(m) 'Oudois a Zúñws + Cíov dińgayev Pofidippus. & Diphilus. *Oun is CiT xixтnтoι xand, λύπας, μερίμνας, αρπαγές, τρέβλας, τόσος"

s

Part.I.many Tribulations though fewer neceffities, and greater dangers than the poor man, who is always in neceffity, but is not much obnoxious to dangers or troubles; but no Condition is free from all these : So that in these words we pray for all the World at once. It may be we our felves are just now either in danger, neceflity, oz tribulation, and then furely our own grief will make ús more fenfible of the fufferings of others, and cause us to pray more earneftly for their relief, as well as our own: But fuppofing we be free to day, we cannot be fo vain as to expect to pass our whole life without troubles (m), fo that the confideration of what we fhall be, may work upon our compaffion, as if the evils were really prefent: And as we do defire, that we may have the benefit of the Churches prayers, when it is our lot to be in the Catalogue of Sufferers, we mult pray moft affectionately for others now, and then we may hope they will do the like for us, when the Scene is changed. One thing we must note more, That it is our duty not only to pray for all diftreffed Perfons, but as far as we are able to relieve them our felves: We ought to fuccour all that are in danger,to help all in neceflity, and to comfort fuch as are in tribulation. But because they are but few, whofe Miferies we know, and fewer, whofe Calamities we can redrefs, we muft do good to as many as we can, within the little Circle of our Notice and our Power, and for all the reft we cannot otherwife express our Charity to them, than by recommending their Condition to our Heavenly Father, who knows the defires of all men, their Habitations, and what they

need

sov,

(n)*0 citus ĕxaTaitíμα Ta αυτό, δικον καὶ τὰ Xpelav auT8 Lit.S. Bafil.p.172.

need (n),as St.Bafil's phrafe is: He knows every ones Condition, and can always fuccour them and relieve them. But if we only give them good Words, and pray to God for them, but do not give any relief to them, we do but abuse them, mock the Almighty,and deceive our felves,as St. James well teacheth us, James ii. 16. An uncharitable man may fancy he doth well in making this excellent prayer, but his hard-heartedness doth make his Petitions to be in vain: So that we see our praying for those in danger,neceflity and tribulation,doth not excufe our Charity, but fuppofe it, and require it, if we fuccour, help and comfort those within our Reach, our prayers will be real and affectionate for all others, and they will move God to relieve both them and us: Let us then do good to as many as we can, and commit the reft to the Divine mercy, faying with a hearty Charity, We beseech,&c.

S.XVIII.at it may please thee to preferve all that travail by Land 03 by water, all women labouring of Child, all fick Perlons and young Childzen, and to sew the Pity upon all Petloners and Captives, ]We beseech thee, &c.

Our affections are not fo apt to be wrought upon by general expreffions, as by particular inftances,and therefore it is thought fit in this, and the following Petitions, to reckon up some of the principal of thofe, who ftand in extraordinary need of the Divine fuccour, and if we confider the feveral inftances we shall find, that we do here give Examples of the three Generals that went before; for we may reckon Travailers and Seamen, labouring Women, fick Perfons and Infants, to be of

thofe

those who are in danger: Prifoners and Captives here, and in the next, Fatherlefs and Widows are of those. who are in neceffity: And laftly the defolate and oppreffed are of thofe, who are in tribulation: And for the Examples in this prefent Paragraph it may be noted, that they are all of fuch kind of Perfons as are uncapable of coming to pray with us, being excluded from God's houfe,not by any fault of their own, but by neceffary bufinefs,as Travailers and Sea-men, by infirmity of Body,as labouring Women and fick Perfons, of mind, as young Children, or by Violence and Reftraint,as Prifoners and Captives. There are many others in danger, neceflity, and tribulation, but thofe can come to our Affemblies, and with their prefence move us to pity and pray for them, yea,they can joyn with us in praying for themfelves: But none of thefe here mentioned can come to the Congregation, and left as they are out of our fight, they fhould be out of our minds alfo,the Church is our daily Monitor to enjoyn our Prayers for them: Nor are we fingular in this Petition,for we have in most of the particulars a Pattern in the antient Forms,as when we pray:

(0) Tap Υπέρ πλεὄντων καὶ ὁδοιποράνTv Send Clem. & Lit.S.Chryfoft,& Lit.S.Marc.

1. Foz all that travail by Land 02 by water: We have fo general a Confent in all the antient Offices (o), that I have been apt to think, this Claufe to be almoft as early as the Apoftles days, and at firft had refpect principally to thofe devout Chriftians (as the Liturgy of Jerusalem applys it (p)) who travailed by Land, and failed over all the known World,to

-pre

Pro navigantilus,iter agentibus, camur te. Lit Ambr. Τοῖς πλέυσι σύμ

πλάσον, τοῖς ὁδοιπο

sło owód door Lit. S. Bafil.

(P) Pro navigantibus, iter facientibus, peregrinantibus ChrifiiLit.S.Jacob.

Fropagate

propagate the Gofpel, and make Profelytes to Religion, for doubtless these holy Perfons run through innume rable Perils for the Caufe of Jefus Chrift, and therefore ought to be remembred in the Prayers of all that wished well to Christianity. But if it were introduced on that occafion, yet it may well enough be retained, and applyed unto all that travail on any lawful business, for of all kinds of men Trabailers by Land and Sea are in moft continual dangers: 1. Those who go by land, are in danger of lofing their way, of Thieves, and Robbers, of Floods and Præcipices, of Falls and breaking their Bones, yea,in fome places of hunger and thirst, of Serpents and cruel Beafts of Prey, of being frozen with Cold, or fcorched with heat, with many other Perils, whereupon the very Heathens were wont to facrifice before they began a journey, and their friends did worship two Deities, the one to direct the Travailer in the right way, the other to preferve his Person from all harms, as Ficinus relates (q), and fhall we Chriftians exprefs lefs fear of God, or lefs Charity to our Brethren? 2. Again, Seamen and all that travail by Water are in innumerable dangers, for the Land-Pyrates or Enemies may take them in the Water, Rocks may fplit them, Quick-fands and fhelves may fet them faft, the Fire may burn them, the Air may fend Storms and Tempefts to overwhelm them, Pfal. cvii.23. or a Calm to ftop them,till they be in danger of famishing, fo that it was wifely faid of Old, that Seafaring men were not above an Inch

(9) Marfil, Ficin. in Plat. de legibus Dial.10.

(r) Senec. Trag. Medea verf. 301. & 320,&c.

or two from death (r), being removed from deftruction but the thickness of a poor plank: And we who are at home and fafe, are obliged to think upon, and pray for, all those who for the common good,

or

Part. I. or upon their juft and neceffary occafions are exposed to fo many hazards. There are fome who condemn all Antiquity together with our Church, as if they,and we prayed for Thieves and Pirates, because the word is general,for all that travail by Land 02 by water: Which is a malicious Comment on an innocent Text, for do not all men by Travellers understand honeft Travellers ? Or who can properly call a Thief a Traveller, or a Pyrate a Merchant-man? We cannot commit any into Gods protection, but only such as do things juft and honeft, and if we should pray to him to preferve a Thief or a Pyrate, the meaning would be not to profper them in their Robbery, but to prevent them, to keep them from executing their wicked purposes, to convert them, and fo preferve them from the death which mans Law appoints for them on Earth, and from that Damnation which God himself threatens them in Hell-fire, and what harm were it, if we did in plain words ask all this? Though it is evident we mean here no other, but julk and honest Persons, fo that every one who is fuch, may freely hereunto fay Amen.

II. We pray for all Women labouring with Child, which Petition though it be scarce to be found among the antient Offices, yet is very juftly placed here, becaufe of the number of poor Women, who are continually in this danger,and because of the greatnef, of the danger it felf; for their deliverance would be reckoned among the greatest miracles of Providence, if the frequency thereof did not make us less mindful of it than we ought to be. Our Sin hath entailed fo heavy a Curfe upon the weaker Sex, in the bearing of Children, that many of them lose their own Lives in giving Life to others, and those that do escape do endure generally Pains and Agonies, which the strongest men would find almoft inLupportable, if it were poflible they fhould feel them; wherefore