[The flour of godly praiers] [most worthy to be vsed in these our daies for the sauegard, health, and comforte of all degrees, and estates / newlie made by Thomas Becon].

☞ A generalle prayer that all Men may walke in their vo••acion and callynge.

FOrasmuche, O heauenlye fa∣ther, as bothe thy honoure and dishonoure after a certein ma∣ner dependeth in thys worlde, ey∣ther of oure godlye or wycked lyfe (if we lyue well, thy very aduersa∣saries

shal be cōpelled to gloryfye the, but if our•• life be vngodlye, so shalt y^u be dishonored amonge the wicked & euell spoken of thorowe our sinful liuing) and because we shuld not walke inordinatlye & so prouoke the enemies of thy truthe to rayle on the, and to blas••heme thy holye name, thou hast appoyn∣ted in thy blessed law certayne ho∣nest & godly states and d••grees, wherein thy people shoulde lyue, and haste streyghtelye commaun∣ded that so manye as professe the and thy holye worde, shoulde con∣tinue in the same, eueri one accor∣dyng to hys vocacion and calling, and by no means leade a dis••olute life after the maner of the heathē, which know not God, that by well doing•• the professours of thy holie religiō may not only stop the mou∣thes of folish, and ignorant people but also prouoke them to glorify y^e, our Lord in the day of visitacion:

we knowing our infirmiti & weak¦nes, whych is so great and vnable to be remedied of our natural strē∣gthes and frewill, that we are not able to thīk a good thought, much lesse to fulfil thy cōmaundements which thou haste straightlye com∣maunded to be kept and wyshing y^• glory of thy most glorious name and the accomplishmēt of thy hea∣uenly will most humbly and from the very heart besech the for Iesu Christes sake to endue vs, wyth thy holy spirit, which maye fulfyll that lacketh in vs, make vs newe creatures, trade vs in y^e pathes of thy holye lawe, and geue vs grace to walke accordinge to our vocaci∣on in thy feare, & in the obedience of thy godly wyll, that we attempt nothynge that in anye poynt may hīder thi glory, obscure thi honour, deface thy name & cause y^• to be e∣uil spoken of among the vngodly.

And that thys may come to passe, graunt O moste mercyfull father that euery one of vs euē from the higheste to the lowest, may vnfay∣nedly answer to our callīg, & train oure life accordynge to thy blessed wyll, vnto the glorye of thy name▪ that whatsoeuer we do in word, or dede, we may do al thynges in the name of the Lorde Iesu, geuynge thāckes to the God the father tho∣row him. Graūt that al tēporal ru∣lers maye vse theyr offyce iustelye and godly, seke not only to be fea∣red but also to beloued, maintaine the good, punysh the euill, accepte no person in iudgement, allow no fals accusacion, sheede no innocēt bloud, heare the smal so wel as the greate, receyue no bribes, set forth thy glory auaunce thy holy worde, promote thy faythfull preachers, and in all theyr doynges seeke the profyte of the comm••n weale, and

so behaue them selfs that thei mai be founde worthy offycers in thy syght. Graunte that the subiectes may shewe all reuerent submissi∣on to theyr rulers, obey theym in all thynges, bee faythful and true to them, yea and that not onlye for feare of punyshmente but also for conscyence sake. Graunt that the Byshoppes, the preachers of thy word & al other spiritual ministers may take hede to them selfes and to al the flock, in the which the ho∣ly gost hath appointed them ouer∣seers to fede thy holy congregaciō which thy dereli beloued sōne pur∣chased with hys bloude, and take the ouersight of thē, not as though they were compelled, but wylling∣lye, not for the desyre of fylthy lu∣cre, but of a good mind, not as lor∣des, ouer the Paryshes, but that they be an example vnto the flock. Graunte that they maye lay asyde

al tiranny and hautines of mind▪ and walke with al gentel softnes and tēder compassion toward the shepe of Christ committed to thei•• cure and charge. Let theim be as moost louinge fathers to Christes flocke, & if any of the shepe chance to run astrai & to go out of the wai let them not therfore vngētly en∣treate them, but as it is the offyce of a good shepherd, by fayr means cal thē home againe vnto y^• shepe folde••, sekyng rather theyr salua∣cion then destrucciō. Let them re∣member the history of y^• lost shepe, & cōsider how tēderly the hedshep∣perd Christ thy sōne and our Lord fetched it home againe euen vpon his shoulders. For the seruaunt of the Lorde maye not fighte, but be peaceable & gentel toward all, and redy to tech, sufferīg the euil wyth meknes, enforming thē that re••ist if at any time thou, O God maiest

geue them repentaunce to knowe the truth. Let them cast away vn∣godly old wiuish fables, teachinge thy heauenly word purely & truly, & be vnto thē that beleue an exam¦ple in the word, in conuersaciō, in loue, in spirit, in faith, in purenes. Let them geue attendaunce vnto reading, to exhortaciō, to doctrine, let thē studi to shew thē selfs in thi sight workmē worthi of praise euē suche as nede not to be ashamed. As in prechinge thy holy worde, so likewise in mainteining hospitali¦ti in distributing to the necessiti of the saints, in feding the hungri, in clothing the naked, in lodging the harbourles, in nourishing godly & learned men, make them diligent heardemen, that they maye be pa∣stores and feders bothe in worde & deede. Graunte agayne, that the parishners may reuerence the by∣shops & other spirituall ministers,

geuing them no lesse honour then the childe geueth the father, remē∣bring that they be the aungels of God, the messengers of Christ the lyghte of the world, the salt of the earth, the dispēsatours of y^e miste∣ryes of God, the feaders of theyr soules, the cōfortours of the weke the Phisicions of the sicke, the vp∣holders of the whole, y^e exhorters vnto vertue, the fraiers away frō vice. &c. which watch continuallye for y^e health of their soules. Worke in the hertes of al them that ar in∣structed with the word, such a ten∣der loue and good wil toward the Ministers y^t teche thē, y^t they may giue vnto them abūdantly al good things wherby the preachers may be the more able not onli to norish their familibut also maintain hos¦pitality for the reliefe & comfort of the pore. For who goth a warfar a∣ny time at his own cost? who plan¦teth

a vineyarde and eateth not of the fruit? who fedeth a ••••ocke, and eateth not of the milke. Yf y^e prea∣chers sowe vnto their parishners spiritual thīgs, is it a great thyng if thei reape their carnal thinges? Thy ordynance is, o lord, that thei which preach the gospel shuld liue of y^e gospel. Moreouer grant that the husbāds mai loue there wiues as their owne bodies, & not be bit∣ter, churlish or vnkynd vnto them but geue honor vnto them, as vn∣to the weker vessels, and as vnto them that are felowe heyres wyth th••m of the grace of life. Likewise graūt that the wiues be in subiec∣tion to theyr owne husbandes as vnto the Lorde in al thinges, and so behaue them selfs as becōmeth womenne of an honest and godly conuersacyon. Gyue them grace to aray them selfes in comelye ap∣parell, with shamefastenesse and

discrete behaueour, not with broi∣ded here, or gold, or perle, or costlye arai▪ but with such as it becōmeth women that profes godlines tho∣row good works. Let the inward mā of the hert be vncorrupte wyth a meke and quiet spirit, whych be∣fore the (O God) is much fette by. For after this maner in y^e old time did the holy women which trusted in God tyre thē selfes▪ y^t wer obe∣dient to their own husbāds, euen as Sara obeied Abrahā, and cal∣led him Lorde, whose doughters y^e maried women are, so longe as thei do wel. Grant y^t fathers maye not rate their children, lest they be of a desperat minde, but bryng thē vp in the nurture & informaciō of our Lord god. Graūt also that the childrē obei their parēts in al thin∣ges, and honour thē. Graunt that al masters may do vnto their ser∣uauntes that which is iust & equal

putty nge away threatnings, and know y^t thei haue also a master in heauen, wyth whom ther is▪ no res¦pect of persons. Graunt againe, that the seruants be obedient vn∣to theyr bodely masters in al thin∣ges, with feare and tremblyng, in singlenes of hert as vnto Christ, not with eie seruice only in y^• eye∣sight as mē plesers, but as the ser∣uaūts of Christ, doyng thy wyll, O god, euē frō y^e hext with good wyl. Gyue them grace also to consider that they serue the Lord & not mē and therfore thei mai be sure, that whatsoeuer good a man dothe, he shal receyue it agayne of the Lord whether he be bōd or fre. Further more graunt, O most mercyful fa∣ther, that the elder men mai be so∣ber, honest, discrete, soūd in faith, in loue, and in pacyence.

The elder wemen likewise grant that they be in suche raymente as

becommeth holynes, not false ac∣cusers, not geuen to much drync∣kyng, but teachers of honest thin∣ges, to make the yong women so∣bre minded, to loue their husbāds to loue their childrē, to be discrete, chaste, housewifely, good and obe∣diente vnto theyr owne husbands that the worde of God be not euyl spoken of. Graunte also, that the yonge men be sobre minded and of honeste conuersacyon. To con∣clude graunte that euery one that professe thy gloryous name, maye so lyue and behaue him selfe both in thoughte, worde and dede, that nothing mai procede & come from them that shoulde offende thy de∣uyne and mooste excellent Maie∣sty. Graunt also (O mooste gentle and tender father) that our lyghte may so shine before men, that they seing our good workes, maye glo∣ryfye the oure heauenlye father,

with thi welbeloued sonne Iesu Christ our sauiour, and the holye gost that most swete comfortour, to whom be al honour and glory for euer and euer. Amen.

Notes

• Math. v.
• Esay. iii. Ezec. xxxvi. Rom••. ii.
• i. Cor. vi. Ephe. iiii.
• 〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• ii. Cori. iii.
• Psalm. ••xix
• Collos. iii.
• Magystra∣tes.
• Iere. xxi. and .xxii. zacka. vii.ii. para. xix. Eccle. iii. Deut. xvii. Eccle. xx.
• Subiect••••. Roma xiii. i. Peter. ii.
• Spiritu••ll Ministers.
• Acte••. ••••.
• i. Peter. v.
• Luke. xv.
• ii. Timo. ii.
• i. Tim. ii••••▪
• ii. Timo. i•• Iohn. xxi. i. Tim. iii. Titus. i. ••sa. lviii. E••om. xii.
• Pary••••o∣ner••.
• Malach ii 〈◊〉〈◊〉. iiii. Math. v. •• Cor iiii. Iohn xxi. ••. Peter. v. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. xxxiii. Esay. lviii. ••••bru. xiii.
• G••la. vi.
• i. Cor. ix.
• Math. ••.
• Husbādes.
• Ephe. vi. Colos. iii. i. Peter. ii.
• Wyues.
• Gen•• xvi.
• Fathers. Collos iii. Ephesi. vi.
• Chyldren. Ephesi. vi.
• Master••. Colos. i ii. Ephe. vi.
• Seruaun∣tes. Ephe. vi.
• Collos. iii. Titus. ii. i. Peter. ii.
• Elders. Titus. ii.
• Yongemen.
• Math. v.