whom all things are nothing let hir then bee commended of thee who sawest hir hart for thy bounty to the whol world be thou glorified aboue the world shee was called a poore widdow beecause shee wanted both the wealth of the world and the comfort of hir kind husband but how much might shee bee comforted to be coÌ„mended by thy mercy all comforts faile wher thou art wanting and all ioies abound wher thy comfott is comming O comfort of comforts when wilt thou come vnto mee LORD thou art the husband of my soule the onely comfort of my hart whole substance of my felicity a poore widow am I that wanting the comfort of thy loue haue no ioy in my life I haue not a mite to present vnto thy mercy had I a whole world I would giue it for thy grace but alas I am poore and hast thou any nede of welth that hast the whole world at commaundement doest thou care for drosse that art the LORD of heuen earth no LORD thou wantest nothing therefore what though I haue nothing thou hast giuen mee thy selfe and can any thing take thee from mee no sweet LORD thou hast saide thou wilt haue mercy not Sacrifice a burnt offering I know thou wouldest not accept if I should giue it thee but if any Sacrifice will please thee a contrite hart and a troubled spirit is that which thou wilt not despise with this sacrifice therefore sweet Iesu I come to thee beseeching thee into the treasury of thy mercy with the teares of my hart to receiue me body soule which though lesse worth then one mite is all that I haue to giue thee and well is mee if thou wilt take them to cure them of sin to ease them of sorrow to bring them to ioie but alas I giue thee but thine owne which thou hast bought with thy selfe therefore I beeseech thee refuse not thine owne that belongeth to none but thy selâ—e therefore since I haue nothing to giue thee take thine owne vnto thee commend whom it pleaseth thee and be thou commended of all of all I say for all aboue all since that for all in all thou deseruest all commendation to thee sweet Iesus Christ the husband of my soule the substance of my wealth the ioy of my life and assured hope of my saluation that by the bitter death of thy body precious bloud of thy hart hast deerely bought the loue of thy seruants who by thy onely merit being redeemed from hell by the sauing faith of thy mercy are assured of heauen to thee I saie deere CHRIST my deere loue my best husband my heauenly father my gratious LORD onely glorious King with thy heauenly father thy holy spirit he eternal trinity in vnity one onely almighrie and incomprehensible good god for the infinit comforts of thy infinit mercies bee all infinit glory honor Praise world without end Amen A prayer vpon the request that the mother of Iames Iohn made vnto Chrïst Math Chap 20 The fruict thereof Knowledge what to aske of God BLessed LORD and Lord of all blessing bountiful GOD and GOD of all bounty King of heauen and earth to whom all the worlde are but beggers emong the infinit number of thy incessaunt sutors y â— neuer leaue to importunate thy mercy vouchsafe sweet IESV I beseech thee to heere an humble petition of thy poore wretched and vnworthy creature The Mother of Iames and Iohn made a suite vnto thee for hir two sonnes that the one might sit at thy right hand and the other at thy left little was hir discretioÌ„ to moue so presumptuous a petition little I say shee considered thy greatnesse or lookt into hir owne smalnesse that deseruing nothing but thy Wrath woulde craue such a blessing of thy Grace who beeing aunswered with deniall escaped wel without thy further displeasure oh my GOD I come not to thee with a spirit of such boldnesse but in the humility of fayth with the teares of sorrow my wounded hart beecommeth a sutor to thy mercy an humble sutor I am oh heauenly King to thy holy Maiesty not for my two sonnes but the two parts of my selfe my soule my body y â— it will please thy gratious goodnesse so farre to take them to thy mercy as not to set them either at thy right hand or thy left but in one looke of thy comfort to make theÌ„ but cushins for thy feet where more ioyfull shall bee my teares to wash the feete of thy fauoure then all the plesures of the world to bee away from thy mercy this oh LORD is all my sute which in thy gratious pitty I beeseech thee to graunt me that from this vale of misery thou wilt take mee to thy mercy that in the ioye of thy loue I may euer sing or thy glory Amen A prayer vpon the deuotion of Anna Luke 2. Chap. The fruict thereof The comfort of prayer RIghteous LORD holy KING and euerliuing GOD who hast not to doe with the stoole of iniquitie but with thy Countenaunce doest beehold the iust forgiuest the sinnes of the Repentaunt and takest the faithfull vnto mercy Enter not I beeseech thee into iudgement with thy sinfull and vnworthy seruant for no flesh is righteous in thy sight I most vnrighteous am ashamed to appeere beefore thy presence with hope of comfort or almost without despaire of mercy but y â— in the greatnesse or thy goodnesse seeing thee offer thy selfe vnto mee with all thy Graces with a blushing feare I fall at the feete of thy mercy beeseeching thee so to blesse mee with thy grace that my wickednes may not destroy that which thy goodnesse hath builded Oh deere LORD thy seruaunt ANNA putting of the world and putting on thee shaking of all vanities and clothing hir self with thy comfort leauing the world beetooke hir selfe to thy Temple where continuing manye yeeres in fasting and praier shee receiued at last the ioyefull fruict of hir hope in the gratious beeholding of thy Glorious comming but oh Lord wo is me that haue so long looked after the world that I haue so little looked after thee that I haue rather lost my selfe in a wildernesse then once set a steppe into thy Temple I haue feasted my flesh with the pleasures of the world almost famished my soule with the lack of thy holy word haue beene rather lost many yeeres in vanity then employed almost any houre in deuout prayer as one rather fearing thy wrath then wishing thy presence but sweet Lord thou art the God of Eternity who hauing all time at thy commaundement dost appoynt euery houre at thy plesure to call thy seruants vnto mercy and to comfort them in thy blessing to thee therefore my deere Lord though long first yet at last I hope neuer to late on the knees of my heart with the tears of my loue I come vnto thy mercy beseeching thee most humbly in the spirit of
thy presence but my sweet Lord how sweetly didst thou reproue hir folly and reueale hir fault in these few words Martha Martha thou carest art troubled about many things but one thing is needfull Mary hath chosen the good part which shal neuer be taken awaie frō hir oh deere Maister now that by the secret light of thy gratious loue I behold thy entrance into the hart of my soule though I am not worthie thou shouldst come vnder the roofe of my house yet since it hath pleased thy holie maiestie in the infinit goodnesse of thy incomparable kindnesse to comfort my hart with the gratious hearing of thy glorius mercy giue me leaue not with Martha to complaine of a sister but to accuse my selfe of to much euill in so long combring my hart with the wretched cares of this wicked world that I haue had almost no care to humble my soule to the happie hearing of thy holie word let mee therfore beeseech thee of the abundant grace of thy glorious goodnes by the mighty power of thy eternall mercy to draw mee to thee by the heauenly vertue of thy hollie Spirit that casting of all the combersome cares of this vncomfortable worlde I maie not onelie serue thee in bodie on the knees of my heart worshipping thy diuine will but in the humilitie of my soule sit with MARY on the ground with the tears of true repentaunce to wash the feete of thy mercie that being both vnable vnworthie to behold the glory of thy presence I maie yet ioye in my soule to heare the sweetnes of thy preching that beeing cleerely healed of the euill part of sinne I maie receiue that good part of thy grace that maie neuer bee taken from mee but one thing is needfull and that one thing art thou it is thee sweet LORD that I haue need of needful is thy grace vngratious that I am full of need am I of thy mercie mercy my sweet Iesu Oh let my pensiue hart heere the preaching of thy mercie that beeing with LAZARVS reuiued and with MARTHA rebuked with Mary I may bee so comforted that with the teares of my hart washing the feete of thy pittie I may reioice in my soule to bee admitted into thy presence wherein the obedience of my Loue shewing the Ioye of my life I may feede of thy mercy and singe to thy glory Blessed is the house that dooth receiue thee happy the hart that dooth attend thee but most ioyfull the Soule that leauing the cares of the world hath all hir comfort but in thee in thee I say sweet LORD the lyght of the eternall wisdome the lyfe of the dead the only comfort of the liuing whose preaching most gratious and whose presence most glorious happye are they that heare but most blessed that enioy emong whome alas of the world most vnworthy so blesse the sicke Soule of thy sinfull wounded seruant that ouercome with the comfort of thy vnspeakable kindenes in the swounding traunce of the treasure of thy Loue I may rather dye at thy feete then part a foote from thy fauoure where with the teares of faithes thanckfulnesse I may encrease the Glorie of thy Mercie Amen An other vppon the same History chapter and place the fruite therof The blessing of humilitie REmember sweet Lord Iesu thy Mercies that haue been euer of old forgiue and forget the sinnes of thy humble repentaunt though vnworthie seruants think on thy poore Mary with the teares of hir heart humbling hir soule at thy feete thincke I saye my sweet lord a little vpon my great misery that confesse my selfe vnworthie of the least looke of thy Mercie Lord it pleased thee to saie Marie Magdaline loued much but surelie thou louedst more that so great and vnmeasurable a sinner woldst vouchsafe so great a measure of thy Grace beeing vnworthie thy thought to presume into thy presence sweet IESVS art not thou the same CHRIST who camest not to iustifie the righteous but to call sinners to repentaunce is thy mercie anye thing diminished or shall not thy Glorie euer encrease it cannot bee but thou art thy selfe the Sunne of GOD the Redeemer of the worlde the Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world and God alone that hast the gouernement of the whole worlde what thou hast bought then who can take from thee wher thou hast Mercie who canne diswade thee and hauing all thinges vnder thy feete who can resist thee Thou Createdst man for thy selfe thou Redeemedst him by thy selfe dost comfort him but with thy selfe wilt thou then forget the worke of thine owne hands wilt thou loose that thou hast bought with thine owne blood or suffer it to be blasted that y ◠hast blessed with thine owne Spirit no sweet God thy goodnesse is to great to loose any parte of thy Glorie though wee forget thy loue thou canst not forget thy Mercie though wee loose our selues in this wildernesse thou wilt bring vs home to thy folde though sinne seeke to driue vs to despaire yet doth thy Grace assure vs of comfort for thou art kinde though wee are vnthanckfull thou art mercifull though wee are vnfaithful yea thou art comfortable when wee are most miserable and why is all this beecause thou art God whose goodnesse hath no limit whose mercies are infinit and whose glorie shall haue no ende why then oh Lord is my Soule so full of heauinesse and my heart so disquieted within mee can the world so werie mee that Heauen cannot reuiue mee or can sinne so infect mee that thy mercie can not heale mee or the diuell so terifie mee that thou my God canst not comfort mee no my deere god thou art able to forgiue more then I am able to offend one drop of thy mercie will heale all the woundes of my sinne and where thou entrest with thy holly spirit there is no place for the wicked fiende what then can hurt mee if thou help mee can sinne set a wal beetwixt thy mercie and my comfort whē thou hast troden downe the diuell with all the power of his malice can death afright mee that see my life in thy loue or can sorrow dismaie mee that haue thee for my comfort no my sweet sauioure let not my teares be onely witnesse of my sorrow for my sinnes but of my ioie in thy mercie that from the greatnesse of sin hast called mee to thy grace and liuing long from the shadow of thy blessing hast admitted mee into the Ioie of thy presence Oh blessed Lord how admirable dooe I feele thy goodnesse in the inward works of thy grace faith a fruict of thy mercy repentaunce a fruict of faith teares a fruict of repentance Ioie a fruict of teares thou only the fruict of all thou art oh Lord y e summe of all sweetnesse the substaunce of all goodnesse in thy selfe to thy selfe the only height of all glorie Thou art the ioie of the heart the comfort of the minde the life
with teares yes sweet Lord I humbly thanck thee I feele the sweetnes of thy loue though I can not beeholde thy presence I tast of thy goodnes though I see not thy persoÌ„ drinck of thy vertue though I know not thine essence for had not the medicine of thy mercy cured my soul of hir sorow I had died in my sinne ere I had tasted of thy grace but sweet-LORD the woman of Samaria had many husbands my soule desireth but thy loue be thou I say the husband of my loue the loue of my life and life of my soule the fountaine of my faithes comfort the water of my hopes life the sweet of my eternall felicitie let me thirst only for thy grace drinck onely of thy mercie liue onely to thy Glorie that from the puddles of the worlde deliuered by thy mercy in the ioies of paradise I may sing Halaluiah to thy holly Maiestie Amen A prayer vpon the woman of Canaan hir suite vnto Christ Math xv verse 22. The fruict thereof The blessing of faith ETernall Almighty euerliuing and euerloueing God my deerest master sweetest Lord onely Sauiour IESVS CHRIST the comfort of the sorrowfull the hope of the faithful and the life of the ioyfull the Surgion of the heart the Phisition of the minde the medicine of the soule the power of vertue the wisdome of grace the glory of mercy who liuing in the heauens beholdest all the dwellers vpon y e earth hearest y e cries of the afflicted asswagest the pains of the tormeÌ„ted comfortest y e harts of the distressed that in true faith of thy woord fly to the mercy of thy will emong those miserable sinners that haue no hope of reliefe but in the heauenly eye of thy mercy vouchsafe sweet Christ to cast one looke of pitty vppon the wounded heart of my vnworthy soule wheÌ„ the woman of syrophenissa came to thee for the cure of hir daughter possessed with a diuel though at the first thou gauest hir a kinde of denying answere in that it was not meete to giue the Childrens meate vnto dogges yet to hir humble replie that the dogs might eate of the crummes that fall from their masters table to the glory of thy mercy thou madest a gratious Conclusion wherein the humility of hir faith had effected hir ioy in thy fauour hir daughter was made whole and shee departed away but now oh Lord was she onely blessed in this abundant measure of thy mercy or can sin haue such power in the world as to bar thy seruants thy blessing or shal any dispaire of thy comfort when thou callest all vnto mercy no sweet Lord I know thou art not partial in thy loue that lookest onely into thy selfe thou art not sparing of thy blessing that art bouÌ„tifull to the whole world nor wouldest the death of a sinner therfore wilt surely haue mecry on thy seruants to thee therefore sweet Iesu I humbly come not for my diseased daughter but thy distressed daughter vnworthy of so good a father yet praying thee good father help me thi vnworthy seruant beseeching thee sweet maister comfort mee and thy vnworthy creature crying vnto thee oh God of all mercy haue mercy vpon mee in the multitude of thy compassions do away all my offences in the oyle of the grace heale my soule of hir sinne in the power of thy mercy deliuer me from euill I know not with how many diuells I am daily hourely tempted by a world of illusions to bee drawen from thy loue but were ther neuer so many thou canst deliuer me from them all for thy power is inuincible thy mercy is Almightie and thy loue hath no limits sinne is but an infection the diuells are but ministers of thy wrath thou wilt haue mercy on thy seruants heale therefore my disease commaund away my tormentors and bee glorious in thy goodnesse where thy good spirit entereth no euill spirit will bide where thy grace toucheth no sinne tarrieth and whom thou inspirest with thy loue they are allready in heauen but alas sweet IESVS mee thincks I heere thee accuse mee of so dogged a nature that I am not worthy to feede of the fruict of thy fauour Lord I coÌ„fesse it that while dogs waite one their masters trenchers I haue not attended on the table of thy merry therfore am vnworthy of the least crum of thy comforte yet sweet Lord since thy mercy is ouer all thy workes put mee not out of the booke of thy remembraunce thou hast called mee though I come late giue mee a penny of thy charity though I deseure nothing of thy mercy I am sick thou canst heale mee bee thou gratious though I be sinfull the diuell is a tirant but thou art y e god of mercy who with one looke of thine eie canst make him flye from thy presence with one woord of thy mouth canst banish hiâ— from thy beloued with one blessing of thy hand canst make me liue euer but oh sweet LORD since I haue by â—ine absence â—rom attending on thy table deâ—erued not onely to bee famished with lack of thy comfort not to receiue the least crum of thy mercy yet in the least looke of thy loue since thy glorie is â—n thy mercy loose no part of thy right let me come behinde thee emong theÌ„ throng of sinners to touch the hem of thy garment that by the vertue of my faith I maie finde grace in thy fauour being cured of my sinne comforted by thy mercy by the grace of thy holly spirite I may Glorifiy thy holly name not with the Sirophâ—nâ—ssiaÌ„ depart away with thy blessing but with y â— ioy of thy mercy folow thy shadow with my seruice till being wholely deliuered from the temptation of sin in the saluation of thy mercy with the elected of thy loue by the good spirit of thy grace I may euer sing to thy glory Amen A prayer vpon the widdowes two Mites xii of Marke 41 verse The fruict thereof the praise of Charity NOthing is more comfortable to my soule then the Meditation of thy mercy sweet Iesu thou alone art hee whom my soule loueth and iust cause for by thy onely loue my soule liueth when I beholde thee in my hart I haue enough for my comfort wanting thy grace I comsume away with calamitie oh vnspeakable sorrow to misse the ioy of thy mercy and how great is their heauen that haue a feeling of thy loue oh sweet Lord how greatly wilt thou commend a little loue in thy seruant but how infinitly art thou to bee glorified that giuest thy selfe vnto sinners oh imcoÌ„parable kinde loue to lay downe the life of thy beeloued thou didst commend the poore widdow for casting two mites into the treasury thou hast giuen vs thy selfe to bring vs into thy treasury bee thou therefore commended aboue all commendation shee gaue but a little though all shee had y u gauest thy selfe without