Household Prayers, Prayer 1
The firſt Prayer, VponUpon the Lords Prayer.
When you pray, vſe no vaine repetitions, as the Heathen: for they thinke to be heard for their much babbling. Be yee not like them therefore: for your Father knoweth whereof yee hauehave neede before yee aske of him. After this maner therefore pray yee:
Mat. 6.
Our Father which arte in Heauen:
O Lord God almightie, the knowledge of whome is life, whome to ſerue, is to raigne, and vntounto whom to pray, is the ioy and peace of the ſoule, wee cannot knowe thee, but in thine owne image Ieſus Chriſt, and that by the operation of thy ſpirit: neither ſerue thee, except wee follow thy word: neither call vponupon thee, but in the name of the ſame Chriſt, and according to that forme, which himſelf hath preſcribed vsus. Thus euerie faithfull creature ſayeth vntounto thee. Our Father, giuegive vntounto vsus, forgiue vsus. For thus hath thy ſonne, the head of that vnion, which is among al chriſtians, commanded, that our prayers ſhould bee common for al thy people; as being all one body, which thou gouerneſt by one onelyonly ſpirite: and foraſmuch as our being dependeth vppon thee onelyonly, and being in our birth corrupted by ſinne, thou makeſt vsus to be renewed vntounto righteouſneſſe, through the ſame eternal word, wher by thou haſt created vsus, we doe rightly cal thee, euen by a double right, Our Father. A happie, and louing beginning of prayer, wherin the new man, reconciled vntounto thee, in Ieſus Chriſt, thus ſpeaketh to thee his father: I do beleeue that I am of the number of thy children, through thy mercy, which it hath pleaſed thee to vouchſafe me; and therfore (O my God) I cannot ſee doubt hereof, but that thou doſt louingly heare me, and art inclined to helpe me, and to relieue me in all my neceſſities, conſidering thou arte in heauen, euen according as being in al places, thou art as it were in no place, for thou art wholie an infinite ſpirite, and inacceſſible light, whoſe name is (I am) namelie of a ſole, true eſſence, eternall, immutable and incomprehenſible, and from whom, all nature, whether celeſtiall, or terreſtriall, doeth, through grace, borrowe his eſſence and ſubſiſtence. Thus arte thou aboue, in ſuch wiſe, that being out of eueryevery place, thou art aboue all this great vniuerſall world, in the ſeate of thine own glory, from whence, thou doeſt embrace both heauen and earth, and with thy prouidence, ſuſtaine them. As alſo, in ſome ſorte thou art aboue al things, becauſe they doe all depend, and beare themſelues vppon thee, who likewiſe, doſt by thy ſubtilitie pierce into them, more neerly vntounto eueryevery creature then the ſame is to it ſelfe. Howbeit, thou art in heauen, ſo far forth, as that the exquiſite workes of thy hands, do the better appeare therein. And thou doeſt in an eſpeciall maner inhabite the high heauen: for there doeth thy Maieſtie ſhine with open countenaunce: beſide, thou art with thy gracious preſence in the ſoules of the righteous, which do harbour thee as a Father in their heartes.
[Hallowed be thy name.]
FOr, O Lord, ſith thou art my father, reaſon requireth, that aboue all things, I ſhould deſire thy honour. But euerlaſtingly, for euer and euer, thy name is holy, & the glory therof infinit. My praier then bringeth nothing to thy greatnes and excellencies: but yet I may heere deſire, that thy name, both of it ſelf, and by it ſelfe, moſt holy, may be ſanctified, and exalted in me, and in all men, and in all places: whereby my ſelfe do alſo obtaine that holines, which is conuenient for the true childe of ſuch a father, vntounto whome all vncleaneneſſe is diſpleaſing.
[Thy kingdome come.]
But who can impeach thy Kingdome, O eternall God, who haſt created al things, for thy ſeruice? Thou raigneſt ouer al; for the heauen is thy throne, and the earth thy foote-ſtoole: Yet I beſeech thee, be vntounto me, as a father in mercy, not as a Iudge in thy iuſtice: thou raigneſt in thy worde, which thou haſt reuealed, and inſpired, and I beſeech thee, euen for thy glory ſake, that this thy booke of life, may bee opened to all people, that thereby all nations may worſhip thee: thou raigneſt in thy Church, and I pray, that the number of thy elect may be ſhortly fulfilled. Thy kingdome is thy grace, and I beſeech thee to make mee as capable thereof, as thou art liberall.
[Thy wil be done in earth as it is in heauen.
MY will, O Lord, is altogether peruers and depraued, except it bee formed by thine, wherin reſteth and conſiſteth all my good: create in me this holy will, and giuegive mee grace to fulfil it, in al my thoghts & workes: (for what can I hauehave, but what thou giueſt mee?) To the end that in obedience of faith, I may doe that which ſhall bee acceptable in thy ſight, euen as the Angells in heauen do obey thy voyce.
[GiueGive vsus this day our dailie bread.
FOR Chriſt our Lord and Doctour, hath ſo contriued the petitions which we make vntounto thee, that in ſeeking firſt the glorie of thy name, hee will, that with al, we ſhould hauehave experience, of the riches of thy goodneſſe, in all things neceſſary for this life. Thus wilt thou (O merciful Father) recompence with infinite benefits, euen our ſimple cogitations of the brightneſſe of thy glory, and crowne thy giftes in vsus with grace for grace. We do therefore dayly craue our bread, and thou doſt alſo giuegive it vsus, that is to ſay, euen all that is neceſſarie for our maintaynance heere beneathe: yet doeſt thou preſent vsus with one bread farre more excellent and profitabl, euen the bread of angels, and of the bleſſed ſpirits: giuegive mee therefore (O Lord) Ieſus Chriſt, God and man, that of him I may liue for euer, that my vnderſtanding may bee enlightned with his truth, and my heart kindled with the fire of his louelove, that I periſh not.
And forgiue vsus our treſpaſſes as we forgiue them that treſpaſſe againſt vsus.
OVr ſinnes as debts do bind vsus to death (which is their rewarde) and to hell (which is their graue) they are as a ſtrong barre, to keepe vsus from comming to thee (O moſt holy God) yea which is more, they are as a clowde that ſhadoweth thine eyes, from looking fauourably vponupon vsus. And therefore the moſt conuenient preparation to prayer, is with an humble, and truely penitent heart, to feele and confeſſe our ſinnes: for ſo thou wilt vouchſafe to grant vsus remiſſion of the ſame, in the name of thy ſonne our Sauior, in imputing vntounto vsus his righteouſneſſe. Yet herein (O Lord) is thy free mercy very great, that thou alſo giueſt vsus power to pardon thoſe that doe offend vsus, and by ſo dooing, to obtaine thy grace: for what offence can any man commit againſt vsus, (poore worms of the earth) conſidering that we do ſo often, and ſo grieuouſly offend (O King of glory) and in ſuch ſorte, that if eueryevery creature ſhould arme it ſelf to hurt vsus, yet would not the leaſt iniurie that we commit againſt thee be ſufficiently reuenged. Yet doſt thou vouchſafe thus to teſtifie thy infinite goodneſſe, accepting as a ſweete ſacrifice, the oblation of our harts reconciled, and fully vnited with our neighbours, like as contrarywiſe no part of a hateful and peruerſe heart can delight thee.
And leade vsus not into temptation, but deliuer vsus from euill.
FOr, as through thy mercy, thou ſuffereſt not Satan (the author of all temptations) to ſeduce thy children, neither ſinne to ouercome them, ſo when thou wilt puniſh man in thy iuſtice, they remaine depriued of thy protection, and vnderunder the power of the diuell to be ſubiect to his tyrany, and to liue in a reprobate ſence, hereof doe we therefore reape this ſingular conſolation, that this great aduerſarie of our ſaluation can doe nothing againſt vsus, vnleſſe thou giuegive him leaue: and whereas ſometimes thou cauſeſt vsus to be tempted, thou doeſt it as a father, to chaſtice vsus for our tranſgreſſions, or to make vsus more triumphant and victorious in the triall, which it pleaſeth thee to make of our faith, and hope, for thy glory, and our owne good, or for the edification of our neighbours.
For thine is the kingdome, the power, and the glory, for euer and euer.
LIke as (O my God and father) I began my prayer, by the hallowing of thy name, ſo is it meete and iuſt that I ſhould end it, by the exaltation of the ſame: as thy children, who bounding their vowes, with the onelyonly care of thy honour may aſſure themſelues to obtaine the fulfilling of the ſame in the ſole perfection of thy glory. So be it.