The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 68
☞ A thanksgeuyng vntounto God for sendynge his sonne into this world to die for our sins.
VUither soeuer we tourn our eyes (O mooste louynge and heauenlye father) the bottō lesse seas of thyne vnspeakeable goodnesse towarde mankynde, plenteouslye stowe in, and lyuely offer thē selfs vntounto vsus to beholde and to wonder at.Esay. xxiiii After thee fall of the sinnefull angels, what an exceadynge greate kyndenesse was thys,Iob. iiii. to make man after thy similitude, image & liknesse,ii. Peter. ii. that he and hys posteritye myght furnyshe and occupy those places in thy gloryous kyngedome,Gene. ii. whych the proude and dysobedient aungels loste for theyr proude dysobedyēce & disobediēt pride. Not only to place man in earthe, but also to prouyde aforehande all things necessary for hym yea to make hī Lorde and ruler of al thyngs contayned in the earth vnderunder y•, hys Lorde GOD?Psalm…. …. O what a wōderfull louynge kyndenes was thys Again to preserue, kepe & defend man, to watch continually vppon hym whether he wake or slepe, as the deligēt and carefull shepherd watcheth ouer his flock, that no euyl chance to man, & to dyrrecte hys thoughtes, counsells & deuyses vntounto the best, neuer leauinge hym, til thou haste broughte hym into thy heuenly kyngedome. O who is able with tong to expresse or wyth herte to thyncke thys thy hertye good wil towarde manne. These benefites (O most merciful father) are exceadynge greate tokens of thy deare louelove toward mankind, but the gyft of thi onelye begotten sonne Iesu Christe our Lorde,Mathe. i. ii. Timo. ii Ephesi. ii▪ whom thou gauest vntounto vsus to be our sauyoure, oure redemer,i. Cor. i. our peacemaker, our wysdome, our santificacion, and our ryghteousnesse, is the most excellent gift & most precius treasure? A chylde to be born for our sakes The sonne of the most hiest God to be geuen vsus for a newe yeares gifte,Esaye. …x. to be our owne for euer? O louelove passynge all louelove. O kyndenes rather to be merueled at, thē able by mouth to be vttered.Iohn. iii. God ye father so derely to louelove ye world that he wold geue his only begotten sonne, that eueryevery one that beleueth in him, maye not pearishe, but hauehave euerlastyng life? God ye father to sende hys sōne into the worlde, not to condēne the world but that the worlde thorowe hym shuld be saued? God ye father not to spare his own sonne, but to delyuer hym euē vntounto death for vsus al, yea & wt him euē to geue vsus al thinges? O most gentle kīdnesse excellyng al louelove & kindnes.Roma…. v. Wō derfully (O moost louing father) doth this thing set forth thy herti louelove toward vsus yt whē we wer yet vngodly & wycked sinners yu gauest thi sonne to dye for our sins.Esaye. …iii. Math v…i…. i. Peter. ii. He was wounded for oure offences, and smitten for our wyckednes. The paine of our punishmēt laiedst thou vponupon him, & with hys stripes were we healed. Thorow him, O lord, dyddest thou pardon all our sins. It was thy good plesure to smyte hym with infyrmity,Esaye. liii▪ yt when he had made hys soule an offering for synne, he myghte se longe lasting seede. For he is yt thy righteous seruāt, which with his wisdome doth iustify and deliuer the multytude, for he hathe born awai our sins. In his name & in none other vnderunder he auē doth our saluacion consist.A…t…s. iiii. By him are we at peace wt the our Lord God.Romay. v. Bi him hauehave we redempc…on thorow hys bloud, euen remission of our sinnes.Ephe. i. By him are we deliuered frō the power of darken…s and translated into thy heauenlye kingdome.Collosso. i. By hym hast thou recōciled all things vntounto thi self. By hym haste thou sette at peace thorowe the bloude of hys crosse, both thyngs in heauen and thinges on earthe. By him haste thou quickned vsus, and forgenen vsus al oure trespasses. He hath put oute the hande wryghtyng that was agaynste vsus contayned in the law written.Ephe. ii. Yea he heath taken that hande wryghtyng out of the way and hath fastened it to hys crosse and hath spoyled rule and power and hath made a shewe of them openlye,Collos. …. and hath triumphed ouer theym in his owne parson.Gene. iii. He is that seede of the woman, that tredeth downe Satans head.Gene. He is that seede, in whom al nacions of ye world shalbe blessed.Esay…. He is that Lorde, whiche alone hath troden doun the wynepresse, nether was ther any at al that helped him.Mathe. …. He is that sauiour, which saueth his people from theyr sins,Mat▪ xvii. He is that they welbeloued sōne, for whose sake yu art well pleased with man He is that breade of lyfe, whyche came down frō heuē.Iohn. vi. If any eate of yt bread he shall lyue for euer. He is that good shepherd, which gaue his life for his shepe.Iohn. x. He is ye resurrection & life. Who so beleueth on hym,Iohn. xi. althoughe he were dead, shal liue, & eueryevery one that liueth & beleueth in hym, shall neuer die.Iohn. xvi. He is that mighty Prince that hath ouercome the world. He is the perfect fulfillinge of ye law to iustify all that beleue.Romay. x. Gala. iii.He hathe deliuered vsus frō the cursse of the lawe, whē he was made accursed for vsus. He in his own person hath purged oure synnes.Hebrues. ii. He thorowe death hath putte down hym that had rule ouer death, that is to sai the deuyll, and hath made vsus free from the daunger of bondage. He with one offering of his blessed bodye hath made perfecte for euer them that are sanctified.Hebru…s, x. He now in the end of the world hath app…ared once for all to put synne to flyghte, by the offerynge vp of hym selfe. He hath loued vsus, and washed vsus from our syns in hys owne bloud,Apoca. i. and made vsus kyngs and priestes vntounto the God his father. Inestimable ar the tresurs & infinite are ye pleasures whych we receiue of the thorow this thy sonne Iesu Christ our Lord and sauyoure.Rom. viii. And thys thy welbeloued & onli begotten son wt al hys, hast thou geuen vntounto vsus, so that booth he and all that he hathe is oures, and we maye thorowe thy gyft iustly, chalenge it to be oure owne. For thys thy fatherlie louelove and vnspekable kyndenes in geuynge thy sonne vntounto the deathe for oure sake, and for al thy other benefits, which we hauehave receued at thy merciful hand thorow him, we geue the most herty thankes, desyryng the, that we neuer commit any thinge in thought, word, or dede, that maye offende thy deuyne Maiestie: but callyng to remembrance that we are not redemed with corruptyble syluer and golde from our vayne conuersacion,i. Peter. i. but with the precyous bloud of Christ as of a lambe vndefiled and wythoute spot, we may lyue worthi of this thy kidnes, & shew oure selfs obedyente chyldr…n to the, oure heauenly father, not fashyonynge oure selfes any more after this vntounto our olde lustes of ignorancye, but as thou, whyche hast called vsus arte holye, euen so in lyke manner we maye be holie in all oure conuersacyon and lyuyng vntounto the glori of thy blessed name. Amen.