to goe a whoorynge with straunge thinges whilst wee seeke after thee as for thee thou art within vs if wée wilbée within thee wee neede not to searche thée far of for thou art with vs in our fayth vntill sutche time as wée deserue that thou maist bee with vs in personall apparance which graunt that I may beeholde For wée know as sayeth the holly Apostle that Christe through faythe dothe dwell within our hartes For why Christe is within our Faith the faith within our minde the minde within our hart the hart within our breast but clense thou them all most gratious God that my bodie may bée made a méete temple for thee to dwell in Thou hast fasshioned mee after thyne owne image conforme mee therefore my God most likely vnto thy similitude in all vertue and hollinesse in desier of peace in contemplation of veritie in loue of charitie let mée euermore retayne thee in memorie carie thée in my conscience holde thee in my harte and honour thee as present Heare mee O God in thy goodnesse turne not thy mercifull eare from my sorowfull crie O let the vncleanesse of my soule bee purified the darckenesse of my minde lightned the warmenesse of my harte heatened the coldenesse of my conscience warmed and the sleepinesse of my bodie wakened and I my self by all meanes prepared that I may bée thy seruant to doo thy heauenly pleasure as I am alreadie the woorke of thy cunninge fingers Amen A ¶ A man that beareth hatred against another how dare hee desier forgiuenesse of God forgiue then thy neighbour the hurt that hee hath doone thee and so shall thy sinnes bee forgiuen thee also when thou praiest ¶ The .xiiij. Flower ADuaunce thyself O Lorde in thine eternall power and draw thée néere to deliuer mee from the snares of the Deuill that haue intrapped mée and throwne mée almost vnto the grownd I haue bin plunged a longe time in the sea of sensualitie and I perceaue my deliuerāce cometh only from thée wherfore deliuer mée O Lorde of my saluation Thy power is aboue all powers thou hast made althynges subiect vnto thée for through thée Death hath no stinge nor Hell hath victorie eternall thankes bée vnto God who in our good Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christe hath giuen vnto vs a noble cōquest euer our enemies for which while I liue I wil giue most woorthy prayse as it best béeseemeth Henceforward looke thou carefully vnto the course of my life and holde fast my harte alwayes in thy feare that I bée not founde vnwoorthy of thy moste bountifull benefittes encrease in mée a care to continue in thy commaundements erecte a feruent faith and assured hope of thy promises and mercie within the tendre intrayles of my breast Sprinckle my hart with a dreadge of thy compassion and precepts mingled togither that I may not wander aside nor fall into the gulf of thy wrath but thy fauour may sustayne mee and thy loue may lift mee vp bryngyng my féete into thy roomthe of rest where I may not choose but fulfill thy godly heastes O how happie were I if I might neuer héereafter in thought woorde nor déede commit the thynge that should displease thy maiestie that life is the longyng of my soule and th' effect of my desier my hart mutch wisheth to sée that blessed time and my ioyes then should bée sutch as no toongue can tell Truely to know thée with the Sunne and the holly ghost is the true perfection of eternall life th' end of blissefulnesse the summe of all delightes no eye hath séene no eare hath heard nor hath it pearced into the deapth of any mans vnderstandyng to valew the inestéemable charitie delectation and pleasures of the same felicitie when wée shall béehold the maiestie of God face to face Verely moste glorious kinge I haue reposed this hope in my bosom and my harte daunceth within my breast for ioy therof and I doo assure my selfe through faith in thée that these eyes wherewith I reade these lines shall sée that glorie and this fleash wherwith I am cloked in corruption and meashed in mortalitie shal bee a membre of that immortall kyngdome This worlde is farst with wickednesse and there are manie staies that stoppe a man from righteousnesses blindyng him that hée may not see and hampryng him that hée may not stirre to doo the thyng that is acceptable vnto God sequestring his minde from all thoughtes studies and labours that may incite him vnto thée But my trust is in thée O God that thou wilt not suffer mée to fall into any outragious offēce that may demerite thy hot indignation O turne away mine eyes least I beeholde vanitie and guide my handes that I tutche no vniust thyng lift vp my mynde vnto contemplation of heauenly sightes and pull mée from terrestriall cogitations that are but transitorie I haue prayed for one thynge and I request the same moste hartely that thou wouldest preserue my youthe from flatterers and mine olde age from slaunderers for the one sorte of them would deuoure mée béefore I am ripe and the other would burie mée béefore I am dead and I haue alwayes hated them bothe vtterly Powre downe vpon mée O my louyng God the blessed dew of thy diuine and incomparable wisdome whiche is alwayes resident aboute thy heauenly seat that I may know my selfe throughly and honour thée woorthely consideryng the frame of mine owne infirmitie and that there is no goodnesse but it descendeth from thee that arte aboue When through the peruerse and froward inclination of my nature I fall into any wicked and vngodly imaginations leaue mée not good Lorde vnto them acquite mée from the disordinate lustes of the body let no desier of vncleanesse take holde vpon mee and giue mée not ouer vnto an vnshamefast impious and obstinate minde Set a sure bridle vpon my mouth that I speake no proude thynges agaynst thée suffer not my toongue to bée acquaincted with swearyng and let not the namyng of God bée continually in my lippes for in it are manie falles but mercifully giue thou mée aduisement what I shal speake ere euer I open my mouth Call not the woordes that I haue vaynely spoken vnto accoumpt impute them not vnto mée for sinne giue mée vnderstandynge to keepe prudent silence and when I speake let it either bée for temporall necessitie either to edefie others or els to beare righteous testimonie of the trueth let the veritie of my assertion consist in yea yea or nay nay Lorde héere stande I vile wretch béefore the throne of thy drad presence hopyng that I shalbée heard not in the fayntnesse of my faith but in the power of thy promises O weigh my weakenesse and graunt my desier as thou knowest moste méete for mée then can I want no wealth and my conscience shalbée replenished with all spirituall consolation Amen C ¶ Cast not thine eyes aside from the poore that thou giue him no occasion to speake euill of thee For if hee complayne in
recorded in our hartes and heare with our eares whiche wée haue read with our eies and feele with our sence that whiche wée haue manifoldly conceaued in our mindes but all as it were in a cloude or veyle but then to enioye them in expresse and perfect kinde Mortefie the man of sinne I pray thée good Lorde which reigneth with in my mortall body that alwayes rebelleth agaynst my spirite depressinge mee downe euer in ignorance and enuiyng mée the fruition of thy noble bewtie let no feare of any corporall death deterre mée from the moste heauenly féelynge of sutche a ghostly contemplation If once the fulnesse of this effect were brought vnto wisshed ende wée should not néede with sutche desier to make sute for our sinnes for in thy kyngdome O most pure god there diuelleth no wickednesse nor infirmitie but eche toongue is busie in singyng thy prayse all laude and honour bée vnto thée O most mightie God for euer and euer worlde without ende Amen ¶ A COMPLAINT TO ALMIGHTIE GOD in bitternesse of soule of one wrapped in aduerfitie TOu art my creator for thou haste made mee thou arte my god for I doo honour thee O Lorde God of Hostes shew vnto mée thy sauynge health in the midst of the aduersities that haue ouerta ken mée for whilst I am oppresied with woes and erie vnto thee from the deapth of my harte and woulde fayne aspire with my voyce vnto the toppe of thy mercie I am waxed faynt with féeblenesse my throate is become sore and I am nothyng the néere of helpe Hast thou forgotten mée my lorde am not I thy wretched seruant and sunne of thy handmaiden Sumtime waies in the tendrenesse of thy most milde mercies withdraw thy scourges for I am alreadie feebled layde wast and vtterly forlorne Shew mée Lorde are my sinnes more haynous in thy sight then any mans else that thou hast singularly plagued mée aboue the rest And haue I not bought déere enough my secret offences Are they all pure that flowe in golde that walke in silkes that féede on deinties that sléepe on downe that abounde in possessions that kéepe companie with princes that liue in all worldly wealth and am I made poore abiect contēptible forsaken and castaway bicause I am only sinfull Turne thee O Lorde into my comfort and remembre that I am but fleash and blood set not thy might agaynst the infirmitie of my mould for I acknowledge that I haue aggrauated the frutes of thy wrath and the dayly déedes of my neclected duetie ly foorth béefore my face I cannot excuse my selfe of the greatest sinne there is no punishment that may bée made matche vnto my maliciousnesse it is to light whiche thou hast layde vpon mée for mine offences Weigh my sorowes O God I call vnto thée from the botome of a broken harte and a sighynge soule and a tormented minde cease of the sowernesse of thy pretence and mollifie thy moode into mercie conuerte my pouertie into sufficiencie my contempt into some reguarde take from mée thy descrued plague that I cannot prosper whiche some terme éeuell fortune and erect mée into a place where the good giftes may bee seene whiche thou hast béestowed vppon mée It is Lorde a gréeuous wounde to my hart when I béehold the good happe that some men haue and how euery thyng goeth awrie with mee that I take in hande not that I am sorie at their good successe but it irketh mee that I finde not the like Thei liue in good case in whom there is not that which resteth in mée they square in abundance and I lurke in want they take their ease and gayne I labour and liue by the losse they sléepe and waxe ritche I toyle and euer am poore they stande still and it commeth vnto them I runne after it and still it flieth from mée I haue bin fayerly promised but I sée no perfourmance at al that ensueth and they that should doo mee good either they cannot or they will not either I come to rathe or to late vnto them or els they feede mée with shales and another enioyeth the frute either they put mee of with delayes and O Lorde I perish in the meane season Note my sweete God how vncourteously I haue bin dealt withal for my friendship I haue found hatred sutch as I haue bin principall to procure them releife haue bin the chief causers to cast mee out of my liuinge I haue bin accused without cause for that I neuer ment I am supposed to bee other then I am I am hit in the teeth with other mens faultes and hard borne for things I can not mend I am heauelie friended of sutch as shoulde fauour mee they are readie to take from mee that which I haue which of duetie should giue mee that which I lacke and O God thou knowest mine innocency and how vndeseruedly they doo it I haue bin obedient to my power but my portion is alotted as I had bin otherwise I was borne as of thy seruant Sara but I am reputed as one of the sunnes of Agar it were almost infinite to shew how I haue bin afflicted and I am now oppressed with a burden that I cannot sustaine stayne vnlesse thou bée my singular good God and I hope herein thou wilt haue a speciall reguarde vnto mée Euer hetherto thou hast stirred vp woorthy vessels to relieue the woes and cure the cares of sutche as were wrapped in aduersitie hast thou raysed none to helpe mée O Lorde Surely I do constantly béeléeue that thou wilt not leaue mée vnlooked to although at this present I see almoste no signe of succour and the welspringes of my blood bée waxed drie towardes mée and thou hast multiplied the numbre of my kinnesfolkes aboue my fréeinds and slender bée the twyne whereon the stay of my simple liuyng dependeth Suffre then not to want I béeséeche thée that haue fréeindly looked vpon my penurie stande thou good Father vnto them that haue dealt with mée as their naturall childe let not their barnes bée the emptier nor their bagges the lighter nor their houses the desolater nor theyr hartes the heauier nor their heyres the poorer and when it shall please thée then haue mée also in remembrance as I stande not in doubt of thy gracious goodnesse Lorde let my hope take effect as the lookyng for that day hetherto hath bin cheif cause of the lengthnynge of this my lingrynge lothed life FJNIS ¶ Imprinted at London in Fléet-streete by William How dwellynge at Temple Barre
wherof may bee the one of you by our most prudent Prince doubtlesse at the secret motion of GOD raysed vnto sutch highnesse in Honour as match with the best inferiour to none I neede seeke for no farther occasions of commendation or auntient titles of worship or honour the siluered heares giuing euident token of the golden wit and the honourable age â–ª of the verteous forepassed life and the many yeres of the blessing of the most highest god On th' other side bewtified with a louing Lady the ofspringe of an excellent race Nice to rightwoorship full Grandsiers daughter to a woorthy Knight Schollar to a learned scholemaister Sister to a right honourable Lady Moother of mutch hoped impes Aunt to a peerelesse couÌ„tesse Wife to a noble Counseller Ladie of a Godly Famely Subiect to a louinge Prince a trewe woorshipper of Almightie god Vnto whose good pleasure for the prolonging and continuance of both your liues in increse of godlie Honour and all other delightes apperteininge whereby the race of this transitorie life may bee made lesse irksome to the bodie or preiudiciall to the soule I am bownden dayly to pray the effect whereof hee graunte who tendreth our iust requestes and is the only giuer of all goodnesse At London this first day of Ianuarie 1574. Your honours euer at commaundment T. Twine FATIS VOLENTIBVS VIRTVTE DVCE No worldly pelfe see thee from God do call Incline thine hart to doo the thyng is iust Confirme thy Faith that thou doo neuer fall Holde fast on GOD in him repose thy trust Obserue thy wayes amende what is a misse Lay vp thy wealth where rust may do no harme Amende thy crimes while vacant time there is Submit thy cause vnto Gods mightie arme Auenge thee not when thou canst well repay Neuer let vices harbour in thine hart Needes vrgent law consider thou alway Eke to the poore doo of thy goodes impart Beware of Pride by Glorie set no price Avvay from giltlesse blood turne backe thy face Consider sutes weigh causes once or twice Open thy mouth on wydowes wofull case Nothing from Praier let thee once disseuer Ensue this lore and thou shalt liue for euer there consisteth life and welfare vnto my sowle and by breatch and violation nothing else but seuere sentence of finall dampnation Therfore I cannot tell most miserable wretch as I am how I shuld presume to approche thée for mercie I dare not shew my selfe beefore thée but if it were possible I would gladly hide my self from thy sight where thou mighst not finde mée out that by sutch meanes I might escape thy dreadfull iudgement Howbeit O Lorde thou art the mightie God to whom all things in heauen and earth are knowne whose eies béeholde what is done in the top of the highest and in the bottome of the deapest places in the world In thy sight Lord the most secret thoughtes of the harte are open and from thée there are no cogitations pretences practises deuises nor the smallest motions of the mind hidden Vnto thée therefore with tremblinge and teares I returne appealing from thy high dread and terryble throne of iust iudgement remoouing my cause to thy most swéete amiable pleasaunt and comfortable court of thy manifold mercies Euen there Lord thou hast layde vp sutch store and abundance of graces pardons forgiuenes of sinnes that they do surmounte the numbre and ouersâ—read the greatnes of al thy wonderfull woorkes Héere then it is O my God that I dare to appeare béefore thy diuine Maiestie a fylthye sinner béefore a mercifull God a very lumpe of wickednes beefore the eternall creator of all thinges of inestimable wisdome that takest mercie vppon our weakenes and infirmitie béecause thou wotest well the stuffe and substaunce wherof thou hast made vs. Béeholde Lord I call vnto mée thy dearelybéeloued sonne my most louing redéemer and sauiour Ihesus Christe to bée myne aduocate according vnto his own fréewil and voluntarie offering in whom and through whom by his most precious blouddeshed vnto thée vpon the acceptable altare of the Crosse in liew of the double death that wée should al haue died for our-most horrible offences Pardon I béeséech thée O god my gréeuous iniquities forgyue mée all my wickednes release my necligences remit mine ignorances abandon the lothsomenes of my sinnes which from my mothers wombe vnto this present day I haue coÌ„mitted or shall do hereafter vnto my liues ende That béeing so clensed and purified from all contagion of sinfull impuritie let mée obtayn a liuely and feruent fayth at thy handes stedfastly to call vpon thée in most hartie prayer Lord in all my necessities aduersities troubles and afflictions confirme my harte that I may put my whole trust and affiance in thy maiestie and séeke none other meanes nor take none other comfort but in reading thy worthy woorde or in recourse to thée in most faithful and effectuall supplications If at any tyme Lorde as is the frailtie of our corruptible nature and the incessant suggestions of Sathan our auncient enemie I féele in my selfe any faintnes or fayling of feruencie in calling continually vppon thée kindle thou then my hart with the heauenly heate of thy holy spirit Graunt mée grace to crie with thy hollie Apostle for encrease of faithe that béeing awaked and stirred vppe through thée I may enioy the effect of my godly desiers which thou hast promised to yelde vnto mée through thy sonne Iesus Christ my sauiour Performe my God that whiche thou hast indented with thy selly seruant who with anguishe of minde séeketh after the comfort of thy face continue in mée the custome to call vpon thée in praier and all the powers of my body shal not cease to sing thy sacred praise Amen J. ¶ If yee beeing euil know to giue your children good giftes how mutch more will your Father which is in heauen giue good thinges to them that aske them ¶ The second Flower IN most hartie hope of thy manyfold mercies and with lowly reuerence O euerlasting God loe thus I draw nighe vnto thée béeing sore laden with th'infinite number of my sinnes trusting in thy fatherly goodnes and entier loue which thou bearest vnto mankinde thou wilte discharge mée of mine vnrighteousnes and wash away al mine infirmities Thy louing kindenes hath ben inestimable which thou hast borne vnto mée since my simple conception in the tender intrailes of my mother within whose body thou didest laye forth the platforme of my body and gauest vnto mée the representatioÌ„ of a man thy bestbéeloued and cumliest creature After this in due maturitie of time according to the established and ordinarie season assigned by thy heauenly wisedome thou broughtest mée foorth into this worlde my first tune giuyng proofe of the vnhappie condicion that I should enioy therin Lorde thou knowest how that so soone as I was deliuered froÌ„ my mothers wombe euen then I béegan my life in féeblenes and sorow and the my thoughte kéepe myne eies from seing it myne eares
couered quight in a sacke of sinne my filthinesse maketh mée stande in feare of thee and horrour of my self I tremble to thinke what one thou seest of mee if possible thou mayest sée mée for the numbre of my sinnes that exceede the flowers of the springe or leaues thy fatherlie pitie and forgiuenesse Turne not away from mée poore wretch thy woonted benignitie forasmutch as I confesse my daily iniquitie and although my sinnes bée mo in number then is for mée méete and sittinge yet let thy mercie bée no lesse then it is decent for so gentle and pitieful a god O god the god of al fauourablenes How mutch the more abhominable my sinnes are in thy sight yéeldinge foorth a lothsome smell of displeasure in thy presence O god so mutch the more do they stand in néed of holsome cure which of necessitie procéedeth from thée and none other to requite the same with sutche integritie and newnesse of life as may bée acceptable vnto thee Heale therefore O most singular good Lorde my gréeuous infirmitie and so shalt thou ridde mée of that whiche offendeth thée my wofull deformitie acquite mee from my contagious sickenesse and thou shalt smel no more my most horrible lothsomnesse pardon within mée this bitter calamitie and nothyng shall lenger offende thy sinceritie Create in mée O Lorde God a moste godly zeale and feruent desier to perseuere alwayes within the cōpasse of thy heauenly will and neuer to commit any thynge that is repugnant vnto the same asistyng mée also with thy holly spirite that I fayle not in this most godly purpose but stedfastly pursue it vnto the last day of my life so shall I bée assuredly salf from sinne and my toongue shall alwayes bée tellynge thy perelesse prayses Amen A. ¶ A gratious woman getteth honour an huswifely woman is a crowne vnto her husband but shee that beehaueth her self vnhonestly is a corruption in his bones ¶ The ninthe Flower AS a childe that hath transgressed the cōmaundement of his master standeth in awe of the rodde euen so O lorde am I in greate dread of thy iudgement for that is the hier of sutch as obserue not thy heastes bicause I haue not walked after thy will nor harckned vnto the voyce of thy woorde but run foorthe on the reigne of myne owne sensualitie But thou haste made a couenant with mée that when so euer I conuert myselfe vnto thée thou wylte fauourably turne thy selfe vnto mée and if I repent thou wilt forgiue if I bée sorie thou wilt remēber myne offences no longer sée then Lorde for I bring with mée now the branch of sorow and héere I hold it vp vnto thée for a monument of thy remembraunce Saue mée good Lorde as hitherto thou hast done deliuer mée in the day of distresse for thou art the horne of my health and the sheild of my saluation and the gaine of my glorie I haue no power at all but it procéedeth from thée and thou bearest vp the féeblenes of myne infirmitie and thy mercie is my staffe to leane vpō From the daungers of death and from the snares of Sathan and from the cheines of Hell and when I was swallowed vp thou didst deliuer my soule from destruction I was wrapped in woe but I am set at libertie as a bird that was fallen into the fowlers lyme and at length is losed by some good bodie For these thy bountiful benefites O god take from mée the vice of vnthankfulnes that I may thinke and thanke thée therefore and graciously dispose the waies of thy seruant that I may continew in thy pleasure but if thou wouldest so direct mée that I might offende thée no more there shoulde no ioy bée comparable vnto myne They are hated of thée that do turn thy plentifull blessings into scarcitie and they are partakers of their wickednes that are in aucthoritie seinge it and do not redresse it open their eies swéet god that they may sée it endeuour their hartes to amend it that thy people perishe not throughe the iniquitie of a fewe that haue heaped vp a great sinne I haue praid vnto thée with an ernest hart for all my imperfections to bée deliuered of them and nowe I humbly sue good Lorde that thou wouldest vouchsalfe to preserue mée from the déede that may prouoke the bitternes of any mans soule against mée for I am assured that thou wilt repay it with vengeance There bée some that haue laid wait to intrap mée and they would bee excéeding glad of my fall but my trust is in thée that thou wilt not giue mée ouer as a praye to myne ennemies make their desiers void let them bée confounded in their owne drifts and faile of their purpose that they wickedly haue inuented Pardon mée O god in all my presumptions forgiue them that persecute mee make mée loue them that hate me and hartely to pray for them that wish my finall destruction how beeit I béeséech thée Lorde to saue me from their handes lest if thou shouldst forsake mee I fall into their power and there bée none to defende mée from their malice Truly Lord I am fully determined to make thy precepts a gardeyne of pleasure and thy lawes an alley of delight to take my recreation therin during the dayes of my flesh only I request thée of thy goodnes to graunt mee thy grace with the continuance of this good woorke which thou hast béegun in mee Since thou lothest Lorde an vngodly life giue mee power I praye thee to flie the woorkes of the fleshe which thou dost hate and to embrace the deedes of righteousenes whiche thou doest loue and in them to seeke thy glorie incline my mind alwaies to meditate on thy lawe and to caste all the cares of my hart vpon thee The death and buriall the resurrection ascention of thee my swéet sauiour Christe I humbly adore and giue hartie thankes for them for in them there riseth vnto mee a sauour of life through the quickenyng smell of all these raise vp my soule I pray thée good Lorde from the dreadfull death of sinne O dust and ashes why doest thou walke with a proude hart and stretched out neck and why art thou mooued with impacience agaynst euerie triflynge aduersitie Béeholde the méekenesse and humilitie of thy redéemer and learne to bee humble of harte and low of courage bée ashamed of pride and blush for want of patience Lorde if I coulde giue vnto thée Heauen and Earth and all the glory thereof for hier from the toppe of my rewarde I coulde not sufficiently recompence the deapth of thy desert yet giue mée that grace that so farre as mine abilitie extendeth I may requite thy bountie with thankes and shew how mutch I am bettered by thy heauenly liberalitie Giue mée thy peace whiche the worlde cannot giue graunt mée the ioy whiche thine elect doo possesse sustayne mée with the comfort that neuer shalbée voyde erect mée with hope that shall alwayes persist instruct mée with thy woorde that
for I acknowledge my manifolde iniquities and I am hartely sorie for my sinnes I am woe that euer I went awrie thou seest Lord the contrition of my hart and my sighing is not hid from thée take no reguarde to my crimes that are past but harken how I purpose to amende only guide mée with thy grace shunne not the sute of a sinner but heare the prayer of him that putteth his trust in thee as thou most louingly hast promised Thou art almightie O Lorde my God and canst graunt whatsoeuer is asked giue vnto my soule an hartie féelyng of true deuotion fulfill mée with the Charitie and louynge kindenesse of thy deere sunne which hee expressed when moste humbly hée offred himselfe vpon the Crosse died the bitter death and shedde his precious bloud for the sinnes of mee and many Lorde if my teares were in quantitie match to the déepe sea and my sighes were as the smoke of a Fornace and my sobbes coulde breake the harde Diamonde and my waylynges were equall vnto the noyse of thundre and my sorow were sutch as no tongue can expresse yet could I not sufficiently lameÌ„t for the guilt of my gréeuous offences Thou hast giuen mee an harte to vnderstande thee and eies to béehold thee in thy woorthie woorkes giue mée also I pray thee a desier to walke in thy will and then I am certayne I shall want nothynge that is needefull for the good estate of my bodie or soule aboue all giue mée the quietnesse of a calme conscience and seperate mée not from the hope of thy health I haue prayed vnto thee my swéet God for perfection of minde so I béeséeche thée also sende mée the strength and firmitude of bodie with al the powers therof to thy pleasure preserue the corporal life of my soueraigne thy faithfull seruant our gracious gouerner likewise of my parentes friendes and kinsefolke vouchesaulfe to bée fauourable vnto my feere whom thou hast sent mée in thy feare and stande good father vnto my poore remainder the béeloued moitie of my life If thou graunt not my petitions thou art true notwithstandyng for God heareth not sinners and if thou giue eare vnto my prayers thou art merciful for thou commaundest mée to aske and I shall receaue and if I obtayne it is only thy méere liberalitie no desert of mine shew mée thy mercie that I may bee hearde and make mee worthy O Lorde to receaue Thou hast taught mée to pray O deliuer mée from the greate éeuill saue mée from the mouth of the monstrous Dragon whiche continually prosecuteth mée and with the sheild of thy might deliuer mée from his perilous hornes for his most gréedy desier is to entrappe my life and to deuoure my soule whiche thou haste created Wherefore O Lorde incessantly I crie vnto thee acquite mee from my daylie aduersarie whiche whether I sleepe or wake whether I eate or drinke or whatsoeuer I doo by all meanes bothe day and night lieth in waite priuely or openly to shoote his venemous shaftes against mee and to sley my soule but bee thou my gracious protectour If thou Lorde bée on my side I estéeme not the force of any foe there is nothynge to hurt where thou arte to helpe there can no fende of darcknesse impugne where the Lorde of light doth defende let mée not perish Lorde through lacke of thy succour for in my hart I haue made thee the full refuge of my hope and the rampier of my health Confesse I must néedes that the deuises of my hart haue driuen mee from my duetie and the imaginations of my minde haue augmented my mischeif but I trust Lorde that in the ritchnesse of thy mercies thou wilt thinke on my pouertie and in the plentie of thy goodnesse thou wilt remembre my scarcitie of perfectioÌ„s and take fauourable compassion vppon mee O eternall Lorde I powre not foorthe my prayers béefore thy presence trustynge in the strength of mine owne righteousnesse but in thy greate and manifolde mercies saue mée Lorde for thy déere sonnes sake preserue mée from slaundrous tungues and hatefull hartes defende mée from mishappe pestilence famine murther and sudden death I béeséeche thee I will singe with my mouth and giue thankes with my harte and set foorth thy glorie most glorious God and I will conforme all the members of my body that they shall doo thy will I wil bee wholy the Lords and the Lorde shal bee the porcion of my patrimonie refuse mée not for my will shall alwayes bée with thée Amen E. ¶ Euery mans woorke shalbeo made manifest the day shall declare it bicause it shal bee reuealed by the fier and the fier shall trie euerie mans woorke what it is ¶ The .xij. Flower EVerlastyng God and most mercifull Father thou haste stirred mée vp with the liuely feelyng of an vnfayned faith this day to call vpon thy most holly name increase I béeséethe thee continually that godly desier within my breast for I know thou hast guiftes enow in store for vs all and thou wilt heare the humilitie of an hartie praier Heare mée now therefore O my Lorde for I stande a far of criynge with the Publican Lorde haue mercie vpon mée which am a sinner and with the Leaper Lorde if it bée thy will thou canst clense mée and with the faithfull Centurian Lorde my seruant is very sicke and like to die but say thou the woorde and hée shall bée made whole What doo théese woordes signifie other O Lorde but that I am in miserie and fayne woulde bée reléeued I am in sorow and fayne would bée comforted I am in distresse and fayne woulde bee succoured I am in sinne and fayne woulde bée pardoned and I come vnto thee for thou art the only woorker of wealth and Lorde of mercie and I hope thou wilt helpe mée Haue mercie vpon mée O Lorde haue mercie vpon mée for I had neuer so mutche néede my offences are increased and my force is diminished aâ—d if I would take in hand to write the millians of my misdeedes that dayly doo burden my bodie and sinke my soule it were néedeful that thou shouldest create in mee a thousande new toongues I can hide nothyng from thée that whiche I haue committed in secrete lieth manifest béefore thy celestiall eyes for at the dooynge of all thynges thou art present and thou art the perpetuall bee holder of my harte and all my delightes déedes and deuises of minde are as cleare in thy sight as is the light of the nooneday and more clearer But harken now awhile O my soule forsake thy worldly businesse and carefull cogitations for a season bée at leasure vnto God and take thy rest in him entre into the secret closet of thy harte and shut foorth all other occupations and when thou art there alone then séeke for the lorde and hée will séeke for thée and if thou list thou shalt surely finde him And when thou hast founde him say then vnto him O lorde my harte hath sought thy face
not dispayer and a feruent loue vnto thee but yet that I may not presume giue mee vnderstandynge to amende myne owne vnrighteousnesse with discretion and admonish my neighbours of their faultes without dissimulation and that by my woordes and example they may take a paterne of doctrine and liuinge Establish mée in a right trade of wel pleasing thee that my life may bée conformable vnto thy woorthie will reueale vnto th' eies of my soule by inspiration of the holly spirite some sight or taste of thy heauenly ioyes that I may bée caried with delight to accomplish that whiche is pleasant vnto thée and profitable for myne owne selfe A droppe of thy grace shalbée the sea of my saluation a sparcle of thy loue shalbée the flame of my fayth a mote of thy mercie shalbée the heape of my health a sande of thy sight shalbée the banke of my bewtie a grayne of thy goodnesse shalbée the weight of my woorthinesse one fauour of thy celestiall face shalbée the fulnesse of mine eternall felicitie O Lorde God and holly Father cast downe thine eyes from thy sacred sainctuarie and from thy heauenly habitation and béeholde the most acceptable sacrafice whiche our high bishop Iesus Christe thy déere sunne our Lorde offreth vp vnto thy maiestie for our manifolde sinnes and bée mercifull vnto the multitude of our misdéedes Béeholde the precious blood of our most swéete Sauiour crieth yet vnto thée from the altar of the Crosse hee hangeth yet there and still is hée dying vnto thée who séest althynge in present that bée past béefore whose eyes the effectes of all times doone do euer abide as now in dooing consider him O mercifull God and for his sake take pitie vpon vs. I must néedes loue thée O my most déere redéemer Iesus Christe with all my hart with all my soule and with all my power that diddest vouchsaulf to die for my sinnes my soule cleaueth fast vnto thee for thou art hir strength and fortitude graunt vnto mee that I may ensue thy worthy steppes and bée partaker of thy heauenly kingdome accordyng as I haue shewen my sighinges vnto thée and put my whole trust in thée that art the porcion of mine inheritance Amen N ¶ Naked as wee came foorth of our moothers wombe euen so goe wee hence agayne and carie nothyng away with vs of all our labour Consider this woonderfull woorke of God and how that no man can make the thynge streight which hee maketh crooked ¶ The .xvij. Flower NO creature vnder heauen may bryng mée comfort but thou O Lorde of eternall glorie that art the healpe of mans health and surgeon of his soule thou strikest and healest thou bringest a man nigh vnto death and anon restoreth him to life again to th' intent hée may know his owne weakenesse and imbecillitie cleaue the more firmely vnto thy strength and vertue As for man hée is nothynge els but a shew of simple séede and a slip of slender strength and a bubble of boylyng brothe and a branche of fadynge flowers and an handfull of goodly grasse that to day flourisheth in the fielde and to morow is flunge into the fier a frame of moste frayle fleash in whom is no perpetuitie nor endurance Lorde let mée euermore beare this portrature in my minde of mine owne infirmitie considerynge still what I am remembryng alwayes what I would bée then shall I léese likyng of my selfe and longe after the loue of thee for I am the image of thy substance although the looking backe from thy lawes hath soyled mée sore with sinne As I am ful of imperfection of my selfe so supply thou my wantes in thee for when I haue indeuoured al I may my righteousnesse is thine and thou crownest mée with endlesse honour for that which procéedeth only from thee and is so litle agreeable vnto my corrupt nature that it is rather quight alas repugnant My sinnes O Lorde lie foorth in plentie béefore my face I can turne no way but they ouertake mée I woulde faine intreate thee to pardon them and I dare not draw néere thee for dread of them consider my necessitie most mightie God and deliuer mée and graunt most graciously vnto thy sinfull seruant the participation of thy most glorious maiestie What though my sinnes bée as the sandes of the sea and my wickednesse surmount the leaues of the woodde and my transgressions striue in numbre with the flowers of the sprynge yet take thou no reguarde O Lorde vnto the frowardnesse of my hart but like as thou hast many times shewed mercie so now bee pitifull and forgiue mée I haue hungred my souereigne Lorde and God to feede vpon thee that art the breade of life not with the iawes of my fleash but with the mouth of my faith vntil it mai please thée to féede mée at full with the entire contemplation of thy substance whiche I shall sée face to face and also bée séene in thy celestiall glorie when I am discharged of this farthel of frailtie this hope is the harbour of my delight and the assured lookynge for it is the cheifest flower of my Garlande Most gracious gouerner giue mée to drinke of that water wherof who so drinketh shall thirst the more as after the swéetenesse of heauenly thynges whose taste is vnspeakable pleasant and giue mée also to drinke of that water the drinkers whereof shall thirst nomore for euer for it floweth foorth from thée the fountain of immortalitie Truely Lorde there is no cause why I should longe to abide in this life if I were of sutch perfection as was thy Apostle Paule I should perceaue the wickednesse of this worlde and the glorie of thy kyngedome and wishe ernestly as hée did to bée dissolued from this body and to bée with Christe where as hée reigneth in eternitie O Lorde thou knowest my hartie desier is alwaies to serue thee graūt vnto mée of thy gracious goodnesse that I may liue in thy law and run in thy rule and walke in thy way and die in thy faith and that I may bée cléerely deliuered of the bondage of sinne and bee wholy out of dreade of death and dampnation Execute these thinges vpon mee O my moste louynge God and as it shall seeme best vnto thy pleasure most sittyng for my soule abridge the dayes of this Pilgrimage and commence the terme of my true life call mée from this Clay and clothe mée in the wéede of euerlastynge wealth where thou art resident with thy saynctes in eternall glorie Lorde if it so bée that the destruction day of all fleash bée at hande as it is hartely hoped then haue wee great cause to yéelde thée most humble thankes for shortning the time of our trouble and takyng away the occasions of offendyng that thine elect may possesse the longer frute of their ioyes and yéelde vp the summes of a shorter accoumpt O God what a ioyfull day shall that same bée when wée shall béeholde with our eyes those thynges whiche wée haue often