A Help Unto Devotion, Prayer 32
32. A Prayer for the whole State.
EXtraordinarie (O Lord) hauehave thy fauours beene vntounto this Kingdom; when we recount our long cō tinued peace, our victories, our plentie, our comfort by religious and prudent gouernors: eſpecially, the glorious light of thy Goſpell which hath ſhined amongſt vsus, our fréedome from the miſerable bondage of Romiſh and Antichriſtian tyrannie: wee muſt needes ſay, that thou haſt not dealt ſo with euerie Nation. Indeede the crie of our ſinnes is great, the verie heauens may bluſh to looke vponupon vsus, and the earth is wearie to beare our groſſe, our ſhameles, our preſumptuous euils: Thou thy ſelfe (O patient God, art preſſed vnderunder vsus, as a cart is preſſed that is full of ſheaues: Long haſt thou waited for our repentance, and often haſt thou vrged vsus by the Miniſters of thy word, to break off our ſins, and euen beſought vsus by them to bee reconciled vntounto thee. But wee hauehave hated to be reformed, wee hauehave caſt thy word behind vsus, thou haſt ſtretched out thy hand, and wee would not regarde; wee hauehave deſpiſed and mocked thy meſſengers, our hearts within vsus hauehave beene fully ſet to do euill. MercieMercy hath beene offered, wee hauehave not eſteemed it: iudgement hath beene threatned, wee hauehave not feared it: the very triall of our countenances teſtifieth againſt vsus, wee declare our ſinnes as Sodom, wee hide them not; all manner of foule enormities do march openly and confidently and without feare in our ſtreets. How iuſtly mighteſt thou powre out euen the vials of thy wrath vpō vsus, making vsus to be a deteſtation, and a curſe, and an aſtoniſhment, and a reproch to other Nations, forcing vsus to wring out and to drinke the very dregs of that mixt wine of thy fierce & terrible indignation. If thou ſhouldeſt bring an vtter diſſolution and deſolatiō vponupon our State, making our enemies to ride ouer ouer our heades, to clime aboue vsus vp on hie, and vsus to come downe beneath belowe: If thou ſhouldeſt take away from vsus the Iudge and the Prophet, the honourable and the Counſeller, and appoint children to bee our Princes: If thou ſhouldeſt make heaps of our Cities, and leaue our Townes without inhabitants; If thou ſhouldſt at once quench the light of thy bleſſed word, and giuegive vsus ouer to the ſeruice of dumbe idols, and our ſoules to be ſwallowed vp in the darkeneſſe of popiſh ignorance and ſuperſtition; if thou ſhouldeſt make vsus by thy iudgements a prouerb and a ſpectacle to the whole world, it were no other then wée hauehave deſerued; nay, it is thy great merciemercy, that theſe things, and more heauie then theſe, hauehave not already ouertaken vsus. But (O Lord) bee mercifull to our ſinnes for thy names ſake: O thou which art the God of grace, looke graciouſly vponupon vsus in the Mediator of grace, Chriſt Ieſus. Wee hauehave nothing to plead, but his merite, nothing can waſh away the fouleneſſe of our ſinnes, but his moſt precious bloud; Make (wee pray thee) our hearts to mourne within vsus, both for our owne perſonall ſinnes, and for al the abominations which are done in the midſt of the Land: Oh that we might turne vntounto thee with al our heart, with faſting, with weeping, and with ſorrowing; Oh that we could ſée the thinges that belong vntounto our peace: and might euerie man turne from his euill way, and from the wickedneſſe that is in his hand, and make his wayes & his workes good. Let it be thy holy pleaſure (we hū bly beſeech thée) to continue and to enlarge thy wonted fauours towardes vsus; Stabliſh this our peaceable gouernement by a perpetuall and vnchangeable decree. Compaſſe-in this Ilād, with thy fauor, as with a ſhield; Let neuer thine and our aduerſaries, roare in the midſt of thy congregation, or ſette vppe their banners as ſignes of victorie and conqueſt ouer vsus. Aboue all (O Lord) vouchſafe the comfort of thy Goſpell, and the libertie of thy bleſſed truth: Grant that that may ſtill be faithfully & ſoundly preached in our Churches. Oh remooue not our cādleſtick, though our falling frō our firſt louelove, & ye uniuerſall ſlaking of our zeal, hath deſerued it. Lengthen out the vſe of it (we entreat thee) euen ſo long as the Sun and Moone endureth, that by it thoſe that are yet vnborn, and ſhal come out of our Loynes, may bee guided and directed in the way of peace. And to this end, wée are moſt humble and inſtant ſuters to thy Maieſtie, euen to thee by whom Kings raigne, and whoſe dominion and ſoueraintie reacheth ouer all; that thou wouldeſt multiplie thy bleſſings vponupon thy King, euen thine annointed (King Iames) whoſe head thou haſt lifted vp aboue others, and into whoſe hands thou haſt committed the raines of theſe vnited Kingdomes. O Lorde, when we remember the dayes by-paſt, euen the dayes of our feare, how that after the death of our late renowned Queen, we looked for nothing but cō fuſiō, ſuppoſing that the times of our peace muſt needs hauehave died with her, and hauehave euen beene buried in her graue, and conſider withall, how thou then, without any ſo much as drawing of a ſword, or colour of commotion, placedſt in her throne a King of the ſame royall bloud, and of the ſame louelove and affection to thy holy truth, vnderunder whoſe ſhadow, wee enioy all the accuſtomed comforts of our ancient peace, we are like to them that dream, we are euen ſtrokē with aſtoniſhment; ſo far hauehave all thinges gone beyond our hopes, & exceeded our exſpectations. O pardon our great vngratefulneſſe, that paſſe ouer thy mercies ſo ſuperficially, and do ſo ſeldome and ſo ſlightly meditate vponupon thy kindneſſe. Let not our vnthankefulneſſe turn away thy intended bleſſings from vsus; ſtabliſh his throne (we beſéech thée) let his ſoule be bound in the būdle of life with thee, & caſt out the ſoule of his enemies, as out of the middle of a ſling. As thou haſt preuented him with liberal bleſſings, and ſet a crowne of pure gold vponupon his head: ſo let his glorie be great in thy ſaluation, and make him glad with the ioy of thy countenance. Go on to giuegive him thy iudgments, that the righteous may flouriſh in his dayes, and that hee may iudge the poore of the people, and ſaue the children of the néedy, & ſubdue the oppreſſor: Let him not wāt a man of his own line, to ſit vponupon his ſeat: but continue ye kingdom in his poſteritie, vntil the time in which al earthly kingdomes muſt be determined. And as thou haſt made his Quéen, like a fruitful vine on ye ſides of his houſe, & a ioyful mother of many royall plāts: ſo we pray thée lay vponupon her much dignitie and honor; & bleſſe thē both out of Zion, ſo that they may ſee the wealth of Ieruſalem all their dayes. Let their children bee as choſen ſhafts in thy quiuer, make thē as the plants growing vp in their youth, and as the corner ſtones grauen after the ſimilitude of a palace. Chiefely we beſeech thee to poure out a large meaſure of thy bleſſings vponupon the young Prince Henrie: enrich him with all princely vertues; water him ſo with thy heauenly dew, that knowledge of thy truth, zeale for thy glorie, louelove to thy Church, perfite hatred of Popiſh Idolatrie, may in him growe vp with his years, that ſo he may alſo in his appointed time become another Inſtrument vnderunder thee, for the further enlargement of thy Goſpel, and the proſperitie and happineſſe of theſe Realmes. Alwayes afford thy gratious preſence to thoſe honorable Lords of his Maieſties Councill: be… thou the Preſident at their Table, direct their conſultations, ſanctifie their policies, order their purpoſes, and guide all their courſes to ſuch concluſions as may bee moſt for thy glorie, the honour of the King, the peace of the State, and the comfort of thy choſen. Bleſſe all the Iudges, Sages and Magiſtrates of the State, make thē as hiding places frō ye wind, & as a refuge for ye tempeſt for ye oppreſſed; cauſe them euer to remember that they are thy Miniſters for ye peoples wealth, & that they execute not the iudgements of man but of the Lord; & that although thou haſt honored them with thine own name, calling them gods, yet they ſhal die as men, & fall like others: that ſo iudgement may not be turned into gal, nor the fruite of righteouſnes into wormewood, but ye iuſtice may be executed truly & vprightly in ye gates, & al things may be to ye praiſe of them that do wel & to ye puniſhment of thoſe that are workers of iniquitie. Neither may we (O Lord) forget thoſe whō yu haſt put in the ſeruice of thy church, to féed ye flock which dependeth on them, to rule thē & to go in & out before them, & to labour in the worde and in doctrine. Thou (O Chriſt) art the chief ſhepheard & biſhop of our ſoules, thou art the Lorde of the harueſt, build vp (wee beſéech thée) the breaches of thy Church, make the righteouſnes thereof to breake foorth (yet more) as the light, & the ſaluation thereof as a burning lampe. Continue the ſtanding and encreaſe the number of thoſe ſeeing watchmen, whom thou haſt placed vponupon ye walls of Ieruſalem; ſtirre them vp that they ceaſe not, day nor nor night, working the worke with which thou haſt entruſted them, and faithfully diſpenſing that word of reconciliation which thou haſt committed to them. Kindle in thē the zeale of Samuel, that they may ſay, God forbid that we ſhould ſin againſt the Lorde, & ceaſe praying for the people, and ſhewing them the good & the right way: Make them with Paul to ſay, Woe vntounto vsus if wee preach not the Goſpell. And be pleaſed alſo ſo to bleſſe their endeuours, & to proſper their labours, by giuing them a doore of vtterance, and by preſeruing them from vnreaſonable and euill men, that they may from eueryevery part of the Land bring many ſheaues into thy barne, and that dayly thoſe that are ordained vntounto life eternall may belieue. And for a continuall ſupply and nurſerie to thy Churches amongſt vsus, bleſſe the Vniuerſities and Schooles of learning; let not thoſe fountaines (O Lord) bee poyſoned with any popiſh leauen: but grant that the doctrine which is according to godlineſſe, being taught & profeſſed in them in ſinceritie, by the yong plāts there ſpringing vp, ye decais of congregations abroad may be renued, and euerie place may be furniſhed with a Paſtor after thy owne heart, which may féed ye people with knowledge and with vnderſtanding. And (Lorde) reſtraine and reforme the gréedineſſe of thoſe which muzzle their mouthes which ſhould tread out the corne, and bring foorth the foode of life vntounto thy people, which reſpect not the Leuite, but abridge the hire of the labourer, and ſay one to another, Let vsus take to our poſſeſſiō the habitatiōs of God. Throughout the Land and among all the inhabitants therof, plant the true knowledge & feare of thee, loyalty to their ſoueraine, obedience to all ſubordinate authoritie, louelove & reuerence to their ſpiritual guides vnitie of affection, merciemercy and compaſſion either to other. And inaſmuch as (O Lorde) wee hauehave continuall experience of the malice of the diuell, in ſowing the ſéedes of ſedition and treaſon in mens hearts, and in rayſing vp the ſonnes of Behal to ouercaſt (if it might be) the faire day of our peace, with a cloud of helliſh cōfuſiō; we pray thée, without whom no enterpriſes canne bee eſtabliſhed, to make voyd their hopes, to diſcouer their practiſes, and (as thou haſt hitherto euen miraculouſly done) to turne their deuiſes vponupon their owne heads for their own confuſion. There come dayly out of that Pit of Rome, many Locuſts: and frō that Sea, there is ſent among vsus a continual ſpawne of new conſpirators: theſe encourage themſelues in wicked purpoſes, they commune together to lay ſnares, miſchiefe they imagine againſt the quiet of the Land; It vexeth them to ſée the thriuing of the Goſpell, and the grouth of thy truth, and they do euen breath out threatnings and ſlaughters againſt the profeſſors thereof. Let not (O Lord) their imaginations proſper, let their eyes fall out with looking for that day which they hauehave long deſired; Let thy hand, euen thy right hand, find thē out: & if they belong not vntounto thée, make them like a fierie ouen in ye time of thine anger, deſtroy their fruit from ye earth and their ſéed frō the children of men, put them apart, and make ready ye ſtrings of thy bowe againſt their faces. And as for vsus (O Lord) ſuffer vsus not to were wanton with the bleſſings of peace, nor to forget to render to thée according to thy rewardes beſtowed: but grant that thy kindneſſes may bind vsus more ſtrongly vntounto thee, & that wee may reſolue by thy grace to ſerue thee faithfully, who wt vsus dealſt ſo graciouſly, & that in & for Chriſt Ieſus ſake thy ſon & our Sauiour, Amen.
FINIS.