Meditation Upon the Lords Prayer 2
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A05393.0001.001
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 meditacion vpō the the lords prayer, made by Thomas Leuer, at saint MAry Woll church in London.
Anno. 1551.
To the Christian reader.
P Ropter laborem inopū, et gemitum pauperum, nunc exurgā dicit dominus. Surely even now in great scarsitee lack and dearth of meat, drink, clothing, and all other necessaries, the sorrowful sighs of the poor and needy, must either sink into the riche men's hearts, and from them procure releue and comfort, unto the needy members of Christ's body: or else directly ascend unto the throne of God's Justice, and from thence bring down indignation and vengeance, to destroy wicked worldlings, which being thē selves in wealth and abundance, fele no grief of their brothers distress and misery.
But if any man, every week will be content, to spare one meal of him self, & bestow the price of that meal in Charitable Almose to releue the poor, and the time of the same in godly meditacion and Prayer, to dispose his awne mind devoutly: then shall all such feel and taste, both of poor men's hunger, and of Godly comfort in abstinence and prayer, yea, and many poor be much releued, and no riche man any thing charged, and so thereby God's vengaunce avoided and God's grace procured, when as fasting and prayer doth pluck out of men's hearts covetousness which is the root of all evil, and the cause of all calamities that now do trouble, grieve, and danger all men: This meditacion therefore of the Lord's prayer, shall be good comfortable spiritual food, in that time of bodily abstinence.
A meditacion upon the Lord's prayer.
O UR father which art in heaven. We (gloriously formed unto the Image of thy divine Majesty, created by thy gracious goodness unto highest honor, howbeit, by our awne sinfulness disfigured with vileness, deseruyng dampnaciō. and yet by Christ's death restored unto grace, to be citezens with saints of the family of God) now all together in Christian vnitee, as members of one body, with this one voice, for the manifold miseries of every member, and worthy merits of Christ our hedde, pray, desire, and trust, to obtain of thee our heavenly father, according unto thy gracious goodness, mighty power, and faithefull promise, unto us that ask abundance of thy grace.
[ I] That thy name may be hallowed. That thy divine power and glorious Majesty, may be certainly known & reverently honored. That the hearts of us men, by thy word and prayer, may be sanctified frō worldly vanities and fleshly lusts, so that we with all that we have, serving thee in holiness and righteousness, may shine so afore men upon the yearth, that thei thereby may be occasioned, to honor and glorify the, our father in heavē
Thy kingdom come [ II] Thy word be so fruictfully Preached unto us thy people, that we may be thoroughly instructed and taught, to bridle our sensual appetite by natural reason, and submit our witty reason unto a Godly spirit. and try our spirits by the true Scriptures, so that within us may reign the Kyngdome of God, which is neither meat nor drink, but righteousness, peace, and comfort in the holy Ghoste, by the which we now tastyng of thy heavenly joys, may be made from hencefurth weary of all worldly vanities, continually wishyng and looking for the spedy apperaunce and coming of thy eternal and everlasting kingdom.
[ III] Thy will be done in yearth as it is in heavē. In heaven the Angels of reverent love, do thy will and commandment, with comfortable courage, and joyful pleasure: in hell the wicked spirits through malice and envy, repinyng and grudgyng, do torment and vex themselves, whatsoever thei be doing: and upon yearth we men being subject unto sin, do think it a labor and pain, to be occupied in any thing that is good and godly. Wherefore we pray, that the grace of thy heavenly Spirit may so work in our yearthly bodies, that our minds may be delivered from sin and vanity, freely to delight and take pleasure in Godlines and virtue, so that we with a comfortable courage, may find delight and pleasure to do thy commandment and will, being men upon yearth, as the glorious company of Angels do which be in heaven.
Geue us this day our [ IIII] daily bread. We being in great need, and not able of our selves to deserve any thing, beseech thy Fatherly goodness of thy bounteous liberalitee, to give freely unto us all in generally, so that none be hurt or hyndered severally, this day when as we cry, constrained by present need, not craftily crauyng for vain care against to morrow, our daily bread, our daily and necessary food and releue, both bodily and ghostly and especially the Spiritual food of Christ's flesh and his blood, by daily Preachyng of the Gospel, and ministracion of the Sacraments, to replenishe, refresh, and renew our hearts & minds, with the comfortable remembrance of Christ's death and his passion daily to be used for necessary and spiritual consolacion.
[ V] Forgeue us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. Geue unto us that felyng and knowing our awne synfulnes, do need and desire thy merciful forgiveness of our trespaces and faults, which we have committed against thy divine Majesty, so that we freely forgeuyng other that have offended us in any thing whatsoever it be, may be sure that mercy spryngyng in thee, hath proceeded unto us, being graciously offered of thee hath been thankfully received of us, and being charitably used of us towards other, shall most certainly be confirmed and enlarged of thee towards us, and so finally, by gracious mercy, spryngyng and proceeding from thee, all faults and trespasses shall be freely forgiven, even as those which other have committed against us, so likewise those that we have done against thee.
[ VI] And lead us not into temptation. And suffer not the devil, by thabuse of thy benefits, to lead us captive into deceitful and damnable temptation, drawing us by deinteth meats unto greedy glottony, by money and riches unto vnsaciable covetousness, and by wealth and prosperity, unto pride and vain glory, and by all thy godly gracious gifts, unto every Deuelishe abhominable sin.
[ VII] But deliver us from all eiuill. Deliver our gooddes from abuse, our bodies frō corrupcion, our Souls from damnation, yea, deliver us by Christ, from the bondage of sin, unto the liberty of the Gospel, so that without danger of Deuelishe temptation, driuyng unto everlasting dāpnacion, we may serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives, with moste certain and comfortable hope, of everlasting life and salvation through Christ Jesus, in whom our hope and thy promise is moste certain, that is to say. Amen. So be it.
Thomas Leuer.
Imprinted at London by John Kyngston.
Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.
And are to be sold at the West door of Poules, by Anthony Kyngston.