Godly Meditations Upon the Lords Prayer, Part 11 – Part 14
A GODLYE MEDITATION and inſtruction of the prouidence of god towards mankind.
THis ought to be vntounto vsus moſte God worketh all in all maruelouſly, iuſtly & holilycertaine, y• nothing is done without thi prouidence (oh lord) that is, that not nothynge is done be it good or bad, ſwete or ſower, but by thy knowledge, that is, by thy wyl, wiſedome, and ordināce (for al theſe knowledge doth comprehend in it) as by thy holy word we are taught in many places, that euē the life of a ſparow is not wtout thy wil, nor any Mat. 10. Mat. 8.liberty or power vponupon a porket hauehave all the deuils in hell, but by thy appointment & wil: wt wil we alwaies muſte beleue moſte aſſuredlye to be al iuſt & good, how ſoeuer otherwiſe it ſeme vntounto vsus. For yu art merueloꝰ & not comprehenſyble in thy wayes and holy in all thy workes.
But herevnto it is neceſſarie alſo God worketh by meanes, withoute meanes, & againſt meanes.for vsus to knowe no leſſe certainely, that thoughe al thynges be done by thy prouidence, yet the ſame prouidence hath manye & diuers meanes to worke by, which meanes beinge cōtemned thy prouidence is contemned alſo. As for example, meate is a meane to ſerue thy prouidence, for y• preſeruation of health and life here, ſo that he which contemneth to eate becauſe thy prouidence is certaine & vnfallible, the ſame contemneth thy prouidence. In deede if y• it were ſo y• meate could not be had, then ſhuld we not tye thy prouidence to thys meane, but make it free as yu art free that is, that withoute meate yu canſt help and geue health and life, for it is not of any nede that thou vſeſt anye inſtrumente or meane to ſerue thy prouidence: thy power and wiſedome is infinite and therfore ſhould we hangon thy prouidence euen when all is cleane agaiſt vsus. But for our erudition and infirmities ſake, it hath pleaſed thee by meanes to worke, and deale with vsus here, to ex exerciſe vsus in obediēce, & becauſe we cannot els (ſo great is our corruption) ſuſtaine thy naked and bare preſence. Graunt me therfore deare father I humbly beſech thee for Chriſts ſake, y• as I ſomthing now know theſe thigs: ſo I may vſe this know ledge to my comfort & commodity in thee: y• is, graūt yt in what ſtate ſo euer I be, I may not dout but y• ſame doth come to me by thy moſt iuſt ordināce, yea by thy merciful ordināce, for as yu art iuſt ſo art yu merciful, yea thy merciemercy is aboue al thy workes.
And by this knowledge, graūt me that I may humble my ſelfe to obey thee and loke for thy helpe in tyme conuenient, not onelyonly when I hauehave meanes, by which thou maiſt worke & art ſo accuſtomed to doe: but alſo when I hauehave no meanes but am deſtitute, ryea when that al meanes be directly & cleane againſt me: graunt I ſaye yet that I maye ſtill hange vponupon the and thy prouidence, not doubtinge of a fatherly ende in thy good time.
Againe, leſt I ſhuld contempne thy prouidence or preſume vponupon. it by vncouplinge thoſe thinges, whiche thou haſt coupled together, preſerue me from negleating thy ordinarye & lawefull meanes in al my nedes, yt ſo be I may hauehave them and wt good conſcience vſe thē, although I know thy prouidence be not tyed to them, further then pleaſeth thee: but graūt that I may with diligēce, reuerence and thankfulnes vſe them, and ther to my diligence, wiſedome and induſtrie in all thinges lawful, to ſerue therby thy prouidence, if it ſo pleaſe thee: howbeit ſo that I hange in no part on y• meanes or on my diligence, wiſdome, & induſtry, but only on thy prouidence, which more & more perſwade me to be altogether father ly and good, how farre ſo euer other wiſe it appeare & ſeme, yea is felt… of me. By this I being preſerued frō negligence on my behalf and diſpair or murmuring towards thee, ſhal be come diligent and pacient, through thy mere and alone grace: whiche geue and encreaſe in me, to prayſe thy holy name for euer, through Ieſus Chriſt oure lorde and onelye ſauiour, Amen.
A MEDITATION of the preſence of god.
THERE is nothinge that maketh more to trewe godlynes of life then the perſuaſion of thy preſence, deare father, & that nothinge is hid from thee, but all to thee is open & naked, euē y• very thoughtes, which one daie thou wilt reuele and open either to our praiſe or puniſhement in this life: As thou didſt Dauids faultes which he did ſecretly. 2 Reg 12. or in yt life to come Mat 25: For nothing is ſo hid that ſhall not be reueiled. Therfore doth the prophet ſaye: woe to them that kepe ſecret their thoughts to hide their coū ſell from the lord, & doe their works in darkenes, ſayinge who ſeeth vsus? graunt to me therfore (dere god) mercy for al my ſinnes, eſpecially my hid & cloſe ſinnes, enter not into iudgemēt with me, I humbly beſech the, geue me to beleue truly in thy chriſt that I neuer come into Iudgement for them, that with Dauid I mighte ſo reueile them and cōfeſſe them vntounto thee, that yu woldeſt couer them: And graunt further, that hence forth I alwaies thinke my ſelf continually conuerſant before thee, ſo that yf I do wel I paſſe not of the publiſhig of it as hipocrites doe, yf I doe or thinke any euell, I maye forth with know that y• ſame ſhall not alwaies be hidde from mē. Graunt me that I may alwaies hauehave in mind that day wherin hid workes of darknes ſhalbe illumined, & alſo y• ſentēce of thy ſonne, that nothinge is ſo ſecrete which ſhal not be reueiled. So ī trouble and wrong I ſhal find comfort, and otherwiſe be kept throughe thy grace from euil, which doe yu worke I humblye beſeche thee for Chriſtes ſake, Amen.
A MEDITATION OF GODES power, beutie, goodnes &c.
BEcauſe thou lord woldſt hauehave vsus to louelove thee, not only doeſt thou will, entice, allure and prouoke vsus, but alſo doeſt commaunde vsus ſo to do, promiſing thy ſelf vntounto ſuch as louelove thee, and threaning vsus wt damp nation if we do otherwiſe: whereby we may ſe both our great corruptiō & noughtines, & alſo thine exceding great mercy towards vsus.
Firſt, concerning oure corruption and noughtines, what a thing is it, that power, riches, authoritie, beutye, goodnes, liberalitie, truth, Iuſtice, which all thou art good lorde, cannot moue vsus to louelove thee? whatſoeuer thinges we ſee faier, good, wiſe, mighty, are but euē ſparkles of that power, beutie, goodnes, wiſedome, which yu art. For to the end yu mighteſt declare thy riches, beutye, power, wiſdome, goodnes &c: yu haſt not only made but ſtil doſt coſerue al creatures to be (as Dauid ſaith of ye beauens) declarers & ſetters forth of thy glory, and as a booke to teache vsus to knowe thee.
How faier thou art the beutie of the ſonne, mone, ſtarres, light, flowers, riuers, fieldes, hilles, byrdes, beaſtes, men & al creatures, yea the goodly ſhape & forme of the whole world doth declare.
How mightye yu art, we are taught by the creation of this world euen of nought, by gouerning the ſame, by puniſhinge the wicked mightie gyaunts therof, by ouerthrowing their deuiſes, by repreſſinge the rages of the ſea within her boundes, by ſtormes, by tempeſts, by fiers: theſe & ſuch like declare vntounto vsus thine inuiſible, almightie and terrible power, wherby thou ſubdueſt all things vntounto thee. Howe riche thou arte thys world, thy great & infinite treaſure houſe, doth wel declare. What plentie is there, not only of things, but alſo of eueryevery kinde of thinges? Yea how doeſt thou yearely & daily multiply theſe kindes? How many ſeeds doſt thou make of one ſede, yea what greate increaſe doeſt thou bringe it vntounto? Theſe cannot but put vsus in remembrance of the exceding riches that thou haſte. For if to thine enemies which louelove thee not (as y• moſt parte in this worlde be) yf to them thou geueſt ſo plentifully thy riches here, what ſhal we thinke that with thy ſelfe thou haſte laide vp for thy frendes? How good thou art, al creatures generally and perticulerly do teache. What creature is there in y• world which thou haſt not made for our commoditie? I will not ſay how that yu mighteſt hauehave made vsus creatures without ſenſe or reaſō if thou haddeſt wold. But amongeſt al thinges none doth teach vsus ſo thy great louelove towards vsus, as doth the death of thy moſt derely beloued ſōne, who ſuffered the paines & …errours therof, yea & of bell it ſelf, for our ſakes. If this thy louelove had bene but a ſmalle louelove, it would neuer hauehave laſted ſo long nor Chriſt ſhould neuer hauehave died.
A MEDITATION OF DEATH and the commodities it bringeth
WHat other thing do we daily in this preſēt life, then heau ſinne to ſinne & hourd vp treſpaſſe vponupon treſpaſſe? ſo y• this day is worſe alwaies then yeſterdaye, by encreaſing as dais, ſo ſinnes, & therfore thy indignatiō good lord, agaiſt vsus: but whē we ſhalbe let go out of the priſē of yt body, & ſo taken into thy bleſſed cōpany, then ſhal we be in moſt ſafe tie of immortality & ſaluation, then ſhal come vntounto vsus no ſicknes, no nede no paine, no kind of euil to ſoule or body, but whatſoeuer good we can wiſhe, y• ſhall we hauehave, & what ſo euer we loth ſhalbe far frō vsus. O dere father, y• we had faith to be hold theſe things accordingly. Oh y• our harts were perſuaded therof, & eure affections enflamed wc the deſyre of them. Then ſhuld we lyue in longing for y• which now we moſt loth. Oh help vsus & graunt y• we being ignorant of things to come, & of y• time of oure death, which to thee is certain, may ſo liue & finiſhe our iorney here, y• we may be ready and then depart, wht̄ our departīg may make moſt to thy glory & our cōfort through chriſt.
What is this life but a ſmoke, a vapour, a ſhadow, a warfar, a bubble of water, a word, graſſe, a flower? Thou ſhalt die is moſt certaine, but of the time no man cā tel whē. The longer in this life yu doeſt remaine, the more yu ſinneſt, which will turne to thy more paine. By cogitation of death our minds be often in maner oppreſſed wt darknes, becauſe we do but remēber the night of ye body, forgetting ye light of the mind, & of the reſurrectiō. Therto remēber ye good thīgs that after this life ſhal enſue, withoute wauering, in certainty of faith, & ſo ſhal ye paſſage of death be more deſired. It is like a ſailing ouer ye ſea to thy home & coūtry: it is like a medicine or purgatiō to ye helth of ſoule & body: It is ye beſt phiciſiō: It is like to a womās trauaile: for as ye child being deliuered, cometh into a more large place then the wombe wherin it did lie before, ſo thy ſoule being deliuered out of the body, commeth into a muche more large and faier place, euen into heauen.