to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne unto God who gave it People Blessed be God The Minister while they are preparing to interre the Corps shall say this Psalme * THE wicked is driven away in his wickednesse but the righteous hath hope in his death ¶ I said in the cutting off of my daies I shall goe to the gates of the grave I am deprived of the residue of my yeares * I said I shall not see the Lord even the Lord in the land of the living I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world ¶ I have set the Lord alwaies before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be mooved * Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope ¶ For thou wilt not leave my soule in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption * As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnesse when I awake with thy likenesse I shall be satisfied ¶ Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is the fulnesse of joy and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore * Glory be to the Father c. ¶ As it was in the beginning c. When the Corps is in the grave the Minister shall say Forasmuch as it hath pleas'd Almighty God to take to himselfe the soule of our deare brother here departed we lay his body in the ground for out of it was it taken dust it is unto dust it does return but we lay it downe in a sure and certain hope of the resurrection from the grave For the Lord himselfe shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then those which are alive and remaine shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the aire and so shall we be ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words Let us pray * Lord have mercy upon us ¶ Christ have mercy upon us * Lord have mercy upon us Our Father which art in Heaven c. I. O Almighty God with whom doe live the spirits of the just men made perfect we give thee humble thankes that thou hast delivered the soule of thy servant N. N. from the calamities of this life putting a period to his sin and to his paines O be pleased shortly to fill up the numbers of thine elect and hasten thy kingdome and to us thy servants grant that we may die to sin and live to righteousnesse living a holy and a gracious life peaceable and blessed that when we have served thee in our generations we may die the death of the righteous leaving a good name and a faire example behind and our good workes may follow us that being holy in our lives we may be blessed in our death and with this thy servant and all other departed in thy love and feare may lie in the bosome of our Lord till by the trump of God we shall be awakened in the resurrection of the just to reigne with thee in thy Kingdome through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen II. O most blessed Saviour Jesus who art the resurrection and the life and in whose sight the death of thy saints is precious looke upon us thy servants whose life is vanity and our dayes passe away like a tale that it told and as the remembrance of a passenger that stayeth but a night the dayes of our pilgrimage are few and evil and we disquiet our selves in vaine O looke upon us with a gracious eye give us thy holy Spirit of wisedome and peace to guide us in the wayes of God that our affections and our conversation being in heaven and being weaned from this world we may die daily and every day be doing good that laying up a treasure of good workes we may rejoyce in the day of our death and may be freed from the terrors of the day of judgement and the gates of hell may not prevail against us O preserve us from that eternal wrath which shall destroy all thine enemies and let our portion be with the charitable and the merciful on the right hand of the Father where thou sittest and reignest in the glory of God to eternal ages world without end Amen If it be opportune then here may be added one of the prayers for a blessed death at the end of Evening prayer throughout the yeare ending with the usual benediction The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. A forme of Devotion TO Be used and said in the daies OF Sorrow and Affliction A forme of Devotion to be used and said in the daies of Sorrow and Affliction of a family or of private persons In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Our Father c. O God make speed to save us O Lord make hast to helpe us Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. The Psalme HIde not thyface far from me O Lord put not thy servant away in anger thou hast been my helpe leave me not neither forsake me O God of my salvation ¶ O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season I am not silent * But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel ¶ Our Father trusted in thee they trusted in thee and thou didst deliver them * But I am a worme and no man smitten of thee Lord afflicted tormented forsaken ¶ Thou hast filled me with bitternesse and hast made me drunken with worm-wood thou hast remooved my soule far off from peace and I have forgotten prosperity * But O God thou art my God early will I seek thee be not thou far from me O Lord O my strength hast thee to help me ¶ I acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord O doe thou forgive the iniquity of my sin * Thou art my hiding place thou shalt preserve me from trouble thou shalt compasse me about with songs of deliverance ¶ Lord make me to know my end and the measure of my daies what it is that I may know how fraile I am * Behold thou hast made my daies as an hand breadth and mine age is as nothing before thee verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity ¶ And now O Lord what wait I for Surely my hope is in thee * Deliver me from all my transgressions remove thy stroke away from me I am even consumed by the blow of thy hand ¶ When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moath Surely every man is vanity * Hear my prayer O Lord and give eare unto my cry hold not thy peace at my teares For I am a stranger with thee and
24. And that we may be yet more particular the very Prayer for Christs Catholick Church in the Office of Communion beside that it is nothing but a plain execution of an Apostolical precept set down in the Preface of the Prayer it was also used in all times and in all Liturgies of the ancient Church And we finde this attested by S. Cyril of Jerusalem Deinde postquam confectum est illud spirituale sacrificium ... obsecramus Deum pro communi Ecclesiarum pace pro tranquillitate mundi pro Regibus c. To the same purpose also there is a testimony in S. Chrysostome which because it serves not onely here but also to other uses it will not be amiss here to note it Quid autem sibi vult primum omnium In obsequio scil quotidiano perpetuâ—que divinae religionis ritu Atque id noverunt fideles quomodo diebus singulis mane vespere orationes fundantur ad Dominum quomodo pro omni mundo Regibus omnibus qui in sublimitate positi sunt obsecrationes in Ecclesia fiant Sed forte quis dixerit pro omnibus quod ait tantum fideles intelligi voluisse At id verum non esse quae sequuntur ostendunt Denique ait pro Regibus neque enim tunc Reges Deum colebant It is evident by this that the custome of the Church was not onely in the celebration of the holy Communion but in all her other Offices to say this Prayer not onely for Christs Catholick Church but for all the world 25. And that the charity of the Church might not be misconstrued he produces his warrant S. Paul not onely expresly commands us to pray for all men but addes by way of instance for Kings who then were unchristian and heathen in all the world But this form of Prayer is almost word for word in S. Ambrose Haec regula Ecclesiastica est tradita à Magistro gentium quâ utuntur Sacerdotes nostri ut pro omnibus supplicent ... deprecantes pro Regibus ... orantes pro iis quibus sublimis potestas credita est ut in justitia veritate gubernent ... postulantes pro iis qui in necessitate varia sunt ut eruti liberati Deum collaudent incolumitatis Authorem So farre goes our form of Prayer But S. Ambrose addes Referentes quoque gratiarum actiones ... And so it was with us in the first Service-books of King Edward and the Preface to the Prayer engages us to a thanksgiving but I know not how it was stoln out the Preface still remaining to chide their unwariness that took down that part of the building and yet left the gate standing But if the Reader please to be satisfied concerning this Prayer which indeed is the longest in our Service-book and of greatest consideration he may see it taken up from the universal custome of the Church and almost in all the words of the old Liturgies if he will observe the Liturgies themselves of S. Basil S. Chrysostome and the concurrent testimonies of Tertullian S. Austin Celestine Gennadius Prosper and Theophylact 26. I shall not need to make any excuses for the Churches reading those portions of Scripture which we call Epistles and Gospels before the Communion They are Scriptures of the choicest and most profitable transaction And let me observe this thing That they are not onely declarations of all the mysteries of our redemption and rules of good life but this choice is of the greatest compliance with the necessities of the Christian Church that can be imagined For if we deny to the people a liberty of reading Scriptures may they not complain as Isaac did against the inhabitants of the land that the Philistines had spoiled his well and the fountains of living water If a free use to all of them and of all Scriptures were permitted should not the Church her self have more cause to complain of the infinite licentiousness and loosness of interpretations and of the commencement of ten thousand errours which would certainly be consequent to such permission Reason and Religion will chide us in the first reason and experience in the latter And can the wit of man conceive a better temper and expedient then that such Scriptures onely or principally should be laid before them all in daily Offices which contain in them all the mysteries of our redemption and all the rules of good life which two things are done by the Gospels and Epistles respectively the first being a Record of the life and death of our blessed Saviour the latter instructions for the edification of the Church in pious and Christian conversation and all this was done with so much choice that as obscure places are avoided by design as much as could be so the very assignation of them to certain festivals the appropriation of them to solemn and particular days does entertain the understandings of the people with notions proper to the mystery and distinct from impertinent and vexatious questions And were this design made something more minute and applicable to the various necessities of times and such choice Scriptures permitted indifferently which might be matter of necessity and great edification the people of the Church would have no reason to complain that the fountains of our Saviour were stopp'd from them nor the Rulers of the Church that the mysteriousness of Scripture were abused by the petulancy of the people to consequents harsh impious and unreasonable in despight of government in exauctoration of the power of superiours or for the commencement of schisms and heresies The Church with great wisdome hath first held this torch out and though for great reasons intervening and hindering it cannot be reduced to practice yet the Church hath shewn her desire to avoid the evil that is on both hands and she hath shewn the way also if it could have been insisted in But however this choice of the more remarkable portions of Scripture is so reasonable and proportionable to the nature of the thing that because the Gospels and Epistles bear their several shares of the design the Gospel representing the foundation and prime necessities of Christianity and the mysterious parts of our Redemption the summe the faith and the hopes of Christianity therefore it is attested by a ceremony of standing up it being a part of the confession of faith but the Epistles containing superstructures upon that foundation are read with religious care but not made formal or solemn by any other circumstance The matter contains in it sufficient of reason and of proportion but nothing of necessity except it be by accident and as authority does intervene by way of sanction 27. But that this reading of Epistles and Gospels before the Communion was one of the earliest customes of the Church I finde it affirmed by Rabanus Maurus Sed enim initio mos iste cantandi non erat qui nunc in Ecclesia ante sacrificium
Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soule * The people that walked in darknesse hath seen a great light and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shin'd * O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he hath done for the children of men * He turneth the wildernesse into a standing water and dry ground into water-springs * He maketh the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyfull mother of Children * For unto us a child is borne unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders * His name shall be called wonderfull counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the prince of peace * Of the increase of his Government and peace there shall be no end * He shall sit upon the throne of David to order his Kingdome and to establish it with judgement and justice for ever and ever * O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he hath done for the children of Men. Minister Glory be to God on high Answer And on earth peace good will towards men Minister Amen Answer Amen Then proceed to the Nicene Creed The collect to be inserted after the first collect of the Morning and Evening prayer and may be said during the twelve daies ALmighty God who hast so loved the world that for our redemption from sin misery thou gavest thy son that he taking upon him our nature and being borne of a Virgin might performe to thee the obedience which mankind owed and pay the price in which we were indebted and teach us what thou wouldest have us to doe and convey to us all the good which thou didst designe for us overshadow us with thy holy Spirit of grace that we may conceive Christ in our hearts by faith relyup on him in a holyhope and expresse him in anexcellent charity that as he was pleased to take upon him our nature so we may be borne againe and be partakers of the Divine nature that conforming to his image following his example and being filled with his Spirit we may grow in the knowledge and love of God and live in righteousnesse that being thy sons by a holy adoption we may partake of the inheritance of thy welbeloved son the firstborne of all the creatures our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Upon Good Friday Instead of the Psalmes of the day read at Morning Prayer Psalme 22. Psalme 25. Psalme 51. Evening Prayer Psalme 81. Psalme 85. Psalme 86. Psalme 88. or any three of them The Collect. O Most Blessed most gracious Saviour Jesus who by thyobedience unto death even the death of the crosse didst become the sacrifice of the world the great example of patience the Lord of life the good shepherd laying downe thy life for thy sheepe and the mediator betweene God and man let thy wounds heale thy blood cleanse thy death make us to live and thy Spirit make us to worke righteousnesse all our daies that we may by thy aide and by thy example obey our heavenly Father with all our powers and all our faculties with our reason and our affections with our soules and with our bodies with our time and with our estate in prosperity and adversity that we may beare our crosse patiently and doe thy worke cheerefully and be ready to benefit mankind with great charity and great industry that being followers of thy life and partakers of thy death we may receive a part in the resurrection of the just to the joyes of God in thy inheritance O most blessed most Gracious Saviour Jesus Amen For Easter day The Psalmes appointed for Morning Prayer Psalme 30. Psalme 45. Psalme 47. Evening Prayer Psalme 57. Psalme 66. Psalme 72. The Hymne to be said after the second lesson at Morning and Evening prayer IN thee O Lord I have put my trust let me never be put to confusion but rid me and deliver me in thy righteousnesse incline thine ear unto me and save me ¶ Be thou my strong hold whereunto I may alway resort thou hast promised to helpe me for thou art my house of defence and my Castle * For thou O Lord God art the thing that I long for thou art my hope even from my youth ¶ Thorough thee have I beene holden up ever since I was borne thou art he that tooke me out of my mothers wombe my praises shall be alwaies of thee * O let my mouth be filled with thy praise that I may sing of thy glory and honour all the day long ¶ Thy righteousnesse O God in very high and great things are they which thou hast done O God who is like unto thee◠* O what great troubles and adversities hast thou shewed me and yet didst thou turne and refresh me yea and broughtest me from the deepe of the earth againe ¶ Thou hast brought to me great honour and comforted me on every side * Therefore will I praise thee and thy faithfulnesse O God playing upon an instrument of musick unto thee will I sing upon the harp O thou holy one of Israel ¶ My lips will be faine when I sing unto thee and so will my soule whom thou hast delivered * Blessed be the Lord God even the God of Israel which onely doth wondrous things ¶ And blessed be the Name of his Majesty for ever and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty Amen Amen Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. The Collect O Most Holy most Glorious Saviour and redeemer Jesu who for our sakes didst descend from the glories of God to the paines and labours of the earth and didst passe from a painfull life to an ignominious death from the bitternesse of death to the darkenesse of the grave and by thy divine power didst raise thy selfe from death to life againe we give thee thanks for thy infinite love to us and all mankind we acknowledge thee to be our Lord and confesse thee to be our God we adore thy Majesty and rejoyce in thy mercies we humbly pray thee to enable us with thy Spirit to beleive all thy doctrines and to obey all thy Commandements that after a holy and a religious life spent in doing honour to thy holy Name we may be partakers of thy holy resurrection passing from death to life from the darkenesses of the grave to the light of Heaven from an imperfect duty to the perfection of holinesse in the fruition of the joyes of God in thy eternall Kingdome O Most holy Most Glorious Saviour and Redeemer Jesu Amen Upon Ascension day Instead of the Psalmes of the day read at Morning Prayer Psalme 15. Psalme 21. Psalme 24. Evening Prayer Psalme 92. Psalme 96. Psalme 97. The Collect. O Blessed High Priest Holy Jesus King of the world and head of the Church who
affections of thy loving kindnesse and thou art displeased when our vilenesses constraine thee to powre down thy judgements on us O be pleased to grant that they living in holy obedience to thee may feel a perpetuall streame of mercy refreshing and supporting them and let them not bear anothers burthen for thou art just and merciful righteous and true and hast sentenc'd every one to bear their own iniquity VI. GReat God of mercy heale all the breaches of this family preserve and encrease the remaining comforts and advantages of it support the estate renew thy favour to it and perpetually poure down thy blessings upon it for the light of thy countenance and thy gracious influence does preserve and blesse support and nourish honour and advance persons and families and kingdomes Blesse my eldest son give him an obedient and a loving spirit a provident and a wise heart a worthy and a pious comportment a blessed and an honourable posterity to my younger sons give health and holinesse wisdom and faire fortunes the love of God and good men to my daughters give thy perpetuall grace and favour that they may live in honour and a severe chastity free from sin and shame from temptation and a snare and let their portion be in the blessing in the love and service of God Let them live in the favour of God and man usefull to others and honour to their family a comfort to all their relatives and friends and servants to thy divine Majesty VII PReserve me thy servant from all evil lead me into all good change my sorrowes into comforts my infirmity into spirituall strength take all iniquity from mee and let thy servant never depart from thee I am thine O save mee I am thine sanctify me and preserve me for ever that neither life nor death health nor sicknesse prosperity nor adversity weakeness within nor crosse accidents without may ever separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen Blessed Jesus Amen The Offices or Formes OF Prayer and Devotion for The Miserable and Afflicted An Office to be said in the daies of persecution of a Church by sacrilegious or violent persons Our Father which art in Heaven c. Minister O God make speed to save us Answer O Lord make hast to help us Minister Glory be to the Father c. Answer As it was in the beginning c. I. A Hymne petitory and complaining O God the Heathen are come into thine inheritance thy holy Temple have they defiled and made Jerusalem an heape of stones ¶ The adversaries roare in the midst of the congregations and set up their banners for tokens * They have set fire upon thy holy places and have defiled the dwelling places of thy Name even unto the ground ¶ They have destroyed all the carved worke thereof with axes and hammers * Yea they have said in their hearts Let us make havock of them altogether thus have they spoiled the houses of God in the land ¶ O God how long shall the adversary doe this dishonour how long shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever * Why withdrawest thou thy hand even thy right hand pluck it out of thy bosome for they have devoured Jacob and laid wast his dwelling place ¶ They have said come and let us root them out that they be no more a people and that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance * Hold not thy tongue O God keepe not still silence refraine not thy selfe O God for they have cast their heads together with one consent and are conâ—ederate against thee ¶ They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones * O Lord God of hosts how long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth ¶ Thou feedest them with the bread of teares and givest them plenteousnesse of teares to drinke * Wil t thou be displeased at us for ever and wilt thou stretch out thy wrath from one generation to another ¶ Wilt thou not turne again and quicken us that thy people may rejoice in thee * Will the Lord absent himselfe for ever and will he be no more intreated Is his mercy cleane gone for ever and is his promise come utterly to an end for evermore ¶ Hath God forgotten to be gracious and will he shut up his loving kindnesse in displeasure * O doe thou bring the wickednesse of the ungodly to an end but guide thou the just ¶ Bring downe the ungodly and malicious take away his iniquity and thou shalt find none * Shew thy marvellous loving kindnesse thou that art the Saviour of them that put their trust in thee from such as resist thy right hand ¶ So will not we goe back from thee quicken us and we will call upon thy name * Turne us again O Lord God of Hosts ¶ Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved * Glory be to the Father c. ¶ As it was in the beginning c. I. A Hymne consolatory in time of persecution * THE Lord is in his Holy temple the Lords seat is in Heaven his eyes consider the poore and his eyelids trie the children of men ¶ Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his owne inheritance * For thou shalt save thy people that are in adversity and shalt bring downe the high lookes of the proud ¶ Thou shalt keep them O Lord thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever For the righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse his countenance will behold the thing that is just * For the oppression of the poore for the sighing of the needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that swelleth against him ¶ For the Lord will not faile his people neither will he forsake his inheritance untill righteousnesse turne againe unto judgement and all such as be true in heart shall follow it * O how plentifull is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee and that thou hast prepared for them that put their trust in thee even before the sons of men ¶ Thou shalt hide them privily by thine owne presence from the provoking of al men thou shalt keepe them secretly in thy tabernacle from the strife of tongues * Great plagues remaine for the Ungodly but who so putteth his trust in the Lord mercy embraceth him on every side ¶ He calleth upon the Lord and the Lord heareth him yea and saveth him out of all his troubles * He delivers their soules from death and feedeth them in the daies of famine They shall not be confounded in the perillous time and in the daies of dearth they shall have enough ¶ The Lord ordereth a good mans going and maketh his way acceptable to himselfe * Though he fall he shall not be cast away for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand ¶ Thou Lord shalt save both man and beast
this Church State saw it necessary to fixe where with advice she had begun and with counsel she had once mended And to have altered in things inconsiderable upon a new design or sullen mislike had been extreme levity and apt to have made the men contemptible their authority slighted and the thing ridiculous especially before adversaries that watch'd all opportunity and appearances to have disgraced the Reformation Here therefore it became a Law was established by an Act of Parliament was made solemne by an appendant penalty against all that on either hand did prevaricate a sanction of so long and so prudent consideration 14. But the Common Prayer-book had the fate of S. Paul for when it had scap'd the storms of the Romane Sea yet a viper sprung out of Queen Maries fires which at Frankford first leap'd upon the hand of the Church but since that time it hath gnawn the bowels of its own Mother and given it self life by the death of its Parent and Nurse 15. For as for the Adversaries from the Romane party they were so convinc'd by the piety and innocence of the Common Prayer-Book that they could accuse it of no deformity but of imperfection of a want of some things which they judged convenient because the error had a wrinckle on it and the face of antiquity And therefore for ten or eleven years they came to our Churches joyn'd in our devotions and communicated without scruple till a temporal interest of the Church of Rome rent the Schism wider and made it gape like the jaws of the grave And let me say it addes no small degree to my confidence and opinion of the English Common Prayer-Book that amongst the numerous Armies sent from the Romane Seminaries who were curious enough to enquire able enough to finde out and wanted no anger to have made them charge home any errour in our Liturgy if the matter had not been unblameable and the composition excellent there was never any impiety or heresy charg'd upon the Liturgy of the Church for I reckon not the calumnies of Harding for they were onely in general calling it Darkness c. from which aspersion it was worthily vindicated by M. Deering The truth of it is the Compilers took that course which was sufficient to have secur'd it against the malice of a Spanish Inquisitor or the scrutiny of a more inquisitive Presbytery for they put nothing of controversy into their prayers nothing that was then matter of question onely because they could not prophecy they put in some things which since then have been called to question by persons whose interest was highly concerned to finde fault with something But that also hath been the fate of the Penmen of holy Scripture some of which could prophecy and yet could not prevent this But I doe not remember that any man was ever put to it to justify the Common Prayer against any positive publick and professed charge by a Romane Adversary Nay it is transmitted to us by the testimony of persons greater then all exceptions that Paulus 4 tâ—s in his private entercourses and Letters to Queen Elizabeth did offer to confirm the English Common Prayer Book if she would acknowledge his Primacy and authority and the Reformation derivative from him And this lenity was pursued by his Successor Pius 4 tus with an omnia de nobis tibi polliceare he assured her she should have any thing from him not onely things pertaining to her soul but what might conduce to the establishment and confirmation of her Royal Dignity amongst which that the Liturgy newly established by her authority should not be rescinded by the Popes power was not the least considerable 16. And possibly this hath cast a cloud upon it in the eyes of such persons who never will keep charity or so much as civility but with those with whom they have made a league offensive and defensive against all the world This hath made it to be suspected of too much compliancâ— with that Church and her Offices of devotion and that it is a very Cento composed out of the Mass Book Pontifical Breviaries Manuals and Portuises of the Romane Church 17. I cannot say but many of our Prayers are also in the Romane Offices But so they are also in the Scripture so also is the Lords Prayer and if they were not yet the allegation is very inartificial and the charge peevish and unreasonable unless there were nothing good in the Romane Books or that it were unlawful to pray a good prayer which they had once stain'd with red letters The Objection hath not sense enough to procure an answer upon its own stock but by reflection from a direct truth which uses to be like light manifesting it self and discovering darkness 18. It was first perfected in King Edward the sixths time but it was by and by impugned through the obstinate dissembling malice of many They are the words of M. Fox in his Book of Martyrs Then it was reviewed and published with so much approbation that it was accounted the work of God but yet not long after there were some persons qui divisionis occasionem arripiebant saith Alesius vocabula penè syllabas expendendo they tried it by points and syllables and weighed every word and sought occasions to quarrel which being observed by Archbishop Cranmer he caused it to be translated into Latine and sent it to Bucer requiring his judgement of it who returned this answer That although there are in it some things quae rapi possunt ab inquietis ad materiam contentionis which by peevish men may be cavill'd at yet there was nothing in it but what was taken out of the Scriptures or agreeable to it if rightly understood that is if handled and read by wise and good men The zeal which Archbishop Grindal Bishop Ridly D r Taylor and other the holy Martyrs and Confessors in Queen Maries time expressed for this excellent Liturgy before and at the time of their death defending it by their disputations adorning it by their practice and sealing it with their blouds are arguments which ought to recommend it to all the sons of the Church of England for ever infinitely to be valued beyond all the little whispers and murmurs of argument pretended against it and when it came out of the flame and was purified in the Martyrs fires it became a vessell of honour and used in the house of God in all the days of that long peace which was the effect of Gods blessing and the reward as we humbly hope of an holy Religion and when it was laid aside in the days of Queen Mary it was to the great decay of the due honour of God and discomfort to the Professors of the truth of Christs Religion they are the words of Queen Elizabeth and her grave and wise Parliament 19. Archbishop Cranmer in his purgation A. D. 1553. made an offer if the Queen would give him leave to prove All that
often forget our selves and still neglect and despise our owne danger III. BUt O God our Father mercifull and gracious have mercy upon us Be pleased to admit thy servants to a full pardon of all our sins let us not persevere in any one sinne nor passe from one sin to another Smite us not O God in thy anger and let not thy wrath descend upon our guilty heads Thy anger O God is insufferable thy vengeance is the portion of accursed soules and thou hast prepared the everlasting fire for the Devill and his Angels for ever O Lord thou Father of our life and lover of soules let us never have our portion in the bottomlesse pit in the lake that burueth with fire and brimstone for ever but let our portion be in the actions of repentance in the service of God in the aids and comforts of thy Spirit in dutie and holinesse in the light of thy countenance and in the likenesse and in the inheritance of our Lord Jesus O God let not thy arrowes smite us nor thy judgements consume us keep us from all expressions of thy wrath and let us rejoice in thy mercies and loving-kindnesses for ever and ever Amen IV. And that thy servants may reasonably and humbly hope for thy final mercies and deliverance be pleased to give us all that we need in order to the performance of our dutie and worke all that in us by which we may please thee Instruct us in thy truth and prepare the means of salvation for us providing for the necessities and complying with the capacities of evey one of us Take from us all blindnesse of heart and carelessenesse of spirit all irreligion and wilful ignorance Create in us a love of holy things and open our hearts that we may perceive and love and retaine the things of God with diligence and humility and industry O God our Father pity our weaknesses temptations our avocations and unavoidable divertisements the prejudices and evill contingencies happening in the state of our lives Enable us with sufficient and active graces to doe whatsoever thou requirest of us severally Require no more of any one of us then thou hast or shalt give unto us neither doe thou exact all that for we all confesse our weaknesses and defects our strange imperfections and inexcusable wandrings and omissions but be pleased to cure all our vitious inclinations and take care to remoove from us all those temptations which without thy mighty grace are not to be avoided and if they come are by our weaknesses not to be overcome Keep us O God from flattery and irreligion from vicious complyances and evill customes and let not the reverence of any man cause us to sin against thee keep us upright in our religion and worshippings of thee and let no change of the World engage us in a state of life against our duty for Jesus Christ his sake our Dearest Lord and Saviour V. Keep us O God by thy holy Spirit of grace from all the sins of idlenesse and intemperance from injustice and sensuality from the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes from the pride of life and vanity of spirit from being carelesse of our dutie of false in our trust from breach of promise or reproachfull language from slandering or traducing any man from false accusation and false witnesse from faction and envie Grant us thy grace that we may be diligent in our businesse just in our charges provident of our time watchfull in our dutie carefull of every word we speak O make us to be pleased in the offices of religion usefull to those that imploy us dutifull to our superiors loving to each other conscientious in private humble in publick patient in adversity religious and thankful in prosperity VI. O Blessed God take care of our soules and of our bodies keep us from sharp and tedious sicknesses let us never fall into want or be unprovided for in our age and forsake us not O God when we are gray-headed Grant us great measures of thy Spirit that we may abstaine from all appearances of evill and from all occasions of it and that we may take care to doe whatsoever is honest and of good report that having laid up a treasure of good workes against the day of thy visitation we may rejoyce in the day of our death and find mercy at the day of judgement through the goodnesse of our God and by the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen VII Blesse and sanctify defend and save all Christian Kings Princes Governors and States Grant that all powers Civil and Ecclesiasticall may joyne together in the promoting the honour of God and the kingdome of the Lord Jesus and may find the blessings of God and the rewards of the Lord Jesus in this world and in the world to come Give health and comfort peace and holinesse long life and increase of grace to the cheifest of this family his Wife and children grant that their portion may be in religion and the love of God keep them from all evill by the guard of Angels and lead them into all good by the conduct of thy good Spirit VIII In mercy and great compassion remember all them that are miserable and afflicted persecuted or poore that have lost their estates or lost their liberty their health or their peace their innocence or their hopes restore them O Lord to all good and to all usefull comforts and let not the enemie of mankind invade thy portion or destroy any soule for whom thou hast paid the price of thy most precious blood Hear us O God in mercy and blesse all our relations and prosper all our labours and sanctify all our intentions and forgive us all our sins and releive all our necessities and defend us from all dangers and especially from our own selves from our evill habits and foolish customes from our weake principles and sad infirmities from our evill concupiscence and vitious inclinations from the power of the Devill and from thy wrath and bring us in mercy and truth in holinesse and comfort in labour and certainty to a fruition of the glories of God in the inheritance of our blessed Saviour Grant this O God our Father for the merits and by the redemption and intercession of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen THe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communication of the holy Spirit of God be with us defend and guide sanctify and save us and al our relatives and all the servants of God this day and for evermore Amen A short forme of Evening prayer for a family In the name of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Our Father c. The HYMNE O* Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth thou hast set thy glory above the Heavens ¶ When I consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the moone and the stars which thou hast ordained *
What is man that thou art mindfull of him and the Son of man that thou visitest him ¶ For thou hast made him little lower then the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour * Thou madest him to have dominion over the workes of thy hands and hast put all things under his feet ¶ All sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the feild the fowle of the aire and the fishes of the sea * O Lord our Governour how excellent is thy name in all the world ¶ The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work * Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge ¶ Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world * To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee and not be silent O Lord my God I will give thankes unto thee for ever ¶ Shew me thy wayes O Lord teach me thy paths lead me in thy truth and teach me for thou art the God of my salvation on thee doe I wait all the day * Remember O Lord thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses for they have been ever of old ¶ Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgression according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodnesse sake O Lord. * For thy names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is very great O keepe my soule and deliver me let me not be ashamed for I put my trust in thee ¶ That which I see not teach thou me I have done iniquity but I will doe no more for there is no darkenesse nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves * For his eyes are upon the wayes of man and he seeth all his goings but none saith where is God my maker who giveth songs in the night ¶ But I put my trust in thee O Lord I have said thou art my God * Into thy hand I commend my spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth ¶ I will lay me downe in peace for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. Or this * PReserve me O God for in thee doe I put my trust O my soule thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord my goodnesse extendeth not to thee ¶ But to the Saints which are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight * The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup thou maintainest my lot ¶ I will blesse the Lord who hath given me counsell my reines also instruct me in the night seasons * I have set the Lord alwaies before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be mooved Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope ¶ For thou wilt not leave my soule in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy one to see corruption * Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is the fulnesse of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore ¶ As the heart panteth after the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee O God * My soule thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appeare in the presence of God ¶ The Lord will command his loving-kindnesse in the day time and in the night his song shall be with me I will make my prayer unto the God of my life * For thou art the God that doest wonders thy way O God is in the sanctuary who is so great a God as our God ¶ Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the Fowler and from the noisome pestilence * Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night nor for the arrow that flieth by day ¶ For he shall give his Angels charge over thee to keepe thee in all thy waies they shall beare thee in their hands least thou dash thy foot against a stone * I will remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night-watch for thou hast been my health therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce ¶ Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits even the God of our salvation * He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues of death ¶ Also unto thee O Lord belongeth mercy for thou rendrest to every man according to his worke Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. The Lesson 1 Thessal 5. 2. YOur selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so commeth as a theife in the night * For when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction commeth upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape * But ye brethren are not in darknesse that that day should overtake you as a theife ye all are children of the light and children of the day we are not of the night or of darknesse * Therefore let us not sleepe as doe others but let us watch and be sober * For they that sleep sleep in the night and they that be drunken are drunken in the night * But let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breast-plate of faith and love and for an helmet the hope of salvation * For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtaine salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ * Who died for us that whether we wake or sleepe we should live together with him Or read a chapter in the Sapientiall bookes in order After the lesson recite the Creed I beleive in God the Father Almighty c. The Lord be with you Ans. And with thy Spirit Let us Pray I. The confession of sins taken out of the prayer of S. Ephraim the Syrian O Almighty God who dwellest in the inaccessible light before whom the greatest mountaines are like the dust of the ballance and in whose sight the heavens are not pure and the Angels tremble and the Saints are charg'd with folly and all the world shall feare in thy glorious presence we confesse to thee O Lord Father of heaven and earth all those sins which we have wrought in private and in publick for thou knowest all things and nothing is hid from thy righteous eyes Thou art the God of mercy and pity and thou wouldst have all even strangers to be sav'd we fly therefore unto thee who art the lover and Saviour of all the soules of the faithfull Have pity upon us who have many times imbitterd and greiv'd thy most holy spirit to the joy of our enemies and the sad ruine of our pitiable and wounded soules Behold O God we have been dead in sins and trespasses and servants to thy enemy There is no kind of sins but we have committed or would have committed If it were pleasant we cared
never heard and know what was never revealed below O grant that she may have aydes that her she never did neede even mighty assistances in proportion to her new and strang erstate that whatsoever is in the darkenesse or in the fire in the secret regions of wrath and the horrible places of torment and fearful exspectations may not afflict or affright the lambe of thy flock the price of thy bloud the child of thy kingdome and the portion of thine owne inheritance Amen V. O sweetest Jesu say unto this soule This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise say unto this foule Feare not for it is my Fathers pleasure to give thee a Kingdome Let this soule dwell in safe and pleasant regions and be supported with the hope of God comforted with a holy conscience rejoyce in a confirm'd pardon be recreated with the visitation of Angels and walke in white whithersoever the Lambe shall goe Amen VI. Give unto this decaying dying body a blessed and a glorious resurrection to this weary and afflicted this penitent and redeemed soule a portion in the blessed sentence of the right hand amongst the blessed children of thy Father who shall receive the Kingdome prepared for them from the beginning of the world Amen VII Remember O God the good things which by thy grace and by the aides of thy holy Spirit thy servant hath done in all his life and remember not his evil deedes which by the weakenesse of the flesh and the temptations of the Devil and the evil contingencies of this world have afflicted and humbled the soule of thy servant remember thy holy Son did die for these and thy holy Spirit was the cause of those and for whom thou hast given thy Son and to whom thou hast given thy Spirit give thy eternal pardon and thy eternal glories thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen After the soule is departed the Minister may say this prayer in behalfe of the living friends and relatives of the dead ALmighty God who governest all things in heaven and earth with infinite wisedome and infinite mercy and bringest good out of evil comfort out of sorrow and after a gentle visitation dost refresh thy children with the light of thy countenance with the blessings of thy providence with the returnes of thy grace and the comforts of thy holy Spirit have mercy upon this family and returne to them all with thy loving kindnesse exchanging their present sorrow into the advantages of holinesse and blessing Be thou now and ever what thou gloriest in a Father of the Fatherlesse a Husband to the Widow a God of comfort to them that mourn◠in secret Grant that thy servant may not weepe as men without hope nor murmure at thy dispensation nor complaine of any thing but themselves nor desire any thing but that thy will be done nor doe any thing but what is agreeable to thy holy word and commandement and grant that when thou smitest any of us it may increase thy feare in us and when thou doest good to any of us in smiting or forbearing in chastising or comforting it may increase thy love in us and let thy holy Spirit so prevail over all our wills and understandings our affections and the outward man our interests and our hopes that we may live in this world pleasing to thee and may goe out of this world with the peace of a holy conscience and may have a joyful resurrection in the last day to a participation of the glories of God thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Blessing THE Lord blesse you and keepe you the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace The blessing of God Almighty the Father Son and holy Ghost be amongst you and abide with you and be your portion for ever and ever Amen Prayers and devotions to be us'd at the Burial of the Dead The Minister before the Corps entring at the Church doore may begin with one or more of these sentences A Good name is better then precious ointment and the day of death then the day of ones birth It is better to goe to the house of mourning then to goe to the house of feasting for that is the end of all men and the living will lay it to his heart I am the resurrection and the life saith the Lord He that beleiveth in me yea though he were dead yet shall he live And whosoever liveth and beleiveth in me shall not die for ever It is appointed to all men once to die and after death comes judgement I would not have you to be ignorant concerning them which are asleepe that we sorrow not even as others without hope For if we beleive that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleepe in Jesus will God bring with him After the Corps is set downe in the body of the Church let Morning or Evening prayer be read according to the time of the day with this difference onely Instead of the usual Psalmes Read Psalme 39. Psalme 49. Psalme 90. For the first lesson read Job 14. or 19. After the first lesson read Psalme 88. For the second lesson read 1 Corinth 15. from verse 12 to the end After the second lesson read Nunc dimittis * LOrd now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word ¶ For mine eyes have seen thy salvation * Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ¶ To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. After the usual prayers are done then the Corps carried being to the grave the Minister shall read this lesson Ecclesiastes 12. REmember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth while the evil daies come not nor the yeers draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them While the sun or the light or the moon or the stars be not darkned nor the clouds return after the rain In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselves and the grinders cease because they are few and those that look out of the windows be darkned And the doors shall be shut in the streets when the sound of the grinding is low and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high and feares shall be in the way and the almond-tree shall flourish and the grashopper shall be a burden and desire shall fail because man goeth to his long home and the mourners go about the streets Or ever the silver cord be loosed or the golden bowle be broken or the pitcher be broken at the fountain or the wheel broken at the cistern Then shall the dust retrun
perfection of beauty God hath shined 3 Our God shall come shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him 4 He shall call to the heavens from above to the earth that he may judge his people 5 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice 6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousnesse for God is judge himself Selah 7 Hear O my people and I will speak O Israel and I will testifie against thee I am God even thy God 8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-offerings to have been continually before me 9 I will take no bullock out of thy house nor he-goats out of thy folds 10 For every beast of the forest is mine and the cattel upon a thousand hils 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains and the wilde beasts of the field are mine 12 If I were hungry I would not tell thee for the world is mine and the fulnesse thereof 13 Will I eat the flesh of buls or drink the blood of goats 14 Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High 15 And call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me 16 But unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to doe to declare my statutes or that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth 17 Seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee 18 When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him and hast been partaker with adulterers 19 Thou givest thy mouth to evill and thy tongue frameth deceit 20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son 21 These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes 22 Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver 23 Who so offereth praise glorifieth me and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God PSAL. LI. David upon Nathans reproving him in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba confesseth his sin humbles himself prayes for pardon and for the restitution of Gods holy Spirit for the taking away his sin and the cleansing of his soul He prays for and prophetically describes the Repentance Evangelical and the time of the Gospel and the kingdome of the Messias The psalm is paenitentiall HAve mercy on me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me 4 Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest 5 Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me 6 Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdome 7 Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter then snow 8 Make me to hear joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce 9 Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities 10 Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me 11 Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted unto thee 14 Deliver me from blood-guiltinesse O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 15 O Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt-offering 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise 18 Doe good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousnesse with burnt-offering and whole burnt-offering then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar PSAL. LII Upon Doegs informing Saul against Abimelech and the Priests and their sad death consequent David exclaims against the falshood and fact of Doeg denounces the Divine Judgments against him he comforts the godly and incourages himself in hope of his own prosperity through the goodnesse of God WHyboastest thou thy self in mischief O mighty man the goodnesse of God endureth continually 2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefes like a sharp rasor working deceitfully 3 Thou lovest evill more then good and lying rather then to speak righteousnesse Selah 4 Thou lovest all devouring words O thou deceitfull tongue 5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever he shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the land of the living Selah 6 The righteous also shall see and fear and shall laugh at him 7 Lo this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickednesse 8 But I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever 9 I will praise thee for ever because thou hast done it and I will wait on thy name for it is good before thy saints Ev. Pr. PSAL. LIII The practical Atheist is describ'd The universal iniquity of the world he â—â—rophesies of the miseries of the Church under Antiochus and encourages them to expect deliverance from the goodnesse of God THe fool hath said in his heart There is no God corrupt are they and have done abominable iniquity there is none that doth good 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand that did seek God 3 Every one of them is gone back they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one 4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge who eat up my people as they eate bread they have not called upon God 5 There were they in great fear where no fear was for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee thou hast put them to shame because God hath despised them 16 O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion wheÌ„ God bringeth back the captivity of his people Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad PSAL. LIV. David complains of his being discover'd to Saul by the men of Ziph he prayes for help from God and to be avenged of his enemies promises to glorifie God upon
as showrs that water the earth 7 In his dayes shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth 8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth 9 They that dwell in the wildernesse shall bow before him and his enemies shall lick the dust 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts 11 Yea all kings shall fall down before him all nations shall serve him 12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth the poor also and him that hath no helper 13 He shall spare the poor and needy and shall save the souls of the needy 14 He shall redeeme their soul from deceit and violence and precious shall their blood be in his sight 15 And he shall live and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba prayer also shall be made for him continually and daily shall he be praised 16 There shall be an handfull of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon and they of the city shall flourish like grasse of the earth 17 His name shall endure for ever his name shall be continued as long as the sun and men shall be blessed in him all nations shall call him blessed 18 Blessed be the Lord God the God of Israel who onely doth wondrous things 19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory Amen and amen 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended Ev. Pr. PSAL. LXXIII Asaph being troubled at the afflictions of the Godly and the prosperity of the wicked and disputing concerning the providence at last concludes it to be certain that God loves the pious exhorts the church not to be offended at this dispensation but depend on God and wait for deliverance at the end of things TRuly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart 2 But as for me my feet were almost gone my steps had wellnigh slipt 3 For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked 4 For there are no bands in their death but their strength is firm 5 They are not in trouble as other men neither are theyplagued like other men 6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain violence covereth them as a garment 7 Their eyes stand out with fatnesse they have more then heart could wish 8 They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression they speak loftily 9 They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth 10 Therefore his people return hither and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them 11 And they say How doth God know and is there knowledge in the most High 12 Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches 13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocencie 14 For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning 15 If I say I will speak thus behold I should offend against the generation of thy children 16 When I thought to know this it was too painfull for me 17 Untill I went into the sanctuary of God then understood I their end 18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places thou castedst them down into destruction 19 How are they brought into desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors 20 As a dream when one awaketh so O Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image 21 Thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins 22 So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee 23 Neverthelesse I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand 24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory 25 Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that Idesire besides thee 26 My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever 27 For lo they that are far from thee shall perish thou hast destroyed all them that goe a whoring frō thee 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all thy works PSAL. LXXIV Asaph expostulates with God his delay to help his people and of the greatnesse of their calamity he prayes for help h◠commmorates the blessings of old represents the horrid cruelty and impiety of the Churches enemies and particularly their sacrilege he complains that Gods Oracles are ceased the Prophets gone the Enemies suppose that God also is departed that his name suffers h◠prayes for the safety of the Church the glory of God the overthrow of his enemies O God why hast thou cast us off for ever why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture 2 Remember thy cōgregation which thou hast purchased of old the rod of thine inheritance which thou hast redeemed this mount Sion wherein thou hast dwelt 3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetuall desolations even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary 4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations they set up their ensignes for signs 5 A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees 6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers 7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary they have defiled by casting down the dwelling-place of thy name to the ground 8 They said in their hearts Let us destroy them together they have burnt up all the synagogues of God in the land 9 We see not our signs there is no more any prophet neither is there among us any that knoweth how long 10 O God how long shall the adversary reproch shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever 11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand even thy right hand pluck it out of thy bosome 12 For God is my king of old working salvation in the midst of the earth 13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters 14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wildernesse 15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood thou driedst up mighty rivers 16 The day is thine the night also is thine thou hast prepared the light and the sun 17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth thou hast made summer and winter 18 Remember this that the enemy hath reproched O Lord and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name 19 O deliver not the soul of thy turtle-dove unto the multitude of the wicked forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever 20 Have respect unto