without mercy, make them drunken to perdition. In mean time assist those that thou callest to this trial, that they may feel thy help and comfort amidst all their sufferings, whilst they shall be assured to be blessed when they suffer for righteousness' sake, and to reign with thy Son, when they fulfil his sufferings in their flesh, and carry in their bodies the scars and marks of his wounds. O Lord, sanctify their blood, that it may water thy Church, and bring a mighty increase and gain to thyself, and a decrease and loss to the kingdom of Antichrist, and to the Princes of the carth, who are become his slaves and butchers. And herein (good Lord) by special name we beseech thee for the Churches of France, Flanders, and of such other places: help them after their long troubles', as thou shalt see to be best for them, in the advancing of thine own glory. And now (Lord) particularly we pray unto thee for this Church of England, that thou wilt continue thy gracious favour still towards it, to maintain thy Gospel still amongst us, and to give it a free passage. And to that end save thy servant Elizabeth our Queen; grant her wisdom to rule this mighty people, long life and quietness round about her; detect all the traitorous practices of her enemies, devised against her and thy truth. O Lord, thou seest the pride of thine enemies: and though by our sins we have justly deserved to fall into their hands, yet have mercy upon us, and save thy little flock. Strengthen her hand, to strike the stroke of the ruin of all their superstition, to double into the bosom of that rose-coloured whore that which she hath poured out against thy Saints, that she may give that deadly wound not to one head, but to all the heads of that cruel beast; that the life that quivereth in his dismembered members yet amongst us may utterly decay, and we, through that wholesome discipline, easy yoke, and comfortable sceptre of Jesus Christ, may enjoy his great righteousness, that thy Church may flourish, sin may abate, wicked men may hang their heads, and all thy children be comforted. Strengthen her hand, and give her a swift foot to hunt out [These troubles were now of more than twenty years' continuance. But, from 1560, the Hugonots had been arrayed, as a great party, in open hostility against the catholic authorities; the inhabitants of the Low Countries, on the contrary, not so long. Davila (Aylesbury's translation), p. 43. Camden, pp. 416, 443. Zurich Letters, pp. 412, 431.] the bulls of Basan, and the devouring beasts that make havoc of thy flock. And because this work is of great importance, assist her with all necessary helps, both in giving her godly, wise, and faithful counsellors, as also in ministering to her such inferior rulers and officers as may sincerely, uprightly, and faithfully do their duties, seeking first thy honour and glory, then the commonwealth and quiet of this realm: that we may long enjoy thy truth, with her, and all other thy good blessings that in so great mercy thou hast bestowed upon us, with growth in goodness, gain in godliness, and daily bettering in sincere obedience. Good Lord, comfort those that feel the heavy burthen of their sins, and have no assurance in present feeling of that blessed inheritance thou hast purchased for them. Bless all such (if it be thy good will) whom thou hast united and knit unto us in any league of familiarity or affinity, that we may rejoice in the best bond, and only in this, that we are made partakers of one inheritance. Be merciful unto thy people of England which confess thy name, and make us not a byword among the heathen, as our sins have deserved. Turn away thy wrath which thy terrible tokens do threaten toward us, and turn us unto thy self; remove us not out of thy presence, but let thy fatherly warnings move us to repentance. And thus (good Lord) commending our several necessities unto thee, who best knowest both what we want, and what is meet for us, with giving thee humble and hearty thanks for all thy mercies and benefits; we knit up these our prayers with that prayer that Jesus Christ our Lord and master hath taught us. Our Father, which art in heaven, &c. This prayer may be used after the Creed which followeth the Epistle and Gospel. XVII. ¶ A PRAYER for all Kings, Princes, Countries, and people, which do profess the Gospel: And especially for our sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth, used in her Majesty's Chapel, and meet to be used of all persons within her Majesty's Dominions. O LORD God of hosts, most loving and merciful Father, whose power no creature is able to resist, who of thy great goodness hast promised to grant the petitions of such as ask in thy Son's name: we most humbly beseech thee to save and defend all Princes, Magistrates, kingdoms, countries, and people, which have received and do profess thy holy word and Gospel, and namely this Realm of England, and thy servant Elizabeth our Queen, whom thou hast hitherto wonderfully preserved from manifold perils and sundry dangers, and of late revealed and frustrated the traitorous practices and conspiracies of divers against her: for the which, and all other thy great goodness towards us, we give thee most humble and hearty thanks, beseeching thee in the name of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and for his sake, still to preserve and continue her unto us, and to give her long life and many years to rule over this land. O heavenly Father, the practices of our enemies, and the enemies of thy word and truth, against her and us, are manifest and known unto thee. Turn them, O Lord, if it be thy blessed will, or overthrow and confound them for thy name's sake: suffer them not to prevail: take them, O Lord, in their crafty wiliness that they have invented, and let them fall into the pit which they have digged for others. Permit them not ungodly to triumph over us discomfort them, discomfort them, O Lord, which trust in their own multitude, and please themselves in their subtle devices and wicked conspiracies. O loving Father, we have not deserved the least of these thy mercies which we crave: for we have sinned and grievously offended thee, we are not worthy to be called thy sons: we have not been so thankful unto thee as we should, for thy unspeakable benefits poured upon us: we have abused this long time of peace and prosperity we have not obeyed thy word: we have had it in mouth, but not in heart; in outward appearance, but not in deed we have lived carelessly: we have not known the time of our visitation: we have deserved utter destruction. But thou, O Lord, art merciful, and ready to forgive. There fore we come to thy throne of grace, confessing and acknowledging thee to be our only refuge in all times of peril and danger and by the means of thy Son we most heartily pray thee to forgive us our unthankfulness, disobedience, hypocrisy, and all other our sins, to turn from us thy heavy wrath and displeasure, which we have justly deserved, and to turn our hearts truly unto thee, that daily we may increase in all goodness, and continually more and more fear thy holy name: so shall we glorify thy name, and sing unto thee in Psalms and Hymns, and spiritual songs: and thy enemies and ours shall know themselves to be but men, and not able by any means to withstand thee, nor to hurt those whom thou hast received into thy protection and defence. Grant these things, O Lord of power, and Father of mercy, for thy Christ's sake, to whom with thee and thy Holy Spirit be all honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. ¶ A prayer and thanksgiving for the Queen, used of all the Knights and Burgesses in the High Court of Parliament, and very requisite to be used and continued of all her Majesty's loving subjects. O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, which dost pitch thy tents round about thy people, to deliver them from the hands of their enemies, we thy humble servants, which have ever of old seen thy salvation, do fall down and prostrate ourselves with praise and thanksgiving to thy glorious name, who hast in thy tender mercies from time to time saved and defended thy servant Elizabeth, our most gracious Queen, not only from the hands of strange children, but also of late revealed, and made frustrate, his bloody and most barbarous treason, who being her natural subject, most unnaturally violating thy divine ordinance, hath secretly sought to shed her blood, to the great disquiet of thy Church, and utter discomfort of our souls: his snare is hewn in pieces, but upon thy servant doth the crown flourish. The wicked and bloodthirsty men think to devour Jacob, and to lay waste his dwelling-place: But thou (O God) which rulest in Jacob, and unto the ends of the world, dost daily teach us still to trust in thee for all thy great mercies, and not to forget thy merciful kindness shewed to her, that feareth thy name. O Lord, we confess to thy glory and praise, that thou only hast saved us from destruction, because thou hast not given her over for a prey to the wicked: her soul is delivered, and we are escaped. Hear us now, we pray thee, O most merciful Father, and continue forth thy lovingkindness towards thy servant, and evermore to thy glory and our comfort keep her in health, with long life, and prosperity, whose rest and only refuge is in thee, O God of her salvation. Preserve her, as thou art wont, preserve her from the snare of the enemy, from the gathering together of the froward, from the insurrection of wicked doers, and from all the traitorous conspiracies of those, which privily lay wait for her life. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only mediator and advocate. Amen. Jo. Th. A prayer used in the Parliament only. O MERCIFUL God and Father, forasmuch as no counsel can stand, nor any can prosper, but only such as are humbly gathered in thy name, to feel the sweet taste of thy Holy Spirit, we gladly acknowledge, that by thy favour standeth the peaceable protection of our Queen and Realm, and likewise this favourable liberty granted unto us at this time to make our meeting together: Which thy bountiful goodness we most thankfully acknowledging, do withal earnestly pray thy divine Majesty so to incline our hearts, as our counsels may be subject in true obedience to thy holy word and will. And sith it hath pleased thee to govern this Realm by ordinary assembling the three estates of the same: our humble prayer is, that thou wilt graff in us good minds to conceive, free liberty to speak, and on all sides a ready and quiet consent to such wholesome laws and Statutes, as may declare us to be thy people, and this Realm to be prosperously ruled by thy good guiding and defence: so that we and our posterity may with cheerful hearts wait for thy appearance in judgment, that art only able to present us faultless before God our heavenly Father: to whom with thee our Saviour Christ, and the Holy Spirit, be all glory both now and ever. Amen. 2 Imprinted at London by C. B. Cum priuilegio. |