[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 prayer for ffayth.

VUe are taughte by thy holye Apostle (O mooste louynge* 1.1 sauioure) that what soeuer

is not of faith, is synne, and that, it is impossible to please the with oute fayth,* 1.2 and therfore they that come vnto the, must beleue, that thou art God, yea and such a God as is both able and also wil abun¦dauntelye rewarde all them, that with true faieth seke the.* 1.3 For thy eyes O Lorde, looke vpon faythe and thou doest appere and shew∣thi selfvnto them,* 1.4 that haue faith in the,* 1.5 yea thorowe fayeth thou be¦inge the kinge of glory art mary∣ed to the souls of the faithful, and makest them partakers of thy de∣uine nature thorow the wonder∣ful working of thy blessed spirite, Thorow faith so many as beleue ar iustified,* 1.6 made the sonnes and heirs of God, & haue euerlasting lyfe. By faith we obtein of god al good thīgs, euen whatsoeuer we axe ī thy name. Seīg y^• faith is so precyous a iewel in the sight, y^t w^t¦out

it nothing is acceptable vnto thy deuyne maiestye, and we of oure owne nature can not haue thys moost synguler treasure excepte thou geuest it vnto vs frō aboue, and doest breath it into our herts by thy holie spirite (for we of oure selfs are blynd, ignorant, folysh,* 1.7 & by no meanes can perceiue the thinges y^t perteine to the spirit of God) we moost hertely besech the to take awai frō vs al infideliti & vnfaythfulnes, whiche we recey∣ued of old Adam, & to plant in vs true faith and vndoubted belefe y^t we may be thorowli perswaded that thou arte the sonne of the ly∣uynge God,* 1.8 * 1.9 verye God and verie manne, our alone swete smelling sacryfyce, our alone Medyatour,* 1.10 aduocate and intercessoure, oure alone wysdome, ryghteousnesse,* 1.11 sanctificacyon and redempcyon, by whome alone and for whose

sake only thy heauenly father is well pleased wyth vs, our sinnes are remytted, grace and euer∣lastyng lyfe are frely geuen vnto vs. O Lord God, suffer vs not to lene to our own wisdō, nor to be∣leue, as blynd flesh fansyeth, nor to seke saluaciō wher supersticiō dreameth, but lette our fayth on∣lye be groūded on thy worde, and geue vs grace trulye to beleue in the, with all our hert to putte our trust in thee, to looke for all good thynges of thee,* 1.12 to call vpon thy blessed name in aduersity, and w^t ioyfull voyces and more merye hertes to praise and magnify it in prosperity. Suffer vs not to dout neyther of God thy heauenlye fa∣ther, nor of the god his sonne, nor of God the holye ghoste, but ear∣nes••elye to beleue, that you being three dys••yncte persons in the de∣••••ye, are not withstanding one ve∣rye

God, besides whome there is no God neither in heauen nor in earth.* 1.13 Graunt also that we may assuredli beleue whatsoeuer is cō¦tained in the holi scriptures, and by no meanes suffer our selfs to be plucked from the verity there∣of, but maynely and stedfastly a∣byde in the same ••uē vnto death, rage worlde, rore deuyl. And this fayth (O sweete Iesu) encrese y^u dayly in vs more and more,* 1.14 that at y^e last thorow thy goodnes we may be made perfect & strōg mē in thi holi religion, and shew our selfs both before the & the world truly faithful, by bringinge forth plenty of good worckes vnto the glory and honoure of thy name, whiche with God the father and God the holye ghoste lyueste and reignest true God worlds wyth∣out ende. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Rom. xiiii.
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. xi.
• * 1.3

  Ieremy. v.
• * 1.4

  Sapien. i.
• * 1.5

  Ose. iii.
• * 1.6

  Roma. iii.iiii. and .v. Gal. ii.iii.iiii. and .v. Ephe. ii. Marke, xi.
• * 1.7

  i. Corin. ••••.
• * 1.8

  Math. xvi.
• * 1.9

  Ephe. v.
• * 1.10

  i. Timo. ii.
• * 1.11

  i. Iohn. ii. Hebru. vii. i. Corin. i.
• * 1.12

  Prouer. iii.
• * 1.13

  i. Cor. viii.
• * 1.14

  Luke. xvii.