Auspicante jehova.  
MARY'S Exercise.  
AT LONDON Printed by Thomas Este. 1597.   

TO THE RIGHT Honourable and virtuous Lady, the Lady MARY Countess of Pembroke, Health, Happiness, and Heaven.  
RIght Honourable, my bounden Service in all duty remembered, I have often red, and heard, which I verily believe, that in the Nature of Man, there is no greater blot of disgrace, than the vile note of ingratitude, with which wicked humour, fearing my long forgetfulness of your favour, may make my heart in some suspicion unhappily to be touched, I have presumed humbly to present unto the fair eye of your discreet virtue a little fruit of my late, and best labours; Wherein your Ladyship may vouchsafe to see, that, although I cannot as I would find means, to discharge the care of my duty, yet in my best thoughts I have not forgotten you, when in my daily prayers unto God, I do remember you: and, as I daily and hourly, do heartily pray unto his holy Majesty, for his blessings to light upon you; so have I set down a few historical prayers for you: Which, I hope, you will so find applied to your comfort, as shall give you no discontentment, in the presumption of my pains: and so though I have sunk my fortune in the world, having only the light of virtue to lead my hope unto Heaven, with humble thanks for your as yet undeserved favour, in continual prayers to the God of all comfort, for his prosperous preservation, of my good L. your Ladyship, & all yours, with increase of honour on earth, and eternal happiness in Heaven: I humbly take my leave in bounden duty.  
Your La: sometime unworthy Poet, and now, and ever poor Beadman. Nich. Breton.   

TO THE LADIES and Gentlewomen Reeders.  
LAdies and Gentlewomen, so it is, that having passed some parts of the world, & beholding the stately palaces of divers princes, after my return into my native country, finding the contemplative life, the most near unto Angelical nature, and no contemplation so comfortable as the mercies of god, the first fruits whereof, and the never ending Glory of the same, are no where so apparent as in the history of the holy scriptures: where looking into the court of heaven, I find the world but a base corner, when the King of Kings, with the brightness of his glory doth ravish the souls of his beloved: and reading in this divine history of the excellency of God's love, and among many of his elected, of some women in his especial favour, I could not but acquaint your good minds, with the memory of their names, & such matter touching them as you may and will (I hope) apply to your comfort, I find them blessed for their faith, and beloved for their humility, two jewels of the soul, not common to our humane nature, but as it is incorporated to christ, but I will leave the imperfect to God's amendment, the faithful to his blessing, and the elected to his love: beeseeching him so to bless you with his grace, in the feeling of his love, that in prayer to his mercy, ye may all live to his glory, that having Christ for your love, ye may live in joy for ever: and so wishing you happiness on earth, & heaven hereafter: I rest in prayer for ye & all faithful in Christ jesus: as I find cause.  
Your poor friend or servant: N. B.   

Mary's Exercise.  

A prayer upon the history of Christ his coming unto the house of Mary and Martha, to raise Lazerus from death. john. 11. The fruit thereof: The life of the dead, the glory of God.  
MOst merciful Lord, my loving king & everliving god, sweet jesus Christ, my heavenly master, redeemer, and Saviour, vouchsafe me leave poor and unworthy vessel of thy mercy, on the knees of my soul in the humility of my heart, to trouble thy patience with the lowly petition of my afflicted spirit: Lord when to make known thy glory to the world y● camest to Bethania, unto the house of Mary & Martha, to raise up thy beloved lazarus from death, what was the speech of the poor women, thy poor creatures unto thy gracious & holy Glorious majesty? but only this: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother Lazarus had not been dead: but now whatsoever thou askest of God he will give it thee: so my dear Lord let me, I beseech thee, say unto thee? now that by the gracious, merciful, & comfortable operation of thy holy Spirit, I feel, & see thee coming to the unworthy house of my wounded soul, LORD if thou hadst been here, not my brother, but myself had not so long been dead, dead I say in my sins, though only live in thy mercy: but oh Lord thy father hath given all power into thy hands, & therefore, if it please thee, thou canst raise me from this sorrowful death, of iniquity, unto the joyful life of thy grace: but as Martha said, by her brother Lazarus, he had been dead four days, & therefore did so stink that he was unfit to be taken up, so Lord, let me say of myself, I have been dead not four days, but many years, yea, all the days of my life, and therefore feel myself so unsavoury, and unfit to presume before thy presence, that I can rather say with Peter, come not near me Lord, for I am a polluted creature, then think that ever thou didst love me, and therefore art come to raise me from this death: yet sweet lord when I remember withal, thy blessed answer, and kind chiding of the unbelieving soul, in these words: said I not unto thee if thou didst believe thou shouldst see the glory of God: it giveth me comfort in my fear to come humbly to thy mercy; beseeching thee so to strengthen my faith in thy incomprehencible power, that I may rather rejoice in feeling thy goodness and seeing thy glory, then distrust in thy power, or despair in thy mercy: that by the virtue of thy power, from the death of sin, being revived unto grace, in the true fruits of repentance, I may glorify thy holy name.  
Amen.   

another prayer upon the same history Chapter and place: the fruit thereof: Christ his commendation of the hearers of his word.  
Almighty God and most merciful Lord, my best master and only sweet Saviour jesus Christ, when it pleased thee of thy mercy, to enter into the house of Martha and Mary, thy beloved unworthy servants, whiles Mary, by the blessed inspiration of thy holy spirit, was happily called, and wholly inclined to the attentive hearing & joyful receiving of thy comfortable preaching; MARTHA, not so filled in heart or rather ravished in soul with the unspeakable sweetness of thy holy spitit, rather troubling her head with an earnest care of worldly business, then bending her heart with any zealous desire, to the inward seeking of thy heavenly treasure, complained to thee of her sisters mistaken & mistermed idleness, that sitting still at thy feet she had no more care to help her in her work, to provide for thy welcome, nor to attend thy presence: but, my sweet Lord how sweetly didst thou reprove her folly, and reveal her fault in these few words: Martha Martha thou carest, & art troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall never be taken away from her: oh dear Master now that by the secret light of thy gracious love, I behold thy entrance into the heart of my soul, though I am not worthy thou shouldst come under the roof of my house, yet, since, it hath pleased thy holy majesty in the infinite goodness of thy incomparable kindness, to comfort my heart with the gracious hearing of thy glorius mercy; give me leave not with Martha, to complain of a sister, but to accuse myself of to much evil in so long cumbering my heart with the wretched cares of this wicked world, that I have had almost no care to humble my soul to the happy hearing of thy holy word: let me therefore beseech thee of the abundant grace of thy glorious goodness, by the mighty power of thy eternal mercy, to draw me to thee by the heavenly virtue of thy holly Spirit, that casting of all the cumbersome cares of this uncomfortable world, I may not only serve thee in body, on the knees of my heart, worshipping thy divine will, but in the humility of my soul, sit with MARY on the ground with the tears of true repentance to wash the feet of thy mercy: that being both unable & unworthy to behold the glory of thy presence, I may yet joy in my soul to hear the sweetness of thy preaching, that being clearly healed of the evil part of sin, I may receive that good part of thy grace, that may never be taken from me: but one thing is needful, and that one thing art thou: it is thee sweet LORD that I have need of: needful is thy grace, & ungracious that I am, full of need am I of thy mercy: mercy my sweet jesus, Oh let my pensive heart here the preaching of thy mercy, that being with LAZARUS revived, and with MARTHA rebuked, with Mary I may be so comforted, that with the tears of my heart washing the feet of thy pity, I may rejoice in my soul to be admitted into thy presence; wherein the obedience of my Love, showing the joy of my life, I may feed of thy mercy and sing to thy glory: Blessed is the house that doth receive thee, happy the heart, that doth attend thee, but most joyful the Soul, that leaving the cares of the world hath all her comfort but in thee: in thee I say sweet LORD, the light of the eternal wisdom, the life of the dead, & the only comfort of the living; whose preaching most gracious, and whose presence most glorious, happy are they that hear, but most blessed that enjoy: among whom, alas, of the world most unworthy, so bless the sick Soul of thy sinful wounded servant, that overcome with the comfort of thy unspeakable kindness, in the swooning trance of the treasure of thy Love, I may rather die at thy feet, then part a foot from thy favour: where with the tears of faiths thankfulness, I may increase the Glory of thy Mercy.  
Amen.   

An other upon the same History, chapter and place, the fruit thereof: The blessing of humility.  
REmember sweet Lord jesus thy Mercies that have been ever of old, forgive and forget the sins of thy humble repentant, though unworthy servants, think on thy poor Mary with the tears of her heart humbling her soul at thy feet, think I say my sweet lord, a little upon my great misery, that confess myself unworthy of the least look of thy Mercy: Lord, it pleased thee to say, Marry Magdaline loved much, but surely thou lovedst more, that so great and unmeasurable a sinner, wouldst vouchsafe so great a measure of thy Grace, being unworthy, thy thought, to presume into thy presence: sweet JESUS, art not thou the same CHRIST? who camest not to justify the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance? is thy mercy any thing diminished, or shall not thy Glory ever increase? it cannot be, but thou art thyself, the Sun of GOD, the Redeemer of the world, the Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, and God alone, that hast the government of the whole world: what thou hast bought then, who can take from thee? where thou hast Mercy, who can dissuade thee? and having all things under thy feet, who can resist thee? Thou Createdst man for thyself, thou Redeemedst him by thyself, & dost comfort him, but with thyself; wilt thou then forget the work of thine own hands? wilt thou lose that thou hast bought with thine own blood? or suffer it to be blasted that y● hast blessed with thine own Spirit? no, sweet God, thy goodness is to great to lose any part of thy Glory: though we forget thy love, thou canst not forget thy Mercy, though we lose ourselves in this wilderness, thou wilt bring us home to thy fold, & though sin seek to drive us to despair, yet doth thy Grace assure us of comfort; for thou art kind, though we are unthankful, thou art merciful, though we are unfaithful, yea thou art comfortable, when we are most miserable: and why is all this? because thou art God, whose goodness hath no limit, whose mercies are infinite, and whose glory shall have no end: why then oh Lord is my Soul so full of heaviness, and my heart so disquieted within me? can the world so weary me, that Heaven cannot revive me? or can sin so infect me, that thy mercy can not heal me? or the devil so terifie me, that thou my God canst not comfort me? no, my dear god, thou art able to forgive more than I am able to offend, one drop of thy mercy, will heal all the wounds of my sin, and where thou interest with thy holy spirit, there is no place for the wicked fiend: what then can hurt me if thou help me? can sin set a wall betwixt thy mercy and my comfort: when thou hast trodden down the devil, with all the power of his malice, can death affright me that see my life in thy love? or can sorrow dismay me that have thee for my comfort? no, my sweet saviour, let not my tears be only witness of my sorrow for my sins, but of my joy in thy mercy, that from the greatness of sin, hast called me to thy grace, and living long from the shadow of thy blessing, hast admitted me into the joy of thy presence: Oh blessed Lord how admirable do I feel thy goodness in the inward works of thy grace? faith a fruit of thy mercy, repentance a fruit of faith, tears a fruit of repentance, joy a fruit of tears, & thou only the fruit of all; thou art oh Lord the sum of all sweetness, the substance of all goodness, & in thyself to thyself the only height of all glory: Thou art the joy of the heart, the comfort of the mind, & the life of the soul: Thou art the portion of mine inheritance, the longing of my heart's love, and the only heaven that I hope for: who can know thee and not love thee? or know what love is, & is not ravished with the thought of thee? O my sweet Saviour, since it hath pleased thee to call me unto thee, I humbly beseech thee, let me never go from thee, but let me live and die with thee, that I may die to live with thee: for thou only art the life, & the only life of them that come unto thee: and to thee only do I come with sorrowful MARY beeseeching thy comfort, in the greatness of thy goodness, so to inspire my heart with the grace of thy holy spirit, that with the tears of my soul mingled with one drop of thy precious blood, I may wash away the filth of my unsavoury sin, and in the comfort of thy kindness, I may kiss the feet of thy mercy, till out of the wretched vale of this worldly misery, thou wilt bring me to the joys of the elected in thy love, that there being preserved, by the hand of thy mercy, with the Angels of thy train I may sing to thy Glory.  
Amen.   

A prayer upon elizabeth's meeting with her cozen Mary the blessed virgin: Luke i. Chap. 4. i. verse: The fruit thereof: The joys of the elected that by the love of grace are allied unto Christ.  
IF all the treasures of the world were laid together, were they any better than trash, compared (oh LORD) to the least thought of thy Love? are not the Heavens themselves the works of thy singers? and is not the earth with all her glory, most glorious in being thy footstool? what then are we but drossy creatures of slimy clay? but wherein thou hast made us gracious, to increase the greatness of thy glory: shall we then attribute unto ourselves that is due only unto thee? or think ourselves to be any thing, that have our being but in thee? wilful were such a blindness, and woeful were such a sight, as taking night for the day, would seek paradise in hell: LORD keep us from such a folly, clear us from such a blindness, & save us from falling into such an error: be thou the light of our love, the sense of our understanding, the wisdom of our knowledge, the meditation of our hearts, and the joy of our Souls: but sweet LORD, I reed that when ELIZABETH met with her cozen MARY the blessed Virgin thy blessed mother, the babe sprung in her womb, which after he came into the world, did preach of thy kingdom above the world: and now me thinks, I feel thy holy Spirit making entrance into my Soul, there rise up thoughts in my heart to honour thee in the highest Heavens; but the thought is yet young, & cannot prosper without thy blessing, it is conceived in my Soul by the blessing of thy grace, LORD preserve it with thy mercy, that I may bring it forth to thy glory: though when it is at the best, as it is from me it is unworthy to lose the least latchet of thy shoe, yet as it is from thee a gift of thy Goodness, at the Feet of thy mercy, let it speak of thy glory: thy grace hath begot it, let thy good spirit breed it, & thy holy hand so preserve it, that being fed in this infancy with the sweet milk of thy Mercy, it may gather such force, in the faith of thy holy word, that delighting in thy law, & living but in thy Love, it may loathe the whole world to be the lest in thy kingdom: oh sweet Lord let my heart rejoice to here of thee, my senses to serve thee, & my soul to praise thee, be thou the child of my love, the Lord of my life, & the life of my soul, let my soul ever conceive thee & never part from thee: that having thee for my comfort, I may fear no cross, nor care for any calamity, be thou sweat jesus my father, & my child, my husband, & my brother, my love my life, my Lord & my god; in whom my spirit may rejoice when I but think of thy blessing: that being wholly ravished with the virtue of thy love, in harmony of thy graces, I may Glorify thy holly name.  
Amen.   

A prayer upon the talk of Christ with the woman of Samaria. Ihon. 4. The fruit thereof: the comfort of mercy.  
Peerless love, and purest life of thy beloved, pardon I beseech thee the presumption of thy poor wounded creature, wounded with sin, and cureless of her sore, but only in the merit of thy MERCY, in the oil of thy grace, & wounds of thy love: oh sweet JESV, thou didst vouchsafe at jacobs' well of the woman of Samaria, to ask a little water; thou talkedst with her, & reveledst thyself unto her, who unworthy of thy comfort could not conceive the greatness of thy kindness: but alas Lord, here is another woman that cometh with another thirst, & to drink of another fountain: which fountain only art thou alone, thou art the well of life, of which who drinketh shall never die: long hath my soul thirsted after thee, yea in a barren and dry land where no water is: oh that I might, so drink of thy virtue, that being drunk with thy love, I might be so moistened with thy grace, that I might never thirst more after sin: oh sweet jesus how sweet is thy sweetness, no heart can Imagine nor tongue can express; a fountain never dri, of the abundance of whose streams all the blessed come to drink, all that drink are in love, and all that love do live for ever: such a spring never drying, such a love ever living, & such a life ever joying, where is it but in thee? & where art thou but it is? oh fountain of all blessedness, oh blessing of all happiness, oh felicity of all joyfulness, quench the fire of my thirst with one drop of thy grace, let fall the dew of thy blessing upon the dry heart of my soul; that being refreshed with thy love, I may devote my life to thy service: for, sweet LORD, though the woman of Samaria would not offer thee drink, because the Samaritans would not meddle with the jews, yet sweet Lord I am sure thou wilt not deny me thy mercy, because I am a sinner: for thou hast mercy in store for all them that come unto thee, jacob their father gave that well as it seemed, to an uncourteous people, that would not give thee a cup of their water: but God thy father hath given thee to all people a fountain of life to all that in true faith thirst to drink of thy love: & how incomparable is thy kindness, that with the blood of thy heart didst seal the bond of thy love: dost thou deny any one comfort, that callest all unto thy mercy: or dost thou suffer any to perish that put their trust in thy word? dost thou not offer thyself freely? & shall I not beg thee with tears? yes sweet Lord I humbly thank thee, I feel the sweetness of thy love, though I can not behold thy presence, I taste of thy goodness though I see not thy person, & drink of thy virtue though I know not thine essence; for had not the medicine of thy mercy cured my soul of her sorrow, I had died in my sin, ere I had tasted of thy grace, but sweet-LORD, the woman of Samaria had many husbands, & my soul desireth but thy love, be thou I say the husband, of my love, the love of my life, and life of my soul, the fountain of my faiths comfort, the water of my hopes life, & the sweet of my eternal felicity: let me thirst only for thy grace, drink only of thy mercy, & live only to thy Glory: that from the puddles of the world, delivered by thy mercy, in the joys of paradise, I may sing Halaluiah to thy holly Majesty:  
Amen.   

A prayer upon the woman of Canaan, her suit unto Christ: Math: xv. verse 22. The fruit thereof: The blessing of faith.  
Eternal, Almighty, everliving, and everloveing God, my dearest master, sweetest Lord, & only Saviour JESUS CHRIST, the comfort of the sorrowful, the hope of the faithful, and the life of the joyful, the Surgeon of the heart, the Physician of the mind, & the medicine of the soul, the power of virtue the wisdom of grace, & the glory of mercy, who living in the heavens beholdest all the dwellers upon the earth, hearest the cries of the afflicted, asssuagest the pains of the tormented, & comfortest the hearts of the distressed, that in true faith of thy word, fly to the mercy of thy will; among those miserable sinners, that have no hope of relief, but in the heavenly eye of thy mercy, vouchsafe sweet Christ, to cast one look of pity upon the wounded heart of my unworthy soul; when the woman of syrophenissa came to thee, for the cure of her daughter, possessed with a devil, though at the first, thou gavest her a kind of denying answer, in that it was not meet to give the children's meat unto dogs, yet to her humble reply, that the dogs might eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table, to the glory of thy mercy thou madest a gracious Conclusion; wherein the humility of her faith, had effected her joy in thy favour: her daughter was made whole, and she departed away: but now oh Lord was she only blessed in this abundant measure of thy mercy? or can sin have such power in the world, as to bar thy servants thy blessing? or shall any despair of thy comfort, when thou callest all unto mercy? no, sweet Lord, I know thou art not partial in thy love, that lookest only into thyself, thou art not sparing of thy blessing, that art bountiful to the whole world, nor wouldst the death of a sinner, & therefore wilt surely have mecry on thy servants: to thee therefore sweet jesus I humbly come, not for my diseased daughter, but thy distressed daughter, unworthy of so good a father, yet praying thee, good father help me, & thy unworthy servant, beseeching thee sweet master comfort me, and thy unworthy creature, crying unto thee oh God of all mercy have mercy upon me, in the multitude of thy compassions do away all my offences, in the oil of the grace heal my soul of her sin, & in the power of thy mercy deliver me from evil, I know not with how many devils I am daily & hourly tempted, by a world of illusions, to be drawn from thy love, but, were there never so many, thou canst deliver me from them all; for, thy power is invincible, thy mercy is Almighty, and thy love hath no limits; sin is but an infection, the devils are but ministers of thy wrath, & thou wilt have mercy on thy servants; heal therefore my disease, command away my tormentors, and be glorious in thy goodness: where thy good spirit entereth, no evil spirit will bide, where thy grace toucheth, no sin tarrieth, and whom thou inspirest with thy love, they are already in heaven: but alas sweet JESUS me thinks I here thee accuse me of so dogged a nature, that I am not worthy to feed of the fruit of thy favour, Lord I confess it that while dogs wait one their master's trenchers, I have not attended on the table of thy merry; & therefore am unworthy of the least crumb of thy comfort: yet sweet Lord, since thy mercy is over all thy works, put me not out of the book of thy remembrance: thou hast called me though I come late, give me a penny of thy charity though I deseure nothing of thy mercy: I am sick, & thou canst heal me, be thou gracious though I be sinful, the devil is a tyrant, but thou art the god of mercy, who with one look of thine eye canst make him fly from thy presence, with one word of thy mouth canst banish hi● from thy beloved, & with one blessing of thy hand canst make me live ever: but, oh sweet LORD since I have by ●ine absence from attending on thy table, deserved not only to be famished, with lack of thy comfort, & not to receive the least crumb of thy mercy, yet in the least look of thy love since thy glory is ●n thy mercy, lose no part of thy right: let me come behind thee among them throng, of sinners, to touch the hem of thy garment, that by the virtue of my faith, I may find grace in thy favour, & being cured of my sin, & comforted by thy mercy by the grace of thy holy spirit, I may Glorifiy thy holly name: & not with the Siroph●n●ssiā, depart away with thy blessing, but with the joy of thy mercy, follow thy shadow with my service, till being wholly delivered, from the temptation of sin, in the salvation of thy mercy, with the elected of thy love, by the good spirit of thy grace, I may ever sing to thy glory.  
Amen   

A prayer upon the widows two Mites: xii. of Mark 41 verse. The fruit thereof the praise of Charity.  
NOthing is more comfortable to my soul than the Meditation of thy mercy, sweet jesus, thou alone art he whom my soul loveth, and just cause, for by thy only love, my soul liveth: when I behold thee in my heart, I have enough for my comfort, & wanting thy grace, I comsume away with calamity: oh unspeakable sorrow, to miss the joy of thy mercy, and how great is their heaven, that have a feeling of thy love, oh sweet Lord, how greatly wilt thou commend a little love in thy servant? but how infinitely art thou to be glorified, that givest thyself unto sinners: oh incomparable kind love to lay down the life of thy beloved: thou didst commend the poor widow, for casting two mites into the treasury, & thou hast given us thyself to bring us into thy treasury: be thou therefore commended above all commendation: she gave but a little, though all she had; thou gavest thyself, without whom all things are nothing; let her then be commended of thee, who sawest her heart, & for thy bounty to the whole world, be thou glorified above the world: she was called a poor widow, because she wanted both the wealth of the world and the comfort of her kind husband, but how much might she be comforted, to be commended by thy mercy? all comforts fail where thou art wanting, and all joys abound where thy comfort is coming: O comfort of comforts, when wilt thou come unto me? LORD, thou art the husband of my soul, the only comfort of my heart, & whole substance of my felicity: a poor widow am I, that wanting the comfort of thy love, have no joy in my life: I have not a mite to present unto thy mercy: had I a whole world, I would give it for thy grace: but, alas, I am poor, and hast thou any need of wealth? that hast the whole world at commandment: dost thou care for dross, that art the LORD of heaven & earth? no, LORD, thou wantest nothing, & therefore what though I have nothing? thou hast given me thyself, and can any thing take thee from me? no sweet LORD, thou hast said thou wilt have mercy, & not Sacrifice: a burnt offering I know thou wouldst not accept, if I should give it thee: but, if any Sacrifice will please thee, a contrite heart, and a troubled spirit is that which thou wilt not despise: with this sacrifice therefore sweet jesus I come to thee, beseeching thee, into the treasury of thy mercy, with the tears of my heart, to receive me body & soul, which though less worth than one mite is all that I have to give thee: and well is me, if thou wilt take them, to cure them of sin, to ease them of sorrow, & to bring them to joy: but alas, I give thee but thine own, which thou hast bought with thyself, & therefore I beseech thee refuse not thine own, that belongeth to none but thy sel●e, & therefore since I have nothing to give thee, take thine own unto thee, commend whom it pleaseth thee, and be thou commended of all: of all I say, for all & above all, since that for all in all, thou deservest all commendation; to thee sweet jesus Christ the husband of my soul, the substance of my wealth, the joy of my life, and assured hope of my salvation, that by the bitter death of thy body, & precious blood of thy heart, hast dearly bought the love of thy servants, who by thy only merit being redeemed from hell, by the saving faith of thy mercy, are assured of heaven, to thee I say, dear CHRIST, my dear love, my best husband, my heavenly father my gracious LORD & only glorious King, with thy heavenly father & thy holy spirit, he eternal trinity in unity, one only almighrie and incomprehensible good god, for the infinite comforts of thy infinite mercies, be all infinite glory, honour, & Praise world without end.  
Amen.   

A prayer upon the request that the mother of james & john, made unto Chrïst: Math: Chap: 20▪ The fruit thereof: Knowledge what to ask of God.  
BLessed LORD, and Lord of all blessing, bountiful GOD, and GOD of all bounty, King of heaven and earth, to whom all the world are but beggars; among the infinite number of thy incessant suitors, that never leave to importunate thy mercy, vouchsafe sweet JESV I beseech thee, to here an humble petition of thy poor wretched and unworthy creature; The Mother of james, and john, made a suit unto thee for her two sons, that the one might sit at thy right hand, and the other at thy left: little was her discretion to move so presumptuous a petition, little I say she considered thy greatness, or looked into her own smallness, that, deserving nothing but thy Wrath, would crave such a blessing of thy Grace: who being answered with denial, escaped well without thy further displeasure: oh my GOD, I come not to thee with a spirit of such boldness; but in the humility of faith, with the tears of sorrow, my wounded heart, becometh a suitor to thy mercy; an humble suitor I am oh heavenly King to thy holy Majesty, not for my two sons, but the two parts of myself, my soul, & my body, that it will please thy gracious goodness, so far to take them to thy mercy, as not to set them either at thy right hand, or thy left, but in one look of thy comfort, to make them but cushions for thy feet: where more joyful shall be my tears, to wash, the feet of thy favour, than all the pleasures of the world, to be away from thy mercy: this, oh LORD, is all my suit, which in thy gracious pity I beseech thee to grant me, that from this vale of misery, thou wilt take me to thy mercy, that in the joy of thy love, I may ever sing or thy glory:  
Amen.   

A prayer upon the devotion of Anna, Luke 2. Chap. The fruit thereof: The comfort of prayer.  
RIghteous LORD, holy KING, and everliving GOD, who hast not to do with the stool of iniquity, but, with thy Countenance dost behold the just, forgivest the sins of the repentant, and takest the faithful unto mercy. Enter not, I beseech thee into judgement with thy sinful and unworthy servant; for, no flesh is righteous in thy sight: & I most unrighteous, am ashamed to appear before thy presence, with hope of comfort, or almost without despair of mercy, but that in the greatness or thy goodness, seeing thee offer thyself unto me with all thy Graces, with a blushing fear, I fall at the feet of thy mercy, beeseeching thee, so to bless me with thy grace, that my wickedness may not destroy, that which thy goodness hath builded: Oh dear LORD, thy servant ANNA, putting of the world and putting on thee, shaking of all vanities, and clothing herself with thy comfort, leaving the world, beetooke herself to thy Temple, where continuing many years in fasting and prayer, she received at last the joyful fruit of her hope, in the gracious beholding of thy Glorious coming: but, oh Lord, woe is me, that have so long looked after the world, that I have so little looked after thee, that I have rather lost myself in a wilderness, than once set a step into thy Temple: I have feasted my flesh with the pleasures of the world, & almost famished my soul with the lack of thy holy word, & have been rather lost many years in vanity, then employed almost any hour in devout prayer, as one rather fearing thy wrath, then wishing thy presence: but, sweet Lord, thou art the God of Eternity, who having all time at thy commandment, dost appoint every hour at thy pleasure, to call thy servants, unto mercy, and to comfort them in thy blessing; to thee therefore my dear Lord, though long first, yet at last, & I hope never to late, on the knees of my heart with the tears of my love I come unto thy mercy, beseeching thee most humbly, in the spirit of thy grace, so to instruct me to pray, and continue me in prayer unto the presence of thy pity, that putting of the delights of the vanity of this world, I may put on the joy of the virtue of thy love, beetaking myself to the Temple of thy Truth, and only long in my soul to behold the blessing of thy coming: come I say, sweet jesus, come down into my heart, heal my wounded soul, quiet my troubled spirit, deliver me from this sinful prison, lighten my darkened eyes, take me out of this deadly sorrow into the joy of thy eternal mercy, where feeding on the fruit of my faith in the favour of thy grace, at the feet of thy presence, I may see the paradise of my soul: & in a new song of thanks giving, I may glorify thy holy name:  
Amen.   

A prayer upon the queen of sheba her coming to Solomon: The fruit thereof: The treasure of true wisdom which is only in the word of God.  
O Infinitte and eternal God, the ground of all virtue, and giver of all goodness, the fountain of unsearchable deep wisdom of the incomprehensible Deity; look, I humbly beseech thee upon the simple soul of thy silly creature: The Queen of Sheba came to thy servant Solomon, to here the wonder of his wit, which compared to thy wisdom, is as nothing, and shall not I come to thee for the knowledge of my consort? yes my dear LORD, let thy mercy be my tutor, thy wisdom, my lesson, thy comfort, my life: Teach me ever how to pray, what to hope for in my prayer, and how to be thankful or thy blessings: teach me wisdom to know thee, knowledge to serve thee, & Grace so to love thee, that I may never live to leave thee: be thou the contemplation of my study, the letters of my reading, & the word of my continual remembrance; the note of my Comfort the white of my love, and ●he light of my life: Inspire my heart with thy holy spirit, lead me in the way of thy truth, and bless me with the joy of thy peace: that leaving this desert, where fools lose their wits, among the followers of thy will, I may here the wonders of thy wisdom: where the saith of the s●mple, find the sum of their felicity: that being pardoned my faults, & healed of my folly, in the service of my faith I may glorify thy holy Majesty: but oh Lord she brought gifts of great value, which she presented unto thy servant, & I have nothing to give thee but myself, unworthy present for thy presence: but sweet Lord, I beseech thee refuse not thy servant, though unworthy thy favour, and instruct me in thy law, though unworthy thy love, that having thy lesson in my heart, I may teach thy will unto the world: grant this oh dear God, for thy dear beloved Son JESUS CHRIST his only sake, to whom with thee, and the holy Ghost, three persons, but one GOD, be all Honour, and Glory, humbly ascribed of me, and all thy poor unworthy servants, in all things, for all things, and above all things, world without end:  
Amen.   

A prayer upon the words of Peter unto Christ in the time of his transfiguration. Luke ix. verse 33. The fruit thereof: the joy of the faithful.  
O How amiable are thy dwellings my dear Lord jesus, how pleasant are thy graces? & how comfortable are thy mercies? more sweet are they to my heart, than honey unto my mouth, yea sweeter than honey and the honey comb: when thy holy Apostle Peter beeheld thee transfigured, being ravished in soul with the sweet of thy countenance, than could he say, here is good being LORD: so my sweet saviour, when in my soul I behold but one beam of thy bright love, I can say to myself, it is good being with thee LORD: for better is it, not to be at all, then to be without the comfort of thy blessing: bless me therefore sweet JESV, I beseech thee with the feeling of thy goodness, the comfort of thy mercy, & the joy of thy love: and let me say, to myself, whiles I am in this body of sin, in this wretched world, here is ill being LORD, where I am so much without thee, and, only their is good being where I might never be from thee, that being ravished with the sweetness of thy brightness, I might make my poor soul, a tabernacle for thy dwelling, that being cleansed from my sin, by the only merit of thy mercy, & sweeted in my soul, by the oil of thy grace, in the fruits, of thanks giving, I may glorify thy holly name:  
Amen.   

A prayer upon Mary magdalen's weeping at the Sepulchre: john xvi: The fruit thereof: the virtue of constancy, in the love of the faithful.  
KNock sayest thou sweet jesus, & it shall be opened unto us, seek & we shall find, ask & we shall have: oh my deer God long have I sought thee, with the zealous love of my heart, knocking at the gates of thy grace, with the sighs of unfeigned sorrow, & begging with bitter tears, but one drop of thy mercy: but my dear God sin did so blind me, that I went still out of the way, that doth lead me to thy will, sin did so oppress me, I could not come at thy grace; yea, sin did so dismay me, that I was afraid of thy mercy: but now sweet Lord being cleared of my blindness, by the light of thy holy word, and seeing the gates of thy grace open to the passage of the repentant among the hopes of the faithful, I beg an alms of thy mecry: I reed oh Lord of Mary magdalen's great grace, who being a great sinner yet by a great repentance, received a great measure of thy mercy: in sorrow she sought thee, in humility she loved thee, & in love she found thee: yea, alive she loved thee, dead, she mourned for thee, buried she sought thee: and risen she found thee: sweetly was she blessed, that having once beegon to seek thee could never leave till she found thee, & having once found thee, did so dearly love thee that in the depth of her love, she had no joy to live from thee: sweet jesus, so give me grace to seek thee, that in thy grace, I may find thee, by thy grace I may love thee, &, in thy gracious love, I may live to behold thee: open mine ears, that I may hear thee call: and open mine eyes, that I may see thy goodness: open my heart, that I may with tears attend thee, and open thy hands, to take me wholly unto thee: mortify my flesh, that my soul may live, shut me not from the gates of thy grace, but keep me under the shadow of thy wings: lead me through the darkness of sin, into the day light of thy love; the first day in the week and early in the morning let me seek thee, let the prime of my youth and the whole time of my pilgrimage, be only employed to the finding out of thy favour: let me fear nothing while thou art my hope, nor be satisfied with any thing till I be filled with thy love: let me weep at thy grave, that I may joy in thy grace; & so mourn for thy absence, that I may rejoice in thy presence: let me not departed with thy disciples, but abide with thine angels, till, in the pity of my sorrow, thou wilt show me thyself: when, hearing from thee, but Marry, I may answer, but master, wherein my soul ravished with thy love may devote the service of my life: but, oh Lord, how should I most woeful, wretched, & wicked creature, living in this vale of sorrow & misery, come to the comfortable hope to climb the hill of thy mercy? a polluted vessel of the earth, to behold the pure and bright Glory of the heavens? but oh LORD, do I ask thee how? & have thy holy word so clear a lantern to my love; forgive my sweet Christ, my forgetfulness of thy care, and give me grace to remember the rules of my comfort: wherein I find after storms fair weather is sweetest, after troubles, peace is most comfortable, & after death, life is most joy full; sweet jesus therefore that hast mortified me with the storms of this world, comfort me with the Sun shine of thy Grace, after the troublesome temptations, of evil spirits, give me peace in thy holy spirit, and after the death of this my carnal Absence, give my soul life in the beeholding of thy presence: give me patience to seek thee in thy passion, that I may rejoice to see thy Resurrection: and that in the Merit of thy mercy, receiving the Comfort of my salvation, I may with the tears of my heart witness the love of my soul, not desiring to live, but to Glorify thy holy name:  
Amen.   

A prayer upon Magnificate, not applying the history: The fruit thereof: The joy of the soul that is ravished with the love of CHRIST.  
ESscence of eternity, in the holy Majesty of the Trinall unity, in the heavenly DEITY, light of the Heavens, day of the world, beauty of virtue, & Glory of wisdom, sweet JESV, the true and only beegotten and beloved son, of the true, and only incomprehensible, everliving, and everloving GOD: my Creator in thy power, my Redeemer in thy merit, my Sanctifier in thy love, and my Saviour in thy mercy; how shall I, clodde of clay, slime of the earth, dust and Ashes, wretched worm, & wicked creature, presume to the happiness, to have a thought of such holiness, as to aspire, so high a blessing, as to touch the smallest tittle, of the due title of thy glory: yet, sweet JESV, seeing that the dead Earth in her Fruits doth praise thee, shall my soul live, and in no service honour thee? and since the living do adore thee, shall I die, and not praise thee? God forbidden: but, alas, shall darkness speak of light, Error of truth, baseness of Glory, or a sinner, of God? when the Earth quakes, the Sea Roars, the Heavens shake, and the angels tremble at thy presence, and yet I see the Elements give their natures: The Sun his heat, the water her coolness, the Air her moisture, and the Earth her dryness; The trees their fruits, the flowers their sweets, the Sea her fishes, the Earth her gems, the Air her comfort, the Fire her light, & the world her wealth in the service of her Creatures in obedience to thy holy will, to Glorify thy holy name; and shall I of all the world most bound to thee in the whole world, that have tasted so much of thy goodness, so much forget thy Greatness, as, in no work of thy Grace, to humble my soul to thy Glory? God forbidden: no, my sweet God, I humbly beseech thee give me the patience of thy saints, the faith of thy Martyrs, the joy of thine Angels, and the wisdom of thy holy Spirit, that I may suffer all things for thy love, I may die in thy service, and so sing of thy goodness, that in ringing out thy praises, the heavens may rejoice to here thy glory in the world: oh my sweet CHRIST, help me to honour thee: Inspire my heart with thy Love, tell me what to think of thee, teach me what I shall say of thee, learn me how I shall pray unto thee; that in my Soul, I may never cease to praise thee: O glory in the highest heavens, highest glory of the heavens, only glory before the heavens, be thou glorified above the heavens: oh that my hrat could dissolve into tears, to wash the feet of thy favour, or that my soul in sighs, could ascend a Sacrifice to thy mercy, that in Soul and body, I might show some service of my love, which am worse than nothing, till I be something in thee: but thou hast made me, as it hath pleased thee, and canst make me what it pleaseth thee, let it therefore please thee, I beseech thee, to make me only to please thee: I am a creature of thy will, work me only to thy will: draw me to thee, by thy holy spirit, hold me to thee, by thy holy Love, and inspire me with thy holy wisdom, that loathing the world with the vanities thereof, in thy only mercy, I may see the paradise of my soul: that having with patience passed my purgatory in this life, & in the merit of thy mercy, receiving the comfort of my Salvation, where the Angels of thy love, do sing in Glory of thy grace, my poor humble Soul may sing Amen to their Music.  
Gloria in excelcis Deo.    

LONDON ¶ Printed by Thomas Este, dwelling in Aldersgate street. 1597.