lye to thy almighty name. O euerlasting God, graces and thanks, of whom alone I receiued freelye the gifte to stande to the same vnto this day. My strength do I ascribe to thee O God. for thou art my defense. Wherefore euen now also I besech thee likewise, O heauenly father, for thine infinite mercy aud faithfulnes, make perfect my waies in thy pathes, that my going slide not, but that now I maye depart hence & ende my course in thy peace. Poure downe the pefect gift of patience vpon me o heauenly father, which art the God of all humility and pacience, euen as thou knowest now o Lord to be most expedient for me: for in to thy merciful defense I commēd my whole spirit, soule, and body, desiring only thy goodnes to direct and guide al my whole thought and minde, so long as there remaineth any maner of life or breath within me, according to thy heauenly will and pleasure. And now o good Lord, to do al that lieth in me I lift vp my hart, minde and hands into thy heauenly throne of grace, crieng, and calling vnto thee for helpe, in this my distresse and extreme trouble, as thou o Lord hast commaunded me to doo: O nowe moste mercifull Lord, according to thy most faithfull and Louing promise made therin, let thy great power & exceding vertue be made perfect throughe mine infirmity and weakenes, that I may this daye moste quietly, mekely and stedfastly suffer death, and with a constant & perfect faith gyue a strong witnes to the world, euen as my christen brethrē haue don before me for thy words sake, and for the most true and infallible testimony of thy deare sonne Iesus Christ. O thou mighty God that madest heauen and earth, the sea and all that therein is, of nothing: O thou mighty God that safely leddest the children of Israell thy people throughe the middest of the red sea, as it had bene a most drie land. Thou most mighty god that diddest send thine Angel before them to vanquish the great and terrible giauntes. O thou that diddest most gloriously deliuer that three children out of the whot burning ouē. Thou that stoppedst the mouthes of the cruel and ramping lions, and wonderously deliueredst thy true seruaunt Daniel being cast into the middest of them. Thou that alwayes triest the people through the fire of affliction, euen as the pure gold is tried in the furnes that they may be found laudable in thy syght, and yet of thy goodnes O Lord wilt not suffer them to be tryed aboue their strength, but euen in the middest of their temptatiō O lord, according to thy very faithfulnes makest a way that they may be able to bear it. For ther is nothing wonderful vnto the. For thou o lord which diddest strengthen the first martyr s. Steuen, being stoned to deathe, for the true cōnfession of thy sonne Christ, thou most righteous God, which art rich in compassion & mercy towards al mē that faithfully cal vpon thee: Thou most gracious God, God I say, that from the beginnyng alwaies strēgthnedst thy Prophetes, & al other thy faithful seruaunts that euer haue suffred before, for thy names sake: Now lykewise vouch safe o lord I besech þe to extēd thine accustomed goodnes & mercye in comforting me thy poore seruant: regard thy truth, & defend thine owne rightful cause O lord, that thy sonne christ may be magnified in my mortal & corruptible body O God, I put no trust at all in my selfe, but in
[Back to Top]thee alone, which mightely raisest the deade to lyfe, to the declaring & setting forth of thyne incorruptible & euerlasting glory, to the cōmodity of thys congregation, & to theyr euerlasting cōfort in Christ. For in Christ & by christ alone which is the author & finisher of our faythe I now geue vnto thee, as most worthy, O heauēly father, al the whole praise, honor & glory for euermore, and world without end, in al thinges praysing thy holy name: & to this let all people with one voice & godly consent together, onely for the loue of thee & thy truthes sake, say Amen. Now heauēly father, glorify thine own name. I remember what our sauiour Christ sayth in the Gospel, to the comfort of al his true & faithful seruauntes: ye are they which haue bydden with me in my temptation, and I appoint vnto you a kingdome, as my father hath appoynted to me, that ye may bide with me, and eate & drink at my table in my kyngdom. Enter in at the straight gate: for wyde is the gate, & broade is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in therat: but straight is the gate, and narrow is the way whych leadeth to lyfe, and few there be that fynde it. What dothe it profit a man, if he wyn al the whole world & lose his own soule? Be ye ready. For the sonne of man wil come in such an houre as you think not. Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdome of God. Who soeuer denyeth me before men, him wyll I denye before my father which is in heauen. He that fyndeth hys lyfe, shal lose it, and he that loseth hys lyfe for my sake, shal fynde it. Euery one that forsaketh house or lande, brother or syster, father or mother, wyfe or chyldren, for my names sake, shal receiue an hundreth fold, and shal inherite euerlastyng lyfe. I say with the godly man Eleasar, that thou O God, which hast the whole knowledge, knowest openly, that where as I might bee deliuered from deathe, I suffer these sore paynes of my body, but in my mynd I am wel contented to suffer them, because I feare the, and as for me, like as my brethren haue dō I offer my body for thy truth sake, calling vpon God that he wil sone be mercifull vnto his people, yea and by shewing forth his almighty power maye make the aduersaries to knowe that he only is to be feared aboue all the rulers of the earth: it is better to suffer affliction as children of God, then to enioye the pleasure of synne for a whyle. It was sayde vnto thee of them that wer vnder the aulter, & were kylled for the word of God, that they should rest from theyr labours, for a lytle tyme or season, vntyll the number of their fellowes & brethren which shoulde be kylled as they were, were fulfylled. Blessed are the dead which dye hereafter in the lord, Amē. So saith the spirit, that they rest frō their labors. It is a sure saieng, if we be dead wt Christ, we shal also lyue wyth hym: if wee suffer with hym, we shal also raygne wyth hym: if we deny hym, he shall also deny vs. I am sure that my Redemer lyueth, and I shalbe clothed agayne wyth this skynne, and see God in my fleshe, yea I my selfe shal behold him, not with other eyes, but with these same eyes. And I beleue verelye to see the goodnes of the Lorde in the lande of the lyuing. Lorde Iesu receiue my spirite. Lord lay not this synne to their charge. My soule is ioyfull in the Lord, and I reioyce in hys helpe. So be it.
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