Godly Meditations Upon the Lords Prayer, Part 18 – Part 23
A PRAIER FOR THE REMISſion of finnes
OH lord god and deare father, what ſhall I ſay, that feele al thinges to be in maner with me as in y• wicked, blynde is my minde, croked is my wyll, and peruerſe concupiſcence is in me as a ſpring or ſtinking puddle. Oh howe fainte is faithe in me? howe litle is louelove to thee or thi people? how great is ſelf louelove? how hard is my hart? &c. By the reaſon whereof I am moued to doubte of thy goodnes towardes me whether thou arte my father or noe, and whether I be thy childe or noe. In dede worthely might I dout yf that the hauing of theſe were the cauſes and not the fruites rather of thy children. The cauſe why thou art my father is thi mercy, goodnes, grace and trueth in chriſt Ieſus, the which cannot but remayne for euer. In reſpecte whereof thou haſt borne me thys good wil, to accept me into the number of thy children, that I might be holy, faithful, obedient, innocent &c. And therfore thou woldſt not onelyonly make me a creature after thy Image, enduing me with ryght limmes, ſhape, forme, memorie, wiſdome &c, where thou mighteſt hauehave made me a beaſt, a maimed creature, lame, blind, frātike &c: but alſo thou wouldeſt that I ſhoulde be borne of Chriſten parentes, brought into thy Church by baptiſme, and called dyuers times by the miniſterye of thy worde into thy kingdome, beſydes the innumerable other benefites alwaies hither to powred vponupon me. Al whiche thou haſte done of thys thy good wil that yu of thyne owne mercy bareſt to me in Chriſt & for Chriſt before the worlde was made. The which thinge as yu requireſt ſtraitly that I ſhuld beleue wtout doubting, ſo in all my nedes that I ſhuld come vntounto thee as to a father, & make my mone wtout miſtruſt of being hard in thy good time, as moſt ſhal make to my cōſort. Loe therfore to thee dere father I come through thy ſonne our lord, mediatour and aduocate Ieſus chriſt, who ſitteth on thy right hand making interceſſion for me, & praye thee of thy great goodnes & mercye in chriſt, to be merciful vntounto me, that I may feele in dede thy ſwete mercy as thy childe. The time (oh deare father) I appoint not, but I pray thee that I may wt hope ſtil expect & loke for thy help. I hope that as for a litle while yu haſt left me, thou wilt come and viſite me, and that in thy great merciemercy whereof I hauehave nede by reaſon of my great miſerie. Thou arte wont for a litle ſeaſon in thine anger to hyde thy face from them whom thou loueſt, but ſuerly (o… redemer in eternal mercies) yu wilt ſhewe thy compaſſions. For when thou leaueſt vsus oh lord, yu doeſt not leaue vsus very long, neither doeſt yu leaue vsus to our loſſe, but to our lucre & aduantage: euē that thy holy ſpirit with bigger porcion of thy power & vertue, maye lighten and cheare vsus, that y• want of feeling to our ſorow, maye be recompenced plentifully with the liuely ſenſe of hauīg thee, to our eternal Ioy: and therfore thou ſwareſt, that in thine euerlaſtīg mercy thou wilt hauehave cōpaſſiō on vsus. Of which thīg to thende we might be moſt aſſured, thin o…he is to be marked, for yu ſaiſt: as I hauehave ſworne y• I will not bring any more the waters to drowne the world: ſo hauehave I ſworne y• I wil neuer Eſai. 54.more be angry with thee nor reproue thee. The moūtains ſhal remoue & y• hils ſhal fal downe, but my louing kindnes ſhall not moue, & y• bond of my peace ſhal not faile thee: thus ſaieſt yu y• lord our merciful redemer. Dere father therfor I pray thee remēber, euē for thine owne trueth & mercies ſake, this promiſe & euerlaſting couenāt, wt in thy good time I thee to write in my hart, that I may know thee to be the only true god, and Ieſus Chriſte whom thou haſte ſent: that I maye louelove thee with all my harte for euer: yt I may louelove thy people for thy ſake: that I may be holy in thi ſight through Chriſt: that I may always not only ſtriue againſt ſinne, but alſo ouercome the ſame daily more and more, as thy children doe, aboue all thinges deſiringe the ſanctification of thy name, the comming of thy kingdome, the doyng of thy will here on earth as it is in heauen &c: through Ieſus Chriſt our redemer, mediatour & aduocate, Amen.
AN OTHER PRAIER FOR remiſſion of ſinnes.
O Gracious god, which ſekeſt all meanes poſſible how to bring thy children into the feeling and ſure ſenſe of thy mercy, & therfore whē proſperitie will not ſerue, then ſendeſte thou aduerſitie, graciouſlye correcting them here whō y• wilt ſhal with thee ells where lyue for euer: we poore miſers geue humble praiſes and thankes vntounto thee (deare father) that thou haſt vouched vsus worthy of thy correction at this preſent, hereby to worke that whiche we in proſperity & liberty did neglect. For the which neglecting and manye other our greuous ſinnes, wherof we nowe accuſe oure ſelues before thee (moſt mercifull lorde) thou mighteſt moſt iuſtely hauehave geuen vsus ouer and deſtroied vsus bothe in ſoules and bodies. But ſuche is thy goodnes towardes vsus in Chriſte, that thou ſemeſt to forget all our offences, and as though we were farre otherwiſe then we be in deed, thou wilte that we ſhuld ſuffer this croſſe now laied vponupon vsus for thy trueth and goſpelles ſake, and ſo be thy witneſſes wyth the prophets, apoſtles, martyrs and confeſſours, yea with thy dearly beloued ſonne Ieſus Chriſte, to whō thou doeſt now here beginne to faſhion vsus like, that in his glorye we may be like him alſo.
Oh good god, what are we on whō thou ſhouldeſt ſhe we this great mercy? Oh louing lorde forgiue vsus oure vnthankfullnes & ſinnes. Oh faithfull father geue vsus thyne holy ſpirit now to crie in our harts, Abba dere father, to aſſure vsus of our eternal elections in Chriſt, to reueile more & more thi trueth vntounto vsus, to cōfirme, ſtrengthen and ſtabliſhe vsus ſo in the ſame, that we may liue and die in it as veſſells of thy mercy, to thy glory and to the comoditie of thy churche. Indue vsus with the ſpirit of thy wiſdome, that with good conſcience, we maye alwaies ſo anſwere y• enemies in thy cauſe, as maye turne to their conuerſion or confuſion and our vnſpeakable conſolatiō in Ieſꝰ chriſt: for whoſe ſake we beſech thee hence forth to kepe vsus, to geue vsus paciēce, and to will none otherwiſe for delyneraunce or mitigation of our miſerye, then maye ſtande alwaye wyth thy good pleaſure and mercyful wil towardes vsus.
Graunt this deare father not onelyonly to vsus in this place, but alſo to all other ells where afflicted for thy names ſake, through the death and merites of Ieſus Chriſt our lord Amē.
A PRAIER FOR DELIVERANCE from ſinne and to be reſtored to goddes grace and fauour againé.
OH almightie and euer laſting lord god which haſt made heauen earth &c, oh incōprebenſible vnitie, oh alwaies to be worſhipped moſt bleſſed Trinitie: I humbly beſeth thee and pray thee, by the aſſumption & crucifyed humanitie of our lord Ieſus Chriſte, that thou wouldeſt enclyne and bowe downe the great depth of thy deitie to the botomeles pitte of my vilitie: driue frō me al kynde of vice, wickednes, and ſynne, and make in me a newe and cleane harte, and renewe in me a right ſpirit for thy holy names ſake.
Oh lord Ieſu I beſech thy goodnes for y• excedig great louelove which drew thee out of thy fathers boſome, into the wombe of the holye virgin, and for the aſſumptiō of mānes nature, wherin it pleaſed thee to ſaue me & to deliuer me from eternall death, I beſech thee (I ſay) that thou woldeſt drawe me out of my ſelfe into thee my lorde god, and graunte this thy louelove maye recouer againe to me thy grace, to increaſe and make perfecte in me that which is wantinge, to raiſe vp in me that which is fallen, to reſtore to me that whiche I hauehave loſt, & to quicken in me that whiche is dead & ſhuld liue, that ſo I may be come conformable vntounto thee in all my life and conuerſation, thou dwelling in me and I in thee, my hart being ſoupled with thy grace, & ſettled in thy faith for euer.
Oh yu my god, loſe & ſet at libertie my ſpirit from al inferriour things: gouerne my ſoule & ſo worke, that both in ſoule and body I may be holy and lyue to thy glory world with out ende Amen.
A PRAIER FOR THE OBTAIning of faith.
O Mercifull god and dere father of our lord & ſauiour Ieſus chriſt, In whom as thou art wel pleaſed, ſo haſt thou commaunded vsus to heare him, for as muche as he often biddeth vsus to aſke of thee, and therto promiſeth that thou wilt heare vsus and graunte vsus that whiche in hys name we ſhall aſke of thee: loe gratious father, I am bolde to begge of thy mercy through thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt, one ſparcle of true faith and certaine perſwaſion of thy goodnes and louelove towardes me in Chriſte, wherthrough I being aſſured of the pardone of all my ſinnes by the mercyes of Chriſte thy ſonne, maye be thankfull to thee, louelove thee and ſerue thee in holynes and righteouſnes all the daies of my life, Amen.
A PRAIER FOR REPENTANCE
MOſt gratious god and merciful father of oure ſauiour Ieſus Chriſt, becauſe I hauehave ſynned and done wickedly, and through thy goodnes hauehave receiued a deſire of repentance, wherto this longe ſuffering doth drawe my hard harte: I beſech thee for thy great mercies ſake in Chriſt, to worke the ſame repentance in me, and by thy ſpirite, power, and grace, to humble, mortifye and feare my conſcience for my ſinnes to ſaluation, that in thy good time thou maiſt comfort and quickē me through Ieſus Chriſt thy derely beloued ſenne, So be it.
A DIALOGE OR COMMVNIcation betvvene Sathan and our conſcience.
Sathan.
THOU haſt ſynned agaynſt god, therefore thou muſt dye.
Conſcience.
Why then died Chriſt?
Sa.
For ſinners, but how knowſt thou he died for thee?
Con.
Becauſe I am a ſinner: and he is bothe able and willinge to forgeue me.
Sa.
I graunt that he is able to forgeue thee, but how knoweſte thou he will?
Con.
He wold not ſurely hauehave dyed if he wold not forgeue.
Sa.
But howe knoweſt thou that he will forgeue thee?
Con.
Becauſe I wold ſayne be forgeuen.
Sa.
So would Iudas as wel as y•, and preuayled not.
Con.
The ſcriptures wente vppon Iudas facte which muſt nedes be fulfylled, they neuer went vponupon myne.
Agayne Iudas bare a fygure of the people of thee Iewes, whiche trybe onelye fell from Chriſt, when all other eleuen tribes of the world dyd ſtyeke faſte vntounto him. I am a poore ſinner of the gentils, of whom it is written I wilbe eraited in the gentiles.
Sa.
If thou be a ſinner of the gentiles, yet thou muſte conſyder thy ſynne is great.
Con.
I graunt, but Chriſtes paſſion is greater.
Sa.
Oh but y• haſt ſinned very oftē
Con.
Tell me not Sathan what I hauehave done, but what I wil do.
Sa.
Why what wilt thou doe?
Con.
By goddes grace my full purpoſe is here after to take better hede and to amend my former life.
Sa.
Is that enough thinkſt thou?
Con.
What lacketh?
Sa.
The fauour of God, whiche hath cleane forſaken thee.
Con.
So God fauoured & loued the world, that he gaue his owne dere ſonne, that whoſoeuer ſeeth him as the Iſraelites did the braſen ſerpent, they ſhall not peryſh but hauehave lyfe euerlaſtinge.