The Order of prayer for Wednesdays and Fridays.

First, the Minister shall use the order set down in the book of Common Prayer, to the end of O come, let us sing unto the Lord.

Then shall follow these three Psalms, the 30. 46. and 91.

Also for the first Lesson, some one of these three chapters, the 1. or 2. of Joel, or the 58. of Isaiah, and after that, Te Deum or Benedicite, with a Chapter of the New Testament for the second Lesson, according to the book aforesaid.

Then after the Litany shall be said this prayer, Oh Eternal, mighty, and most loving Father. &c.

Then shall be read the Homily of repentance, or a part thereof, as in the book of homilies it is divided, if there be no sermon.

Also after the sermon, or homily, shall be sung the 46. Psalm in Metre. Moreover, that the Preachers and Curates do exhort their flock to refrain those ii. days weekly from one meal, and to bestow the value or some part thereof (as God shall stir up their devotion) upon the poor, teaching them that such alms is more acceptable to God, than that which cometh by constraint of law3.

Also that they call upon their parishioners to cause their family every night, before their going to bed, all together to say the prayer set out for that purpose, meekly kneeling upon their knees.

Psal. 30. Psal. 46. Psal. 91.

Then shall be read, for the first Lesson, some one of these three Chapters following.

The i. Chapter of Joel. The ii. Chapter of Joel
The lviii. Chapter of Isaiah.

And soe right humblie I take my leaue of yo' honorable L. my howse in London, this xxiith of Aprill, 1580.

From

Y' L. humbly to command in Xo.

JOHN LONDON.

To the right honorable and my

singule good L. the L. high

Treasore of England.]

[In the Form put forth for both provinces, it is,-The order of prayer, and other exercises vpon Wednesdayes and Frydayes, to be vsed throughout the Realme by order aforesaide.]

[See p. 593, note 1.]

[The Gloria Patri does not come after any of these psalms, which, like the lessons, are printed entire.]

A prayer to be used of all housholders, with their whole family, every Evening before they go to bed, that it would please God to turn his wrath from us, threatened in the last terrible earthquake.

Set forth by authority.

Он eternal, mighty, and most loving Father, which hast no desire of the death of a sinner, but that he convert and live, and unto whom nothing is so pleasant as the repentant, contrite and sorrowful heart of a penitent person: for thou art that kind Father that fallest most lovingly upon the neck of the lost son, kissest, embracest and feastest him, when he returneth from the puddle of pleasures and swill of the swine, and disdainest not the repentant prayer of thy poor and sinful servants, whensoever with true faith they return and call upon thee, as we have most comfortable examples in David, Manasses, Magdalene, Peter, and the thief upon the gibbet: we most heartily and humbly beseech thy fatherly goodness, to look down from the throne of thy mercy-seat upon us most miserable and sinful slaves of Satan, which with fearful and trembling hearts do quake and shake at the strange and terrible token of thy wrath and indignation appearing most evidently unto us, by thy shaking and moving of the earth, which is thy footstool; whereby (if we be not utterly destitute of grace) we be warned that thy coming down amongst us, to visit our sins in most terrible manner, can not be far off, seeing thou treadest so hard upon this thy footstool the earth, which we most shamefully have polluted and defiled with our most wicked, sinful, and rebellious lives, notwithstanding thy continual crying and calling upon us by thy servants, the Prophets and preachers, by whom we have learned to know thy will, but have not followed it; we have heard much and done little, yea, nothing at all; but like most perverse and unthankful children have made a mock of thy word, derided thy ministers, and accounted thy threatenings trifles, and thy warnings of no weight or moment: wherefore we have justly deserved to taste most deeply of the bitter cup of thy anger and vengeance, by wars, famine, pestilence, yea, and eternal death, if thou shouldest not temper the rigour of thy justice

:

with the mildness of thy mercy. But such is thy fatherly affection towards us, that thou shewest thyself slow to anger, long suffering, and of much patience and mercy. Yea, thou art a thousand times more ready to forget and forgive, than we to ask and require forgiveness. Therefore, though we be not worthy of the least mite of thy mercy, yet, gracious Lord, look not upon us and our sins, but upon thy own self and thy Son Jesus Christ, the fountain of grace, the treasure of mercy, the salve of all sickness, the Jewel of joy1, and the only haven of succour and safety by him we come to thee, in him and for him we trust to find that we have lost, and gain that he hath got he is the scale of Jacob, by whom we climb up to thee, and thou by the Angels of thy mercy comest down to us him we present unto thee, and not ourselves, his death and not our doings, his bloody wounds and not our detestable deservings, whose merits are so great, as thy mercy can not be little, and our ransom so rich, that our beggarly and beastly sins are nothing in thy sight, for the great pleasure and satisfaction that thou takest of his pains and passion. Turn this Earthquake, O Lord, to the benefit of thine elect, as thou didst when thou shookest the prison, loosedst the locks, fetters, and chains of thy servants, Paul and Silas, and broughtest them out of prison, and converted their keeper: so, gracious Lord, strike the hearts of tyrants with the terror of this thy work, that they may know that they are but men, and that thou art that Sampson, that for their mocking and spiting of thee and thy word can shake the pillars of their palaces, and throw them upon the furious Philistines' heads. Turn thy wrath, O Lord, from thy children that call upon thy Name, to the conversion or confusion of thine enemies that defy and abhor thy Name, and deface thy glory. Thou hast knocked long at their doors, but they will not open to let thee in burst open therefore the brasen gates of their stony hearts, thou that art able of stones to raise up children to Abraham: and, finally, so touch our hearts with the finger of thy grace, that we may deeply muse upon our sinful lives, to amend them, and call for thy mercy to forgive and pardon them, through Christ our Lord, who liveth with thee, and the

[The title of one of Becon's treatises. See his works, Catechism, &c., p. 411.]

[Scale: ladder.]

Holy Ghost, three persons and one eternal God, to whom be all dominion and glory, with praise and thanksgiving, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm xlvi.

1 THE Lord is our defence and aid, 7 The Lord of hosts doth take our

The strength whereby we stand. When we with woe are much dismayed,

He is our help at hand.

2 Though th' earth remove, we will not fear,

Though hills so high and steep Be thrust and hurled here and there,

Within the sea so deep.

3 No, though the waves do rage so

sore,

That all the banks it spills; And though it overflow the shore,

And beat down mighty hills.

4 For one fair flood doth send abroad

His pleasant streams apace, To fresh the city of our God,

And wash his holy place.

part,

To us he hath an eye:

Our hope of health with all our heart

On Jacob's God doth lie.

8 Come here and see with mind and thought

The working of our God: What wonders he himself hath wrought

Throughout the earth abroad. 9 By him all wars are hush'd and gone,

Which countries did conspire: Their bows he brake and spears each one,

Their chariots brent with fire.

10 Leave off therefore (saith he) and know,

I am a God most stout,

5 In midst of her the Lord doth Among the heathen high and low,

dwell,

She can no whit decay:
All things against her that rebel,
The Lord will truly stay.

6 The heathen flock the kingdoms

fear,

The people make a noise:
The earth doth melt and not ap-

pear,

When God puts forth his voice.

And all the earth throughout.

11 The Lord of hosts doth us de

fend,

He is our strength and tower:
On Jacob's God do we depend,
And on his mighty power.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
All glory be therefore;
As in beginning was, is now,

And shall be evermore.

Imprinted at Lon

don by Christopher Barker

Printer to the Queenes

Maieftie.

1580.

Cum Priuilegio.

The Report of the Earthquake.

On Easter Wednesday, being the sixt of April, 1580, somewhat before six of the clock in the afternoon, happened this great Earthquake whereof this discourse treateth: I mean not great in respect of long continuance of time, for (God be thanked) it continued little above a minute of an hour, rather shaking God's rod at us, than smiting us according to our deserts : Nor yet in respect of any great hurt done by it within this Realm: For although it shook all houses, castles, churches, and buildings, every where as it went, and put them in danger of utter ruin; yet within this Realm (praised be our Saviour Christ Jesus for it) it overthrew few or none that I have yet heard of, saving certain stones, chimneys, walls, and pinnacles of high buildings, both in this City and in divers other places: Neither do I hear of any Christian people that received bodily hurt by it, saving two children in London, a boy and a girl: the boy, named THOMAS GRAY, was slain out of hand, with the fall of a stone shaken down from the roof of a Church; and the girl (whose name was MABEL EVERITE), being sore hurt there at the same present by like casualty, died within few days after: But I term it great in respect of the universalness thereof almost at one instant, not only within this Realm, but also without, where it was much more violent and did far more harm; and in respect of the great terror which it then strake into all men's hearts where it came, and yet still striketh into such as duly consider how justly GOD may be offended with all men for sin, and specially with this realm of England, which hath most abundantly tasted of God's mercy, and most unthankfully neglected his goodness, which yet still warneth us by this terrible wonder, what far more terrible punishments are like to light upon us ere long, unless we amend our sinful conversation betimes.

A3 godly Admonition for the time present.

MANY and wonderful ways (good christian reader) hath God in all ages most mercifully called all men to the knowledge of themselves,

[This Report does not appear to have belonged to the Form intended solely for the diocese of London: it is found, however, in that for the provinces of Canterbury and York, where it occupies its present position, and whence it has been now transcribed.]

[2 Christchurch, near Newgate, where they were hearing a Sermon.' Dr Williams's MS.]

[ When published by itself, the Admonition was thus entitled :A Discourse containing many wonderful examples of God's Indignation poured upon divers people for their intollerable sins, which Treatise may be read instead of some part of the Homily [p. 563], where there is no Sermon. Dr Williams's MS.]