A sinfull mans solace most sweete and comfortable, for the sicke and sorowful soule: contriued, into seuen seuerall daies conference, betweene Christ and a carelesse sinner. Wherin, euerie man, from the highest, to the lowest: from the richest, to the poorest: and aboue all, the sorowfull sinner: maye take such sweet repaste of resolution, to amendment of lyfe, and confirmation of fayth: that (in respect of the heauenlie solace, therin faithfully remembered:) all the pompes and pleasures of this wicked worlde, shall be plainely perceiued to be meere miserie. Writcen [sic], by Iohn Norden.

A PRAYER FOR the encrease of faith, and for the direction of the holy spirite, to frame our liues according to the rule which God the father, in his sonne Christ, hath prescribed vnto vs.

OH, God, my God, giuer of al good things, and the sure defence and succour of all them that faithful∣ly beleeue in thee. Loe, I thy silly creature, the worke of thine owne handes, who in my great darkenes and ignorance, humbly craue of thee, the light that shineth

from on high, that faith (sweete Lord) with∣out the which no mā can please thee, which proceedeth from the holy Ghost, the most wholsome water of life, whereof (oh Lorde) giue mee some taste, some sparcle, whereby I may come vnto thee, wherby I may frame my life according to thy blessed and hea∣uenly will, and whereby I may truely serue thee, and doe worship to thine holy name. Vouchsafe (oh Lorde, vouchsafe, in Iesus Christ thine onely and welbeloued sonnes name, and for his sake, to be mercifull vnto my wretchednes, to forgiue my wickednes, to strengthen my weakenes, to pardon my dulnes, and more and more to encrease my fayth, and to vouchsafe mee perfect know∣ledge of goodnes, and ablenes, by thine ho∣ly spirit, to follow thee, to frame myne heart vnfaynedly to loue thee, my will to seeke, & al my powers, to doe their dueties to praise thee: Lord increase my faith) which is the principall meane, whereby we take hold of thy most louing and most comfortable pro∣mises, in Christ our Sauiour, thyne only and welbeloued Sonne, whome thou of meere loue of our saluation, sentest into this mise∣rable world, here to suffer the opprobrious death of the Ctosse, to appease thy wrath for our sinnes, and to ris•• agayne for our iu∣stification: The worl•• ••hereof, sweete Ie∣Iesus,

thou hast not onely, most willingly as an obedient sonne, performed according to thy fathers will, but hast reueyled and manifested the mystery thereof to all the worlde, and trayned out the way, that wee should walke in, to come to that vnspeable happy habitation, the endlesse blessings, and passing ioyes whereof, no tong can expresse: Thou hast by thy death, sweete Iesus, purchased agayne for vs, that which before we had lost in Adam: Thou hast re∣deemed vs again out of the hands of death, and raunsomed vs from the cruell bondage of Sathan, that enemy of al mankind, whose head although thou haue troden downe, and payd the vttermost, which could be de∣maunded for our redemption, spoyled him of all his power, and vnarmed him of all his weapons, & gotten the victorie ouer death and hell: Yet such is our weakenes, our cor∣ruption, and the hardnesse of our beliefe in thee, that he remayneth yet tyrannous, dili∣gently attending, watching, and seeking whom he may deuour, whom he may leade with blindnesse, into error and false religi∣on, into the wayes of wickednesse, to de∣struction both of body and soule: And we, most wretched sinners, prone to doe that which is contrary to thy will▪ haue of our selues no power to ••••thstand him, no able∣nes

to auoyde his tyranny: Wherefore, most louing Iesus, I the most wretched and sin∣full, the most ignorant and blind creature, most humbly pray thyne ayde, thyne assi∣stance and gracious protection, not onely to defend mee from the clawes of Sathan and his ministers: the World and lustes of the corrupt flesh: but also grace, to guyde my life in fayth vnfeyned, perfect loue and true feare of thee, myne onely Sauiour and Redeemer: hauing none other hold, none other helpe, strength, defence or hope, to be defended & saufely conducted, in a god∣ly life and conuersation, but thy selfe, sweet Iesus, thou inuincible captaine, thou lambe of God, who takest vpon thee the sinnes of the world▪ whose will is, that we should bee saued, and be preserued from the hands of that cruell Aduersary the Deuill. But alas: (good Iesus) so blynded are we, that we can not see the way to thee: so deafe, that we re∣fuse to heare thee: and so disobedient, that we come not willingly vnto thee: we haue not attended, when thou hast taught vs: but haue refused to bee instructed, when thou hast directed vs. But most louing Iesus, the cause is the want of that most excellent gift of thyne, a true fayth, which thou hast of∣fered, and I neglected: and therefore haue I not hethertoo bene perfectly assured, nor

certeynly perswaded in heart, of the perfor∣mance of those most comfortable blessings which are promised in thee: Oh sweete Ie∣sus, haue thou remorse of this my dulnesse, plucke out of myne heart the Beame of vn∣beleefe, and voutsafe mee now the right vse of that most singuler meane of following thee, the eye of a perfect and true faith: and let naturall reason, the Mother of error, no longer deceyue mee, or drawe mee into conceites, contrary to thy most blessed will, but being indued with thy gift of vnfeyned faith, I may truely repent mee of all my for∣mer euils, and so euermore hereafter, euen to my liues end, cleaue stedfastly to pure re∣ligion & the true seruice of thee. Oh Lord, giue me one sparcle of this true fayth, wher∣by I may be able to comprehend: & right∣ly to vnderstand, what thy diuine will and pleasure is in all things: That I may frame mine outward desires, to the fulfilling ther∣of, and by thine holy spirit, continually keepe downe the prowde attempts, vnlaw∣lawfull desires and carnall lustes of the flesh, withstand the deuill in all his assaultes, and manfully ouercome the vayne pleasures of this wicked world. Oh giue mee the shielde of a true fayth, and the brestplate of vnfey∣ned repentance, to fight that good fight, that happy fight whereby I may be crow∣ned

with the glorious crowne of victorie, and whereby I may bee accepted into the number and societie of that holy congrega∣tion and fellowship of the faithfull, the Ca∣tholique Church: wherof, sweete Iesus, thou art the head, and onely defence: in whome, whosoeuer ouercommeth, thou hast ordey∣ned the Diademe of al true happines: wher∣with thou hast promised to crowne them, and to set the title of triumph vpon their heads to place them in that heauenly coun∣trie, that celestial inheritance, wherein there shalbe no more feare, no more cares, no more vanities or affliction of spirit, but con∣tinuall peace, vnfained loue, vnspeakable ioyes, and endles felicitie for euermore. Wherefore, sweete Iesu, vouchsafe mee, that spirituall weapon, the shield of a true fayth, that fighting therewith against all the as∣saults of sinne, vnder the Banner of thy pro∣tection, I may in the ende, be crowned with the Crowne of Eternall life, among the rest of thy chosen children, sweete Iesu, Amen.

Oh Lord increase my fayth.
And euermore mightily defend mee.