Prayers Upon Solemn Occasions, Prayer 11 – Prayer 15
An Evening Prayer most usefull in time of warre or invasion.
O LORD our GOD, high and mighty, great and fearefull, which dwellest in the highest Heavens and light that no man can attaine unto, which by thy great power hast created Heaven and Earth and all things therein contained, and by thy wise providence directest every thing unto an excellent end.
If thou shouldest deale with us in justice, wee deserve to bee plagued with all the horrible and fearefull plagues of Egypt in this world, and hereafter to be perpetually damned, both in body and soule in the lake of hell fier, where there is nothing but endlesse woe, weeping and gnashi…g of teeth. If there bee any sinne we have not committed, it was because we wanted meanes, opportunity, enticement, temptation, or something, not for want of a sinfull disposition in us. If thou shouldest deale with us, as we have dealt with thee, wee should bee presently damned eternally. If thou shouldest be as carelesse of us, as we have beene of thee, and the salvation of our soules, we should never see thy face in Heaven.
O LORD fright our heart with a true sight and sence of all our sins.
O LORD perswade our hearts, that since thou didst not curse and damne us, when we lay wallowing in horrible sinnes, thou wilt not now cast us away when wee are converted, &c. Thou wilt rather pitty us for our infirmities then condemne us for them.
Perswade our soules by that good experience we have had of thy goodnesse that thou wilt be our GOD for ever. Let us not so much feare and abhorre the punishment and guilt of sin, but also the power and tyranny, whereby we are enforced to offend so loving and so gracious a Father.
Give us soundnesse of knowledge, purity of heart, holinesse of life, contempt of the world, conquest over our sinnes, the comforts of thy blessed Spirit, a joyfull expectation of our deliverance from sin and sorrow. The spirit of meeknesse and wisedome, the spirit of courage and constancy, the spirit of love and joy, and of a sound mind.
Let us be just in our dealings, conscionable in our callings, mercifull, courteous.
Let us so comprehend the glorious state to come, that we may bee willing to bee dissolved and to bee with CHRIST.
LORD grant that in the middest of a darke world, we may see the brightnesse of thy Heavenly Kingdome, and in this weake tabernacle of small continuance, we may know the dwelling place, which wee shall have for ever in the resurrection of the just.
Thou that hast the issues of death in thy hand, I beseech thee in mercy set before mine eyes alwaies the remembrance of thy judgement seate, and my last end, whereby I may be daily stirred up to consider in what great danger I stand through the horrible punishments due unto my sins.
Set before us the shortnesse of our owne life, the vanity of all things we enjoy, the excellent waight of glory prepared for all those that love thee, the plagues of the wicked, that great account we must make at our death, that great and terrible day, that having these things in our sight wee may not put our hands to any iniquity.
O LORD at this time goe out with the Armies of thy Saints, and that fight thy battells in the whole Christian world. Pardon we pray thee and passe by all their and our sinnes: Helpe us to repent, to renew covenant with thee, and to feare before thee, that they may more cheerefully, couragiously and successively defend their righteous cause. But infatuate we beseech thee the counsells, and strike faintnesse into the heart of al them, that lift their hearts or swords against the kingdome of Jesus Christ.
And now find out and call to account the blasphemies, idolatries, cruelties and insolencies of thine and our adversaries, and all the blood of the Martyrs of JESVS CHRIST which they have spilt as water upon the ground. And if they will not returne unto thee, returne it now O LORD GOD of recompences into their bosomes in fury and in jealousie. Make them like a wheele, &c. Psal. 83. 13.
Thou hast promised ever to helpe thy people in the needfull time of trouble, even now LORD is the season for thy succour. And therefore we pray thee for JESVS CHRIST his sake to stirre up thy selfe like a man of warre against all those boisterous and railing Rabsakees, that band and combine themselves to put out the glory of Israels, or any of thine anointed. And give us LORD in the meane time pittifull, compassionate and fellow-feeling hearts over the wofull calamities and miseries of thy people in these parts, that we may powre out our hearts more fervently unto thee, and give thee no rest untill for thine owne names sake thou become glorious in giving deliverance and victory unto thy poore humble servants, that trust in thee alone, and call upon thy name.
O LORD of Hosts, GOD of Israel, which dwellest betweene the Cherubims, thou art very GOD alone over all the kingdomes of the earth, thou hast made the Heavens and the Earth, Encline thine eares O LORD and heare, Open thine eyes O LORD and see the blasphemies and bloody desolations which thine and our enemies have cruelly brought upon thine owne people.
O LORD put on the garments of thy just indignation for clothing.
O LORD tread downe our enemies in thy wrath, and make them drunken in thine indignation, and bring downe their strength to the earth.
O LORD we are all as an uncleane thing, and all our righteousnesse as filthy rags, and wee all do fade as a leafe, and our iniquities like the winde have taken us away.
Rise up O LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee, flee before thee. Returne O LORD to the many thousands of Israel, Numb. 10. 35.
Let thy people eate up the Nations their enemies, and bruise their bones, and shoote them through with their arrowes, Numb. 24. 8. That in our songs of praise and solemne thankes giving hereafter thy whole Church may joyfully sing and say, It was not our owne arme or our own sword, O Lord God of Hoasts, that did save us, but thy right hand, and thy holy arme, and the light of thy countenance, because thou didst favour them, Psal. 44. 3.
O Lord, though our iniquities testifie against us, deale with us according to thy Name: for our rebellions are many, we have sinned against thee.
O thou hope and holy one of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why art thou as a stranger in the Land, as one that passeth by to tarry for a night, &c. Ier. 14. 9.
See Daniels Prayer, Dan. 9. 4. &c.
O Lord God destroy not the people of thine inheritance.
O Lord our God, thou art God of gods and Lord of lords, a great God, mighty and terrible, which accepteth no persons nor taketh reward, &c. Deut. 10. 17. &c. with all reverence and lowlinesse of spirit, we acknowledge, adore, and onelyonly rely upon thy greatnesse, thy mighty hand and stretched out arme, Deut. 11. 2.
And finally we most humbly thanke thee, for that it hath pleased thee to keepe us this day, and all the daies and times of our lives; beseeching thee that thou wouldest receive us this night into thy holy keeping, that we may have quiet rest, not of bodies alone, but of our bodies also resting from all those things, that are contrary to thy most holy will, attending whilst thou raisest us up in the morning, to doe all those things that thou hast appointed us.
Grant that we laying our bodies downe to rest, may be thereby put in mind of our long rest of death: that as we do now lay downe our bodies in bed, so we may be thereby admonished, that hereafter they shall bee laid downe in the grave, to be consumed to dust, earth and ashes, from whence they were taken; that we having this before our eyes may bee stirred up in mind warily to walke in this our pilgrimage, not knowing when the time shall be of our departure, but alwaies to be found ready with our lamps of pure faith clearely burning, that we may be accepted to meere the Bridegroome, when our Saviour shall call us to judgement at the last day.
LORD we deserve that thou shouldst leave us to the vilenesse of our owne hearts, and to the corruptions we nourish in them, and sith wee have so often neglected and abused those good meanes which thou hast ordained for our comfort and salvation, wee even deserve that thou shouldest take them quite from us, or turne them to be curses unto us; we deserve that thou shouldest say to the ignorant, be ignorant still, to the filthy, be filthy still, to the malicious be malicious still, &c. till we have fild up the measure of our iniquiries; so that at length thou mightest have a full stroke at our destruction, &c.
The Preachers Prayer.
GRant that thy Word may bee delivered according to the true meaning of thy Word, as it is left unto us by thy holy Prophets and Apostles, that it may be divided with conscience, wisdome and discretion; with all plainenesse and evidence, to the capacity of those that are most simple amongst us. And blesse we beseech thee our conceptions and memories that we conceive a right use of those things that shall be delivered, and retaine them in our mindes with full purpose of heart to put them in practise, &c.
O LORD bee mercifull unto us, pardon and forgive us all our sinnes, our many abuses of thy great benefits and mercies, especially of thy holy Word, passe by we beseech thee our many infirmities and weaknesses. Sanctifie unto us at this time our hearing, reading and conferring of thy sacred Word. Blesse our conceptions and memories, that we may rightly conceive it, and reteine it in our minds with full purpose of heart to practise it in our lives and conversations. Range into order our worldly and wandring thoughts, that we may with reverence and attention receive it, meditate of it and lay it close unto our hearts, that so by thy good blessing wee may bring forth much and good fruit.
A thankesgiving for the Kings returne out of Spaine, and a prayer for his prosperitie.
ANd as we are specially and extraordinarily bound at this time, wee humbly and heartily thanke thee, for the safe and comfortable returne of our gracious Prince CHARLES. It hath beene from thy great mercy and goodnesse, that thou hast gone in and out before him, and walkt by him in his most dangerous journey, and kept him in all his waies. That thou hast beene a brazen wall and fiery pillar about him, both by Land and Sea, and preserv'd him, from every hurtfull snare both of soule and body, and broughtst him with peace and comfort againe unto his Fathers house. Blessed and bountifull LORD GOD, we heartily praise and magnifie, we humbly admire and adore, the length, and breadth and height and depth of thy free grace and love therein to thy Church and Gospell and all that are true of heart. Enlarge our hearts, we pray thee, with all heartinesse and truth to blesse thy great and holy Name, the fountaine of all blisse, the author of all our good, the wellspring of immortality and life wherein we live and move and have our being, both naturall, spirituall and eternall. And good LORD goe on with that glorious and happy worke of blessing him still, so settle and establish the feare of thy great Name and truth of our blessed Religion in his Princely heart, that he may stand therein like Mount Sion, and never be removed. So guide and direct, by thine own mercifull hand all those great affaires, which any waies concerne him, and with wisdome from the brest of the everlasting counsell of the LORD JESVS, that hee may hereafter prove a glorious and renowned Instrument for the advancement of the Gospel of JESVS CHRIST that the heavenly lampe of thy blessed truth may shine faire and pure upon us all our daies, and afterwards upon our children, and childrens children to the worlds end, and the comming of JESVS CHRIST the second time.
A Prayer for wholesome and seasonable weather.
STay thy wrath most gratious Father, wee humbly intreate thee in this heavie judgement that is growing upon us by this unseasonable weather. Thou hast richly loaden and crowned the earth with abundance of thy goodnesse and bounty. Add this mercy we pray thee, to give a convenient season season to gather it in comfortably. We confesse and acknowledge before thee, we farre rather deserve that thou shouldst raine downe fire and brimstone upon our heads for our many horrible sinnes, that great one the contempt of thy Word, which makes us worse then Sodomites, then that thou shouldest answer us in this our desire. But wee beseech thee in mercy make us first sensible of thy just displeasure, to be humbled to the heart root, to part from all our evill waies, and to seeke thy face and favour extraordinarily, and then returne unto us in thy wonted compassion and love.
In visitation of the sicke.
WE confesse unto thee, mercifull LORD GOD, that out of the consideration of our owne many pollutions and imperfections, and the glorious purity of thy holy nature, wee finde and feele our selves most unworthy, and very fearefull to speake unto thy Majesty, either for our selves or others: yet because it hath pleased thee to give us a commandement and charge to performe this duty of praying one for another, and having a gracious promise annexed of prevailing with thee, if our prayers be faithfull and fervent. We are bold here upon the knees of our soules, with all the instancy and fervency our poore dull hearts can possibly to intreate thy favour and mercy, for thy servant our deare Christian Brother that lies here amongst us upon his bed of sicknesse under thy visiting hand. Oh blessed LORD, we humbly beseech thee for thy CHRIST his sake, thy holy Names sake, thy infinite mercies sake, thy covenant sake to looke downe from Heaven upon him with the eye and affection of tender-heartednesse & love▪ Let the loving countenance and cheerefull face of JESVS CHRIST shine comfortably upon him, let the powerfull presence of thy sanctifying spirit possesse his heart wholy with all the graces of salvation, and blessings of Heaven, let the word of thy grace put quickning life and sanctifying power into his soule, that it may be rais'd from earth and sin to rest and peace in the bosome of thy compassions. Deale with him, we pray thee, as thou usest to deale with those whom thou fashions and frames for the joyes and pleasures of the life to come.
Sanctifie O LORD unto him this present sicknesse, let it by thy blessings upon it breake and plow up his heart soundly and thorowly to search and to try his waies, that so out of the abundance of his feeling, he may powre out a most plentifull and sincere confession of his sinnes before thee, and groanes and sighs and desires unutterable for pardon and remission of them all in the blood of thy Sonne.
Let it we pray thee beget and bring forth in him those blessed effects and happy ends, which in such cases thou art wont to worke upon the soules of holy men and women. Let him upon this occasion bee truly humbled under thy mighty hand, with sight of his owne vilenesse, frailty and sinfull miseries, that from thence may spring in him an unfained and longing desire after CHRIST, and comforts of salvation. Let him shake off all carnall security, dependance or confidence upon the arme of flesh, or upon any glory and vanity in this life. Let his repentance upon this occasion be performed unto thee with more sincerity, universality and thorownesse then ever heretofore.