The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Prayers · Prayer 20
A Prayer or meditation before the receyuing of the holy communion.
MOſt mercifull and moſt worthely beloued Lord the eternall ſonne of the eternal father, thou bleſſed Ieſus Chriſt what ſhould we render vntounto thée for all thy louing kindneſſe, for all that thou haſt done and ſuffered for vsus, thy creatures, of priuiledge aboue all the creatures in the world, the ſonnes and daughters of men, indued with wiſedome, capability, and vnderſtanding, the ſteps of thy foot the printes of thy hands, fixed in a ſpattous world, and the innumerability of creatures there, of delight and admiration for vsus to contemplate theron, and imploy to our vſe a delight more heauenly and truly intire alone, then all the irration all & hud-winked creatures in the world can taſt beſides, & therefore all thoſe in ſubiection vnderunder our foot, beſides faſhioned and framed vsus to thine owne image with a ſtature aſcendant, ſhooting vpright into heauen, when all other creatures go groueling & precipitated downe towards the earth, yet O Lord for all theſe benifits and excellent indowments that we ſhould behaue our ſelues ſo vngratefully towards, thee, that it ſhould repent the to hauehave made man, that our rebellious and vnnaturall ſins ſhould vnwillingly on thy party draw thy puniſhments euen from out thy graſped hand: Oceans of waters frō thy cloudes to drowne all the world but eight perſons, ſhall pull fier from heauen to burne whole Citties and townes as Sodome and Gomorroh were, and not ten righteous perſons to be found, amongſt ten thouſand vnrighteous, and yet thy louelove to be ſo f…r continued, notwithſtanding that when all mā kind had peruerted their ways, and there was not one that did good, no not one, and wee lay bare and open to the law, and ſathan triumphing ouer our infirmities leading vsus captiues vnderunder the bondage of ſinne, that thou ſhouldeſt ſend thy ſonne into the world, deſcending from the throne of his maieſty into the bowelles of humanity, from thy right hand in heauen, to thy foot-ſtoole the earth, there to be layed in a manger, perſecuted by Herod beeing a child, to pay tribute, to preach, to pray, to faſt, to be tempted, to be betrayed, to be mocked, to be ſcourged to be crowned, to be crucified, & all by vngratefull man, that would oppoſe a power againſt him that gaue them power▪ to take away his life that was the author of life, and breathed the breath of life into there noſtrils yet O louelove without example, without imitation: that very night that hee was betrayed, when the hower and the power of darkeneſſe met together, whē the blackeſt conſultation that euer day or night was witneſſe too was held, to darken the ſun, to extinguiſh the light, to vndermine the intireſt innocency, that euer poſſeſt the breath of being: yet O louelove aboue all louelove, that night and that hower of that night, when theſe heades were combining againſt thee waſt thou inſtituting and ordayning this thy bleſſed Sacrament, to the ſaluation of there ſoules, and all the wretched ſinners in the world beſides, as many as by a liuely fayth, ſhall apply it to there wounded conſciences, O gratious God open thou our eyes in the largeſt conſideration, that wee may ſee thy louelove and conſider what thou haſt done for the ſonnes of men, that for thy louelove vntounto vsus, more ſtrong then death, we may returne our louelove to thee more weake then our owne life, cold, dull and froſen, which let vsus ſeeke to warme in the hotteſt zeale of our affection, that in ſome poore meaſure we may be worthy to receiue this thy ſacrament of thy moſt bleſſed body / and bloud then by thee ordayned to our euerlaſting ſaluation & ye admiration of men and Angels, and that we may ſo doe, prepare vsus O Lord to this thy heauenly banquet with all due and requiſite regard, with penitent and bleeding hartes that we come not there without our wedding garment leaſt we turne that bleſſing into a curſe and by eating and drinking our owne damnation, bee guilty of thy body and bloud which is otherwayes able to ſaue our ſoules, and to that end we beſech thee, ſet a part in vsus whatſoeuer thy maieſty is moſt offended with, or maketh vsus vnworthy of this thy bleſſed ſacrament, and giuegive vsus new hartes and new deſires, purged and ſwept, and prepared fit for the intertainement of ſo worthy a gueſt, and though with the Centurion in the Goſpell, we be not worthy that thou ſhouldeſt come vnderunder our roofe, yet ſpeake but the word and wee ſhall be ſaued, and then hauing ſo receyued thee, wee may bouldly with Zacheus confeſſe, Hodie ſalus Iehouae, this day is ſaluation come vntounto my houſe, come vntounto my ſoule, the which cauſe, and effect, preparation and bleſſing, graunt Lord for thy mercies ſake.
Amen.