A Companion for the Persecuted, General prayers
PRAYERS for Those who suffer for Righteousness.
I. A Penitential Prayer under Persecutions, as they are Chastisements for our former Offences.
1.
O Almighty Lord! Who art wont to shew both thy Power and Mercy in correcting Sinners, when the cry of sins grows great, and nothing but Affliction will make them wise; justly art thou moved now at length, to visit thy People in this Land with Persecutions, after we had first turned a deaf ear to all the Calls of thy Mercy, and had long abused the blessings of peace. There is need, O God, of our sufferings, to keep up a Reverence for thy Justice, and to reclaim us from our iniquities; and this fiery Tryal comes to purge us from our dross, and to chastize us for our past Offences; as well as to prove our present Obedience and Constancy to thy Holy Laws.
Our Peace, O! Holy Father, had made us loose and contentious; and our Plenty, had served chiefly to maintain Pride & Luxury. And the worldly Endowments about Religion, had stoln our Affections away from it; and instead of continuing thankful & true to thee, our hearts grew covetous and ambitious after them, and preferr'd and took up with them for their Portion.
We are, O! Lord, a stubborn, and a stiff-necked People, still lifting up our selves against thee, and against thy Vice-gerents. We are given to Hypocrisie, and take delight in Lyes. Oppression and Rapine are to be found in our dwellings; and Drunkenness and Adultery, have grown common and fashionable Wickednesses, & have set up without shame in our streets. Thy pure Worship and Service, had been grievously and shamefully neglected, or carelesly and indevoutly attended, before it was given up to be persecuted amongst us. And thine Holy Things have been desiled; thy Ministers have been despised and evil intreated; and thy Sacred and Dreadful Name has been commonly & horribly prophaned, by rash and false Oaths, and by the most presumptuous & terrible Imprecations.*Is. 59 6. Our Works, O! Great and Righteous God, have been Works of Iniquity; and when thou hast called us, we have not hearkened unto thee; when thou hast smitten us, we have not repented, but have*Neh. 9. 29. dealt proudly, and hardned our necks against thy Word.
To us therefore, O! Lord, belongeth shame, and sorrow, and confusion of face; and thou art Righteous in all that thou hast brought upon us. Our sufferings are far below our deserts, and we must needs justifie thee, and condemn our selves.
But*Dan. 9. 9. to thee, O! God, belongeth mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against thee: And we return unto thee with true contrition and hearty repentance for all our Iniquities, that thou mayest have Mercy upon us. Oh! for the sake of thy Dear Son's most pretious Blood, pardon all our sins, and purifie our souls. Perfect our repentance, and bring us home intirely to thy self, and prevent all our back-slidings. Help our slow and sloathful souls, to be quick and vigorous; and our drowsy spirits, to be watchful in the ways of Righteousness. Help thou us, Good Lord, for we are not able to help our selves, and thou alone art our help. And when our sufferings have by thy help and Grace reduced us to our duty, we shall then, O! Holy Father, thankfully receive any Losses for Righteousness sake, and look on all the violent attempts of the Enemy, as so many instances and messengers of thy Mercy, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
2. Out of the Office of Commination.
O! most Mighty God, and Merciful Father, who hast Compassion upon all Men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, who wouldest not the death of a sinner, but that he should rather turn from his sin, and be saved; mercifully forgive us our Trespasses; receive, & comfort us, who are grieved and wearyed with the Burden of our sins. Thy Property, is always to have Mercy; to thee alone it appertaineth to forgive sins. Spare us therefore, good Lord, spare thy People whom thou hast redeemed; enter not into judgment with thy servants, who are vile earth, and miserable sinners: But so turn thine Anger from us, who meekly acknowledge our vileness, and truly repent us of our faults; and so make hast to help us in this world, that we may ever live with thee in the world to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
2. Prayers under Persecutions, as they are Tryals of our Obedience, and bring upon us Losses for Righteousness.
I. A General Prayer, for Mercies & Qualifications needful in Suffering-times.
O Blessed Jesus! Who now callest us out to bear thy Cross, and to suffer Afflictions for thy sake, who sufferedst a most ignominious Death for ours: bring none of us to suffer, till thou hast first prepared us for it; nor let us suffer more, or longer, than thou wilt enable us willingly, and thankfully to endure.
Let not any among us, O! Lord, come to suffer for our own follies, nor be afraid to suffer for thy Righteousness. And give us all Grace to live according to thy Precepts, that we may all have Courage and Comfort in suffering for them. Let us not take liberty to transgress some duties of our Holy Religion, whilst we suffer for others; nor ever hope to recommend our selves, or our sufferings, to thy merciful acceptance, without studying to be intire in our godly care, and having an eye to all thy Laws.
And when our Afflictions press most upon us, let the Graces and Comforts of thy Holy Spirit abound most in us. Whatever else we lose thereby, let us not lose Truth, and a good Conscience Preserve us steadfast in the belief of thy Heavenly and Oppressed Truths, & undaunted in the Profession of them. Grant us patience to bear thy Cross, and not grow faint or weary; and meekness to bear our Persecutors, and not grow angry and bitter of spirit; and Charity to forgive their Wrongs, and to overcome their evil with good. Strengthen our Faith, of thy Heavenly Joys, to recompence all these earthly sufferings; and of thy never-failing Help and Grace, to assist and support us under them, and to deliver us from the same in thy due time. Let the greatness of our distresses, drive us to be more constant and earnest in our Prayers. And as fast as Afflictions come from our Persecutors, let succours and supports still come from thee. O! Let us always have thy strength to bear us up, and find thee an help at hand in our greatest needs; and then our patience and godly steadfastness shall triumph over all the malice of our Persecutors.
And suffer us not, O! Father of Mercies, to be dashed to pieces in this storm, & swallowed up in these waves. But in thy tenderness to our infirmities, after we have suffered a while, send us ease. Shorten the days of these sufferings, and hasten thy coming for our Deliverance; and bring us at length to everlasting rest and peace in thy Heavenly Kingdom, through JESVS CHRIST our Lord. Amen.
2. A Prayer Out of the Litany.
O! God Merciful Father, that despisest not the sighing of a contrite heart, nor the desire of such as be sorrowful: Mercifully assist our Prayers which we make before thee, in all our troubles and adversities, whensoever they oppress us; and graciously hear us, that those evils, which the craft and subtilty of the devil, or man worketh against us, be brought to nought; and by the providence of thy goodness, they may be dispersed, that we thy servants, being hurt by no persecutions, may ever more give thanks unto thee, in thy Holy Church, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.