the life to come and better it is to fal into the hands of the Lord then of men for that thy mercy is infinite O most holy father graunt vs to end our liues in the true and Catholicke faith of thy Sonne Iesus Christ who is the euerlasting reconciliation and perfecte oblation for our sinnes Amen A Dailie exercise for a Christian. LONDON Printed by Iohn Wolfe 1591. EXercitium christiani quotidianum In nomine patris filii spiritus sancti Benedicta sit sancta indiuidua Trinitas nunc semper per infinita secula seculorum A Daily exercise for euery Christian. In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost When thou hast made thée ready kneeling downe and holding vp thy hands say Blessed be the holy and vndiuided Trinity nowe and euer and world without end PAter noster qui es in coelis sanctificetur nomen tuum adueniat regnum tuum fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo in terra panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris ne nos inducas in tentationem sed libera nos a malo Amen CRedo in Deum patrem omnipotentem creatorem coeli terrae in Iesum Christum filium eius vnicum Dominum nostrum qui conceptus est de spiritu sancto natus ex virgine Maria passus sub Pontio Pilato crucifixus mortuus descendit ad inferna tertia die resurrexit a mortuis ascendit ad coelos sedetque ad dextram Dei patris omnipotentis vnde venturus est iudicare viuos mortuos Credo in Spiritum sanctum sanctam ecclesiam catholicam communionem sanctorum remissionem peccatorum vitam aeternam Amen Misereatur nostri omnipotens Deus demissis omnibus peccatis nostris perducat nos ad vitam aeternam Amen Indulgentiam absolutionem remissionem omnium peccatorum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens misericors Dominus Dignare Domine die isto sine peccato nos custodire Miserere nostri Domine miserere nostri Fiat misericordia tua domine super nos quemadmodum sperauimus in te Domine exaudi orationem meam clamor meus ad te veniat Domine Deus omnipotens qui ad principium huius diei nos peruenire fecisti tua nos hodie salua virtute vt in hac die ad nullum declinemus peccatum sed semper ad tuam iustitiam faciendam nostra procedant eloquia dirigantur cogitationes opera per Christum Dominum nostrum Amen DIrigere sanctificare regere gubernare dignare Domine Deus rex coeli terrae hodie cordâ— corpora nostra sensus sermones actus nostros lege tua in operibus mandatorum tuorum vt hic in aeternum te auxiliante saluemur liberemur ab omni malo per te saluator mundi qui viuis regnas in secula seculorum Amen Veni Domine Iesu preliatâ—r fortissime princeps exercitus Domini qui diabolum vicisti seculum apprehende arma scutum exurge in adiutorium mihi Domine Deus intende orationi meae misericordia tua exaudiat desiderium meum Conforta me Domine vt â—mnia possim quae iussisti dâ—fende me ab omni malo nunc dirigens oculos meos ad te euelle precor de laqueo pedes meos protege me sub velamento alarum tuarum Illumina oculos meos ne vnquam obdormiam in morte ne quando dicat inimicus meus preualui aduersus eum Reminiscere miserationum tuarum Domine misericordiarum tuarum quae a seculo sunt Delicta iuuentutis meae ignorantias ne memineris Secundum misericordiam memento mei propter bonitatem tuam Domine In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum redemisti me Domine Deus veritatis Loquutus sum in lingua mea notum fac mihi Domine finem meum Et numerum dierum qui est vt sciam quid desit mihi Fac mecum signum in bonum vt videant qui oderunt me confundantur quoniam tu Domine adiuuisti me consolatus es me O Domine quia ego seruus tuus filius ancillae tuae Diripuisti Domine vincula mea tibi sacrisicabo hostiam laudis nomen Domini inuocabo Perijt fuga a me non est qui requirat animam meam Clamaui ad te Domine dixi tu es spes mea portio mea in terra viuentium Gloria patri filio c. OUr Father which art in heauen hallowed bee thy name thy kingdome come thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen giue vs this day our daily bread and forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs and lead vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill So be it I Beléeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth and in Iesus Christ his only sonne our Lorde which was conceiued by the holy Ghost borne of the virgin Mary he suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried hee descended into hell the third day he arose againe from the dead and ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of God the father almighty from whence he shal come to iudge the quicke and the dead I beléeue in the holy Ghost the holy Catholike Church the communion of saints the forgiuenes of sins the resurrection of the bodie the life euerlasting Amen The Almighty God haue mercy vppon vs and vppon forgiuenesse of our sinnes bring vs to euerlasting life Amen The Almighty and mercifull Lord grant vs pardon absolution and remission of all our sinnes Amen Uouchsafe O Lorde this day to kéepe vs without sin Haue mercy on vs O Lord haue mercy on vs. Let thy mercy O Lorde be shewed vpon vs euen as we haue put our trust in thée Lord heare my prayer and let my cry vnto thee Lord God almighty who hast brought vs to the beginning of this day saue vs by thy power that this day we fall not into any sinne but that alwaies we may speake that which is true and right and that our thoughtes and works may be directed vnto the same end through Christ our Lord. Amen LOrd God king of heauen and earth vouchsafe to direct and sanctify rule and gouerne this day our hearts and bodies our senses spéech and doings in thy lawe and in the workes of thy commaundements that here and for euer by thy helpe wee may be preserued from all daungers both bodilye and ghostly c. Come Lorde Iesu strong in battel and prince of Gods army thou that hast ouercome the diuell the worlde take thy armour and shield and rise to helpe me Giue eare O Lord vnto my praier and let thy mercy hearken to my desire strengthen me to perfourme that which thy law commandeth and teacheth me to do Kéepe and defend me from
thinges committed to thy charge that I léese nothing or suffer it to perish by my sloth and negligence O Lorde kéepe mee in health and comforte my strength giue me vnderstanding wit to go forward with the worke of my Maister or Mistres and by thy gracious help for to increase their substance that by my diligence they may bee replenished with thy blessing And further that whatsoeuer I shall do at any time the same may turne to the glory of thy most holy name and to the wholesome exercise of my faith through Iesus Christ thy beloued son which liueth with thee and raigneth in the vnity of the holy Ghost worlde without end Amen The praier of one in a troubled conscience LOrde reproue mee not in thy fury thy arrowes are fixed in me and thou hast laide thy hande vppon mee There is no helth in my flesh because of thy wrath there is no quiete in my bones because of my sinnes My heart is sore troubled my strength and valour hath failed mee the light of mine eies is not with me sorrows haue compassed me without number my iniquities are gone ouer my own head they are multiplied as the haires of my head gréeuing oppressing me as a sore burden The sorrowes of death haue compassed me and the troubles of hell are come vpon mee My conscience and my heart are both against mee O Lorde deliuer me hasten to helpe me and bring my soule from the terrors of hell forgiue me my sins which my enemy the diuell heapeth vppon me like a mountaine so as the same standing before my eies I may not beholde the brightnesse of thy grace Let thy mercy therefore appeare vnto me I beseech thee and let me not be destitute of thy fauour Comfort me O God that I may haue the inioying of a quiet conscience for all this is inferiour to thy greatnesse and mercy if thou wilt Why art thou sorrowfull my soule trust in God the helth of my countenance and he shall take thée out of temptation and bring thée at liberty through the innocent death of our Lorde Iesus Christ which is the holy and vnspotted sacrifice for our sinnes Amen The prayer of a sicke person ALmighty God and heauenly Father forasmuch as thou hast commaunded vs saying Call vpon me in the day of trouble I will heare thee and thou shalt honour me therefore I doe call vpon thée in this my great distres through Iesus Christ thy beloued Son forsake me not a wretched sinner And if this my infirmity extend not vnto death help me that by thy mercy I may recouer my helth and glorify thy power and vertue which thou hast shewed vppon me But if it be thy good pleasure more expedient and méete for me to die then to remaine in this sorrowfull vale and troublesome life let thy godly will be done in Earth as it is in Heauen And giue me grace I beséeche thee that I may commit my selfe to thy will which alwaies is best Kéepe me firme in the Catholique faith to the end that I be not seuered from thee and thy vnity but receiue my soule into thy kingdome through the same thy beloued sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Another prayer of the sicke O Mighty and omnipotent God which art mercifull and ful of pitty and long suffering forgiue me my sinnes and put away my iniquity Uouchsafe beséech thée to comfort my soule against whatsoeuer temptation and afflictions helpe me that my faith doe not faint or wauer in thee nor my hope haue any distrust nor my charitye waxe cold nor that my frailty be ouercome with the fear of death And when the extreame houre of my life shall come then send me forth in peace I beséech thee because mine eies haue seene thy health which thou hast made ready before the face of all people as a light to lighten the Gentiles and as a renowne for all thy people of Israel In this my Sauior I beléeue in him doe I trust I beséech thée O Lord let me not be confounded sith thou art my help and my strength beholde mee with the eies of thy pitty and turne thy fatherly fauour towards mee through Iesus Christ thy sonne who by his most sacred passion and death obtained for vs eternall redemption Amen A prayer of such as be present at the extreame sicknes or death-pangs of any O Most holy and omnipotent God that preseruest our life euē at the point of death wee do beseech thee vouchsafe to cast the eies of thy mercy vppon this sicke person to reléeue him both in body and soul and to forgiue him al his sins accept we beséech thée the oblation of the most innocent death of Iesus Christ thy beloued Son in place of satisfaction for all his iniquities For in the confession of his name hee was baptized deliuer him now therefore from the pains and griefes of his body shorten his griefe and affliction conserue him against the accusation of his own conscience and against whatsoeuer temtations of the enemy that hée may striue manfully by the faith of the holy Church and ouercome him Sende vnto him thy holy Angelles that they may bring him to the felowship of al Angels and of the elect in Christ Iesus our Lord. Amen A prayer in time of plague or common mortality ALmighty God wee doe grant and acknowledge that we haue often and gréeously offended thee by our diuerse and manifold sinnes forasmuch as wee haue all swarued from thée and therwith are become vnprofitable neither we nor our fathers kéeping thy commaundements With a right sorrowfull spirite wee beseech thy infinite mercy for Iesus Christe thy beloued Sonnes sake that thou wilt not deale with vs according to our sinnes but haue mercy vpon vs according to thy great goodnesse and fauour Be mercifull to vs of thy fatherly good wil take from vs this fearefull cogitation of pestilence infectiue sicknes and suffer vs not thus to perish by thy dreadfull disease Rebuke vs not Lorde in thy fury nor consume vs with the wicked vngodly Lorde I beséech thée let thy displeasure cease leaue vs shew vnto vs thy mercy and deliuer vs bée mindfull of thy goonesse and pitty for thy names sake Thou O Lord art good and thy iudgements be right but we haue sinned and stirred vp thy displesure against vs forgiue I beséech thee the iniquity of my people and take from vs this pestilent infection for the bitter passion of thy sweet Sonne Protect vs from thy wrath from euill and sudden death and from eternal damnation But if thy good pleasure bee such that thou wilt needes visit our iniquities with this temporall punishment so fauour vs I beséech thee that bearing thy fatherly hande laide vppon vs wee dispaire not in thy chastisement For when we are iudged we are so corrected by our Lord that wee be not condemned with this worlde And more profitable it is to suffer here temporall punishment then eternall in
quicke dispatch of a voyage Ibid. The eternal law ordeined nothing better than in giuing vs one waie to come into the world and many waies to go out of it Resurrection 2. Mac. 7. Unlesse we hoped that they who were slain should rise againe it should séeme superfluous and vaine to intreate for the deceased Greg. in mortal Our redéemer tooke vpon him death that we might not feare to die hée shewed vs his resurrection that we might assuredly trust to rise againe Let vs consider the little séed of euerie trée that is cast into the earth how a trée therof may be brought forth and let vs comprehend if we can where so great a trée might be hidden in so small a bulke of that seede where the wood where the rinde where the green leaues and where the plentifulnesse of that fruit why should we thē maruell how God can turne that little dust that commeth of our bodie into a man when of a little séede there riseth so huge a thing as is a great trée If there be no resurrection neither is there anie God nor anie prouidence then all things are wroght conducted by Fortune We sée many righteous men to liue in penurie and to suffer wrong and contrarily sinners and vnrighteous persons to flow in all kinde of wealth and voluptuousnes what man of right mind wil thinke this to be the worke of iust iudgment or wise prouidence therefore there shall be a resurrection for God is iust and rewardeth them that put their trust in him Iudgement Iob. 9. I feared my works knowing thou wouldest not spare an offender Rom. God will reward euery man according vnto his workes Aug. de ciu Dei Then shall he come openly among the iust to iudge iustly that came priuily to bée iudged of the vniust vniustly Aug. de Symb. That Iudge is not to be preuented by fauour nor to bée bowed with pittie nor to be corrupted with mony nor to be appeased with satisfaction or penance Let the soule deale as well as shee can for her selfe while there is place for mercie for there shal be the place of iustice When our Lorde shall iudge the wofull world the most puissant kinges shall come foorth naked that foolish wise man Plato shall be brought forth with his schollers the wittie argumentes of Aristotle shall not helpe him when the sonne of the poore maide shall come for to iudge the furthest partes of the earth Greg. When I call to minde Iob on the dunghill Iohn famishing in the wildernes Peter tormented on the crosse I think how God will punish the reprobate in time to come sith hée intreateth so sharpely them whom he loueth Hier. super Mat. So often as I consider that day my whole bodie doth tremble for feare for whether I eate or drinke or do any other thing alwaies mée thinketh that fearefull blast of the trumpet soundeth in mine eares rise yée dead and come to iudgement Heauen Esdr. 8. The most highest hath made this worlde for many but the world to come for a few 1. Cor. 2. The eie hath not séene nor the eare heard nor hath it ascended vnto the hart of man what God hath prepared for them that loue him Aug. de poenit Hasten thether where thou maiest liue euer if thou so much louest this wretched flitting life where thou liuest with so much a doe running wrastling swearing and sighing and canst scarse prouide thy bodily necessaries how much rather oughtest thou to loue the life eternall where is no labour nor any care to be taken but rather great felicitie happy liberty happy blessednes where shall bee fulfilled that which our Lord saith in the Gospell Men shall be like Angelles the righteous shall shine c. Aug. super Psa. The poore Widdowe bought as much for two mites as Peter did by forsaking his nets or Zacheus by giuing the halte of his liuing Aug. in Epist. If riches bée loued let them bee laide vp where they cannot perish if honour bee desired let it bee sought where none hath it but the worthy if life bée liked let it be gotten where no death shall end it Barn in ser. O Lorde there be manie that would raigne with thée but they will not suffer with thée they woulde finde thée but they will not séeke thée they would come where thou art but they wil not follow thée Chrys. super Math. Great is the violence if a man born in earth catch heauen for his portion if he obtaine by vertue that which he cannot by nature The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence for that the glorie of the Lord of Israel which was due to the fathers foretold by the Prophets offered by Christ is surprised and occupied by the faith of the Gentiles whiles they by the penance which Iohn preached doe reuiue to the heauenly Countrie as it were returning to a strange place Greg. in mor. Onely to the righteous are the rewardes of the heauenly countrie due so as the humble the chast the méeke and the mercifull are they which attaine to the ioyes eternall Hell Math. 8. The children of this worlde shall be cast into vtter darkenesse where shall bée wéeping and gnashing of téeth Apoc. Looke how much a man hath glorified himselfe and béene in pleasures so much giue him of sorrowe and torment Greg. in Dialog There is but one fire of hell but the same tormenteth not all sinners after one manner for euerie one shall finde there so much paine as his sinnes require Ibid. Like as when manie men stande in the sunne all féele not a like heate for that some bée more hote than other euen so in that one fire there is not one manner of burning for as much as the diuersitie of sins causeth that there which the diuersitie of bodies worketh here Greg. super Math. They shall be cast into darknesse that they may there gnash their téeth who delighted here in eating For crying out is caused of heat gnashing of téeth is caused of cold There hel is shewed to be of two sortes to wit of extreme colde and of intollerable heate Ibid. In hell shall be intollerable colde vnquenchable heat a worme that neuer dieth a stinke intollerable extreme darknes the scourge of torments the horible sight of deuils the confused heap of sins and dispaire of all good things for vnto those wretches there shall be a death without dying because there death alwaies begins and cannot end Hugo de S. Vict. Hell is a lake without measure déepe without bottome full of incomparable burning ful of intollerable stinkes full of innumerable sorrow there is miserie there is darknes and euerlasting horrour where there is no hope of any good thing Isodor de summo bono The fire of hel shal giue light to those wretches to the encrease of their owne woe by séeing it and not to any comforte least they might sée whereof to reioyce A note touching the profession of great knowledge in the scriptures CUnning is