waxe fainte herein specially towards the faithfull for as much as thou our heauenly father art good and sufferest thy Sun to rise both on the good and euil and rainest on the iust and vniust I beséech thee let vs follow this thy liberal example that wee may shew our selues to be thy true sons that thy name be not dishonored or thy honor vioalated who liuest and raignest true and almighty God now and for euer Amen For the vnity of the Church MErcifull God who hast called vs by one and the same hope of our calling euē as there is one Lorde one faith one baptisme one God and Father of vs al or more rather as thou the Father art one God with Christ thy beloued Sonne in the holy Ghost so ought we to be one in thée I therefore do beséech thée that all that beare the name of Christian men may bee of one mind in the true catholike faith and that we may be careful to maintaine the vnitie of the Church in the bonde of peace to vnite our hearts in charitie Take from vs all carnall affection enmity hatred and swelling of mind and curiositie of foolish and vnprofitable questions that beget nothing but strife Breake the power of the diuel with the malice and deceit of men who indeuour to disseuer that band of vnity Assist vs O mercifull God that as many as haue departed frō the sound vnderstanding of the scriptures according to the interpretation of the holy Ghost whome our Sauior left to be the comforter directer of his church and of a reprobat mind haue brought in errors heresies strifes they may throughe thy grace returne to the acknowleding of thy trueth Likewise defend vs from the tumultuous spirits of errors and schisme that the church be not troubled and the harts of the ignoraunt seduced by sugered wordes So shal we of one agréement and with one mouth honour thee the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. Amen For the preseruation of the Church O Father of all mercy conserue I beséeche thée thy vniuersall Church the congregation of all true faithful people against the gates of hell against all the deceiptful snares of the Diuell and against all malice and rebellious madnesse of the worlde saue thy Arke and al christians therin that it perish not in the raging sea and tossing waues I beseech thee Suffer thy Church that it may remain vnshaken vpon that foundation and firme corner stone wheron it was by thee erected O lord God of might and vertues turne towards vs looke downe from heauen and visite this thy vineyard Make that perfect which thy right hand hath planted and which thou hast chosen vnto thy selfe that the boughes branches thereof may spread increase fence it with thy shield receiue vs thy shéep in to thy protection that we bee not by any aduersary of the same taken out of thy hand Mercifully protect vs from al such as séek the ouerthrow of sound doctrine and the stablishing of Idolatrous heresie Remember not Lord our offences who in time past diddest remit thy peoples iniquity Conuert vs Lord our Sauiour and turn away thy wrath from vs. Perfourme this for the loue of thy name least the holinesse thereof bée violated and dishonoured Graunt this I beséech thee for the loue of thy most beloued Son our onely hope and Sauiour Amen Another prayer for conseruation of the church ALmightie God who gauest victorie to Gideon with a handfull of men to ouercome his enemies And thou O Christ our Sauiour as thou sauedst Peter from drowning when hee walked on the Sea and Paul the Apostle from the bottome of the Sea hauing escaped danger of shipwrack thrée times so preserue vs in this storme and tempest of our enemies here ready to swalow vs vp and strengthen vs with thy right hand that in our victory thy name may be to all men most holy and glorious A prayer at the trauaile of childe-birth OUr most mercifull and gracious father in Christ Iesu our Lorde who hast promised to our forefathers the children of Israell that if they would hearken to thy voice in obeying thy will and commaundements ther shoulde none mis-carry with their fruite or otherwise bée barren wee thy vnworthy seruants and their sinful ofspring acknowledging the wickednes of life and the calamity of our age to be such that we may iustly say with Ezechias This is a troublesome time children are at the point to be borne and the mothers wante strength to deliuer them good Lord we most humbly and deuoutly beséech thée with thy clemencie and mercifull helpe to respecte this thy handmaides wretched estate which for disobeying thy holy wil thou hast inflicted vpon the daughters gf our first parent Eue that this our sister may obtaine at thy mercifull hande the fauour of safe and spéedie deliuerance and her fruit to come vnto the new birth of baptisme and regeneration that she ouercomming by thy mercifull goodnes the paines and trauell which thy pleasure is she shoulde suffer she may liue and laud thy holy name and say with thy beloued seruants holpen in this case Thus hath the Lorde dealt with me at such time as he looked vppon me thou O Lorde vouchsafing to wipe her teares and to make her a glad mother Graunt this mercy vnto her we beséeche thée who hast promised to be their assured helpe and comforter that put their trust in thee A prayer for making a good end O GOD most holy thou hast appointed to man a tearme of his life which hee can not passe for he hath his prefixed time the number of his moneths is in thy hande thou hast remembred euery day of our life which passeth away so swift as if our selus did flye away all our years are but as smoke shadow all flesh is grasse which soone withereth it is as the flower of the fielde that soone perisheth Teach me therefore that I may now at length knowe and thinke vppon my ende which is so néere at hand My dais be but as a hand bredth Teache mee O Lorde to bée mindefull of death and to learne to die sith in this pilgrimage wee haue no long dwelling place O Lord let my end be foreknowen vnto me that in this world I may liue ende my life vnto thee and accept the day of my return and of our reuealing of our lord Iesus Christ thy beloued sonne by my readines in holy conuersation and godlines Suffer me to make my ende with perfect vse reason and in true confession of my sinnes with contrition Let me not speake like one that is mad nor vtter any blasphemous words against thée my good Lorde or contrarie to my saluation Uouchsafe to protect me also frō sudden death and from eternal damnation that I be not ouertaken by death before I am fully prepared in performing of true repentance And whē the same houre shall come make me strong and without feare to beare the Temporal
all euill and lifting vp my eies and addressing my praiers vnto thee Drawe my féete out of the snare and hide me vnder the couert of thy winges A prayer out of the Psalme called Saint Barnards verses Lighten mine eies least at any time I sléepe in death that mine enimy neuer say I haue preuailed against him Be mindful of thy mercies O Lorde and of thy commiserations which haue beene since the world began Remember not the follies and offences committed in my youth Be mindfull of me according to mercy and for thy goodnesse O Lord. Into thy handes I commend my spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of trueth I haue saide and spoken it openly O Lord make my end knowen vnto me And what the number of my daies is that I may knowe what is wanting vnto me Giue me a good signe that such as hate me may see thy fauour and thereat may bée confounded forasmuch as thou O Lorde hast holpen and comforted me O Lord let it be so séeing I am thy seruant and the sonne of thy handmaid Thou hast ridde me of my thraldome I will offer vnto thee the sacrifice of praise and shall call vpon the name of the Lord. They perished who fled from me and there is none to seeke after my soule I cried to the Lord saying thou art my hope my portion in the land of the liuing Glory be to the Father c. Another praier by such as be present at the perill of child-birth MOst mightie Creator mercifull God wee thy séely wretched creatures descended of Eue her ofspring most suppliantly beséech thée of thy infinite goodnes mercifully to looke on the wretched state miserie which of thy dreadful iustice in mixing alwayes sorrowes with ioyes thou hast inflicted vpon womankind for our said first parent her disobedience and namely the state sorrowful beeing of this our sister thy seruant here languishing and oppressed with the paines of womans trauaile and wretchednesse O good Lorde thy omnipotent wisedome foreséeing that some would sinne much did bridle them with infirmitie of bodie to the end that it may bee founde more profitable for them to be low brought with suffering gréeuous pains then to remaine in helth to their more hasard of sinne and damnation But séeing in all sicknes there bée thrée things that be greuous and specially to vs thy creatures of more weaknes and infirmitie by nature that is to say the feare of death the griefe of the bodie and the losse or leuing of these worldlie pleasures therefore thy mercifull goodnes hath so disposed our state condition in this life that no woman or man can be in great paine and long continue therein so as by thy iust and mercifull prouidence either he shall be able to beare our paines or els that the same shal be but short therfore it may please thée of thy great mercies that as the aire is clensed made cléer after vehement storms so after this sharpe and long showre of teares and wofull panges there may followe a calme of ease of affliction to this our sister and faire wether both of thy gratious fauour and of our mindes quietnesse that are pensiue and carefull for her For by the testimony of thy holy word thou delightest not in destruction with thy own mouth by the holy Ghost thou hast saide that thou wilt conuert the sorowing of thy seruants into reioycing Bee then our good Lord and our comforter in the day of our tribulation Suffer not wee beséech thée this our sister to bée tempted or oppressed with paines and calamity aboue her strength and patience to beare it but mercifully and spéedily helpe and deliuer her both from paines and perill So shal we euermore pronounce and say Blessed is God the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and God of all consolation who comforteth vs in all our trouble Amen The Lords prayer briefly expounded Our Father By benefite of Creation through thy omnipotencie By priuiledge of condition through thy prouidence By pietie of adoption thorough thy charitie By reparation of blisse through thy onely begotten Which art in heauen By omnipotent power gouerning By grace lightening By mercie directing By glorie appearing Halowed be thy name Of vs by honest conuersation In vs by a cleane conscience Foorth out of vs by a good name and fame Aboue vs by Angelicall presentation Thy kingdome come That is Heauen by reuelation Holy Church by assumption The faithfull soule by iustification The holy scripture by instruction Thy will be done In simplicitie of heart by humilitie In charitie of bodie by abstinence In holinesse of prayer by frequentation In veritie of woorke by discretion Giue vs this day our daily bread Of humane necessitie Of spirituall doctrine Of the blessed sacrament Of eternall felicitie And forgiue vs our trespasses as we c. Not retaining mallice in heart Not vpbraiding in word Not doing euill for euill Not refusing to do good And let vs not be lead into temptation Sodaine which dismaieth Importune which wearieth Deceitfull which beguileth Uiolent which oppresseth But deliuer vs from euill Of worldly aduersitie which disquieteth Of mans crueltie which vexeth Of the Deuils subtletie which preuaileth Of euerlasting calamitie which tormenteth Amen that is all thus bee done By attention of heart By sinceritie of word By diligent practise By continuall desire Read and vnderstand Remember practise As thinges are prooued to be liuing by moouing by sense of sight or feeling and by liuely working so is it knowne whether the soule of any man liueth in Christ by these three tokens IF the soule be moued with the spirite of Christ that is to the holie desire of heauenly things and to the contemning of the delectable things of the world 〈◊〉 the soule haue a féeling of those thinges which pertaine vnto Christ and as it were a suffering with Christ that suffered If the soule worketh vertuous works in following of Christ. They that be lead by the spirit of God bée the sons of God Fides sine operibus mortua est These bee sixe signes of a Christian. INnocencie and cleannesse Penitence and the true performing thereof Lowlinesse and humilitie of spirite Obedience and the feare of God Pitie and brotherly loue Feruent charitie The 12. abuses of the world which are thought to bee the sinnes which deserue with the iustice of God that Antichrist the most wicked of all men should preuaile and trouble the whole world to the perill of innumerable soules OLde men and graue persons without the wisedome of true and mature patience Yong men of lesse knowledge and authoritie without reuerence and obedience Rich men without almes and mercifull works The poore giuen to proud apparell and without humilitie The Pastors or Teachers without good déedes where Christ himself wroght first and then taught hee saith Qui fecerit sic docuerit ille saluabitur The people hearing the word of God preached and yet waxe
god Let vs begin to loue good cogitations and forthwith God will vouchsafe to deliuer vs frō those that be euil Questions and aduertisements about sin and repentance or Penitence What is sinne There are two latin words for it peccatum and delictum peccatum is the sinne when wée doe offend by disobeying the commandements of god delictum is the sin when wee leaue a good worke vndone which we ought to doe but these words are almost growen out of difference An other definition of sinne Fol. 19. Aug. cont Faust. lib. 2. cap. 22. Sinne is a frée will to retaine and obtaine that which Law and Iustice hath forbiddē From the will therefore floweth the beginning of sin and from thence the beginning of euil namely the transgressiō of the iust commandements of God or the punishment according to the iust iudgements thereof How many sortes of sins are there Thrée Sins of infirmity of ignorance and of malice sinnes of infirmity are cōtrary to power and by attribution to the father Sins of ignoraunce to wisedome and contrary to the Sonne Sins of malice to loue and by attribution are contrarye to the holy Ghost De ver fals penit There is no sinne so small that groweth not ouer strōg by negligence De conf lib. 1. cap. 7. Who shall put me in remembraunce of the sinnes of my childehoode for none are cleane from sin in thy sight no not so much as the childe of one day olde And a little after The weakenesse of infantes members is innocent before GOD but not their soules Feare therefore to commit sinne for he that loueth sin shal fal into a death where he could not fall into it if he did not delight in sin Which be the sinnes crying before God for vengeance and punishment Manslaughter sin against nature Oppression of the poore fatherles and widdowes with holding of laborers wages and debtes due to poore men Which be the sinnes that bring forth other sinnes Prouocation counsailing commending permission assisting participation consenting Which be the circumstances augmenting sin Time knowledge order age state number perseuering dignity place manner small resisting How is sin auoided By eschewing the occasion thereof which oftentimes is found to bee through company meats drinkes apparell beholding c. What remedy to put away sin committed Repentance which is an inward contrition of heart for sinne committed with amendement of life intended What effects be there of repentance It maketh Angels glad it iustifieth wicked persons it doth call againe the goodnes lost and draweth mankinde to euerlasting life Which be the parts pertayning to repentance Hope of forgiuenesse inward sorrowing or contrition of hart acknowledging of the fault and a purpose to forsake sinne How should a man beginne Repentance First in thy chamber or other secrete place be busily thinking with thy selfe how manifoldly how wickedly thou hast sinned whether in déed spéech cōsent or will and then what good déedes thou hast left vndone which to thée pertained to doe Thy sinnes particularly called to remembrance with the greatnes enormity and filthinesse of them it behooueth to aske God forgiuenes with all humility and hope to bee forgiuen wholy trusting in the merits of our only Sauiour and Redéemer the great benefite and vertue of whose merites are applied vnto the sickenes and wounds of our souls by his ghostly phisicke of Penitence and the godly actions and perfourmance therof which is like to proue the more fruitefull and effectuall if it bee ioyned with these thinges following First faith which is a firme beleeuing that God will vndoubtedly perform that that he promiseth or threatneth Secondly hope of obtayning forgiuenesse Thirdly confidence and trust had in Christs merits of his bloudsheadding and passion whereof our penitēce for sin maketh vs partakers Fourthly submission and accusing of our selues Fiftly the loue of God for which all sin is to be abhorred and all obedient seruice of our part to bee performed Meanes to kindle and stirre vp that loue are these First the knowing of our selues by considering our basens vilenes infirmity The consideration of the mightinesse and greatnes of God against whom we dared to offend The regard and dread of displeasure and terror of the last iudgement when al shal be rewarded according vnto their workes or desertes The reuoluing reckoning and remembring of our sins and wicked or filthy desires The calling to minde of Gods vndeserued benefites bestowed on vs his vnprofitable vnworthy seruantes To helpe vs the better to call our sins to mind these fewe circumstances may serue The calling to mind how long time hath passed since we performed the workes parts of penitence last before this in such sort as we ought to do The estate of our degrée and calling by reason wherof our sinne may be the more grieuous or wee the more touched or punished for the transgressions of others The vocations which we haue bestowed our time in The places wher we haue liued accompanied or béene conuersant The persons whose felowshippe or dealinges we haue medled with Why is confession of sins so needefull as prayer Because confession prepareth and maketh vs more méete to pray and more likely to be heard The holy man Dauid had euer recourse to confession and penitence Psa. Dixi confitebor c. I haue said I wil confesse mine iniquities to the accusing of my selfe Prou. 28. He that hideth his offences shal not prosper but hee that shall confesse them and forsake them shal obtaine mercy Who is like neuer to be forgiuen Hee that forgiueth not others And he that wil not to his power restore again such goodes or thinges as he hath taken or gotten into his hand wrongfully from others by stealth robbery fraude subtilty or otherwise iniuriously How proue you that The testimony of the Pater noster or Lordes praier may be brought for the first viz. Good Lord forgiue vs euen as wee forgiue others And for the other S. Augustines wordes may stande for witnesse to confirme it where he saith Non dimittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum The sinne is not forgiuen vnles the thing taken away be restored How a man ought to examine his owne conscience and to confesse his sins priuatly to God First looke into your selfe your behauior and vsage and sée by how many waies and meanes you haue offended God in the sin of pride whether it be of a hie presumptuous vaine-glorious or arrogant minde or else in your apparell beauty eloquence riches great liuelyhood faire building office or other temporall or naturall gifts And according to that which you shall find your selfe an offender in to be heartily contrite and inwardly sorrowful cōfessing acknowledging and accusing your selfe thereof Most humbly crauing pardon and forgiuenes with an vnfained purpose to amend and become humble as a denier of your selfe Also how much and how diuersely you haue sinned in enuy against others because they bee better estéemed or commended then you or liue in