164 tance; those who do not we may and ought to befeech the Lord for their enlargement. In a word, whether we look abroad or at home, we fhall find the miseries of poor Captives, flaves,and prifoners to be fo very great,as will extort from the most obdurate heart an unfeigned We beseech thee,&c. And because the Church hath added the Word [all] we may fuppose, that all these poor Creatures men and women in these several Conditions do feem to kneel to us, who have eafe and leisure, health and strength, liberty and the freedom of the houfe of God, that we will intercede for them all, and improve the opportunities we have to procure mercy for them: And when fo many neceffary and antient, fo many charitable and excellent Requests are united here in one oh let us feal them all with true Devotion, faying We befeech thee,&c. S.XIX. That it may please thee to defend and probide for the fatherless Chiltzen and Widowns, and all that are defolate and oppzeled:] We beseech thee,&c. When holy David had celebrated God, as him that looseth men out of Prison, Pfal.cxlvii.7. he adds, that be is the Defender of the fatberlefs and Widows,ver.9.A Title in which the Almighty feems much to delight, Deut. x. 18. Pfal. lxviii.6. And as thefe two are ufually joyned in the nature of things, fo they are always put together in Scripture, and united in this Petition, and doubtless may justly challenge a place among those that are in danger,neceflity or tribulation. If Widows and Fatherlefs have any Eftate they are in danger, if none, they are in neceffity and tribulation; but here we pray, that God would Defend them from Danger,and provide for them in neceffity and tribulation: And we have the very fame réqueft in the antient Offices (x), That God would affift and protect Orphans and Widows, and we have great Encouragement because our God ftyles fo to pray, (2) χηρών πρό sude, oppaver rapdamoor Lit.S.Ba fil. Pro virginibus,orba- var den himself their Father and Protector, forbidding all Injuries against them, Exod.xxii.22. Accurfing thofe that wrong them, Deut.xxvii.19. And promiting, that he will right them, Deut.x.18. Yea making it the Character of an unfeigned Religion to be just and charitable unto Widows and Fatherlels, Ifai.i. 17. James i. 27. So that we ought not only to hope and believe he will hear thefe Prayers, but he will love us the better for making Prayers for them: Let not the Fatherlefs and Widows therefore be dejected, because they are deftitute of earthly comforts, for though they be helpless and expofed as to their outward eftate, they are fo much the more dear to God (a), and all good men: He takes them into his Protection, and the Church into her Prayers, by which means their defolate eftate may be as fafe as when they had all their outward comforts at their Will. However it is our Duty to pray for them: And 1. For the fatherless Childzen, who are indeed objects of our pity, as having loft their best earthly Friend, who would have inftructed and educated them, provided for them, and taken care of them; whereas now they are apt to be made a prey to unjuft Guardians and greedy Relations, and to be wronged of what they have, or if they be left poor, then alafs they have none to provide for them, and fo endure great extremity: In fo much M 3 (a) Tuo ifta nomina, in quantum destitu ta humano auxilio, in tantum divine mifericordiæ expofita, fufcipit tueri Pater om nium, Tert.ad ux-1.1. that (b) John xiv. 18. ἐκ ἀφήσω ὑμᾶς sparis Et amici Socratis dicunt, eo mortuo Se AdZev oppavoì Tòv Tela Biov. Platonis Phed. that the fame Word which fignifies a father lefs Child is put ufually for comfortless (b), to fhew in what a fad and comfortless Condition they are having none to fhield them from Injuries, none to provide for their Education, none to reprove or correct them for their faults, none to look to their Souls or Bodies with a true Concern, unless it pleafe God to raise them up fome dear and faithful friends, to him therefore let us pray heartily for them: As alfo II. fo the Wa Dows, who are often the Mothers of Fatherless Children, and unable to help them, or themselves. For Ta toows efpecially,if aged and infirm, are lyable to be injured and oppreffed by Neighbours and Relatives, by Servants and Strangers, the Remembrance of their formerComforts makes their prefent Calamities feem more grievous, before they had loft their head, they were free from many cares and vexations, troubles and mifchiefs, that now they are intangled in, and hence their forrows as well as their complaints are very great, and as they move God to pity them, fo they ought to excite us to pray heartily for all in this forlorn Condition: And these Prayers we must make with hearts full of pity and charity towards all Widows and Fatherlefs, because we know not, how foon we or ours may be in the fame cafe. And we muft particularly recommend thofe Orphans and Widows, who are of our Relations or Acquain (c) Memento Domicorum qui in pauperes, viduas, o tance, and our very Charity to them will bring down a bleifing upon our felves, for in the Liturgy of St. James, they pray to God to be mindful of thofe, who remember the poor,the widows and fatherless (c), to to intimate, that by thinking of them, we move the Lord to think of us, and fo we do at once profit our felves and them alfo, wherefore to this requeft I hope we shall all say very heartily, We beseech thee,&c.III.and Finally, to compleat this Petition we add-and all that are defolate and opp2elled for the Widows and Fatherlefs are always defolate, that is deprived of their best friends,and often oppreffed,that is wronged by their base Enemies, they therefore are the firft in this Rank of Sufferers, but they are not alone,for there are also many others. 1. Who are defolate and deftitute of friends and good Neighbours, who want houfes, and means to fupport them, who have none near them to help or comfort them, and verily if a friend be fo neceffary to the comfort of our Lives, that none can be happy without them,if they had all other good things (d), then the Estate of the defolate is very much to be pitied, and they allo need a place in our Litanies, as do alfo 2. The ppzeled: The defolate want fome good, but thefe fuffer pofitive Evil, they are deftitute of friends, but these are crushed by Enemies, and many of this kind there are in this evil World, whofe rights are detained by Great and Potent Adverfaries, or taken from them by Bribery and falfe-witnefs.Some are overburthened with labour, others denyed their juft Wages, fome are oppreffed by Ufurers and Exactors,others are spoyled by cruel Lords, of all which we hear daily Complaints: And therefore we pray to the righteous Judge of all the World,to provide for the defolate, and to defend the oppzeled from their too mighty Foes,and that God may grant us this needful request, and relieve those we have remembred in it,let us devoutly conclude it with our We beseech thee,&c. M 4 S.XX. (d) Solus eft, qui fine Amico eft. Aug. *Αν γ φίλων ἰδὼς ἂν ἔλοιτο ζω· ἔχων τὰ λοιπὰ ἀγεθο Távτa Arift.Ethic. lib.8.cap.1. S.XX. That it may please thee to have Mercy apon all en:] We befeech thee, &c. After this large Catalogue of Sufferers, as well in fpiritual as in temporal things, left any kind of afflicted ones thould feem to be paffed by, here is one moft comprehensive Petition more, wherein we beg Mercy for all men, who are all afflicted at fome time, or in fome kind or other, and if they be not yet, they always ftand in need of Mercy; the rich as well as the poor; the profperous as well as thofe in advertity; they who remain at home need Gods mercy, as well as thofe who travail abroad; they that are in health, as well as those that are fick the old, as well as the young; thofe at liberty, as well as the Prifoners; thofe who have Fathers and Husbands, as well as those who have none : The miferable need the Divine Mercy to comfort them, but fo do the profperous alfo to preferve them in that Eitate; fo that there is no man can fubfift without mercy. When therefore we reckon up all the former Degrees of calamitous perfons, we do not pretend these are all which want Mercy, thefe need it exceedingly, and just now,but all men are fupported by Mercy, and more or lefs do need it every Moment. And fince every man is our Neighbour and our Brother (as Chrift hath taught us)we ought to express ourCharity to all people, and though our ability cannot relieve them all,yet Gods bounty can, to him therefore we pray for all men: For which we have the praCice and Example of the Jewith Religion, whofe High-Prieft (faith Philo) prayed for all Mankind: And which to us is more confiderable, we have the continual (e)ufe of the an (e) Memento - •♥• nium ut benignè illis facias, omnium miferere- & FP-Vife ta mundum tuun in Mifericordia, Lit.S. Jacob. καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας ἔκχεον τὸ πλέσιον σε έλε ~ · TAVTOV ao Lit. S.Bafil. &S.Chryf. |