The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 40
A prayer for an vniforme and perfect agremente in matters of Christen religion.
IN thy laste and mooste sweete sermon, whyche thou madest a litle before thy passion (o Christ thou sonne of the lyuynge God) thou gaueste thy peace vntounto thy disciples,Iohn. xiiiii and willedst them diligently to kepe and maintain the same among them vntounto the …nd. This peace is the quietnes of cō science, the reast of the mind, and the perfect consent and whole agrement among the faithfull in matters of thy holy religion. In the praier also made vntounto thy heuēly father thou desirest,Iohn. xv…. that as thou and thy father ar one, so thy disciples mai be one, that is to sai knytte together in one mynde, in one iudgmente, in one meaning concernyng matters of Christen faythe,i. Co…. …. that they maye all speake one thynge, preach and wryt one thyng, and by no meanes dissent one frome another. Thys peace, thys vnyty, thys perfect consent in faith and religion is almost banyshed from amonge vsus in these oure dayes,Ierem xvi. whyle eueryevery manne laboureth to establysh the inuencyons and dreames of hys owne hert, whyle eueryevery man sweateth to imagine a newe kinde of religion and to maintaine the same, whyle eueryevery man seketh to worshyp the, not after the rule of thy blessed worde, but after his own fleshlye fansy and idle imaginacyon. Thy holy Apostle, O Lord, coulde not abyde, that ther shuld be sectes amonge the Corinthyans, nor that one should holde of Apollo,i. Cori. iii. another of Paule, the thyrd of Cephas, but that thei only shuld embrace the, which alone by thy blessed passion broughtest vntounto theim euerlastinge lyfe, forasmuche as thou and none other were crucified for them. If yt thy blessed Apostle had liued in thys oure tyme, oh Lorde howe heuelye wolde he hauehave taken the sects that are now among the chyldrē of menne, spronge out of hel and thrust in by Satan, yea and that is moost to be lamented, among them that professe thi holy name. Insteade of Apollo, Paule, and Cephas, we hauehave Benette, Barnarde, Fraunces, Augustine,Sectary…. Anthonye, Dominycke, Rufus, Honofrius, Iacob, Ioseph, Gylbert, Gregorye, Brygyde, Clare, Helene, Sophye, Pope, Cardynall. &c. besydes the dysordered orders of the Camaldulenses, the Cistertienses, the Basilyenses, ye Hieronimites, the Tertiaris, the seruauntes of sayncte Mary, the Lazarytes, the Magdalenytes, the Whylhelmites, the Ambrosians, the Specularis, the Chalomerians, the Iohannites, ye Scelistines, the brothers of purgatorye, the brothers of the holy cros, the brothers of the vale of Iosophat, the Carmelites, the Chartusians, the Hierosolimites, the Indians the Niniu…ts, the Constātinopolitans with an innumerable rable of Hypocrites mo, papistes, Heretikes, Scismatikes, Anabaptistes, Sacramentaries Libertines, & such other dongehylles of Satan, whych to much wretchedly hauehave deuided, rent & torne in peces the quiet vniti and frendelye concorde of thi holy religion, while thei hauehave imagined and taken vponupon them new sects, and newe orders, and by thee tryfelinge obseruances of them, seeke iustificacion, remission of synnes, and euerlastynge lyfe, forsaking the, which art the foū taine of liuely water, & digginge them myrye and durtye puddles that are able to hold no water.Ieremye. i… ▪ O Lord, as thys deuysion norisheth continuall discorde and enmity a mōg the professours of thi name: so do they that vnfaynedly cleue to thy blessed word, sorowfully lament, that thy glorye, thy truthe, thy worde, thy passion, thy bloud, thy deathe, is thorow these idolatrous imaginacions defaced, obscured, and almoost vtterly quenched, in so much that if thou haddest not reserued vntounto the a remnaunte,iii. re…. xii. Roma. xi. Romay. ix. Esaye. i. whyche hauehave not bowed their knees to Baal, we al hadde ben as Sodom, and might iustly hauehave bene lykened to Gomorre. O blessed Lorde, lette very pytye moue the to hauehave compassion vponupon thy poore troubled flocke. Let the zeale of thy glory prouoke the to treade vnderunder thy foote al these Sectaries, and Antichrists, that thou alone mayest be knowen amonge all nacions to be the onlie true and lyuynge God. Ah moste gentle sauioure,… Mat. …xiii. there is but one lord one faith one baptisme, one God, one father▪ one maister, one bodye, one spirit…, one hope, one truth, one gospel▪ how vnsemelie thē is it for vsus yt professe this vnitye to be deuid…d in religion▪ one to be of thys order, another to be of yt, one to mainetayne thys doctrine, another the contrarie. Destroy therfore, O lord, this worke of Satan, euen the bryngyng in of these damnable sects, & diuersities of opinions, and restore vntounto vsus that moost sweete and comfortable vnytye of thy holye and pure religion, that as we professe one God one baptysme,Ex. xxxiiii. Esaye. lxii. so wee may maintain one truth, & one religion. Thou callest thy selfe a gelous God, and a Lord that wylte not geue thi glory to another, suffer then thy honoure and glorie,Psa. …xiiii▪ thy praise and worship no longer to be geuē vntounto creatures. Thou art that God of peace which haste promysed to treade Sathan the sower of discorde vnderunder our fete shortelye.Roma. xvi▪ Fulfill thy promise, O Lord, for it is time, seing that not onlye the wilie Hipocrites,Mat. xiiii. Luk…. xi▪ those p…inted sepulchres outwardli appearing beutifull, and ful of holynes, but inwardlie ful of dead bones, and of al filthinesse, of rauening and wickednesse, of bribri & excesse, take part against thi holye word, maintaining false opiniōs agaynst thy heauēly doctrin, but also many of the tēporal rulers & wise worldlīgs agre vntounto thē, defending wt great violēce both the beastly hipocrites, & al their deuelish tradiciōs, croked ceremonis, false religiōs, although manifestlye contrarye to the truthe of thy blessed lawe. Notwythstandinge remember thy olde mercyes, and for the glorye of thy name, be fauourablye vntounto them, gyue them grace to repent and to know the truth,i. Timo. ii. that they maye escape out of the snares of the deuill, and become the children of libertye and euerlasting saluacion. Gather together al such as are dispersed, & make of them with vsus one flock. Cal home agayne theym that are runne astray after strang gods,Iohn. x. that they may gloryfye the alone. Deliuer thy people out of Egypte that lande of seruitude and bondage, and bring thē into the land that floweth wyth mylke and honye. Lette the babling Babilonians kepe thy seruauntes no longer in captiuity but restore theim home agayne vntounto that Ierusalem, wher thy holy name is called vponupon, thanked and praysed, wher thy heauenly doctrine is purelye taughte, where thy blessed sacramentes are truelye and faithfully ministred, where the works of Christen charitie are continually exercysed, that wyth one mouthe and one herte we may praise and glorify thy blessed name. Take away from vsus all heresies, and diuersities of opinions, & worke in oure hertes an vnfained concord in matters of religiō, euen such a concord as is in al poynts agreable to thy blessed worde. Graunte also mooste louyng sauyour, that thys godlye concord may remain continuallye in thy churche. So shal it come to passe, that al sects and heresies, al diuisions & Sismes, beinge roted oute of thy holy congregacion, and a perfect agrement established amonge vsus according to thy blessed word, we shal frō the very hert both knowledge the,Ia…o…. i. the worker therof, whiche alone art ye author of al goodnes, and also sing continual praises to the our Lorde God, whiche with God thy father and God the holy gost liuest and reignest true & euerlasting God worldes without ende. Amen.