The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Prayers · Prayer 28 – Prayer 30
For humility vponupon theſe conſiderations.
THou mighty Lord of heauen and earth, who holdeſt the ball of the world in thy hand, and keepeſt all times and ſeaſons as in a regiſter, who art all hand, all eye, all foot, for ſtrengthe, for fight, for ſwiftneſſe, to whom the in-moſt chambers and retired cloſſets, the tabernacles and habitations of mortall men, nay the hartes and boſomes of all the creatures in the world, are vnfoulded and layed open as leuill to thy ſight, as the aire which we looke on with our eyes, what cā we do ye is hid frō thy ſight, ten thouſand times brighter then y• ſun, or whether can we go y• our ſins & offences lye not naked before thée, ſurely no otherway there is, but only to inuolue them in the clowds & miſtes of ſighes & repentance, repentance the guift of God, the ioy of Angels, the ſalue of ſins, ye heauen & refuge of ſinners: O where remaines the ſubiect of ye title, ye Angels ſin not and therfore need not repentance, nor ye ſpirits of darkenes for the ſentence is already paſt & condemnation ſealed, it is only for me moſt wretched ſinner y• I am, & for my brethren of ye ſame inheritance, to vsus alone doth it belong, and we perceiue it not, we eat and feed delitiouſly, we are wanton with thy guifts, O God abuſing them in ſurfet and riot, and luxuriouſlye, we ſinne in drinking, in procuring an appetite to exceed therein, we ſin in our cloathing, moſt ſuperfluouſly attyred like the rich glutton condemned to hell, as if we would exceed Salomon, and match the lillies of the feild, and we …eed not only our ſelues, but our oxen in our meadowes and ſtalles to feed our vnprofitable carcaſſes, & our horſes in ye ſtable to beare our vnprofitable carkaſſes, when the poore in our ſtreetes & at our gates, feed vpō empty aire for lacke of ſuſtenance, & we remēber not thē, not Chriſt in them, ye hungereth and Chriſt ye muſt feed vsus which is ye aduocate for ye poore, & y• iudge of ye rich, in this obliuion and height of our ſins: what is become of humility, of repentance, we are all begotten in ſin, and to miſery are we brought forth: cō cupiſcence hath bene the nurſe whoſe milke wee hauehave ſucked from time to time, & as we hauehave growne in yeares ſo hath corruptiō growne vp wt vsus as part of our owne nature: what remayneth thē O Lord for vsus but humility & repētāce, to proſtrate our ſelues vponupon ye knees of our harts, and ſay Lord hauehave mercy vpō ſinners with the poore publican, & not with y• proud Phariſe to ſay I am not like this mā, or other my brethren for I doe thus and ſo, let vsus not be ſo mad as to forget nature ſo much, all our imperfections, the ſubſtance and mettall whereof wee are made, and that we muſt ſuddenly turne to ye earth, vponupon which now we trample with ſuch contempt and ſcorne, and muſt become chamberers and fellowes with wormes and rotlenneſſe: and what cauſe hauehave wee then to be proud? Nay, what cauſe hauehave wee not to bee humble? when of all the large poſſeſſions and inheritances wee poſſeſſe, wee hauehave no more truely our own then the length and bredth of our Carkaſſes. And againe, let vsus humble our ſelues, that Chriſt may exalt vsus, and not exalt our ſelues, leſt hee throw vsus downe, as hee ſcattereth the proud in the imagination of their hearts. Let vsus learne of him to bee humble and meeke, which although the King of heauen and earth, hauing all power and preheminence, and proud in ſubiection vnderunder his feet, yet was not touched with this vice himſelfe, that choſe poore Fiſher-men to bee his Diſciples, payd tribute to his inferiours, rode vponupon an aſſe, praied for his Perſecutors, imbraced yong children, cured the halt, and the lame, and the blinde, and regarded the low eſtate of his Handmaid, and will regard vsus if wee regard this vertue, which hee ſo regarded, if wee be imitators of his ſteps, and examples, which hee grant that hath thus led the way, the God, the King, the Prince of humility, for his own deere ſake.
Amen.
The liuing words in effect of a dying man, cloſed vp in this vertue.
I VntoUnto thy hands, O Lord, I commend my ſoule and body, proſtrate in all humility and obedience to thy good will and pleaſure, Lord Ieſus hauehave mercy vponupon thy humble and proſtrate ſeruant.
The ſumme of the Prayer of the Lady G. at the time of her execution.
VVIllingly and ioyfully O Lord, come I hither into thy hands to reſigne my ſoule and body, in whoſe protection I truſt they ſhall bee ſafer and better then in this life (although in the beſt meaſure) they euer were: giuegive vntounto me, my God, thy poore and weake ſeruant and veſſell, patience, conſtancy and ſtrength to vndergo this my ſentence of death, ſtrengthen the frailty of my ſex, in the act of this my ſuffering: and though I dye for that I neuer of my ſelfe deſired, yet howſoeuer leſt any ſinne in the leaſt conſent or thought hath defiled my purity therein, for it pardon me my God, and blot it out of the booke of thy remembrance; and not onelyonly that, but ye whole courſe thereof, throughout my whole life, that my ſoule with the wings of faith in thy mercy, may cheerefully aſcend to thy bleſſed kingdome.
And ſo preparing her ſelfe to dye with theſe words rendred her life.
Lord Ieſus receiue my Spirit.