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and hyghe mynded, full of reuengynge, idle and slouthful, piteles to the poore, and stubburne both towarde God and theyr neighboure, to put theyr truste in theym selues, and to folowe bodyly pleasures, in ryotyng, surfetynge and bancketynge, wherof ensueth dyuerse diseases and sicknesses, wheras if they hadde ben poore menne, they woulde haue labored for their lyuynge, and shoulde haue lyued muche more temperatlye, healthefully, quietly and godly.

And manye there be whiche veraye vnpacyentelye take aduersitie, and murmure agaynste God, whan theyr worldly dyuises come not to passe after theyr myndes, and manye tymes they knowe not what daunger they shuld haue come vnto, yf God had not letted theyr purpose, so that we knowe full lytle, what is for vs, or agaynste vs, what is good or yll, but as we be taughte by the word of God. And therefore we do not desyre God, to delyuer vs frome thys or that particuler or specyall euell, but we be taughte to praye to God, wyth these shorte wordes, and syghynges of the spirite, that God wyll vouchesafe to healpe vs, not as we shall thynke good, (whiche do not well knowe, what is good, nor what is yll for vs) but as it shall please hym, and as he shall iudge profytable for vs, not prescribyng or appoyntynge vnto hym eyther tyme, place or maner of helpynge or delyueryng of vs.

For as sayncte Paule sayeth, we knowe not what to praye for, as we ought to do, but the Spirite himselfe maketh intercession for vs wyth syghynges, whyche can not be declared. Neuertheles let not thys sayinge of saynct Paule, dyscorage vs frome praiynge. For God is not so ignoraunt, that he nedeth, that we should expresse oure particuler requestes vnto hym. For he knoweth what we wante, before we open oure mouthes to praye to hym. Wherefore Christe in the ghospel teacheth vs thys lesson, whan ye praye (saieth Christe) bable not

muche, as the heythen do. For they thynke, that they shall be hearde, for their muche bablynge. But be not you lyke vnto them.

For your heauenly Father, knoweth what you lacke Rom. viii. before you aske of hym. Now forasmuche as the euilles of this myserable lyfe, be so many, that we can neyther noumbre theim knowe theim, nor rightly iudge of them, (as I haue hertofore declared) therfor our master Christ (which forbyddeth vs to vse many wordes in our prayers) hath as it were knyt vp together in one fardel al the plages and aduersities that can happen vnto vs in this worlde, and hath taught vs to say this short prayer. Good Lord delyuer vs from euel. As though he shoulde Matt. vi. saye thus. Be not dyscoraged from prayeng, although

you perfectely knowe not, all the kyndes of euels, from the whiche you desyer to be delyuered, but only saye these fewe wordes, delyuer vs from euel, and by and by your heuenly Father knoweth, from what thynge he ought to delyuer you, and wil gladly do it.

Now (good children) you see howe good and merciful is God our heauenly Father, who so much loueth vs, and hath so fatherlye a care for vs, that he seeth what we lacke, and what euils he should deliuer vs frome, before we begyn to aske. And he requireth not, that we should vse many wordes, but only that from the depenes of oure heartes we shoulde cal vpon him, and do to him this honour, that is to say, to aske all thynges of him, to take him for our only God, and to truste assuredly, that he wil heare vs. Therfore good children, lerne perfytely thys lesson, that God wylleth and requireth of vs, that we in all necessities and daunger, that maye chaunce vnto vs, shuld cal of hym for helpe, and to putte our trust and confidence in him alone, and in no man or creature besydes him. For the prophet. Hieremye sayeth. Cursed be he, whiche doth put his trust in man, and maketh him his defence. And althoughe men do oftentimes helpe

and succour vs yet it is not men, that do it, but it is God that worketh these thinges by men, as by his instrumentes, whom he hath chosen for that purpose. But when God wil not helpe vs, then is ther no man, that is able, to delyuer vs. If we haue any wrong done vnto vs, then yf it please God to succoure vs, he doth it by his iudges and comen officers, whom he hath ordeyned for that purpose. But yf he be not mynded to delyuer vs, then al the men in the world can not helpe vs. Lykewyse when we be sycke yf Goddes pleasure be not to make vs hole, what can all phisicians and medycynes auayle vs? But yf he be willing to make vs hole again he worketh this thing by phisitians and medicines, whiche he hath ordened for the same vse. Our deuties is therfore, in all our nedes to cal vpon God, to aske helpe of him, to confesse that all goodnes commeth from hym, and to make him onely the authour and cheyfe gyuer of al the good thinges that we haue, and to thanke him for the same. Neuertheles we muste also gyue due honour to Gods instruments and meanes, by whom he worketh his benefites in vs. Forthermore good children marke dylygentlye this lesson also, that we be not taught to say in this petition, kepe vs from euel, but deliuer vs from euel. And in desirynge God, to delyuer vs from euel, we do confesse (as the truthe is in dede) that as longe as we lyue in this myserable worlde, we be wrapped and subiect to all kyndes of euels, and that we be not able to delyuer our selues, therefrom.

And the wel and heade, out of the which al these euylle do spring is original synne, in the which we were conceived and borne in our mothers wombes, wherby mans reason is so blynded, that of himselfe he can not knowe God, nor hys worde. And mans wil also by this synne is so poysened, that he doth not obey the wyl of God, nor keape his commaundements. Now because mans reason is blynded, it is easy for the Deuel, to led

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man to all errores, as idolatry, heresies, wytchecraftes, inchauntementes, and to all kynde of superstitious and false doctrine. And these offences God doth punishe with diuerse and greuous plages, as with pryde, enuye, contencyon, detraction, slaunderyng, lying, raylyng, trouble and vnquietnes of conscience, feare and pensiuenes of the minde and such like, which vices, so torment and gnaw our hartes, that they dayly wast and consume vs. And hereof ensue dyuerse dyseases sykenesses and infirmities, and at lengthe death it selfe. Also when mans wil is not ruled by Gods lawe, but foloweth his awne affections and lustes, then he runneth hedlonge into al kynde of grosse and horrible synne, as to treason, sedition, adulteryes, theft, extorcion, brybery, begylyng and deceyuyng his neighbour, to pryde, enuye, anger, glotonye, brawlynge, fyghtynge and manslaughter. And because God of his iustice, can not suffer suche heinous synnes vnpunished, therfore he suffereth the Deuel, some time to infect the aier, some tyme to sturre vp great and daungerous tempestes and stormes, some tyme he permytteth him to destroye oure houses, catel, and riches, with fyre or water. Agayne, God suffereth hym some tyme to haue suche power ouer vs, for our sinnes that some he maketh to runne madde, some he causeth to drowne theimselfes, some to burne themselfes, to some cut their awne throtes, some hange themselfes. For this is Satans chiefe studye, to dryue men to suche feare, trouble and anguish of minde, that thorow pensyuenes and heuines of harte, he maye brynge theim to desperation. And this is his onely entent and study, to bryng as many as he can, to euerlasting damnation. Nowe you haue heard (good children) into how great and horrible euylles, we be brought vnto by original synne, so that euery moment we be in daunger to be drowned with the ragyous floodes thereof. Wherefore surely we haue moste nede, continually to crie to our heauenly Father, desyryng

him to deliuer vs from so great perels and euels. For we can not offer vnto God a more acceptable sacrifyce, then by callynge vpon his holye name to acknowlege him for oure God, and to gyue him this praise, that he it is, whiche is bothe able and wyllynge to delyuer vs from all oure myseries. Furthermore (good children) you shall yet lerne here another lesson, worthye to be noted and remembred, whiche is this, that in this request we desier not God vtterly to destroye all those euels, that do vexe and trouble vs, and so to put theim cleare awaye, (which for a tyme we muste suffre for our sinnes) that they may remaine no longer in this worlde, but we desyer God to delyuer vs from the sayde euel, that is to saye, that after we haue suffered euel by some space of tyme in this life, and haue ben proued and tryed by the fyre of aduersite, that then (when it shal seme good to our moste mercyfull Father) he wil delyuer vs from the sayd euyls, that we peryshe not in them. For seyng that we haue brought our selues into these myseryes, we must pacyentlye suf fer them for a tyme, because they be punyshementes due for our sinne, whiche we most worthely haue deserued. And althoughe oure heauenly Father, dothe moste mercyefully forgyue vs our offences, yet he dothe not take synne, cleane awaye, but durynge thys lyfe, we fyght agaynst synne, vntyl we die, and so be tryed and proued, whether we loue him and his commaundementes, better then oure owne wylles and pleasures. Also oure mercyefull Father layeth on oure backes diuerse afflictions and aduersities, to pul downe our proud and hyghe stomakes, and to mortifie our fleshe, that we may be like oure brother Christe, who by the crosse, ouercame synne, deathe, and the Deuyll, and so enterd into euerlastynge glorye,

So that in this petition we must lerne both wisedome and pacience, wisdome, to beware of synne, whan it prouoketh vs, and in no wise to folow the same. Pacience, to suffer willyngly the crosse and suche afflictions, as God

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