The Pomander of Prayer, Title page – Dedication
THE POMAVNDER of Prayer, Newly made by Thomas Becon.
ECCLE. 24. ¶ Pleasauntly do I smell, euē as it wer Cynamome, and svvete Balme,
THOMAS BECONVS SACROSĀCTAE THEOLOGIAE PROFESSOR. AETATIS SVAE .41 ANo DN̄I .1553.
Ora expressa vides, viuos imitantia vultus.
Quod potuit calamo pictor & arte videt
Mentis quā nullus potuit tibi reddere pict…
Effigiem scriptis, praebuit ipse suis.
To the moste honorable and vertuous Lady Anne of Cleue, her grace, syster to the hye and myghtye Prynce Wylliam Duke of Cleue. &c. Thomas Becon wysheth the fauor of God, long lyfe and continuall health.
AMong many other godly and noble vertues, whiche God by his holy spirit hath graffed in your graces breast (most honorable Lady) the feruent affection and continuall desyre of prayinge vntounto the Lord our God, hath neither the last nor the lest place in you. And as God hath wrought in you by ye holy Ghost thys godly mind to call vponupon his holy name with diligent prayer, so lykewise doth your grace stur vp and confyrme that spirituall mocion wt the exercise of daily praier, least that godly affecciō shuld be quē ched, which the holy Ghost hath kindled in your heart. For your grace doth rightwell consider, yt God deliteth in nothynge more then in ye inuocacion of his blessed name, and in the sacrifice of thankes geuing for his benefits. Where the name of God is diligently called vponupon, & most humble and harty thāks geuen vntounto him for his fatherly and frendly giftes, there is hys blessing grace and fauoure plenteous, there is the holy Ghost present, there is a mery conscience, ther al thīgs prosper, there wanteth no good thing. Contynue therfore (most honorable Lady) as ye hauehave godly begun, both you and all your faithful family to call on the glorious name of the Lord our God with feruent prayer, and forget not to be thankfull vntounto hym for hys benefites, wherwith aboue many other he hath richly endued your grace. So shal he be your louing Lord & gracious God, your fauorable father and strōg shilde. So shall he make your grace to prosper in al your doings, & blesse you both with longlyfe and much honor. And that your grace may hauehave at hand conuement prayers to pray vntounto the Lord our God I thought it good, consyderyng your graces manifold vertues, to geue vntounto you this my Pommaunder of prayer, wherein are breeflye contayned suche godlye prayers as are most mete in this our age to be vsed of all degrees and estates, most humbly beseching your grace to take in good part this my rude and bolde enterprise according to your accustomed gentlenesse. God, whose glory you hartely louelove, whose word you ioifulli embrace, whose name you earnestly call vppon: mought vouchesafe to preserue your grace in continuall health and encrease of honoure.
Amen.
Your Graces most humble and faithfull Oratoure Thomas Becon.
¶ The Pomaūder of Prayer.
¶ A Prayer for the morning.
I Render vntounto thee (O heauenly father) most hartye thankes, by thy deare sonne Iesus Christ, that this night past thou hast vouchedsafe of thy fatherlye goodnes to preserue me from all euill, & to geue my bodye rest and slepe: I now most entierly beseche thee yt as thou hast raised vp this my body frō slepe, so likewise thou wylt delyuer my mynde from the slepe of synne, and from the darknesse of this world, that I walking in the lyght of thy blessed worde, maye onelyonly doo that is pleasaunt in thy sight, profitable to my neighbour, and healthfull to my soule.
Amen.
¶ A prayer for ye Euening.
I Most humbly thanke the (O mercifull Father) for preseruinge me this day frō all misfortunes, and for thy other benefites wherewyth thou hast plēteously blessed me. I beseche ye forgeue me al my sinnes, wherwyth I hauehave offended thy fatherlye goodnes from the very beginnīg of my lyfe vntounto this present houre, and take me this night into thy tuicion, ytmyne enemies maye hauehave no power ouer me, but that my body enioyinge a sweet slepe, my minde may continually watch vntounto thee, and through fayth beholde thy blessed maiesty with a perfect hope after this frayle & transitory lyfe, to possesse ytimmortal and heauenly lyfe, where thou gloriously lyuest and reignest with thy onlye begotten sonne and ye holye Ghost one true and euerlastyng God, worldes without ende.
Amen.
A prayer for the forgeuenes of synne.
O My Lord and onelyonly sauior Iesu Christ, which camest into thys worlde to take away the heuy burdēs of them that were loden, to seke that was lost, to call synners vntounto repentaunce, to geue euerlastynge lyfe to the faithfull, and to be a mediator betwene God the father and vsus: I poore & wretched sinner from the verye hart lament, and inwardly bewayle my synnefull and wretched, lyfe, desiryng the for thy promyse sake according to thy mercyfull wont, to be my mediatour and aduocate vntounto God the father, that he maye forgeue me all mine olde sinnes, & so wholy possesse my hart by his blessed spirite, that he mai defēde me, against al perils to come, which the diuel, the world or the flesh imagineth against me, and so chaunge me into a new man, that mine olde sinnes being wyped awaye in thi precious bloud, I may walke frō vertue to vertue vntounto the glory and praise of his blessed name.
Amen.
A prayer vntounto God the father.
THy dearly beloued sōne (O most louing father) taught vsus in hys holy Gospel, that to know the to be ye alone true God, is euerlasting lyfe. Graunt therfore we beseche thee, yt we may truly knowe thee, euen as we are taught by thy holye word, beleue with the hart, and cōfesse with the mouth, that thou alone art the true liuing and immortall God our heauēly father, our maker, our preseruer, and our defender, that we thus beleuing and confessing maye through thy sonne Christ be come heires of euerlastyng lyfe. And as we thus beleue and confesse of thee▪ so geue vsus grace to shew forth thys our faith by godly conuersacion and vertuous liuing, ytmē seeing our good workes, may glorify thee our heuēly father, to whom be prayse for euer.
Amen.
¶ A prayer vntounto God the sonne.
O Lord Iesu christ ye sōne of ye liuing God, yea, very God himself begottē of god ye father frō euerlasting & continuing true & immortal God worlds wtout end by thee al thīgs wer made both inheauen and in earth, by thee also they be cōserued & kept in a order, thou art the bryghtnesse of thy fathers glorye thou art the verye image of hys substāce, in thee are hid al ye treasures of wysedome and knowledge, in ye dwelleth al fulnes, by thee ar we reconcyled to God ye father, by thee ar we sette at peace with him, through ye bloud of the crosse, bi thee hauehave we free accesse vntounto ye glorious throne of Gods maiestye, & by thee are we brought in through faith vntounto his grace, wherin we stāde and reioyce, in hope of the glory of God: we thanke thee for all thy benefytes, & moste humbly beseeche thee to geue vsus grace faithfully to beleue in thee, stedfastly to confesse thee true God and true mā, earnestlye to acknowledge thee our alone redemer, sauiour, Satisfier, Recōciler, Intercessor, Mediator and Aduocate that we altogether depending on thee and thy merites, on thy blessed passion, precious death and glorious resurrection, maye study through thy grace, so to order our lyfe in true holines and innocency, that at the day of iudgement thou mayst present vsus both body and soule vntounto thy heauenly father, and so for euer and euer placevs in thi glorious kingdome.
Amen.
¶ Unto God the holy ghost.
O Holy and blessed spirit, which being true and euerlasting God, with God the father and God ye sonne procedest from them bothe full of maiestie and power, which also with thy heauē ly breath quycknest ye mides of thē that afore were dead through sinne, makest mery the hartes of ye faithful penitent, bringest into ye waye of truth al suche as hauehave erred and are deceyued, settest at one such as wer at debate, cō fortest the soules of them ythūger and thirst after righteousnes and plenteouslye enrichest them wt diuers giftes, whyche pray vntounto thee in the name of Iesu Christ: Purifye our hartes we beseeche thee with the fyre of thy louelove, mortify in vsus what soeuer is not thine, renue & garnishe our mindes with thy heauenly benefites and spirituall giftes, that they may be made thy temples, leade vsus into all necessary trueth, suffer vsus not to be caried about with diuers & straunge doctryne, but alway to remaine in that doctryne, wherof thou alone art ye author, enarme our soules against the crafty assaultes of suttil Satan, against the vain pleasures of the wicked world, and against the leude lustes of filthy fleshe, that we beeing replenished with thy holy breath, may doo ytoneli, whiche is acceptable in thy godly sight.
Amen.
¶ Particular prayers to be sayed of the Magistrates.
FOrasmuch as it is thi godli pleasure (O king of kinges, and Lorde of Lordes) to appoint me among other a ruler of thy people, geue me grace I beseeche thee, so to minister the commō weale, and so to execute my office, yt I may please thee, and hurt no man in all my doinges, but iudge equally and iustli, rule according to thy wyll, shewe my self a father vntounto thy people, and so behaue my self in all myne enterprises, yt I seking thy glory, ye furtheraunce of thy blessed gospel, & the weale of ytsubiectes, may (when thou shalt render to eueryevery man according to hys deeds) be found blameles in thy sight, through Iesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
¶ Of the ministers of Gods word.
Thou hygh Priest and O euerlasting bishop Iesus Christ, the alone teacher of all godly trueth, and the onelyonly Curate of oure soules, whyche by thy holye worde hast appointed some of thy congregacion to be Ministers and Preachers of thy blessed lawe and Gloryous gospell, yt by this meanes, the holy ghost also working, they may call synners vntounto repentaunce, preache remission of synnes in thy name, perswade vntounto vertue, and disswade frō vice: forasmuch as it hath pleased thee to cal me an vnprofitable seruaūt vntounto that holy office of ministracion, and to make me a preacher of thy worde: I moste humbly beseeche thee, to geue me thy holy spirite, whiche may lead me in to all trueth, instruct me with the knowledge of thy holimisteries, and through his heauenly inspiracion so prepare my harte, and order my tūg, that I may neyther thinke, breath, nor speak any thyng, but that may turne vntounto thy glory and the edifying of thy flock. Graunt also that what soeuer I preache in word, I may fulfil the same in work vntounto the example of that thy flock, which thou haste purchased wt thi precious bloud, yt when thou the cheef shepeheard shalt appeare I beyng found faithfull in my office, mai through thi goodnes re ceiue ye incorruptible crown of glory.
Amen.
¶ Of Subiectes or Commens.
AS it is thy godly appoītment (O Lorde God) ytsum should bear rule in this worlde to see thy glorye set forth, and the commō peace kepte, so it is thy pleasure againe, that some should be subiectes and inferiours to other in theyr vocation, although before thee there is no respecte of persons. And forasmuch as it is thy good wil to appoint me in the nū ber of subiectes, I beseeche thee to geue me a faithfull & an obediēt hart vntounto the hye powers, yt there may be foūd in me no disobedience, no vn faithfulnes no reasō, no falshod, no dissimulacion, no iusurrectiō, no cōmociō, no cō spiracy, nor ani kind of rebelliō in word or in dede agaīst the ciuil magistrates but all faithfulnes, obediēce, quietnes, subiectiō, humility, and whatsoeuer els becommeth a subiecte, that I liuīg here in all lowlinesse of mynde may at the last day through thy fauoure be lifted vp vntounto euerlasting glory, where thou with the father and ye holy ghost liueste & raignest very God for euer.
Amen.
¶ Of Fathers and Mothers.
THe frute of the wombe & the multitude of childrē is thy gifte and blessing (O Lorde) geuen to this ende yt they may liue to thy glory & the cōmodity of their neighbour. For asmuche therfore as thou of thy goodnes hast geuen me children, I beseeche thee geue me also grace to traine them vp euen from theyr Cradels in thy nourtoure & doctrine, in thy holy lawes & blessed ordinaūces, that from theyr very yonge age they may know thee, beleue in thee, feare & louelove thee, and diligently walke in thy commaundements, vntounto the praise of thy glorious name.
Amen.
¶ Of Children.
THou haste geuen a commaundemēt in thy law, O heauēly father, that children should honour theyr fathers and mothers, I moste humbly beseeche thee, therfore to breath thy holy spirit into my brest, that I maye reuerence and honoure my father & mother not oneli wt outward gestures of mi body, but also with the vnfayned affecciō of the hart, louelove them, obey them, pray for them, help them, and doo for thē, both in worde and dede, whatsoeuer lyeth in my power, that thou seeing myne vnfayned harty good wil toward my Parentes mayst become my louing heauenly father, & number me among those thy children, whō thou hast appointed (from euerlasting) heires of thy glorious kyngdom, through thy welbeloued sonne Iesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
¶ Of Masters.
THy commaundement is by thine holy Apostle (O most merciful Lord Christ, ye masters should entreat their seruauntes gently, puttyng away threatninges, & doing that vntounto thē, whiche is iust and equal, forasmuch as we also hauehave a maister in heauē with whom there is no respect of persones. Graūt I most hartely pray thee, I may so order my seruauntes that I attēpt none vnrighteousnes against them, but so vse my rule and authority ouer thē, that I may alway remember that thou art the common Lord of all, and we all thy seruauntes, again yt I mai not forget that we be all brothers hauing one father which is in heauē, and look for one glorious kingdome, where thou with the father and the holy Ghost liuest and raygnest true and euerlastyng God for euer.
Amen.
¶ Of Seruauntes.
O Lord we are cōmaunded by thy blessed Apostles, that we should honour & obey our bodely masters with fear and trembling not onelyonly if they be good & courteous, but also though they be froward, and serue them not vntounto the eye as mē pleasers, but with singlenes of hart, not churlishly answering them againe, nor picking, stealing, or conueying awaye anye parte of theyr goods vniustli, but shewing all good faythfulnes vntounto our masters, as though we serued God and not men. Graunt me grace, I moste humbly beseeche thee, so to serue my master and my superiours, that there may be found no fault in me but yt I behauing my self vprightly, iustly, faithfully and truli in my vocacion, maye doo worship to the doctrine of thee my God and Sauiour in all things.
Amen.