A meditacion vpon the Lordes praier.
OUR father whiche art in heauen. We (gloriously formed vnto the Image of thy diuine Maiestie, created by thy gracious goodnes vnto highest honor, howbeit, by our awne sinfulnes disfigured with vilenes, deseruyng dampnaciō. and yet by Christes death restored vnto grace, to be citezens with sainctes of the family of God) now all together in Christen vnitee, as membres of one body, with this one voyce, for the manyfolde miseries of euery member, and worthy merites of Christ our hedde, praie, [Page] desire, and truste, to obtain of thee our heauenly father, accordyng vnto thy gracious goodnes, mightie power, and faithefull promes, vnto vs that aske aboundaunce of thy grace.
I That thy name maie bee halowed. That thy diuine power and glorious Maiestie, may be certainly knowen & reuerently honored. That the hartes of vs men, by thy worde and praier, maie bee sanctified frō worldly vanities and fleshly lustes, so that wee with all that wee haue, seruyng thee in holines and righteousnes, may shine so afore menne vpon the yearth, that thei thereby maie bee occasioned, to honour and glorifie the, our father in heauē
[Page]Thy kyngdom come II Thy woorde bee so fruictfully Preached vnto vs thy people, that we maie bee throughly instructed and taught, to bridle our sensuall appetite by natural reason, and submit our wittie reason vnto a Godly spirite. and try our spirites by the true Scriptures, so that within vs maie reigne the Kyngdome of God, whiche is neither meate nor drynke, but righteousnesse, peace, and comforte in the holy Ghoste, by the whiche wee now tastyng of thy heauenly ioyes, maie be made from hencefurth wery of all worldly vanities, continually wishyng and lookyng for the spedy apperaunce and commyng of thy eternall [Page] and euerlastyng kyngdome.
III Thy will be doen in yearth as it is in heauē. In heauen the Angelles of reuerent loue, dooe thy will and commaundement, with comfortable courage, and ioyful pleasure: in hell the wicked spirites through malice and enuie, repinyng and grudgyng, do torment and vexe themselfes, what soeuer thei be doyng: and vpon yearth we men beeyng subiecte vnto synne, do thinke it a labor and pain, to be occupied in any thyng that is good and godly. Wherefore wee praie, that the grace of thy heauenly Spirite maie so worke in our yearthly bodies, that our myndes maye bee deliuered from synne and [Page] vanitie, frely to delite and take pleasure in Godlines and vertue, so that we with a comfortable courage, maie finde delite and pleasure to dooe thy commaundement and will, beeyng men vpon yearth, as the glorious company of Angelles doo whiche be in heauen.
Geue vs this day our IIII daily bread. We beeyng in greate nede, and not able of our selfes to deserue any thyng, beseche thy Fatherly goodnesse of thy bounteous liberalitee, to geue frely vnto vs all in generally, so that none bee hurte or hyndered seuerally, this daye when as we crie, constrained by present neede, not craftely crauyng for vain care against to [Page] morowe, our daily breade, our daily and necessarie foode and releue, bothe bodily and ghostly and especially the Spirituall fode of Christes fleshe and his bloude, by daily Preachyng of the Gospell, and ministracion of the Sacramentes, to replenishe, refreshe, and renue oure hartes & mindes, with the comfortable remēbraunce of Christes death and his passion daily to bee vsed for necessary and spirituall consolacion.
V Forgeue vs our trespasses, as wee forgeue theim that trespasse against vs. Geue vnto vs that felyng and knowyng our awne synfulnes, doo neede and desire thy mercifull forgeuenes [Page] of oure trespaces and fautes, whiche we haue committed against thy diuine Maiestie, so that we freely forgeuyng other that haue offended vs in any thyng what soeuer it bee, maie bee sure that mercie spryngyng in thee, hath proceded vnto vs, beyng graciously offred of thee hath been thankfully receiued of vs, and beyng charitably vsed of vs towardes other, shall mooste certainly bee confirmed and enlarged of thee towardes vs, and so finally, by gracious mercie, spryngyng and procedyng from thee, all fautes and trespasses shalbee freely forgeuen, euen as those whiche other haue committed against vs, so likewise those that wee haue doen against thee.
[Page] VI And leade vs not into temptacion. And suffre not the deuill, by thabuse of thy benefites, to leade vs captiue into deceiptfull and dampnable temptacion, drawyng vs by deinteth meates vnto greedy glottony, by money and riches vnto vnsaciable coueteousnes, and by wealth and prosperitie, vnto pride and vain glory, and by all thy godly gracious giftes, vnto euery Deuelishe abhominable synne.
VII But deliuer vs from all eiuill. Deliuer our gooddes from abuse, our bodies frō corrupcion, our Soules from dampnacion, yea, deliuer vs by Christe, from the bondage of synne, vnto the libertie of the [Page] Gospell, so that without daunger of Deuelishe temptacion, driuyng vnto euerlastyng dā pnacion, wee maie serue thee in holines and righteousnesse all the daies of oure liues, with moste certain and comfortable hope, of euerlastyng life and saluacion through Christ Iesu, in whom our hope and thy promes is moste certain, that is to saie. Amen. So be it.