A Practical Discourse upon the Intercessions. S.IILJALE Dinners do beseech thee to hear us D Lozd God, and that it may please thee to rale and gobern thy Holy Charch universal in the right way:] We bejeech thee to hear us Good Lord. 2 (2) Ἔτι δεόμε Taxσαι κύριον * πεδ purus mis Jenorws ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτο av Eutbol. p.42. Domine omnipotens, Deus patrum noЯrodines. Lit.S Jacob. um, oramus te exau (b) Peccatores te The Preface which introduceth this part of the Litany is much after the fame manner, both in the Eaftern (a), and in the Western Church (b),being an humble request for the acceptance of our Prayers, joyned with a clear Confeffion of our Sins and Unworthiness, that fo we might not be thought to prefent these our Supplications before God, trufting in our own Righteoufnefs, but in his manifold and great mercies,Dan. ix.1 8. It is very true, that God heareth not Sinners, John ix.3 1. and therefore it may feem ftrange, why we, being Sinners, fhould befeech God to hear us; but to this we reply, that it is not all kind of Sinners, whofe prayers are not heard, for if God never heard the Prayers of Sinners, all mens prayers must be rejected, for there is none righteous, no not one, Rom.iii.ro. and all have finned, ver. 23.So that it is obftinate and impenitent Sinners, who go on in their Iniquities, and neither confefs nor amend them, it is thefe whom God heareth not; but he hears no prayers fooner than those of fuch, who(though they be finners, yet) confefs themselves to be fo, as we here do. The Pharifee faid he was righteous, yet God jufti H 2 rogamus audi nos.Miff. Sarisb. [totum rpetatur à Chere] Rubr. Ebor, fied (c) Auguft.contr: Epift.Parmen.1.2. c. 8. tom.7. fied him not, nor accepted his prayer. The Publican was a finner, and confeffed it, as St. Auguftine notes (c), and was justified and made free from Sin, he was a Sinner, and was heard while a Sinner, or else (faith he) he had remained a Sinner ftill: This Publican we do therefore imitate, confeffing we are Sinners,and by that very Confeffion if it be fincere, we shall remove all thofe Sins which might have obstructed the following Petitions, and hindred their fuccefs: Let us pronounce this then with Contrition and humility, and it will make way for all the rest of these our Prayers. (d) Pro univerfa Ecclefia Catholica, que hic & per univerfum Orbem diffufa eft precamur te.Refp. Domine miferere. Off Ambrofian. -pro Ec clefia fan&ta Dei,&c. Sacramentar. S.Gre The First of which is that which is moft general,and also most futable for us as Chriftians to begin with, even for the Holy and Universal Church, for we ought to be more concerned for the good of the whole, than of any particular part. In those Roman Litanies (which I have feen) there is a Petition or two for our own peace and fafety going before this but that is neither fo methodical, nor yet fo agreeable to other of the most antient Forms, which do usually place their Interceffion for the univerfalChurch in the first place (d), but however none of them omit it ter the fame manner with us, even (e), and all of them pray much afthat this Holy Society may ever be. preferved and defended,guided and directed by him that is the Lord and Governour thereof: Which requeft the primitive Chriftians gor. Ὑπὲς τῆς Ἐκκλησία as Tauts Clem. Conft.1.8. "En 68 Nóμeda, Mvon Huge The "Agles or adore Αγίας σε καθολι x11; 'Exxx noias, &c. Lit. S Bafil.p 171. (e) Lit. S. Chryf. .& S. Jacob. thought thought to be very neceffary, notwithstanding Chrifts promise, that he would be with his Church, and lead it into all truth, and preserve it against the gates of hell, as Matb. xxviii. ult. John xvi. 13. Math. xvi. 18. because the Promises of God do encourage our Prayers, but not make them needlefs, they give us no difpenfation to cease from asking, but fill us with hopes, that we shall obtain what we ask agreeable to his Will: Nor is it likely when these Petitions were firft made (that the Church might be kept in the right way) that the Doctrine of Infallibility was maintained, either in the Roman Church, or any other part of the Chriftian world. We do believe indeed with the Antients, that God will not fuffer the whole Univerfal Church at once,to fall into any grievous Error: But that the greateft part of it may be infected with Herefy, is apparent from the fad Example of the Arrian blafphemy, which all the Eastern and moft of the Western Churches did fo ftifly maintain against Athanafius, and fome very few Orthodox Bishops who took his Part, and that any particular Church may fall into wrong ways, the very Roman Church, which boafts of it's Infallibility hath demonftrated; and by many Errors, hath proved that no Church is free from the poffibility of being deceived: So that it is very neceffary for us to beg of God to rule and govern all Churches in the right way, which if left to themselves, would foon fall into the wrong: And if we confider, how great and eminent Parts of the once Catholick Church, are now fwallowed up with Turcifm, eclipfed with Herefy, clouded with Superftition and Idolatry; and how, of those Parts whofe Faith is right, their Manners are very Evil, God knows we had need cry earneftly, for the reducing those who are in the wrong way, and the prefervation of fuch as are in the right. While the Churches err,the People can not be expected to do other than follow their Leaders, therefore the Good Lord guide them, who are Guides to others, that the whole Church together may go in the right way to the right end, even eternal life. We befeech thee,&c. Concerning which Refponfe We befeech thee,&c. as we have before fhewed it's Antiquity, we may now add this concerning it's usefulness: That the neceffities of all Eftates of men being very many, and yet it being our Duty to commemorate them all, thefe Interceffions are divided into little parcels, and to prevent wearinefs and diftraction, there is a little pause made after every particular, that the People may have time to reflect upon what they have asked, and with a peculiar importunity enforce every one of these requests, by this Webeseech thee,&c. So that this Refponfe is a rare help to their Devotion, and every word of it is fignificant: for there we declare,that we ask every thing with humility and earneftnefs by the Word [We befeech], and alfo with Faith by calling him we pray unto [Good Lord]: We feek not to Saints or Angels to hear us, but to our God alone we cry We befeech [thee] to hear us: And that our answering with an audible voice may not tempt us to oftentation, thefe words do fet him before us whom we are praying unto, even our good Lord, and if we fay them fincerely, they are a decla ration, that we do not fuffer our minds to rove after any impertinent or vain things, nor yet regard our Neighbours cenfures of us, but are only defirous, that the Good Lord may hear us, who can help us and give us all that we pray for, All which fhews the ftupidity and bafeness of thofe, who are mute at this part of this excellent Litany, whofe bodies are prefent, but their fouls (it is to be feared) are absent from this Service, for whofoever would perform it with a prefent mind, cannot be better helped by any means, than by carefully attending attending when and how he ought to fay this devout Anfwer, We befeech,&c. S.IV.at it may please thee to keep and fringthen in the true wozhipping of thee, in Righteoufnels and Holtnels of life, the Servant CHARLES, our most gracious king and Gevernour] We beseech thee,&c. St. Paul hath fo exprefly charged, that Interceffions fhould be made for Kings, 1 Tim.ii.1,2. that there is nothing that hath been more punctually obferved by all the Catholick Church in all ages; it were endless to cite all the proofs of this, which Antiquity doth afford, and fhall fuffice only to point out a few of the moft eminent places (f) in Chriftian Authors, and to fet down in English fome of the principal Petitions, which were made for the King in the Litanies of the Western, Church, that so it may be feen what Prefidents our Litany hath followed herein: (f) Athenag legat, pro Chrift.p.40. Arnobius adverf. gentes,1.4. p.152. Tert. apol.cap. 30, & 31, & 39. Dionyf.Alexand. ap.Elmenhorft. and of the Eastern First, That of St. Clement thus expreffeth it, Let us pray for Kings,that under them we being peaceably governed may lead a quiet life in all Godliness and Honesty. St. Chryfoftom thus: Let us befeech the Lord, for our most religious and divinely-protected Kings, for their whole Palace, and ArAnfw. Lord have mercy. my. Let us befeech the Lord, that he would fight on their fide, and fubdue every rebel and enemy under their feet. Anfw. Lord bave mercy. The Ambrofian Office thus: -- Let us pray for thy Servant N. our Emperor, and thy Hand-maid N.our Empress,and all their forces. Anfw. Lord bave mercy. H 4 The |