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virtue_n faith_n good_a temperance_n 1,131 5 11.1758 5 true
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A08304 A progresse of pietie. Or the harbour of heauenly harts ease to recreate the afflicted soules of all such as are shut vp in anye inward or outward affliction. By Iohn Norden. Norden, John, 1548-1625? 1596 (1596) STC 18633; ESTC S103531 73,609 218

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for vs to rise earlie and to go to our rest late and in griefe to eate our breade vnlesse the Lorde giue a blessing vnto our labours and studies Wherefore let vs repayre vnto our good God with humble harts in faithful supplications that hee will giue vs ablenesse to performe our callings skilfully and religionslie that in quiet of conscience wee may eate the fruites of our labours and so prosper in al that we take in hand that our brethren be neither deceyued by vs nor our selues forced to vse any vnlawfull thing for our owne reliefe which may offend the Lord. The Prayer that euerie man may liue vprightly in his calling O God of all comfort and giuer of all consolation forgiue my sinnes cleanse mee and wash mee from all iniquitie which disable mee to performe my calling in such sinceritie as becommeth mee And through the bloud of thy Sonne purifie my heart and my imperfections increase my knowledge and sanctifie mine affections with thy grace that my sinnes being forgiuen I may rest in thy fauor and in thy fauour finde continuall comfort and be dayly blessed with new gifts that I may be founde perfect in my calling seasoned so with a liuely faith in thee that thy holy spirite may continually dwell and beare rule in me and lead mee to the due performance of those things which thou requirest to be done in my calling that all vnnaturall affections being truelye mortified I may onely rest in thee and relie on thee and be ruled by thee in all things Good Father graunt that I may take the direct right course in my vocation to eternall life In which course consisteth the inward peace of the soule which is onely delighted in thine inuiolable truth reueiled by thy Sonne and left vnto vs in his word and last will In which his last will and Testament are comprehended all necessarie rules and the sacred discipline whereby thy children are to guide them selues in their seuerall callings which directions are comprehended in three principall vertues by thee bestowed vpon them that seeke them at thy hands in the name of thy sonne faith hope and loue which three are so vnited and knit in one that they dwell altogether in thine elect children so precisely direct them through thy grace that they goe not awry in their callings I therefore good Father being of mine owne wisdom ignorant and of mine owne power vnable to comprehend the height the length and depth of my calling instantly beseech thee in mercy to beholde mee an vnperfect creature without these vertues and so adorne me with them that I may be made perfect in all good workes of the spirit that my bodilie labors be not in vayne in thee Graunt also that I may ioyne with all my trauailles labors affections desires and endeuours faith with faith knowledge with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godlines with godlines brotherly kindnes and with brotherly kindnes loue that I bee not vnfruitfull in my calling But may acknowledge thy sonne Christ Jesus and in him to haue peace of conscience that I may bee patient in troubles long suffering in wronge● meeke in trials faithfull in expecting helpe in distresse reioycing in heart quieted in minde in hope to inioy at thy handes and in thy good time whatsouer maketh to the true comforte of my soule and the reliefe of my bodie That in all truth and inward feeling of thine aide my calling may be made perfecte and sealed with the seale of thine owne spirituall approbation So shall I thine vnworthy creature and all such as thou hast committed to my charge bee directed in the true knowledge of thee and sustayned with thinges necessary while wee liue here Oh blessed Lord and louing father except thou thus direct me I cannot stande but shall fall into many miseries For no estate no degree no calling office function or trade of life can prosper or bee rightly performed without thy continuall ayde direction and prouidence Therefore Lord guide mee by thy spirite encrease my faith giue mee wisedome and ablenes in all thinges to execute calling as I ought and to the execution thereof blesse all my members make them apt and ready instrumentes to perform their duties that in no poynt I fayle in a Christian proceeding therein And bridle in mee the nature of flesh bloud which vnles thou season my affections by thy spirit will so much the more glorie by howe much thou hast exalted me to worldly preferment enable mee to liue in this world in higher reputation than other men whereunto flesh and bloud is ready to attribute chiefest harts ease And by that subtil shift Sathan manie times mooueth vs to relie vpon vain things And therfore good Father vouchsafe so to ground all mine affections vppon thy feare that I bee not miscarried in my calling from the true obedience vnto thee without which neither honour profit friendes wealth wisedome or any other blessing of thine can steede releeue or comfort me Be present therefore good and gracious Father with mee and grant that all thinges that I take in hand may begin in knowledge proceed in feare of thee and end in loue that my whole course of life may be blessed with good effect in all my endeuours That neither mine enemies reioyce at my miseries the godly bee offended at my rashnesse nor my estate hindered by my foolishnes Good Lord grant this for thy sonnes sake Amen For Gods direction in our callings O God of Gods O father great thou guide of all degrees The high and low look vp to thee attendant on their knees We haue our being and our food our wisedome and our skill Our high estate all honour eke and callings at thy will Al kings receiue their scepters pure and diademes from thee Thou makest thē apt to rule a land else they vnable be Thou giuest sage and sacred men and Senators most graue To guide thy people in the hestes that fit them best to haue Thou chosest eke the godliest ones and meetest men to be The preachers of thy satred will who learne to teach from thee Thy grace doth guide their lips aright els speak they all awry Thou art the fountaine ful of loue whereof they drinke or die The porest thou dost frame to skil the lowest learnes to liue Ech hand taks hold of art frō thee thou doest all blessings giue Els all their curious cunning failes our labours loose their grace In vaine we trauaile and our toyle turnes vs to poorest place Sith then good father ech degree depend on thee for aide The high and low wealthy wise els rest they all vnstaide Blesse all thy people in their charge our callings all direct Teach Prince people in the way that graceth thine elect A motion to a prayer wherein the soule must arme himselfe to suffer crosses and therefore it is necessarye to call to mind what is to be done when affliction commeth EUery one that
And heerein it is required that we be poore in spirit to hunger thirst for righteousnes to be meke to be mercifull to be pure in hart and gladly Suffer persecution for righteousnes sake We must be louing liberall pittifull patient in troubles and in all thinges wee must frame and conforme our wordes workes and thoughts to doe the will of our heauenly father To him we must fall downe to be strengthened in faith without which we cannot reteine this kingdome the liuely and effectuall word which that it may bee purely preached without fraud deliue●● without vaine glory receiued and practised without faltring or fear we must pray vnto our God who hath promised and will perfourme to send vs his ayde to keepe vs vpright in this glorious path to eternall life And wee must pray vnto him that hee will make our vnderstandinges capable of the trueth of his will and what hee requireth at our handes in seekinge of this hys kingdome That he wil frame our liues in all simplicity of faith submitting our selues wholy vnto his word casting downe our own imaginations and euerie proude conceit of our selues that through meekenesse in true knowledge and obedience we may be made meete partakers of the euerlasting kingdome of God Hauing obtained this spirituall feeling of the will of God in his word and being sealed vp through faith in a longing desire for al spirituall perfection let vs proceede to the execution of our callinges which may aunsweare the commaundement of God heerein Let vs continually seeke new and dayly meanes by hearing the woorde preached by stirring vp one of an other and by giuing sacred examples of vertue and godlynesse that our callings may bee made sure to be founded and established in this kingdome Then may wee freely approach vnto our God and he will receiue vs we may cal on him and he wil heare vs we may beg of him and he wil giue vs al things necessary for body and soule Hee is our almighty king and he will defende vs he is our mercifull God and he will relieue vs and hee is our mercifull father and he will feede vs cloath vs and teach vs. And at last he wil crowne vs with the glorie of his sonne hee will make vs as the saintes in heauen and we shall receiue the inheritance of euerlasting blisse And therefore let vs seeke and praie vnto him that wee may obtaine this principall and chiefe foundation of all true comfortes in this life the kingdome of his Sonne Christ Jesus The prayer for the kingdome of God O Most gracious God and louing father it hath pleased thee to commaund vs first before all things to seeke thy kingdome and the riches righteousnes thereof with promise that then al things necessary for body and soule shal be giuen vs wherfore good father sith that our vnablenes is such that we cannot attaine vnto this high matter of our selues vouchsafe to prepare our heartes that at this time and alwaies wee may aboue all things hunger and thirst for this righteousnesse the absolute meane of our true comfort without which all our comfort is but care our wisdome but foolishnes our glory but shame our riches but pouertie our godlines impietie and all our praiers sin Wherefore good father I humbly praye thee in the behalfe of all thy children that thou wilt poure into our hearts a godly consideration of our imperfections not being endued with this absolute integrity that we may see our pouerty nakednes not being enriched cloathed with this riches weedes of sanctitie that wee may feele how ready we are to pine for want of this foode of our soules thy sacred woord the glorious Gospell of Christ wherein consisteth this heauenly kingdome which kingdome O Lord teach vs to find Endue vs with thy holy spirit poure into our harts that sacred gift which thou hast left for our comfort to leade vs to this kingdome that may direct vs in all truth that may manifest in vs the knowledge and exercise of thy word wherein resteth that spirituall happinesse which heere by faith we see as a shadow farre off which one day shall be manifest to our absolute ioy and saluation In the meane time good Father sanctifie our hearts with heauenly contemplations and sanctified meditations that our ioye which now is but in part may be dayly enlarged through the diuine fruites of loue to thy law faith in thy promises and of hope that our ioy shall be full at the appearinge of thy sonne So shall the kingdome of thy sonne appeare in vs and wee which wander in the darknesse of this polluted worlde shall appeare manifestly to bee the heires of thy kingdome through faith testified by the fruites of a sanctified life And to the end good father that thy kingdome may dayly more and more appeare and increase graunt free and comfortable passage to thy word and Gospell of Christ that it may be plainely purely and plentifully preached And vouchsafe to increase the number of the laborers in this worke who may faithfully and diligently worke therein That through the same thy people which now sit in darknes may be enlightened that such as are farre off may come neere and they that are without at thy good pleasure may be brought into this kingdome ●hat wee may all put on that sanctif●ed garment of a new life and sincere conuersation which may approoue vs to bee thy children and Citizens of thy kingdome and that as bec●mmeth thy sonnes we may be reformed in our liues Giue vs thine holy Spirite that wee may beleeue thy worde and therby so direct our liues that we in all vertuousnes godlines of conuersation may finish our course vpon earth And afterward liue with thy Sonne in eternall blisse And seeing thy kingdome is not meat and drink neither consisteth in ceremonies and traditions deuised by man neither commeth it with obseruations neither is it in word but in righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost and in power Graunt that wee all may bee truely regenerate and borne new by the holy spirite and may no longer spend the dayes of our liues in the lusts of the flesh in the vanities of the mind and in pride of life But may eleuate and raise vpwarde all our affections euen vnto thy holy hill from whence commeth the life wherein we liue the helpe whereby wee stand and the power wherby we are defended And be thou present good Father in al readines to support vs being weak to releeue vs being poore and to traine vs vp in all heauenly knowledge being altogether ignorant And let euerie of thy children that thirst after that righteousnes bee filled with all good thinges within and without that wee may goe forwarde in dayly exercise of pietie and godlines in knowledge in faith in loue in hope and in true zeale that we may liue within the compasse of thy fatherly protection die in thy loue