The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 64
A prayer agaynst slaunderynge and backebytynge.
THe tonge (O Lorde) is a member, which thou hast geuen almoste generally to al liuing creatures, but speche haste thou researued onelye for man, yea and that vntounto this ende that he shuld sette forth thi praise & glori, magnifi thi blessed name, auance thy holy religion, be euer tellynge of thy wonderus works and alway speaking, that whiche may make vntounto thy glory▪ and vntounto the profyt of our Christen brethrē. The tong rightli vsed,Prouer. x. is the organ of the holy ghost.Prouer. xv. An innocent and righteous tong, is a noble treasure, a tre of lyfe,Proue. xvi. an hony combe, a refreshyng of the mīd, & healthe of the bones.Prouer. xx. A mouth of vnderstāding is more worthe thē gold then many precious stones and costlye Iewels. But this gift of speach, O blessed Lord is now a daies greatlye abused both vntounto thy dyshonoure and the vnquietnes of thy people. For wher as thou by thi dearly beloued sonne gauest a general commaūdemēt, yt we shuld bles thē that curse vsus, it is now come to passe, that they whome we bles,Mathe. v. …uke. vi. curse vsus, whom we speake well of they backebyte vsus, whom we …xhort, monish and teache good thyngs, they deface, slaūder and blaspheme vsus, whose wealth and health we seke, they contrariwyse seke our destrucciō O Lorde, theyr mouthe is full of cursed speaking,… ▪ i. and theyr tonge paynteth forth deceyte. They syt and speake agaynst theyr brethrē and slaūder euen theyr very well willers. Their tōgimagineth wickednesse, and with lies it cutteth like a sharpe rasour, Thei louelove to speak al words that may do hurt Wyth theyr tonge they blesse ye,psalme. iii▪ and with the same tōg thei curse vsus, which ar made after thi similitude, image & lykenes, so that oute of one mouth ther procedeth curssyng and blessing.Iacob. iii. But with such blessinges, O Lord, arte not thou delighted. But what maruel is it, O heauenly father, thoughe bacbitynge & slaunderynge be vsed in these oure dayes? In what age hath the slanderous & backebityng tonge ceased frō her slaū derynge and backbitīg? Who of al thy welbeloued seruants escaped fre from her poysonfull and venomous dartes? Was not thy hertye beloued seruaunt Dauyd that kynge and Prophete slaundered of that wycked and blasphemous Traytoure Semei,iii.….xvii. & called a bloude shedder, and a mā of Belial?… xviii Was not the holi prophet Helias reported to be a sedicious personne and a disquieter of ye cō mon wel of Israel? Was not thi only begotten sonne called a teacher of newe learning,Marke▪ i. a gloton, a wyne bybber, a frēde of whores and Publicans, a Samaritan a deceiuer of the people,Mathe. xi. Iohn. v…ii. a madman and one po…sessed with a deuyll? Wer not thy blessed Apostles also called dronckards,Iohn. vii. Iohn. x. sedicyous, persons, vayne pratlers, tidyngs bryngers of new deuils, and teachers of strange doctryne?Actes. ii. and .xvii. Wer not both Ioseph and Susanna reported to be dishonest persons of liuing,Gene. xx…ix. and yet notwithstāding none more honest▪ nor more godli.Dani▪ xiii. Who beīg godli bent and vertuoussy disposed, hath at ani time escaped slanderous and backebytynge tonges? O Lord that mē ber, whiche thou madest to be an an instrument of the holy ghoste is now become in mani peoplean instrumente of the Deuyll, a fyre and a worlde of wyckednes. For it is so set amonge our members that it defileth the whol bodi and setteth a fyre al yt we hauehave of nature,Iacob. …. & is it selfe sette a fyre euen of hel. It is an vnrulye euyll, full of deadly poyson. We beseche the therefore for thy mercyes sake (o mooste mercyfull God) to deliuer vsus from vnrightuous lippes and from deceitefull tounges,Psa. xxxi…. and to giuegive vsus grace so to walk in al our conuersaciō and liuing, that oure aduersaryes maye be ashamed to slaūder and to speake euill of vsus. Graunt also that they whych hytherto hauehave abused theyr tonges by backbiting, slaundrynge,Acte…. … ▪ and defamynge, may from hensforth speake with new tonges, praise yt and thy blessed name, talke of th… holy scriptures, meditate in them day & night, blesse theyr Christen brethrē, & speke wel of all mē, yea of theyr very ennemies, yt so many of vsus as profes thi holi name,Roma. xv. may wt one mind & wt one mouth glorify the our heuēly father thorow Iesu christ our Lord. Amen.