Oure Father which art in heauen, halowed be thy name. Thy kyngdome come. Thy wil be don in earth as it is in heauen. Geue vs this day our daily bread. And forgeue vs our trespaces as we forgeue them that trespace against vs. And suffre vs not to be led into temptacion. But delyuer vs from euyl. Amen.

This good children is the prayer of the Lorde, whiche althoughe it be short, yet it conteyneth moste great and weyghty matters, suche as neyther aungell nor man, nor other creature, was able so pitheli to comprise in so few wordes. For in this prayer Christ oure Lord teacheth vs to aske all thynges, that eyther be commaunded vs in the Ten Commaundementes, or promysed vs in the article of our Crede. Wherfore good children you ought to endeuour your selfes, not only to lerne without the boke this most holy prayer, taught vs by Christes owne mouthe, our great master and teacher, but also you ought to giue dilygence to vnderstande and iustlye to weye euery worde of so great a master, that when you be apposed herein, you maye be able to make a directe answer, and also in tyme to come to teache your children the true vnderstanding of this praier, as you youre selfes be nowe instructed. For what greater shame can ther

be before God and man, than whan in our mouthes we professe our selues to be Christen men, and to knowe what we ought to beleue, and howe to lyue, and yet to be ignoraunt what thynge we ought to aske of God, and after what maner we ought to aske those thinges, whiche he of his goodnes hath promised most largely to gyue vs.

Or els yf we knowe howe and what to aske, yet of neglygence, slouth or contempt of God, not to aske the same in dede in suche wise as we ought to do. Specially seynge that the propre office of a Christen man is, to call vpon God in all his busynes and necessities, to gyue thankes, and euermore to honoure his mooste blessed name with moost hye laudes and prayses. Wherfore good children for asmuche as God hath commaunded vs to resorte to hym boldelye, and to mone our selues to him in all our troubles and aduersities, and hathe promysed that he wyll heare our praiers, delyuer vs, and graunt vs al thinges necessary for our saluation, let vs not refuse this honoure that we be called vnto, let vs not refuse this remedie, helpe, ayde and succoure that is freelye offered of oure most mercifull Father, to all his children that wyll call vpon his name. For this is a sacrifice most acceptable to God, wherwith he is moost higly honored and pleased.

Wherfore good children bothe daily and hourely accustome yourselfes, euen from your tender age, to praye to your heauenly Father, for all thinges necessarie. Offer vp vnto hym at youre vprisinge and downe leyinge, before youre meales and after your meate, this sacrifice of your lyppes, the oblation of praise and thankes gyuing, wourshippe hym at al tymes with the frankyncense of thys prayer taught vnto you by your Sauiour Christ. The perfume wherof, yf it be cast into the burnynge coles of faythe and charitie, it perceth the cloudes, and is so swete and pleasant vnto God, that it vanishethe not awaye, vntyll it haue obteined that thynge, that it was

sente for. For it is writen, that the prayer of a iust man can do much with God, and the eyes of the Lord do looke vpon the rightuous, and his eares be opened to heare theyr prayers.

Wherfore studye you, to be the children of God, and there is no doubte, but youre heauenly Father wyll gyue all good thinges, which you shal desire of him, in the name of his Sonne and your brother Jesus Christ, to whom be all glorye nowe and euer. Amen.

This preface must be rehersed before euery sermon of the
Lordes Prayer.

NOW good children, to the intente you maye the better vnderstande this prayer, you shall fyrst learne thys lesson, that we wretched synners do not fyrst preuente God, and go before him, in the worke of our iustification, but it is God that layeth the fyrst foundation of our saluation, he begynneth with vs, and fyrste calleth vs, by the gospell. Fyrst he sendeth vnto vs godly and faythful ministers by whom we be baptised and before we do anye good woorke, he offereth vnto vs hys grace,

he sendeth vnto vs preachers and messengers of peace, whiche declare vnto vs the glad tidinges of the gospell, and the promises of the fauoure of God, towardes all them that truely repente theym of theyr euyll lyuynge, and do moue theym to put theyr trust in Gods mercye for pardon of the same. God also openeth our hertes, that we maye lysten and gyue credit to his holy preachers, as Christ hymself sayeth. Ye haue not fyrste chosen me, but I haue chosen you. Nowe forasmuche as God hathe thus called vs to the fayth, and by fayth hath gyuen vs lyght in our heartes, that we maye forsake all straunge gods, and beleue onely in him, now it is our parte, to lead our lyfe in godlynes, to desier God with hertye and feruente prayers, that it maye please hym to make perfecte, that thyng which he hath begonne in vs, to healpe and strengthen vs, that by his grace we may be able to do those thinges, whiche he hath commaunded vs, and that he wyll augment and increase our fayth in

VS.

For the prayer of the vnfaythful, is nothinge worth before God, and without faithe it is vnpossible to please God. Therefore God must beginne, and cal vs by his worde, and put faith in our heartes, or elles we shoulde neuer aske nothing of him. And for this cause we be not taught in the Lordes Prayer to saye to God. Father graunt me to beleue, that thou art my Father, but we be taught to say thus. Oure Father which arte in heauen, halowed be thy name. That is to saye, O Lorde God our heauenly Father, before I beganne to praye, and before I knewe thy name, thou through thin exceding greate mercye didst sende vnto me thi preachers, by whom thou didst declare vnto me, that thou art my Father for Jesus Christes sake, and thou didst open my heart that I might beleue that thou arte my Father. Therfore graunt I besech the my heauenlye Father, that thy name maye be halowed. And he that taketh not God to be his Father, yet he maye lerne that it is so by

this prayer. For Christ our Lorde knewe most certenly the wil of his heuenly Father, that is to say, that he would be oure moste swete and louynge Father (for els he woulde not haue taught vs this title, our Father) and therfore must we again vpon our parties haue suche a loue and obedience to hym, as becommeth the children vnto their father, and conceyue a most assured trust in God (who is all our Fathers) that we shall lacke nothyng necessarye for vs, and that nothyng shalbe able to hurt, as long as we haue so mighty and so louyng a Father. We see by dayly experience, howe intierlye the fathers loueth their children, what care they take to bryng theim vp in vertue and lernyng and to get theim good maysters and gouernours, howe they labore to prouide for their liuing, and al thinges necessary for theim. And if perchance theyr children committeth any faulte, for the whiche they deserue correction yet we se how the fathers loue remayneth, what pitie and compassion he hath of them, howe lothe he is to beate theim, and wolde rather forgyue theim, yf it wer not for their benefite and amendment. And when the childe falleth on his knees, and asketh forgyuenes, promysynge amendement, we see how redy and willynge the father is to forgiue. Now seyng our earthly fathers, be so louynge to their children, muche more God our heauenlye Father wil be our most kynde and louyng Father, wil nourysh kepe and defende vs, teache and instructe vs, the way to euerlastyng saluation. And yf we fall into anye errore or synne, yet for Christes sake he is wyllynge to forgyue vs, and althoughe he punysheth vs here for a tyme, yet he doethe it of fatherlye loue that he beareth towardes vs not to punyshe vs for euer, but to amend vs and to make vs to know our faultes, and to bryng vs agayne into the right waye. And lyke a most louyng Father he correcteth vs for a smal tyme in this worlde, lest he shoulde punyshe vs for euer in the worlde to come. Of this therefore so louyng