Household Prayers, Prayer 15
The fifteenth Prayer, That we may well vſe afflictions.
If any man will follow me, let him forſake himſelfe, and take vp his croſſe and follow me. By manie tribulations wee muſt enter into the Kingdome of heauen. Hee chastizeth him whom he loueth, and ſcourgeth euerie childe that hee receiueth.
Mat. 16. Act. 14. Heb. 12.
O Lord, my GOD and my father, I learne in thy worde that none be true Diſciples of Ieſus Chriſt, but they that followe his ſteppes, wherof he hath deliuered vsus a ſure marke in theſe two chief points (the renouncing of our ſelues, and the voluntarie enduring of the croſſe.) For naturallie we are inueagled, with a diſorderly louelove to our ſelues, and doe preſume too much of our owne perſons. It is therefore neceſſarie for vsus to renounce our own nature and reaſon, and to abandon our owne affections, to ſuffer thee & thy louelove (O our God) to liue & raigne in vsus. Then muſt we proceede to the other point, that is, cheerefully to beare out the afflictions and miſeries of this life, wherein it pleaſeth thee eſpecially to exerciſe thine, vponupon diuerſe good conſiderations, namely to make them conformeable to the image of thy Sonne, to the end, that ſuffering with him, they may alſo raigne in his glory. For it is very true, that al men by ſinne, doe eate the fruites of the earth in labour, and bread in the ſweate of their browes: that they all liue in a ſea, toſſed with many ſtormes, & croſſed with many anguiſhes. But all hauehave not the gift of thy ſpirit, to learne by his doctrine, that the bread of affliction doeth nouriſh and ſtrengthen the faithfull ſoule, that the cup of bitterneſſe is therunto a ſweet and wholeſome drinke, and all tribulation a ſpirituall medecine, to purge it from the leauen of ſinne, and ſo to forme eueryevery true Chriſtian to godlineſſe and holineſſe of life.
For indeede the ſundry temptations thy Children do endure, are not properly a puniſhment for ſinne, but profitable corrections of thy hand, to make the triall of their faith to redound to their commendation & profit that their hope may encreaſe in the expectation of the beatitude to come, that their louelove may kindle, through the Fatherly care that thou takeſt of them, in holding them vnderunder the bridle of thy diſcipline, and that they may bee the more pricked forward to pray vntounto thee feruently, and more and more to reuerence thy power. But principally that they comfort themſelues in this leſſon of the Apoſtle (that the eaſie afflictions of thine, which doe but euen paſſe ouer them, do bring forth an eternall weight of moſt excellent glorie.) True it is, that by the miſeries of this world, the outward man declineth, but on the other ſide, the inwarde man reneweth himſelfe with grace in the goods of the ſoule, ſo long vntill by degree hee be accompliſhed and obtaine his perfection. So that if our bodies doe languiſh, our ſoules doe quicken, if wee ſuſtaine loſſe of terreſtiall things, thou (O Lord) doſt preſent vntounto vsus thy Kingdome of heauen; and if this affliction befall, that any man put vsus to death, he doth but haſten our paſſage to the true eternall and bleſſed being. I beſeech thee therefore (O mercifull Father) to giuegive mee grace to acknowledge, and well to taſte ſo many ſweete and profitable fruits, as theſe thy Fatherly corrections doe bring with them: conſtantly meditating, that the eyes of thoſe that looke vntounto thee in a chriſtian hope, doe neuer faile, that their expectation hath not confounded them, that the number of thy conſolations hauehave ſurmounted their ſorrowes: and that the end of thy viſitation hath alwayes beene profitable and happy vntounto them. For thou delighteſt in mercy, and thy compaſſion is vppon all thoſe that call vponupon thee in their diſtreſſe. Let therefore the inuocation of thy name be vntounto me a ſtrong tower, to defend me againſt all feare, and temptation, as being aſſured that hauing repoſed my confidence in thy grace which is purchaſed for mee in Chriſt, I ſhall, in my neceſſitie, find thy fauorable hand, by thy vertue to ouercome all the enemies of my peace. But eſpecially graunt, O Lord, that I may attaine to this reaſon of true wiſedome, alwayes to bee content with thy will, the ſoueraigne and iuſt cauſe of all things; namely, in that it pleaſeth thee, that the liuery of thy houſhold ſhould conſiſt in carying their croſſe after thy ſon, to the end, that I ſhould neuer but be ſeaſoned to drinke the wholeſome myrrhe which purgeth the ſoule from the luſts of the fleſh, and repleniſheth the ſame with the deſires of eternall life. Alſo that I learn in whatſoeuer my eſtate, cherefully to ſubmit my ſelfe to the conduct of thy prouidence, as beeing wel aſſured, that whatſoeuer I ſuffer, all the croſſes of my life ſhalbe vntounto me ſo many bleſſings & helpes from thee my Father, to make me goe the right way into thy kingdome, and increaſe vntounto me the price of glory in the ſame. For it is very true, that eueryevery one ſhall freely receiue his reward according to the burthen that hee hath borne here below. Amen.