The plaine mans path-way to heauen Wherein euery man may cleerely see, whether he shall be saued or damned. Set forth dialogue-wise, for the better vnderstanding of the simple: By Arthur Dent, preacher of the vvord of God at South-Shoobery in Essex. Corrected and amended: vvith a table of all the principall matters; and three prayers necessarie to be vsed in priuate families thereunto added.

An Euening Praier, to be vsed in priuate families.

OEternall God, and our most lo∣uing and deare Father, wethy vnwoorthy children doe héere fall downe at the foote of thy great Maiesty, acknowledging from our harts, that we are al∣together vnworthy to come néere thée or to look towards thée: because thou art a God of infinite glory, and we are most vile, and abhominable sinners, such as were conceiued, & borne in sinne and corruption, such as haue inherited our fa∣thers corruptions, and also haue actually trans∣gressed all thy holy statutes and lawes, both in thought, words, & déeds, before weknew thée: and since, secretly and openly, with our selues & with others, our particular sinnes are moe then can be numbred: for who knoweth how often he offendeth? But this we must needs confesse against our selues, that our hearts are full of pride, couetousnesse, and the loue of this world,

full ofwrath anger, and impatiencie, full of ly∣ing, dissembling, and deceiuing, full of vanity, hardnesse, and prophanenesse, full of infidelity, distrust, and selfe-loue, full of lust, vncleannes, and all adhominable desires: yea our harts are the very sinkes of sinne, and dunghils of all fil∣thinesse. And besides all this, we doe omit the good things we should doe: for there are in vs great wants of faith, of loue, of zeale, of pati∣ence, of contentment, and of euery good grace; so as thou hast iust cause to procéed to sentence of iudgement against vs, as most damnable transgressors of all thy holy commandements: yea such as are sunke in our rebellions, and haue many times & often committed high trea∣son against thy maiesty, & therefore thou maist iustly cast vs all downe into hell fire, there to be tormented with Sathan, and his Angels for e∣uer. And we haue nothing to except against thy maiesty for so doing: sith therein thou shouldest deale with vs but according to equity, and our iust deserts. Wherfore déere Father, we do ap∣peale from thy iustice to thy mercy, most hum∣bly intreating thée to haue mercy vpon vs, and freely to forgiue vs all our sinnes past whatsoe∣uer, both new, and old, secret and open, knowen and unknowen, and thatfor Jesus Christs sake our only mediator. And we pray thée touch our hearts with true griefe, & vnfained repentance

for them, that they may be a matter of continu∣all sorrow, & hart-smart vnto vs, so as nothing may grieue vs more then this, that wée haue offended thée béeing our speciall friend and Fa∣ther. Giue vs therefore (deare Father) euery day more and more sight & féeling of our sinnes, with true humiliation vnder the same. Giue vs also that true and liuely faith, whereby we may lay sure hold on thy Sonne Christ, and all his merits, applying the same to our owne soules; so as we may stand fully perswaded that what∣soeuer he hath don vpon the crosse, he hath done for vs particularly, as well as for others. Giue vs faith (good Father) constantly to beléeue all the swéete promises of the Gospell, touching re∣mission of sin, and eternall life, made in thy son Christ. O Lord increase our faith that we may altogether rest vpon thy promises which are all yea, and Amen. Yea, that we may settle our selues, and all that we haue wholly vpon them: both our souls, bodies, goods, name, wiues, chil∣dren, and our whole estate, knowing that all things depend vpon thy promises, power, and prouidence, & that thy word doth support and beare vp the whole order of nature. Moreouer, we intreate thée, O Lord, to strengthen vs from aboue, to walke in euery good way, & to bring foorth the fruits of true faith in all our particu∣lar actions, studying to please thée in all things

and to be fruitfull in good works, that we may shew forth vnto all men by our good conuersati∣on whose children we are: and that we may a∣dorne and beautifie our most holy profession by walking in a Christian course, and in all the sound fruits, & practise of godlinesse, and true religion. To this end we pray thée sanctifie our hearts by thy spirit, yet more and more: sancti∣fie our soules and bodies, and all our corrupt naturall faculties, as reason, vnderstanding, will, and affections, so as they may be fitted for thy worship and seruice, taking a delight and pleasure therein. Stirre vs vp to vse praier, watchfulnesse, reading, and meditation in thy law, & all other good meanes whereby we may profit in grace & goodnes from day to day. Blesse vs in the vse of the meanes, that we may daily die to sin, and liue to righteousnes: draw vs yet néerer vnto thée: helpe vs against our manifold wants. Amend our great imperfections, renue vs inwardly more and more, repaire the ruines of our hearts, aide vs against the remnants of sinne. Enlarge our harts to run the way of thy Commandements, direct all our steps in thy word, let none iniquity haue dominion ouer vs. Assist vs against our speciall infirmities, & ma∣ster sins, that we may get the victory ouer them all, to thy glory, and the great peace & comfort of our owne consciences. Strengthen vs good fa∣ther

by thy grace and holy spirit, against the common corruptions of the world, as pride, whoredome, couetousnes, contempt of thy Gos∣pel, swearing, lying, dissembling, and deceiuing. O déere father, let vs not be ouercome of these filthy vices: nor any other sinfull pleasures, and fond delights, wherewith thousands are carried headlong to destruction. Arm our soules against all the temptations of this world, the flesh, & the diuell: that we may ouercome them all through thy helpe, & kéepe on the right way to life, that we may liue in thy feare, & die in thy fauor, that our last daies may be our best daies, & that we may end in great peace of conscience. Further∣more, déere father, we intreat thée not onely for our selues, but for all our good brethren thy déere childrē scattred ouer the face of the whole earth, most humbly beséeching thée to blesse them all▪ to chéere them vp, & glad them with the ioy of thy countenance, both now and alwaies. Guide them all in thy feare, and kéepe them from euill, that they may praise thy name. In these dange∣rous daies, and declining times, we pray thée, O Lord, raise vp nursing fathers, and nursing mothers vnto thy Church. Raise vp also faith∣full Pastors, that thy cause may be caried for∣ward, truth may preuaile, Religion may pros∣per, thy name onely may be set vp in the earth, thy Sonnes kingdome aduanced, and thy

will accomplished. Set thy selfe against all ad∣uersary power, especially that of Rome, Anti∣christ, Idolatry, and Atheisme: curse and crosse all their counsels, frustrate their deuises, scatter their forces, ouerthrow their armies. When they are most wise, let them be most foolish: when they are most strong, let them be most weake. Let them know that there is no wise∣dome, nor counsell, power nor policy against thée the Lord of hostes. Let them know that Israel hath a God, and that thou which art cal∣led Iehouah art the onely ruler ouer all the world. Arise therefore O most mighty God, and maintaine thine owne cause against all thine enemies, smite through all their loines, and bow downe their backs, yea let them all be confounded, and turned backward that beare ill will vnto Sion. Let the patient abiding of the righteous be ioy: and let the wicked be disap∣pointed of their hope. But of all fauour, we in∣treat thée O Lord to shew speciall mercy to thy Church in this Land wherein we liue. Conti∣nue thy Gospell amongst vs yet with greater successe, purge thy house daily more and more, take away all things that offend. Let this Na∣tion still be a place where thy name may be called vpon; & an harbour for thy saints. Shew mercy to our posterity, deare Father, and haue ••are of them, that thy Gospell may be left vnto

them as a most holy inheritance. Defend vs a∣gainst forraine inuasion, kéepe out idolatry, and Popery from amongst vs. Turne from vs those plagues which our sinnes crie for. For the sins of this Land are excéeding great, horrible, and outragious, and giue thée iust cause to make vs spectacles of thy vengeance to all Nations: that by how much the more thou hast lifted vs vp in great mercy, & long peace, by so much the more thou shouldest presse vs downe in great wrath and long war. Therefore deare father, we most humbly intreate thée for thy great names sake, & for thy infinite mercies sake, that thou wouldest be reconciled to this land, and discharge it of all the horrible sinnes thereof. Drowne them O Lord in thy infinite mercy through Christ, as it were in a bottomlesse gulfe, that they may ne∣uer rise vp in iudgement against vs. For al∣though our sins be excéeding many, and feare∣full, yet thy mercy is farre greater. For thou art infinite in mercy: but we cannot be infinite in sinning. Giue vs not ouer into the hands of the Idolaters, left they should blaspheme thy name and say, Where is their God in whom they trusted? But rather, deare Father, take vs into thine owne hands, and correct vs accor∣ding to thy wisedome: for with thée is mercy, and déepe compassion. Moreouer we most har∣tily beséech thy good Maiesty to blesse our most

gratious King Iames, and to shew much mercy to him in all things. Guid him in thy feare, and kéepe him in all his waies, working in his soule vnfained sorrow for sinue, true faith in the pro∣mises, & a great care to please thée in all things, and to discharge the duties of his high place, in all zeale of thy glory, and faithfulnesse towards thy Maiesty: that as thou hast crowned him héere in earth, so hée (spending his daies héere below in thy feare) may after this life, be crow∣ned of thée for euer in the Heauens. Wée bée∣seech thee also to blesse his Maiesties most heno∣rable priuy Counsellors. Counsell them from aboue, let them take aduise of thée in all things: that they may both consult, and resolue of such courses as may be most for thy glory, the good of the Church, and the peace of this our Com∣mon-wealth. Blesse the Nobility, and all the Magistrates in the Land, giuing them al grace to execute iudgement and iustice, and to main∣taine truth and equity. Blesse all the faithfull Ministers of the Gospell, increase the number of them, increase thy gifts in them: and so blesse al their labours in their seueral places and con∣gregations, that they all may be instruments of thy hand to inlarge thy Sonnes kingdome, and to winne many vnto thee. Comfort the comfortlesse with all néedfull comforts. Forget none of thine that are in trouble: but as their

afflions are, so let the ioyes and comforts of thy spirit be vnto them; and so sanctifie vnto all thine, their afflictions and troubles, that they may tend to thy glory, and their owne good. Giue vs thankefull hearts for all thy mercies, both spirituall and corporall: for thou art very mercifull vnto vs in the things of this life, and infinitely more mercifull in the things of a bet∣ter life. Let vs déepely ponder and weigh all thy particular fauours towards vs: that by the due consideration thereof, our hearts may bée gained yet néerer vnto thée, and that therefore wée may both loue and obey thée, because thou art so kinde and louing vnto vs: that euen thy loue towards vs, may draw our loue to∣wards thée, and that because mercy is with thée, thou maiest bée feared. Grant these things good Father, and all other néedefull graces for our soules or bodies, or any of thine throughout the whole world, for Jesus Christs sake. In whose name we further call vpon thée as hée hath taught vs in his Gospell, saying; Our Father which art in Heauen, &c.