punish us for our sins committed against thy divine majesty (whom they by their excessive wickedness have offended, and continually do offend, as much or more than we), but that they came with most cruel intent and purpose to destroy us, our cities, towns, country and people, and utterly to root out the memory of our nation from off the earth for ever; and withal, wholly to suppress thy holy word and blessed gospel of thy dear Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, which they (being drowned in idolatries and superstitions) do hate most deadly, and us likewise, only for the profession of the same, and not for any offences against thy divine majesty, or injuries done to themselves: wherefore it hath pleased thee, O heavenly Father, in thy justice to remember thy mercies towards us, turning our enemies from us and that dreadful execution which they intended towards us into a fatherly and most merciful admonition of us, to the amendment of our lives; and to execute justice upon our cruel enemies, turning the destruction which they intended against us upon their own heads. For the which the same thy most gracious protection of us, and all other thy graces, without all our desert, continually and most plenteously poured upon our Church, our QUEEN, our Realm and people of England, we beseech thee add, and pour also the grace of gratitude and thankfulness into our hearts: that we never forgetting, but bearing in perpetual memory, this thy merciful protection and deliverance of us from the malice, force, fraud, and cruelty of our enemies, and all other thy benefits most plenteously poured upon us, may enjoy the continuance of thy fatherly goodness towards our Church, our QUEEN, our Realm and people of England, and continually magnify thy holy and most glorious name: which we do beseech thee, O heavenly Father, to grant to us most unworthy sinners, for the worthiness of thy dear Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; to whom with thee, and the Holy Ghost, one God of most glorious majesty, be all honour and glory world without end. Amen. FINIS. XXX. A1 GODLY PRAYER for the preservation of the Queen's majesty, and for her Armies both by sea and land, against the enemies of the Church and this Realm of England. O LORD God, heavenly Father, thou Lord of hosts, without whose providence nothing proceedeth and without whose mercy nothing is saved: in whose hand is the heart of Princes and all their actions ordered by thy special providence have mercy on thine afflicted church, and especially regard thy servant Elizabeth, our most excellent Queen, to whom thy dispersed flock do fly, in the anguish of their souls, and in the zeal of thy truth. Behold how princes do band themselves against her, because she endeavoureth to purge thy sanctuary, and that thy holy church may live in security.. Consider, O Lord, how long thy servant hath laboured to them for peace, but how proudly they prepare themselves to battle. Arise therefore, maintain thine own cause, and judge thou between her and her enemies. She seeketh not her honour but thine, nor the dominion of others, but in defence of herself; nor the shedding of Christian blood, but the saving of poor afflicted souls. Come down therefore, come down and deliver thy people by her. To vanquish is all one with thee by few or by many, by want or by wealth, by weakness or by strength. O possess the hearts of our enemies with a fear of thy servant. The cause is thine, the enemies thine, the honour, victory, and triumph shall be thine. O consider the end of our enterprises, be present with us in our Armies, and make a joyful peace for thy Christians: and2 now since, in this extreme necessity, thou hast put into the heart of Debora to send forth men of war to restrain the pride of Cisera, bless thou all their attempts by sea and by land; grant them one heart, one mind, and one strength to defend our queen, her kingdom, and thy true religion give them wisdom, wariness, and courage, that they [Strype's reprint differs in a few trifling particulars from the present one. His, however, was taken from Marten's own work, this from the broadside.] [ This passage goes far to confirm Mr Lathbury's opinion as to the exact time when the Prayer was published. See p. 470.] may speedily prevent the devices, and valiantly withstand the forces, of all our enemies, that the fame of thy Gospel may be spread to the end of the world: We crave this in thy mercy, O Father, for the precious death of thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen3. Imprinted at London, by John Wolfe, for Thomas Woodcocke. 1588. [The prayer numbered xxvii., which, in deference, as was supposed, to the authority of archbishop Sancroft, has been connected with 1588 (see p. 469), would scarcely seem, even from the passages quoted below, to refer at all to the occurrences of that year. The writer had evidently in his mind the prayer printed on p. 522. They... determining to deliuer vs ouer to the tyranny of that shamelesse sinfull man of Rome, and the bloudy sword... conspire against thee, O God, like hipocrites, against our Queene like Traitors, against our common countrey like spoylers, against vs euen as Cain did against Abel. But thy great goodness hath deuised better for vs, then they do: Thou hast spared vs, whom they would haue spoyled. Thy wisdom hath vnfolded their wickednes....... worke out the good worke which thou hast begon among vs. Confound and bring to naught the attemptes of these and the like enemies, as thou didest at Babel. Infold them in the folly of their owne counsels, as thou didest Achitophel. By thine Angell smite their force, as thou didest to Senacheribe. In their desperate attemptes let them be drowned, as was Pharao. In their treasons ouertake them, as thou didest Absalon. If any of them are to be conuerted, turne them as thou didest Manasses. Otherwise, let them feele their due punishment, as did Dathan with his conspirators; that of these also may be left an example of thy iustice to the posteritie.] 40 [LITURG. QU. ELIZ.] XXXI. A FORM OF PRAYER, thought fit to be daily used in the Imprinted at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker, After the Confession, Absolution, and the Lord's prayer ; say these psalms following, or one of them. And then the prayers following, or one of them, together with the prayers in the Litany made for the time of war, and with the prayer for her Majesty there also : or some other to that effect. A confession of sins. ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy holy Laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders, spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults, restore thou them that be penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen. ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live, and hath given power and commandment to his ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins: he pardoneth and absolveth all them which truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy,, through Jesus Christ our Lord. OUR Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen. The Psalm. WE have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have Psalm 44. told us what thou hast done in their time of old. How thou hast driven out the heathen with thy hand, and planted them Psalm 44. in: how thou hast destroyed the Nations, and cast them out. For they gat not the land in possession through their own Psalm 44. sword: neither was it their own arm that helped them. But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance: Psalm 44. because thou hadst a favour unto them. Thou art my king, O God: send help unto Jacob. Psalm 44. Through thee will we overthrow our enemies: and in thy name will Psalm 44. we tread them under that rise up against us. : For I will not trust in my bow it is not my sword that Psalm 44. shall help me. But it is thou, that savest us from our enemies, and puttest them to Psalm 44. confusion that hate us. We make our boast of God all the day long: and will Psalm 44. praise thy Name for ever. Be not thou far off, O Lord: put us not to confusion, go forth with our Armies. Make our enemies to turn their backs upon us. Suffer us not to be rebuked of our Neighbours: to be laughed to scorn, and had in derision of them, that are round about us. Make us not a byword among the heathen: up, Lord, and sleep not, awake and be not absent from us. Hide not thy face from us: forget not our trouble. ¶ Another Psalm. Psalm 44. HEARKEN to the voice of our prayer, our King and our Psalm 5. God for unto thee do we make our complaint. |