The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 47
A prayer for a godlye lyfe.
IT greatly greueth vsus (O merciful father and euer lastynge God) that wee thorowe the greuous & continual assaultes of our ennemies are not able to pas ouer our yeres of thys world wyth such purytye of lyfe, as we ought, and as thou requirest of vsus. Uerely we are on eueryevery part so beseged and compas, sed round about of our aduersaries, that scarcely at any time we can be fre from their pestiferous and deadly darts, nor yet hauehave so muche respyte as once to breath towarde true godlynesse. Oh mooste louinge Lorde, thou arte oure father, and we thy chyldren, conuenient therfore is it that we thy children represent and openli declare in our conuersacyon the māners of the our father. Thou arte good, gentel, louynge, charitable, mercyfull, pacyente, longe sufferyng, holy, righteous, faithfull. &c. It therefore becommeth vsus thy chyldren in oure lyuing to practyse goodnesse, gentlenesse, louelove, charytye, mercye, pacyence longesufferyng, holynes, ryghteousenes, fayeth. et ce.
Thou hast geuen vsus an example that euē as thou hast done,Iohn. xiii. so we lyke wyse shuld do. If we say we dwel in the, we ought to walke, as thou haste walcked.i. Ioh. iii. For thou hast called vsus▪ not to vnclennes, but vntounto holynesse.i▪ Thess. iiii Thou haste deliuered vsus from thee power of our ennemyes,Luke. i. that wee beynge wythout feare, shuld serue the in holynes and ryghteousnesse al ye dayes of oure life. The bloude of thy sonne Iesus Christ hathe clē sed vsus from al sinne, not that we shuld continue in darcknes,i. Iohn. i. but rather walke in the light as thou art in the light. Thy louing kindnes hath appeared vntounto al men,Titu. ii. not that wee shoulde folowe vngodlines, and worldly lustes but that we shulde lyue soberly, righteouslye, and godlye in thys presente world. Thou dyddest chose vsus in Christe,Ephesi. i. before the foūdacions of the worlde were layd, that we shulde be holye and wythout blame before ye thorow hym.Ephe ii. We are thy workmanship created in Christ Iesu vntounto good workes, whych thou ordeynest afore, that we shoulde walke in them, Foras much thē as al the benefits whiche y• hast bestowed vponupon vsus, are geuen vsus vntounto thys end, that we shuld walk worthy of thy kyndenes, represēt thy maners in our conuersacion, mortifi the flesh, & the lustes therof, hauehave nothīg to do with sathā, nor the world, but lead a good lyfe, garnished ful of good workes, and in al poyntes fashioned after ye rule of thi blessed word, we most hertely pray y• to indue vsus wyth thy holy spirit,Ezechie. xi. and .xxxvi. which may take away our stonye hert, & geue vsus a new fleshy, and soft herte,Ephes. iiii. kyl that old man in vsus which is corrupt thorow deceyuable lustes, & fassion in vsus ye newe man, whiche is made after thy Image & likenes in righteousnes & true holines Suffer vsus not to giuegive ouer our selfes agayn vntounto our old lusts and cōcupiscences, wherwt we wer led whē we knew not the nor thy sō Christ,… but euē as thou which hast called vsus arte holy, so likewise graunt that we may be holy in al oure conuersacion. O merciful God, not the herers of thi law but ye fulfillers of it shalbe iustified before the.Romay. ii. Iacob. i. Neither shal eueryevery one yt saithe vntounto the:Math. vii. Lord lord: enter into ye kingdō of heauen, but thei that do the wyl of thee our father,Titu. i. which art in heauen. To confes thee wyth our mouth, and to deny the with oure dedes, worketh rather oure damnacion then saluaciō. For ye true knowledg of ye cōsisteth not in talking,i. Cori. iiii. but in working, not in fauoring, but in folowing, not in louing, but in liuing.Math. xxi. To promise the bi mouth, yt we wil work in thi vineyard, & yet work nothing at al, declare not vsus to be thy sōnes, but rather bastards▪ to brag of ye iustificatiō of faith, & not to bring forth ye fruts therof, to glory in ye merits of thi sonne Christ, in his blud, death & passion, & not to liue worthy of his kindnes,Romai, vi, to profes thy holy gospel, & not to walk accordīg to the doctrin therof, to be baptised in thi name & not to mortifi our mēbers which ar of ye erth nor to walk in a new life to be per takers of thy deuine misteries,Ihon. x…. & not to be made one spirit wt the, what auaileth it? we ar thy frēds if we do those thing that yu cōmā dest vsus. We ar thi seruaūts,Romai. vi. if we be obediente to thy wyll. We are thy sonnes, if we honoure and reuerēce the according to thi word. We seke thy glory if we attempt nothīg, wherof thou shouldest be dishonored.i. Peter. ii, Leding alife conformable to thy blessed wil we shall prouoke the very enemies or thy truth to praise the, but contrarye wyse, thou shalt be euyl spokē of. Graunt therfore we beseche the, that our lyfe may answer to our profession,Math. v. and that the lyghte of our good works may so shine be fore menne, that they seing oure godly conuersacion may glorifie the oure heauenly father. Amen.