Prayers Upon Solemn Occasions, Prayer 1
A Prayer upon a solemne occasion.
O Eternall God, most holy and most Glorious, which dwellest in the highest heavens, and with righteousnesse and truth swayest the Scepter of the whole world, thou that art unto the wicked and rebellious wretches a terrible Judge and a consuming fire, but to the humble and repentant sinners a strong tower of defence, and their exceeding great reward. We the most miserable and wretched of all thy creatures, though the most noble by creation; for they in their kinds and severall conditions doe thee honour and service, but we whom thou hast plac'd in this world for a more singular and extraordinary glorifying of thee; have not onelyonly made our selves more vile then the basest creatures, and more sencelesse in thy service then the beasts that perish; but have even combin'd with Satan, with hell and with all the powers of darknesse, to blaspheme and dishonour thy great name, to profane thy Sabbaths, to breake all thy holy Lawes & Commandements. O LORD wee thus sinfull and unworthy, are here ashamed and confounded in thy presence; for our iniquities are increased over our heads, and our trespasses are growne up unto the heavens, so that if now in thy just judgement, thou shouldst come against us, as wee have many times, and doe daily most justly provoke thee, it had beene farre better for us wee had never beene borne; Satan would challenge us for his, we should never see thy face againe, nor the heavens, nor the earth, nor all the goodnesse which thou hast prepared for man. From the foule pollution of Originall sinne, which hath universally infected and possest all the powers and parts both of our soules and bodies as from a filthy puddle, have issued all kindes of impurities, many workes of darknesse and fearefull transgressions, both in our thoughts, words and actions. Much profanesse and hardnesse of heart, pride and hypocrisie, contempt of the power of godlinesse and godly men, a sencelesse neglect of thy word and judgements, of the way to Heaven and the salvation of our owne soules. Even the best of us before our calling, wearied our selves in the vaine pleasures and sinnefull fashions of this wretched world, being detain'd by the policies of hell, either in notorious sinnefullnesse, or onelyonly formall hypocrisie. Wee walked with boldnesse in the way of darknesse and of death, after the devices and desires of our owne wicked hearts, in much bitternesse and malice against thy children and their sincerity. Nay and since it hath pleased thee to illighten our understandings with saving knowledge, and to pull us by the power of thy good Spirit out of the slaverie of sinne and Satan into the glorious liberty of thy children: Our best actions and thy good graces in us, have beene fouly stain'd by privie pride and secret hypocrisie; wee many times stay thy blessings from us by our dullnesse and untowardnesse at religious exercises, and by reason wee doe not faithfully those good things which wee know, wee have the knowledge of many evill things kept from us which wee unadvisedly commit. And whereas heretofore in our new birth, the sins of our unregeneration have wofully vext and disquieted our consciences; yet such is the wretchednesse of our corrupted nature, that wee have sometimes looked back upon them even with delight, if we have escap'd relapse and backsliding, we doe not with that thankfullnesse and cheerefullnesse, as we ought, embrace in this happy time of grace and peace, those good meanes which thou hast ordained for our comfort and salvation; So that indeed wee walke not worthy of that blessed vocation whereunto wee are called, but by our many slips, imperfections and carelesnesse, wee bring much discomfort upon our soules, disgrace to our Christian profession, dishonour to thy Majesty, and offence to our brethren. O LORD wee beseech thee for thy holy names sake, and for thy rich mercies in CHRIST JESVS to pardon us all these our offences, and to forgive us all our sinnes knowne and unknowne, howsoever, or whensoever committed, since or before our calling, and to bury them in the death and Passion of our blessed SAVIOVR, and to hide them in His righteousnesse for evermore. There is no comfort to be expected to our conscience wounded with the terrour of sinne, either in Heaven or in Earth, in Angell, Saint, or mortall man, but onelyonly in the spotlesse justice of thy deare Sonne. Perswade therefore we beseech thee, upon a good ground, with plentifull assurance every one of our soules, that his precious blood was shed for our sins in particular, that wee may sensibly feele the forgivenesse of our sinnes and rejoyce in the hope of eternall life.
And for the time to come wee humbly intreate thee, to mortifie in us all sinfull affections, unruly lusts, and unlawfull desires, to subdue in us the power of sinne, and every corruption whereby Satan keepes us any way in his slaverie, or at any time gets the dominion over us. Save us we beseech thee from idlenesse, worldlinesse, profanesse, security and all occasions whereby thy good Spirit is grieved in us, our graces weakned, and thy great Name dishonoured. Vouchsafe us the Spirit of judgement, that wee may discerne betwixt the short span of this wretched life, and the length and breadth of immortality, that we never preferre the pleasures of sinne for a moment, and a little glory and preferment in this world, before the testimony of a good conscience, and that excellent waight of glory laid up in Heaven for all thy children. Make us faithfull and conscionable in our Callings, zealous and sincere in all religious duties and services, and wisely resolute to stand for thy honour and truth against all opposition either by divels or wicked men. And so direct, we beseech thee, and sanctifie all our courses, that for a few and evill daies in this vale of teares, wee may so store our selves with spirituall comfort, with a sound heart, with a strong faith and a good conscience, that we may stand firme and sure at the day of our visitation, and when upon our deaths bed we shall bee set upon, by the weakenesse of our owne flesh, the terrors of death, the fearefullnes of the grave, and the firiest darts of Satan, we may comfortably passe thorow them all, in the name and power of thy Son, and be receiv'd with joyfulnes & triumph into those sacred mansions, which he hath already made ready in Heaven for all those that truly love and feare thee.
In his blessed name we powre out our soules in thankfullnesse, for all those many blessings and comforts which thou hast vouchsafed us, both upon our soules and bodies, both for this life and a better. For our health, wealth and liberty, our peace, plenty and prosperity, our food, apparell and preservation from our infancy to this very hower, and for all the good meanes of all these. For the free passage of thy glorious Gospell now so many yeares amongst us. But amongst all other temporall blessings of our times, let us never forget, nor we, nor all our posterity for ever, how it pleased thee in our daies miraculously to magnifie the glory of thy mercy in our wonderfull deliverance from the most secret, bloody, and fiery plot of the Gun-powder Treason, that great astonishment of men and Angels. All these outward comforts both publicke and particular are excellent and pretious; yet they are such as wee have common with the reprobates and those that shall never see thy face with comfort, but after a short time spent in the miserable pleasures of this vaine world, shall bee turn'd to hell and everlasting fire. Wee therefore more especially magnifie thy great name for the more speciall pledges and tokens of thy infinite love, for that it hath pleased thee to confirme and seale unto us by our effectuall calling, and the earnest of thy good Spirit, our Election to eternall life from all eternity, our particular Redemption from the powers of hell by the death of thy Sonne, and an undoubted assurance of the joyes of Heaven in the world to come. Increase in us good LORD, wee beseech thee, daily more and more this blessed assurance, which we infinitely esteeme more deare then tenne thousand worlds, by making us to grow in repentance and faith, and spirituall wisedome, and framing us to the obedience of thy Sonne in all knowledge, love and obedience.
Furthermore gracious Father, wee humbly intreate thee, with the bowels of thy tenderest compassions to be mercifull unto thy whole Church and every member thereof. Fence it mightily wee pray thee with the Spirit of truth, knowledge, and zeale and constancy, that in these worst and last daies it may make a strong resistance against the great maine floods of Popery, Schisme, profanesse and Atheisme.
Be gracious unto this sinnefull Kingdome, and enter not into judgement with the horrible and crying sinnes, and the many fearefull provocations thereof.
In the same looke downe with the speciall eye of providence and protection upon our dread Soveraigne JAMES, by thy grace King of great Brittaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the truly Catholike faith, and in all causes, and over all persons▪ next and immediatly under thy Sonne CHRIST JESVS in all his Dominions supreme Governour. O LORD as thou hast enlarg'd his royall heart even as the sand which is on the seashore for understanding, learning and wisedome, so wee beseech thee to continue unto him a proportionable measure of holinesse, zeale and sanctification for the execution of that great place wherin thou hast set him, and the enlargement of thy Kingdome here on earth. Settle his crowne fast upon his head, that he may long and religiously raigne over us in despight of all his enemies both at home and abroad. Vouchsafe all the graces of thy good Spirit unto his gracious Queene, Plant the true feare of thy great Name in the Princely heart of his Sonne, and let thy watchfull providence and thy loving mercies for ever rest upon all that royall family. Inspire his Honourable Privie Counsell, his Nobility, Gentry, and Magistracy with spirituall wisedome and heavenly understanding. Leade them all into thy Sanctuary, and teach them out of thy holy Word, first and chiefly those things which concerne thy honour and glory, the good of the people which depend upon them, and lastly the comfort of their own soules at the dreadfull day of judgement, when they shall give an account of their stewardships.
Enrich we pray thee with thy best graces all the Reverend Bishops and Ministers of this Land, Endew them plentifully with knowledge, zeale, sincerity and discretion, that by their faithfullnesse and conscionable discharge of their duties, the many multitudes in this Land that lie in darknesse, ignorance, profanesse, Popery and Schisme may be brought to the knowledge of thy truth, into a holy obedience to thy heavenly Gospell to their owne everlasting salvation.
Blesse and be mercifull to both our Universities, Oxford and Cambridge. Comfort all thy distressed children wheresoever, or howsoever afflicted, whither with Pestilence, Warre, Famine, banishment, sicknesse, poverty, imprisonment, disquietnesse of minde, vexation of conscience, want of spirituall comfort, or what other crosse or calamity soever it pleaseth thee to exercise them with. Give them in the meane time a sure faith in thy promises, and inward comfort in thy blessed Spirit, and in thy good time a happy deliverance, whither by life or death, as it shall be best for thy glory and the good of their owne soules.
Lastly, gracious Father for this sacred businesse wee have now in hand, wee humbly beseech thee to blesse and sanctifie unto us at this time the preaching and hearing of thy holy Word, it is the ordinance of thy owne infinite wisedome, it is the glorious instrument which thou hast appointed for the conversion and salvation of the soules of men. But unto us miserable wretches it hath beene many times thorow the barrennesse of our hearts, the secret and deceitfull corruptions of our nature, much sleepinesse and drowsinesse, but as water spilt on the ground, and even the breath of thy Ministers scattered in the aire. Forgive us deare Father all our former untowardnesse, irreverence and unprofitablenes in these holy exercises; and now at length before we goe downe into our graves, into black and cruell habitations, from whence we must never returne to praise thee upon earth; let us feele thy divine finger working in us effectually at the preaching of thy Word. Let us have the sence of thine Omnipotency in conquering our corruptions and temptations, that we being thorowly sanctified both in our soules and bodies, forsaking all our knowne sinnes, and labouring with sincerity to please thee in all things, may have our fruit in holinesse, and the end everlasting life. Heare us, &c.