Christs Prayer Expounded, Prayer 3
A thankſgiuing for our late deliuerance from that vnnaturall conſpiracie againſt our King and State.
ALmighty Lord GOD father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and in him our moſt Gratious and mercifull Father, many are thy mercyes towards vsus, and that our ſoules know right well. And as we cannot be ignorant of them vnles we be ſenſeleſſe, ſoe wee may not be forgetfull vnles we be thankeleſſe. By thée our lot is fallen into a good ſoile; and by thée we hauehave a goodly inheritance; by thée are our bodies deliuered from ſickneſſe, and by thée are our ſoules deliuered from ſin; by thée our names are not a reproch vntounto our enemies; and by thée our eſtates are not a prey vntounto the Idolatrous. Thou euen thou haſt don great things in our land, & thy right hand amongſt vsus haſt brought mighty things to paſſe. What is it O Lord, that thou haſt not done vntounto this vine of thine Engliſh Iſrael? and what couldeſt thou doe more for it then thou haſt? Thou haſt planted it by thy hand, placed it in thy vineard, hedged it by thy prouidence, garded it by thine Angells, watred it by thy ſpirit, pruyned it by thy rodds, ſupported it by thy power, committed it to thy huſbandmen, beautified it by thy mercies, and fructified it by thine aboundance, not of ſower, but ſwéete grapes. The wilde boore of the woods can neuer roote it vp; the beaſts of the foreſt ſhall neuer deuour it. Lord continew ſtill to viſit this vine, which without thy viſitation, muſt be fruitles and ſtrengthleſſe. Thou haſt caſt out the heathen, and planted vsus in; thou haſt ſubdued our enemies, and made vsus the mirror of the whole world: Thou haſt giuen vsus thy Sonne to be our Sauiour, thy word, to be our inſtructor, thy Spirit, to bée our ſanctifier, thy preachers to bee our monitors, thy ſacraments to be our ſeales, and Kings to be our nurſing Fathers, and Quéenes to bee our nurſing Mothers. When our enemies came againſt vsus, thou ſubdueſt them; when our light was extinguiſhed, thou oldeſt ſet vp a greater,1588. Q. Elizabeth. K. Iames. 1603. when the plague was amongſt vsus, thou calmeſt it, and when our Countrie was to be betraied, thou waſt our deliuerer. What ſhall we render vntounto thée for all theſe fauours? or what can we render for all theſe mercies? O our ſoules, praiſe the Lord, and all that is within vsus praiſe his holy name. O our ſoules praiſe the Lord, and let vsus neuer forget his benefitts. Wee Lord had bin blowen vp with the powder of rebellion, had not the power of thy prouidence watched ouer vsus. We therefore, our Princes, Nobles, Clergy Commons, our Wifes, Children, Seruants and al, are héere before thy Maieſty this day, & now render vntounto thée (for more we cannot, and more thou deſireſt not) the ſacrifice of praiſe, the calues of our lipp…, for this wonderfull deliuerance, ſhewed vntounto our Gracious King and Country. Lord teach vsus therby to bée thankfull vntounto thée, obedient to our gouernours frequent in praier, feruent in the ſpirit, and zealous in good workes, leaſt a worſe thing hereafter happen vntounto vsus. Make vsus to deteſt Popery the poyſon of Authority, Ieſuits the bellowes of ſedition, Papiſts the plotters of rebellion, and to thinke better of our Chriſtian Brethren, and this, not new, but moſt auncient religion of ours, by which wee are taught Pietie to God, Loialty to Gouernours, Peace to the Church, reuerence of ſuperiority, charity to our inferiours, amity to our equalls, louelove to our enemies, patience in tribulation, thankfulneſſe in proſperity faithfulneſſe in our calling & honeſty to al. And ſéeing of late thou haſt deliuered our backs from whipping, our liberty from ſeruing, our ſoules from dying, our country from conſuming, & our King and Eſtate from a ſuddaine blowing vp, Lord wée pray thée that the meditatiō of this mercy may neuer depart out of our minds, but that wee may bée thankful vntounto thée for mercies receiued, and fearfull of thée, for iudgements eſcaped. Teach vsus to pray vntounto thée alone, who canſt heare & graunt our requeſts, to kéepe our country from inuaſion, our Church frō diſſention, our houſes from infection, our State from alteration, and people from the cruell mercies of the Italian Popedom, whoſe faith is fancie, whoſe force is fraud, whoſe truſt is treaſon, whoſe obedience is hipocriſie, whoſe lawes are traditions, whoſe pardōers are prieſts, whoſe ſauiour is the Pope, whoſe god is an Idol, whoſe ſeruice is ceremonies whoſe glorie is their ſhame, and whoſe end is damnation, except they repent. Let the Sunne of the Ghoſpell be neuer eclipſed, the Light of thine Iſrael neuer be extinguiſhed, the hope of our happineſſe neuer bée ſubuerted. Nor the branches of our vine euer cut off. Thus we thy people and ſhéepe of thy paſture, ſhall hauehave iuſt occaſion to praiſe thy great name, in the face of thy congregation from this time forth foreuermore. Lord kéepe in our Kinge the Spirit of Maieſtie, in our Quéene the Spirit of Chaſtitie, in our Prince the Spirit of Pietie, in our Nobles the Spirit of Loialtie, in our Councellers the Spirit of Prudencie, in our Clergie the Spirit of Vigilancie, and in vsus all the Spirit of Fidelytie, and as for ſuch as wiſh euill to this Sion of ours, the Honour of thy name, the Pallace of thy pleaſure, the Place of thy protection, and the Wounder of the world, if they béelong to thée, giuegive them hearts to repent and to returne to vsus, if not, or euer their pottes bée hotte with thornes, let indignation vexe them as a thing that is rawe. Euen ſoe let all thine Enimies periſh O Lord. And vnleſſe their Children bée better then the Parents, as the Prophet prayeth, deliuer them vp to famine, let them droppe by the force of the ſword, let their wiues be robbed of their children, and be widdowes, and let their huſbands be put to death: let their confederate young men be ſlaine by the ſword, let them be ouerthrowne in the day of thine anger, and let none be left to make lamentation for them, and to ſay, O my brother O my ſiſter. Lord roote all Cananites out of this land of the liuing, that ſuch as feare thee may dwell ſafely. Bleſſed be the Lord God of our ſaluation for euer and euer, and let all the people ſay Amen, Amen.
1. Sam. 12.24.25.
Now therefore feare yee the Lord and ſerue him in the truth withall you hearts, and conſider how great thing he hath done for you.
But if you do wickedly ye ſhall periſh both ye and your King.