The pomander of prayer, newly madeThe pomaunder of prayer, newly made

¶ A prayer wherein, through commemoration of Christs passion, we desire pardon of our sins and continuance in virtue and godliness.

¶ A prayer wherin, through cō memoration of Christes passion, we desire pardon of oure sinnes and continuaunce in vertue and godlines.

Behold (O pitiful father) thy most pitiful Son, which suffered for me being so wicked. Be hold (o most merciful king) who suffereth, and remember (as thou art loving and kind) for whom he suffered. Is not this (O my Lord) that innocent whom although he were thy son, thou didst deliver to redeem & ransom a servant? Is not this the author and beginner of life, which being led as a sheep to be killed, & being made obedient to thee, even ⟨p. 54⟩unto death, was not afraid to take upon him the most cruel and sharp kind of death? Call to remembrance (O thou distributor of all health) that this is he whom (although thou diddest beget him by thy power, yet not withstanding) thou wouldest have to be made partaker of mine infirmity and weakness. Truly this same is thy Godhead which did take upon him my nature, which was hanged upon the gibbet of torment or cross, which in the flesh which he had taken upon him, did suffer sorrowful punishment. Turn the eyes of thy majesty (O Lord my ⟨image 56⟩God) toward the work of thine unspeakable pity. Look upon thy deer Son, whose whole body is stretched forth. Mark the harmless and pure hands which do drop and distil down innocent blood. And I beseech thee, be pacified and pardon the wicked deeds which my hands have committed. Consider his bare & naked side, being thrust through cruelly with a spear, and renew and wash me with the holy fountain or well which I believe did flow from thence. Mark the unspotted feet which have not stand in the way of sinners, but alway have walked in thy law, how they are ⟨p. 55⟩pierced through with sharp nails, & make perfect my steps in thy paths, and make me (of thy loving kindness) to hate all ways of iniquity. Remove from me the way of iniquity, and make me (of thy mercy) to choose the way of truth. I beseech thee (o king of holy men) by this holy one of all holy ones, & by this my redeemer: to make me run the way of thy commandments, that I may be united & knit unto him in spirit, which did not disdain to be clad in my flesh. Dost thou not look upon and mark (o pitiful father) the head of thy most dearly beloved son, a young man, ⟨image 57⟩how it leaned upon his shoulder when he was past the most precious death? Behold (o my most gentle creator) the humanity & gentleness of thy beloved son, and have compassion upon the feebleness of me thy weak & feeble handy work.

BEholde (O pitiful father) thy most pitifull sōne, which suffred for me being so wicked. Be hold (o most merciful king) who suffreth, and remember (as thou art louing and kinde) for whom he suffred. Is not this (O my Lorde) that innocent whom allthough he were thy sonne, thou didst deliuer to redeme & raunsō a seruant? Is not this the author and beginner of life, whiche being led as a sheep to bee killed, & beeing made obediēt to thee, euen ⟨p. 54⟩vnto death, was not afraid to take vpō him the moste cruell and sharp kinde of death? Cal to remembraunce (O thou distributor of all helth) that this is he whom (althoughe thou diddest beget him by thy power, yet not withstanding) thou wouldest haue to bee made partaker of mine infirmitie and weaknes. Truly this same is thy Godhed whiche did take vpō him my nature, whiche was hanged vppō the gibbet of tourment or cros, whiche in the fleshe whiche he had taken vpon him, did suffer sorowful punishment. Turn the eyes of thy maiestie (O Lord my ⟨image 56⟩God) toward the wurk of thine vnspekeable pitie. Look vpō thy deere sonne, whose whole body is stretched forth. Mark ye harmles and pure hands whiche doo drop and distill down innocent bloud. And I beseeche thee, bee pacified and pardon the wicked dedes whiche my hands haue cō mitted. Consider his bare & naked side, being thrust thorow cruelly with a spear, and renue and wash me with the holy fountain or well which I beleeue did flow from thens. Mark the vnspotted feet which haue not stand in the way of sinners, but alway haue walked in thy law, how thei are ⟨p. 55⟩perced thorow wt sharp nailes, & make perfect my steps in thy paths, and make me (of thy louing kindnes) to hate all wayes of iniquitie. Remoue from me the way of iniquitie, and make me (of thy mercy) to chuse ye way of truth. I beseeche thee (o king of holy men) by this holy one of all holy ones, & by this my redemer: to make me run the way of thy commaundements, that I may be vnited & knit vnto him in spirit, whiche did not disdain to be clad in my flesh. Dost thou not look vpon and mark (o pitifull father) the head of thy moste deerly beloued sōne, a yungmā, ⟨image 57⟩how it leaned vpō his shoulder whē he was past the moste precious death? Beholde (o my most gentle creator) the humanitie & gentlenes of thy beloued sonne, and haue compassiō vpon the feblenes of me thy weak & feeble handy wurk.

Behold O most glorious parent) the torn & rent members of thy most kind & loving child, & remember gently what substance I am of. Behold the pains of God and man, and release and louse man (which is thy creature) out of misery and bondage of sin. Behold the punishment of him that did redeem and pardon the offence of them ⟨p. 56⟩that be redeemed. This is he (O Lord) whom thou didst strike for the sins of thy people although he be thy well beloved, in whom was found no guile, & yet nevertheless was he reckoned amongest them that were full of iniquity.

Behold O moste glorious parent) the torne & rent membres of thy most kinde & louing child, & remember gently what substance I am of. Behold the paines of God and man, and release and louse man (which is thy creature) out of miserye and bondage of sin. Behold the punishmēt of him that did redeem and pardon the offence of them ⟨p. 56⟩that be redemed. This is he (O Lorde) whome thou didst strike for the sinnes of thy people although he be thy welbeloued, in whom was found no gile, & yet neuertheles was he rekened amongest them that were full of iniquitie.

¶ A prayer wherein man confesseth him self to be the cause of Christs passion.

¶ A prayer wherin man confesseth him self to be the cause of Christs passion.

What hast thou committed (O Lord) that thou shouldest be so judged? What hast thou offended that thou shouldest be so cru eli handled and ordered? What was thy fault? what was thine offence? what was the cause of thy death? what was the occasion ⟨image 58⟩of thy condemnation? I (Lord) I am the cause of thy sorrow, the fault is in me that thou wast kill led for. I have deserved thy death I committed the offences that were avenged upon thee. Oh marvellous kind of judgment, and unspeakable disposition or ordering of mysteries. The unjust man offendeth: and the righteous is punished. The guilty doth evil and the innocent is beaten. The evil doth trespass and the good is condemned. That which the evil man deserveth: the same doth the just suffer. That which the servant doth amiss the master maketh amends. That which man ⟨p. 57⟩trespasseth: God suffereth it. O (thou which art the Son of god) how low did thine humility descend? How greatly did thy charity (even as it were) wax hot & burn toward us. How far did thy pity proceed? Whither did thy benignity, and gentleness grow & extend? How far did thy love stretch? How far came thy compassion? for I did wrongfully: and thou wast punished. I commit ted the mischievous deeds: and they were avenged upon thee. I did the fault: and thou submitted thy self to the torments. I was proud, and thou wast humble & meek, I was swelled and puffed ⟨image 59⟩up, thou wast extenuated and ap paired. I was disobedient, nevertheless thou being obedient, bare the pains and punishments of disobedience. I obeyed and was, as it were a servant to all excess and gluttony, and thou wast punished with scarcity and lack of food. The tree did draw me violently unto unlawful concupiscence & desires, but perfect charity led thee unto punishment. I presumed being forbidden: but thou didst smart therefore. I toke my pleasure, with delicateness: thou wast vexed with the cross. I abound and have plenty of all pleasures: thou art all to torn ⟨p. 58⟩with nails. I do fast the pleasant sweetness of the apple: & thou the bitterness of gall. Behold (O king of glory) mine iniquity and ungodliness: and thy pity & goodness is manifest. Behold mine unrighteousness: and thy justice is plainly declared. What thing (O my king & my God) shall I render unto thee, for all those things which thou hast bestowed upon me?

for nothing can be found in the hart of man, that may worthily recompense such rewards. Can mans wit excogitate or imagine any thing that is worthy to be compared unto thy divine mercy▪ Nether ⟨image 60⟩is it the office of a creature to go about to recompense fully and justly the aid and help of a creator. There is truly (O Son of God in this thy marvellous dispensation and appointments) somewhat in which my frailness may help a little, if so be that my mind once pricked and stirred by thy visitation do punish the flesh, with the vices also and evil concupiscences thereof: and this thing, if thou wilt grant & give me grace to do, then shall it begin as it were to suffer and sustain sorrows and griefs, because that thou also diddest vouchsafe to die for my sin. And so by ⟨p. 59⟩the victory of the inward man, it shall be armed (thou being a captain) for the external & outward victory, forasmuch as (the spiritual persecution once overcome) it shall not be afraid, for thy sake to be obedient unto the material sword and cross of this world. And so the slenderness of my state & condition (if it please thy goodness) shall be able according to the little power thereof, to answer unto the greatness & excellency of my creator. And this is the heavenly medicine (O good Jesus) this is (as it were a preservative of thy love. This I beseech thee, by thine accustomed & ancient ⟨image 61⟩mercies, to pour into my wounds, (the foul & filthy matter of the venomous contagion & infection once cast away, which may refresh & restore me to my former purity and cleanness, that when I have fasted of the pleasant sweetness which is to abide in thee) it may make me to despise & utterly set nought by the enticements of this world, and to fear (for thy sake) none adversities thereof, and that I (remembering thine everlasting nobility and excellency) may always abhor and disdain the troubles of this transitory world. Let no thing (I beseech thee) be delectable ⟨p. 60⟩unto me, nor please me without thee. Let no precious nor beautiful thing be acceptable unto me but thee. Let all things (I beseech thee) be counted as vile, & of no estimation unto me, without thee. That which is against thy nature: let it be irksome and grievous also unto me, and that which pleaseth thee, let it be continually desired of me.

Let it irk me to rejoice without thee, and let it delight me to be sad for thy sake Let thy name be an heartening unto me, and the remembrance of thee, a consolation and comfort. Let my tears be made unto me as bread both day & night, ⟨image 62⟩searching thy justifications. Let the law of thy mouth be better unto me, than thousands of gold and silver. Give me an ardent desire and love to obey thee & an extreme hatred to resist thee. I require thee (O my hope) for all thy pity and goodnesses sake to have mercy upon mine impiety & wickedness. Make open mine ears to thy commandments, & let not mine hart be inclined (I beseech thee by thy holy name) to any evil thing, to be minded as the ungodly or wicked men. I require the also by thy marvellous humility, that I be not moved with pride, nor yet with sinners.

Let it irk me to reioice without thee, and let it delite me to be sad for thy sake Let thy name bee an hartning vnto me, and the remembrance of thee, a consolacion and confort. Let my teares be made vnto me as bread both day & night, ⟨image 62⟩serching thy iustificacions. Let the law of thy mouth bee better vnto me, thē thousands of gold and siluer. Geue me an ardent desire and loue to obey thee & an extreme hatred to resist thee. I require thee (O my hope) for all thy pity and goodnesses sake to haue mercy vpon mine impitie & wickednes. Make open mine eares to thy cōmaūdemēts, & let not mine hart be enclined (I beseeche thee by thy holy name) to any euill thing, to be minded as the vngodly or wicked men. I re quire the also by thy merueilous humilitie, that I bee not moued with pride, nor yet with sinners.

☞ Here doth man declare unto God the father, that the Passion of his Son, was for his reconciliation and atonement with God.

☞ Here dooth man declare vnto God the father, that the Passiō of his sōne, was for his reconciliation and attonement with God.

Behold (O almighty God, father of my Lord I beseech thee of thy benignity and gentleness to have mercy upon me, because of the most precious thing that I could find, the same I have offered devoutly unto thee, the thing of most estimation, ytI could imagine, I have presented it humbly unto thee. I have left nothing, but I have declared it to thy majesty. There is nothing remaining that I may ad more, because I have committed ⟨image 63⟩and be taken my whole hope unto thee. I have sent unto thee my advocate and spokes man, even thy well beloved son. I have sent thy glorious child to be a mediator betwixt me & thee. I have set (I say) an intercessor by whom I trust to get pardon and forgiveness of my sins. I have sent word unto word (that is) God unto God, according to that which saint John hath in the beginning of his gospel, where he calleth God the word, saying in the beginning, was the word and the word was with God, & God was the word. &c. which word (as I have said) was sent ⟨p. 62⟩for my misdeeds. And I have rehearsed unto thee the passion of thy most holy Son, which passion I believe was suffered for me. I believe that the godhead which was sent of thee did take upon him, mine humanity & nature, in the which he thought not scorn to suffer buffets, bends, spittings, mocks, yea, he took upon him to suffer the cross, nails and dart. I believe also that his manhood being in this my nature during his infancy was troubled with creeping and scrawlings, & was wrapped in clothes after the manner of other children, was vexed in his youth, with labours ⟨image 64⟩made lean, with waking & fastings, wearied with journeying, afterward whipped & all to torn and rent with divers kinds of punishments, reckoned amongst the dead, and when it was endued with the glory of resurrection, he carried it into the joys of heaven, & placed it upon the right hand of thy majesty. (This I say) he is my manhood, way & means of pacifying and appeasing thee and thy way and means of having mercy upon me. Mercifully look upon, hear the Son which thou didst beget & the bond servant which he redeemed. Behold here a creator, and do not despise ⟨p. 63⟩a creature. Receive the shepherd welcomed with a gentle & loving countenance, and mercifully look upon the sheep which he hath brought home upon his own shoulders.

This is that most faithful shepherd which by many and divers labours and travails over steep hills and through headlong and deep valleys did search for his own sheep that was strayed away, which also when he had found it faint and almost dead through long wandering, gat him self under it with great rejoicing, and making it fast unto him with a marvellous bond of ⟨image 65⟩charity, lifted it up out of the depth of confusion and brought it home to the ninety and nine. Behold (O Lord) my king and God almighty, behold a good shepherd, which rendereth to thee, that which thou committed to his charge. He took upon him through thine ordinance to save man, whom he hath delivered unto the clean and pure from all spots through the washing in his blood. Lo thy most dearly beloved son hath reconciled unto thee thy handy work, which was gone astray far out of the way. Lo a gentle shepherd bringeth again to thy flock, him that the ⟨p. 64⟩violent pirate & robber had driven away. He hath brought unto thy sight, the servant whom his own conscience had made to run away, that he which by him self had deserved punishment, by thy Son being his solicitor hath deserved forgiveness, unto whom also for his offences everlasting fire was due: nevertheless being a soldier under such a captain, he doth hope to be brought home to his own country. I was able (O holy Father) by my self to offend thee, but I was not able of my self to pacify and appease thee. Thy well beloved Son (O my God) was made my helper, ⟨image 66⟩by taking upon him mine humanity, to the intent he might cure mine infirmity, that whereof the first occasion of thy wrath did spring: of the same, he might offer up to thee a Sacrifice of praise. And that he might render & make me also well pleasing to to thy goodness by that thing, in the which he sitting now on thy right hand, did always show & declare him self to be equal with my substance, & as it were fellow with the same. Lo my hope, behold, in whom is all my trust. If thou despise me (as it were right) for mine iniquity: yet look upon me (at the least wise) mercifully ⟨p. 65⟩for the charity of thy beloved son. Give heed to thy Son, whereby thou mayest have mercy upon thy bond servant. Look upon the sacrament of flesh: & pardon the offences of flesh. How oft so ever thou dost remember the wounds of thy blessed Son: so oft (I beseech thee) let mine in iquities be hid.

And because flesh hath stirred thee to anger: let flesh (I beseech thee) move thee to mercy, that like as flesh hath seduced & led me to sin: so flesh may get & obtain for me remission For certainly it is much that mine iniquity hath deserved, but much ⟨image 67⟩more is it, that the goodness of my redeemer may even of right require. Mine unrighteousness is great, but his righteousness is bigger. For look how much god is superior unto man: even so much is my malice and evil inferior unto his goodness both in quality and quantity. For what have I sinned being a man: that the Son of God being made man hath not redeemed? what pride could be in me so exceeding hie: but such humility as was in him, should bring it down? what power of death was there in me so great, but the punishment which the Son of God ⟨p. 66⟩suffered upon the cros migght de face it & utterly destroy it? Truly my God, if the sins of sinful man should be weighed in a just & equal balance with the love & favour that was in our redeemer toward us: the East is not so far distant from the West, nor the innermost part of the earth so much separated from the upper most part of the heaven: as they should be unlike, so much less should mine iniquity be, then is his goodness. Now (O most noble creator of light) now pardon mine offences for the unmeasurable travails and pains that thy beloved son did sustain.

And because flesh hath stirred thee to angre: let fleshe (I beseech thee) moue thee to mercy, that like as fleshe hath seduced & led me to sin: so fleshe may get & obtein for me remissiō For certainly it is muche ytmine iniquitie hath deserued, but much ⟨image 67⟩more is it, that the goodnes of my redemer may euen of right require. Mine vnrightousnes is great, but his righteousnes is bigger. For loke how much god is superior vnto man: euen so muche is my malice and euil inferior vnto his goodnes bothe in qualitie and quātitie. For what haue I sinned being a man: that the sonne of God beeing made man hath not redeemed? what pride could be in me so exceding hie: but suche humilitie as was in him, shuld bring it downe? what power of deathe was there in me so great, but the punishment whiche the Sonne of God ⟨p. 66⟩

Now (I beseech thee) let his goodness be set against my wickedness, his modesty and temperance: against mine ungracious frowardness, and his meekness against my fierce cruelty. Let his humility: recompense my pride, his patience: mine impatience, his gentleness: mine unkind churlishness, his obedience: my disobedience, his quietness: mine unquietness, his pleasant towardness: my bitter frowardness, his sweet facility and gentleness: mine anger and fretting fumes, to conclude let his charity: make amends for my heinous and detestable cruelty.

Now (I beseeche thee) let his goodnes bee set against my wickednes, his modesty and temperaūce: against mine vngracious frowardnes, and his meeknes against my ferse crueltie. Let his humilitie: recompence my pride, his pacience: mine impacience, his gentlenes: mine vnkinde churlishnes, his obedience: my disobedience, his quyetnes: mine vnquietnes, his plesaūt towardnes: my bitter frowardnes, his sweet facilitie and gentlenes: mine anger and freating fumes, to cōclude let his charitie: make amendes for my hemous and dedetestable crueltie.

Amen.