The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 37 – Prayer 38
☞ A generalle prayer that all Men may walke in their vo…acion and callynge.
FOrasmuche, O heauenlye father, as bothe thy honoure and dishonoure after a certein maner dependeth in thys worlde,Math. v. eyther of oure godlye or wycked lyfe (if we lyue well, thy very aduersasaries shal be cōpelled to gloryfye the, but if our… life be vngodlye,Esay. iii. Ezec. xxxvi. Rom…. ii. so shalt yu be dishonored amonge the wicked & euell spoken of thorowe our sinful liuing) and because we shuld not walke inordinatlye & so prouoke the enemies of thy truthe to rayle on the, and to blas…heme thy holye name, thou hast appoynted in thy blessed law certayne honest & godly states and d…grees, wherein thy people shoulde lyue, and haste streyghtelye commaunded that so manye as professe the and thy holye worde, shoulde continue in the same,i. Cor. vi. Ephe. iiii. eueri one accordyng to hys vocacion and calling, and by no means leade a dis…olute life after the maner of the heathē, which know not God, that by well doing… the professours of thy holie religiō may not only stop the mouthes of folish,… and ignorant people but also prouoke them to glorify ye, our Lord in the day of visitacion: we knowing our infirmiti & weaknes, whych is so great and vnable to be remedied of our natural strē gthes and frewill,ii. Cori. iii. that we are not able to thīk a good thought,Psalm. …xix much lesse to fulfil thy cōmaundements which thou haste straightlye commaunded to be kept and wyshing y• glory of thy most glorious name and the accomplishmēt of thy heauenly will most humbly and from the very heart besech the for Iesu Christes sake to endue vsus, wyth thy holy spirit, which maye fulfyll that lacketh in vsus, make vsus newe creatures, trade vsus in ye pathes of thy holye lawe, and geue vsus grace to walke accordinge to our vocacion in thy feare, & in the obedience of thy godly wyll, that we attempt nothynge that in anye poynt may hīder thi glory, obscure thi honour, deface thy name & cause y• to be euil spoken of among the vngodly. And that thys may come to passe, graunt O moste mercyfull father that eueryevery one of vsus euē from the higheste to the lowest, may vnfaynedly answer to our callīg, & train oure life accordynge to thy blessed wyll, vntounto the glorye of thy name▪ that whatsoeuer we do in word,Collos. iii. or dede, we may do al thynges in the name of the Lorde Iesu, geuynge thāckes to the God the father thorow him. Graūt that al tēporal rulers maye vse theyr offyce iustelye and godly, seke not only to be feared but also to beloued,Magystrates. maintaine the good, punysh the euill, accepte no person in iudgement, allow no fals accusacion,Iere. xxi. and .xxii. zacka. vii.ii. para. xix. Eccle. iii. Deut. xvii. Eccle. xx. sheede no innocēt bloud, heare the smal so wel as the greate, receyue no bribes, set forth thy glory auaunce thy holy worde, promote thy faythfull preachers, and in all theyr doynges seeke the profyte of the comm…n weale, and so behaue them selfs that thei mai be founde worthy offycers in thy syght.Subiect…. Roma xiii. i. Peter. ii. Graunte that the subiectes may shewe all reuerent submission to theyr rulers, obey theym in all thynges, bee faythful and true to them, yea and that not onlye for feare of punyshmente but also for conscyence sake.Spiritu…ll Ministers. Graunt that the Byshoppes, the preachers of thy word & al other spiritual ministers may take hede to them selfes and to al the flock,Acte…. …. in the which the holy gost hath appointed them ouerseers to fede thy holy congregaciō which thy dereli beloued sōne purchased with hys bloude,i. Peter. v. and take the ouersight of thē, not as though they were compelled, but wyllinglye, not for the desyre of fylthy lucre, but of a good mind, not as lordes, ouer the Paryshes, but that they be an example vntounto the flock. Graunte that they maye lay asyde al tiranny and hautines of mind▪ and walke with al gentel softnes and tēder compassion toward the shepe of Christ committed to thei… cure and charge. Let theim be as moost louinge fathers to Christes flocke, & if any of the shepe chance to run astrai & to go out of the wai let them not therfore vngētly entreate them, but as it is the offyce of a good shepherd, by fayr means cal thē home againe vntounto y• shepe folde…, sekyng rather theyr saluacion then destrucciō.Luke. xv. Let them remember the history of y• lost shepe, & cōsider how tēderly the hedshepperd Christ thy sōne and our Lord fetched it home againe euen vponupon his shoulders.ii. Timo. ii. For the seruaunt of the Lorde maye not fighte, but be peaceable & gentel toward all, and redy to tech, sufferīg the euil wyth meknes, enforming thē that re…ist if at any time thou, O God maiest geue them repentaunce to knowe the truth.i. Tim. ii… ▪ Let them cast away vngodly old wiuish fables, teachinge thy heauenly word purely & truly, & be vntounto thē that beleue an example in the word, in conuersaciō, in louelove, in spirit, in faith, in purenes. Let them geue attendaunce vntounto reading, to exhortaciō, to doctrine, let thē studi to shew thē selfs in thi sight workmē worthi of praise euē suche as nede not to be ashamed. As in prechinge thy holy worde,ii. Timo. i… Iohn. xxi. i. Tim. iii. Titus. i. …sa. lviii. E…om. xii. so likewise in mainteining hospitaliti in distributing to the necessiti of the saints, in feding the hungri, in clothing the naked, in lodging the harbourles, in nourishing godly & learned men, make them diligent heardemen, that they maye be pastores and feders bothe in worde & deede. Graunte agayne, that the parishners may reuerence the byshops & other spirituall ministers,Pary…oner…. geuing them no lesse honour then the childe geueth the father,Malach ii …. iiii. Math. v. … Cor iiii. Iohn xxi. …. Peter. v. …. xxxiii. Esay. lviii. …bru. xiii. remē bring that they be the aungels of God, the messengers of Christ the lyghte of the world, the salt of the earth, the dispēsatours of ye misteryes of God, the feaders of theyr soules, the cōfortours of the weke the Phisicions of the sicke, the vpholders of the whole, ye exhorters vntounto vertue, the fraiers away frō vice. &c. which watch continuallye for ye health of their soules. Worke in the hertes of al them that ar instructed with the word, such a tender louelove and good wil toward the Ministers yt teche thē,G…la. vi. yt they may giuegive vntounto them abūdantly al good things wherby the preachers may be the more able not onli to norish their familibut also maintain hospitality for the reliefe & comfort of the pore. For who goth a warfar any time at his own cost?i. Cor. ix. who planteth a vineyarde and eateth not of the fruit? who fedeth a …ocke, and eateth not of the milke. Yf ye preachers sowe vntounto their parishners spiritual thīgs, is it a great thyng if thei reape their carnal thinges?Math. …. Thy ordynance is, o lord, that thei which preach the gospel shuld liue of ye gospel. Moreouer grant that the husbāds mai louelove there wiues as their owne bodies,Husbādes. & not be bitter,Ephe. vi. Colos. iii. i. Peter. ii. churlish or vnkynd vntounto them but geue honor vntounto them, as vntounto the weker vessels, and as vntounto them that are felowe heyres wyth th…m of the grace of life. Likewise graūt that the wiues be in subiection to theyr owne husbandes as vntounto the Lorde in al thinges,Wyues. and so behaue them selfs as becōmeth womenne of an honest and godly conuersacyon. Gyue them grace to aray them selfes in comelye apparell, with shamefastenesse and discrete behaueour, not with broided here, or gold, or perle, or costlye arai▪ but with such as it becōmeth women that profes godlines thorow good works. Let the inward mā of the hert be vncorrupte wyth a meke and quiet spirit, whych before the (O God) is much fette by. For after this maner in ye old time did the holy women which trusted in God tyre thē selfes▪ yt wer obedient to their own husbāds, euen as Sara obeied Abrahā, and called him Lorde,Gen… xvi. whose doughters ye maried women are, so longe as thei do wel. Grant yt fathers maye not rate their children,Fathers. Collos iii. Ephesi. vi. lest they be of a desperat minde, but bryng thē vp in the nurture & informaciō of our Lord god.Chyldren. Ephesi. vi. Graūt also that the childrē obei their parēts in al thinges, and honour thē.Master…. Colos. i ii. Ephe. vi. Graunt that al masters may do vntounto their seruauntes that which is iust & equal putty nge away threatnings, and know yt thei hauehave also a master in heauen,Seruauntes. Ephe. vi. wyth whom ther is▪ no respect of persons. Graunt againe, that the seruants be obedient vntounto theyr bodely masters in al thinges, with feare and tremblyng,Collos. iii. Titus. ii. i. Peter. ii. in singlenes of hert as vntounto Christ, not with eie seruice only in y• eyesight as mē plesers, but as the seruaūts of Christ, doyng thy wyll, O god, euē frō ye hext with good wyl. Gyue them grace also to consider that they serue the Lord & not mē and therfore thei mai be sure, that whatsoeuer good a man dothe, he shal receyue it agayne of the Lord whether he be bōd or fre. Further more graunt,Elders. Titus. ii. O most mercyful father, that the elder men mai be sober, honest, discrete, soūd in faith, in louelove, and in pacyence.
The elder wemen likewise grant that they be in suche raymente as becommeth holynes, not false accusers, not geuen to much drynckyng, but teachers of honest thinges, to make the yong women sobre minded, to louelove their husbāds to louelove their childrē, to be discrete, chaste, housewifely, good and obediente vntounto theyr owne husbands that the worde of God be not euyl spoken of.Yongemen. Graunte also, that the yonge men be sobre minded and of honeste conuersacyon. To conclude graunte that eueryevery one that professe thy gloryous name, maye so lyue and behaue him selfe both in thoughte, worde and dede, that nothing mai procede & come from them that shoulde offende thy deuyne and mooste excellent Maiesty. Graunt also (O mooste gentle and tender father) that our lyghte may so shine before men, that they seing our good workes,Math. v. maye gloryfye the oure heauenlye father, with thi welbeloued sonne Iesu Christ our sauiour, and the holye gost that most swete comfortour, to whom be al honour and glory for euer and euer. Amen.
A prayer for oure ennemyes.
THe poisōful corrupciō of our nature, whiche we hauehave sucked out of our fyrst parentes Adam and Eue, worketh so strōgly in vsus, O Lord and so myghtely striueth againste the mocyons of thy holy spirit,Galathi. v. Roma. vii. that we can not do that we wold, nor accomplysh that y• requirest of vsus. Thou hast cōmaunded vsus to louelove, not onlye our frends, but also our very enemyes to forgeue them y• offēd vsus to blesse thē that cursse vsus,Math v. Luke. vi. to do good to them that hate vsus, to prai for theim that do vsus wronge and persecute vsus, if oure enemy honger to feede him▪ if he thyrste,Pro. xxv. Roma. xii. to geue him drinke, but our corrupt nature,Exodu. xxi. Math. v. which euer striueth agaīst thy blessed wyl, seketh al meanes possible to be reuēged, to requite toothe for toothe, and eye for eye, to render euyl for euyl, when vē gaunce is thyne,Deu. xxxii. Hebru. x. Roma. xii. and thou wylte reward and by thys meanes we greuously offende the and breke the order of charity, & the bond of peace, which seketh not to be reuē ged,i. Cor. xiii. Colloss. iii, but to forgeue one another, euen as Christ forgaue vsus. It mai p…ese the therfore (O most merciful Lord) of thy bountyful goodnes to forgiue our enemyes, and not to laye to their charge those thynges, that they hauehave vniustly committed against vsus, & so to sle in vsus oure old corrupte and cankard nature, by takyng away frō vsus oure stonye hearte, and by geuynge vsus a fleshye heart,E…chi. xi. an… .xxxvi. that we thorow the opperacyon of thy holye spirite maye bee contente according to thy blessed wyl & commaūdement,Mathe vi. and .xviii. Marke. xi. uke. vi. Luke xxiii. Acte…. vii. and after the exāple of thy son Iesu Christ our Lord, & of that blessed martyr. S. Stephan, frely, and euen frō the veri hert to forgeue our ennemyes, to speake wel of them, to louelove them, and to do for thē what so euer lyeth in oure power, & by this meanes vnfainedli shew our selfs to be thy sōnes,Mathe. …. which causest ye sun to aryse on the euyl, & on ye good, and sendest the rain on the rightous & on the vnrightous, geuīg vsus example, that we, if we wyl be thy true sonnes, shuld do likwise & shew our selfes beneficial, not only to the good and godlye, but also to the wicked and vngodli, yt by thys meanes we may allure euen the very aduersaryes of thy truth to speake wel of the professours of thy blessed name, and to glorify the oure heauenly father, which fashionest vsus according to thy maners thorow the myghtye workinge of thy holye spirite, to whō with the, and thy onli begotten sonne, be al glori and honour AMEN.