Seuen Sobs of a Sorrowfull Soule for Sinne. Comprehending those seuen Psalmes of the Princelie Prophet DAVID, commonlie called Poenitentiall: framed into a forme of familiar praiers, and reduced into meeter by WILLIAM HVNNIS, one of the Gentlemen of hir Maiesties honourable Chapell, and maister to the children of the same. Wherevnto are also annexed his Handfull of Honisuckles; the Poore Widowes Mite; a Dialog betweene Christ and a sinner; diuers godlie and pithie ditties, with a Christian confess [...]o [...] of and to the Trinitie; newlie printed and augmented. 1583.
To the right Honourable and vertuous Ladie, Francis, Countesse of Sussex, and one of the Ladies of hir Maiesties most Honourable priuie chamber: W. Hunnis wisheth increase of vertue and honour, with long life, prosperous helth, godlie feare, firme faith, and assured hope in the Almightie.
THe proofe of your Ladiships vertue hath emboldened me to set forth this litle worke vnder your honourable defe [...]se. And although a fault by me is committed in making you patronesse of so slender a peece without your knowledge, yet hoping vpon your honourable curtesie, which rather respecteth the mind of the giuer, than the worthinesse of the gift; & poizing the giuers desire to please and zeale to profit, more than the quality of the offense, I doo assure my selfe to be remitted of the trespasse; which maketh me thinke my trauell not onelie sweet, but also verierichlie recompensed.
The booke to his Readers.
Vale.
[Page]Seuen Sobs of a Sorrowfull Soule for Sinne.
Domine ne in furore. Psal. 6.
The first part.
The second part.
Beati quorum. Psal. 32.
The first part.
Domine ne in furore. Psal. 38.
The first part.
The second part.
Miserere mei. Psal. 51.
The first part.
The third part.
The fourth part.
The fift part.
Domine exaudi. Psal. 102.
The first part.
The second part.
The third part.
De profundis. Psal. 130.
Domine exaudi. Psal. 143.
The first part.
The second part.
A Handfull of Honisuckles: Gathered by VVilliam Hunnis, one of the Gentlemen of hir Highnesse Chapell, and Maister to the Children of the same.
Newlie printed by Henrie Denham. 1583.
Prou. 15, verse. 29.
Certaine short and pithy Praiers vnto Iesu Christ our Sauiour.
Certaine blessings promised by God vnto all those that doo loue and feare him. Deut 28.
A meditation when ye go to bed.
A meditation at your vprising.
Athanasius his Creed, commonlie called, Quicún (que) vult.
A meditation to be said of women with child.
A meditation to be deliuered from Sinne.
A praier for the Queenes most excellent Maiestie.
A thankesgiuing before meate.
A thankesgiuing after meate.
The poore Widowes Mite. Gathered by VVilliam Hunnis, one of the Gentlemen of hir Highnesse Chapell, and Maister to the Children of the same.
Newlie printed by Henrie Denham. 1583.
To the Queenes Maiesties Highnesse.
The Authour.
The Poore widowes Mite.
The first Meditation.
The .2. Meditation.
¶So shall my soule reioice, Sing those foure lines to e [...]erie meditation following. reioice, and still for mercie crie, Peccaui, peccaui, miserere mei.
The .3. Meditation.
¶So shall my soule reioice, reioice, and still for mercie crie, Peccaui, peccaui, miserere mei.
The .4. Meditation.
¶My soule shall trust in thee, in thee, and still for mercie crie, Peccaui peccaui, miserere mei,
The .5. Meditation.
¶So shall my soule reioice, reioice, and still for mercie crie, [Page 38] Peccaui, peccaui, miserere mei.
The .6. Meditation.
¶So shall my soule reioice, reioice, and still for mercie crie, Peccaui, peccaui, miserere mei.
The .7. Meditation.
¶Wherefore my soule be glad, be glad, and crie incessantlie, Peccaui, peccaui, miserere mei.
Verses vpon the Lords Praier.
Our father, which art in heauen.
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdome come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heauen.
Giue vs this daie our dailie 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.
The Christian faith.
COMFORTABLE Dialogs betweene CHRIST and a SINNER, touching the soules health.
- Humble sutes of a sinner for mercie in miserie.
- A Lamentation touching the follies and vanities of our youth.
- A Psalme of reioising for our spirituall redemption.
- A Christian confession to the blessed Trinitie.
- Praiers for the good estate of the Queenes Highnesse, &c.
Gathered by W. Hunnis, one of the Gentlemen of hir Highnesse Chapell, and maister to the children of the same. 1583.
A Dialog betweene Christ and a Sinner.
Another dialog betweene Christ and a Sinner, to be soong as the former.
AMEN.
An humble sute of a repentant sinner, for mercie.
¶Another to the same effect.
¶Another to the same purpose.
AMEN.
A Lamentation touching the follies and vanities of our youth.
A psalme of reioising for the woonderfull loue of Christ, ratified by his meritorious death and passion, for our spirituall redemption.
AMEN.
A praier for the good estate of Queene ELIZABETH.
AMEN.
A Christian confession of and to the Trinitie.
1 O Thou almightie, omnipotent, and euerlasting God the father of heauen; I doo beleeue, confesse, and acknowledge thee to be the God of all power and might, yea the almightie power it selfe, and to be of nothing going before, neither made, created, nor begotten, but to be a thing before all things, giuing beginning vnto euerie thing, thy selfe being without beginning, and without ending.
2 O Thou sonne of God, which art the word of the father, and [Page 69] second person in Trinitie; I doo likewise beleeue, confesse, and acknowledge thee to be of the father, without beginning, before all worlds, neither made nor created, but begotten, and art equall with the father in power, might, glorie, maiestie, and deitie, and to be as thy father is, the fountaine and well-spring of all wisedome, grace, and mercie.
O Thou God the holie Ghost, 3 and third person in Trinitie, which art with the father and the sonne, the giuer of all comfort, vertue and goodnesse; I doo also beleeue, confesse, and acknowledge thee, to be of the father and of the sonne, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but from God the father, and from God the sonne proceeding, equall with the father and the sonne, without beginning [Page 70] of time, and without end, in like power, might, glorie, maiestie, and deitie as is the father and the sonne, all three in one, and one in three, one verie GOD euerlasting, not three Gods euerlasting, of one essence or being, euer perdurable or during, without measure, not changeable, almightie, one substance, and in one nature simple.
4 I Doo beleeue, confesse, and acknowledge ech one of your persons to be equall to the other, in all maner of perfection; and ech one person to be omnipotent or almightie, and to be one beginning of all things; and that togither you made & created all creatures, visibles & inuisibles, spirituals and corporals; and that, by almightie vertue, from the beginning of time, you three togither [Page 71] did create (and that of nothing) the creature angelike, and the worldlie nature; and then you made man common to the first two natures: for man is of bodie corporall, and of soule spirituall.
ALso I doo beleeue, confesse, 5 and acknowledge, that thou the father art one other, and thou the sonne art one other, and thou the holie Ghost art one other. For thou, ô father, maiest not be the sonne, nor the holie Ghost; nor thou, ô sonne, maiest not be the father, nor the holie Ghost; nor thou ô holie Ghost, maiest not be the father, nor the sonne: but to you three persons is one being, and one nature common, the which is the beginning of all things; and out of this beginning there is no beginning.
[Page 72] 6 ANd I beleeue, confesse, and acknowledge, that thou, ô father, art no greater, nor of greater power than is the sonne, nor than is the holie Ghost. For the vnitie of your diuine being is equall or alike togither: for such as thou art, ô father; such art thou, ô sonne, and such art thou, ô holie Ghost. And thus thou holie and blessed Trinitie art one God, the first beginning, without beginning, fountaine of all mercie, grace, goodnesse, and vertue, which by thy knowledge dooest knowe all things present, and to be hereafter.
7 ANd further I doo confesse, acknowledge, and stedfastlie beleeue, that thou, ô sonne of God art without beginning, coëternall with GOD the father, and with God the holie Ghost. And by the [Page 73] whole consent of you three in one, and one in three, and by the ouershadowing of the holie Ghost, thou, ô holie and most blessed sonne of God, didst enter into the wombe of the most vnspotted amongst women, the blessed virgine Marie, in whom was no blemish of sinne after the salutation of the angell Gabriel, when she had by the working of the holie Ghost, answered these words of meeknesse; Behold and see, I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it vnto me according to thy word.
THus thou blessed sonne of 8 God diddest not forsake or leaue thy Godhead, but didst take flesh or manhead of the blessed virgine vnto thy Godhead, being still perfect God with the father in Godhead, and perfect man also. In which manhead thou wert [Page 74] lesse than the father, but yet equall with the father touching thy deitie or Godhead: as after thy most blessed natiuitie thou didst prooue in thy humanitie to bee perfect God.
9 FOR without anie teacher or schoolemaister, thou hadst all perfect knowledge of sciences & learning. Thou changedst water into wine. Thou gauest sight to the man borne blind. Thou openlie saidst to the Iewes and Pharisies; I which speake to you, am the beginning. Thou feddest manie thousands of people with a few loaues of bread, and with a few fishes. The wind and sea obeied at thy commandement. Thou raisedst Lazarus from death vnto life, which was foure daies dead, and stinking in his graue. In this, ô God, and in manie more excellent [Page 75] miracles, thou didst shew thy selfe to be perfect God.
ANd also thou didst shew thy 10 selfe to be perfect man: for thou didst eate, drinke, and sleepe, and so tookest increase of nature, as man dooth. Thou weptst, thou fastedst, thou sufferedst all the miseries of man, sin onelie excepted.
IT also well pleased thee to fulfill, 11 to performe, and to accomplish all the words and saiengs of the holie patriarchs and prophets, which they had vttered and spoken of thee, long time before thou tookest our humane nature vpon thee. And so to fulfill the prophesies, thou sufferedst that thine humane nature should be betraied and taken, by the kissing of thine vnkind disciple Iudas.
[Page 76] 12 THou also suffredst cruell persecutions of the Iewes, & after maine punishments they blasphemed thee, and cried vpon Pilate to haue thee crucified; and so vnder Ponce Pilate thou didst suffer to be crucified, and vpon the crosse didst die, touching thy humanitie; and after wast thou taken downe, buried, and by the power and might of thy deitie descendedst into hell, according to the scripture.
13 ANd I beleeue (notwithstanding that thy sepulchre was made fast and sealed, & also watched and kept by certeine soldiers therevnto appointed) that the third daie, by thy Godhead or diuine power, thou didst arise in thy humanitie. And fortie daies after thou didst ascend into heauen, in the sight of men of Galile, and in [Page 77] faith vnto vs that be; where thou doost remaine perfect GOD and perfect man, sitting on the right hand of the father, from whence thou shalt come and iudge both the liuing and the dead. By the dead I vnderstand the bodie which is mortall, and by the liuing I vnderstand the soule which is spirituall and immortall.
ANd also I acknowledge, confesse, 14 and stedfastlie beleeue, that I shall, among all thy reasonable creatures, arise from death to life, and with them shall stand and behold thy diuine maiestie face to face; thou sitting in the throne of thine eternall iudgement. And thine elect, and those whom thou hast shewed mercie vpon, shall be seuered from the wicked reprobates, as lambes from woolues; the saued sort vpon thy right hand, [Page 78] and the other vpon thy left, where we shall all receiue our last and finall iudgement. The which iudgment, ô Lord, I doo most humblie beseech thee may be vnto me, not after my sinnes and wickednesse; but according vnto thy great and vnspeakable mercies.
Grant this, ô thou most holie and blessed father of heauen, which art with the sonne, and with the holie Ghost, the worlds creator; and haue mercie vpon me, haue mercie vpon me.
Grant this, ô thou most holie and blessed Iesu, the onelie sonne of God, the worlds Sauiour and redeemer; and haue mercie vpon me, haue mercie vpon me.
Grant this, ô thou most blessed and holie Ghost, which art togither with the father & the sonne, the worlds comforter; and haue mercie vpon me, haue mercie vpon [Page 79] me.
Grant this, ô thou most holie, most blessed, most glorious and euerlasting Trinitie; and haue mercie vpon me, haue mercie vpon me, haue mercie vpon me, Amen.
A praier for the Queenes most excellent Maiestie.
O Almightie and mercifull GOD, creator & gouernour of all things, whose strength is euerie where, and whose power is infinite; which as thou euer art omnipotent, and in [Page 80] all thy works most gratious and ouer maruellous; so vnto vs thy poore seruants, grant we humblie beseech thee, that ELIZABETH our gratious QVEENE, and next vnder thee here on earth our gouernour, may long liue, and lead a healthfull, quiet, and peaceable life. And if, ô Lord, at anie time the wicked, through malice shall conspire and gather themselues togither against thee, and hir thine annointed; wee hartilie beseech thee, either with speed to conuert and turne their harts, or ouerthrowe their force, and bring their deuises to naught. And although, ô Lord, that we, through our manifold sinnes and wickednesse, doo not deserue to haue so good and so excellent a Iewell to rule & reigne ouer vs; yet, good Lord, we hartilie praie thy diuine maiestie, to behold the great and vnspeakable [Page 81] miseries, which the losse of so pretious a Pearle may bring vpon vs and our posteritie, and to auert the same. This, ô Lord, we doo humblie craue of thee, that wee may long time enioie hir; or else that we, who faithfullie doo loue hir, may with hir be dissolued, according to thy good will and gratious pleasure, Amen.
A praier to be said of euerie true Christian before the receiuing of the holie Communion.
O Most sweet louer of al mankind, Lord & Sauior Iesu, I humblie beseech thee for thy bitter passion sake to remoue from me pride, enuie, and detraction, yea wrath, malice and impatiencie, and all other sicknesses & diseases of the soule. And plant, good Lord, in my hart and mind true meekenesse, charitie, patience, chastitie, temperance, and modestie, with all such other vertues, medicines, and [Page 83] preseruatiues vnto the soule. And mortisie in me, good Lord, all vncleane motions, carnall desires, and inordinate affections: and reuiue in me the loue of vertues, and the perpetuall exercises thereof; so that in this time and all times I may woorthilie receiue this holie and blessed sacrament, vnto thine honour and glorie, and my soules endlesse ioie and comfort.
O Lord, I knowe and doo confesse here before thy diuine maiestie, that I am vnwoorthie, and verie much vnwoorthie, & most vnwoorthie, through my manifold sinnes and wickednes to licke the crums that fall from thy table: but notwithstanding I knowe as well againe, and so doo I in hart and mind stedfastlie beleeue, and the same doo acknowledge in mouth and word, that thou my Lord God art omnipotent and almightie, [Page 84] and so maiest by thy power infinite, if it so please thy maiestie to make me woorthie and acceptable to sit at thy table, and there to taste and feed of the most pure and heauenlie viands: for thou alone, ô Lord, maiest and canst iustifie a sinner, and of a vile, foule, and filthie wretch, make a cleane, white, and pleasant person.
Therefore gratious Lord, I beseech thy woorthie maiestie for thy almightie power, which I firmelie and stedfastlie beleeue; and for thine infinite and endlesse wisedome, which I boldlie confesse; and for thine excellent goodnesse and truth, wherein I fullie hope and trust; and for all this togither as one: frame me and make me woorthie and acceptable vnto thy godlie presence, and grant me forgiuenesse of all my sinnes, and the feruent flame of thy loue, that I [Page 85] may now at this time receiue this holie sacrament with puritie of hart, and cleanesse of conscience, with spirituall gladnesse and heauenlie ioie.
O most mercifull Sauiour Iesu, I humblie beseech thee, for this holie mysterie of thy blessed bodie and bloud, wherewith we vnwoorthie wretches be continuallie fed, and dailie washed, clensed, sanctified, and made holie, and so partakers of thy most high diuinitie: grant me, Lord, and giue me the pretious garment of innocencie, with such furniture of other ornaments thervnto according, as best may please thy gratious goodnes, wherewith I may (as in my wedding vesture) in a good and cleane conscience approch vnto thy presence; so that this celestiall & heauenlie sacrament receiued, may be vnto me health and saluation [Page 86] of soule and bodie, vnto life euerlasting, Amen.
A praier to be said of euerie true Christian after the receiuing of the holie Communion.
IN most humble, most lowlie, and most hartie maner, with most due reuerence I thank thee, good Lord, most holie father, and euerlasting God, that by the bountie of thy mercifull grace wouldest vouchsafe thus to refresh and feed my soule through faith with the benefits of the death and passion of thy sonne our Lord God, and Sauior Iesu Christ. And I beseech thine infinite goodnesse, that this the sacrament of thy deth and passion, which I most vnwoorthie wretch haue now receiued, [Page 87] come neuer hereafter in iudgement & condemnation vnto me for mine euilles, merits, and deseruings; but rather, good Lord, it may come vnto the profit and comfort of my bodie, and vnto the saluation of my soule vnto the life euerlasting, Amen.
A godlie praier to be said before the preaching of the word.
NEither is hee that planteth, neither he that watereth anie thing at al, but thou ô Lord, that giuest the increase. Increase we beseech thee the seed of thy word, and cause it to fructisie an hundred fold. Open our eies, that we may see the woonderfull things conteined in thy lawe. Incline our harts [Page 88] to thy testimonies, and not vnto vanities. Euermore bee on our right hand, and perfect the worke that thou hast begun among vs. Beare our most gratious ELIZABETH in thine owne bosome, and set thine eies alwaies vpon hir for good: let the spirit of knowledge and holines remaine in hir ministers; blesse hir Councellers with wisedome and discretion; hir Nobles with fortitude and courage; hir Iudges with iustice and mercie; hir Magistrates with diligence and faithfulnes; hir People with feare and perfect obedience, that we may all with one mind and one mouth saie with the prophet; He that is mightie hath doon for vs great things, and holie is his name, Amen.
A praier necessarie to bee said at all times.
O Bountifull IESV, ô sweet sauior, ô Christ the Sonne of GOD, haue pitie vpon mee, mercifullie heare mee, and despise not my praiers. Thou hast created me of nothing: thou hast redeemed me from the bondage of sin, death, and hell, neither with gold nor siluer, but with thy most pretious bodie once offered vpon the crosse, and thine owne bloud shed once for all, for my ransome: therfore cast mee not awaie, whome thou by thy great wisedome hast made; despise me not, whom thou hast redeemed with such a pretious treasure: nor let my wickednesse destroie that which thy goodnesse hath builded. Now whilest I liue, ô Iesu, haue mercie on mee: [Page 90] for if I die out of thy fauour, it will be too late afterward to call for thy mercie. Whilest I haue time to repent, looke vpon me with thy mercifull eies, as thou didst vouchsafe to looke vpon Peter thine Apostle, that I may bewaile my sinfull life, obteine thy fauour, and die therin. I reknowledge, that if thou shouldest deale with mee according to verie iustice, I haue deserued euerlasting death. Therefore I appeale to thy high throne of mercie, trusting to obteine Gods fauour, not for my merits, but for thy merits, ô Iesu, who hast giuen thy selfe an acceptable sacrifice to thy father, to appease his wrath, and to bring all sinners (truelie repenting and amending their euill life) into his fauour againe. Accept mee, ô Lord, among the number of them that shall bee saued. Forgiue mee my sinnes, giue me grace to lead a [Page 91] godlie and innocent life, grant me thy heauenlie wisedome, inspire my hart with [...]aith, hope, and charitie; giue me grace to be humble in prosperitie, patient in aduersitie, obedient to my rulers, faithfull vnto them that trus [...], dealing truelie with all men, to liue chastlie in wedlocke, to abhorre adulterie, fornication, and all vncleannes: to doo good after my power vnto all men, to hurt no man, that thy name may be glorified in mee during this present life, and that I afterward may obteine euerlasting life, through thy mercie, and the merits of thy passion, Amen.