decorative border A Meditation upon the lords Prayer, made by Thomas ●euer, at saint Mary-Wol church in London. Anno. M.d.li To the Christian reader. PRopter, laborem inopum, et gemitum pauperum, nunc exurgam dicit dominus. Psal. xii. surely even now in great scarcity lack and dearth of meat, drink, clothing, and all other necessaries, the sorrowful sighs of the poor and needy, must either sink into the rich men's hearts, and from them procure relieve, 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 them selfs in wealth and abundance, feel no gryete of their brother's distress and misery. ¶ But if any man, every week will be content, to spare one meal of himself, & bestow the price of that meal in Charitable Almose to relieve the poor, and the time of the same in godly meditation and Prayer, to dispose his own 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 relieved, and no rich man any thing charged, and so thereby God's vengeance avoided and Gods 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 meditation therefore of the lords prayer, shall be good comfortable spiritual food, in that time of bodily abstinence. typographic decoration ☞ A meditation upon the lords prayer. over father which art in heaven. We (gloriously form unto the Image of thy divine Majesty, created by the gracious goodness unto highest honour, howbeit, by our own sinfulness disfigured with vileness deserving damnation, and yet by Christ's death restored unto grace, to be citizens with saints of the family of God) now all together in Christian unite, as members of one body, with this one voice, for the manifold miseries of every member, and worthy merits of Christ our head, pray, desire, and trust, to obtain of the our heavenly father, according unto thy gracious goodness, mighty power, and faithful promise, unto us that ask abundance of thy grace. That thy name may be hallowed. That thy divine power and glorious Majesty, may be certainly known & reverently honoured. That the hearts of us men, by thy word and prayer, may be sanctified from worldly vanities & fleshly lusts, so that we with all that we have, serving the in holiness & righteousness, may shine so afore men upon the earth, that they thereby may be occasioned, to honour, and glorify thee, our father in heaven Thy kingdom come Thy word be so fruitfully 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 Kingdom of God, which is neither meat nor drink, but righteousness, peace, and comfort in the holy Ghost, by the which we now tasting of thy heavenly joys, may be made from henceforth weary of all worldly vanities, continually wishing and looking for the speedy appearance and coming of thy eternal and everlasting kingdom. ¶ Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. 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, repining and grudging, do torment and vex themselves, what soever they be doing: and upon earth we men being subject unto sin do think it a labour & 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 earthly bodies, that our minds may be delivered from sin and vanity, freely to delight and take pleasure in Godliness and virtue, so that we with a comfortable courage, may find delight and pleasure to do thy commandment and will, being men upon earth, as the glorious company of Angels do which be in heaven. ¶ give us this day our daily bread. We being in great need, and not able of ourselves to deserve any thing beseech thy fatherly goodness of thy bounteous liberality, to give freely unto us all in generally, so that none be hurt or hindered severally, this day when as we cry, constrained by present need, not craftily craving for vain care against to morrow, our daily bread, our daily and necessary food and relieve, both bodily and ghostly and especially the Spiritual food of Christ's flesh and his blood, by daily preaching of the Gospel, and ministration of the Sacraments, to replenish, 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 consolation. forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. give unto us that feeling and knowing our own sinfulness, do need and desire thy merciful forgiveness of our trespasses and faults, which we have committed against thy divine Majesty, so that we freely forgiving other that have offended us in any thing whatsoever it be, may be sure that mercy springing in thee, hath proceeded unto us being graciously offered of the hath been thankfully received of us, and being charitably used of us towards other shall most certainly be confirmed and enlarged of the towards us, and so finally, by gracious mercy springing and proceeding from thee, all faults and trespasses shallbe freely forgiven, even as those which other have committed against us, so likewise those that we have done against the. And lead us not into temptation. And suffer not the devil, by thabule of thy benefits, to lead us captive into deceitful and damnable temptation, drawing us by deinteth meats unto greedy gluttony, by money and riches unto unsatiable covetousness. and by wealth and prosperity unto pride and vainglory, and by all thy godly gracious gifts, unto every devilish abominable sin. ¶ But deliver us from all evil. Deliver our goods from abuse, our bodies from corruption, 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 devilish temptation driving unto everlasting damnation we may serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives, with most certain and comfortable hope, of everlasting life and salvation, through Christ jesus in whom our hope and thy promise is most certain, that is to say. Amen. SOBEIT. FINIS Imprinted at London by John day, dwelling over Aldersgate beneath saint martin's. ¶ These books are to be sold at his shop in Schepesyde, by the Little Counduit at the sign of the resurrection. typographic decoration Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum. Per sepennium.