The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 1 – Prayer 3
¶A prayer for the mornynge.
O Heauenly Father,Psal. xxxi. Psal. xxvii Psal. xii. whiche lyke a dyligent watchmā attendest alwayes vpō thy faythful people, wheither they wake or …lepe, & mightely defendest theim not onelyonly from Sathan that old enemy of mākind, but also from all other their aduersaryes, so that throughe thy godly power, they bee harmlesse preserued, I moost hartely thancke the, that it hathe pleased thy fatherly goodnesse, soe toe take care of me, thyne vnprofytable seruaunt, thys nyghte p…ste, that thou hast bothe safelye kepte me frome all myne enemyes, & also giuē me swet slepe vntounto ye great comforte of my bodye. I most entireli besech the, o most merciful father, to shew ye like kindnes toward me this day in preseruing my body & soule, that as my enemies may hauehave no power ouer me, so I likewyse maye neyther thincke, breath, or speake or doo anye thynge that maye bee dipleasaunt to thy fatherly goodnes, daungerous to my selfe, or hurtful to my neighboure, but yt all my enterprises may be agreable to thy moost blessed wil, whiche is alway good and godly, doinge that,Leuiti, xix, Mat. xxii, Roma. xiii Galla. v, Luk. ii. that may auaunce thy glory, aunswer to my vocacion, and profyt my neyghboure, whō I ought to louelove as my self: that whensoeuer thou callest me frō ye vale of misery, I may be foūd the chylde not of darknes but of light, and so for euer reigne with the in glory, which art the true & euerlastyng light,Iho. i.vii▪ xi, and, xii… i, Iohn, i, to whom with thy dearely beloued sonne Iesu Christ our alone sauiour and the holy ghost that most swete comforter, be al honour & glory. Amē
A prayer for the nighte.
O Lorde God and my heauenly father, forasmuch as by thy dyuyne ordynaūce the nyght approcheth, and darcknesse begynneth to ouerwhelme the earthe, and time requireth that we gyue our selues to bodely rest and quietnes, I rē der vntounto the most harty thanks for thy louinge kindenes, which hast vouchedsafe to preserue me this day, frō the daūger of mine enemies, to geue me my helth, to fede me, & so to sēd me al things necessary for the cōforte of thys my pore & neady lyfe, I most hū bly besech the for Christes sake, yt thou wilte mercifully forgeue me, al that I hauehave this day committed against thy fatherli goodnes, eyther in woorde, deede, or thought, & that thou wilt vouchsafe to shadow me this night vnderunder the cōfortable winges of thy almyghty power, and defend me from Sathan, & frō al hys crafty assautes, that neither he, nor any of hys ministers hauehave power ouer eyther my body, or my soul, but that although my bodye thorow thy benefite enioyeth swete and pleasaūt sleepe, yet my soul may cōtinually watch vntounto the, thinke of the, delight in the, & euermore praise the, that whē the ioyful light of the day returneth according to thy godly appoinctment, I maye ryse agayne wyth a faythfull soule, and vndefyled body, and so afterwarde behaue my selfe al the time of my life accordynge to thy blessed wyl and comaundemente,Rom. xiii. by castynge away the works of darcknes, and putting on the armours of light,Math. v. that men seing my good works, may therby be prouoked to gloryfie the my heauēly father, which wyth thy only begotten sōne Iesu Christ our alone sauiour, and the holye goste that moste swete comfortoure, liuest, and reignest one true and euerlastynge God, world without end. Amen.
The confession of our sinnes vntounto God the Father.
I Am not able to expres (oh wretched sinner yt I am) how greuously the burden of my sins oppresse me, whyther soeuer I turn me, whatsoeuer I do speke or thinke, I perceiue such corruption and wickednes, such abhominacion & vnclennes to raign in me,Gen. vi. Psal▪ l…v. Iohn, iii.▪ Genesi, i…i, Eccl, vii.x, Gene, viii, Prouer, x. Iere. xvii. Tobi, ix, Esay. lxiiii Genesi. iii, Roma. v. Ephesi, ii▪ Collos. iii, that it vtterly confoūdeth my conscience, and in a manner fettereth me with the cheyne of desperaciō. No maruell. For my outward manne is flesh, earthe, ashes, duste, donge, and all that moost vile is. My thought & disposicion is altogether nought euē frō my very cradels, my harte is vnclean, defiled wt most filthy synne, leude, & vnable to be searched, for ye manifolde wickednes thereof, but of God alone. My works are abominable and lothsome in the syght of ye most highest, yea my very ryghtousnesses, if any I hauehave, are euen as a defyled cloth. Againe my inward mā hath lost his former beautye. In steade of the Image of god he is miserabli deformed with the wicked visare of wily Satā. In the place of innocencye, fayth, louelove, hope▪ pacience, mercy, obedience goodnes, gentilnesse, liberality, ioy, and suche other frutes of the holi gost: wickednes, vnfaithfulnes▪ hatred, desperacion, vengeaunce, couetousnes, rebelliō, maliciousnes, churlishnes, vnmercifulnes, pensiuenes of minde & such other dampnable works of the fleshe are ētred into me, and holy posses me, so that whether I consider my outwarde or inward mā, I fynde my self ye bōd slaue of Sathan,Roma. vi. Deu. xxvii. Mat. xviii Gala, iii▪ Ephesi▪ ii▪ Luke xv▪ Luke, x▪ Esaye▪ ix▪ the vile dōghil of sīne, the miserable debtour of the law, the fyre brond of hel, the childe of wrath, the vessel of vengaunce the sonne of perdicion, ye wandring shepe, the woūded mā an hipocrite, an vnprofitable seruant, enheritour of euerlasting payne & al that euer noughte is. To ryd my selfe of al these most detestable enormities, I am not able. To seeke remedy at any other mans hand, to bie their merit…s, praiers, watchings, fastīgs & their other workes oh, it is but vayne.Luk. x. Moses can not heale my diseases, neither the Leuite, nor the priest can binde vp my woundes, and make them whole. For vayne is the health that is loked for at mannes hand.Psal lix, Roma. iii. Mat. xviii Ps…. xii, Al hauehave sinned, all hauehave gone astray, al owe to that heauenly king ten thousand talentes. Al are become abhominable, there is not one that dothe good, no not one. Ah who then can be made cleane of thē yt are vncleane? Ah, who beynge sycke,Iob. xiiii. Ecc, xxxiiii wyl seke to be made whole of them that are altogether diseased? Ah, who beyng weake, wyll wish to be stayed vp by him, whiche for feablenes is not able too stande? Canne the man of Inde chaunge his skinne?Ierem. xiii. or the catte of the mountaine her spots? No more canne they make me good, whych are them selues naught. Ah whither then shal I f…e? vntounto mi self, and vntounto mine own righteousnes?Psa. xciiii ii. Cor. iii. I am a moste damnable sīner, and of my self not able to thinke a good thought? Unto the lawe? it woundeth, kylleth, & condēneth me: It is a yoke,Roma. iii…. ii. Cor. iii, Ga, iii, …iii Actes. xv. Math, xxv that neyther we, neyther our fathers wereuer able to bear. Unto creatures? thei hauehave not oyle inough for them selues. Ah wretche that I am, destitute and voyde of all mortall helpe, shal I dispayre? Farre be that from me. But wer ther not a nother maner of doctrine, thē the doctrine of ye lawe, whych maketh no man perfecte,Heb, x▪ were ther not another maner of righteousnes then is foūd in my selfe,…. Cor, i, Roma, iii, …ii, and, v, Gala. ii.iii …iii, and▪ v, or in any other sinful creature I se none other but playne desperacion, death, damnatyon. But thākes be vntounto the (O heauēly father) which tēderinge the health of thy creatures, although sinful, so oft as they repente, beleue, and study to amende their life, hath set forth in …hi hol… scriptures another doctrine, euen the doctrine of the gospell, that most sweete, pleasaunt, and ioyful tidings of our saluacion, which cō forteth, chereth, & maketh merye weake consciences, & sorowfull herts andanother righteousnes euē the righteousnes of thy welbeloued sonne Iesu Christe,Rom▪ v. i, Cori, i. Math. iii. and, xvii. ii Peter. i. Iohn, iii. …om. viii. …say. liii, for whose sake art thou wel pleased with mā, and for whose innocē cy and righteousnes, thou frelye of thy bountifull goodnes forgeuest the synnes of so manye as wyth herty repentaūce flee vntounto thy mercye. I therefore (O most merciful father) staying, and cō fortyng my weake cōsciēce with the swete promises that I finde in the holi gospel of thy derely beued sonne, made vntounto al that be faythfully penitent withoute respect of persons, in the precyous bloud of thine aforesaid sōne Iesu Christ, am bold (notwithstanding the multitude of my sinnes at this presente) to come vntounto the throne of thy mercy, moste humbly besechyng the not to weighe my deserts,Psal, … nor to deale with me accordinge to my merites (for if thou shuldest narowly mark our iniquities, oh Lord, who shall abyde it?) whych deserue nothing but wrath and dānacion, but for the innocēcy and righteousnes of thy only begotten sonne Iesu Christ,Esay. i….… Rom. vi. whome thou haste geuen me to be myne owne, & with him all his merites & good dedes, to be thorow fayth so trulye myne, as though I my self hadde done and wrought thē, to forgyue me, my synnes accordynge to thy promise, to renue thi fatherli louelove towarde me, to receiue me into thy fauoure, to make me a vessell of mercy, to number me in the company of thy chosen people, and to endue me with thy blessed spirit, which may mortify mi carnal affects, s…ea old Adam in me, work new and those spiritual and heauenly mocions in my harte, & wt his holy breath make me a new & perfect mā according vntounto thy blessed ymage.Psa▪ lxxix, O moost louynge father weyghe not my synnes, but remember thy moste gentell promises. Consider not my euel works, but hauehave respecte vntounto ye vndefyled deedes of thy sonne Iesu Christ,Esaye. xii▪ xliii.xliiii. and, xlix. Mathew, i Luke. ii. i, Cor, i, i, Timo, ii, i. Iohn. ii. Hebre▪ ix▪ x, Psalm▪ li▪ Psa, cxviii whom thou hast geuē to be my redemer, my sauiour my ryghteousnes, my atonemēt maker, my satisfaction, & the alone and al wholely sufficient sacrifice for all my synnes. For hys sake, for his innocency, and righteousenes hauehave mercy on me (O God) according to thy great mercye, and put a way al my vnrightuousenesses for thy tender compassion. I hauehave gone a stray like a shepe that was lost,Luke, xv, yet O lord for thy mercies sake, seke me vp, lay me vppon thy shoulders, and brynge me home agayne to thy shepe foulde. I hauehave bene a loste sonne. I hauehave ryotously spent away my goodes wyth ye wicked, yet for thy goodnesse sake (O father) receyue me, and take me home againe, if not as thy sonne yet as one of thy seruauntes. I am greuously wounded, & can be holp neyther by priest nor Leuite,…uke. …. yet cast me not away good lord for thi tēder merces sak…, but pour wine & oile into my woūds. bynde them vp, & neuer leue me tyl thou haste made me perfectly whole. So shal I after this be ye more circūspect in trayninge my lyfe accordyng to thy godly wyll, and euermore synge continuall prayses to thy most blessed name thorow Iesu Christ our Lord, to whome with the & the holy goste be al glory and honour worldes wythout end. Amen.