The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Prayers · Prayer 31 – Prayer 35
A generall Thankeſgiuing to God for all his benefites and mercies to man.
O Eternall God in Chriſt Ieſus, moſt gracious and mercifull, for all thy bleſſings both temporall and ſpirituall, beſtowed vponupon me, the leaſt of thy ſeruants, and moſt vnworthy to caſt vp mine eyes to thy heauenly Tabernacle, where thou reigneſt in glory, doe I yeild all poſſible & hearty thanks vntounto thy diuine Maieſty for all thy bleſſings and mercies beſtowed vponupon me, eſpecially for the ſingular benefite of my Iuſtification, and the admirable gift of eternall ſaluation, purchaſed by the righteouſneſſe and deereſt life of thy beloued Son Chriſt Ieſus my Sauiour. My lot is fallen in a pleaſant place, well is me, and yet woe is mee, becauſe it is, and I vnderſtand it not: haſt thou beene fauourable vntounto all thy creatures in the world, or haſt thou neglected others, and beene mindfull of me? Good Lord, why ſhouldeſt thou beſtow thy health, thy wealth, thy reſt, and liberty, aduancements, friends, poſſeſſions, Children like the Oliue. Oliue branches and their trees for me & them to repoſe ſecurely vnderunder? Why ſhouldeſt thou, I ſay, beſtow theſe bleſſings vponupon me more then vponupon others? I can giuegive no reaſon for it, but ſtand wondring and admiring thy mercy, which is the cauſe of it: and if thou ſhouldeſt take a ſuruey of my worthineſſe to enioy all theſe at thy hands, and finding mee ſo vnworthy as I am of the leaſt, ſhouldeſt withdraw them all backe againe, what could I ſay, but commend thy iuſtice? HaueHave I deſerued liberty, and Ioſeph thy ſeruant deſerued bonds? HaueHave I deſerued reſt, and thy Dauid to bee toſt to and fro vponupon his watery couch day and night? to hauehave ye ſonne of his owne loynes, and the loynes of his owne body rebelling againſt him? Hath thy Lazarus deſerued to lye at the gates, afflicted in body & minde, crauing but crums wherewithall to be refreſhed, and I like the rich man, whoſe dogges more merciful thē their maiſter came and licked his ſores, ſitting at my table furniſhed with abundance, like his? HaueHave I deſerued health, and thy Iob to lye full of botches and biles vponupon the dung-hill? Are theſe thy bleſſed ſeruants tried in the furnace of affliction, layd in the throat of hell, and am I wrapt vp into Abrahams boſome? hauehave I their portion, and do they ſtand at reward, or ſent empty? Why my ſoule is it ſo well with thee? mercy, aboundance of mercy, and why art thou ſo ill my ſoule? O mercy, yet moſt wretched ſinner that I am, hauehave I not in a Chriſtian louelove, and godly nature beene moued to ſerue thee in a larger meaſure, conſidering theſe thy benefites vponupon mee ſo largely multiplyed, then the poore and perſecuted Children that neuer taſted thy mercy but in imitation of their miſery. Continue O Lord this thy goodneſſe vntounto me, and the more to perſwade thee thereunto, lift my heart and ſpirit out of this dull and earthly Center wherein it moueth, to the meditation of thée, and theſe thy mercies, with a thankfull retribution of all my thoughts and affections, to thée, from whence they come, that I may euer ſerue thee from this hower, with thoſe dutyes, which the world, the fleſh and the Diuell would hauehave me deſer vntill the point of death: and good father grant, that I may louelove righteouſneſſe and pitty, with as great good will as euer I loued wickedneſſe and vanity, and that I may go before other in thankfulneſſe towards thee, as farre as thou goeſt in mercy to mee before them. O teach mee to ſeeke thee in all things, and all things in thee, euen for thy name ſake, for thy promiſe ſake, for thy Sonnes ſake, our Lord and Sauiour Chriſt Ieſus.
A Thankeſgiuing before meate.
TO thee O Lord, the giuer of al good gifts, vponupon whoſe bounty and mercy depend all the creatures in ye world, which openeſt thy hand, and filleſt vsus with thy bleſſings, or wee goe empty away, and periſh: Thy bounty and goodneſſe it is, O Lord, that furniſheth our backs, and feedeth our bellyes, and ſpreadeth our tables, bleſſeth, preſerueth, and vpholdeth all that we hauehave, our baſket, and our ſtore, the oyle in our cruſes, prouiſion in our preſſes, the ſheep in our foldes, in our ſtables, the children in the wombe, at our tables, the corne in our fields, in our floores and garners, and all that wee hauehave, or is in the ayre, in the earth, in the ſea, or whereſoeuer elſe the leaſt of which thy good gifts and bleſſings, let vsus not at this time, nor no time elſe preſume to touch, make vſe, or enioy without an awfull reuerence and reſpect to thee the author and owner thereof. Sanctifie therefore we beſéech thée at this time, them vntounto vsus, and vsus in them, ſo that thy name may bee glorified, and our bodies comforted, through Ieſus Chriſt.
Amen.
Thankſgiuing after meate.
DEere Father, wee render m…ſt humble and hearty thankes vntounto thee as is moſt meet & requiſite, for all thy former benefits & good creatures, ordained & giuen to our vſe, ſacrificed & ready to be ſacrificed eueryevery day for our pleaſures: ſo now at this time for the large & competent ſatiſfaction thou haſt beſtowed vponupon vsus to the refreſhing of our weake & fainting bodyes. So good Lord, as thou haſt beene gracious vntounto vsus in breaking this thy corporall and materiall bread vntounto vsus at this time, to the food of our bodies, ſo likewiſe giuegive thy Spirituall bread vntounto our ſoules in that abundant meaſure, that the more they eate and drinke thereof, the more they may hunger & thirſt after thee, to fulfill thy precepts, to walke in thy commandements, and to do the workes of charity and mercy towards others, to whom thy bounty hath in ſome meaſure bene reſtrained; which grant moſt mercifull Father, for thy mercies ſake.
Amen.
Before Meate.
TO thee the Author of our beeing,
Before the world our time fore-ſeeing,
The time approach't thou hadſt decreed,
That thought did ceaſe, effect ſuccced
Into the world, poore, naked; bare
We were brought forth, nurſt by thy care;
Of whom ere ſince we begge and craue,
For food, for rayment, all we hauehave,
Bleſſe theſe thy gifts wee ſhall receiue,
Shall feed, ſhall taſte of by thy leaue,
And all things elſe, what ere it bee,
That thou ſhalt ſend, that come from thee,
Bleſſe ſoule and body, basket, ſtore,
Our health, our wealth, our rich & poore:
What ere we doe, ſo bleſſe the ſame,
That ſtil our mouths may praiſe thy name.
Thy Church & king, God ſaue & bleſſe,
And grace from heauen ſo ſend,
That we may liue a happy life
And make a god…y end.
After Meate.
OVr bodyes thus refreſh't and fed,
Whom thou do'ſt daily fill,
So let our liues be ſpent and led
According to thy will.
And as thou break'ſt thy earthly bread
VntoUnto our mortall hands,
So breake that bread vntounto our ſoules,
Whereon our well-fare ſtands:
For as the body doth decay,
Doth languiſh and complaine,
From food and nouriſhment debar'd,
That doth her ſtate maintaine.
So will the ſoule, and all her powers
Dry, wither, parch, and per…ſh,
If that thy grace, which is her life,
Refreſh not, feed and choriſh.
Lord therefore ſtretch thy mighty hand,
And let thy louelove appeare,
In feeding this, in filling that,
In holding both ſo deare.
That when we leaue this wicked world,
Whoſe pleaſure is but paine,
In peace and reſt in heauen with thee
We euermore may raigne.
Amen.