But thou Lorde canst not be so disceyued nor blinded Thou wilt say as Isaac sayde The handes be the handes of Esau but the voyce is the voyce of Iacob that is in apparaunce thou arte a penitente but in deade thou arte an hipocryte Some other blame the deuyll as the causer of there synne many their desteny some other say theyr complexions be such that they can not forbere to coÌ„mitte certeyne synnes But I Lord leauing all such vayne excuses do saye with thy prophete Dauid It is I Lorde ii Reg. xxiiii whiche haue offended It is I that haue wrought thys iniquitie It is I Lorde not thou nor yet the deuyll nor destenye for they maye onely entyse me but they can not enforce and compelle me Psalmo .xl. Wherfore I pray the heale cure my sycke soule for I haue offeÌ„ded the. And I doubte not but thou hast forgeuen me the wyckednes of my synne I wyll in my confession geue example to other to folowe me Pro hac orabit ad te omnis setuÌ„s in temporâ— oportuno VeruÌ„ tamen in diluuio aquarum multaruÌ„ ad euÌ„ non approximabuÌ„t Roma vii for it is necessary for euery saynte or iust man to praye daylye for the remission of hys synnes in dew season as I do Whych beynge ones obtayned the great water floudes shall not come nere him Al we are holden vnder the lawe of synne may say wyth Paule O wretch that I am who shall delyuer me from the body of synne death It is thou lorde that muste do it and wylt do it yf we call to the in dewe season whych is whyle we are in thys lyfe This is the acceptable tyme ii Cori. vi in whych thou wilt hear vs and the day of health in whych thou wylt helpe vs. In thys daye we may worke Ihon. xi but when the night cometh theÌ„ may no maÌ„ more worke after death is no time of prayinge it is then to late for thou wylt not theÌ„ here oure prayers Seke the Lord sayeth the prophet Esaye whyle he maye be founde Esaye .lv. and call vppon hym whyle he is nere you Thou arte nere Lord to all that in this lyfe call vpon the faythfully thou kepest theÌ„ from the rage of water floudes Psalm .cxlv. that they come not nere them Beyng in this worlde we are in the midle of waters of teÌ„ptacions and vices in the company of the proud and wycked people in many tribulations We see the vanities of this worlde that are able to moue men whych are worldly we suffer persequutions whiche are able to brynge some to desperacion but thy grace kepeth vs that they come not nye vs. We behold the dartes comynge vpon vs and are not wounded We are in the water and are not drowned Theyr entisemeÌ„tes we esteame not al through thy might power Tu eo refugium mesi a pressura que circuÌ„dedit me Psalm .xiii. who arte and shal be my refuge and defence in the trouble that is to come aboute me Thy sonne Christe is the stronge rocke in which all byrdes that buylde do rest out of all ieoperdy Mathei xi To this al sinners may flye for succour and confort beynge werye there haue they refreshynge beynge loden they maye laye vppon hym al theyr burdeÌ„s of sinne and be eased This rocke the deuyll can not vnder myne nor skale no water of tribulation can drownde those that dwell on thys rocke no wynde of temptacion can ouerthrowe them The deuyll and hys wycked flocke may well assaulte them but he shall neuer haue power to hurte them Pharao kynge of Egypte with a great host purshued the chyldren of Israell that wente oute of Egypt Exod. xiiii but he coulde not hurt theÌ„ Thou lord wast theyr defence and destroyedest al theyr aduersaries Eâ—ultatio mea crue me a circuÌ„daÌ„tibus me EueÌ„ so arte thou oure defence our hoope our coÌ„fort Thou wylt compasse vs aboute wyth ioyfull deliueraunce Iob .xix. The house or tabernacle of oure body is enuironed with enemyes but thy prouidence wyll defende vs deliuer vs out of al daungers Intellectum tibi dabo et instruaÌ„ te in via hac qua gradieris Thou wylt enforme vs shew vs the way wher as we shall go This lyfe is a pilgrimage and a iorney for vs to trauayle in The ende of this way arte thou lorde Thou arte the marke that we shoulde shotte at To this ende we ought to haue al our respecte and tyll we come to the ende of oure iorney whiche arte thou we must neuer reste but styll go forward merily lustely in hope to haue ioy rest wheÌ„ we come to our iorneyes ende To be able to performe our viage thou geuest vs instructions fyrst to know the countrey wherin we do trauail the maner therof with the dauÌ„gers that we must passe in the iorney that therin we caÌ„ not loÌ„ge haue our abiding although it were neuer so moch to our coÌ„teÌ„tacion but must neades procede forth to an other region TheÌ„ geuest thou vs knowledge instructioÌ„ by fayth that if we passe well through this worlde we shal haue ioy euerlastiÌ„g in an other world Wherunto all wyse and good people wyl couet and so ronne theyr course here Hebre. xâ—â—â— that they may haue one of the games for their ruÌ„ning which is thou croune of rightuousnes imortalitie The loue of this rewarde should gyue al meÌ„ courage to endure payne trauayle in theyr course At the lest let the thyrde instruction serue them â–ª that is the paynes appoynted for them that are slowe in there course and lye downe in the midle of theyr waye other by disperacion sayinge thys instructioÌ„ is to harde for vs to learne or elles louynge ease and pleasure wyll chuse to reste here welthyly for a season though they suffer intollerable paynes therfore in an other worlde contrary to the example geuen vs by thy blessed sonne Christ whose iourney here was all paynfull and at no tyme pleasaunt and the same way toke his apostle Paule sayinge that by many tribulatioÌ„s we must entre the kingdom of heauen Actu xiiii These rules or instructions of oure iourney are very good trew and perfect but oure infirmitie is suche that we can not haue theÌ„ styl in oure remembraunce The hande is sette at a crosse where diuersitie of wayes lye to dyuers townes to shew whyche is the redy way to the most vsed towne of most estimation or resort but yf the man peregryne beyng in a talke with his felowe or hauynge hys mynde earnestli set on other thinges do passe by see not his rule and his directour whych is the hande he anon erreth and goeth out of his right way And why because the eye of hys mynde or hert is fyxed on other thynges not on hys wayes ende But thou Lord wyllynge to kepe vs in the right way
the holy gost world without ende ¶ The prophet Dauid beholdynge the fall of Adam beynge for synne caste oute of Paradise The Cii Psalme and his sorowfull penaunce made after to God therfore set forth this psalme of penaunce in the person of AdaÌ„ mete to be sayd by all his posteritie that are penitent inwardly for theyr offences to his hyghnes coÌ„mitted and desyre to be restored to the fauoure of God whych through synne they haue lost O moste blessed father of heauen the fouÌ„tayne of al grace and goodnes Ephes ii â—mans .x. that art rych in mercie and plentifull in geueyng the same to al that faythfully cal vpon thy name lorde that haueuyng a sonne no lesse rich in powre wisdome knoledge and mercy theÌ„ thou art thy selfe didest not spare to seÌ„d hym from thy heaueÌ„ly palaice downe to the earth eueÌ„ into the wombe of a virgin for the saluacion of mankynd to declare thyne abouÌ„dauÌ„t loue towardes vs thou didest make him pore whiche before was riche Corin. viii to the intent that we whyche before were very poore should by hys pouertie be made ryche that he who before was all one wyth the in thi diuine substaÌ„ce might now be made one with vs that are membres of the body wherof he is the head Domine exaudi oratiâ—nem meam et clamor deus ad te ueniat HarkeÌ„ good lord geue eare vnto my praier Let my cry and hertie peticion ascende vp before the sight of thy maiestie The comyng of thy mercifull soÌ„ne did make me veri rich But the vilenes of myne owne actes hath cast me downe and made me veri pore and miserable The greatnes of mine offences hathe caused the to tourne awaie thi face from me withdrawing thi grace whiche was the cause of al my good wyl good workes Thou caÌ„st fynde no good thing in me worthy of thy fauour Wherfore Lorde beholde the face of Christe thy dearly beloued sonne my brother my mediatour For his sake geue me that which of my selfe I am much vnworthi to obteine of the. Ne abscondas faciem tuam a me In die tribulationis mee inclina ad me aurè â—uam Shewe thy delectable couÌ„tenaunce vnto me Loke on me with thy pitiful eie And in the time of my trouble encline thyne eare to me I am neuer withoute trouble Myne olde enimies daylye assaulte and ver me Wherefore I wyll not cease daylye to call vppon the. But specially at the hour of my death Lord heare me and defend me at whych tyme my sayd enimies wyll most busilye inuade me Roman ii Indignacion wrath tribulacion and anguishe shall then come vpon the soule of euery man that doth euyl Before that troublous tyme lord heare me But wyth which of thine eares With the eare of thy iustice No I besech the. For that eare must hear myne accusers to my condemnation My prayer must be hard by thyne ear of mercy from whense coÌ„meth forgeuenes to those that are gilty so that penitence folowe the iniquitie Wyth this eare Inquacumque die innocauero te uelociter exaudi me Isaye heare me when I call vnto the and that with spede So that accordynge to the greatnes and multitude of my tribulations maye be the spedye receiuing of my peticion Which shal not be to craue of the aboundauÌ„ce of earthlye goodes aboue that honest necessitie dooth require But the abundaunce of thy grace in this lyfe and for thy glorye euerlastinge in another life This hast thou of thy mere liberalitie promised to graunt to all that in stedfast fayth call vppon the. Iaco. i This hastie callyng vpon the doste thou delite in Esaye .lviii. and as thy prophet Esay sayth thou art as redye to answere me as I am redy to cal vnto the. Wherfore make spede in hearynge as I am dryuen by necessitye to be hastye in callynge considering the short tyme of myne abidyng in thys worlde Thou diddest indue man in his creation with immortalitie but synne brought in death to al that bere lyfe Consumpti sunt sicut fuinâ—dies mei so that my dayes are consumed awaye lyke smoke Age ouertaketh youth before I am aware of him youth stealeth from me preuely as the smoke doth vanysh away after it is once out of the chymney Yea many tymes before age coÌ„meth death priuely woundeth keaping none order in his arresting but al according to the time onely to the before knowne Iob .ix. Thus my time passeth away more swyftly then a runner or then a ship that is good vnder sayle and as an Egle that hasteth to get his pray For this cause I haue more neade of thy spedi helpe Also my bones are brent vp as it were a fyre brand Ossa mea quasi frira contabuerunt or as meat ouer dried that sticketh to the friyng panne As my bones do sustayne or vpholde the flesh of my body so do the powres of the soule susteine the soule Which beyng moysted and mayntained by the fat moysture of thy grace are liuelye and quicke able to work acceptably But thy grace being once with drawne all remayneth drye burned to the panne Thei haue no powre of them selues to worke any good worke or to thynke any good thought And if that whiche is of most force in me be of so small force efficasie Alas in what case then is the corrupt flesh bred naturally in concupisceÌ„ce What goodnes caÌ„ we loke to fynd therin of it selfe more then we would loke for a throne to brynge furthe pleasaunt apples Percussus sum quasi tenum et arefactum est cor meum Ful well may mankynd be like ned to grasse For so loÌ„g as he through thy grace worketh the workes of iustice so long is he grene florishing and liuely But so sone as sinne which is the sythe or sickle of our enemy the deuyl doth cut of the grasse by the roote causyng man to fall from the obedience dewe vnto thy maiestie and from thy lawes he theÌ„ waxeth dry withered and with euery temptation falleth from vice to vice and becommeth very barreÌ„ of good workes The cause is for that wheÌ„ maÌ„ leauith the fouÌ„datioÌ„ which should be his norishyng his strength and his life he must nedes consume wast and dry Quia oblitus sum coÌ„medere panem meum I haue left thy holy word and commaundemeÌ„tes which are as bread to the soule geuing nutriture and moysture by fayth and charite and haue eaten of the fruit of the tree which thou forbadest me I haue with our father Adam folowed the illusion of the serpent and tasted of sinne Wherfore my leaues wyther my fruyt is destroied Ecclesi vi and I am left as a dry and a barreÌ„ tre without any goodnes Wherfore I left the liuely food of thi holy word that semed bitter at the first tast and in steade therof receiued swete poysen that is death of both bodye and soule throughe the desolation of
tyme is here but shorte continue thy grace lord toward me who endurest past al tyme that is for euer and euer thy remembrauÌ„ce through al generatioÌ„s Tu autem domine in â— ternum permanes et memoriale tuum in generatione generationem Thou the art eternal must saue me that am but temporal But what is thy remeÌ„brauÌ„ce through al generations It is nothinge els but thy natural propertie to be merciful which thou hast euer put in execution in all tymes from one generatioÌ„ to another Thou art more ernest in the remembrauÌ„ce therof then is the natural louyng mother of her owne natural chylde borne of her body as recordeth thy prophet Esay Esay xlix Tu exurgens domine miseteberis Sion Aryse therfore merciful God and haue mercy vpon Sion that is thy church or faythful congregation for it is tyme to haue mercy vpon her yea the tyme is come Quia tempus miseren di eius quoniam venit tempus she hath long suffered payne and persecution Nowe geue her ioye and consolatioÌ„ But what is this tyme was there euer anye tyme in whych thou diddest not shewe mercy to thy seruauntes no truely For from the fall of angelles vnto the ende of the world thy mercy hath euer bene and shal be abundaunt to al mankind But chiefly it was shewed when thy holy sonne was sent into this world to suffre death and thereby to enter the glory of his father Wherby the gates of heauen wer opened which before were fast shut that no man myght entre This tyme was the begynnynge of grace and called the tyme of grace and was certenly appoynted when the fulnes of tyme was come Galothas â–ª iiii which was before sene by the inscrutable wisdome of thi deitie wherby thou dost al thynges in most perfect ordre This tyme of grace we trust shal coÌ„tinue euer to those that are penitent for the time of penitence requireth a tyme of mercy Wherfore we pray without seasing vnto the to haue mercy on Sion the faithfull congregation Qâ—â—oniam placitos feceruÌ„t serui tui lapides cius which was made of liuely stones gathered together both of the Iewes and also of the Gentiles The faythful christians were derelye beloued of thy seruauntes the Apostles Who buylded them vpon a sure rocke Thy soÌ„ne Iesus Chryst was the foundatioÌ„ Thei buylded not vpon maÌ„ nether yet vpon angel These faire stones were hewed square and set by their preaching and were alowed and acceptable not onely to them but also to the Lorde For thy Prophete zachary witnesseth of the that thou wylte haue the stones of thy Sanctuary set vp in thy lande and wylt deliuer theÌ„ in the stormy day of thy iudgement zachari ix as the flocke of thy people whych shal be prosperous and goodlye But the earth or the dust of SioÌ„ that is the wicked worldly sort of people that haue receiued the name of thy sonne onely Et puluerem eius nuscrabilâ—m yet in liuyng are the chyldreÌ„ of Pharao that is of the Deuyl to whom they haue builded a temple such shall by the preachyng of thy seruauntes not be amended but shall remayne more wicked and myserable they sauour onely of the erth wherof thy come as dust shal be blowne away from the face of the and thy blessed sonne at the general iudgement But as the Heathen Lord and all the rulers of the earth shall tremble for feare of thy name and the iustice of thy maiestie in iudgemeÌ„t EttimebuÌ„t gentes nomen tuum domine et omnes rages terre gloriam tuam i Corh iii. so shal Sion thy faythful church or congregation buyilded by thy seruauntes in the name of the and thy sonne Chryst be glad ioyful for to them thou shalt appere in thy glory Thi noble sonne shal then shewe him selfe Quia edificauit dominus Sion et videbitur in gloria sua Esai .xxxiii. Esaie liii to them as a king of power to their great reioysing He came fyrst into this world poore and dispised hauyng no beautie in hym Then shal he appere glorious and triumphing Wherfor most louing father Resperit in orationem humilium et non spreuit precem eorum tourne the vnto the praier of vs that are pore and destitute of any helpe but only through thy mercy dispise not I beseche the our humble desyre Beholde our peticions with thy merciful eyes Gen. iiii wherwyth thou beheldest the oblasion of Abell and diddest receiue it thankfully and where with thou beheldest the prayer of the Israelites beyng in bytter bondage in Egypte and diddest deliuer them Also with whiche thou sawest the prayer of Iudith to the destruction of Holofernes and to the sauegarde of thy people Iudi vi With those same mercifull eyes vouchsafe to loke vpon vs and our praiers wherby the noble fame and prayse of thi mercies shal be written for those that come after Seribatur hoc in generatione altera et populus qui câ—cabitur laudabit dominum that the people which shal be borne in fayth by Baptisme penaunce may prayse the Lord and thy holy name sence more honour it is to the to saue those that are in bondage of synnne and in death through thy mercye takyng theyr hertie penytence in satisfaction of theyr offences then vtterly to leaue theim destitute of thy grace and straghtly to condemne theÌ„ This mercy is annexed to thy deuyne nature it is also thi wonted custome Quia resperit de ercelso sanctuario suo dominus de eclo terram contemplatus est Vt audiret gemitus compeditorum et solue ret filios mortis Hebreos .ii. for when al mankind was lost and deade in synne Then diddest thou sittyng in thy celestiall throne looke doune to the earth vpon our miserable estate theÌ„ diddest thou heare the mournyng of such as were in captiuitie thraldome of the Deuyl sendest doune thine only begotten sonne that by his death he might deliuer froÌ„ death such as worthely were the childreÌ„ of death i. Corhin xv He therby put doune him that had the lordshyp ouer death that is the Deuyl For death was coÌ„sumed into victory His venemous styng which was sinne was plucked awaye All this diddest thou Lord to geue occasion to al meÌ„ to haue remembraunce of the Vt narretur in Sion nomen domini et laudatio eius in Hierusalem thy great goodnes and to declare the glory of thy name in Sion and to set furth thy praise in IerusaleÌ„ That is in thy church wheÌ„ the people are gathered to gether in the vnitie of one faith the kingdomes also to serue the Lord Cum congregati fuerint populi et regna vt seruiant domino with one accord that arte one in substaunce .iii. in persons geuing thankes to the and thy blessed sonne for the benefite of our redemptioÌ„ Thou hast oftimes called the fyrst earthly IerusaleÌ„ and her chyldren