finde thée Lorde if thou be not here where shall I séeke thée when thou art gone Or if thou be euery where why sée I not thée here Certesse thou dwellest in vnapprochable light And how shall I come at thée then or who shall leade me and bryng me in thether that I may sée thée there Agayne what markes or what shape shall I séeke thée by I neuer saw thée my Lord God I neuer knew thy face What shall this farre banished creature of thyne doe most hygh Lorde what shall he doe what shall thy seruaunt doe whiche is carefull for loue of thée and is reiected far from thy presence Beholde he panteth to sée thée and thy countenaunce is farre from him He longeth to come neare thée and thy dwellyng place is vnapprochable He would fayne finde thée he knoweth not thy place He is desirous to séeke thée and knoweth not thy countenaunce ¶ That the seyng of God is lost through sinne miserie founde in stede of it LOrd thou art my God and my souereine and yet I neuer sawe thée Thou hast made me and made me newe agayne and bestowed all thy goodes vpon me and yet hetherto I haue neither knowen thée nor séene thée To be short I was made to sée thée and I haue not yet done the thyng that I was made for O wretched state of man that he must forgo the thyng for whiche he was made O hard and cursed case as it was Alas what hath he lost and what hath he founde what is forgone and what remaineth He hath lost blessednesse to whiche he was made and founde miserie to whiche he was not made The thyng is gone without whiche nothyng is luckie and the thyng remayneth whiche of it selfe is all together vnluckie Man did then eate aungels bread whiche thyng he now hungreth for and now he eateth the bread of sorrow whiche he was not then acquaynted with O Lord how long wilt thou forget vs for euer how long wilt thou turne awaye thy face from vs when wilt thou looke backe and heare vs when wilt thou inlighten our eyes and shew vs thy face when wilt thou restore thy selfe vnto vs Looke backe Lord and heare vs and inlighten vs and shewe thy selfe vnto vs and restore thy selfe vnto vs that it may go well with vs whiche are so ill bestad without thée I haue a bitternesse at my hart bycause thou hast forsaken it Lorde I beséeche thée swéeten it agayne with thy comfort I haue begon to séeke thée with a hungrie appetite let me not be sent away from thée without repast I am come with a sharpe stomacke let me not go away fastyng I come poore to thee that art rich I come wretched to thée that art pitifull let me not goe away emptie and despised Lorde I am bowed downe and I can not looke but downeward Rayse me that I may looke vpward Myne iniquities are gone ouer my head they haue ouerwhelmed me and they ouerlode me as a heauie burthen Wynde me out and vnlode me that the pit shut not his mouth vpon me Teache me to séeke thée and shewe thy selfe to me at my séekyng For I cannot séeke thee except thou teache me nor finde thée except thou shewe thy selfe vnto me Let me séeke thée by longyng after thée and let me long after thée by séekyng thée Let me finde thée by louyng thée and let me loue thée by findyng thée Of Gods goodnes I Confesse Lord I thanke thée for it that thou hast created me after thyne owne image to the end I should be myndefull of thee thinke vpon thée and loue thée But that image is so defaced by the corruption of sinne that it cannot do the thing for whiche it was created except thou renew and reforme it agayne I beséech thée O Lorde whiche geuest the vnderstandyng of fayth graunt that I may redily vnderstād how great thou art For thou art as we beleue and this is it that we beleue namely we beleue that thou art some one thyng then the whiche there can nothyng be thought to be either greater or better What art thou then O Lord God Euen that one thing then the whiche nothyng can be imagined to be greater or better that is to say the souereine goodnesse whiche hath his beyng of it selfe alone and hath made all other thynges of nothyng Thou therfore art righteous soothfast blessed and whatsoeuer thing els it is better to be then not to be But howe doest thou spare the wicked seyng thou art wholly and without comparison rightuous Is it bycause thy goodnesse is incomprehensible This thing lyeth hid in the vnapprochable light which thou dwellest in Verely the headspryng from whēce the streame of thy mercy floweth lyeth hid in the most déepe and secret gulfe of thy goodnesse For although thou be wholly excéedyngly rightuous yet art thou also gentle to the euill bycause thou art wholly and excéedyng good for thou shouldest be the lesse good if thou shouldest beare with no euill For better is he that is good both to good and bad then he that is good but to the good onely And better is he that is good to the euill both by sparyng them and also by punishyng them thē he that is good to them but in punishing them onely The cause therfore why thou art mercifull is for that thou art wholly and excéedyng good ¶ Of the delectable fruition of God. O Vnmeasurable goodnesse whiche passest all vnderstādyng of hart let that mercy of thine come vpō me whiche procéedeth frō so passing aboūdance Let that flowe into me whiche floweth out of thée Spare me of thy mercyfulnesse and punishe me not by thy Iustice Awake now my soule and lift vp thy whole vnderstandyng and consider to the vttermost of thy power how great and of what sorte that goodnesse is whiche is god For if euery seuerall good thyng be delectable cast in thy mynde aduisedly howe delectable that good thyng is whiche conteyneth the pleasauntnesse of all good thynges not in such sorte as we finde it in thynges created but as farre differyng as there is oddes betwéene the creature and the maker For if the life that is created be good how good is the lyfe that created it If the welfare that is created be pleasaunt how pleasant is the welfare that made all welfare If the wisedome that consisteth in conceiuyng or knowynge of thynges knowen be amiable how amiable is the wisedome that made all thynges of nothyng finally if there be many and great pleasures in thinges that be delectable what and how great pleasure is there in him which made those delectable thinges O what shall he haue or what is it that he shall not haue which inioyeth this good thyng Certesse he shall haue what soeuer he will and he shall not haue any thyng that he would not haue For there shall he haue all good thynges both of body and soule such as neuer eye of mā hath séene nor eare heard nor
¶ CERTAINE select Prayers gathered out of S. Augustines Meditations which he calleth his selfe talke with God. AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwellyng ouer Aldersgate 1574. ¶ Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis ¶ Of the vnspeakeable swéetnesse of God. O Lorde which art the searcher of the hart and tryer of the raynes indue me with the knowledge of thée O my comforter and mirth of my mynde shewe the lyght of thy countenaunce vpoÌ„ me and be mercifull to me Appeare vnto me O my soueraigne delight my swéete solace my Lord God my lyfe and the whole glory of my soule Let me imbrace thée thou heauenly brydegrome Let me possesse thée O endlesse blisse let me lodge thée in the bottome of my hart thou art the blessed lyfe and the soueraigne swéetenesse of my soule Graft in me the true loue of thée O my God my helper the tower of my strength my castle deliuerer in all my troubles Open the entries of myne eares thou worde which enterest swifter than any two edged sworde that I may heare thy voyce Thunder downe from aboue O Lord with a lowde and mightie voyce Let the Sea rore and the fulnesse thereof let the earth be moued and all that is in it Lighten myne eye O incomprehensible light that I sléepe not in death flashe out thy lyghteninges and turne them aside that they may not looke vaynely O sauour of lyfe make my taste sound that it may sauour trye and discerne how great the aboundance of thy swéetnesse is which thou hast layd vp for them that put their trust in thée Geue mée a mynde that may euer thinke vppon thée a hart that may loue thée a soule that may honour thée an vnderstandyng that may féele thée and a reason that may alwayes sticke fast to thée my soueraigne delight O lyfe to whom all thinges lyue O lyfe which art my lyfe and without whom I am dead O lyfe wherby I am raysed to lyfe and without which I am forlorne O lyfe whâ—â—by I reioyce and wherwithout I am sorrowfull O lyuely sweete and louely life alwayes worthy to be had in mynde where art thou I pray thée where shall I finde thée that I may geue ouer in my selfe and stay vppon thée Be thou neare me in my minde be neare in my hart be neare me in my mouth be neare me in mine eares be neare me to my helpe for I pine away for loue of thée I die for want of thée As the hart desireth the water brookes so longeth my soule after the O god The sent of thée refresheth me the remembrance of thée healeth me but yet shall I neuer be suffised till thy glorye appeare which is the lyfe of my soule My soule fainteth with longing after thée and with thinking vppon thée when shall I come and shew my selfe in thy presence O my ioy I had rather be a doorekeeper in the house of my God then to dwell in the tentes of vngodlynesse for one day in thy courtes is better then a thousand els where O Lord hide not away thy face from me in the néedefull time of trouble but bow downe thine eare to me and heare me make hast to deliuer me make no long tarying O my god But wherefore hidest thou thy face away perchaunce thou wilt say maÌ„ cannot sée me and liue Behold O Lord I can finde in my hart to dye that I may sée thée let me sée thée that I may dye here I desire not to liue I had leuer dye I would fayne be let loose that I might be with Christ I couet to dye that I might sée Christ I refuse to liue heare so I may liue with Christ O Lord Iesus receiue my spirite My life receiue my soule My ioy draw my hart vnto thée My swéete foode let me féede vpon thée My head direct thou me Thou light of myne eyes inlighten me My melodie delight thou me My swéete sent refresh thou me Thou word of God quickeÌ„ thou me My prayse glad thou the soule of thy seruaunt Thou euerlastyng light shine thou vpon it that it may perceiue thée know thée and loue thée For the cause O Lord why it loueth thée not is for that it knoweth thée not the cause why it knoweth thée not is for that it perceiueth thée not the cause why it perceiueth thée not is for that it comprehendeth not thy light for thy light shineth in darknesse and the darknesse coÌ„prehendeth it not O light of the minde O lightsome truth O true brightnesse which inlightenest euery maÌ„ that commeth into the world I say which commeth into the worlde but not which is in loue with the world for he that loueth the world the thinges of the world the loue of God is not in him Driue away the darknesse from the vpperside of the déepe of my mynde that it may sée thée by vnderstandyng know thée by perceiuyng loue thée by knowyng thée For who soeuer knoweth thée must néedes loue thée Yea he forgetteth him selfe and loueth thée more then him selfe he forsaketh him selfe and coÌ„meth to thée that he may ioy in thée The cause then wherfore I am not so farre in loue with thée as I ought to be is by reason that I do not throughly know thée and bycause I haue but small knowledge of thée I haue also but small loue to thée and bycause I beare but small loue to thée therfore haue I but little ioy in thée By meanes of outward ioyes I raunge froÌ„ thée the true inward ioy and séeke counterfet comfortes in these outward thinges And so like a wretch as I am looke what loue I ought to haue yelded vnto thée alone with my whole hart that haue I set vpon vanities therfore am become vayne by louing vanitie Hereupon also O Lord it is come to passe that I delight not in thée nor sticke not to thee for my mynde is busied about outward thinges thine about inward thinges my thought is occupied in carnall thinges thine in spirituall thinges my talke is intaÌ„gled about traÌ„sitorie things but thou dwellest in euerlastingnesse art the euerlastingnesse it selfe thou in heauen and I in earth thou louest high thinges I low thinges thou heauenly thinges I earthly thinges And how then can these contraries agrée together ¶ Of the wretchednesse and frailtie of man. WRetch that I am when shall my crookednesse be made euen to thy straightnes Lord thou louest solitarinesse and I delight in company thou stilnesse and I noyse thou truth I leasing thou louest clennesse I filthines And what more O Lord Thou art throughly good and I wholly euill thou holie I prophane thou happie I miserable thou righteous I vniust thou lightfull I blind thou liuing I dead thou the salue I the sore thou the ioy I the sorow thou the souerein truth I nothing but vanitie as all men liuing be Alas therfore my maker what shall I say Heare me O my Creator I am thy
was rich and wanted nothyng and I wist not that I was poore blind naked wretched and miserable For I beleued I had bene somewhat when as I was nothyng I sayd I will become wise and I became a foole I thought my selfe skilfull but I was deceiued for now I sée it is thy gift without whom we can do nothyng bycause that except thou kéepe the Citie in vayne doth he watch which kéepeth it So hast thou taught me to know my selfe for thou hast forsaken me to trye me not for thy selfe that thou mightest know me but for me that I might know my selfe For as I sayd Lord I beleued I should haue bene somwhat of my selfe I thought I had bene a man able inough of my selfe I perceiued not how thou diddest gouerne me vntill thou haddest withdrawen thée a while from me and then by and by I fell to myne owne byas wherby I saw and knew how it was thou that haddest ruled me and that my fallyng was of my selfe and my rising agayne was of thée O light thou hast opened myne eyes and waked me and inlightened me I sée that mans life vpon earth is but a temptation and that no flesh can glorie before thée nor any liuing wight be iustified bycause that if there be any good in them be it much or litle it is thy gift and we haue nothyng of our owne but euill Whereof then shall any fleshe make his boast Of euill That is no glorie but miserie But what shall he boast of goodnesse Then shal he boast of that which is none of his own For goodnesse is thyne O Lord and thyne is the glorie For he that séeketh his owne glorie by thy goodes and séekes not thy glory he is a théefe and a robber and he is like the deuill who would haue stolne away thy glory For he that wil be praysed for thy gift séeketh not to glorifie thée in the same but to glorifie himselfe although men prayse him for thy gift yet doest thou dispraise him bycause that by thy gift he hath not sought thy glory but his owne As for him that is praysed of men when thou mislikest him men shal not defend hym when thou iudgest hym neither shall they deliuer him when thou cōdemnest him Wherfore O Lord which didst shape me in my mothers wōbe suffer me not to fall into that reproch that it might be cast in my teeth how I would haue stolne away thy glorie For all glorie be vnto thée who art the owner of all goodnesse but shame and miserie be vnto vs who are owners of all euill except it please thée to shew mercy For thou O Lord hast pitie yea thou hast pitie on all thinges for thou hatest not any thyng whiche thou hast made but giuest vs of thy goodes and inrichest vs beggers with thy singular good giftes O Lord god Yea thou louest the poore and inrichest them with thyne owne riches Behold now O Lord we thy childrē and thy litle flocke are poore opē vs thy gates that the poore may eate and be satisfied they that séeke thee shall prayse thée Also Lord I know by thy teachyng and I confesse that none shal be inriched by thée but such as féele thē selues poore and acknowledge their poorenes vnto thée For they that take thē selues to be rich whereas they be poore shall finde them selues shet out from thy richesse I therfore confesse my poorenesse vnto thée my Lord God and thyne be the whole glorie bycause the good that hath bene done by me is thyne Lord I acknowledge accordyng as thou hast taught me that I am nothing els but all together vanitie a shadow of death a dungeon of darknesse a barrein and wast ground whiche without thy blessing beareth not any thyng ne yeldeth any frute but confusion sinne and death If euer I haue had any good in me I haue had it of thée what soeuer I haue it is thyne or I haue it of thée If euer I haue stode I stode by thée but when I haue falne I haue falne of my selfe and I should haue lyen in the myre for euer haddest not thou drawen me out I had bene euer blind haddest not thou inlightened me Whē I was falne I had neuer risen agayn haddest not thou reached me thy hand Yea I had continually falne after thou haddest lifted me vp haddest not thou hild me vp still finally I had oftētimes perished but that thou didst gouerne me Thus alwayes Lord thus alwayes haue thy grace and mercy preuented me deliuering me frō all euils sauyng me from that was past lifting me vp frō that was present and garding me frō that which was to come and also rippyng a sunder the snares afore me and takyng away all causes of annoyance For vnlesse thou haddest done so for me I should haue committed all the sinnes of the world Doutlesse Lord I know there is no sinne which euer any man hath committed but that an other man may do the same if he want his creator by whom he was made man But looke what I my selfe could not do that hast thou done That I forbare it was thy commaundement that I beleued thée it was of thy grace whiche thou didst shed into me For it was thou Lorde that didst rule me both to thée and to my selfe and it was thou that gauest me grace and light that I should not commit aduoutrie or any other kinde of sinne ¶ Of the deuill and of his manifold temptations THere wanted a tempter thou wart the cause that he was wantyng there wanted tyme and place and thou wart the cause that they wanted The tempter was present and there wanted neither place nor tyme but thou hildest me backe that I should not consent The tempter came full of darknesse as he is thou diddest harten me that I might despise him The tempter came armed and strongly but to the intent he should not ouercome me thou didst restreine him and strengthen me The tēpter came transformed into an aungell of light and to the intent he should not deceiue me thou didst rebuke him and to the intent I should know him thou didst inlighten me For he is that great red dragon and that old serpent called the deuill and Sathan which hath seuen heades and ten hornes whō thou hast created to take his pleasure in this howge broad sea wherin there créepe liuyng wightes innumerable beastes greate and small that is to say diuers sortes of féendes whiche practise nothing els day nor night but to go about séekyng whom they may deuour except thou rescue him For it is that old dragon which was bréed in the paradise of pleasure which draweth downe the third part of the Starres of heauen with his tayle castes them to the groūd which with his venim poysoneth the waters of the earth that as many men as drinke of thē may dye which trampleth vpon gold as if it were myre and is of opinion that Iordan shall runne