A paradise of prayers containing the purity of deuotion and meditation / gathered out of all the spirituall exercises of Levves of Granado ; and Englished for the benefit of the Christian reader.

1. The commemoration of bene∣fits receiued.

O God my God, early doe I wake vnto thee, •…•…aith y^• thy holie Prophet. And a little after he addeth: so I was mindfull of thee on my bed: early in the mor∣ning will I think on thee, because thou wert mine helper. And I my Lord God with that holy king de∣sire to watch. Let this be the be∣ginning of my occupations: let the day beginne with this thought of mine. For heereunto the duties driue me whereby I am bound vn∣to thee: this is the end of my crea∣tion: for I was therefore made to the end I should praise thee, & glo∣rifie, magnifie, and sanctifie thy name. For thou art the beginning and the end of all things: I say the beginning without beginning:

and the end without end. For euen as no man might euer create any thing without thee: so could not a∣ny thing be created by any other but by thee: to the end that all things might serue thee, praise thee, and publish thy glory.

Thou art the vniuersall dispen∣ser of good things, so that there is no benefit to be found either of na∣ture or grace, body or soule, which taketh not his originall from thee, who art the fountaine of all good∣nes. Thou art the maine of all perfection, the Abysse of all great∣nesse, the D•…•…ean of infinite mercy and goodnes, the image of incom∣parable beauty, Thou art the God of Gods, the holy of holiest, the King of Kinges, the Lord of Lords, the cause of causes, the be∣ing of beings, the life of the liuing, the order of the Uniuers, the beau∣ty of the world, the glory of the heauens.

Thou art my Creator, that ma∣dest me of nothing to thine owne Image and similitude: Thou art my conseruer, who by thy proui∣dēce maintainest me, lest I should

become nothing Thou art my san∣ctifier, who by thy grace extollest me vnto things which are diuine.

Thou art my glorifier, who hast made me to enioy the glorie euer∣lasting. Thou art my defender, helper, pastor, & benefactor. Thou art my King, my Lord, my father, my spouse. Thou art the center of my soule; my last end, in whom a∣lone consisteth all my felicity, hap∣pinesse, and the last perfection of my life: what neede many words? Thou art to me all in all, in as much as thou art God.

But in as much as thou art man, thou art my redeemer, my sauiour, and deliuerer: Thou art (as the A∣postle testifieth) my wisedome, my iustice, my sanctification, my re∣demption, my sacrifice, my Lambe, my priest, my aduocate, my inter∣cessor, my doctor, my example, my fortitude, my consolation. Thou art the generall phisition of all my wounds & infirmities. Thou hast healed my pride by thy humility: my auarice, by thy pouerty; my plea∣sures by thy dolors; my wrath, by thy meeknes: my enuy by thy cha∣rity:

my excesse by the gall and vi∣negar which thou tastedst for my sake: my sloath by thy diligence, and vnmeasurable labors vnderta∣ken for my sake.

For my sake thou didst fast, wander hither and thither, sweate, watch, pray, weepe: for mee thou wert banished, persecuted, de•…•…ded, mockt, spit vpon, whipt, crowned with thornes, crucified, and more afflicted than all other men of this world, and at length put to death.

Notes

• Psalm. 66.
• 1. Cor. 1.