The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 39
A prayer for the aduersaries of gods truth & that al men may come to the true knowledge of goddes blessed woord.
IT is trulye sayde of thyne holy Apostle. O mooste mercifull sauiour, that the naturall manne perceyueth not the thynges that parteyne vntounto the spirite of God.i Corin▪ ii. For they are but folishenes vntounto hym, neyther canne hee perceyue them, because they are spiritually examined. Thus to be true in the most part of men, specially in the wyse and prudent of thys worlde (from whom the heauenly father is wonte too hyde hys heauenlye mysteries,Mathe. xi. Luke. x. i. Corin. i. and to shewe them to the humble, and lowely) dayly experience teacheth vsus. For whyle the wyse worldlinges seke praise one of another,Iohn. v, xii they can not louelove the glory of god. While they cleue to theyr owne fleshelye wisdome they cā not abide the wisdome of God, which is counted folishnes in their sighte. Whyle they go about to mayntain olde croked costumes, supersticious ceremonis the trifling tradiciōs of mē, they cannot away wyth the lyghte of thyne heauēly truth. While thei magnify them selfs, shame to be taught, and bi no menes wil confesse theyr ignorance, and errour but perswade thē selfs, that they are in the truthe,Iohn. viii. whan in deede they are vnderunder the father of lyes, and that they walke in the lyght, when they are moost of all wrapped about, yea & ouerwhealmed wyth the mystye clouds of mens inuencyons, whyle also they abhorre to heare the prechers of thy word, and iudge whatsoeuer thei speak, new, erroneous & fals doctrine, it cometh to pas y• thei hate, persecute, banysh and cōdempne both thy blessed worde and al the fauourers therof▪ thynckyng thē selfs to do the high seruice,Iohn. xv. when thei …lea suche as vnfainedly professe thy Gospel. And forasmuch as thys hath conceyued agaynste thy holye word, and thys cruelty againste thy seruantes commeth from the wyse of thys worlde, the symple and ignoraunt people also for lack of knowledge yeldeth them selfs vntounto the fancys of the wily worldlings and the dreams of the bellyed Hypocrites, approuing what they approue, condemning what they condempne, and beleuynge what they beleue. By thys meanes is it come to passe, that ye aduersaries of thy blessed word are wonderful mani in nū ber, and very few are they which syncerelye, purelye, and euē with the heart embrace and folow thy heauenlye doctryne. No maruel:Luke. x…. For lytell is thy flocke. O Lorde, to whō it hath pleased thy father to geue the kingdome of heauen, and although many be made, yet fewe shalbe saued. For many are called, but few are chosen,iiii. Es. vi. Mathe. xx. so that ye true louers of thy word are few but the enemies therof are many But O Lord this comforteth vsus well, that althoughe the aduersarys of thy truth be innumerable, and albeit ye powers of this world stād vp and come together hurlye burly neuer so much agaynst the Lord & his annointed,Psalme. ii. and by no means wil submitte them selfes to the yocke of thy blessed lawe, but seeke all meanes possyble to breake it, and to caste it awaye from theim, yet shall they not preuayle, theyr imaginacions their counsels and deuises shall come to noughte.Proue. xxi. For there is no wisedome▪ no forecast no counsel that can preuayle agaynst the Lorde. Thou that dwellest in heuē,Psalme. ii. mockeste theyr vayn entreprises, and laughest both theym and all theyr mooste subtyle deuises to scorne.Math. xvi. For thou art that rocke, agaynste whom the gates of hell shall not preuayle.Math. xxi. Thou arte that stonne, vponupon whome whosoeuer falleth, he shall be crushed in peaces, but vponupon whome so euer it falleth, it shal grynd hym all to poulder. Thou arte that prycke, agaynste whom it is hard to spurne.Actes. ix. Apoc. v. Thou art that mooste vyctoryous, and tryumphaunte Lyon of the tribe of Iuda, against whom no fleshe canne preuayle. Thou arte that Lord, which bryngest to noughte the councels of the vngodly, and reprouest the thoughts of the people,Psa. xxxiii. yea thou makest of no force al the counsels, deuises and imaginacions of Princes, establishing thyne owne coūcel,Esay. xlvi. and makinge the thoughtes of thyne own hert to abide certain and sure for euer and euer. And as thou art a Lord of moste stronge puisaunce, so is thy blessed word of mooste mightye force. For it is a twybelle that cleaueth the hard stonnye rocke a sunder.Iere. xxiii. It is a consumynge fyre deuouring al ye aduersaries therof. Seing thē that as the deuises of wyse worldlinges are wicked: so are they vaine and of no force, and shall surelye be broughte to noughte at the tyme of the to fore appoyncted (for euerye plante that thy heauenlye father hathe not planted,Math. xv. shall be plucked vp by the rootes) it maye please the, which madest Saule of a wolfe,Actes. ix. a lambe, of a persecutoure a preacher, of a tyraunte an Apostle to brīg these aduersaris of thi truth vntounto the knoweledge of theyr erroure, that they maye repente, beleue and amende, O Lorde they are thy creatures, & thou haste no pleasure in the deathe of a sinner but rather that he shoulde turne and liue,Ezech. xvii Ezech. xi. hauehave merci on them▪ suffer them not to perish, make them of the vesselles of wrathe, the vessels of merci, of the enemis of thi truth, louers and imbraces of thy truth. Take away from thē their harde and stony hearte, and geue theym a fteshye, softe, and gentle hearte. Replenysh them with thy holye spirite, and with the graces thereof, that as they are thy creatures wyth vsus, so they maye be saued wyth vsus. For we are taughte that thou hateste none of al those thinges that thou hast made, and that thou dissemblest the synnes of menne for repentaunce sake,Sapi. xi. and art readye to hauehave mercye on all menne, that repente, beleue, and amende.Iohn. vi. Agayn, seyng ye nomanne can come vntounto the except thy father draweth hym, we most heartelye beseche the,i. Timo. ii. i. Iohn. ii. whyche alone arte oure onelye medyatour and aduocate, to praye vntounto thy heauenlye father, that he maye hauehave mercye vponupon the ennemies of thy worde, tourne awaye hys wrathe from them, lyghten hys louynge countenance vpō them,Psa. lxvii. geue thē a good spirite, and make them thy true and vnfayned dysciples, Graunt also (O swete Sauyoure) which willeste all men to be saued,i. Timo. ii, and to come to the knoledge of the truthe, that all suche as walke in ignorance, blyndnes and erroure for lacke of doctryne maye hauehave faythfull Preachers sente vntounto them, whyche maye instructe them wyth thy heauenlye word, brynge them out of darckenes into lyght, delyuer them frō the bondage of mans tradicions and place them in the swete lybertye of the spirite. So shal it come to passe, that they whych now are not thy people, shall be thy people and they which now abhorre and deface the glorye of thy woorde, shall bee the valeaunte promoutours and defenders of the same and all suche as heretofore hauehave walked thorow ignoraunce in all kynde of supersticion and vngodlynesse, shall from hencefourthe walke in the gloryous light of thi Gospel, prayse the, and magnyfye the, obey the, and serue the in holynes and ryghteousnesse all the days of theyr lyfe,Luke. i. vntounto the glory of thy blessed name. Amen.