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O Eternall God, powerfull, and true, which bringest downe to nought, & again aduancest: thou in mercy often correctest thy dearest children, and holdest them in by affli∣ctions, lest their ouer-much liberty should giue them ouer-much scope to run astray, and consequently to sinne, and dishonour thy name, to their owne destruction. Therefore, O louing and most mercifull, and deare Father, I
doe yéelde thée thankes that thou hast visited me with crosses, and beaten me with gentle afflictions, and corrected mée with fatherly chastisements: for they are thy louing imbracements, welcome to the spiritually minded, ••••kesome yet to flesh and bloud, that fauour not of any thing contentedly, but of sinne, delight and vanity, baites and snares of death. Good therefore is it for mée, deare Father, that thou hast humbled me with thy louing cor∣rections: and great is thy fauour, ye••, and thy prouidence and power, past all the capacity of the wisest: for 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Lord, I haue found fauour in thy sight, I haue receiued comfort at thy hands, euen in the time of my déepest afflictions; yea, when I was cast downe, and in the conceit of mortall men, confounded altogether, thou yet didst take me vp, and didst not suffer mée to perish vtterly: for when mine enemies laid waite for mée, and snares to take mée, and intended my destru∣ction, they were by thée preuenced of their purpose, and when they hasted to take me, they stumbled and fell, and I escaped from them, as a bird from the snare of a Fowler: therefore doe I
giue thée the glory, I praise thy name, and I will magnifie thy goodnesse for euer.
O Father. who hath looked vpon me in my troubles, but thou? who hath sustayned me, but thou? who hath fed me, but thou? who hath preserued me, but thou? who tooke me out of the Ly∣ons mouthes, but thou? who relieued mée when I wanted things necessary, but thou? who hath deliuered mée in the time of danger, but thou? who shall haue the praise and glory, but thou, the God of my saluation, and mine euer∣lasting refuge?
But what recompence, deare Father, shall I make vnto thée? what reward shall I giue thée? what sacrifice shall I offer thée? I am a worme & no man, I haue no good thing to present vnto thée, but onely I say, and confesse, and acknowledge euen from my heart and soule, with my tongue and lips, that thou onely art God, onely good, onely able, and willing to helpe the poore, to relieue the distressed, to comfort the abiect, and to deliuer them that are ready to be swallowed vp of mercilesse waters.
I am poore, yet thou prouidest for
mée: I want, and thou giuest mée things expedient: I haue Enemies, but thou defendest mée from their ty∣ranny: I am féeble, and weake, and fearefull to fall, but thou doest yet strengthen mée and vphold mée: thou leauest mée not in misery: thou for∣gettest mée not in my calamity, thou doest not euer hide thée from mée, nor turne thy face when I séeke thée, but thou rather hearest me before I call, and preparest mée salue before I vn∣fold my sore, and giuest before I aske, more then I can desire: Yea, Father, when I thinke my selfe ouer-whelmed with the troubles, that like raging waues doe follow one another, thou takest mée vp, and settest me on a sure Rocke, and when I begin to slide, and my faith séemeth to faile me, thou euen then, with thy helping hand dost hold me vp: so that neither the waters of this worlds troubles can altogether swallow mee vp, neither I altogether so fall, as if there were none to helpe me vp.
Therefore, O Father, full of loue, full of power, full of compassion, and patient, to thée onely I yéeld praise, for my present reliefe and comfort: I
thanke thée for thy louing and fatherly helpe, who art absolute in thy proui∣dence, and therein raisest meanes to support thy Children, when they are in danger. And as thou of thy frée fauour in Christ thy beloued, hast at this time, and for euer deliuered mee, yea, when I was past hope; so continue my louing God, and helper, and Sa∣uiour vnto the end: and as thou séest my Soule in aduersity continually: so be thou my continuall helper, that I may still sing vnto thee the song of praise, for thou art worthy to be prai∣sed, oh, thou art worthy to be praised: to thée be praise for euer.
The Lord is my rock and my fortresse, and he that deliuereth me, my God and my strength: In him will I trust, my shield, and the horne also of my saluation, and my refuge.