A Godly Meditation
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A16579.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
A Godlye Medytacyon composed by the faithful and constant servant of God I. B. 〈…〉 lastlye was burnt in 〈…〉 for the testimony of Jesus Christ, by the tyranny of Antechriste in his fill • •• members.
Psalm lxxix. O Lord let the vengeance of thy servants blood that is shed be openly showed upon the ungodly in our sight. O let the sorrowful, lighting of the prisoners come before thee▪ and according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die.
O Almightye and everlasting Lord god the deer father of our savior Jesus Christ, which haste made heavē, & earth, the sea and all that therein is, which art the only ruler, governor, conseruor, & keeper of all things, together with thy dearly beloved son Christ Jesus our lord, and with thy holy ghost the comforter. O holy, Righteous and wise. O strong, terrible, mighty and ferfull Lord god, judge of all men, and governor of all the whole world O exorable, paciēt, and most gracious father, whose eyes ar vppō the ways of all men, and are so clean, they cannot a byede impitye, thou searchest the hearts and tryest the very thaughtes, and reins of all men, thou hatest sin and abhorrest iniquity: for sins sake thou haste grievously punisshed mankind thy most dere creature as thou haste declared by the penalty of death laid vpō all the children of Adam, by the casting out of Adam & his of spring forth of Paradise, by the cursing of the earth, by the drowninge of the world, by the burning up of Sodom and gomor, by the hardening the heart of Pharaoh, so that no miracle could convert him, by the drowning of him, and his people w t him in the red sea, by the overthrowing of the Israhelytes in the wilderness, so that of syx hundredth thousand, all only but two did enter into the land of promise, by rejecting king Saul, by the great ponishmentes upon thy servant dauid, not withstanding his hearty reap̄tance by grievously aff • cting Solomon in him self, and in his posterity: by the captivity of the ten tribes, and by the thralldom of the Jews, wherein until this present day they continue a notable spectacle, of they wrath to the world against and for sin, but of all spectacles of thy angre against sin, y e greatest and moste notable, is the death & bloody passion of thy dearly beloved son Ihesus Christ. Great is thine angre against syn when in heaven and earth nothing could befoūd which might appease thy wrath, save the bloudsheading of thine only & moste dearly beloved son, in whom was and is all thy delight, great is the sore of sin that needed such a salve, mighty was the mallady, that needed such a medicine. If in Christ in whom was no sin, thy wrath was so ferce for our sin, that he was constrained to cry my god, my god why haste thou forsaken me, howe great and importable then is thine angre against us which are nothing but sinful. They that ar thy childrē through the contemplation of thine angre against sin, set forth most evidently in the death of Christ, Do tremble & ar afraid, lamenting them selves upon him (and heartily cryeng for mercy) Whereas the wicked, ar altogether careless & contemptuous, nothing lamenting their iniquities or crying to the heartily for mercy and pardō, amongst whom we ar rather to be placed, then amongst thy children, for that we ar so shameless for our syn, and careless for thy wrath, which we may well say to be most grievous against us, and evidently set forth in the taking away of our good King and thy true religion, in thexiel of thy servants, prysonmēt of thy people, misery of thy children, and death of thy saints. Also by the placinge over us in Aucthoritie thy enemies, by y e success thou givest them in all they take in hand, by the returninge again in to our country of Antichrist the pope. All these as they do preach unto all the world (but specially unto us) thy grievous wrath, so do they set before our eyes, our iniquities and sins, which have deserved the same, for thou art Iuste and holy in all thy works thy judgments ar righteous altogether, it is we, it is we that have sinned, & procured these plages we have ben unthankful wretches, and moste carnal gosspelers therefore to us parteyneth shame, and nothing else is due but confusion. For we have don very wickedly, we have heaped sin vpō sin, so that the measure hath over flowed, and Ascend • d up to heaven, and brought these plages, which are but earnest for greater to ensue, & yet alas we are altogether caerlesse, in manner, what shall we do? What shall we say? Who can give us pen • ēt hearts? Who can open our lips, that our mouths might make acceptable confession unto thee. Alas of our selves we cannot think any good, much less wish it, and lease of all do it, as for Angels or any other creatures, they have nothing, but that which they have received, & they ar made to minister unto us so that where it passeth the pour of the master, she minister must needs want, Alas then what shall we do? Thou art holy & we vnholye, thou art good, and we nothing but evil, thou art pure, we all together impure, thou art light, and we moste dark darkness, how then can there be any conueniency or agreement betwixt us, O what now may we do? Dispayre? no, for thou art god, & therefore good thou art merciful, and therefore thou forgeuest sins, w t thee is mercy and propiciation, and therefore thou art worshipped, when Adam had sinned thou gavest him mercy before he desired it, & wilt thou deny us mercy which now desyer the same, Adam excused his fault and accused y t , but we accuse our selves, and excuse thee, & shall we be sent emptye away? Noye found favor when thy fury a boūdid and shall we seeking grace be frustrate? Abraham was pulled out of ydolatrye when the world was drowned therein, and art thou his god only? Israel in captivity in Egypt was gratiouslye visited and delivered and deer God, the same good lord, shall we always be forgotten? Howe often in the wilderness diddest thou defer, and spar thy plages, at the request of Moses when the people them selves made no petition to thee. And seeing we not only now make our petitions unto the through thy goodness, but also have a mediator for us now far above Moses, even Ihesus Christ: should we I say deer lord, depart ashamed? So soon as David said I have sinned, thou diddest forth with answer to him that he should not die, thou haddest taken away his sins, And gracious god, even the self same god, shall not we which now with David gladly confess that we have sinned, shall we I say not hear, by thy good sprite, that our sins be pardoned. O grant that w t Manasseh we may find favor and mercy remember that thou hast not spared thine own only deresone Jesus Christ, but given him for us all to die, for our sins, to rise for our righteousness, to assend for our possessiō taking in heaven, and to appere before thee for us forever, a high priest after the order of Melchisadech that through him we might have free access to come to thy throne, now rather of grace then of Justice, Remember that thou by him hast bid̄ ask and promised that we should receive, saying ask and ye shall have, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. O thou Dere god and moste meek and merciful father, we heartily beseech the to be merciful unto us, for this thy Christis sake, for his Deathes sake, for thy promise truth, and mercies sake, have mercy upon us, pardon & forgive us all our Sins, iniquites, and trespacis, what so ever we committed against the, in thought word or Dede, ever or at any time hitherto by any means, Der father have mercy upon us though we be pore, yt our christ is Riche, though we be Sinners yet he is righteous, though we be fools, yet is he wise, though we be Inpure yet he is pure, and holy, for his sake therefore be merciful unto us, Cal to mind how thou haste promised that thou wilt pour out of thy clean waters, and wash us from our fylth, & clence us from our evils, forget not that thou hast promised to take from us our stony hearts, & Doest promise to give us sauft hearts, new hearts & to put into the middes of us right Sprites, Remember thy couenate namely howe thou wilt be our god and we shall be thy people, forgette not the partes of it, that is to put out of thy memory forever all unrighteousness, and to write in our minds and hearts thy law and testymonyes, Remēber that thou doest straitly charge us to have none other godes but the, saying that thou art the lord our gad. O thē declare the same to us all, we hartelye now beseech the forgive us our sins, forget our iniquitis, clence us frō our filthiness, wash us frō our wickedness, pour out thy holy sprite vpō us, take frō us our hard harts, our stony harts, our impenitēt harts, our distrustinge and doubtful harts, our carnal our secure, our idle, our beastly hearts, our impure, malicious, arrogant, envious, wrathful, impatient, covetous, hipocriticall and epicuriall hearts, & in place thereof give us new hearts, saft hearts, faithful hearts, merciful hearts, loving, obedient, chaest pure, holy, righteous, true simple, lowly, and patient hearts, to fear thee, to love thee, trust in thee forever, write thy law in our hearts, grave it in our minds, we hertely beseech the give us that sprite of prayer, make us diligent & happy in the works of our vocation, take in to thy custody and governance forever, our souls and bodies, our lives, and all that ever we have, tempt us never further, thē thou wilt make us able to bear, & what so ever thou knowest we have need of in soul or body, deer god and gracious father, vouchsafe to give us that same in thy good time and always, as thy children guide us, so that our life may please the and our deaths praise the through Jesus Christ our lord, for whose sake we heartily pray the to grant these things thus asked, & all other things necessary for soul and body, not only to us, but to all others also, for whom thou wouldest that we should pray, specially for they children, that be in thralldom, in exyel, in prison, misery, heaviness, poverty, sycknes. Be merciful to all the whole realm of England grant us all true repentance, mitigation of our myserye, and if it be thy good will, thy holy word and Religion amongst us once again, pardō our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and if it be thy pleasure, turn their hearts, be merciful unto our parents, Brethern and Sisters, friends, kinsfolks and famelis neighbors, and such as by any means thou haste coupled and linked us by love, or otherwise, and unto us pore sinners here gathered together in thy holy name, grant us thy blessing and holy sprite to sanctify us, and dwell in us, as thy dere childrē to keep us, this day and forever, from all evil to thy eternal glory, and our everlasting comfort and the profet of thy church, which mercyfullye, maintain thereshe and comfort, strengthening them that stonde, so that they never fall, lifting up them that be fallen and keep us from fallynge, from thy truth, through the merits of thy dearly beloved son Jesus Christ our only savior, which liveth and Reigneth with the & the holy ghost, to whom be all praise and honor both now and forever. Amen.
When you awake out of your sleep pray thus.
OH moste dere father of our Sauioure Jesus Christ, whom none doeth know but of thy gift grant that to the manifold great benefits of thy goodness given to me, this which of all other is moste, m •• be added, that like as thou haste awaked my body from sleep, so thou wouldest throughlye awake yea deliver mi soul frō the sleep of sin and darkness of this world and that which now is awaked out of sleep, thou wouldest, after death restore to life for that is but sleep to the which is death to us, Deere god I moste heartily beseech, and humbly pray thy goodness, to make my body such a companiō, or rather a minister of godliness, to my soul, in this present life, that ī the life to cum it may parte take with the same everlasting happiness by Jesus Christ our Lord. Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the deed, and Christ shall show light unto thee. Ephesians. v.
Occasions to meditate.
HEre call to mind the great mirth and blissednes, of the everlasting resurrection, Also remember to muse vpō that most clear light and brighte morenynge, and new clearenes of our bodies after the longe darkness it hath ben in, all then shall be full of joy.
So soon as you behold the day light pray.
O Lord thou greatest and moste true light, whence this light of the day and sun doth spring, O light which doest lyghten, every man that cometh in to this world, Oh light which knowest no night nor eueninge, but art always a midday most clear & fair without whom all is most dark darkness bi whō albe most splēdent O thou wisdom of the eternal father of mercis, lighten my mind that I may only se those things that please the, and may be blinded to all other things.
Graunte that I may walk in thy ways, and that nothing else may be light and pleasant unto me. Lighten mine eyes, Oh lord, that I sleep not in death, lease mine enemies say I have prevailed against him.
Occasions to meditate.
MVse a little how much the light and eye of the mind and soul is better then of the body. Also that we care more for the soul to se well, then for the body. Think that beasts have bodily eyes and therewith se, but men have eyes of the mind and therewith should see.
When you arise pray.
OVre first father tombled down him self, frō a most excellent high & honorable estate into the miex of misery, and depe sea of shame & mischeffe, but Oh Christ thou putting forth thine hand didest raise him up, even so we except we be lift up of the, shall lie still forever. O good Christ our most gracious redeemer, grant y t as thou doest mercifully, reise us now this my body and burden, even so, I beseech the raise up my mind and heart to the light of the true knowledge of the love of thee, that my conversation may be in heaven where thou art. If thou be risen, with Christ think vpō those things that be above.
Occasions to meditate.
THinke Sum thing howe fowl and filthy that Adams fall was by reason of sin, and so of everyone of us from the height of gods grace Again think upon the great benefit of Christ, by whose help we do daily arise from our fallynges.
When you Apparel yourself Praye.
O Christ cloeth me with thin own self, that I may be so far from making provision for my flesh to fulfill the lusts of yt, that I may clean put of all my carnal desiers, and crucefy the kingdom of y e flesh in me, Be thou unto me a wede to warm me, from catching the cold of this world, if thou be a wai frō me (dere lord) all things will be unto me forthwith cold, weak deed. &c. But if thou be with me all things will be warm lyuelye, fresh. &c. grant therefore that as I compass this my body with this cote, so thou wouldest cloth me wholly (but spetiallye my soul) with thine own self. Put upon you as the elect of god, bowels of mercy, mekenes, love, peace. &c.
Occasions to meditate.
CAl to mind a little how we are incorperate into christ, again how he doeth cloth us norish us under his wings, ptettiō, & providence, preserve us. &
When you ar made ready, to begin the day withal pray.
O God and merciful father thou knoweste and haste taught us to know sumthyng, that the weakness of man is much, and that without thy grace and virtue, he can do nor think no good thing, Have mercy upon me, I humbly do beseech thee which am thy moste unworthy, and most weak child, O be gracious and tender towards me, light̄ me that I may with pleasure look vpō good things only, exhort me that I may covet them carefully lead me that I may follow and at the length attain them, I distrusting myself altogether cōmende and offer myself wholly soul, body, life &c. Into thy hands. Thy loving sprite lead me forth unto the lande of righteousness.
Cogitations mete to begin the day with.
THinke first that a man consisteth of a soul and a body, and that the soul is from heaven, heavenly, fyrme and immortal, but the body is of the earth, earthly, frail & mortal. Again think that though by reason of sin wherein you are conceued and borne, the partes of the soul that understandeth and desireth be so corrupt that without special grace to both parties, you can neither know nor love any good thing in gods sight, much less do good then, yet this not withstandinge think that you are regenerate by Christ's Resurrection (whereof youre baptism, requireth faith and therefore have both those partes sumthing reformed both to know and love, and therefore to do sum good in y e sight of God through Christ) for whose sake our poor doenges are accepted, for good, the evil and infirmity cleaving thereto not being imputed thorough faith, think y t by faith which is gods seed (for they which believe are borne of god, and made gods children) given to those that be ordened, to eternal life, think (I say) by faith that you receive more and more, the spirit of sanctification, through the use of gods word and sacraments, and earnest prayer to illumine, and lighten our minds, understanding, judgment and reason, & to bow, form, frame, and inflame your affections with love & pour, to that, that good is, & therefore use you the means a foresaid accordingly. Thynke that by this sprite, you are thorough faith coupled to Christ, as a lively member, and so to god, and as it were made one with him, and bi love which springeth out of this faith, you are made one also with all that be of god, & so you have fellowship with god and all good men y t ever were or shall be in all y e good, that god & all his saints, have, or shall have. Thynke as by faith and love through the spirit you are now entered into this cōmunyon (the blessedness whereof no tongue can express) so after this life, you shall first in soul, & in the last day in body also, enjoy forever y e same society moste perfectly which now is but begun in you. Thīke then of your negligence that doth so little care for this your happy estate, think upon your ingratitude to god for making you, redemyng you, calling you, and so louenglye adoptynge you.
Thynke upon your folyshnes in fantasyeng so much earthelye and bodily pleasures. Think vpō your deafnes & blindness, which hereth not god, nor seeth him, he calling you so diligently, by his works, words and sacraments. Think upon your frowardness which will not be led of god and his spirit. Think upon your forgetfulness and in consideratiō of your high estate, how your body is the temple of the holy ghost, your members, are the members of Christ the whole world and all things are youre own. 1. Cor. 6. Therefore say unto your soul, O soul Arise follow god, contempne this world purpose well and pursue it, longe for thy Lord's coming, be ready and watch y t he come not vpō thee unawares. And for so much as you must live to gods pleasure se the vocation & state of your life whereto god hath called you & pray god for grace, knoledg, & habylitie to take y e most profitable things in hand, well to begin, better to go on, & best of all to end the same, to gods glory & profit of your bretheren, and think that time lost, wherein you, speak or do not, or (at the least) think not sum thing to gods glory, and your bretherns commodytye.
When you go forth of the doers pray.
NOwe must I walk among the snares of death, streched out of Satan and of his myscheuous mynysters, in the world, carryenge with me a friend to them both, and a foe to myself, even this body of syn and sinful flesh. O graūde Capytayne Christ, lead me and guide me I beseech thee, defend me from the plagues, and subtleties, whereof I am endaungered. Grant that I may take all things that hap as I should do, only vpō the set thou mine eyes, y t I may so go on forwards in thy wai as by no things I be himdred, but rather forthered and may refer all thnigs to the accordinglye, show me thy ways (O Lord) and teach me thy paths. Consider how vainli y e most part of men be occupied, how thei do trouble and comber thē selves dyuersly, how thei meddle w t many things thereby much alienating thir minds frō the knoledg and cogytacyon of that which they should most esteem, & so becum a let and an offense to others.
As in going abroad, you will se that your Apparel be semelye in the sight of men, so see how semelye you Appere in the sygt of god.
When you are going any Iorney Pray.
THy sour life ys a pilgrimage frō the lord we came, and to the lord we make our journey, howe be yt through thenyshe placys and painful, yea perrilous ways which our cruel enemies, have and do prepare for us, now more thē stark blind by reason of sin. O Christ, which art a moste true lodes man and guide, and thereto most experte, faithful and freēdly do thou put out thine hand open mine eyes make thy high ways know̄ unto me, which wai thou diddest first ēter into, out of this corruptible life, & hast fēced y e same for us to immortalytye.
Thou art the way, lead us unto the father by thyself, that all we may be one with him as thou and he together be one. Showe me the way that I should walk in for I lift up my soul unto thee. Psal. 144.
Or Pray thus.
MErcyfull father y u art wont to send to thy servants & mē of simple hearts, thyn angels to be their kepers, & as it were guides as elder bretheren to watch vpō thi weak childrē, so diddest thou to young Tobias, to Jacob, to Abrahams servant, to Joshua. &c. O good god though we be much unlike unto thē (so many ar our sins) yet for thyn own goodness sake send thin holy angels, to pitch thir tents about us, frō sathā & his slaves to hyde and deffende to carry us in there hands that we come not into further danger thē thou through out wilt deliver us, for theyn own sake. His Angels or ministers for them that be heirs of salvation, Satan sleapeth not, but seekethe always to destroy us. Hebr. i. Thynke something how we ar strangers from our country from our home, from our original, I mean from god. Agayne think vpō your madness that do lyngar & loiter so gladly in this our Iorneye, and pilgrimadge. Also how foolish we ar to fantazye things which we cannot carry with us, and to contempe conscience which will always be acompanyon to us, to our joy if it be good, but to our shame, and sorrow if it be evil and corrupt, finally howe unnatural we ar y t so little desyer to be at our home, to be w t our only father, master, fellows and friends. &c.
Whē you ar about to receive your meat pray.
THis is a wonderful mistery of thy work, O maker and governor of the world, that thou doest sustain y e lives of mē & beasts w t this meats, suerlye this power is neither in the bread nor food, but in thy will & word, by which word all things do lyeue and have their beinges. Again, how great a thing is it, that thou art able yearly to give sustinaūce to so many creatures, this is spoken of by thy prophet in thy praises. All things loke up to the & thou givest thē meat in due ceason, thou openest thyen hand & fillest with thy blessing every living thing, thes dowtles are wonderful works of thine almightines, I therefore hertely pray the (O most liberal lord & faithful father) y t as thou by meat through thy word doest minister life to thes our bodies, evē so by y e same word with thy grace do thou quicken our souls that both in soul & body we may pleas the til this our mortal carcas shall put on immortality & we shall need no more any other food, but the only which thē wilt be all in all, taste & se how good the lord is, bless the lord (O my soul) which tedeth and filleth thy mouthe with good things. Think a little howe great gods power is y t made us. Also think how great his wisdom is to preserve us. But moste of all think how many things ar givē to our use, how wonderful it is to give us life, but moste of all to propagate to immortalytye the life of the soul by his only beck. Last of all think that god by his providence for thy body would have the to confirm thy faith of gods providence for thy soul.
In the meal time pray.
O Moste liberal dystributor of thy gifts, which givest us all kind of good things to use, thou being pure givest pure things, grant to me thy grace, that I myse use not thes thy gracious gifts, given to our use and profits. Let us not love them because thou doeste give us these things, but rather let us love the, because thou givest them, and for that they be necessary for us, for a ceason till we come unto thee. Grant us to be conuersaunte amongst thy gifts soberly, purely, temperatlye, holely, because thou art such a one, so shall not we, turn that, to the poison of our souls, which thou haste given for the medicine of our bodies, but using thy benefits thankfully, we shall find them profitable, both to soul and body, think that the meats & drinks set before you, ar given to you to use and not to abuse, think they ar given to profit and not to hurt you. Think that they are not given to you alone, but unto others also by you in eatinge, and drinkinge, think that you, do but feed the worms, remember the poor prysoners, sick. &c. as though you were in their case think vpō the food of your soul Christ body broken & his blood shed. Desyer the meat y t lasteth forever. John̄. vi. work for it, Christ meat was to do his fathers will. John̄ the fowrthe.
After your meat pray thus.
BY corporal meats thou doest sustain our corporal daily life (ready otherwise to perish) the which surely is a great work but yet this is much greater more profitable, & more holy y t thy grace (O Jesus Christ) doeth keep away frō us y e death of y e soul, for this life we ought much to thanke the, & because thou doest prolong it with thy good gifts, we moste heartily praise the, howe be it this life is but the way to eternal life, which we beseech y e for thy deaths sake y t thou wilt give us, & so shall we not only give the (as we cā) thankes in time for temporal things but also eternal thanks, for eternal things. O grant to us thes our desyers for thy mercies sake. Amē. Think now that god hath givē the this his blessing of meat &c. and thereto time y t thou mightest, as repent, so seek his glory, & the commodytie of thy brotherne, therefore go there aboutes but first pray for grace well to begin, & again consider how thou hast been partaker of other men's labors, as of the husband man's, the millers, the bakars, the browers, the butchers, the cookes. &c. Se therefore that thou be not adroen be, but rather such a one, as may help y e hyeue, if god have thus fed thy body, which he leueth not but for thy souls sake, how can it be thē but that he will be much more ready to feed thy soul. Therefore take a courrage to the, and go to him for grace accordinglye.
Cogytations for about the midday time.
AS y e body is now enuirōned on all sides w t light, so See that thy mind may be. As god geuethe the, thus plentifully this corporal light, so pray him that he will give the, the spiritual light, think that as y e son is now most clear so shall our bodies be in the day of judgment. As now the son is cum to the highest, and therefore will be gyn to draw downwarde so is there nothing in the world so parfect and glorious, which (when it is at the full) will not decrease & so wear away.
When you cum home again. Praye.
THer is nothing (O Lord) more like to thy holy nature, thē a quiet mind, thou hast called us out of the troublesome disquietness of the world into that thy quiet rest & peace, which the world cannot, give, being such a peace as passeth all men's understanding. Howses ar ordained for us, y t we might get us in to them frō the injury of wether, from the crewelty of beasts frō dysquietnes of people, & from the toils of y e world, O gracious father grant that through thy great mercy my body may enter into this house, from outward actions, but so that it may become buxom & obedient to the soul, & make no resistaūce there against. That in soul and body, I may have a godly quietness & peace to praise the. Amen. Peace be to this house and to all that dwell in the same. Think what a return & how merry a return it will be to come to our eternal moste quiet and moste happy home, then will be all grefe gone away, what so ever hear is pleasant & joyful, the same is nothing but a very shadow in cōparisō &c.
At the son going down pray.
O Howe vnhappye ar they O Lord on whom thy son goeth down & giveth no light, I mean thy grace which is always clear as the midday, dark night unto them is the midday, which depart from the, in the is never night but always day light most clear. This corporal son hath his courses, now up now down, but thou (deer lord) if we do love the art always one, O that this block and veil of syn were takē away frō me, y t thear might be always clear day in my mind. Think y t as we ar not sory whē y e son goeth down, by cause we know it will rise again, evē so let us not sorrow for death, where through the soul & body do pa •• e a sonder for they shall eftsones return & cum together again. So long as y e son is up, wild beasts keep their dēnes, Foxes their borows, Owls their hoals &c. but when y e son is down then cum they abroad. So wicked mē and hypocrites keep their denns in the gospel but it being taken away then swarm they out of their hoals like bees as this day doeth teach.
When y e candles be light pray.
MOste thycke & dark clouds do Couer our minds, except thy light (O Lord) do dyspell them. Thy son (O most wise worker) is as it were a fire brande to the world, thy wisdom, whereby light cometh both to soul and body is a fire brand, to the spiritual world. After day when the night cometh, thou haste given for the remedy of darkness a candle After syn for the remedy of ignorance thou hast givē thy doctrine which thy dere son hath brought unto us, O thou which art the Author and master of all truth make us to se, by both the lights so that the dymnes of our minds be dryiuen clean away, lyft vpō us thy myrthe in our hearts Thy word is a lantern to my feet & a light unto my paths. Think that the knowledge and wisdom, that god hath given unto us by the candles of this night, whereby we se those things in this night, of our bodies which are expedient for us, maketh us to wish much more for this doctrine of God, and when we get yt, the more to esteem and diligently embrace it y t as all would be horror without candeles, so is thear nothing but mere cōfucion whear gods word taketh not place.
When you make yourself vnredy Praye.
THis our life and weak knit body by reason of sin, by a little and little, will by dyssolued, and so shall be restored to the earth whence it was taken, then will be an ende of this vanyty, which by our folishnes we have wrought to our selves, O moste meek father so do thou vnty vnlose, and lose me for thou haste knyt me together that I may perceive my self to be made vnredy and dissolved and so may remember both of whom I was made and also whyether I go least I be had unprepared unto thy trybunall and Judgment seat, Put of tholde man with his lusts, & concupiscens Be content with Iosephe to put of thy prison Apparel, that thou mayst put on new. Think y t we do willingly put of our garments, which in y e morning we shall put on again, and therefore in the, after the night of the world, we shall receive on out bodies again let us not unwillingly put them of, when god by death shall call.
Whē you enter in to your bed Praye.
THe day now endyd men give them selves to rest in the night and so this life fyneshed we shall rest in death. Nothinge is more like this life, then every day, nothing more like death then sleape, nothing more like to our graeue then our bed, O lord our keeper & defendor grant y e I now layeng me down to rest, being unable to keep myself, may be preserved frō y e crafts & Assaultes of y e wicked enemy, & & grant father, y t whē I have run y e race of this life thowe wouldest of thy mercy call me unto y e that I may always live & watch with the, now good god give me to take my rest in the & bring to pass that thy gracious goodness may be (even in sleape) before mine eyes, that sleaping I be not absent frō the, but may have my dreams to draw me unto the & so both soul & body, may be kept pure and holy forever. I will lay me down in peace & take my rest. Think y t as this troblesum day is now past & night cū & so rest, bed, and pleasant sleape which maketh most exelent princis, & most poor pesaūtes a like, evē so after y e tumults, troubles tēptationes & tempests of this life they y t believe in Christ have prepared for thē an heaven and rest most pleasant and joyful. As you ar not a fraied to enter in to your bed, and to dispose yourself to sleep, so be not a fraide to die but rather prepare yourself to yt, think that now you are nearer your ende by one days journey, then you wer in the morning
When you feel sleep to be coming pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ my watchman and keeper take me to thy care grant that my body slepynge, my mind may watch in the, and be made merry by sum sight of that celestial & heavenly life whearin thou art the king & prince together with the father & the holy ghost. Thy Angels & holy souls, be moste hapie citesens. O purify my soul keep clean my body, that in both I may please the, slepinge and wakinge forever Amen.
A most frutfull Prayer for the dispersed Church of Christ very necessary to be used of the godly in these days of affliction compiled by. R. P.
O Moste omnipotent magnificēt and glorious god and father of all consolation, we here assembled do not presume to present and prostrate our selves before thy mercy seat in the respect of our own worthiness and righteousness, which is all together polluted and defiled: but in the merits, righteousness and worthiness of thy only son Jesus Christ, whom thou hast given unto us as a moste pure and precious garment to cover our polution and fylthynes with all, to the end we might appere holy and Justified in thy sight through him. Wherefore in the obedience of thy commandments and in the confidence of thy promises contained in thy holy word that thow shalt accept, and grant our prayers presented unto the in the favor of thy only son our savior Jesus Christ. Either for our selves, or for the necessity of thy saints and congregation. We here congregated together do with one mouth and mind most humbly beseech the not only to pardon and forgive us all our sins necligences, Ignorances and iniquites, which we frō time to time incessantlye do commytte against thy divine majesty in word, deed, and thought, such is the infirmity of our corrupted nature: But also that it would please thee (O benyng father) to be favorable and merciful unto thy poor afflicted church, & congregation dispersed through out the whole world, which in these days of iniquity are oppressed in iuried, dispiced, persecuted & afflicted for the testimony of thy word and for the obedience of thy laws.
And namely O Lord and father we humbly beseech the to extend thy mercy and favorable countynance upon all those that are imprisoned or condemned for the cause of thy Gospel: whom thou hast chosen forth and made worthy to glorify thy name. That either it may please the to give them such constancye as thou hast given to thy saints & matters in time paste, willingly to shede their blood for the testimony of thy word: Or else mightlye deliver them from the tyranny of their enemies as thou delyuerest the condemned Daniel from the Lions, and the persecuted Peter out prison, to thexeaultation of thy glory and the rejoicing of thy church.
Further more moste beneficial father we humbly beseech the to stretch forth the mighty arm into the protection and defense of all those that are exiled for the testimony of thy verity: & that because they would not bend their backs and incline theyre necks under the youcke of Anthechrist, and be polluted with the execrable Idolatries, and blasphemus superstitions of y e ungodly. That it would please y e not only to feed them in strange cōtreys, but also to prepare a resting place for thē, as thou haste done from time to time for thine elect in all age is whereas they may vnyte them selves together in the sincere mynistration of thy holy word and Sacraments to their singular edificatiō. And in deu time restore them home again into their land, to celebrate thy praises, promote thy gospel, & edefye thy desolate congregation.
Consequently O lord thou that hast said that thou wilt not breke the bruised reide, nor quench the smokynge flax: Be merciful we beseech thee unto all those that through fear and wecknes have denied the by dissimulation and ypocresie. That it may please the to strengthen their wecke knees (thou that art the strength of thē that standethe) and lift up their feible hands, that their lytell smoke may increase into a great flame and their bruised reid into a mighty oke, able to abide all the bolstringe blasts & stormye tempests of aduersyte, to the end that the ungodly do no longer triūphe over theyre faight, which (as they think) they have utterly quenched & subdewed. Stir up thy strength in them O lord and behold them with that merciful eye, where with thou beheldes Peter, that they risynge by repentance, may become the constant confessors of thy word, and the sanctified members of thy church. To the end that when as by thy providence thou purposeste to lay thy cross upon them, they do no more seek unlawful means to avoid the same, but most willingly to be contented with patience to take it up & follow the, in what sort so ever it shall please the to lay the same vpō their shoulders. Either by death, imprisonment or exile. And that it will please thee, not to tempt thē about their powers, but give them grace utterly to dispayer of their own strength, and wholye to depend upon thy mercy.
On the other side O lord god, thou ryghtouse Judge, Lette not the ungodly the enemies of thy truth continually triumph over us, as they do at this day. Let not thine heritage become a reproach & common lawghing stock unto the impudente and wicked Papists, who by all possyble means seek the utter destruction of thy lytell stock in shedynge, the blood of thy saints for the testimony of thy word, seeking by moste deuelysh and damnable practices to subvert thy truth. Cōfound them O God and all their wicked counsels: & in the same pyt they have digged for other, let them be taken, that it may be universally known, that there is no counsel nor force that can prevail against the lord our god. Breke O lord the horns of those blouddy bulls of basan. Pull down those high moūtaynes that eleuate them selves against thee. And rote up the rotten race of the ungodly, to thende that they being consumed in the fire of thine indignation, thine exyled Church may in there own land find place of habitation.
O Lord deliver our lande which thou haste given us for a porciō to poscesse in this life from the invasion and subdewynge of strangers. Truthe it is we cannot deny but y t our sins hath justly deserved this great plage now emynent and approchynge, evē to be givē over into y e hands and subjection of that proud and beastly nation, that neither know the, nor fere the: and to serve them in a bodily captyuyte, that have refused to serve the in a spiritual liberty. Yet lord for as much as we are assuredly persuaded by thy holy word that thine anger doth not last forever towards those that earnestly repent, but in the stead of vengeance doest show mercy. We most penitently beseech the to remove this thy great indignation bente towards us, and give not over our lande, our Cytyes, Towns, and Castels our goods, pocessions & riches, our wyfes, children and our own lywes into the subiectiō of strangers. But rather O Lord expel them our land subuerte there coūselles, dissipate their deuyces and delyuere us from their tyranny, as thou delyuerest. Samaria frō that cruel Benadab, Jerusalem from that blasphemus Sennacherib, and Betulia from that proud Holifernus.
Gyue us O Lord such princes & rulers, such maiestrates & governors as will auaūce thy glory, erecte up thy gospel, supprese Idolatry, banish all papistrye, & execute justice & equite. Water again O lord thy vine of england w t the moisture of thi holy-word, leste it utterly perish & wither away. Byld up again the decayed walls of thy rewyned Ierusalē thy congregation in this land, lest y e ungodly do attribute our confusion not unto our sins (as the truth is) but unto our profession in religion.
Remember (O Lord) that we ar a persell of thy portion, thy flock, the inheritors of thy kingdom, y e sheep of thy pasture, and the menbers of thy son our savior Jesus Christ: deal with us therefore according to y e multitude of thy mercies, that all nations, kindredes, & toūges, may celebrate thy praises in the restoringe of thy rewyned church to perfection again, for it is thy work (O lord) & not mans, & from the do we with patience attend the same, & not frō the fleshly arm of mā, & therefore to the only is don all dominion, power and thankes giving now in our days and evermore. Amen.
i. Timoth. ii. Praye in every place lyfting up pure hands.
OH mighty king, and moste high almighty god, y e father of our lord Jesus christe, which mercifully doest govern all things, which thou hast made loke down upon y e faithful seade of Abraham, the children of thy chosen Jacob, Thy chosen people I do mean, consecrate unto the by the anoyncting of thi holy spirit, And appointed to thi kingdome by the eternal porpose, free merci, and greace, but yet as strangers wandering in this vile vale of misery, brought forth daily, by the worldly tyrants, like sheape to y e slaughter. O father of all fleashe who by thi divine providence chaūgest times and ceasons, and most wonderfully disposest kingdoms, thou hast destroyed Pharo, with all his horse, and Chariottes, puffid up with pride, agayenst thy people, leadinge forth saffelye by the hands of thy mercy, thy belouede Israel, thorough the high waves of y e raging waters Thou oh god the lord of all hosts, and armis, didest first drive away from the gates of thy people the blasphemous Sennacherib, slaing of his army, four score and five thousand by thy angil, in one night: And after bi his own sons before his own Idols, didest kill the same blasphemous Idolater, showyng openly to all heathē thy providēt pwre, towards thi despised letel ones. Thou didest traūce form and chaūg proud Nabuchodonosar, y e enemy of thi people, into A brute beast, to eat grass, and hay, to the horable terror of all worldly tirantes, And as thou art the father of mercies and god of all consolacion, so of thy wonderful mercy didest thou preserve thos thi three servants in Babilō, which w t bold corage gave their bodies to the fire, because thei would not worship any dead Idole, and when they were cast into y e burning furnace, thou didest give them cheerful hearts, to rejoice, and singe psalms, and sauedest unhurt y e very hears of their heads, turning the flame frō thē, to devour their enemies Thou oh lord god, by the might of thy right arm (which governeth all) broughtest Daniel thi prophet save into light and life, forth of the dark den of the devouring lions where by false accusations he was shout under the erth, of those raging beasts to be devoured, but thou turnedst there cruelty upon his accusares, repainge the wickede, upon their own pates. Yea lord which passeth all wonders, & is far above man's pour to perceive therein thy working, thou didest cause the huge, and great dragon of the seas, y e horrible Leviathan, and Behemoth, the main whalefish, to swallow up and devour, thy servant Jonah, to keep him iii. days and iii. nights in the dongeon of his bealy the dark hellicke grave to a living man, Thou didest cause that grete monster, to carry him to the place, y t thou haddest appointed, and there to cast him up save, and able to do thy massage. Now also O heavenly father, beholdor of all things, to whom only belongeth vengeance, thou seest & considrest how thy holy name by the wicked wordlinges, and blasphemous Idoloters is dishonorid, thy sacrate word, refused, forsaken and despised, thy holy sprite prouokede, and offended, thy chosene temple polluted, and deffilede, Tarie not tooe longe therefore, but show thy pour spedelye upon thy chosen household, which is so grievously vexed, & so cruelly handled by thy open enemies, Auenge thy own glory, and shorten these evil days, for thy electes sake. Let thy kingdom come of all thy desired, & though our livings, hath offended thy majesty, as we do confess unfeignedly (O Lord) that we have all sinned, our kings, princes, priests prophets, and people, All we together, with our parētes fathers & mothers, have most grievously, infinitely, passing all measure, and number with our hard flintishe hearts, our dissolute, and careless life, without all shame and repentance for syn, offendid, transgressid, trespassid, sinned, and committed most horrible wickedness, so y t we have worthily deserved, the uttermost of thy plages and terrible vengeance. Yet for thy own glory (O merciful Lord) suffer not the enemy of thy son Christ, the romyshe Antichrist, thus wretchedlye to delude, and draw frō the our poor brethren, for whom thy son once died, that by his cruelty, after so clear light, thei should be made captives to domme Idols, and deuelysh Inuentions, of popish ceremonies, thereunto pertaining. Suffer him not to seduce the simple sort with his fond opinion, that his false gods, blind mumbling, feigned religion or his foolish superstition, doth give him such conquestes, such victories, such triumph, and so high hand over us. We know moste certaynely (O Lord) that it is not there arm and pour, but our sins, and offenses, that hath delivered us to their fury, And hath caused the to turn away frō us. But turn again, O Lord let us fall into thy hands otherways (seeing thy justice must ponish us) let us fall into thy hands (as David did chewse) by darth, famine, or pestilence, or what way thou likest, least these vain Idolaters do rejoice, at the miserable destruction, of those men, whom they make proselytes, and from thy doctrine Apostates, But oh lord thy holy will be fulfilled, this is thy righteous Judgment, to ponish us with the tyrannical yoke of blindness, because we have cast away from us, the sweat yoke of the holesom word of thy son our savior. Yet consider the horrible blasphemies of thine and our enemies. They name a cake, there god, there Christ and altogether they know nothing of thy pour, they say in there hearts, there is no god, which either can, or will deliver us: wherefor O heavenly father, the gouerner of all things, the Auenger of the causes of the poor, the fatherless, the widow & of the oppress • d, loke down from heaven, with the face of thy fatherly mercies and forgive us all former offenses, and for thy son Christ's sake have mercy upon us, which by the force, and cruelty, of wicked, and blasphemous Idolaters without causes aproued, are hailed & pulled from our own houses, are slaūdered slain and murdered, as rebels, and traitors, like persons pernicious, pestiferous, seditious, pestilent, and full of mortal poison, to all men contagious where we do medell no farther, but against the helly pours of darkness, against the spiritual craftiness, in heavenly things, which would deny the will of our god, and the pour of our Christ unto us, we do contend no farther, but only for our Christ crucified, and the only salvation by his blessed passiō, knowledging none other god none other Christ, or savior, but only the, the everliving lord and our most merciful father, and thy dear son our savior, who is in the same glory with the in the high heavens, Therefore O Lord for thy glorious name sake, for Jesus Christ's sake, by whom thou haste promised to grant all righteous requests, make the wicked Idolaters to wonder and stand amazed, at thy almighty pour, use thy wonted strength, to the confusion of thine enemies, and to the help & deliverance of thy persecuted people all thy saints do beseech the therefore, the young infantes (which have somdeale tasted of thy sweet word) by whose mouths thou hast promised to make perfect thy praises whose Angels doth alway behold thy face, who beside the loss of us there parents, Are in danger, to be compellid, and driven (without thy great mercies to serve domme, & insensible Idols) do cry and call to thee: there pitefull mothers, with lamentable tears, lie prostrate before the throne of thy grace. Thou father of the fatherless Judge of the widows, and avenger of all the oppressid, let it appear (O Lord omnipotent) y t thou doest hear, judge, aueng, & ponish all wrongs offered to all thy little ones that do believe in the, Do this O Lord for thy names sake, Arise up O Lord and thy enemies shall be scatered & confounded, So be yt O Lord most merciful at thy time appointed.
An other godly prayer to be said at all times.
HOnor and praise be given to the o Lord god almighty most dere father of heaven, for all thy marsys and loving kindness showyd unto us, in that it hath pleysyd thy gracius goodness freely and of thine own accord to elect and chose us to saluaciō before the beginning of the world, and even like contenewall thanks be givē to the for creatynge of us after thine own image, for redeminge, us with y e precius bludde of thy dersonne when we ware utterly lost, for sanctefieng us w t thy holy sprit in y e reuelaciō and knowledge of thy holy word, for helping and Suckering us in all our needs and nescesites, for saving us from all dangers of body and sowle, for conforting us so fatherly in all our tribulaciō and persecucions, for sparing us so long and giving us so large a time of repentans, thes benifites O most merciful father, like as we knowledge to have receuid thē of thy only goodness, even so we beseech the that for thy dere son Jesus Christ's sake to grant us alwayse thy holy sprit, whereby we may contenewally grow in thankefulnes towards y e , to be led into all truth, and confortyd in all our aduersetes, O lord strenthen our faith, kindell it more in faruentnes and love towards the & our neyghbors for thy sake. Suffer us not dereste father to receive thy word anymore in vain, but grant us alwayse the assystans of thy grace and holy sprit, that in heart word and deed, we may santefye and do worshype to thy holy name. Help to amplefye & encresse thy kingdom, and whatsoever thou sendeste we may be heartily well content with thy good pleasure and will, let us not lack the thing (Oh father) with out the which we cannot serve the, but bless thou so all the works of our hands that we may have sufficient and not to be chargeabell but rather helpful unto others, be merciful (O Lord) to our offenses, and seeing our det yt gret which thou haste forgiven us in Jesus christ, make us to love the and our neyghbors so much the more. Be thou our father our captain and defender in all tēptacions hold thou us by thy merciful hand, that we may be delivered from all inconveniences, & end our lives in the santefyeng and honor of thy holy name, thorough Jesus Christ our lord, and only savior. Amen.
Let thy mighty hand and out strechyd arm O Lord be still our defense, thy mercy & loving kindness in Jesus Christ thy dere son our salvation, thy true and holy word our instruction, thy grace and holy sprite, our comfort and cōsolacion, unto the end, and in the end. Amen.
O Lord increse our faith.
Bradfords beads that he prayed on being in Prison for the testimoni, of Jesus Christ leauīg them as necessary to be vsid of the faithful.
Apo. xiiii.
Imprinted at London in Saint Martins parish in the vinetre, upon the three Crane warfe, by wyllyam Coplande.
Anno. Do. M.D.LIX. the xv. day of Marche.