The Sacraments Generally and of Baptism and the Supper, Part 5 – Part 7

The Sacraments Generally and of Baptism and the Supper · Part 5 – Part 7

A prayer to be ſaide with meditation of our Baptiſme.

MErciful Father, we miſerable and ſinfull men feele with in our ſelues, and therefore are forced to breake forth & cōfeſſe, y^t in our fleſh dwelleth no good thing.

O Lorde, thou lookeſt downe from heauen, and beholdeſt the ſonnes of men and their ſinnes, they are infinitely great, and in nomber mo then the heares of our head or the ſtarres of heauē: they can not be hidden.

Our children gather ſtickes, our fathers kindle the fire, our mothers kneade dough to make cakes to ſerue other gods. There is not one that doth good, no not one. We are all borne in ſinne, conceiued in iniquity, and the whole race of our life is naturally naught. We are not able to dreame of a good thought, and when we hauehave done all y^t we can doe, or if we could do al y^t we are commaunded, yet were we vnprofitable ſeruants, and therefore we appeale from thy iuſtice, (O moſt iuſt God) to thy merciemercy ſeate, and throne of grace: for we feare nothing more then the examination of our droſſy workes.

O Lord, waſh thou vsus that we may be white, for in our ſelues we are altogether blacke, purge vsus that we may be cleane, ſanctifie vsus that we may be holy, circumciſe our eares and heartes and other partes, ſeare our polluted lippes with the cole of thy ſpirit, & create a new heart win vsus, this olde heart of ours will not ſerue, waſh vsus more & more, and we ſhalbe cleane.

This thou haſt promiſed in thy word (O gracious God) and in the Sacrament of our newe birth is this nowe fully ſet forth and ſealed: wherefore with confidence wee appeare before thee in prayer, not truſting in our owne merites, which are not, but in thy manifolde and endleſſe mercies, which as a great and pure ſtreame of water ſhall make vsus whiter then the ſnow, and clearer then the Chriſtall glaſſe.

O Lorde hauehave merciemercy vponupon vsus according to thy great mercy, put away our iniquities, pardon our offences, cancell the bill of debt, quench y^e flames of luſt, plucke out the ſting of ſinne, mortifie our fleſh more & more, kill and burie the olde man, bruiſe the ſerpents head, drown the ſpirituall Pharao, and all Egypt, that we in a good time may bee preſented perfectly blameleſſe in thy ſight, through Chriſt our Lord, Amen.

A prayer to be ſaid immediatly before the receiuing the holy Communion.

O Almightie GOD, who in thy eternal wiſedom haſt built thee an houſe, and he wen out the pillars thereof: choſen a Church which ſhall not faile, killed thy vittayles, mixed thy wine, prepared a Table, & haſt ſent foorth thy miniſters to cry in the open ſtreetes, and to inuite vntounto this feaſt in thy worde and Goſpell: and yet haſt denounced that the ſcornefull, the wicked and the wilfull ſinner ſhall hauehave no part nor portion with thee, graūt vsus grace (O Lord) that we may effectually heare, and willingly followe the voyce of thy calling, and that the ſeede of thy worde, being ſhed in to our eares, may take deepe roote in our heartes, and bring forth fruit accordingly in a godly conuerſation.

And whereas not only by thy worde, but by thy Sacraments alſo we are fed at thy hande, and ſpecially in the Supper of thy Sonne our Lorde his inſtitution, we craue the aſſiſtance of thy holy ſpirite, worthily to prepare vsus for the receiuing of ſo heauē ly a banquet.

Otherwiſe, who or what are we to entertaine, or to be entertained in this manner? we are vnworthy the leaſt of thy mercies, much leſſe are we worthie that the heire of all ſhould enter vnderunder the roofe of our ſoule, or that our vncleane feete ſhoulde once ſtep within thy courts, and yet thou haſt commaunded we ſhoulde repaire to thy Temple, and receiue at thy table.

Wherefore (good Lorde) prepare thou vsus aright that wee may bee prepared, dwell in vsus y^t we may dwell in thee, knocke at the gates of our heartes that we may opē vntounto thee, ſup with vsus, that we may ſup with thee, encreaſe our faith and louelove toward thee, and in thee towarde our neighbours. And albeit we offend often, & fall many times, yet ſtay thou vsus by thy mercifull hand that we neuer fall away. Finally, ſtrengthen our weakenes with thy euerlaſting foode, neyther looke vponupon our imperfections, but on the perfectneſſe of thy ſonnes oblation, in whoſe name we pray, that thou endue vsus euer with an humble and a contrite ſpirite for all our ſinnes paſt, & with a conſtant purpoſe alwaies hereafter vnfainedly to ſerue and pleaſe thee in newnes of life to our liues ende, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord, Amen.

A thankes giuing vponupon the receiuing of the holy Communion.

MY ſoule praiſe thou the Lorde, and all the powers within me praiſe his holy name.

My heauie ſoule awake, praiſe the Lorde, forget not his benefites, ſhewe not thy ſelfe an vnthankefull thiſtle being watered with ſo many graces.

He faſhioned the roūd world, & all y^e is therein, yea with a more ſpeciall care he guideth the feete of his Saintes.

He clotheth the lilies of the fielde, and feedeth the birdes of the ayre, but he apparelleth his choſen with the cloth of righteouſneſſe in the familie of his Sonne, and feedeth them with the bread of life.

In him we are, and are regenerate, by him wee liue and are fed at his owne table, in him, & by his ſpirit we moue w^t al godly motions, and this comforte no man can take from vsus.

Al good giftes deſcend from aboue, and the prayſe of all is due to thee (O Lord) euen as the waters iſhue from the ſea, and to y^e ſea returne againe.

O then what ſhall we render vntounto our louing God, for all his kindnes? he hath not ſpared his onelyonly begotten ſonne to y^e death the death of the Croſſe, for our ſakes.

Thou O Lord art not pleaſed with mans inuentions: onelyonly thou haſt willed that wee bee a thankfull people, and that wee continue a freſhe and gratefull remembrance of thy goodnes for euer.

The calues of our lippes, the incenſe of prayer and y^e ſacrifice of prayſe thou wilt accept.

Wherefore (O my ſoule) praiſe the Lord, ſet forth thy Sauiours death, remēber his paſſion, ſhew not thy ſelfe vnkinde, feede on him in thy heart, and be thankful, in a full aſſurance of all his mercies in Ieſus Chriſt. Amen.

FINIS.

Imprinted at London by Chriſtopher Barker, Printer to the Queenes moſt excellent Maieſtie.

End of the text · John Prime, The Sacraments Generally and of Baptism and the Supper (1582)