A Help Unto Devotion, Prayer 26 – Prayer 27
26. A Prayer riſing out of the ſerious meditation of the laſt Iudgement.
O Lord, thou haſt reuealed it in thy holy Word, that the faſhion and figure of this world muſt paſſe away, & that as by appointment wee muſt all dye, ſo alſo wée muſt all appeare before the iudgement ſeate of Chriſt, and that from thence ſome ſhal go into euerlaſting paine, and ſome into life eternall. This, ye Atheiſts and Epicures and Libertines of the world doe thinke to bee but a méere fable, they ſay in their hearts; The Lord will doe neither good nor euill. But yet (O Lord) as thou haſt deliuerd this in thy Word, (of which one iote nor tittle ſhall not periſh) ſo thou haſt not left it without a ſufficient proofe in the very boſome of eueryevery mā: The accuſing or excuſing of our owne thoughts, the ſecret checks accompanying thoſe euils to which none is priuy, the feares of wicked men, who are continually as one that trauaileth of child, flying oft times when none purſueth them, and being chaſed at the very ſhaking of a leafe, are an euident proofe of thy prouidence, and a certaine aſſurāce written as with a point of a Diamond (which can neuer be done out) that verely there is fruite for the righteous, and doubtles there is a God that iudgeth the earth. This truth (O Lord my God) thou haſt taught mee to belieue, and I make no doubt, but it ſhall ſhortly come to paſſe. It was ſayd long ſince that the Iudge did ſtand before the doore, and that hee which ſhould come, would come & would not tary; and now, the height of iniquitie is ſuch, and ſinne is grown to that perfection, that it cannot ſtand with thy Iuſtice much longer to forbeare. Teach me (I pray thee) as I doe know & belieue this, ſo to make a true & profitable vſe of my knowledge. Let it bee euer in my thoughts, and in my beſt and moſt ſerious meditations: whē I am about by ye proueneſſe of my corrupted nature to doe euill, let the remembrance hereof be a bridle to me to reſtrayne me: when I am like by the iniquitie of ye times to ſuffer euill among men, let the exſpectation of the right which thou wilt then do to the oppreſſed, be a comfort to mee to refreſh me. Eſpecially (O Lord) grant mee to keep daily (as it were) a priuy ſeſſions in the cloſet of mine owne heart, arraigning my ſelfe before thy iudgement ſeat, ſearching and trying my wayes, accuſing my ſelfe before thee, frō whom nothing can be hid, confeſſing my vnworthineſſe, bewailing my corruptions, ſuing with al inſtant earneſtneſſe for thy grace & fauour in thy Son. O that I may learn thus to iudge my ſelfe, that I may not be iudged of thee in that day.
Suffer me not to flatter my ſelfe or to bleſſe my Soule in any euill way, or to goe about to finde hidings and couerts for my ſinnes; inaſmuch as all things are naked in thy ſight, and that in that great terrible day thou wilt lighten the things which are hid in darkeneſſe, and make manifeſt the counſell of all mens hearts. Let mee not imagine this thy great ſeſſion to be like the courſes among men, in which oft times by vniuſt meanes the vileſt offenders do procure eſcapes: but make me to know, as the trueth is, that with thée there is no hope by corruptiō, or fauour, or fraud, or importunitie of ſute, to find euaſions. Thou art the Iudge of all the world, and thou wilt doe right; eueryevery man ſhall receiue the things which hauehave beene done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it bée good or euill. And whereas (O Lord) it is a great griefe to thy ſeruants, to liue among the vngodly, it muſt néedes vexe their righteous ſoules to heare and ſée their vnlawfull deeds, let this be my comfort, that though it be thy pleaſure to ſuffer with long patience the veſſels of wrath, & to permit the tares to growe vppe with the Wheate vntill the harueſt, yet then thy Angels ſhall come, and ſhall gather out of thy Church all things that offend, and bring the iuſt into the kingdome of their father. Seeing alſo (O gratious God) that whoſoeuer in this world wil liue godly, ſhall ſuffer, and ly open to the wrongs and iniuries and reproches of ye wicked; Grant that if at any time, eyther my name be put out as euill, or otherwiſe my eſtate or profeſſion, or life, for thy trueths ſake be called into queſtion, I may poſſeſſe my Soule with patience, looking for the bleſſed hope and appearing of thy glorie, knowing that then the iuſt, what diſgraces ſo-euer are now caſt vponupon them, ſhall ſhine as the light in thy preſence. Finally (O Lord) make make me daily to grow ſo wearie of this vaine & wretched world, and of the heauy load of mine owne corruptions, and of this body of death which is vponupon mee, & to ſtriue to gather that aſſurance of an intereſt in that glory which ſhall be ſhewed hereafter, that I may looke for this great day and in my deſires may ſigh for it and haſten to it; and that whenſoeuer it commeth, I being foūd waking with my lāp of oyle in my hand, may hauehave cauſe to lift vp my head, not doubting but to hauehave a gracious admittance into my maſters ioy.
Graunt mee this for his ſake, which ſitteth at thy right hād, to make requeſt for mee, Ieſus Chriſt the Mediatour of thy choſen. Amen.
27. A Prayer fitted to the time of warre.
O Almightie God, who art hie aboue all nations, and whoſe glory is aboue the heauens, the comfortable ſucceſſe of all enterpriſes is from thée onelyonly to bee looked for; Thou art hee which giueſt victorie vntounto kings, to thee it is all one to ſaue by many or by fewe, thou canſt make one to chaſe a thouſand, thou canſt cauſe the hearts euen of the moſt valiant to melt, their hands to bée weake, their mindes to faint, and their knees to fall away like water. If thou fight for vsus, wee cannot miſcary: if thou fauour vsus not, wee muſt néeds bee diſcomfited. O bée gracious vntounto vsus, and bee on our ſide, now that men are riſen vp againſt vsus. They take craftie counſell againſt thy Church, and conſult how to cut vsus off from being a nation, and by what meanes to quench the light of thy truth, which ſhineth in our ſtreetes. Their deſire is to embrue their hands in our blood, and to aduance their owne ambition by our ouerthrow. O turne their counſels into fooliſhnes, let not their miſchieuous imaginations proſper, leſt they bee too proud: O our God, make them like vntounto a whéel, & as the ſtubble before ye wind, ſcatter ye people that delight in war. Go out (O Lorde) with our armies, giuegive wiſedom and courage to our captaines, gird them with ſtrength vntounto ye battel, be with our Souldiers, teaching their hands to war, & their fingers to fight: Aſſiſt al ye conſultations, proſper ye policies, crown thoſe enterpriſes with good ſucceſſe which are vndertaken for the common good & comfort of the State. Doubtleſſe (O Lord) we hauehave deſerued thine anger, & our ſins do cry loud in thine eares for vengeance: and it were but iuſt with thee, if thou ſhouldeſt make vsus a prey and ſpoyle vntounto our enemies; But (O gracious God) let vsus fall now into thy hands, (for thy mercies are great) & let vsus not fal into the hāds of men, whoſe diſpleaſure at vsus is not for our ſins, but for our profeſſion and religions ſake, and that they may fill their own enlarged & vnſatiable deſires with thoſe bleſſings of wealth which thou haſt giuen vsus: Put therefore thy hooke into their noſtrils, & bring them backe by the ſame way they came. Let it appear yt thou art in the middes of vsus, & that wee ſhall not bée mooued, that thou wilt help vsus and that very early: Let there be none inuaſion, nor going out, nor no crying in our ſtréets; But ſet thou peace in our borders, make ſtrong the barres of our gates, eſpecially let the Goſpel of thy Sonne ſound yet louder amongſt vsus, that by it many Soules may bee gathered vntounto thée. So we thy people & the ſhéepe of thy paſture ſhall prayſe thee for euer, and from generation to generation we will ſet foorth thy glory, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord and onelyonly Sauiour. Amen.