The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 48
A prayer agaynst the temptacions of the deuil, the world & the fleshe.
ALbeit (O most myghtye captayne, moste valeant warryour and most tryumphante Lorde Christe Iesu) thou by thy death hast put doune him,H…bru. ii. i. Cori. xv. Osee. xiii. that hadde Lordshippe ouer death, that is to saithe deuil, that thou mightest deliuer thē, whych thorow fere of death, wer al their lyfe tyme in danger of bondage, and albeit thou haste spoiled rule and power, and made a shewe of them openly, and hast triumphed ouer them in thine own parson, & by thys meanes delyuered vsus from the hands of our enemyes,Colloss. ii. Ephesi. iii. Luke. i. that we myghte serue the all the dayes of oure lyfe in suche holynesse and ryghteousnesse, as are accept before the, yet the deuil for the olde malyce, whyche he hathe borne against mā from his firste creaciō (for thorowe enuye of the deuil deth entred into ye worlde) gothe forthe styll to rage against vsus,…enesi. iii. Sapien. ii▪ i. Pete…. v.and walketh aboute like a rorynge Lyon, seking whō he may deuour. And if he wer not restrained bi thy godli puissāce he wold surely swalowe vsus vp,Iob. i. Psa cxxiiii so greate is his tiranye, so myghty is hys power. He preuailed against our fyrste parentes, yea and that in ye state of theyr innocency and immortality. He afterward attempted other & preuailed, wherof sōe notwithstandyng wer the chosē vessels of mercy.G…nesi. iii. ii, Regū. xi. Mat. xxvi. Math. iiii Mark. i. Lu…e. iiii. Here of getting a courag vntounto hym self, he feared not to assail yt wt his suttel tēptaciōs. Oh is it thē to be thought, yt he willer vsus alone so feble, so weke & redy at eueryevery momēt to be ouer throwē. Thou thy self callest him the prince of this world,Iohn. …ii.…iiii.….xvi. …. Cor. iiii. and thy holy Apostle nameth hym the god of this world. Strong must he nedes be, & of no smal myght whom thy holy word so termeth, stronge in dede in comparison of vsus, but weake and of no forse beinge compared wyth the. Thys Prince, this god of ye world doest yu suffer cōtinually to war agaīst thine elect and chosen people (as for the reprobate and wycked,Iob. i. he hath thē al redy in his court at cō mādemēt, not to destroi thē whiche he moste of al wisheth, but to exercise & try their faith, to proue their cōstaci & in this their cōstict to occasion thē bi herti praiers to … vntounto thi holi name,Pro. xvi…i▪ which is a strōg tower, & mighty fortres, for so many as repayre vntounto it, ye thei getting ayde at thy hande, maye not onli enter battel wt this their great & immortal enemy, but also by the power of thy myghte ouer come hi… and put him to flyght. And as thou hast geuē satā thys liberti to tempt, to exercise,Iob. i. proue and try vsus, whether we be costāt in thy faythe and word, or not, so dooth he take thy profer. And althoughe yu sufferest hym thus to do for our great profit & singuler commodity, for we know that all thyngs worke for the beste vntounto theym that louelove God,Rom. v…. euen that we of oure selfes beynge weake shuld hauehave a gloryous triumphe and noble vyctory ouer hym thorowe the myghty puissaunce of ye our grande captain, yet herof taketh he an occasiō, to seke our destruccion. And that he may bring this to passe, besides ye innumerable companye of hellishe spyrites he taketh vntounto hym .ii. other our moost cruel ennemies,i. Ihon. ii. …lath. v. Ps…. cxxiiiithe world & ye flesh. The one with his vain pleasures, the other with her carnal, lustes so compasse vsus round about, that if thy presēt help wer not, we must nedes perish. O louyng Lorde and most gentle sauyoure, thou seest our weaknes, myserye,i, Re xxvii. …ccl. xlvii. and no strength. Thou knoweste againe the valeaunte, myght and power of oure aduersaries. Our strēgth is no more to be compared wyth theyr mighte, then the strength of lytle Dauid with the mightye power of great Goliah: oure speare, oure swerd, oure shielde wyll do nothynge in thys behalfe. Notwythstandyng Lord, we do not despayre. For al thoughe there bee not so greate strengthe in vsus,ii. P…. xiiii that we may be able to resyst this greate company yt cōmeth against vsus, yet hauehave we this one refuge and succour euen to lift vp our eyes,Psal. cx…. vntounto the & to saye, our help commeth frō the lord our god whych made heuen and earth. If God be on our syde, who canne be againste vsus?Rom. viii. i. Reg. vii. The battel, O lord God is thine, oure faythe therfore is, that thou wylte geue oure ennemyes into our handes.Math. …. Thou taughtest vsus to pray that we maie not be ledde into temptacion, and hast promised vsus, that thou wilte not suffer vsus too bee tempted aboue oure strengthe,i. Cor, … but wylte in the middes of the temptacyon make aaway for vsus to escape. Thou art fayt…ful:Psal. …lv. Ti… i▪ … …ii. …. Tim. ii, fulfyl therefore thy promise. And forasmuch as thi good pleasu…e is: that we shal manfully fyght with these our enemies (for what is the lyfe of manne in this world▪ but a continual warfarre?) and no man is crowned, excepte he stryue lawefullye, we wyth our very heart dyspairinge of oure owne strengthe & corage, moost humblye beseche the to be our captayne, and valeauntelye to defende vsus agaynst oure enemyes▪ that they may not preuaile agaynste vsus. Make vsus strong in the, O Lord, and in the power of thy mighte. Putte on thy holy armour vponupon vsus, that we may stād stedfast against ye crafty as…autes of the deuyl.Ephe…. vi. For wee wrastle not against the flesh and bloud, but agaynst rule, agaynste power, and against worldly rulers of ye darknes of thys world, agaynste spyrytual wyckednes in heauenlye things. For this cause, O mooste sweete sauiour, put vponupon vsus thy holy armour, that we mai be able to resist in the euil day, and stand perfect in all thynges. Gyue vsus grace therfore to stand, & to gird our loynes aboute wyth veritye, hauyng on the brestplate of righteousnes, and shoed with shooes prepared by the Gospell of peace. But aboue al, graūt that we may take vntounto vsus the shilde of faithe. wherwt we may be able to quēch al the fyry dartes of the wycked, & to put on the helmete of saluacion and the swearde of the spirite which is thy blessed word. Graūt also, that we being thus godly en armed, may thorow thy puissāce, might and strength, not onelyonly enter battel with our enemyes, but also valeauntly fyght with them coragiously put them to flyght, & tryumphantly cary away a glorious vyctory ouer them. So shall it come to passe, that we being valeaunt conquerours thorow thy help, shal receiue at thy hānd accordyng to thi promyse, Manna to eat that is hyd,Ap…c…. ii, & a white stone & in the stone a new name wrytten which no man knoweth, sauyng he yt receiueth it. Lorde for thy mercies sake, grant vsus these our peticions. So shal we praise and magnyfye thy blessed name for euer & euer. Amen.