The Ambassador Between Heaven and Earth, Prayers · Prayer 12 – Prayer 14
Another Prayer or med: to be vſed before the vndertaking of any iourney or buſineſſe eyther by ſea or land.
GOod father, the myſery and blindneſſe of our nature is ſuch, and our ingratitude ſo great, that we ſteale thy benifites, and take them abſolutely to our ſelues, and inioy them freely to our owne vſe as if they were originally the worke and labour our of our owne handes and we had them without thy knowledge and aſſiſtance, that riches are the ſucceeders pollicy, that health is eyther recouered or kept by obſeruation or diet, & loſt by diſorder or abuſe, that ſucceſſe or defect in any our proceedings, ſute according to our wiſedome or induſtry in contriuing the ſame, and ſo in a ſetled perſwaſion, & reſolution hearin we goe forward in this blindfould courſe aſking councell nor crauing ſucceſſe of any but our ſelues or creatures of the ſame f…aylty and beeing that wee ourſelues are of, whereby oftentimes we faile of our purpoſe, and know not the reaſon thereof, Lord giuegive vsus grace to correct this errour, and giuegive vsus light in this our blindneſſe, teach vsus to know that we are aſhamed, wee are ignorant of that, Except thou build▪ the houſe, they labour in vaine that build it: For it is thou that muſt cōmand thy bleſſings to be with vsus in our ſtore-houſes, & in all that wee ſet our hands vntounto, or our labour dieth betweene our fingers▪ like an vntimely fruit. And as a ſparrow falleth not to the ground without thy ſufferance, ſo there is nothing that commeth to paſſe without thy appoyntment and direction: therefore what buſineſſe ſoeuer we hauehave, what regard ſoeuer we hauehave thereunto, let vsus hauehave ſo much regard thereto as to regard thee that muſt regard it, or elſe all will fall to the ground: let vsus go out in thy name, with thy aſſiſtance implored on our knees, let vsus looſe ſo much time to gaine ſo great aduantage: for it abridges the way, and cuts off many tedious imperfections in whatſoeuer: in thy protection let vsus enter againe, let vsus not take our bread, our daily food, our ſuſtenance without thankfulneſſe to thee: let vsus not couch our ſelues in the bed of our reſt, but cloſe our eyes in thy fauour and bleſſing: for it is that that muſt bee vponupon the building of our houſes, opening of our Shops, and warehouſes, watching of our Citties, tilling of our ground, in feeding of our bodies, in the education of our children, or whatſoeuer paine, induſtry, or labour in the ſecureſt courſe we can deuiſe: for without this ayd and aſſiſtance all falleth into emptineſſe and vaſtity; Lord giuegive vsus grace to conſider it, and bleſſe this our out-going and our comming in, the fruit of our bodies, and the fruit of our hands, our intents and purpoſes: Bee regardfull vntounto our labours, whatſoeuer wee take in hand; walke by vsus on the land, on ye water, as thou diddeſt by thy Diſciples, & ſaue vsus, or we periſh: for neither the land ye ſafer, nor the ſea ye more dangerous, can protect vsus, nor deſtroy vsus▪ till thou haſt ſealed thereunto thy conſent, nor any creature nor caſualty in ye world offer either violence or iniury, where thy hand but takes our part; and where that is oppoſed, though all the creatures in the world, the whole hoſt of heauen and earth ſhould ioyne with vsus, we goe to racke and ruine. GiueGive vsus therefore grace to be mindefull hereof, and throughly perſwaded herein, to make our preparation therafter, that we may aſke, and thou mayſt giuegive thy ſucceſſe and bleſſing vponupon all that wee take in hand, or enioy, which grant vsus Lord in this preſent occaſion, and in all occaſions and times hereafter, for thine owne deere ſake.
Amen.
A prayer for true peace, which is the peace of God in the peace of conſcience, and for the external peace of the body, diſquieted often with reuenge, debate & contentious going to law.
O Lord my God, which art the author of peace, and louer of concord, and the hater of all thoſe y• are not louers thereof, but delight in contention and ſtrife: therefore I beſeech thee, becauſe I would not bee as one out of thy fauour giuegive vntounto me that minde that a peacefull man ſhould hauehave: and let thy ſpirit aſſure my ſpirit, that my ſinnes are waſht away in the bloud of thy ſonne Chriſt Ieſus, that my conſcience within me may hauehave peace and reſt, without which all ioy will turne into bitterneſſe, and I ſhall mourne in the middeſt thereof, as the Pellican in the wilderneſſe; The body will beare the infirmity therof, but an aking and wounded Conſcience who can ſuſtaine? O Lord ſettle this aſſurance in me, that I hauehave peace with thee, and I ſhal hauehave peace with all men, with whom to hauehave peace, and to be at warres with thee: to be at peace with the world, and at enmity with thee, is to make vntounto my ſelfe a dangerous truce, a league of peace againſt the king of peace, the very breath of whoſe noſtrils is able at once to deſtroy a thouſand worlds, and all the Creatures therein; and therefore vaine is the combination that is plotted againſt thee. GiueGive mee patience, O Lord, to digeſt and paſſe ouer the iniury and malice of thoſe that contentiouſly and cauſleſſely by the malice and inſtigation of Sathan, ſéeke to ſtir vp ſtrife and diſturbe my quyet, wherein in the mediation of thee, and thy mercies towards me, I might meditate day and night free from this troubleſome and intangled world, with her thouſand ſnares, & whereby by righting my wrong a little, I wrong my ſelfe a great deale, and the remembrance whereof, (as my means) with her ſo many branches, to the vex…tion and expence of my mind and body, & ſubſtance endleſly eate me vp, y• I forget what I liue but to remember, & woe to him that goes to law for that which y• Goſpell hath taken order for. Therefore good father, giuegive me ſuch a patient & diſgeſting mind, that I deſire not to iniury others, to moleſt my ſelfe, but rather by y• example of thee, the true patterne of all imitation, that to thy accuſers didſt not open thy mouth, but waſt dumbe like a ſheep before y• ſhearer, & waſt ſo far from reuenging the iniuries of man, that thou diddeſt not defend thy ſelfe. And if at any time I bee forced to vſe the meanes to take this ſword into my hands, that I do it not with delight, but vnwillingly, and with ſuch moderation and clemency, that it bee to defend my ſelfe, and not offend others, that I offend not in the true vſe therof but that I labour to hauehave peace with thee, & peace wt all men, which grant thou that art the God of peace, for thy Sonne Chriſt Ieſus ſake our Sauiour.
A prayer for ſeaſonable weather, a puniſhment the Lord hath lately inflicted vponupon vsus and our whole land for our ſinnes.
ETernall, Almighty, and Euerlaſting God, foraſmuch as by thy holy word wee are taught that whē thine anger is incenſed againſt vsus for our ſins, amongſt other thy puniſhments, thou doeſt ſhut vp the heauens, y• there may …no rain that ye earth thereby may deny her fruites vntounto vsus, and now thou doeſt iuſtly manifeſt this thy diſpleaſure vntounto vsus, in ſhutting vp the heauen which was wont to drop downe her wholſome ſhowers in due ſeaſon vponupon the fruits of the earth, hardening them as Iron or braſſe, in diſperſing y• clouds, ſo that they drop not vponupon the dry and parched ſoyle, burnt vp and withering in the heat of thine indignation. O Lord, though wee are ſenſible of this thy diſple…ſure kindled ſo heauily aginſt vsus at this time, yet groaning vnderunder the weight of our manifold ſins and tranſgreſſions ſo great and ſo innumerable, we are afraid in our ſelues to approach vntounto thy Tribunall, to craue a releaſe of this thy puniſhment, or to begge any other mercy at thy hands; yet becauſe ſuch is thy gracious goodneſſe towards mankinde, that by thy Prophet Zachary thou haſt mercifully promiſed vsus the firſt and the latter raine, to make white clouds, and giuegive ſhowers to eueryevery one graſſe in the field. Therefore we acknowledging our owne vnworthineſſe, & relying onelyonly vponupon thy mercies, with lowly contrite & broken harts, do preſume to powre out our humble ſupplicatiōs before thée, beſéeching thee y• thou wouldſt heare our prayers, as thou didſt ſometimes the earneſt ſupplications of Helias, who prayed, & the heauens gaue raine, & the earth brought forth her fruit. And as it hath pleaſed thee, moſt gracious God, likewiſe to promiſe by the mouth of Moſes thy ſeruant vntounto Iſraell. And in another place by thy Prophet Hoſea, that if that people would forſake their ſinnes, & turne wholly vntounto thee ye Lord their God, thou wouldſt giuegive raine vntounto the land in due time, the firſt raine and the latter, that they might gather in ye wheate▪ & the oyle; and y• thou wouldeſt ſend graſſe in their fields for cattle, that they might eate inough; and y• if they would turne vntounto thee with vnfeyned repentance, thou wouldſt heare the heauens, & they ſhold heare the earth, & the earth ſhold heare the graſſe, the corn, the oyle, & thou wouldeſt hauehave mercy vponupon them that were not pittied. Mercifull Father, wt an humble confeſſion of our great ingratitude, a hatred, & loathing of our former tranſgreſſions committed with a high and preſumptuous hand againſt thy ſacred maieſty, and with a ſerious purpoſe to walke in the wayes which thou haſt commanded: & ſo in the griefe and agony of ſpirit for our former ſins we turne vntounto thee, turne then vntounto vsus moſt mercifull father, and extend thy great goodneſſe and compaſſion towards vsus, that we may taſt and ſee how gratious thou art, in hearing of theſe our prayers, & anſwearing them gratiouſly in the ſeaſonable ſupply of this our neceſſity, to the honour of thy great name, and the comfortable refreſhing of thy ſeruantes, for the merits of thy ſonne Ieſus Chriſt our only Lord and Sauiour.