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latter commaundementes before rehersed, therfore whensoeuer you will make thys prayer to God, and saye. Thy will good Lorde be done in earth, as it is in heauen, you must before, call to your remembraunce, these seuen commaundementes, with their exposition vnto you hertofore declared. For in this shorte request, you comprise asmuche, as yf you shuld praye on thys fashion.

O God oure mooste mercyefull Father in heauen, gyue vs thy grace and healpe, that we maye obey oure parentes and commen officers, and honour them with al our hertes, keape vs frome manslaughter, from enuye, hatred, malice, anger, desyre of reuengynge and all euyll myndes toward our neyghbours.

Graunt that we may hartly loue oure neyghbours, and do theim good, both in wordes and deades. Graunte vs to lyue purely and chastely, to auoyde all occations of offence, to prouoke no body to vncleane lyuyng, but that we maye studye to saue euery mans and womans chastitie and honestye. Graunt, that neyther by thefte, gyle or anye craftye meanes we take brybe or keape awaye anye mans goods from hym, but rather that we maye helpe theim to saue and kepe their riches, and yf any of them be in pouertie that we may be wyllyng to releaue them with our almes and charitie. Graunte that we hurt no man with false witnes bearing or lying, but that we maye bothe iudge and speake all goodnes of oure neyghboure. Keape vs from al euel lustes and desyers, that we couet not oure neyghbors goodes, nor hauke or hunt after any thyng that is his. For all these be the commaundementes of thy holy and godlye wyll, wherto thou hast commaunded vs to be obedyente.

And marke wel these wordes I praye you (good children) that we do not onely praye God, that his wil maye be donne, but also we desyer, that it may be fulfylled here of men in erth, euen as it is of the angels in heauen. Now the angels in heauen fulfyl Gods wyll most per

fectely, bothe with moste feruent loue and most perfyte obedyence. And there is not in any of the heuenly spirites any euel desier, to do any thing contrarye to Gods wil, but they be whollye inflamed with most perfecte loue towarde God. Euen so ought we also to be that dwel here in earth. But the wekenes and euylnes of mans hart is so great that we be not able to perfourme the same. For oftentymes we obey Gods wyll nothyng at al, but gyue our selues wholly to the lustes of our fleshe, oftentimes we do that God requireth of vs grudgynglye, coldly, and as it were halfe against our willes. This is a great feblenes, or rather an horrible sikenes lepry, corruption and pestilente contagion of originall synne, by meanes wherof they that be most holy here in earth, be not perfectely iust and rightuous, but euer they want many thinges, that belong to their perfection. We must therefore continually praye God, to gyue vs his grace and helpe, that we may fulfyll his holy wyll, and be made as iust and obedient, as the angels whiche be in heauen. Forthermore (good children) you shall note that when we saye, thy wyll be donne, we do not onelye praye for our selues, but for other also, that bothe we and they maye do the holy wil of God. And when any man goeth about to do any vngodly thing, whiche is agaynste Gods wyl, then we praye in thys petition that God wyll let hys naughty purpose, that Gods wyl only maye be donne. This praier also is against the Deuyl and this most corrupte worlde, that neyther the Deuels wil, neither the wyll of the wicked worlde maye be done. For when we heare the gospell preached vnto vs, and gyue credyte to it, and frame our lifes and conuersation after the same, then Satan rageth and is sore greued and vexed, than he calleth all his wittes vnto him, and setteth all hys studye and crafte, to styrre vp false and braynesyke doctors, to sowe the cockell of heresye and erroneous opinions, wher the good sede of Gods word was first

Math. x.
Luke xii.

sowen. Then he is busye to raise vp persecutions seditions, insurrections, commotions, warre and blasphemies, whereby he maye let the worde of God to haue his course, and trouble the kyngdome of Christe. And Satan is not alone, when he fighteth against Christ and his kingdome, but he hath on his syde this false and deceyuable worlde, and also oure awne fleshe, whiche do not cease to intyce and moue vs against Gods most holy wil. But when we say in the Lordes praier, thy wyll be donne, then we do not only pray, that both we and other maye kepe Gods commaundementes, but we praye also, that the most noughty wyll of the Deuel and the corrupte worlde maye be broken, and only the wyll of God maye be fulfilled, that in commen welthes maye be peace and quietnes, the gospell frely and fruitefully preached, and that we may lede in this world holy and godly lyfes. And forasmuche as Christ oure Lorde, hath commaunded vs thus to praye, and hath promysed, that what soeuer we aske the Father in his name, he wil gyue it vnto vs, we ought stedfastly to beleue, and nothyng doubte, but that he wyll staye al the craftye imaginations and compassynges, of the worlde and the Deuel, and defende vs against all persecutions, that we maye kepe and lerne his worde in peace and quietnes.

Wherefore our dewtie is, stedfastly to cleue to the gospel, dylygently to studye and learne the worde of God and constantly without feare to confesse and abyde by the same. For Christ himself saith. He that confesseth me before men, I wyl also confesse and acknowledge him before my Father in heauen. But he that denyeth me before men, I will denye him before my Father in heauen. Also good children you shal diligently learne this lesson (whiche I praie you to prynt wel in your memories) that in this petition we yelde oure selues wholly to God, to be ordered after his wil and pleasure, and willyngly to beare, whatsoeuer crosse or trouble, he

shal lay vpon our sholders. For we praye that his wyl may be done, than we forsake our awne wil, and make a whole resignation thereof into Gods handes, that it may not take effect, whiche of it selfe desier nothynge but helth of body, riches, honors, rest, and quietnes, where as Gods wyll is contrarye that oftentimes we shoulde be tryed in our faithe by aduersyties, and beare oure crosse, as our Lorde and mayster Christ was crowned with thornes and nayled on the crosse for oure sakes. This Rom. viii. sainct Paul witnesseth, writyng these wordes, whom God hath chosen before the beginnyng of the world, them also hath he ordeyned, to be lyke the image of his Sonne. And our sauioure Christ hymselfe saieth. He that taketh Luke ix. not his crosse, and foloweth me is not worthye to be my dysciple.

And this is not a token of Gods angre, when he sendeth vs afflyction or aduersitie, but rather a signe of his loue toward vs. For he chasteseth euery childe whome he loueth, as the wyse man Salomon witnesseth. And they Prov. iii. that fele not his rodde, be not his true children, but rather bastardes as sainct Paule writeth in thepistle to the Heb. xii. Hebrues. Wherefore good children learne patience, that you may gladly suffer aduersitie (For correction is a teachyng) and when God shall trye youre faith with sycknes, pouertie persecution, or any other kynde of aduersitie, reioyce and be glad. For these be euident tokens, of Gods fatherlye loue towarde you, and that he wil kepe you cleane from synne and corruption of this worlde, and brydle your wyll, that you maye, learne to knowe Gods holy wyll, whiche is a wonderful wisdome. And therefore sayncte Paule so many tymes repeteth in his epystles, these wordes, that is to say, that you maye knowe the wyll of God. For this knowledge is a most high and heauenly wysedom and obedyence, most lyke to the obedience and holines of thangels in heauen. And you be bounde to obey God, in sufferyng his rodde and

crosse. For God in our baptysme hath made this couenaunt with vs, that we must dye and be buryed with Christ, and be grafted in his passion and death, if we wil ryse againe and be glorified with him in the kyngdome of heauen, whereunto he is rysen and assended. Wherfore good children, marke well these lessons, that you maye learne pacience in all afflictions and aduersities, whether you suffer sycknes, pouertie, reproches or persecution for the gospell. And what so euer kynde of aduersitie troubleth you, perswade your selues, for a suertie, that it is Gods wyl, that you should suffer and be Luke xxi. tryed. And therfore Christ sayeth. One heare shal not fall from your headde, without the wyll of youre Father whiche is in heauen.

Therfore yf perchaunce at anye tyme you shalbe moued to impaciencie, in your trouble and aduersitie, then with all your hertes call vpon God for hys ayde and succour, desyre hym to sende you the gyfte of pacyence, and saye. Thy wyll good Lorde be done, and not ours: For so oure sauyour Christe hath not onely taught vs to pray, but he hymselfe also dyd vse the lyke prayer, not longe before he suffered his passion. And thys is the playne meanyng of this thirde petition, concernyng the fulfyllyng of Gods wyll. Nowe I pray you good children, applie your willes and mindes to learne the same, that when you be demaunded, how vnderstand you the thyrde petition? you maye answere after this maner. Althoughe Gods holy wyll be done without our praier, yet we pray that it maye be done in vs, and fulfylled amonge vs here in earth. Whiche is done, whan God doeth ouerthrow and destroy the wicked counsels of the Deuell, of worldely people, and of oure owne fleshe (whiche do all that lieth in theim, to let and hynder the kyngdome of God, and the halowynge of his name) and doeth kepe vs in the true knowledge of hys worde, in the lyuely fayth of Christ, in hys loue and obedience of his

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