Andrewes

1A PRAYER OF THOMAS BRADWARDINE,

2Book I. Of Virtue, chap. i. coroll. 39.

3Thyself, my God, thyself for thine own sake above all things else do I love. Thyself I desire. Thyself, as my last end, I long after. Thyself for thine own sake, and no other thing whatsoever, alway and in all things I seek. Out of all mine inward parts and marrow, with groaning and with weeping, with continual labour, and with grief. What then wilt thou render me at the last? If thou render not thyself to me, thou renderest nothing. If thou give not thyself to me, thou givest nothing. If I find not thyself, I find nothing. To no purpose dost thou reward me; nay, thou dost torment me sore. For before ever I sought thee, I hoped at the last to find thee, and to hold thee. And with that honey-sweet hope I was sweetly comforted in all my labours. But now, if thou deny me thyself, whatsoever else thou givest — cheated of so great a hope, and that not for a little while, but for ever — shall I not alway languish for love, and for languishing mourn, and for mourning grieve, and for grief lament and weep, seeing I shall remain for ever empty and void? Shall I not be sorrowful past comfort? complain without ceasing? be tormented without end? This is not thy way, O most good, most merciful, most loving God; it nowise agreeth with thee, it nowhere becometh thee. Grant therefore, O most good my God, that in this present life I may alway love thyself for thine own sake above all things, and seek thee in all things, and at the last, in the life to come, find thee and hold thee for ever.