The Pathway to Prayer and Piety, Prayer 8 – Prayer 10
A THANKES GIVING FOR THE faithfull departure of one after he or ſhe is dead, changing as before.
O Lord God, the onelyonly health of them that liue, and the alone life of them that die: according to thy commandement we called vponupon thée, and in deſire of thy goodneſſe we cried vntounto thée, that thou wouldeſt be gratious vntounto this ſeruant of thine, whoſe body lieth dead before our eyes. We aſked his life, thou gaueſt it not; becauſe thou ſaweſt what was beſt for him: wee deſired his patience to endure this croſſe; thou heardeſt our prayers, and haſt not denied vsus the requeſt of our lips, becauſe that alone was fitteſt for him.
He died not as a foole dieth, neither was his diſſolution bitter vntounto him. He is now, O Lord, a tree, planted in thine orchard: a ſtone, ſetled in thy building: a Prieſt, ſacrificing at thine altar: a ſtarre, fixed in thy heauen: and an heire, reigning in thy kingdom. If he had died like Abſolom, we might hauehave taken vponupon vsus Dauids lamentation: or like Saul, we might hauehave taken vponupon vsus Samuels lamentation: or as the malefactor on the left hand of Chriſt, wee might hauehave lamented and mourned for him, as doubting that hee died not the death of the righteous. But precious in thy fight was this death of his: and comfortable in our ſight was this departure of his. Hee like a Lion triumphed ouer death, and like a Lambe reſigned vp his life: he knew that this Redeemer liued, and that Bleſſed are the dead that die in the Lord. His faith was in thy promiſes, his hope was in thy mercies, his louelove was on thy ioyes, his zeale was on thy glorie, and his deſire was to be in heauen.
For this thy fauour towards our Chriſtian brother, wee yeeld vntounto thy Maieſtie all poſſible thankes, and that thou taking him out of this vale of miſerie, haſt, by thine Angels, carried his ſoule to the throne of thy glorie. We are, O Lord, we confeſſe, full of ſorrow, in that we hauehave loſt the comfort of his preſence, and we could hauehave béen contented to hauehave enioyed him longer, if it might hauehave ſtood with the good pleaſure of thy will. But we néed not to mourne as men without hope: becauſe we are perſwaded he ſo died in thy fauour; that as his ſoule is partaker of eternall glorie, ſo in that great day of aſſiſe, and generall iudgement, this bodie of his which ſhall returne to duſt, muſt be raiſed vp againe to liue for euer, and then bee made like the glorious bodie of Chriſt Ieſus in heauen. He O Lord is gone before vsus, and we muſt one day follow after him.
O how can we render vntounto thée ſufficient thankes, for thy great fauour to vsus Chriſtian people, aboue all the nations of the world, whom when thou calleſt out of this wretched life, thou vouchſafeſt to place vsus with thine Angels, in thy kingdome! In the ſight of the vnwiſe they appeare to die: but in the eyes of the godly, they are tranſlated from death to life. They are arayed with white, hauehave crownes on their heads, and Palmes in their hands: they ſhall not die, but liue, and do behold thy goodneſſe in the land of the liuing. They ſerue thée at thy table, eate in thy kingdome, ſing of thy praiſes, are freed from all miſeries, and they follow the Lambe whither ſoeuer hee goeth: and enioy ſuch pleaſures, as the eye hath not ſeene, becauſe they are not viſible, yet the heart doth beleeue, becauſe they are moſt comfortable.
We beſeech thee, O Lord, that ſince we muſt for a while go on in our pilgrimage, we may euer hauehave our eyes bent towards our countrie: raiſe vsus out of the graue of ſinne, renue in vsus the life of righteouſnes: eſtrange vsus from the louelove of this world: poſſeſſe vsus with a louelove of heauen: take from our féete the fetters of pleaſure, that we may runne as faſt to heauen, as the wicked do to hell: take from our backes the burden of worldlineſſe, that we may looke as ſtedfaſtly vponupon things that are aboue, as worldlings do vponupon things that are below. Guide vsus euer ſo by the direction of thy Spirit, that both in ſickneſſe and in health, in proſperitie and aduerſitie, in life & at death, we may ſo behaue our ſelues in this preſent world, that, whenſoeuer it ſhall pleaſe thée to call vsus hence, we may by faith in thy promiſes, & hope of thy mercies, commend our bodies and ſoules into thy mercifull hands.
In the meane time haſten the comming of thy Sonne: ſhorten theſe daies of ſinne: confound the enemies of ſaluation: diſſolue in eueryevery one of vsus the curſed workes of Satan: ſanctifie thy name: aduance thy kingdome: accompliſh thy will: giuegive vsus our daily bread: forgiue vsus all our ſinnes: giuegive vsus not ouer into any temptation: but deliuer vsus from all euill, both of ſinne in this life, and of puniſhment in the life to come; ſo that we with this our brother, and all other departed in the faith of Chriſt, may hauehave our perfect conſummation and bliſſe in thy eternall and euerlaſting kingdome, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord, to whom with thée our Father, and the holie Ghoſt our Sanctifier, our ſanctifier in this life, and our glorifier in the life to come, bee all praiſe, power, Maieſtie, might and dominion, aſcribed of vsus and thy whole Church, from this time forth and for euermore. Amen.
A PRAYER FOR A WOman in trauaile.
O Lord, our Lord, Creator of all things, preſeruer of al mankind, comforter of all thine afflicted, and the only deliuerer of ſuch as are in danger, we the children of Eua by our in-borne tranſgreſſion, yet the daughters of Sarah by ſanctification of thy Spirit, do ſéeke and ſue vntounto thée for a bleſſing at this time. We are, O Lord, aſſembled for the comfort of this woman, who trauaileth in paine, to be deliuered of a child; her ſinne is great, her danger is not ſmall, her paines will bee grieuous, & the houre of life is now at hand. If wee were Heathens, we would call vponupon Iuno: if Idolaters, wee would call vponupon the Virgin Marie: but ſéeing thou haſt vouchſafed vsus to become true Chriſtians, we call vponupon thee alone to helpe her. We therefore beſéech thée O Lord our God, to be good and gratious vntounto this ſeruant of thine, and howſoeuer through the tranſgreſſion of our firſt mother, ſhee cannot bee deliuered but with great paine, (for thou haſt laid this curſe vponupon vsus ſinfull women, that in much ſorrow ſhal we bring forth children) yet ſince thou haſt giuen her faith in thy Son; mitigate wee entreate thée this ſorrow of hers: aſſure her of the forgiueneſſe of her ſinnes: ſtrengthen her with the comfort of thy Spirit: confirme her in the faith of her Sauiour, and bleſſe all good meanes heere preſent for her comfort.
Lay no more vponupon her then ſhe is able to beare: make haſt to deliuer her out of her paines; and teach vsus all that are about her, to auoid at this time effeminate ſpéeches, wanton, behauiour, & vnſeaſonable mirth, which often doth accompany ſuch méetings as this. Bleſſe vsus in our comforts to her ſoule, and labour for her deliuerance: bleſſe the worke of the Midwife, whoſe helpe ſhee muſt vſe for her better deliuerance: and though ſhe be now in great paine, bleſſe her, O Lord, in ſuch a ſort, that anon ſhee may forget her paine, becauſe a child is borne into the world. Yea and we pray vntounto thée for this child in her womb; thou haſt enrolled it in thy book, thou haſt made it in thy frame, the bones thereof are not hid from thée, all the members of it are written in thy volume. Thou diddeſt viſite it at the time of life, viſite it now at the houre of life.
GiueGive vntounto this woman thy handmaid, neither a monſtrous, a maimed, or a dead birth: but as thou haſt bleſſed the conception of this infant, ſo let they bleſſing be vponupon it, that eftſoone it may be brought with perfection into the world.
Thou haſt appointed marriage for this purpoſe, thou haſt promiſed a bleſſing to thine owne ordinance, thou haſt performed thy promiſe to many in this caſe, and according to thy commandement, we entreate alike performāce of thy promiſe at this time. Heare vsus O Lord, for Chriſt Ieſus his ſake. Viſite thy ſeruant, as thou dideſt Sarah, comfort her, as thou diddeſt Rebeccah, cheere her, as thou diddeſt Leah, and if it bee thy good pleaſure, make her quickly a ioyfull mother of a childe. Let her ſay, O Lord helpe me, and deliuer me right ſoone: and let vsus ſay, bee vntounto her a preſent helpe in this needefull time of trouble. O Lord heare our praiers, and let our crie come vntounto thee and that for Chriſt Ieſus his ſake, in whoſe name we call vponupon thée, ſaying, Our Father which art &c.
A THANKESGIVING after her deliuerance.
MOſt gratious God, and in Ieſus Chriſt our moſt patient, pitifull, & powerfull Father, as thou haſt commanded vsus to call vponupon thée in troubles, and haſt promiſed to heare vsus, and deliuer vsus in our troubles: ſo thou haſt enioyned vsus in thy holy word, that after our deliuerance out of any of our troubles, wee ſhould be thankfull vntounto thee for the ſame. Wee therefore ſinners by nature, but thy children by grace, doe chéerefully acknowledge thy goodneſſe to vsus, and thy ſpeciall fauor to this woman thy ſeruant. Wée called vponupon thée, and thou heardeſt vsus: wee ſued vntounto thée, and thine eares were opened to grant our requeſts. We asked thy fauour to thine handmaiden, thou gaueſt it: wee begged a bleſſing for this child, thou haſt bleſſed it: and now thou haſt made her a ioyfull mother.
Her ſoule may magnifie thy name, and her ſpirit may reioyce in God her Sauiour. Thou haſt giuen her her hearts deſire, and haſt not denied her the requeſt of her lippes. Thou haſt taken away her reproch, & thou haſt bleſſed the vndefiled bed. Thou haſt giuen her, & her huſband this pledge of louelove, and thou haſt made her an inſtrument to encreaſe thy kingdome. Glorie be to thee in the higheſt heauens, in earth praiſe, and let all generations call thée bleſſed. We bleſſe thée, wee prayſe thée, we adore thée, we giuegive thankes vntounto thée, O Lord God, for this bleſſing of thine, and deſire to praiſe thée for euer and euer.
Continue thy goodneſſe to this thy ſeruant, giuegive her ſtrength to recouer her weakneſſe, ioy to forget her late ſorrow, & thankfulneſſe that ſuch a child is come out of her leynes, as one day ſhall inherit the kingdom of heauen. And as wee doe priuately praiſe thée in this familie, ſo will we do the like in the publique congregation, Bleſſe this yong infant with thy bleſſing from aboue, Baptiſe it with water, and the holie Ghoſt, endue it with all heauenly graces, defend it againſt all dangers, prouide for it in this mortall life, and crowne it in the end with life euerlaſting. Make the father to delite in the louelove of his wife, let her breaſts ſatiſfie him, and let him keepe to her continually. Make her a fruitfull vine round about his houſe, and her children like to oliue plants round about his table.
Lord thou mightieſt hauehave dealt with this woman, as heretofore thou haſt dealt with many in thy wrath. She might either hauehave brought forth the winde, or béen deliuered of a deformed or dead birth: ſhee might either hauehave died in trauaile her ſelfe, or continued longer in thoſe grieuous paines. But thou haſt looked vponupon her with the eyes of compaſſion, and haſt giuen this bleſſing to the fruit of her wombe. Continue thy fauour to her, and hers: and let thy bleſſing bee vponupon all thy children, from this time forth, and for euermore. Heare vsus O Lord, for Chriſt Ieſus his ſake, in whoſe name, and in whoſe words, we further call vponupon thée, and thank thee, ſaying, Our Father, &c.