The Exaltation of the Soul, Prayer 6 – Prayer 8
A Prayer that we may trust, in God, only in all our trouble.
TUrn again thou God of Hosts, look down from Heaven; behold and visit thy Servant. O Lord God of Hosts, hear my Prayers, hearken O God of Jacob, behold, O God my defender, and look upon the face of thine Anointed; O Lord God of Hosts, blessed is the Man that putteth his Trust in thee: Turn thou me O God of my Saviour, and let thine Anger cease from me. Shew me thy mercy O Lord, and grant me thy Salvation. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am poor and in misery: Preserve thou my Soul, for I am thy Servant; my God, save him that putteth his trust in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for I will daily call upon thee: comfort the Soul of thy Servant, for unto thee O Lord, do I lift up my Soul; for thou O Lord, art my Defender, and thou art good and gracious, and of great mercy to all them that Call upon thee; give ear O Lord, unto my Prayer, and ponder the voice of my humble desires; in the time of trouble will I call upon thee, for thou hearest me, for thou art good, and doest wonderful things; thou art God alone, teach me thy way O Lord, for I will walk in thy Truth. O knit my Heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name. I will thank thee, O Lord, my God, with my whole heart, and will praise thy Name for evermore; for great is thy Mercy towards me, for thou hast delivered my Soul from the neathermost Hell, and thou Lord God art full of mercy and compassion, long-suffering, and of great goodness and Truth. O turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy Servant, and help the Son of thine Handmaid: Shew some good Token upon me for good, that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed; because thou Lord, hast helpen and confirmed me, O Lord God of my Salvation. I have lamented Day and Night before thee: O let my Prayer enter into thy presence. Encline thine Ear unto my Calling, for my soul is full of Trouble, and my Life draweth nigh unto Hell; thine Indignation lyeth hard upon me, and thy hand presseth me sore. Unto thee O Lord, do I cry, and early shall my Prayer come before thee. O Lord, why oppressest thou my Soul, and hidest thy face from me? I am in misery like unto him that is at the point of Death. Even from my youth up, thy Terrours have I suffered, with a troubled Mind. O Lord God of Hosts, who is like unto thee? Thy Truth most mighty God, is on every side; for the Lord is on my side. The Lord God of Israel is my Defence, the holy One of Israel is my King. O Lord, where is thy old loving kindness, which thou swarest unto David thy Servant in thy Truth? Remember Lord the Rebuke that I thy Servant have, and how I do bear in my bosom the Rebuke of many People. O Lord, thou hast been our Refuge from one Generation to another. O teach me to number my daies that I may apply my Heart unto Wisdom. O turn thee again O Lord at the last, and be gracious unto thy Servant. Satisfie me with thy mercy, & that soon so shall I rejoyce at thy mercy, and be glad all the days of my Life. O comfort thou me again, after the time wherein thou hast plagued me, and for the years wherein I have suffered Adversity. Shew thy Servants thy Work, and their Children thy Glory: for the Lord promised his Blessing, and Life for ever more. When I called upon thee, thou holdest me, and enduest my Soul with much strength. O Lord thou hast searched me out, and known me; thou knowest my down-sitting, and mine up-rising; thou understandest my thoughts long before; thou art about my path, and about my bed, and espiest out all my waies; for loe, there is not a word in my tongue, but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether. Look well, O Lord, if there be any waies of wickedness in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Try me, O Lord, and seek the ground of my heart. Prove me, and examine my thoughts, seeing there is nothing unknown unto thee. O my God, let not mine heart be inclined to any evil thing. Let me not be occupied in any ungodly words, with the men that work wickedness, lest I eat of such things as please them, but let mine eyes look unto thee. O Lord God, in thee is my trust, O cast not out my soul. Keep me from the snare that they have laid for me, and from the traps of wicked doers. O Lord God, from whom cometh my salvation, thou art my defence and strength, my health, and my glory; give me thy grace, that I may put my trust in thee alway; and that I pour out my heart before thee in all my troubles; that I may wait upon thee for the performance of all my expectation, in all my longings and desires. Be thou my defence; uphold me that I may not fall into those great sins that lay waste my conscience, or into such miseries as make me without hope or remedy, the miseries of dispair, obstinate malice, or the woes of sad eternity. Teach me to dispise Riches, to disclaim all trust in the creatures; not to delight in lies, or vanities; not to multiply wrongs and robbery, that when thou shalt come with power and great glory, to reward every man according to his works, thou mayest be merciful unto me, pardoning my sins, and accepting me to life eternal; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
The Collect.
O God, the strength of all them that put their trust in thee, mercifully accept my praise; and because through the weakness of my mortal nature I can do no good thing without thee, grant me the help of thy grace, that in keeping of thy Commandments I may please thee, both in will and deed, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
Another Collect.
O Lord, who never failest to help and govern them, whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear and love, keep me I beseech thee under the protection of thy good providence, and make me to have a perpetual love to thy holy Name, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Spiritual Blessings, and for fruitfulness of the Earth.
O Thou strength of my health, thou hast covered my head in the day of Battle: O Lord God, consider my complaint, for I am brought very low, O deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me: Hear my prayers, O Lord, consider my desire, hearken unto me for thy Truth and Righteousness sake: Hear me, O Lord, and that soon, for my Spirit waxeth faint; hide not thy Face from me, lest I be like to them that go down to the pit: deliver me; O Lord, from mine enemies, for I fly unto thee to hide me; teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee, for thou art my God, let thy loving Spirit, O Lord, lead me in the way of Righteousness; quicken me, O Lord, for thy name sake, and for thy righteousness sake: bring my Soul out of trouble, and of thy goodness slay mine enemies, and destroy all them that vex my Soul, for I am thy Servant. The Lord is Righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works; the Lord is gracious and mercful, long suffering and of great goodness in all his ways, & holy in all his works, the Lord is gracious and merciful, long suffering, and of great goodness; the Lord upholdeth all such as fall, and lifteth up all those that be down. O God, the hope of all the ends of the Earth, and of them that remain in the broad Sea, be thou merciful unto my sins, and let not my misdeeds prevail against me; so as to make me habitually sinful, or endlesly miserable, but give me the blessings of thy chosen; let me receive the influences of thy Grace and Benediction, by the participation of thy Word and Sacrament in thy holy Temple; and as thou embracest me with thy hand, shewing wonderful things in thy Righteousness and Salvation; so let thy right hand be under my head, and give me such a portion of Temporal blessings, as shall be necessary for me; make the Earth plenteous, and bless the encrease of it; crown the year with goodness, and let the Clouds drop fatness, that the Valleys standing thick with Corn; may laugh and sing thy praises, and that we being refreshed with the multitude of thy blessings, may praise thee in Sion, and at last be satisfied with the pleasures of thy House in the Celestial Jerusalem, where thou livest and reignest, one God, World without end. Amen.
A Collect.
O Lord, I beseech thee mercifully to hear me, and grant that I to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may through thy mighty Aid be defended and comforted in all dangers and miseries, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Another Collect.
O God, the Protector of all them that trust in thee, mercifully accept my prayers, and grant my request. O my God, without thee, nothing is strong, nothing is holy; increase and multiply upon me thy blessing, that thou being my Ruler and Guide▪ I may pass through things temporal, that I lose not things eternal; grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ his sake, my only Lord and Saviour. Amen.
A Prayer to God for all Faithfull People for a blessing and deliverance from our Enemies.
MAke me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. O Lord my God, give me the spirit of grace and wisdom. Hear my prayers, and let my cry come unto thee. O Lord answer my expectations, for Christ's sake, and turn away thy face from my sins; and blot out all my offences. O Lord my God, remember me according to the multitude of thy mercies; do away all my offences, according to the favour thou bearest to thy people. O visit me with thy salvation. I have sinned with my Forefathers, I have done amiss, I have done wickedly; woe am I that I have gone astray from thee. Great is my grief that have lead my life in sin. Woe is me that I have forsaken thee, and liv'd after my own thoughts and fantasie, and not as thou wouldest, but have run from sin to sin, following the desires of my own corrupt heart, and not as thou wouldest, yet force me to repent of my evil; therefore O Lord deal not with me according to my sins, neither reward me after mine iniquities; for thy mercy is greater than the Heavens, and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. O deliver me from my bosom sin, O help me against the enemy, for vain is the help of man; but deal thou with me, O Lord my God, according to thy Name, for sweet is thy mercy, O deliver me, for I am helpless, and poor, for my heart is wounded within me, help, O Lord my God, oh save me according to thy mercies; O look upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to be unto those that love thy Name; For I am weary of my groaning; every night wash I my bed, and water my Couch with my tears, therefore haste thee to help me, O Lord God of my salvation, and they shall know how that this is thy hand, and that thou, Lord, hast done it. O Lord God, my Helper and Redeemer, have mercy upon me, and all thy faithful people; make haste and help us, O God against all those that seek after our souls to do us mischief. Make us to delight in thee, to wait upon thy salvation, to trust in thy mercies, to rejoyce in thy excellencies and perfection, that our feet being directed by thy guidance, our weaknesses strengthened by thy power, our sins pardoned by thy mercies, and our souls justified by thy free grace, we may alwaies give thee praise with the humble addresses of devotion and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect.
O God, who hast prepared for them that love thee, such good things as pass man's understanding, pour into our hearts such love towards thee, as pass man's understanding, that we loving thee above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all we can desire, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.