Household Prayers, Prayer 5
The fift Prayer, For the obtaining of the knowledge of God in Ieſus Chriſt.
The word was made fleſh, and dwelled among vsus, full of grace and truth, the Image of the inuiſible God, which is Christ the Lord; who by himſelfe hauing purged our ſinnes, ſitteth at the right hand of the Maiesty: in the higheſt places.
Ioh. 1. Col. 1. Lu. 2 Heb. 1.
O GOD and Father of our Lord CHRIST IESVS, & of all them whom in thy louelove thou haſt giuen to him to be his brethren, it hath beene thy good pleaſure, to ſettle our true and only felicitie in the knowledge of thy holy name, and the effects of thy grace. But we are vnable to know thee, or to feele the efficacy of thy louelove towards vsus, but only in the ſame Chriſt, who is the brightneſſe of thy glory, and the engrauen character of thy perſon, God with thee, and man with vsus. By this thy eternall word thou haſt created all the world, giuing vntounto vsus the firſt teſtimony of the manifeſtation of thy wiſedome and prouidence. But thou giueſt vntounto vsus, a more ſingulare benefite in the miraculous worke of our redemption, which doeth moreouer repreſent vntounto vsus, both thy great goodneſſe and louelove, and thy Iuſtice, & infinit power. Thy louelove, in that thou haſt vouchſafed freely to redeeme man, who prowde and vnthankefull, withdraweth himſelfe from thee his Father and Benefactor, to ſurrender himſelfe vntounto Sathan the ennemy to our ſaluation, and of the honor of thy name. Thy Iuſtice, in that thou haſt not ſpared the blood of thy innocent ſonne, to the end in his ſufferings to iuſtifie thy goodneſſe and merciemercy. Thy power, in that for the accompliſhing of this ſupernatural worke, thy word, which from all eternitie was reſident in thy boſom, of one eſſence & glory with thee was made fleſh. Neuertheleſſe I doe very well know, that the depth of theſe profound myſteries cannot bee diſcouered to our ſences, likewiſe that the treaſures of thy wiſedome, of thy counſell, & of thy iudgements, are a very bottomleſſe gulph, and thy wayes vnpoſſible to bee found out. Alſo, O Lord I doe not raſhly enter into that place, which is forbidden mee, neither will I imitate my firſt Father Adam, who coueting to knowe too much ſtretched forth his hand vntounto the forbidden tree, & deſiring one onelyonly fruite, was depriued of all the reſt. I doe onelyonly with flexible heart embrace, and carefully in my cogitation, according to the meaſure of thy gifts, meditate vponupon that ſecret of godlineſſe, which I hauehave receiued by the preaching of thy goſpell, and doe in part know it: attending, vntil that beeing deliuered from ſinne & corruption, I may ſee thee face to face, and in preſence behold, that which now I ſee as it were in a very darke Glaſſe. I beſeech thee therefore, my God, vouchſafe, by the light of thy ſpirit, to addreſſe and guide mee to the faithfull knowledge of this great Sauior, whom thou (Father) haſt promiſed from the beginning, and in the latter times reuealed, in ſignes and wonders ſurpaſſing all miracles, to the end that being inſtructed by his doctrine, I may, by him, and in him, know thee to be the eternall liuing God, and the God of thy people, that according to his word I may worſhip and ſerue thee in ſpirit and trueth, and in his name call vponupon thee only in full confidence of thy mercy, accompting him the onelyonly ſubiect thereof, and the onelyonly mediatour of my ſaluation, who died for my ſinnes, and roſe againe for my righteouſneſſe: euen (O Lord) becauſe it pleaſed thee in this maner to ordaine of the eſtate of humane nature, the worke of thy hand. For who was thy councellor? and what hauehave wee that wee hauehave not receiued? graunt me therfore in the ſtudy and meditation of ſo manie myſteries, ſo high and ſo wholeſome, that I may humbly condiſcend to thy diuine counſells, in worſhipping them with this reſolution of thy Apoſtle, that I will not knowe any thing but Chriſt, neither poſſeſſe any thing but him, ſith that in him, the treaſures of all wiſdome doe conſiſt, and that they who lodge him in their harts, hauehave thee, O God, verily preſent, and doe enioy thee and thy benefites. Make mee alſo to feele and confeſſe this neceſſitie common to all the children of Adam, that for the cancelling of this obligation, which held vsus bound to eternal death (the iuſt reward of ſinne) wee were forced to hauehave this great King of heauen, holy, innocent, and ſeperate from all ſinners, to be our high Prieſt, our ſacrifice and oblation, vppon the Altare of the croſſe, to the end, O Lord, that according to thy vnſearchable decree, grounded vponupon mercy & iuſtice, thy welbeloued ſonne hauing to himſelfe vnited our nature the bondſlaue of ſathan, might leade it to the combate, directing it how to ouercome this great aduerſarie: And this hath he done, obtaining for vsus the victory, when he brake the ſting of death, and the bonds of hell, and that hee roſe out of the ſepulchre, carrying with him this humane nature as the earneſtpeny of our hope, to thy right hand into heauen. Of this ſo ſingular a benefit, let the remembrance be alwaies before my face, that I may offer vntounto thee (O my God) the ſacrifice of thankſgiuing all the dayes of my life: ſo that hauing my redeemer for a perpetuall obiect, and ſure foundation of my Faith, in the knowledge of thy name, I may throughly learne Chriſt, not onelyonly to beleeue by his word the ſacred hiſtory of his conception and birth, with his office of a ſoueraigne King, great Prophet, and perpetuall law-giuer of his church, alſo his paſſion, death, reſurrection, and aſcention, but alſo, that in ful aſſurance in his promiſes, I may appropriate to my ſelfe the gifts and graces which he purchaſed for vsus, by fullfilling that charge that he had receiued from thee, O father, to th'end, through him, to make vsus worthie of thy ſaluation: ſo as I may comfort and wholy repoſe my ſelfe vponupon his obedience and righteouſneſſe, ſhewing forth and ſealing this my hope by good workes, to thy glory, O eternall God, and the peace of my conſcience. So be it.