence / diſpoſes kyngdoms / as beſte ſeameth to thy wyſdom / we acknowledge and confeſſe thy iudgemētes to be righteous in that thou haſt taken frō vsus / for our ingratitude and for a buſinge of thy moſt holy worde / our natiue Kyng & earthlye comforter / iuſtly maye thou poure forth vponupon vsus the vttermoſte of thy plagues / for that we hauehave not knowen the dayes and tyme of oure mercifull viſitacion / we hauehave contempned thy worde / and diſpiſed thy mercies / we hauehave trāſgreſſed thy lawes / for deceytfully hauehave we wroughte eueryevery man / with oure neyghbours oppreſſiō and violēce we hauehave not abhorred / charitie / hath not apeared amonge vsus as oure profeſſion requireth / we hauehave littel regarded the voyces of thy prophetes / thy threatninges we hauehave eſtemed vanytie and wynd / ſo that in vsus / as of our ſelfs reſtes / nothinge worthy of thy mercies / for all are founde frutles / euē the princes with the prophetes / as wythered trees apt and mete too be burnt in the fyre of thy eternall diſpleaſure. But o Lord / behold thy own mercy & goodnes / that thou may purdge and remoue the moſte fylthye borden / of oure moſte horrible offences / let thy louelove ouercome the ſeueritie of thy iudgemētes / euen as it did in geuing to the world thy onelyonly ſonne Ieſus / when all mankynde was loſt / and no obediēce was lefte in Adam nor in his ſede. Regenerate our hartes o Lorde by the ſtrength of the holy ghoſte / conuert thou vsus / and we ſhall be conuerted / worke thou in vsus vnfayned repentāce / and moue thou oure hartes too obey thy holy lawes. Beholde our trobles and apparant deſtruction / and ſtaye the ſworde of thy vengeaunce before it deuoure vsus. Place aboue vsus o Lorde for thy great mercies ſake / ſuch a head with ſuche rulers and maieſtrates as feareth thy name / and willeth the glory of Chriſt Ieſus to ſpred. Take not from vsus the light of thy Euangely / and ſuffer thou no papiſtrie to preuaile in this realme. Illuminate the harte off our ſoueraigne lady quene Marie / with prignant giftes of thy holy ghoſte. And inflame the hartes of her coūſayl / with thy trew feare and louelove / repreſſe thou the pryde of thoſe that wolde rebelle. And remoue frome all hartes the contēpte of the worde / let not our enemies reioyce at our deſtruction / but loke thou too the honor of thy owne name o Lorde / and let thy Goſpell be preached with boldines in this realme / if thy iuſtice muſt puniſh / then puniſh our bodies with the rodde of thy mercy. But o Lorde let vsus neuer reuolte / nor turne backe to Idolatrie agayne. Mytigate the hartes of thoſe that perſecute vsus / & let vsus not faynt vnderunder the croſſe of oure ſauiour / but aſſiſt vsus with the holy ghoſte / euen to the ende.
Here after foloweth the Table of this boke.
A.
A confeſſion of Chriſtes moſte ſacred Euangely / vponupon the death of that moſte verteous & moſte famous kyng Edward the .vi. fo. xvi.
A plague threatened to Englande. fo. xvi
A poynted places to praye in maye not be neglected. fo. xv.
Aungels maye not be mediators. fo. x.
Agaynſte ſuche as wolde hauehave mediators too Ieſus Chriſt. fo. xij.
B.
Better it is to obey God then man. fo. xiij.
By whome we muſt praye. fo. ix.
C.
Corporall thinges. fo. xij.
Comforte to the afflicted. fo. xiiij.
D.
Dayly bread. fo. vi.
F.
Fleſhe ſtriueth agaynſte the ſprete. fo. xiiij.
For whō & at what tyme we ſhould. fo. xvi.
G.
Gods ſentence may be chaunged. fo. xvi.
God deliuereth hys choſen from. fo. vi.
H.
How the ſprete maketh interceſſion. fo. iij.
I.
Ieſus Chriſt / God & man is mediator. fo. x.
Impedimentes commeth of the weakenes off the fleſhe. fo. xiiij.
Interceſſion to ſainctes. fo. x.
Ipocriſie is not alowed with God. fo. v
L.
Let eueryevery man iudge hys owne hart. fo. iij.
N.
Not to pray is ſynne moſt odious. fo. vij.
O.
Obedience of Chriſt. fo. xi.
Obſeruacion in godly prayer. fo. ix
Of neceſſite we muſt hauehave a mediator. fo. ix.
R.
Reddines of God to heare ſynners. fo. vij.
S.
Sporris ſtire vsus to prayer. fo. vi.
T.
Turkes and Iewes / fo. ix.
The hope to obtayn our peticions / ſhould depende vponupon the promiſes of God. fo. vij.
The cauſe of theyr boldnes was Ieſus. fo. v.
The peticion of the ſprete. fo. xiiij.
W.
What prayer is. fo. ij.
Who prayeth not in tribulation. fo. vi.
When ſynners are not harde of God. fo. iiij.
Why we ſhoulde praye / and alſo vnderſtande what we do praye. fo. iii.
What faſting / almoſe dedes are. fo. v.
When we be not herde. fo. x.
What is to be gathered in the name. fo. xv.
Who maketh other mediatours then Iheſus Chriſt taketh ouer from hym. fo. xi.
What ſhoulde be prayed for. fo. xiij.
When and for whom we ſhould praye. fo. xv
Why God differreth or prolongeth to graūt vsus oure peticion. fo. xiij.
Where conſtaunte prayer is / there is graunted peticion. fo. vij.
Who prayeth not. fo. iij.
What is to be obſerued in prayer. fo. ij.
¶Here endeth the Table.
GOD IS MY HELPER.
End of the text · John Knox, A Godly Letter to the Faithful in London (1554)