neuer at all otherwise enclined that then you woulde vouchsafe to take this booke in hand and turning to any title whatsoeuerâ— may serue your tourne to apply the prayer folowing vnto your present purpose But perchaunce you will say that there are alredy extantâ— diuers sundry bookes of prayers which haue bene set fourth by men of greater vnderstaÌ„ding riper iudgement then I and therfore it was a needeles and superfluous trauaile to wade any furthar in that matter Indede Madame I graunt that ther are many praier bokes published but yet I am of this opinion that if there were ten tymes as many yet there were not to many For the common prouerbe is Bâ—num quo â—â—oÌ„munius eo melius The more common a good thinge is the better it is And therefore will I hardly be perswaded that my laboure could anye way haue bene better employed then in suche causes as concerne the aduauncement of Gods glory and the propagation of vertue VVell such as it is I haue presumed to offer vnto your honoures iâ—dgement with assured hope that you will deeme of it as your noble nature hath ben alwaies enclined to iudge of them that attempt the like enterprises that you will accept it as a sure tokeÌ„ and testimonie of his loyall affection and readie dutie that would thinke himselfe happie to bee accoumpted but as the least in the number of those that woulde be allwayes at your Ladiships commaundement Thomas Achelley Morning Prayer O Almighty and moste mercifull Father who of thine vnspeakeable loue and pitie toward the disobediente and loste children of Adam when wee were caried awaye thorough sinne and ignoraunce to damnation folowing Sathan after the blind and vnbrideled lusts of the fleshe diddest reconcile vs to thee by grace and adopcion in Christ Iesus the righteous and immaculate Lambe by faith and sure confidence grounded on the merites of his death whereby we are redeemed from the eternall prison of death and damnation haue mercy vpon vs mosâ—e mercifull louing Father so quicken our dul and heauy mindes by the inspiration of thy holy spirite that we maye shake of this dead sleepe continualy watch in thee abandoning the worckes of darcknes and walking in the worckes of light whereby we may be worthy to walk in this holy vocation where vnto thou haste called vs and with thine elected sainctes to sing prayses vnto thee and at all seasons times to glorify thy holy name And among all other benefites which thou of thy free mercy doste dayly and hourely most aboundantly bestow vpon vs we yeeld thée mortall thankes for that thou haste vouchsaâ—ed to presâ—rue vs both this night and all the time and dayes of our life vnder the shadowe and protection of thy winges keeping our eyes waking in thée without any idle dreames or phantasies that might disturbe our mindes from the meditation of thy grace and haste safely brought me to the beginning of this daye from the drousy graue of my bed which manifestly resembleth in lying downe my death and in rysing vp a manifest tipe and figure of my resurrection Therfore sith thou of thy mercy haste raysed me vp from this earthly reast wherein my mortall body and corrupt nature hath ben partly recreated from the laboures trauayles which I dayly sustayne in this terestrial pilgrimage vouchâ—aâ—e also I beséech thee to direct me with thy holy spirite both this day and euer that all my doinges maye tend to thy glory and to the commoditie of my neighbouâ— And graunt most merciful Father that the residue of my whole life froÌ„ heÌ„ceforth may he gided happly vnder thy tuition whereby all maner of darkenes misbeliefe infidelitie carnall lustes and affections may be vtterly chased driuen out of my hart and that I may be iustified saued both body and soule through a right and perfect fayth in Christ Iesu and so walke in the light of thy most holy word coÌ„maundements all the dayes of this my fraile and transitory being Arme vs with thy grace most mercifull father and strengtheÌ„ vs by thine assistaunce to vanquishe the power of the sinfull flesh and Sathan that hauing victory in the end we may ioyfully triumphe in thy saluation that art the God of our strength and might Endue our blynde hartes with thy heauenly spirite that being strong in fayth although â—éeble in the flesh we may so rule the bridle of our course both now and euer from henceforth that we sleepe not in sinne as the vnbeleuers doo which haue no hope of resurrection in Christ Iesu but folowing the motion of their owne common sence are so linked and tyed to the ground that their grosse capacitie is not of force to loke vp and to be holde the brightnes of thy diuinitie which art God from the beginning for euerlasting world without ende To whome with the sonne the holy Ghost be al honor and glory for euer euer Amen A Prayer for Euening O Almighty and moste mercifull Father maker of heauen and earth with all that is therein whose works are insercheable whose mercy is inâ—â—nite whose power is aboue the Cloudes of heauen we beséech thee of thy accustomed fatherly piety and pittie that thou wilte vouchsafe to be our watche man this night and euer to gard vs from all our enemies both bodily or ghostly that endeuour to disturb the externall rest of our body or to assalt the infernall Closet of our Conscience with any sinful suggestions or deuilish deuises of Sathan our mortall foe and deadly aduersary We acknolege and confesse moste mercifull Father that of our selues we are not worthy to lifte vp our eyes towarde heauen much lesse to presume in presenting oureselues before thy deuine maiestie with confidence that thou wilte heare our prayers or incline to our petitions if we call to remembraunce the vnworthines of our own merites and desertes for we are nothing else but a lumpe of sinne conceaued and borne in iniquity folowing the right path of our naturall imbecilitie and weakenes in Adam euer more prone and apt to folowe the filthy appetite of our own desire like vnbrideled Colts and reiecting the holsome discipline and instructions of thy most holy wil and commaundements Our own consciences accuse vs and our own sinz beare witnes against vs that we are nothing else but miserable wretches subiect to corrupcion clothed with iniquity and not of our selues able to thinck as muche as one good thought so that wée are not able to abide the extremitie of thy straighte iudgement knowing that by the worckes of the flesh we are condemned to deth yet quickned in the spirite and iustified by grace in Christ iesu Wee knowe most merciful Father that thou art a righteous Iudge such a one as visiteth the sinz of the Fathers vpon the Children to the thirde and fourth generation and doest not Iustify the synners and them that walk in the waye of iniquitie but punishest the falts of al such
perfect figure and remembraunce of thy bodie and the wyne of thy bloud whiche was shed vpon the Crosse for my redemptioÌ„ Geue me grace sweete Iesu to confesse my sinnes wyth the Publicane and to crye Lord be mercifull to me a sinner and that with Mary Magdeline I may washe thy feete with the teares of repentaunce geue me grace to reconcile my selfe to my brother while he is in the waye to examyne mine owne consience and if in ought I haue offended any man first of all to desire forgeuenesse at the hands of thy deuine Maiestie and next of him whome I haue trespassed I my selfe to forgeue all men whatsoeuer they haue done said or imagined agaynst mée euen as I hope to haue remission at thy Fathers handes of all myne offences by the merites of thy pretious deathe and passion Geue me grace to serch my conscience so narowly that if any one sâ—râ—ple doe stycke in my mynde I may humbly confesse it before the feete of thy mercy crauing pardon therof with grace necessary to leaue a newe lyfe That with a pâ—â—e hart and cleare coÌ„science confessing my sins from the bottome of my hart I maye this daye receaue the Sacrament of thy precious body and bloud to my soules health that thou from henceforth mayst dwell in me I in thee for euer whereby I may obtayne and attaine to that longe desired marke whereto the race of all true Christians tendeth that is euerlasting lyfe in that heauenly Ierusalem where all the elect Saintes shall liue for euermore worlde wythout end In the meane spâ—ce vntill it shall seeme good to thy Maâ—estie to abridge the course of my dayes in this lyfe I humbly desire thée moste sweete Sauiour to admit me to the coÌ„munion of thy Supper that I may be worthy to be accompted a member of thy mysticall bodie here in earth among the number of thy chosen Sayntes in thy congregation And after the receit of thy body bloud vouchsafe I besâ—che thée to illuminate the eyes of my hart with the light of thy heauenly spirit that SathaÌ„ enter not into me as he did into Iudas but graunt that the rest of my lyfe may be so ordred that sinne may be subdued in me thy glory aduaunced thy faith embraced and thy holy commaundementes studiously followed through the merites of thy passion Amen A thankes geuing after the receauing of the CoÌ„munioÌ„ I Render moste hartie and infinite thankes vnto thée swéete Iesu for thyne vnspeakable goodnesse because thou hast fed me this day with thy most pretious bodie and bloude in the Sâ—crament wherby I am iustified by an inmoueable and constante fayth in thy grace and passion being made an vndefiled member of thy church A Temple for the holy Ghost and a fellow heire or partaker in thy glorious kingdome in the bosome of Abraham where the spirites of the elect shall rest for euermore Graunt therfore sweet Iesu that this SacrameÌ„t which I haue receaued may through the operation of the holy Ghost be to mee a purgation and clensing of all my sinnes a spirituall streÌ„gthe agaynst my boâ—â—ly frailtie a preparature and preseruature against the teÌ„ptatyons of Sathan a bridle mean of restraint against the vntamed lusts of the flesh a defence against worldly troubles and aduersitie and finally a perfect medicine of lyfe and a continuall remembrauncâ— of thy blessed passion by meanes wherof I stande in assured hope of eternall saluation with frée iustification and remission of all my sinnes So that it may conduct and guyde me in the way and when I am out of the way it maye reduce me wheÌ„ I slide it may vpholde me when I fall it may rayse me vp agayne when I liue it maye bée a salue to my soule when I am weake it maye streÌ„gtheÌ„ and confirme when I am in darkenes it may illuminate me wyth the light of true fayth and vnderstanding Let the receauing thereof excuse so effectuall an operation in my hart that I neuer ioye in other comfort but in thée that I neuer féele other sweetenes but thee that I neuer seke other place of refuge but thée that my mynd be enamoured vpoÌ„ no other louer but thée that I séeke for no other succoure but at thée thát I trust in none other but in thée myne onely Lorde and redemer who didest not denie to haue thy moste pretious body scourged and mangled and thy bloud to be shed most aboundantly for my sake whereby I might be brought from errour to trueth from ignoraunce to vnderstaÌ„ding froÌ„ darkenes to light from vanitie to veritie from mortalitie to immortallitie â—roÌ„ corruption to incorruption from damnatioÌ„ to iustification from eternall death to the incoÌ„prehensible ioyes of eternall lyâ—e and saluation â–ª To thee swéete Iesus wyth the Father the holy Ghost be all honour glory from thys tyme forthe for euer more worlde without ende Amen A prayer to be said wheÌ„ ye take a iourney by lande O Almighty Lord most mercifall father the wachman of them that sleepe the Physicion of them that are diseased the comfort of theÌ„ that are afflicted the garder and protector of them that are in any daunger or aduersity vouchsafe I besech thée to sende downe thyne heauenly Aungell to be my guide conductor and leader in the waye where I walke that by thy gracious protection I may be defended froÌ„ all myne enemies bothe Ghostly and bodily from all perills or daungers that by any extraordinary meanes may be fall me if I be alone without company kepe my mynde free from all maner idle phantasies and fonde cogitatioâ—s that may withdrawe me from the meditation of thy heauenly word and let al my thoughts consist in the contemplation of thy comfortable promises and coÌ„maundementes And if it so chaunce that I trauayle in the companie of others I beseche thee so to direct my tonge that no word of ribaldrie or vnhonest talke proceede out of my mouth but that al my communications thoughts and déedes may tend to the aduauncement of thy glorie and to the edification both of me and all els that shall heare it Send downe most heauenly Father thy messenger to conduct me as thou dydst yong Iobias in his iourney to Rages whiche moste mercifully defended him from the iawes of the monstrous Fishe and from the power of the euil spirit Thou hast promised that thou wylt at all tymes be readie both to heare their prayers and minister present helpe to all them that vnfaignedly call vppon thy name encline therefore thine eare vnto me moste mercifull Father whiche powre foorth my prayers before the throne of thy mercie and vouchsafe to garde me vnder the shadow of thy winges that I may safely trauaile in trade of my vocation without daunger of anye ghostly enimie that may hurt the soule or anye other humaine chaunce or casualtie that may annoye the body Direct most mercyfull Father the procâ—â—se of my businesse to a happie and prosperous ende
me into his fauour againe Therfore most merciful father séeing thou haste not denied to geue vp thine onely begotten sonne to the shameful death of the crosse to redéeme me from the bondage of death hell Inspire I beseche thée my minde with thy heaueÌ„ly spirite that I maye doe suche thinges as please thee and turne to kill sinne with all other vngodly lustes concupiscence that I maye be made a sweete smelling sacrifice to thee and the temple of the holy ghost for euer that I may liue vprightly and honestly in my calling without reproofe ensuing the right pathe of thy holy commaundementes And for as muche as it hath pleased thee to ordaine the night for men to rest in and the day to labour graunt I beseche thee most merciful Father that I may so take my bodily rest that my soule may continually watche for that happie and ioyfull tyme when Iesus Christ shal appeare for my deliueraunce out of the miseries of this transitorie lyse And in the meane season that I be not ouercome by any phaÌ„tasies dreames or other temptations but maye haue my minde alwaye fixed vppon thee to loue thee feare thee and rest in thee for euer Moreouer that my sleepe be not excessiue or ouermuche after the vnsatiable desyres of the fleshe but so much as maye suffise to content and satisfie my feeble nature wherby I may be the better disposed to lyue in al godlye conuersation to the glory of thy holy name and the commoditie of my neyghbour To thee with the sonne and the holy ghost be al honor glory for euer euer AmeÌ„ A prayer for VVednesday morning O Almightie most merciful father haue pitie and compassion vppon the weakenesse of me thy vnworthy chylde and be thou prest and redy O heauenly father to helpe me with thy heauenly spirit to assist my weake spirite againste all assaultes of the wicked worlde the fleshe and the deuyll whiche striue continually with fayre allurementes and prouocations to drawe my mynde from thy commaundementes into the hartfull and damnable way of error and iniquitie but myne only stay and coÌ„fidence is in the multitude of thy mercies with a sure and certayne hope that thou wylt so direct my steppes both this day and euer hereafter that all my thoughtes words deedes may be found acceptable in thy sight and accordyng to the godly liue and rule of thy vndefiled lawe Therefore I beseech thee heauenly father to shewe thy mercy vpon me and to prosper me in whatsoeuer I goe about in thy name so that thou geuyng me lyght I may learne to knowe what thinges are acceptable before thee and by the vertue of thy grace I may haue an earnest yeale desyre to folow the same in my life to â—ay glory the commoditie of my neighbour That thou being my guide and leader I may walke in the path of vnderstanding and righteousnesse without stumbling or wandring astray for in my selfe I haue nothing but mistrust and inabilitie to do any thing that maye please thée sauing only by the motion of thy holy spirit in my mind which spirit assureth my spirite that the meane to please thée is a constant and immoueable fayth in Christe Iesus with repentaunce of my sinnes and amendment of lyfe to ensue the steppes of equitie and vnderstanding to cleaue to the stedfast rocke of thy heauenly worde and promises to loue my neighbour as my selfe for hereby shall it be knowen that we be thy childreÌ„ if we loue one another to geue ouer my portion to the poore to take vp my crosse and folowe thée to abounde in all maner good workes whiche are the fruites of fayth in Christe iesu Geue me grace most mercyful father to kyll the buddes of sinne in my fleshe to bridle myne owne destres to kepe my body in subiectioÌ„ wherby I maye be sanctified in thee and made an vndefiled â—â—â—ple for the holy ghost ful of the spirite of trueth and vnderstanding And sith it hath pleased thee of thy fatherly pitie to preserue me from all perils daungers both of body and soule this night and al the rest of my lyfe tyme tyll this present houre I beseeche thee also most merciful father to protect me with thy grace all this daye euer hereafter that I may safely walke in my vocatioÌ„ with thy feare before myne eyes in all things that I take in hand And vouchsafe most mercyfull father so to direct the reÌ„nant of my course which I haue yet to runne in this lyfe that at the laste I may come to dwell with thée in thy euerlasting kingdome and there to haue fruition of eternall ioye and felicitie through Iesus Christe our onely mediatour sauiour Amen A prayer for VVednesday euening O Mercyfull Lorde Iesu I beseche thée to be fauourable to me a wretched sinner that all my lyfe tyme haue folowed the lustes of myne owne minde and neuer harkened to thy voyce wherby I might liue in thy lawe that thou hast appointed for me Put away I beseeche thée all my sinnes out of thy remembrance washe me cleane with thy pretious blood sanctifie me with thy bitter passion and death clense me throughly restore me agayne to the innocencie whiche thou gauest me in baptisme that I may be truely regenerate borne a newe in thée my swéet sauiour only redeemer so that I maye acknowledge thée onely the author of my redemption and the principal cause of my iustification to shew my felâ—e a thankefull Samaritane for that thou hast vouchsafed by thy death and bloodshedding to purge me from the leprosie of sinne and al kinde of vncleannesse yeelding thée immortal thanks continually for that all other gratious benefites which thou of thy fatherly liberalitie bountie vouchsafest dayly to bestow vpon me And among all the rest geue me grace swéet Iesu to haue alwaies in remembraÌ„ce thy sincere loue fatherly affection and gratious charitie towardes me in that thou hast vouchsafed to take my nature vpon thée to be made man in all respectes lyke vnto me sinne onely excepted and for my sake to be borne in a stable and as an infant to be wrapped in clothes to be swadled laide in a maunger there to be fed with the materiall milke of thy blessed mother the virgin Marie For my sake sweet Iesu thou hast susteyned hunger colde pouertie and many other agonies didst thou susteyne for me most miserable and wretched sinner Thou hast suffered thy selfe to be betrayed to be apprehended and taken shamefully to be bounde vnworthyly to be beaten cruelly to be condemned vniustly and to be brought to that shameful death of the crosse where for my sake thy pretious bodye was rent and torne and thy moste sweete blood aboundauntly shedde where thou yéeldedst vp the ghost to God the father and descendedst agayne into the graue lyke a dead man but dyddest ryse agayne the thirde daye and ascendedst into heauen where thou sittest at