thy grace so to instruct mee to pray and continue mee in praier vnto the presence of thy pitty that putting of the delights of the vanitie of this world I may put on the ioy of the vertue of thy loue beetaking my selfe to the Temple of thy Truth and only long in my soule to beehold the blessing of thy coÌ„ming come I say sweet Iesu come downe into my heart heale my wounded soule quiet my troubled spirit deliuer mee from this sinfull prison lighten my darckned eies take me out of this deadly sorrow into the ioy of thy eternall mercy where feeding on the fruict of my faith in the fauour of thy grace at the feet of thy presence I may see the paradise of my soule in a new song of thanckes giuing I may glorify thy holy name Amen A prayer vpon the queene of sheba hir comming to Solomon The fruict thereof The treasure of true wisedome which is onely in the word of GOD. O Infinitte and eternall God the ground of all vertue and giuer of all goodnesse the fountayn of vnsearchable deepe wisedome of the incomprehensyble Deity looke I humblye beeseech thee vpon the simple soule of thy silly creature The Queene of Sheba came to thy seruaunt Solomon to heere the woÌ„der of his wit which compared to thy wisedome is as nothing and shall not I come to thee for the knowledge of my coÌ„sort yes my deere LORD let thy mercy be my tutor thy wisdome my lesson thy comfort my lyfe Teach me euer how to pray what to hope for in my prayer and how to bee thanckfull or thy blessings teach me wisdome to know thee knowledge to serue thee Grace so to loue thee that I may neuer liue to leaue thee bee thou the coÌ„templatioÌ„ of my study the letters of my reading the woord of my continuall remembrance the note of my Comfort the white of my loue and â—he light of my lyfe Inspire my hart with thy holy spirit leade mee in the way of thy truth and blesse mee with the ioy of thy peace that leauing this desart where fooles loose their wittes emong the followers of thy will I may heere the wonders of thy wisdome where the saith of the sâ—mple finde the summe of their felycity that beeing pardoned my faults healed of my folly in the seruice of my faith I mai glorify thy holy Maiestie but oh Lord shee brought gifts of great value which she presented vnto thy seruaunt I haue nothing to giue thee but my selfe vnworthy present for thy presence but sweet Lord I beeseech thee refuse not thy seruant though vnworthy thy fauour and instruct me in thy law though vnworthy thy loue that hauing thy lesson in my heart I may teach thy wil vnto the world graunt this oh deere God for thy deere beloued Sonne IESVS CHRIST his onely sake to whome with thee and the holy Ghost three persons but one GOD bee all Honour and Glory humbly ascribed of mee and all thy poore vnworthy seruants in all things for all things and aboue all things world without ende Amen A praier vpon the words of Peter vnto Christ in the time of his transfiguration Luke ix verse 33. The fruict therof the ioy of the faithfull O How amiable are thy dwellings my deer Lord Iesu how pleasant are thy graces how comfortable are thy mercies more sweet are they to my hart then hony vnto my mouth yea sweeter then hony and the hony combe when thy holy Apostle Peter beeheld thee transfigured beeing rauished in soule with the sweet of thy countenance then could he say heere is good beeing LORD so my sweet sauiour when in my soule I behold but one beame of thy bright loue I can say to my self it is good being with thee LORD for better is it not to be at all then to be without the comfort of thy blessing blesse mee therfore sweet IESV I beeseech thee with the feeling of thy goodnes the comfort of thy mercy the ioy of thi loue and let mee saie to my selfe whiles I am in this body of sinne in this wretched world heere is ill being LORD wher I am so much without thee and onely their is good beeing where I might neuer bee from thee that being rauished with the sweetnes of thy brightnes I might make my poore soule a tabernacle for thy dwelling that beeing clensed from my sinne by the onely merite of thy mercy sweeted in my soule by the oile of thy grace in the fruicts of thancks giueing I may Glorifye thy holly name Amen A praier vpon Mary Magdalens weeping at the Sepulcher Iohn xvi The fruict thereof the vertue of constancy in the loue of the faithfull KNock saiest thou sweet Iesus it shall bee opened vnto vs seeke we shall finde aske wee shall haue oh my deer God long haue I sought thee with the zealous loue of my hart knocking at the gates of thy grace with the sighes of vnfained sorrow beging with bitter tears but one drop of thy mercy but my deere God sinne did so blind mee that I went still out of the way that doth lead mee to thy will sin did so oppresse me I could not come at thy grace yea sinne did so dismaie mee that I was afraide of thy mercy but now sweet Lord being cleered of my blindnes by the light of thy holy word and seeing the gates of thy grace open to the passage of the Repentaunt emong the hopes of the faithfull I beg an almes of thy mecry I reed oh Lord of Mary Magdalens great grace who being a great sinner yet by a great repentance receiued a great measure of thy mercy in sorrow she sought thee in humility she loued thee in loue shee found thee yea aliue shee loued thee dead shee mourned for thee buried she sought thee and risen she found thee sweetly was shee blessed that hauing once beegon to seeke thee could neuer leaue till she found thee hauing once found thee did so deerely loue thee that in the depth of hir loue shee had no ioie to liue from thee sweet Iesu so giue me grace to seeke thee that in thy grace I may finde thee by thy grace I may loue thee in thy gratious loue I may liue to beehold thee open mine eares that I may heare thee call and open mine eies that I may see thy goodnesse open my hart that I may with teares attend thee and open thy handes to take mee wholy vnto thee mortify my flesh that my soule may liue shut me not from the gates of thy grace but keep mee vnder the shadow of thy wings lead mee through the darknes of sinne into the day light of thy loue the first day in the weeke and earely in the morning let mee seeke thee let the prime of my youth and the whole time of my pilgrimage bee onely emploied to the finding out of thy fauour let mee feare nothing while thou art my hope nor bee
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
of the soule Thou art the portion of mine inheritance the longing of my hearts loue and the onely heauen that I hope for who can know thee and not loue thee or know what loue is is not rauished with the thought of thee O my sweet Sauiour since it hath pleased thee to call mee vnto thee I humbly beeseech thee let mee neuer goe from thee but let mee liue and die with thee that I maie die to liue with thee for y u onely art the life the onely life of thē that come vnto thee and to thee onely doe I come with sorowfull MARY beeseeching thy comfort in the greatnesse of thy goodnesse so to inspire my hart with the grace of thy holie spirit that with y e teares of my soul mingled with one drop of thy pretious blood I maie wash awaie the filth of my vnsauerie sinne and in the comfort of thy kindenesse I may kisse the feete of thy mercie till out of the wretched vale of this worldly miserie thou wilt bring mee to the ioies of the elected in thy loue that there beeing preserued by the hande of thy mercie with the Angells of thy traine I maie sing to thy Glorie Amen A prayer vppon Elizabethes meeting with hir cosen Mary the blessed virgin Luke i. Chap. 4. i. verse The fruict therof The ioies of the elected that by the loue of grace are allied vnto Christ. YF all the treasures of the world were layde together were they any better then trash compared oh LORD to the least thought of thy Loue are not the Heauens them selues the workes of thy singers and is not the earth with all hir glory most glorious in beeing thy footestoole what thē are wee but drossie creatures of slimy clay but wherin thou hast made vs gratious to encrease the greatnesse of thy glory shall we then attribute vnto our selues that is due only vnto thee or thinck our selues to bee any thing that haue our being but in thee wilful were such a blindenesse and wofull were such a sight as taking night for the day would seeke paradise in hell LORD keepe vs from such a folly cleere vs from such a blindenesse saue vs from falling into such an errour be thou the light of our loue the sence of our vnderstanding the wisedome of our knowledge the meditation of our hearts and the ioy of our Soules but sweet LORD I reede that when ELIZABETH met with hir cosen MARY the blessed Virgin thy blessed mother the babe sprāg in hir wombe which after he came into the world did preach of thy kingdome aboue the world and now mee thincks I feele thy holy Spirit making entraunce into my Soule there rise vp thoughts in my heart to honour thee in the highest Heauens but the thought is yet yong cannot prosper without thy blessing it is conceiued in my Soule by the blessing of thy grace LORD preserue it with thy mercy that I may bring ir foorth to thy glorie though when it is at the best as it is frō me it is vnworthy to loose the least latchet of thy shoe yet as it is from thee a guift of thy Goodnesse at the Feete of thy mercie let it speake of thy glorie thy grace hath begot it let thy good spirit breed it thy holy hande so preserue it y ◠being fed in this infancy with the sweet milk of thy Mercy it mai gather such force in the faith of thy holy word y t delighting in thy law liuing but in thy Loue it may loath the whole world to be y e lest in thy kingdom oh sweet Lord let my hart reioyce to heere of thee my sences to serue thee my soule to praise thee bee thou y e childe of my loue the Lord of my life the life of my soul let my soule euer conceiue thee neuer part frō thee y t hauing thee for my comfort I may feare no crosse nor care for any calamity be y u swet Iesu my father my child my husband my brother my loue my life my Lord my god in whom my spirit may reioyce when I but thinck of thy blessing that beeing wholy rauished with the vertue of thy loue in harmony of thy graces I may Glorify thy holly name Amen A praier vpon the talke of Christ with the woman of Samaria Ihon. 4. The fruict therof the comfort of mercy PEereles loue and purest life of thy beloued pardon I beeseech thee the presūption of thy poore wounded creature wounded with sinne and cureles of hir sore but onely in the merite of thy MERCY in the oile of thy grace wounds of thy loue oh sweet IESV thou didst vouchsafe at Iacobs well of the woman of Samaria to aske a little water thou talkedst with hir reueledst thy selfe vnto hir who vnworthy of thy comfort could not conceiue the greatnes of thy kindenes but alas Lord heere is another woman that commeth with another thirst to drinck of another fountaine which fountaine onely art thou alone thou art the well of life of which who drinketh shall neuer dye long hath my soule thirsted after thee yea in a barraine and drie land where no water is oh that I might so drinck of thy vertue that beeing dronck with thy loue I might bee so moistened with thy grace that I might neuer thurst more after sinne oh sweet Iesu how sweet is thy sweetnes no hart can Imagine nor tung can expresse a fountaine neuer dri of the abūdance of whose streams all the blessed come to drincke all that drinck are in loue and all that loue doe liue for euer such a spring neuer drying such a loue euer liueing such a life euer ioying wher is it but in thee where art thou but it is oh foūtaine of all blessednes oh blessing of all happines oh felicity of all ioyfulnes quench the fire of my thirst with one droppe of thy grace let fall the dew of thy blessing vpon the drie hart of my soule that being refreshed with thy loue I maie deuote my life to thy seruice for sweet LORD though the woman of Samaria would not offer thee drinck beecause the Samaritans would not meddle with the iewes yet sweet Lord I am sure thou wilt not denie me thy mercy because I am a sinner for thou hast mercy in store for all them that come vnto thee Iacob their father gaue y t well as it seemed to an vncourteous people that would not giue thee a cuppe of their water but God thy father hath giuen thee to all people a fountaine of life to all that in true faith thirst to drinck of thy loue how incomparable is thy kindnes that with the blood of thy hart didst seale the bond of thy loue doest thou denie any one comfort that callest all vnto thy mercy or doest thou suffer any to perish that put their trust in thy word doest thou not offer thy selfe freely shall I not beg thee
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