Godly Meditations Upon the Lords Prayer, Part 6
AN OTHER paraphraſe or meditation vponupon the lords praſer.
O Almighty & eternal god of whō all fatherhode in heauen and in earth is named, whoſe ſeate is the heauen, whoſe foote ſtoole is the earth, which of thy great clemency & vnſpeakable louelove haſt not waighed nor conſidered our great vnkindnes and wilfull diſobedience, but according to the good pleaſure of thy eternall purpoſe haſt in thy welbeloued ſonne Ieſus Chriſt, choſen vsus out of the worlde and doeſt accept vsus farre other wiſe then we be in dede, to be called yea and to be in dede thyne adopted ſonnes, and doeſt voucheſafe (oh louinge father) that we as it were heauenly children, ſhuld eueryevery one of vsus confeſſe, declare and call thee oure heauenlye father: graunt (deare father) that amonge vsus thy poore children by purenes of mynds Halowed be thy name,and couſcience, by ſinglenes of hart, by vncorrupt and innocent life, and example of vertue and godlines, thy moſt holy name maye be ſanctified, and that ſo many of al other nations as thou haſt ther vntounto choſē and predeſtinate, beholding our godlines & vertuous dedes that thou workeſt in vsus, may be the more ſtyrred to halow and gloryfy thy bleſſed name.
Oh faithfull father we beſeech thee that the kingdome of thy holy ſpirit Thy kingdom comeof grace and prayer, of thy louinge kindnes and mercy, and of all other thy holy vertues, and of thy holye & moſt bleſſed word may continually raygne in our heartes, ſo that thou woldeſt voucheſafe therby to make vsus worthye to be partakers of the realme & kingdome of thy gloriouſe and bleſſed preſence.
Oh deare god and heauenly father we humblye deſyre thy goodnes to bowe our hartes vntounto thee, to make Thy will be done.vsus humble of mind, to make vsus low in our owne fight and obedient, that like as thy deare ſonne our only ſauiour Ieſꝰ Chriſt coūted his meate, workes, prayſe, and life to be onelyonly in obeyng to thy moſt bleſſed wyl, where in for our ſakes he became obedient to the death of the croſſe: ſo we may euē vntounto the very death, in lowlines, in mekenes, pacience and thankefulnes, ohey vntounto thy holye wil and not to murmur and grudge norrefuſe whatſoeuer thy fatherlye pietie ſhal thinke good to lay on vsus, be it pouertie, hunger, nakednes, ſlcknes, ſlaunders, oppreſſions, verations, perſequutions, yea or deathe it ſelf for well doing: but in all thinges ſeke and laboure to make theſe our earthly bodies ſeruiſeable to do thy wil, and to refuſe that thou wilt not, neuer to ſtryue nor wraſtell againſt thy holye will, but with thy heauenly citizens and houſhold bull ded vponupon the foundation of thy holy prophetes and apoſtelles, thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt being the heade corner ſtone, all ſelfwill and controuerſye in opinious ſecluded, the luſtes, deſieres & affections of the fleſhe mortified, the flatering aſſaultes of the vaine world, y• cruel and ſubtyl layings a waite of y• deuil ouercome, agreing together quietly, and vnited in ſpirit, we may frely obey vntounto thy moſt bleſſed will, therein to walke all the daies of oure life.
Oh deare god geue vntounto our nedefull Geue vsus this daye our dailie bread.bodies neceſſatie ſuſtenaunce, & take from vsus all louelove of worldelye things, all carefulnes and couetouſnes, that we may the more frely worſhippe & ſerue thee. Oh mercyful father we beſech thee to geue vntounto vsus that heauēly bread to ſtrenghtē our harts, I meane y• bodye of thy deare ſōne Ieſꝰ chriſt y• very foode & health of our ſoules, that we may alwaies wt thankfulnes firmely feede on him by faith & vtterly forſake & abhorre al falſe doctrine & perſwaſiōs of mē, and all lying ſpirites that ſhall perſwade vsus any other wiſe of him then thy holy word doth teache & aſſure vsus ſatiſfie our hungrie ſoules (deare father) with y• mary & fatnes of thy riche mercy promiſed to vsus in y• ſame thy ſonne, and of our eternall election, redcmption, iuſtificatiō, & glorification in him. Make vsus (Oh gratious god) to contempne and deſpiſe this world with the vaine thinges and pleaſures therof, and inwardly to hunger for thy bleſſed kingdome and preſence, which doe thou ſatiſfie (good god) in thy good time accordīg to thy good will and pleaſure. Oh moſt louing god, geue vsus the bread of thi diuine precepts and make our hartes perfect, that we may trulye & frely walke and liue in them all the daies of our life. Oh deare and mercifull father, we beſech thee geue vsus the bread of thy liuely and heauenly word & the true vnderſtanding therof, which is the light of our pathes, the foode, ſtrong towre and ſure defence of our ſaules, that we beinge wel ſenſed with this munitiō, fedde and filled with this foode, maye be worthy geaſtes at thy celeſtial feaſt and wedding, where we ſhall neuer hunger nor want.
Oh moſte righteous and mercifull And forgiue vsus our treſpaſies.god, father and gouernor of our life, we confeſſe that we hauehave greuouſly ſinned againſt thee from our youth vp vntill now in ingratitude, in vnthankfulnes, wilfulnes, diſobedience, preſumption & innumerable our negligences & ſinnes whiche we frō time to time moſt hainouſly hauehave cō mitted, whereby we hauehave deſerued not only ſore ad greuouſe plagues, but euen eternal dampnation, were it not that thou art y• lord of mercy, and haſt power to ſhewe mercye on whom yu wilt, wherin thou art riche and plentifull to al them that cal by on thee faithfully: wherfore (dere father) we ſeing our manyfold and greuouſe ſinnes, which we hauehave commytted againſt thee, & alſo thy great mercy, louing kindnes, pacience, and long ſuffering towards vsus, are compelled not only to beare paciently and ſuffer our enemies whē they raile on vsus, ſlaunder vsus, oppreſſe vsus, vexe vsus, or trouble vsus, curſe, perſequute, & kyll vsus: but alſo to ſpeake well of them, to enſtructe them, to pray for them, to doe them good, to bliſſe them, to cloth them, feede thē, ſo heapyng coales of thy charity and louelove vppon them, and mercyfullye to forgeue them euen as thou (deare father) for thy beloued Chryſtes ſake haſte forgyuen vsus. Thus haſt thou taughte vsus (good father) not as the hipocrites to loke narowlye on oure neighboures faultes, but diligently to examine oure owne conſciences wherein we hauehave offended thee, & alſo what occaſion of offence or falling we hauehave geuen to our brethren in eating, drinking, going, apparell, ſpeaking, diſolute or vncomely laghter, in barganing, or by anye meanes, and with all ſpeede ſeke to reconcile our ſelues to them, & to forgeue vntounto other from the bottome of our harts, whatſoeuer they hauehave offended vsus, and to doe none other wiſe then we wiſhe and deſire in our hartes that other ſhould doe to vsus, y• ſo we may fynde thee (o lorde) in forgeuing vsus our treſpaſſes, mylde & mer cifull, which ſpedily doe thou ſhewe thy ſelf vntounto vsus, for thy deare Chriſtes ſake.
Oh lord, thou god of the righteous, we feele the frailtis of our nature to And lead vsus not into tentation.be ſo peruerſe and apte to ſinne, that when thou by the giftes of thy holy ſpirit doeſt moue vsus, and (as it were) cal vsus, yea rather draw vsus vntounto thee then are we drawen away & tempted of our owne cōcupiſcence & luſt, beſide the greate and daungerous aſſaultes of the world and deuill: therfore (faithful father) we thy pore children beſeche thee to take from vsus al thoſe euills and accaſions that may drawe vsus from thee. Oh deare god, protecte, defend, and ſtrengthen vsus againſt all the ſuggeſtions & aſſaultes of our enemyes, the worlde, the fleſhe, and the deuill, that neither in proſperite we were haute or hyghe minded to ſay vnthankefully what felow is the lord, nor yet in the abondaunce of temptations, anguiſhe, vexation, tribulation, or perſequution, to be oppreſſed with feare, nor deceiued by flaterie, nor yet to fall in diſpaire and ſo vtterlye periſhe: but in all daungers and perilles of temptacions, and in the myddeſte of the ſtormy tempeſts of tribulacion (ders father) make vsus thy poore children to feels the cōſolacion of the certaintie of our eternall election in Chryſt Ieſus our lorde, and to perceyue thy fatherly ſuccoure ready to helpe vsus, leaſt that we beyng ouercome with the wicked ſleightes and veceitfull inuaſions of the enemyes, ſhould (as without thy grace and merciful protection we ſhall) be drawne into an obſtinate mind & ſo ſhut vp the cundite y• ſhuld lead thy gracioꝰ gifts & benifits vntounto vsus, to our cōmoditye & comfort, that thou mighteſt lead vsus forth with the euill doers & barden our harts. Therfore (Oh good god) giuegive vsus theſe thi good giftes, namely ſtrēgth, paciēce & ioyfulnes of hart, to reioyce in temptacyō & aſſure vsus that it is the triall of our faith, that faithe in vsus maye hauehave her perfecte worke, that when we be well approuyd and purged with the fire of tēptations, we may fyniſhe oure life in in vyctory, and euer more liue wt thee in thy heauēly kingdome, where no temptacion ſhal doe vsus hurt.
Finally (moſt merciful father) we But deliuer vsus from euell.humbly beſech thee to deliuer vsus frō this preſent euill world, from all humaine & wordly feare, from al infirmities of the fleſhe & mind, frō falſe prophetes and teachers, from falſe brethren, from traitours & tyrantes &c: and if it be thy good pleaſure and may make moſt to the glorye of thy name, deliuer vsus from the handes of our enemies & from all other euylls preſent and to come both of bodye & ſoule, that we beyng by the greate mercy defended from al hurtful thinges, may alwaies vſe thoſe thinges that be profitable for vsus, deuoutiye geuē to ſerue thee in good workes, that y• yoke of our enemies and the bandes of ſinne being ſhaken of, we may poſſeſſe the inheritaunce of thy heauenly kingdome, which thy dere ſonne Ieſus Chryſt hath wyth hys precious bloud purchaſed for, thyne elect frō the begynning of the world: for thyne is the kyngdome, thou onlye haſte the mayeſtye, thou onelye arte the god aboue all goddes, kyng of all kynges, and lorde of al lords, thou onelye, haſte the powre and authorytye to ſet vp kynges, and to putte them downe, thou lifteſt the poore once of the duſte and makeſste hym to ſytte amonge the princes of thy people, thou onelye makeſte warres to ceaſe and geuiſt victory to whom thou wilt. Oh dere god, there is neither maieſtie rule nor power, honour nor worſhyppe, dignitie nor office, riches nor pouertie, helth nor ſicknes, plenty nor ſcar…tie, preſycritie nor aduerſitie, war nor peace, life nor death, nor anye other thing but it is all thine & thou both haſt the power & alſo wilt geue it to whō it pleaſeth thee in thy time and ceaſon, that all glorye maye be geuen to the alone, for thou arte worthye.
O dere father to thee we come therfore for helpe and ſuccour, for wythout thee there is no helpe at al. Oh good father deliuer vsus frō al that is euil in thy ſight, for thy owne name ſake and for thy deare Chriſts ſake, that we beynge armes with thy holy armour, and weapened wyth thy bleſſed worde, and inſtructed by thy holy ſpirit, may according to thy holy promiſe, ſerue thee without … are all the dayes of our life, in ſuche holynes and righteouſnes as is acceptable in thy ſighte. To thed therfore (our deare father) our creatour, feader, protectour, gouernour, and defendour, and thy beloued ſonne Ieſus chriſt our only peace, merciſeate redemer, iuſtiſter, and aduacate, and thy holy ſpirit our ſanctificatō, our wiſdome, teacher, inſtructer, & comforter, be all dominion power and glory for euer and euer Amen.