The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 42
¶ A praier to be preserued from the plage and orher dyseases.
AH Lorde, as thou haste sette forthe in thy holy scriptures plenty of blessinges to them that feare the,Leuit. xxvi. De. xxviii▪ Esaye. c. v. xxiii.xxx xi. Ier. ix.xvi. and .xxix. Ezechi. vii.xiiii.xvii….xxxiii.xxxviii. and wyth al diligēt obedience & obediente dylygence walke in thy holy statutes & ordynaunces, so lykewise in the same haste thou set…orth innumerable curses & plages to such as liue wt oute all feare of the, & transgres thy blessed commandements. Among other thy greuous punishmēts, yu hast thretned ye vngodlye to sende the plage and such other mortal diseases vpō them, and so to roote them oute from the face of the earth, because of theyr disobedyence and rebellyon agaynst the theyr Lorde God.ii. Re. xxiii i, Par. xxi. Examples herof we hauehave manye in thy holy worde. Ah good Lorde, who can be fre from these and such other thy plagues,Psa. cxxix. if thou shouldeste dele with vsus according to oure iniquites? We are al synnefull.Roma. iii. The best of vsus all are vnprofitable seruantes,Luke. xvii. so that we cā fynd nothynge in ourselfs wherwith we maye worthelye eyther pacify thy wrathe styrred vp agaynst vsus for our manifold wickednesse, or turne awaye from vsus those thy plages, whyche we most iustelye hauehave deserued. Notwythstāding there are, whyche supersticiously for the appeasyng of thy anger, & for ye dipsatch of corporal puni…hmentes cal vponupon dead creatures and flee vntounto domme Idolls, as thoughe most present helpe wer to bee looked for of theym, when in dede they canne do nothyng at all vntounto our health, neither concerning the bodi nor ye soul. With suche Idolatours. O good Lord hauehave we nothing to do, although neuer so greuous synners. For we are taughte by thy holy word, nether to truste in Roche nor in Apoline, neither in Agasse, nor in Annes, nether in Erkēwald nor in Grimbald, nor yet in ani other creature, eyther in heauen or in earth, but in thy greate mercyes set forth in the precyous bloud of thy most dear sonne Iesu Christ, for whose sake alone, for whose merytes and good deedes alone, yu art wel pleased wt mā, fauorest him, & delighteste in hym as a louing father in his dereli beloued sonne. O mooste merciful God, we fyndynge in our selfes a iust deserte of al those thy plages, which thou art wonte to caste vponupon the chyldren of men for theyr wyckednes (so great and manifold is the nū ber of our synnes) and nothynge at all, wherew…th we may in any parte be able to tourne aw…y thy heauye dyspleasure fro… vsus, are co…e at thys presente vntounto the throne of thy merciemercy, moost humblie beseching the in the name of Iesu Christe thy sonne and oure alone Mediatour and aduocate not to weyghe our sinnes, & wyckednesses▪ but to cōsider thy gret mercyes and louynge promyses, and for Christes sake to putte away frome vsus al such plages,…. iii. and▪ …vii. Mark …ii. Luke iii.i… ii. Peter. … as we moost iustelye hauehave deserued and to preserue vsus in suche state of bodelye healthe, that we maye liue and glorify thi blessed name. Ah Lorde,Psal. xxx. Es xxxviii. may dust giuegive thanks vntounto the? or shall that declare thy faithfulnes? The graue praiseth not the, death doth not magnifye the. They that go down into the graue prayse not thy truthe, but the lyuynge, yea the the lyuynge knowledge prayse, and magnify the. Defende vsus therefore, O Lorde, from the terrible plagues of thy fearful dyspleasure, but aboue al thinges remoue from vsus y• dyseases of our mynde, that we beynge whole in soule, maye beholde the wyth a pure faythe, and serue the with a clean hert. GiueGive vsus also the health of our body vntounto our laste dayes, that we enioyinge the healthe bothe of bodye and soule, thorowe thy syngular benefite, maye leade a quyet and healtheful life vntounto thy honoure and glorye. Amen.