thée and take me to thy mercy sometune one of thy great enimies very wicked very faithlesse obstinate headie and rebellious but nowe thy louing brother thy faythfull frende thyne obediente louer and a sounde member of thy body O saue me then I say comforte my soule guyde mée in thy wayes strengthen mée and let not thy spirite departe from mee that I may hencefoorthe ioyfully please thée and render alwayes vnto thy father through thée all due prayse honour and glory here in thys vale of myserie and in the euerlasting world which is to come Amen FINIS Whervnto the eternal spirite stirreth the hearts of gods electe A preparation to Prayer Certaine special cautes folowing that are to be coÌ„sidied by gods childreÌ„ wherof they examin the selues before prayer and receyning of the holy sacramintes to auoid his heauy iudgemeÌ„ts The diffrence to be considered betweene the true christians fayth the faith of the diuell and the reprobate The true christiaÌ„ at earnest defiance with the diuel and she weth vnto him for his discoâ—â—gemeÌ„t the power of his fayth The mercy grace of God â—n the hearts of his elect to cosider in this life their dangerous and miserable state for sinne CoÌ„cupiscence and the malice therof The diuell the onely author of concupiscence and sin The soules de formitie thorowe sinne True faith in the abouÌ„ding mercies of God. The miserable state of the sicke Soule without true faith in the fre mercy of god The feeling of the grace of god The humble submission confession of the faythfull Soule A calling vnto God for comfort and strength The fighte of the faythfull Soule What danger they fall into that forsake god and leane to the worlde and the pleasures thereof The seruice of God what it is The worlde a deepe dongeon wherin the children of vanitie are enclosed Armoure of rightuousenesse Christian chiualrie The sight of a christian 〈…〉 in the seruice of god must be continuall and couragious Palone of victorie Crowne of glorie Hid Manna And a White stone The scriptures of God only receyued of the faithfull Superstitions false worship pings c. Our professioÌ„ in holy Baptisme Enemies of Gods word Hartie prayer to God maketh vs constante in the word of God. The worde of God what it is and how of the godly to be considted God the only instructour of all in all ages An apt Prayer for these oure dayes Faithe only breathed into the hartes of Gods elect True faithe in Christe Faithe iustifieth The power of Faith. The miserable state of man in thys life Man posses seth in himself two powers and of sundly inclinations The serpent cause of discorde Prince of sedition The meane to knowe the good motions from the bad The inconuenience of care lesnesse or not to receiue in time the good motions of God. The power of the spirite of light and truthe The way and mene to plese God in this life Holy discipline Exercises of the crosse The inconuenieuce that commeth by sufferance and cuill custome He is happie that humbleth him selfe to discipline MaÌ„ in present danger God at hand to deliuer Pynches to the proude flesh are somtime necessarie Man for a time is but an exile from his home and a pilgrime The Iustice of God and sinne are not clerely seuered in this life amoÌ„g the children of God. Man but a worme duste and ashes Man moste vayne and naught Mans humble subiection before God attayneth the grace mercy and peace of God. Man a thing of nothing It is better for a man to obey than to leane to his owne sway The inconuenience that commeth by disobedieÌ„ce The iudgements of God ouer seditious rebelles Princes and Magistrates are the most apte InstrumeÌ„ts stirred of God to further his glory here vppon earth What it is to imitate christ How we shold for the greate loue of God lone hym agayne Humilitie God threatneth the world for sinne The Canker couetousnesse how it reigneth Conetousnes how it worketh Couetousnes the woorshipping of Idols Couetousnesse he we it hathe preuayled Children of diffidence Abac. 2. Constancie in chastitie Sole life Matrimonie a fountayne in Gods church The corruptioÌ„ of fleshe and bloud The power of flesh and blud and what they worke The pumishe ments of God for vnclennes of lyse To bee a blasphemer of Gods name is rather the propertie of an ethnik than a Christian The errour of our liues The power of Gods word The mercy of God in Christ The inconue niece that foloweth the want of Gods worde The punishe ments and plages of God for taking his name in vaine The necessitie of Gods mercie Sute for mercie The sanctifying of Gods holy name The kingdom of heauen A quiet conscience The nature of a mans conscience Wicked consciences The con modity of a quiet conscience Mans life fickle and but a vayne shadow The damnable state of mankinde in thys frayle life In what case we shal stande at the houre of death The blacke enfine of deth displayed Discipline worketh the fourme of good liuing The sweete frutes of good lyfe agaynst the comming of death Paciente abyding of death bringeth the soule to rest The maiestie and great power of God ouer al flesh God a God of vengeance Gods iudgements are to be remebred and why Gods iudgements are terable and thuÌ„ dring The heauens the Angelles theÌ„ selues and the stars falne from heauen are all subject to the iudgements of god God at the last day by his iust iudgemeÌ„t rendereth full payment vnto all wicked sinners God freely by his grace dyrecteth to good life Christ is chalenged and why Christes obedience to hys father for hys flocke The cause of christs death The bonde of the wealthy in this world Christ aboundeth in heaueÌ„ly riches chatitie power and loyes in comparable The distressed loule Christ humbly chalenged Chryst bound to helpe and why Chryste the head and cow foâ—â—er of hys members Store remayneth of Gods grace The assured fayth of the thirsten soule Fayth in Christes bloud Scabde shepe Chryst the phisitian Christ humbly chalenged Strong faythe in Chryste Rom. 15. Chrysts incarnation natiuitie so forth are al chalenged of the faithfull soule as his owne Rom. 8. Math. 20. Chryst a seruaunt Chryst a conquerour Paradise purchased by Christe Experience of Christes good nature and his mercie Math. xj xxij Iohn 6 Ioho 12. Math. 5. Roma 1. Christes payment and howe Ezech 16. Ezech. 16. Math 18. Sinne of Gods electe Iohn 15. Chryste the onely sauiour the onely adâ—ocate Sinne of the reprobate The bloud of Abel cried for vengeance Chrystes bloud calleth to saluation ¶ Imprinted at London by Henry Bynneman for William Norton ANNO. 1572.
thee and of good heart come towardes thée wilt thou turne thy face away from me and not cheare me with thy comfortable swéete countenance As I am constrained and by thy swéete allurementes persuaded or rather enforced beholdyng myne owne imperfection to come vnto thée that arte altogither perfecte euen so arte thou by thy large promisses bounde to accept me Thou diddest say If I shall once be exalted I will then braw all things vnto me Thine exaltation vppon the crosse O Lord hath bene as I beleeue long since perfourmed as also thy rising againe from deathe and thine aftention into heauen These things therefore thus truly of thée performed and finished I requyre thee O Iesu to draw me vnto thée as thou by thy promisse arte moste iustly bounde I knowe thou arte not angrie or at the leaste not at destance with me for seeing thou haste commaunded me that I be not at hatred with mine enemie I can not doubt but that thou thy self also kéepest truely this thy swéete commaundement and so much the rather to be perfourmed of thée as thou arte more able than I to expresse the vse of charitie Thou cāst not say that thou art not bounde to loue me alleaging that I am thine ennemie or that I haue done thée manifolde iniuries which I muste needes moste truely confesse for if by thy precept of charitie thou hast straightly bounde me to loue myne enemies to doe them good to helpe them in their néede and to pray vnto God for them I know right wel that in thus doing thou arte muche more bounde than I. Wherefore if thou wilt not loue me as thy frend loue me yet at the leaste as thyne enemie doe me good help me in my necessities and pray to thine heauēly father for me as thou art in dede moste bound to doe I doe assuredly know that thy vertue thy goodnes and thine heauenly charitie is not so small nor so stenderly planted in thée that it will suffer it selfe to be ouercome of mine extreme vnkindnes or naughtinesse no how greatly so euer it aboundeth Thy commaundement chargeth me that I in any wise suffer not my selfe to be vanquished by the malice of my enemies and wilte thou suffer thy solfe to be ouercome by my diffrétship leudnesse This verily hathe no likenesse of truth in it Thou hast taught and commaunded me that I with doing good to mine enemies do ouercome and vāquish their malice and I then require thée O my mercifull Lord and onely sauicure that thou also thy selfe obserue this diuine precept and commaundemēt of God thy father as thy godly nature bindeth thée Paie thy debte I pray thée that is vanquish my vain stoutnesse my wickednesse great malice with the vertue of gentlenesse and with thy most bounteous and plentifull goodnesse And if I haue an harte before thée hardened as the Adamant rock or Diamond breake it then or mollifie it I beseeche thee with the piercing moysture of thy moste pretious bloude O stéepe mine heart well therein souple it make it softe and temper it with the moisture of thy grace O lette thy Spirite then for euer possesse me henceforthe assiste me and be my moste gratious and good guide that I may vntill the ende obey thy moste holy wil. O woorke mine harte a newe after thine accustomed manner and according to thy good promisses of olde And if thou answeare that thou hast many times mercifully for giuē me and that thou therefore wilte looke no more vppon me or harken to my sute I answere If thou gauest Peter in commaundemente that he should pardon his enemies not seuen times onely but seuentie times seuen times that is alwayes and as often as they shall offende him It foloweth then that thou also arte so muche the more bounde héerein than I for as much as thou doste excéede me and all men in all charitie and specially bicause that I haue sinned not of any deadely malice but thorowe ignorance and frailtie and for that bothe I and others sawe not rightly the maiestie of him whome we so offended neyther coulde we make a right viewe of the goodes which we did lose nor of the euils in which we daily did incurre But thou peraduēture wilt yet say I haue giuen thée such plentie of lighte and true doctrine by sending my faithfull preachers and ministers these many yeres vnto thée that thou art now without excuse and thy faulte inexcusable Agaynst this doo I yet replie that euen to the Iewes thy peculier people thou gauost suche lights to sée and such knowledge to perceiue what thou was that they were yet inexcusable as thou thy selfe dyddest say And notwithstanding this thou beeing in triumphe vppon the Crosse diddest make their excuse and prayed for them saying that in putting thée to that cruell death they knew not what they dyd In consideration of which things seeing thou art myne onely aduocate myne onely Sauiour my God and dearely beloued of thy father my trust is in thée that thou wilt haue mercy vppon me and pray for me O pray for me therefore I beséeche thee make myne excuse to thyne and myne heauenly father O saue thou me and then shall I bée safe And if thou wilte yet lay to my charge O thou iuste God that I haue with earnest stoutnesse and rebellion offended thée myne answere agayne vnto thée is whych séest the secrotes of myne hearte that in so dooing I haue doone it not wilfully and of malice but rather of frayltie or through feruencie of zeale with all singlenesse of heart to seeke onely thy glory Wherein through wante of knowledge and the true lighte of thy holy Cospell I haue disobediently and stubbornly committed iniquitie but yet not in suthe wyse as doth the damned reprobate fixedly of wylfull malice or as an hater of thée who by all possible meanes séeketh thy dishonour and falleth with al gréedynesse from iniquitie to iniquitie Therefore I doubte not but suche zeale or frayletie ioyned with simplenesse is pardonable before thée through the gretnesse of thy mercy yea it is so much the more to the furtherance of thy glory o Christ rather than the only offences committed of meere simplicitie when the largenesse of thy mercyes so bountifully floweth from thee Yea and I know assuredly that throgh thy goodnesse and feruent charitie thou act inforced to vanquishe and vtterly ouerthrow my weakenesse wickeonesse malice and blindnesse euen to the pardoning of all from the firste to the laste that hathe beene amisse For if the iuste bloud of Abell called to God for vengeaunce agaynst his brother to hys condemnation and preuayled I know that thy bloud muche more effectually calleth to saluation and calling obteineth aboundaunce of Gods mercies for me Saue me therefore O my Lorde and swéete Iesu according to thy promyses and bonde of great charitie against the whiche neither thou oughtest nor canst resiste O saue me I beséeche
it is for them to be soughte oute with diligence to be brought home againe to the folde or to be pinned in fauourably pinched a while in some bare pasture and sometime to be kept lowe with thy milde touch of calamities and aduersities to abate their courages and to let their liuely leapes and oute girdes by meanes whereof they be oft called againe better to remember them selues and whereby they may also haue thée the more in minde and truely to knowe their owne state in this life whereunto they are called and to whose seruice to walke in the wayes of thy preceptes to kéepe them euer within their boūds and that during their shorte race they liue héere but as exiles or as Pilgrimes farre from theyr owne home not to liue héere in felicitie not to regarde the pleasures of thys worlde either yet to put theyr hope and affiance in them but to vse thē without abuse as by the way but for their only necessities homward we moste humbly beseeche thée O thou father of all mercie that thou wilt daily renue thy compassion vpon vs that thou wilt tēder vs in our frailty lustinesse vain iolitie that in our offences thou wilt with mercie reforme vs not vtterly by thy iustice confound vs but seeke mildely for vs call vs gently home to thy sheepfold with mercie embrace vs keepe vs togither for euer in one in the swéete vnitie felowship and amitie of thy flocke And if at any time we shall hencefoorthe wander abrode and goe astray wherby we shall offond thée and iustly incurre thy most heauie wrath and displeasure we craue yet at thine holy hād to remember thy mercie and so in the time of correction to temper it with thy iustice that we thy children by adoption and grace may largely tast in that respect the comfortes of thy moste tender and fatherly goodnesse that as we shal for oure disobedience and sinne iustly feele some parte of thy iustice and haue therfore great cause of inward gréefe and heauinesse occasioned daily to grone in our hartes for our spéedie deliuerance from thy rodde of correction and to attaine againe the bright countinunce of thy fauor so we may also in the meane time possesse a liuely faith shewe foorthe the fruites of the same pray continually vnto thée and beare paciently thy holy will wyth all thankfulnesse all the dayes of oure lyues through the only grace of the highe pastor and chéefe shepheard of oure soules thy sonne our Lord and only sauiour Iesus Christe Amen VIII To be humble in the sighte of God. O My lord God which arte mine only goodnesse a God of great Maiestie and to be blessed for euer I moste poore and wretched sinner moste vile woorme dust and ashes and of all others moste vnwoorthy thy grace and fauour yet beholding thy great mercie thy truthe and fidelitie thy vsual and approued clemencie towardes all humble and penitent sinners I among the rest but a lumpe of earthe and shaken by thy power to dust in a momēt doe prostrate my selfe vppon the earthe bewailing before thée my moste sinnefull state crying with the Prophet peccaui peceaui and with repentante teares call for thy mercie O my GOD almightie and my maker which truely knowest me thy creature euen as I am and searchest thorowly in me the very secretes of the heart and raines If I should in thy sight being nothing of my self esteeme any thing of my self or else glory in any thing besids thée vnder the sunne thou woldest as thou mightest by due iustice againste me woorthily reproue me and condempne me with the rest as most vaine and for naught Yea mine own sinnes would accuse me vnto thée and my conscience very terribly crie oute against me for I am before thée but a thing of naught and my sinnes hast thou sealed vp against me to the terrifying alwayes of me and to incurre daily in my mind diuers incommodities inward anguishes to myne owne ouerthrow and cōfusion But humbling my selfe before thée O my God and estéeming of my selfe as in déede I am but vile duste and ashes and cast vtterly from me all estimation of my selfe being pressed downe as it were to nothing then I trust I shall obtain thy mercie then shall I hope to possesse the happie peace then shall I féele true ioy in my self for thy presence shall be euen at hand thy grace shall cōfort me thy good spirit shal quicken me thy fauorable countinance shal cheare me vp and thine heauenly lighte approche neare mine heart wherby it shall most blessedly happen that where I haue héeretofore most vainly estéemed but the least thing of my selfe the same very vaine or small estimation conceyued shall sodenly consume and vanishe to naught for euer and shall thencefoorth by the hand of thy maiestie be so vndor propped and graciously holden vp that I shall neuer decline from due consideration of my selfe what I am of my selfe what I haue bene by whom I haue my being and from whence I am come namely of nothing and from nothing and being so lefte vnto my selfe I shall be founde nothing but only as a shadow or méere infirmitie and weakenesse Therefore I most humbly beséeche thée O thou father of al mercy the only assured stay of thine inheritance which seuerely chasest away the vaine glory of man turne a little towardes me tender me in my weakenesse and shewe me the strengthe of thy countenaunce that immediatly in thée I may be strong and newely chéered vp with inwarde and heauenly gladnesse that being entred into most sodaine admiration with my selfe to sée my self in a momēt by thy fatherly embracement raised vp to heauen which by myne owne pronenesse and waighte of sinne was before caryed downe to hell I may thanke thée my moste swéete and louing God and prayse thée with an humble and moste lowly heart with continual modestie zealously religiously and godly in thought woord and déede thorowe thy mercie and grace in thy sonne Iesus Christe all the dayes of my life Amen Amen IX Of true obedience and subiection to suche as be in authoritie according to the woorde of God. FOr as much O heauenly father as it is rather auaileable for men in this worlde to be in subiection to other than to leane to their owne only sway and leude libertie and so muche more safely to obey than to beare rule and haue all at commaundemente with all humblenesse we beséeche thée to directe vs with thy spirite of humilitie and lowelinesse and to be alwayes in subiection to aucthoritie according to thy woorde by the rule of thine holy Apostle not onely for feare for necessitie and therefore painefully but rather of true loue duetifully moste gladly and that for conscience sake For otherwise O Lorde wée slippe from our Christian profession true obedience and moste reuerente subiection and attaind not the true libertis of minde and the shewing