UPON SEVERAL OCCASIONS,

To be used before the two final Prayers of the Litany, or of Morning and Evening Prayer.

PRAYERS..

For Rain.

God, heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jefus Chrift haft promifed to all them that feek thy kingdom, and the righteoufnefs thereof, all things neceffary to their bodily fuftenance; Send us, we befeech thee, in this our neceffity, fuch moderate rain and fhowers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth to our comfort, and to thy honour, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Fair Weather.

Almighty Lord God, who for the fin of man didft once drown all the world, except eight perfons, and afterward of thy great mercy didft promife never to deftroy it fo again; We humbly befeech thee, that although we for our iniquities have worthily deferved a plague of rain and waters, yet upon our true repentance thou wilt fend us fuch weather, as that we may receive the fruits of the earth in due feafon; and learn both by thy punishment to amend our lives, and for thy clemency to give thee praise and glory, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

In the Time of Dearth and Famine.

God, heavenly Father, whofe gift it is, that the rain doth fall, the earth is fruitful, Beafts increase, and fifhes do multiply; Behold, we befeech thee, the afflictions of thy people; and grant that the scarcity and dearth (which we do now moft juftly fuffer for our iniquity) may

Prayers and Thanksgivings] In the first book of Edward VIth, the prayers for rain and fair weather are placed after the fix collects at the conclufion of the communion office. In his fecond book the four next following were introduced, viz. "In the time of dearth and famine;" another for a fimilar vifitation; "in the time of war and tumults;" and "in the time of any common plague or ficknefs;" and were then placed as they now ftand, at the end of the litany. In the prayer-books of Elizabeth and James, however, the fecond prayer in time of dearth did not find a place, but was again inferted at the review in Charles IId's reign.

through thy goodness be mercifully turned into cheapness and plenty, for the love of Jefus Chrift our Lord; to whom with thee, and the Holy Ghoft, be all honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

¶ Or this.

God, merciful Father, who in the time of Elisha the prophet didft fuddenly in Samaria turn great scarcity and dearth into plenty and cheapnefs, Have mercy upon us; that we, who are now for our fins punished with like adverfity, may likewife find a feaforable relief: Increase the fruits of the earth by thy heavenly benediction; and grant that we, receiving thy bountiful liberality, may ufe the fame to thy glory, the relief of those that are needy, and our own comfort, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the time of War and Tumults.

Almighty God, King of all kings, and Governor of all things, whofe power no creature is able to refift, to whom it belongeth juftly to punish finners, and to be merciful to them that truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly befeech thee, from the hands of our enemies; abate their pride, affwage their malice, and confound their devices; that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preferved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only giver of all victory, through the merits of thy only Son Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the Time of any common Plague or Sickness.

Almighty God, who in thy wrath didft fend a plague upon thine own people in the wilderness, for their obftinate rebellion against Mofes and Aaron; and also, in the time of King David, didft flay with the plague of pestilence three fcore and ten thoufand, and yet remembering thy mercy, didft fave the reft; Have pity upon us miferable finners, who now are vifited with great fickness and mor tality; that like as thou didst then accept of an atonement, and didft command the deftroying angel to ceafe from punishing; fo it may now pleafe thee to withdraw from us this plague and grievous ficknefs, through Jefus Chrift cur Lord. Amen.

In the Ember-Weeks, to be faid every day for thofe that are to be admitted into Holy Orders.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who haft pur

chafed to thyfelf an univerfal Church by the precious blood of thy dear Son; Mercifully look upon the fame, and at this time fo guide and govern the minds of thy fervants the Bishops and Paftors of thy flock, that they may lay hands fuddenly on no man, but faithfully and wifely make choice of fit perfons to ferve in the facred Mi nistry of thy Church. And to those which fhall be ordained to any holy function, give thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may fet forth thy glory, and fet forward the falvation of all men, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

¶ Or this.

Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, who of

thy divine providence haft appointed divers Orders in thy Church; Give thy grace, we humbly befeech thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and adminiftration in the fame; and fo replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully ferve before thee, to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for the high Court of Parliament, to be read during their Seffion.

M

OST gracious God, we humbly befeech thee, as for this Kingdom in general, fo efpecially for the High

In the Ember-weeks] This denomination feems to have arifen from the practice which anciently accompanied all religious fafts, that of fitting inahes or embers, or fprinkling them on the head. The ember weeks are the weeks beginning with the firft Sunday in Lent; with the feaft of Pentecoft; with the 14th of September; and with the 13th of December: and the ember days are the Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in thofe weeks: on the Sundays immediately following thofe weeks, the ordination of the clergy is appointed. Of the two ember prayers, the former has a reference to candidates before their examination; and the latter (which was adopted from the Scotch liturgy) after they have paffed it. They were both added to our Prayer-Book at Charles's review.

A prayer for the high court, &c.] This was added at the review in Charles IId's reign.

Court of Parliament, under our most religious and graci ous King at this time affembled: That thou wouldeft be pleafed to direct and profper all their confultations to the advancement of thy glory, the good of thy Church, the fafety, honour, and welfare, of our Sovereign and his Dominions; that all things may be fo ordered and fettled by their endeavours, upon the beft and fureft foundations, that peace and happinefs, truth and juftice, religion and piety, may be eftablished among us for all generations. Thefe and all other neceffaries, for them, for us, and thy whole Church, we humbly beg in the Name and Mediation of Jefus Chrift, our moft bleffed Lord and Saviour. Amen.

A Collect or Prayer for all Conditions of Men, to be used at fuch times when the Litany is not appointed to be faid.

God, the Creator and Preferver of all mankind, we

humbly befeech thee for all forts and conditions of men, that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy faving health unto all Nations. More especially we pray for the good eftate of the Catholic Church; that it may be fo guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profefs and call themfelves Chriftians, may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of Spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteoufnefs of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodnefs, all those who are any ways afflicted or diftreffed in mind, body, or eftate; fefpecially thofe for whom faid when any our Prayers are defired:*jthat it may pleafe thee defire the Prayto comfort and relieve them, according to their gregation. feveral neceffities, giving them patience under their fufferings, and a happy iffue out of all their afflictions: And this we beg for Jefus Chrift his fake. Amen.

* This to be

ers of the Con

A Colle7, &c.] To fupply the deficiency in our liturgy, of an intercelhion for all conditions of men, the commiflioners at the laft review introdaced the above prayer. It is faid to be the compofition of Bishop Gunning, during the time of his matterfhip of St. John's college, in Cambridge. In its original form it was confiderably longer than at prefent, containing petitions for the king,royal family, clergy, &c. which accounts for the word finally being introduced at fo fhort a diftance from the commencement of the prayer.

A Prayer that may be faid after any of the former. God, whofe nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive, receive our humble petitions; and though we be tied and bound with the chain of our fins, yet let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loofeus, for the honour of Jefus Chrift our Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

THANKSGIVINGS.

TA general Thanksgiving.

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unwor

This to be

praife.

fervants do give thee moft humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men; particularly to thofe who defire now faid when and to offer up their praifes and thanksgivings for thy prayed for delate mercies vouchsafed unto them.*] We blefs fire to retura thee for our creation, preservation, and all the bleffings of this life; but above all, for thine ineftimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jefus Chrift; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that

A prayer that may be faid, &c.] This beautiful and fervent prayer is of great, but uncertain antiquity. It has been used by the Western church for ages; was introduced into fome of Henry VIIIth's primers; excluded from Edward's prayer-books, but reftored to the liturgy, in 1662, in the reign of Elizabeth. Dr. Nicholls fays, that at the laft review, the printers placed it between the prayer for all forts and conditions of men, and the general thanksgiving; and that the commiflioners made them ftrike it out, and print a new leaf, wherein it should stand right, that is, immediately before the prayer for parliament. Nicholls, however, feems to have committed a mistake here; for in the copies of the prayer-book, [which, agreeably to the Act of Uniformity, were collated with the engroffed ftatute] the prayer in queftion was, evidently through inadvertence, printed in two different places; once before the prayer for the high court of parliament; and again before the general thanksgiving. The latter the commiffioners erafed; and left the former in its proper place. In moft of the editions of the prayer-book, however, fince that time, the colle& has again been removed from its right fituation, and inferted before" the general thanksgiving."

A general Thanksgiving] Bishop Sanderfon has the credit of this noble compofition, in which we praise God for his temporal benefits and fpiritual bleffings; and petition him for grace to enable us to be fenfible of and grateful for them. It was added to the litany at the review in Charles the Ild's reign.