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

¶ Of the thanks which man ought to give unto God for the benefit of his redemption.

¶ Of the thankes whiche man ought to geue vnto God for the benefite of his redemption.

Look how much (O Lord our God) we are in debt unto thee even for so great a price were we redeemed, with such a great gift were we saved, and with so great a benefit helped. How much ought we wretches to love, dread, bless, praise, honour and glorify thee which hast so loved us, after such fashion saved us, after such a sort sanctified us, so set us on high. To the truly do we owe, & are bound, in as much as we are able, even our life and all our study or endeavour. ⟨p. 85⟩But who hath any thing that is not thine? But do thou (O Lord our God) from whom all goodness proceedeth, even for thy holy names sake) give us of thy goodness, that we may serve thee of thine own goods and gifts & that we may please thee in truth, & repay unto the daily due praises for so great benefits of thy mercy. For by none other means can we serve or please thee, but by thine own gifts, that thou hast lent us, while we be in this world. For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, & cometh down from the father of light, with whom there ⟨image 87⟩is none alteration or variableness neither yet is he changed unto darkness. O Lord our God, & a pitiful God, a good God, and almighty God, an unspeakable God, and incomprehensible, of such a nature that can not be contained as in a place, o god which art the beginner of all things & the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which diddest send the same thy beloved Son our lord, forth of thy bosom to our common profit, to take upon him our life, to the intent he might give us his life, & that he might be perfect and very God of thee his father, and very and perfect ⟨p. 86⟩man of his mother, a whole and a perfect God, and a whole and perfect man: and yet but one only Christ, both everlasting: & enduring but for a space, both immortal and mortal, both a creator: and a creature, strong: & weak, an overcomer: and one overcome, a nurse: and one that was nursed him self, a shepherd: and a sheep, dead for a time: and living with the everlasting, pro missing to them that loved him the freedom of life. Who said to his disciples, what thing so ever ye ask the father in my name: he will give it unto you. For that hie Priests sake, which was all ⟨image 88⟩so a bishop in deed, & a god shepherd, that offered him self in a sacrifice to thee, putting his life in jeopardy for his flock:

LOok how muche (O Lorde our God) we are in det vnto thee euē for so great a price wer we redeemed, with suche a great gift were we saued, and with so great abenefit helped. How muche ought we wretches to loue, dread, bles, praise, honoure and glorify thee whiche hast so loued vs, after suche facion saued vs, after suche a sorte sanctified vs, so set vs on high. To the truly doo we owe, & are bound, in as muche as we are able, euē our life and all our study or endeuour. ⟨p. 85⟩But who hath ani thing that is not thine? But doo thou (O Lorde our God) from whom all goodnes procedeth, euen for thy holy names sake) geue vs of thy goodnes, that we may serue thee of thine owne goods and gifts & that we may please thee in truthe, & repay vnto the daily due praises for so great benefites of thy mercy. For by none other meanes can we serue or please thee, but by thine owne gifts, ytthou hast lent vs, while we be in this world. For euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue, & commeth down from the father of light, with whō there ⟨image 87⟩is none alteration or variablenes neither yet is he changed vn to darknes. O Lorde our God, & a pitifull God, a good God, and almighty God, an vnspekeable God, and incomprehensible, of suche a nature that can not be cō teined as in a place, o god which art the beginner of all things & the father of our Lorde Iesus Christe, whiche diddest send the same thy beloued sōne our lorde, foorth of thy bosome to oure cō mon profite, to take vpon him our life, to thintent he might geue vs his life, & that he might be perfect and very God of thee his father, and very and perfect ⟨p. 86⟩man of his mother, a whole and a perfect God, and a whole and perfect man: and yet but one on ly Christe, bothe euerlasting: & enduring but for a space, bothe immortall and mortall, bothe a creator: and a creature, strong: & weke, an ouercommer: and one ouercomed, a nurs: and one that was nurced him self, a shepherd: and a sheep, dead for a time: and liuing with the euerlasting, pro mising to them that loued him the fredom of life. Who said to his disciples, what thing so euer ye ask the father in my name: he will geue it vnto you. For that hie Priestes sake, whiche was al ⟨image 88⟩so a bishop in deed, & a god shepherd, that offred him self in a sacrifice to thee, putting his life in ieoperdi for his flock:

No man can come to me except my Father that sent me, shall draw him: & again no man cometh to the father but by me, I require and humbly beseech thee, draw me always unto him, that he at the length may bring me to ⟨image 89⟩thee: thither (I mean) whereas he is sitting on thyrighthand, where as is everlasting life, and continu all blessedness, whereas is perfect love, without all kind of fear, where as is one day everlasting, and one spirit of all men, where as is most sure security & safety, secure quietness, and quiet pleasantness, pleasant felicity and happiness, happy eternity, continual and eternal seeing and praising of thee without end, where as thou with him, and he with thee in the communion and unity of the holy ghost everlastingly and continually livest & reignest through out all worlds ⟨p. 88⟩of worlds.

No man can come to me except my Father that sent me, shall draw him: & again no man cometh to the father but by me, I re quire and humbly beseche thee, draw me alwaies vnto him, that he at the lēgth may bring me to ⟨image 89⟩thee: thether (I mean) wheras he is sitting on thyrighthand, wher as is euerlastīg life, and continu al blessednes, whereas is perfect loue, without all kinde of fear, where as is one day euerlasting, and one spirit of all men, where as is moste sure securitie & safty, secure quietnes, and quiet plesantnes, pleasaunt felicitie and happines, happy eternitie, continuall and eternall seeing and praising of thee without ende, where as thou with him, and he with thee in the communiō and vnitie of the holy ghost euerlastingly and continually liuest & reignest thorow out all worldes ⟨p. 88⟩of worldes.

Amen.

¶ A devout prayer unto Christ

¶ A deuout prayer vnto Christe

O Christ and God, which art my hope, and the true & gentle lover of mankind, the light, the way, the life, the health, the honour and worship of them that be thine: I beseech thee call to thy remembrance all things that thou willingly didst suffer for them, both bonds, cross, wounds, death and sepulchre, which after three days, death being over comed, didst rise, wast seen of thy Disciples, reforming their harts and establishing them that were almost inclining from thee: the forty day after didst ascend up to ⟨image 90⟩heaven, which livest everlastingly now, and reignest through out worlds, thou art my God both living and true, my father, & my God both holy and pitiful, my mighty king, my good shepherd, mine only Master, my best helper, one, whom I am most bound to love, my living bread, mine everlasting priest, my guide unto my country, my true light, my holy sweetness, my right & straight way. Mine excellent wisdom, my pure and unfeigned simplicity, my peaceable concord, my safe garrison, my good portion, mine everlasting health, my great mercy, my strongest patience, mine unspotted ⟨p. 89⟩sacrifice, my holy redemption, my sure & steadfast hope, my perfect charity, my very and true resurrection, mine everlasting life, my joy and most blessed vision, & continual without end: I humbly beseech thee, I desire and pray thee, that I may walk by thee, that I may come to thee, that I may rest in thee, which art the way, the truth & the life without the which no man can come unto the father. Thee do I desire & covet (O good Lord) which art the brightness of thy fathers glory, which sittest above the Angel called Cherubin, and dost behold, the low and deep ⟨image 91⟩places, which art the true light the light ye lighteneth all things, the light that never faileth nor goeth out, which the Angels have desire to behold. Lo my hart is before thee in thy sight, put away the darkness from it, that it may fully be replenished with the clearness of thy love.

O Christe and God, whiche art my hope, and the true & gentle louer of mankinde, the light, the way, the life, the health, the honor and wurship of them that be thine: I beseche thee call to thy remembraunce all things that thou willingly didst suffre for thē, bothe bōds, cros, woūds, death and sepulchre, whiche after thre dayes, death being ouer comed, didst rise, wast seen of thi Disciples, reforming their harts and establishing them that were almoste enclining from thee: the forty day after didst ascend vp to

Give unto me Lord thy self, behold I do love thee, & if that be but a thing of small valour: make me to love the more strongly and earnestly. I can not measure to know how much I lack of thy love, nether can I tell, how much should be sufficient for me, that my life may fulfil his ⟨p. 90⟩course in thy love, and not turn back until it be hid in the secrets of thy countenance. Nevertheless, this I know that it were evil with me, if it were not for thee (O Lord) and that not only we the outward things that belong unto me, but also with the inward things. For all my riches (God except) is but mere pover tie: but thou only art a treasure & a parcel of riches that canst nether be changed into better nor worse. Thou art he, to whom it is not one thing to live, and an other thing to live haply, because thou art thy blessedness, thy happiness, and thou art all one.

Geue vnto me Lorde thy self, beholde I doo loue thee, & if that be but a thing of small valure: make me to loue the more strōgly and earnestly. I can not mesure to know how muche I lack of thy loue, nether cā I tell, how muche shoulde be sufficient for me, that my life may fulfill his ⟨p. 90⟩course in thy loue, and not turn back vntil it be hid in the secrets of thy coūtenance. Neuertheles, this I knowe that it were euell with me, if it were not for thee (O Lorde) and that not only we thoutward things that belong vnto me, but also with the inward things. For all my riches (God except) is but meere pouer tie: but thou only art a tresure & a parcell of riches that canst nether be chaūged into better nor wurs. Thou art he, to whom it is not one thing to liue, and an other thing to liue happely, because thou art thy blessednes, thi happines, and thou art all one.

But I which am thy creature, to whom it is not one thing to live, and an other to live blessedly and happily: all, both in that I live, and in that I live haply, I ought not to at tribute nor refer it to be received of any body, but of thy favour. And therefore have we need of thee but not thou of us, because if we were not at all, yet shouldest thou lack nothing of thy goodness. Therefore (O lord) it is necessary for us to stick and cleave unto thee, that by thy continual help we may be able to live holily, virtuously, and as we ought to live For with the weight of our frailness ⟨p. 91⟩we are drawn ever downward, but by thy gift we are stir red & carried upward: we fervently desire to ascend, we make certain ascensions in our harts, lifting them upward, & sing the songs of stars, we the fire of thy love (I say) are we kindled & moved to go we thee. Whether go we now upward, unto the peace of Jerusalem? because I was glad & did rejoice in those things which were spoken unto me: we will go into the house of our Lord: there hath he placed us, we will have good things, that we may will or desire no thing else, but to tarry and remain there for ever. But for as much as ⟨image 93⟩whiles we be clad with this bo, dy, we do as it were go a stray & are strangers unto thee: we have not here an abiding place for ever but we seek for one that is to come. Our abiding place is in heaven. Therefore thy favour and grace being my guide, I enter in to the chamber of my hart, and sing unto thee songs of love (my king & my God) mourning with marvellous sighings in this place of my peregrination, whereas thy justices are made my songs. And when I remember Jerusalem, I extend and stretch forth toward it the senses of my hart: Jerusalem (I say which is my country ⟨p. 92⟩Jerusalem which is my mother: and toward thee which art a king over her, her light, her father, her defender, her patron, her governor, her keeper, her chaste and strong delight, her only and whole pleasure, & all her goodness comes of thee, because thou art the chief good & the true good, & I will never turn back, until thou bring me home from this Pilgrimage (in which I am deformedly scattered abroad) unto the peace of my dearly beloved mother, whereas be the first fruits of my spirit, and until thou (O God which art my mercy) fashion me and confirm me for ever

¶ A prayer declaring with how great miseries this life is replenished.

I Am wonderful weary (O lord) of this life and of this careful & painful pilgrimage. This life is a wretched life, a life that will soon fade away, an uncertain life a painful life, an unclean life, a life that worthily may be called the mistress of all evils, the queen of pride, full of miseries and errors which is not worthy to be called a life, but rather a death, in the which every hour, we die by divers defects & failings of nature, by mutabilities, alterations & divers kinds of deaths. How can we therefore, call this ⟨p. 93⟩that we live in this world, a life which is puffed up and swollen often with humours, made lean and feeble with sorrows, dried with angers and hot hasty furies of the mind, the air filleth it full of diseases, metes do infect it, fasting do extenuate and make it lean, pastimes maketh it to dissolute and reckless, pensiveness doth consume and waste it, trouble and vexation doth shorten and lessen it, security and to much ease: maketh it dull and nothing lusty, riches setteth it a float and puffeth it up into pride, poverty dismayeth and discourageth it, youth doth ⟨image 95⟩extol it, age lameth it. Infirmity breaketh it, sorrow oppresseth it. And immediately after these evils as though it were by succession, cometh death, and maketh an end of all the joys of this miserable life, after such a sort that a man would not think (when he leaveth this life) to have lived at all. This living death, & dying life, although it be sprinkled and mixed with these and other so rows & miseries: yet (Oh good Lord) how many men doth it catch and entangle with her enticing snares? & how many doth she deceive with her deceitful & false promises? And for all that ⟨p. 94⟩she of her self is so false & bitter, that her blind lovers can not be kept long secret nor close unknown: yet doth she daily cause an infinite number of fools to drink of the golden cup, which she beareth in her hand, yea and maketh them utterly drunken with the love of her. Happy are they, but very few of them is there that refuse her acquaintance and familiarity or that despise to use her joys, or that neglect her friendship and fellowship, least when their deceiver perisheth, that they should perish also.

I Am wunderfull wery (O lord) of this life and of this careful & painfull pilgrimage. This life is a wretched life, a life that will soon fade awai, an vncertain life a painfull life, an vnclean life, a life that wurthely may be called the maistres of all euils, ye queen of pride, full of miseries and errours whiche is not wurthy to be called a life, but rather a death, in the whiche euerihoure, we die by diuers defects & failings of nature, by mutabilities, alteratiōs & diuers kindes of deaths. How can we therfore, call this

¶ Of the blessedness of that life which God hath prepared for them that love him.

¶ Of the blessednes of that life whiche God hath prepared for them that loue him.

But thou heavenly life, thou art she whom God hath ordained & prepared for them that love him, thou art the heavenly life, the blessed life, the sure life, the quiet life, the fair life, the clean life, the chaste life, the holy life, the life that knowest no death, knowest no sadness or pen sivens, a life without spot, with out dolour, without vexation, with out corruption, without trouble without variety or mutability, a life most full of pleasure & dignity, where as is none adversary to strive against a man, no ⟨p. 95⟩enticements of sins, where as is per fect love without all manner of fear, where as is day continually an done spirit of all men.

BUt thou heauenly life, thou art she whom God hath ordeined & prepared for them that loue him, thou art the heauenly life, the blessed life, the sure life, the quyet life, the fair life, the clean life, the chastelife, the holy life, the life that knowest no death, knowest no sadnes or pen siuens, a life without spot, with out dolor, without vexatiō, with out corruption, without trouble without varietie or mutabilitie, a life moste full of plesure & dignitie, wher as is none aduersary to striue against a man, no intice ⟨p. 95⟩ments of sinnes, where as is per fect loue without all maner of feare, wher as is day continually an done spirit of all men.

Whereas God is seen face to face and the mind is fed with this meat of life without end, I have a very good mind and desire to mark and give heed to thy clearness, with thy goods, the desire and appetite of my hart is delighted. Look how much I am able to consider with my self, in musing and thinking of thy come modities: even so much am I ravished and rapt with thy love with the ardent desire of thee, and with the sweet and comfortable ⟨image 97⟩remembrance of thee, am I wonderfully delighted. I have a pleasure therefore, surely to lift up the eyes of my hart unto thee, to erect the state of my mind, and conform or fashion the affects of my mind unto thee: It pleaseth me to talk of thee, to hear of thee, to write of thee, to confer & meditate of thee, to read every day of thy blessedness and glory, and to muse often times in my mind of the things I have red concerning thee, that at the least by such means, I being under the sweet refreshing and comfor ting of thy lively air, may pas from the vexations, jeopardies, ⟨p. 95⟩labours, & travails of this mortal life that will soon perish, & that in passing I may lay my weary head in thy bosom to sleep or to rest a little, for this cause do I enter into the pleasant meadow of the holy scriptures, & in plough ing, I pluck the goodliest green herbs of sentences, and in reading I do eat them, and in frequenting I do meditate, and as it were cud them, and in gathering them together, at the last I lay them up in my memory, that by such means when I have tasted of thy sweetness, I may somewhat less feel the bitterness of this most wretched life. O ⟨image 98⟩thou most happy life, oh kingdom which art blessed in deed, which lackest death, which art without end, no time doth successively pas at any time to thee. Whereas continual day without night knoweth no time, whereas that captain and conqueror is accompanied with those queres of angels, singing of hymns & songs, they sing unto God with out ceasing, the ballet of Ballets of Zion.

Wheras God is seen face to face and the minde is fed with this meat of life without end, I haue a very good minde and desire to mark and geue heed to thy clear nes, with thy goods, the desire and appetite of my hart is delited. Look how muche I am able to considre with my self, in musing and thinking of thy com modities: euen somuche am I rauished and rapt with thy loue with the ardaunt desire of thee, and with the sweet and comfortable

Oh most noble head which art compassed about with a perpetual crown, oh that par don and forgiveness of my sins were granted unto me, and then immediately, this burden of my ⟨p. 96⟩flesh laid away, that I might enter into thy joys to have true rest, and that I might get within the goodly & beautiful walls of thy city to receive a crown of life at the hand of our Lord, that I might be amongst those most holy queres, that I might stand with the most blessed Spirits of the creator of glory, that I might see presently the countenance of Christ, that I might behold always the most his & unspeakable light, incomprehensible which can not be contained as in a place. And so I should not only be out of all fear of death: but also ⟨image 99⟩I might rejoice always at the gift of everlasting incorruption.

Oh moste noble head which art compassed about with a perpetuall crown, oh that par dō and forgeuenes of my sinnes were graunted vnto me, and thē immediatly, this burden of my ⟨p. 96⟩flesh laid awai, that I might enter into thy ioyes to haue true rest, and that I might get within the goodly & beutifull walles of thy citie to receiue a crown of life at the hand of our Lord, that I might be amongst those moste holy queres, that I might stand with the moste blessed Spirites of the creator of glory, that I might see presently the countenaunce of Christe, that I might behold alwaies ye moste his & vnspekeable light, incōprehensible which cā not be cōteined as in a place. And so I should not onli be out of al feare of death: but also ⟨image 99⟩I might reioyse alwayes at the gifte of euerlastyng incorruption.