The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon, Prayer 1 – Prayer 2
A PRAYER FOR AN ARMIE, IN THE DAY OF BATTELL.
O LORD, the great GOD of Armies, and commander of Battels, in whoſe hand is the breath of all men, who haſt a full power to ſave or deſtroy, there is none like unto thee.
Wee who ſtand in great need of thy help, intreat thee for thy mercy this day; Let not the ſinnes of any, like the ſin of Achan deprive us of thy aſſiſtance and protection, at this preſent time: Remember not againſt us our former iniquities, forgive them, and forget them, pitie us and pardon us; Be pleaſed with us, for the ſake of Chriſt Jeſus in whom thou art well pleaſed.
Now LORD this day is appointed for the Battell, and every battell of the warriour is with confuſed noiſe, Iſa. 9.5and tumbling of garments into bloud; Wee know, that he that girdeth on his harneſſe, 1 King. 20 11muſt not boaſt as he that putteth it off; The proſperous ſucceſſe of all good enterpriſes is to bee looked for from thee; It is as eaſie for thee to ſave, by few as by many, and therefore we all heere armed for thy honour depend onelyonly upon thy aſſiſtance; Wee truſt that according to thine infinite goodneſse thou wilt bee powerfully vvith us, and for us, who ſtand heere ready to lay down our lives at thy feet, for thy glory, the good cauſe, for that holy Covenant which wee have made with thee, and which now we minde to ſeale with our bloud.
Though wee deſerve to bee deſerted of thee, becauſe of our manifold ſinnes, and great ingratitudes, yet for the honour of thy Name, Let not thine Iſrael this day ſhamefully turne their backe before the enemie;Deut. 32.27. O LORD fear the bragges of thy foes, who, if wee be tread downe, will ſcornfully ſay, where is now their God? and where is their Covenant? and where is their good Cauſe? they will ſurely ſay,Ibid. Our hand is high, and the LOR… hath not done all this.
Seeing now, LORD, vve are preſently for to rencounter with the forces of men, and for to ſet our breaſts before the Canon, Muſket, Sword, and Spear, in this valley of the ſhadow of death; be thou our Captaine,Pſal. 23.4 goe before us, give us wiſedome, and courage, and ſtrength; take the hearts from our enemies, make their hands faint, and their knees feeble; make thy promiſe good, five of you ſhall chaſe an hundred, and a hundred of you ſhall put ten thouſand to flight.Lev. 26.8
O LORD, the protector of thy ſervants, make all feare of death now flee farre from us, give us the boldneſſe of David with his good ſucceſſe, in going out againſt theſe uncircumciſed enemies of thy truth; They come out …ainſt us with the force of Men, …d Munition, vvith Horſes, Svvordes, Speares, and Shields, but vvee goe againſt them under thy ſtandart, in the name of the LORD of hostes, the GOD of Armies of Iſrael; Through thee we ſhall do valiantly.
But LORD, if for ſuch cauſes as are knovvn to thee, it be thy will that at this time an end bee made made of any of our lives, let it pleaſe thy ſacred Majeſtie to receive our ſoules into the boſome of thy love: Though our bodies fall into the hands of men, Let our ſoules fall into the hands of God, vvhoſe compaſſions faile not.
Now Father into thy hands we commend our Spirits.
Now in thy Name, under thy Banner, we thy Servants, and Souldiers, goe to this chocke, O Lord be our captain, and go before us, and fight for thine own cauſe. Generall Moſes wordes to his Armie, in a great ſtrait, at the red Sea.
Exod. 14.13. Feare yee not; ſtand ſtill, and ſee the Salvation of the LORD, which he will ſhew to you the day.
Calebs wordes of courage to Iſrael, concerning the Cananites.
Numb. 14.9. They are bread for us, their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us, fear them not.
Captaine Joabs wordes to Abiſhai, immediatly before the Battell, againſt the Syrians, and the Ammonites.
2 Sam. 10.12. Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the Cities of our GOD, and the LORD doe that which ſeemeth him good.
Aſas wordes, when Zerah the Ethiopian came in Battell array againſt him, with a thouſand thouſand men, and three hundred Charets.
2 Chron. 14.11 And Aſa cryed unto the Lord his God, and ſaid, Lord it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: Help us O LORD our GOD, for wee reſt on thee, and in thy Name we goe againſt this multitude; O LORD thou art our GOD, Let not man prevaile againſt thee.
Hezekiahs prayer, after that he had received King Senacheribs blaſphemous letter, full of threatnings.
2 King. 19.14.
And Hezekiah received the letter off the hand of the meſſengers, and read it; And Hezekiah went up to the houſe of the LORD, and ſpread it before the Lord.
And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and ſaid, O Lord God of Iſrael, which dwelleſt between the Cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone of all the Kingdomes of the earth, thou hast made heaven and earth.
Lord bow downe thine ear, and heare, open Lord thine eyes and ſee, and heare the words of Senacherib, which hath ſent to reproach the living God.
Of a trueth, LORD, the Kings of Aſſyria have deſtroyed the nations and their lands.
And have caſt their gods into the fire, for they vvere no gods, but the work of mens hands, wood and ſtone, therefore they have deſtroyed them.
Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beſeech thee, ſave thou us out of h… hand, that all the kingdomes of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.
Davids prayer againſt his Enemies.
Pſal. 68.1.
Let God ariſe, let his enemies be ſcattered, let them that hate him flee before him.
As ſmoke is driven away, ſo drive them away: As waxe melteth before the fire, ſo let the wicked periſh at the preſence of God.
Victory promiſed to the Church.
Mic. 4.11.
Now alſo many nations are gathered againſt thee, that ſay, let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.
12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither underſtand they his counſell: For he ſhall gather them as the ſheaves into the flooore.
13 Ariſe and threſh, O Daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horne yron, and I will make thy hooves br…ſſe, and thou ſhalt beat in pieces many people: and I will conſecrate their gaine unto the LORD, and their ſubſtance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
Mica. 4.11.
Now alſo many nations
Are gath'red againſt thee;
That ſay let her now be defil'd,
On Zion caſt our eye.
12 But they the Lords thoughts do not know,
Nor yet his counſell pure:
For he by force ſhall gather them,
As ſheaves into the floore.
13 Ariſe, O deare daughter Zion,
Thine enemies to threin:
For I will now make thine horne yron,
And will make thy hooves braſſe.
And I unto the Lord of Hoſtes
Will conſecrate their gaine;
And to the Lord of the whole earth
Their ſubſtance will ordaine.
A thankſgiving after the Victorie.
O Lord, what thy ſervant Moſes ſaid in his ſong at the red Sea, that may we all ſay this day,Exo. 15.3. The Lord is a man of warre; the Lord is his name.
Thy name, O Lord is glorious and worthie to be praiſed; the ſorrowes of death had compaſſed us, and the floods of ungodly men had made us afraide, but thou haſt been our strength and our ſtay in the day of our danger.
In the valley of the ſhaddow of death thou haſt beene our Captaine and defender;Pſal. 23.4 Through thee we have done valiantly, and thou haſt treade our enemies under our feet; by thy ſtrength we have puſhed them dovvne; the ſafetie is ours, but all the glory ſhall be thine,Zach. 1.3 vvho art the Lord of Hoſts, vvho by thy mightie arme haſt brought low the high lookes of theſe, who truſted in their Horſes and Charets, which thou hast teared in pieces; thou haſt driven them away as ſmoake, Pſal. 68.2and haſt made them to melt like waxe before the fire.
O LORD by thy almighty power, vve have run through their troupes, and put them to a ſpeedie flight, Wee have purſued our enemies and overtaken them, neither did vve turne againe, till they vvere conſumed; vve have vvounded them that they vvere not able to riſe; they are fallen under our feet, for thou haſt girded us with ſtrength unto the Battell; thou haſt ſubdued under us theſe that roſe againſt us; thou haſt given us the necks of our enemies: We have beaten them ſmall as the duſt before the vvind: vve have caſt them out as the dirt of the ſtreets; Thy gentleneſſe hath made us great; By thee this day is ours, vve moſt heartily acknowledge all the matter of our joy to be from thee.
O LORD, who is like unto thee? who is GOD ſave the LORD? or who is a rocke ſave our God? The Lord liveth, and bleſſed bee our rock; let the God of our ſalvation be exalted,Pſal. 18.34 who hath taught our hands to warre.
Let all creatures praiſe the Lord; praiſe him from the heavens, praiſe him all yee his Angels and Hoſtes, praiſe him yee Sunne and Moone, and all ye Starres of light: praiſe him from the earth, fire and haile, ſnow and vapour, heat and cold, rivers, hills, and vallayes, all weapons of warre ſwords, ſpeares, muſquets, and conons, and all other things that have beene steadable to help the Lord, to help the Lord, &c.Judg. 5.23
With all theſe, we the whole body of this armie, with our hearts to heaven, do ſing Hallelujah, moſt humbly acknowledging both the victorie, and every one of our particulare ſafeties to be from thee, who art God over all things, bleſſed for ever, and ever, Amen.
Pſal. 57.12. Thy vowes are upon us, O God; we will render praiſes unto thee.
Let us now in a moſt heartie thankſgiving ſing the eighteenth Pſalme, from the 33. verſe, untill the 39.
33 He did in order put my hands
to battell, and to fight:
To break in ſunder bars of braſſe
he gave mine armes the might.
34 Thou teacheſt me thy ſaving health,
thy right hand is my tower:
Thy love and familiaritie
do ſtill increaſe my power.
35 And under me thou makeſt plain
the way where I ſhould walk:
So that my feet ſhould never ſlip,
nor ſtumble at a balk.
36 And fiercely I purſue and take
my foes that me annoy'd:
And from the fields do not return
till they be all deſtroy'd.
37 So I ſuppreſſe and wound my foes
that they can riſe no more:
For at my feet they fall down flat,
I ſtrike them all ſo ſore.
38 For thou doſt gird me with thy ſtrength
to war in ſuch a wiſe:
That they be ſcattered all abroad
that up againſt me riſe.
The Lord hath done great things for us; to him be glory for ever, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Zacharie Boyd, The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon (1643)