are either during our lives, or at our deaths. During our Sect. II. lives we particularly want the divine aflistance, first in all times of tribulation, when we are ufually.tempted to murmuring, impatience, fadness, defpair, and the like: and these we pray against now, before the evil-day comes: not that God would deliver us from all fuch times, which would be an unlawful requeft; but that he would support us under them whenever he thall pleafe to inflict them. The other part of our lives which we pray to be delivered in, is all time of our wealth, i. e. of our welfare and profperity, which are rather more dangerous than our time of adverfity: all kinds of profperity, especially plenty and abundance, being exceedingly apt to increase our pride, to inflame our lufts, to multiply our fins, and, in a word, to make us forget God, and grow careless of our fouls. And therefore we had need to pray that in all fuch times God would be pleafed to deliver us. But whether we fpend our days in profperity or adverfity, they must all end in death, in the hour of which the devil is always most active, and we leaft able to refift him. Our pains are grievous, and our fears many, and the danger great of falling into impatience, defpair, or fecurity: and therefore we conftantly pray for deliverance in that important hour, which if God grant us, we have but one request more, and that is, that he would alfo deliver us in the day of judgment; which is the last time a man is capable of deliverance, fince if we be not delivered then, we are left to perith eternally. How fervently therefore ought we to pray for ourselves all our life long, as St. Paul prayed for Onefiphorus 33, that the Lord would grant unto us that we may find mercy of the Lord in that day?

SECT. III. Of the Interceffions.

IF the inftitution of God be required to make this part The interof our Litany neceffary, we have his pofitive command ceffions. by St. Paul, to make interceffion for all men 34; and if the confent of the univerfal church can add any thing to its efteem, it is evident that this kind of prayer is in all the Liturgies in the world, and that every one of the petitions we are now going to difcourfe of, are taken from the best and oldeft Litanies extant. All therefore that will be neceffary here, is to fhew the admirable method and order of these Interceffions, which are fo exact, curious, and na

33 2 Tim. i. 18.

34 1 Tim. ii. 1.

tural,

Chap. IV. tural, that every degree of men follow in their due place; and, at the fame time, fo comprehenfive, that we can think of no forts of perfons but who are enumerated, and for whom all thofe things are asked which all and every of them ftand in need of.

The me

order of

them.

:

§. 2. But because it may seem presumptuous for us to thod and pray for others, who are unworthy to pray for ourselves, before we begin, we acknowledge that we are finners: but yet, if we are penitent, we know our prayers will be acceptable and therefore in humble confidence of his mercy, and in obedience to his command, We finners do befeech him to hear us in these our Interceffions, which we offer up, firft, for the holy church univerfal, the common mother of all Chriftians, as thinking ourselves more concerned for the good of the whole, than of any particular part. After this we pray for our own church, to which, next the catholic church, we owe the greatest observance and duty; and therein, in the firft place, for the principal members of it, in whose welfare the peace of the church chiefly confifts fuch as is the King, whom, because he is the fupreme Governor of the Church in his dominions, and fo the greatest fecurity upon earth to the true religion, we pray for in the three next petitions, that he may be orthodox, pious, and profperous 35. And though at prefent we may be happy under him; yet because his crown doth not render him immortal, and the fecurity of the government ordinarily depends upon the Royal Family, we pray in the next place for them (and particularly for the heir apparent) that they may be fupplied with all fpiritual bleffings, and preferved from all plots and dan

gers

36

The Jews and Gentiles always reckoned their chief Priests to be next in dignity to the King 37; and all ancient Liturgies pray for the Clergy immediately after the Royal Family, as being the moft confiderable members of the Chriftian church, diftinguished here into those three apoftolical orders of Bishops, Priefts, and Deacons; though in all former Common Prayer-Books they were called the Bishops, Paftors, and Minifters of the Church, except in the Scotch Liturgy, which for Pastors had Presbyters.

35 In King Edward's Liturgies the Arft petition for the King was only this: That it may please thee to keep Edward the Sixth, thy fervant, our King and Governor.

36 This petition was not added till

King James the I's time, for a reason given in the section upon the prayer for the Royal Family in the daily fer

vice.

37 Alex. ab Alex. 1. 2. c. 8.

Next to thefe follow those who are eminent in the state, Sect. III. viz. the Lords of the Council and all the Nobility, who by reafon of their dignity and truft have need of our particular prayers, and were always prayed for in the old Liturgies, by the title of the whole Palace.

After we have prayed for all the Nobility in general, we pray for fuch of the Nobility and Gentry as are Magiftrates, or more inferior governors of the People, according to the example of the primitive christians, and in obedience to the pofitive command of St. Paul, who enjoins us to pray for all that are in authority 3

38

After these we pray for all the people, i. e. all the Commons of the Land, who are the most numerous, though the least eminent; and unless they be fafe and happy, the Governors themselves cannot be profperous, the diseases of the members being a trouble to the head alfo.

And though we may be allowed to pray for our own Nation firft, yet our prayers muft extend to all mankind; and therefore in the next place we pray for the whole world, in the very words of ancient Liturgies, viz. that all nations may have unity at home among themselves, peace with one another, and concord, i. e. Amity, Commerce, and Leagues.

Having thus prayed for temporal bleffings both for ourfelves and others, it is time now to look inward, and to confider what is wanting for our fouls: and therefore we now proceed to pray for fpiritual bleffings, fuch as Virtue and Goodness. And, firft, we pray that the principles of it may be planted in our hearts, viz. the love and dread of God, and then that the practice of it may be feen in our lives, by our diligent living after his commandments.

But though we receive grace, yet if we do not improve it, we shall be in danger of lofing it again; and therefore having in the former petition defired that we might become good, we fubjoin this that we may grow better: begging increase of grace, and alfo that we may use proper means thereunto, fuch as is the meekly hearing God's word, &c.

From praying for the fanctification and improvement of those within the church, we become folicitous for the converfion of those that are without it; being defirous that all should be brought into the way of truth who have erred or are deceived.

But though those without the church are the most mi

38 1 Tim. ii. 2.

ferable,

Chap. IV. ferable, yet those within are not yet so happy as not to need our prayers; fome of them ftanding in need of Strength, and others of comfort: these bleffings therefore we now afk for thofe that want them.

Having thus confidered the fouls of men, we go on next to fuch things as concern their bodies, and to pray for all the afflicted in general; begging of God to fuccour all that are in danger, by preventing the mifchief that is falling upon them; to help thofe that are in necefity, by giving them those bleffings they want; and to comfort all that are in tribulation, by fupporting them under it, and delivering them out of it.

And because the circumftances of fome of these hinder them from being present to pray for themselves; we particularly remember them, fince they more especially ftand in need of our prayers, such as are all that travel by land or by water, and the reft mentioned in that petition.

There are other afflicted perfons who are unable to help themselves, fuch as are fatherless children and widows; who are too often deftitute of earthly friends; and fuch as are defolate of maintenance and lodging; or are oppreffed by the falfe and cruel dealings of wicked and powerful men: and therefore these alfo we particularly recommend to God, and beg of him to defend and provide for

them.

And after this large catalogue of fufferers, as well in fpiritual as temporal things; left any should be paffed who are already under, or in danger of, any affliction, we pray next that God would have mercy upon all men.

And then, to fhew we have no referve or exception in our charity or devotions, we pray particularly for our enemies, perfecutors, and flanderers; who we defire may be partakers of all the bleffings we have been praying for, and that God would moreover forgive them, and turn their hearts.

After we have thus prayed firft for ourselves, and then for others, we proceed to pray for them and ourselves together begging, firft, whatsoever is neceffary for the fuftenance of our bodies, comprehended here under the fruits of the earth.

And then, in the next petition, afking for all things neceffary to our fouls, in order to bring them to eternal happiness, viz. true repentance, forgiveness of all our fins, &c. and amendment of life. Which laft petition is very proper for a conclufion. For we know that if we do not amend our lives, all thefe Interceffions will fignify no

C.

thing, becaufe God will not hear impenitent finners. Sect. III. We therefore earnestly beg repentance and amendment of life, that fo all our preceding requests may not miscarry.

And now having prefented fo many excellent fupplications to the throne of Grace; if we fhould conclude them here, and leave them abruptly, it would look as if we were not much concerned whether they were received or not and therefore the church has appointed us to purfue them still with vigorous importunities and redoubled intreaties. And for this reason we now call upon our Saviour, whom we have all this while been praying to, and befeech him by his Divinity, as he is the Son of God, and confequently abundantly able to help us in all these things, that he would hear us: and then afterwards invocate him by his Humanity, befeeching him by his sufferings for us, when he became the Lamb of God, and was facrificed to take away the fins of the world, that he would grant us an intereft in that peace, which he then made with God, and the peace of confcience following thereupon; and that he would have mercy upon us, and take away our fins, fo as to deliver us from guilt and punishment. And lastly, we beg of him, as he is the Lord Chrift, our anointed Mediator, to hear us, and favour us with a gracious answer to all these Interceffions.

Finally, that our conclufion may be fuitable to our beginning, we close up all with an addrefs to the whole Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, for that mercy which we have been begging in fo many particulars: this one word comprehends them all, and therefore these three fentences are the epitome of the whole Litany; and confidering how often and how many ways we need mercy, we can never afk it too often. But of these see more in the former Chapter, Sect. XVI.

SECT. IV. Of the Supplications.

tions.

THE following part of this Litany we call the Suppli- The origications, which were firft collected, and put into this nal of the form, when the barbarous nations firft began to over-run Supplicathe empire about fix hundred years after Chrift: but confidering the troubles of the church militant, and the many enemies it always hath in this world, this part of the Litany is no lefs fuitable than the former at all times whatfoever.

§. 2. We begin with the Lord's Prayer, of which we The Lord's have Prayer.