A paradise of prayers containing the purity of deuotion and meditation / gathered out of all the spirituall exercises of Levves of Granado ; and Englished for the benefit of the Christian reader.

Morning exercises.

1. The commemoration of bene∣fits receiued.

O God my God, early doe I * 1.1 wake vnto thee, •…•…aith y^• thy holie Prophet. And a little after he addeth: so I was mindfull of thee on my bed: early in the mor∣ning will I think on thee, because thou wert mine helper. And I my Lord God with that holy king de∣sire to watch. Let this be the be∣ginning of my occupations: let the day beginne with this thought of mine. For heereunto the duties driue me whereby I am bound vn∣to thee: this is the end of my crea∣tion: for I was therefore made to the end I should praise thee, & glo∣rifie, magnifie, and sanctifie thy name. For thou art the beginning and the end of all things: I say the beginning without beginning:

and the end without end. For euen as no man might euer create any thing without thee: so could not a∣ny thing be created by any other but by thee: to the end that all things might serue thee, praise thee, and publish thy glory.

Thou art the vniuersall dispen∣ser of good things, so that there is no benefit to be found either of na∣ture or grace, body or soule, which taketh not his originall from thee, who art the fountaine of all good∣nes. Thou art the maine of all perfection, the Abysse of all great∣nesse, the D•…•…ean of infinite mercy and goodnes, the image of incom∣parable beauty, Thou art the God of Gods, the holy of holiest, the King of Kinges, the Lord of Lords, the cause of causes, the be∣ing of beings, the life of the liuing, the order of the Uniuers, the beau∣ty of the world, the glory of the heauens.

Thou art my Creator, that ma∣dest me of nothing to thine owne Image and similitude: Thou art my conseruer, who by thy proui∣dēce maintainest me, lest I should

become nothing Thou art my san∣ctifier, who by thy grace extollest me vnto things which are diuine.

Thou art my glorifier, who hast made me to enioy the glorie euer∣lasting. Thou art my defender, helper, pastor, & benefactor. Thou art my King, my Lord, my father, my spouse. Thou art the center of my soule; my last end, in whom a∣lone consisteth all my felicity, hap∣pinesse, and the last perfection of my life: what neede many words? Thou art to me all in all, in as much as thou art God.

But in as much as thou art man, thou art my redeemer, my sauiour, and deliuerer: Thou art (as the A∣postle testifieth) my wisedome, my * 1.2 iustice, my sanctification, my re∣demption, my sacrifice, my Lambe, my priest, my aduocate, my inter∣cessor, my doctor, my example, my fortitude, my consolation. Thou art the generall phisition of all my wounds & infirmities. Thou hast healed my pride by thy humility: my auarice, by thy pouerty; my plea∣sures by thy dolors; my wrath, by thy meeknes: my enuy by thy cha∣rity:

my excesse by the gall and vi∣negar which thou tastedst for my sake: my sloath by thy diligence, and vnmeasurable labors vnderta∣ken for my sake.

For my sake thou didst fast, wander hither and thither, sweate, watch, pray, weepe: for mee thou wert banished, persecuted, de•…•…ded, mockt, spit vpon, whipt, crowned with thornes, crucified, and more afflicted than all other men of this world, and at length put to death.

2. A thanksgiuing.

ALL these are thy benefits, O Lord, for which I ought to yeeld thee thanks nay rather they are most iust causes for which I am indebted vnto thee & bonds, by which thou holdest me captiue & bound vnto thee. What shall I giue vnto our Lord, for all the be∣nefits * 1.3 hee hath bestowed on mee? by what duty, or what humble ser∣uice shall I recompence so manie graces bestowed vpon me? Uerily I beleeue, that although I onely

had all mens hearts, and with all them did only loue thee: yet might I not in the least sort yeeld thee that which belongeth vnto thee. How then for many & so great be∣nefits shall I yeeld thee satisfacti∣on? How can I deny thee that one heart which I haue for all, whē I owe thee so much, for all thy bene∣fits towards me? What shal I say my God? what shall I doe? for I alone am not sufficiēt to yeeld thee condigne thanks for such a multi∣tude of blessings. But I know what I shall doe: I will call vpon all creatures that are in heauen & on earth, and I will desire them to assist me, and vouch safe with me to sing thy praises, and glorifie with mee the Lord of all glorie. Let vs therefore sing the song which the three children sang in the burning Furnace in Babilon, saying:

O blesse ye, all the workes of the Lord God, praise ye and magnifie him for euer.

O yee angels of the Lord, blesse yee the Lord, praise him and mag∣nifie him for euer.

O yee heauens, blesse the Lord,

praise yee and magnifie him for e∣uer.

O yee waters that are aboue the firmament, blesse yee our Lord, praise him and magnifie him for e∣uer. &c.

3. The oblation of a mans selfe.

ALL these praises and bles∣sings doe I owe thee (O fa∣ther) yea, and far more grea∣ter belong vnto thee. For if I shal more neerely examine the matter, I not only owe thee mine, but my selfe also. For if in India, a man buy a∣nother man for a red cap, and hee that is bought at so slight a rate, is in such sort wholly obliged & sub∣iect to the buier, as that he is nei∣ther master of a moment of time, or of a farthing, but is very often cast into fetters by his Lord, beaten with clubs, and handled according to the humour of him that bought him: what shall become of me O Lord? I am thine, yea truly wholy thine, not tied vnto thee vnder one

name and title, but by infinite re∣spects. Thou hast created me, thou hast bought me, not with a red cap, but with thy precious blood: thou hast conserued me in all and euery momēt of my life. For without thee I can nether stir hād or foot: with∣out thy prouidence I can neither breath nor respire or act any thing: with what colour thē can I cast off thy dominion ouer me? How an I deny thee that which is thine? By what right can I challenge liberty to my selfe? Or with what impu∣dence (shaking off the yoake of my Lord) can I wish to liue according to my wicked desires, when by so many reasons, I am thine, & ought so wholy to be dedicated vnto thee?

Most humbly therfore acknow∣ledging thy dominion ouer me, be∣hold I dedicate my self wholy vnto thee, and intirely submit my selfe to thy perpetuall seruice & subiection. Neither doe I onely offer my selfe vnto thee, but also all that which is mine, what soeuer this day, or in the rest of my life, I shall thinke, speake, or do: with all those things which at any time for thy sake shal

be offered me to admit or further 〈◊〉〈◊〉 so that henceforward I wil neither eat, nor drink, nor sleep, nor do any such like thing, whose end shall not bee the honour & glory of thy most holy name.

Once more I say, O Lord I sa∣crifice my selfe vnto thee, lest here∣after I be mine owne & not thine: I will liue no more according to mine owne will, I will not labour for my selfe, I wil not seek my selfe; but in all things, & euery way will I seeke thee, obey thy will, and be diligent in thy seruice: and if at a∣ny time I shall doe the contrary, I will call my selfe a theefe and raui∣sher of an other mans right; for that dutie and obedience which vn∣der so many titles, and by so much right appertaineth vnto thee, deni∣ing and stealing the same from thee, I shall vsurpe vnto my selfe.

4. A petition for new benefits.

BUt because without thy grace I cannot yeeld thee that duty, I pray thee (O Lord) that thou

wilt assist me herein, and create in me a new heart that shal not iudge himselfe to be his own, no, not for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 moment of time, but shall thinke 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lost whatsoeuer is not imployed in thy honour and seruice: giue me a will, that may desire nothing more than to keepe thy comman∣dements and obey thy wil: giue me an vnderstanding, that may medi∣tate on thy law day and night, and such a memory as may neuer be for∣getfull of thee.

Furthermore (O Lord) giue a bridle to my tongue, & set a watch before mine eyes. Grant me the pu∣ritie of heart, the austerity of the f•…•…esh, the mortification of all appe∣•…•…es and perturbations of the minde. Finally, giue me a groun∣ded humility of heart, and with it patience, obedience, meeknesse, cha∣stity, true discretion: with these po∣uerty of spirit, feruent zeal of thine honor, the loue of my neighbour, and sincere compassion of an other mans tribulations. Who liuest & reignest world without end.

Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psalm. 66.
• * 1.2

  1. Cor. 1.
• * 1.3

  Psal. 115.